Regressor Instruction Manual

Just like how he had a life on this continent, he also had a life back on Earth. I was sure everyone else, like us, had a life on Earth as well. Of course, it was different for Kim Hyun-Sung because his life on Earth was something that happened ages ago.

He had lived twice as long as other people and had experienced special incidents as well. It was highly likely that his memories back on Earth had already faded away and that he felt more comfortable living here than on Earth.

Considering the fact that there were still many people missing Earth, he wasn\'t in the most ideal situation. His way of thinking was more useful here than on Earth, and to be honest, he was more of a denizen of this continent than of Earth.

I was sure he was shocked because he suddenly remembered that he had a life back on Earth. That was also the reason he rarely talked about his life, but he was completely different from Jung Ha-Yan, who wanted to forget that place completely.

Jung Ha-Yan was intentionally avoiding any conversations about her life on Earth, but Kim Hyun-Sung was different, as he couldn\'t remember anything about his life on Earth.

If Kim Hyun-Sung really was the young master of a rich family, then the incidents that he had encountered so far on the continent had to have shaken him up greatly. Of course, I simply assumed that he was a young master of a rich family.

"I see… So you had a friend back on Earth…" Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

I was kind of surprised that he repeated his words.

"Of course… you had a friend…" Kim Hyun-Sung said.

He couldn\'t hide his shock at all.

"That… friend of yours…"

"He was a really close friend," I told him.

\'You can say that he was more than just a casual friend. He\'s a real friend, and our hearts are one.\'

\'He\'s a friend you never had.\'

I was not sure, but I had an idea about just what kind of person he was back on Earth.

If I were to be a little harsh, I\'d say that he was a good-looking but socially awkward loner. He probably had no issues with his family members and had spent a normal but rich life as a student. However, I was sure he had no one he could call a "friend."

He could think of someone as a friend, but it was highly likely the other person didn\'t think that way. He was probably in a few chat rooms, but the ones he wasn\'t in were probably more active. It was kind of sad, but that was just the kind of person he was.

I was sure Kim Hyun-Sung had his own problems, but the people around him probably felt disconnected from him.

\'They probably felt like he\'s living a life different from them.\'

He was tall, innocent, really handsome, and with a great personality, to boot, but I was sure girls were uncomfortable around him. He probably lived an energetic life filled with dreams and hope, like one would normally see in coming-of-age dramas.

He was good at sports, and he looked like he\'d be popular around the guys, but he was actually difficult to get along with.

First of all, he was more good-looking than a celebrity, studied hard, and was always smiling. I could imagine him in a sports drink commercial. He\'d turn on the faucet and get his hair wet before drinking a beverage.

Then, he\'d say, "Guys!" before jumping into the crowd down below.

\'People would believe me if I were to tell them he was from a high school romance comic.\'

People living in a normal family with a normal life probably felt awkward around him. It was only when people became adults that they\'d start pushing themselves and others away.

It was pretty obvious how people treated him at the thought that he was different from them.

\'They only got close to him because they could profit from him; they never really opened their hearts to him. That must be why he\'s obsessed with me.\'

Having someone he could talk to was precious to him. His relationship with other people was on the surface level, so he definitely felt uncomfortable at the fact that I had another friend aside from him.

However, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn\'t a child, so he couldn\'t say things like, "Why are you only playing with him? Why are you playing with him and not with me? Why are you closer to him than me?"

He wasn\'t exactly saying those things, but he looked at me nervously.

"Did you not have any?" I asked.

"Ah… well… I-I also had a friend…" Kim Hyun-Sung stuttered.

"..."

"..."

"It was a thought I had later. At first, I—"

"W-What kind of person was that friend of yours?"

\'Why is he interrupting me?\'

"He was a nice and kind-hearted person… but more importantly, we hit it off pretty well. I was suddenly reminded of him. It only seemed like yesterday when we talked while looking at the clear, blue sky… Perhaps it\'s because I\'ve only been looking forward or because of that Templar, but I\'m having many different thoughts," I answered.

He resembled Templar Gen because he was rich. He also had no qualms about spending a ton of money, and he was a weird loser as well.

"..."

"I know it\'s useless to do this since there\'s no way of going back to Earth…" I added.

"Ah, right. There\'s no way to go back…" Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

"And I made a new friend here," I said.

\'Look at him smiling.\'

His smile lasted only for a brief moment, as a part of him was still kind of worried.

\'It\'s understandable, though.\'

It was only from my point of view that Templar Gen looked like someone who had given everything he had. I was sure he didn\'t look that way to others. He was seen as a psychopath, and the people had been gaslighting him as well.

In the end, he became known as a scum with a penchant for manipulating people in malicious ways.

Kim Hyun-Sung\'s bizarre friendship rivalry lasted only for a moment, and it disappeared along with his nervousness. This time, he looked worried.

\'There he goes again.\'

He was imagining my miserable life back on Earth.

"You said he resembled Templar Gen… Was your friend… on Earth…"

"I don\'t really want to talk about myself. What was it like for you, Mr. Hyun-Sung?" I asked.

"I-I… had a strict mother and a father who cared about his family…" Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

"I wasn\'t asking about that… Please tell me more," I requested.

"My father was a teacher…" Kim Hyun-Sung said.

"Was he a high school teacher?" I asked.

"H-He was a college professor," Kim Hyun-Sung answered.

Really?

"My mother ran a small business," Kim Hyun-Sung continued.

"What was the name of her business?" I asked.

"..."

"Tell me," I urged him.

"She sold outdoor gear…" Kim Hyun-Sung said.

"Was it… Hyun-Sung Camping?" I asked.

"H-How… did you know?" Kim Hyun-Sung questioned.

\'It\'s obvious since it\'s your name and how can you call that a small business?\'

It was a mid-sized company in Korea, but it was pretty famous.

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so we could\'ve been friends back on Earth.

"So you were rich," I commented.

"No, I wouldn\'t say I was rich," Kim Hyun-Sung denied.

\'No, you were rich. You probably feel that way because your parents lived a simple life.\'

"And you\'re an only child?" I asked.

"Yes, I am," Kim Hyun-Sung replied.

"Your parents sound like great people… Come to think of it, I don\'t think I ever heard you talk about your life on Earth," I said.

"Ah! That\'s…"

"Yes?"

"When I first arrived here, I cried often… and missed my mom… I mean, my mother and father… but my memories of them were fading away bit by bit the more time I spent here. I feel bad, but many things happened.

"Of course, that doesn\'t mean that I don\'t think about them at all. There are times when I think about them, but strangely, I don\'t get sad. I don\'t know if I\'ve become strange or if I\'ve already come to terms with it," Kim Hyun-Sung explained.

"..."

"I\'m careful, but… even I can feel that I\'ve become a broken human… I miss them even now, but I don\'t shed any tears. All I want is for them to live well…and not be sad because of me," Kim Hyun-Sung added.

"..."

"I\'m sure it\'s different for you. It hasn\'t been that long since you arrived here, so missing Earth…"

\'No, I don\'t really miss it.\'

\'I do think about Yul-Ha from time to time… but I don\'t miss Earth itself. I\'m sure Yul-Ha is doing fine without me—no, I\'m sure she\'s doing better without me.\'

Of course, if I were asked whether I missed her or not, I\'d say that I missed her, but I had a lot on my plate right now. At this rate, I was sure I\'d be able to find a way to send some news to her someday.

"That\'s not true, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I don\'t think you\'re broken at all," I told him.

"I appreciate you saying that," Kim Hyun-Sung said.

"I\'m telling the truth… Humans are known to be forgetful. If that much time has already passed, then it\'s natural for you to forget them. Since you haven\'t lost your humanity despite experiencing so many incidents, I think you\'re the most \'human\' person ever," I said.

"Thank… you," Kim Hyun-Sung mumbled.

"If you have any fun experiences, can you—"

"I honestly don\'t remember much. One thing I can remember is—Ah! I go camping every weekend with my family," Kim Hyun-Sung answered, interrupting me.

"Really?"

"Yes, I traveled all over the place… Come to think of it, my father always made curry rice whenever we went camping. I don\'t really remember the taste, but I sometimes remember asking him to make me that dish whenever he tries to cook a different dish.

"My mother likes taking pictures… I honestly didn\'t like taking pictures, so I avoided her," Kim Hyun-Sung Kim Hyun-Sung said.

"Haha."

I wasn\'t sure whether it was because of my reaction or because I was showing interest, but Kim Hyun-Sung seemed to be enjoying our conversation.

"If I had known that this was going to happen, I would\'ve taken more pictures… We camped out by a lake once…"

\'He\'s talking a lot, but at least he\'s having fun.\'

He told me many things without me asking for it.

In no time, he became immersed in his stories.

"You\'re right," I said.

"Also…"

Of course, I was enjoying this time as well, and it actually helped lighten the depressing atmosphere. Perhaps it was because Kim Hyun-Sung was expressing his feelings, but it felt like I was immersed in his memories with him.

I got a glimpse of what he felt at the time.

He thought he had forgotten joy, happiness, and warmth, but it didn\'t seem to be the case.

"We should pick a day and go camping. We can also eat curry rice," I suggested.

\'I\'m not sure if we\'ll be able to get similar spices here, though…\'

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really. After all of this is over, of course," I clarified.

"Are you really…"

"Yes, let\'s go camping. It\'s been a while since we\'ve taken our griffons outside… We should invite the guild members… and our acquaintances. I was actually thinking that we needed a break," I told him.

"Okay, then we should hurry and figure out the distribution issue…"

"No, I think it\'s better if I take care of that," I suggested.

\'There\'s a chance of him causing trouble, so it\'s better if I just do it myself.\'

Kim Hyun-Sung nodded.

It was really late. I was sure he wanted to spend more time, but unfortunately, I didn\'t have time to spare.

\'I\'ll take a look at what Ji-Hye noona has sent over to me and go to sleep.\'

I needed to get back to work tomorrow.

\'I need to work hard from tomorrow onward.\'

I sprawled out on the bed and checked the video that she sent.

Eventually, I entered the communication channel.

"Miss Kim Mi-Young, I know it\'s late, but please call for a meeting," I requested.

"Ah… Sub… Guild Master… I\'m sorry. Right now…"

"Looks like I woke you up. Then… I\'ll contact the person on duty today…" I said.

"No, I\'ll take care of it, sir."

"The meeting will take place in one hour," I informed her.

"Yes, sir."

Her voice sounded clearer, so I assumed she was fully awake.

It was 1:48 a.m.

I felt bad for those who were sleeping, but what could they do about it?

\'They have to respond to my summons.\'

I wasn\'t the one who was in a hurry, after all.