How to Steal the Hero's Woman - 313: Yggdrasil (3-22)
“Sis? Regression? What are you talking about?”
“Ah…”
Even Min Hayeon, who had been bawling her eyes out in that heavy atmosphere just moments ago, started looking troubled at the word regression.
She’d been out of her mind with my impending death, and that had briefly stripped away her reason.
With her senses dulled, she hadn’t glanced around and had accidentally let the word slip.
And this was…
Perfect!
It was exactly the situation I’d orchestrated.
The original plan had been to make it slip from Han Bom’s mouth by mistake, but with Min Hayeon drugged on hallucinogens, I’d hastily adjusted.
I looked at the flustered Min Hayeon and said,
“Hayeon… let’s tell her now.”
“B-but…”
“I don’t think Han Bom sees me as some weirdo like you’re worried about. And who knows what’ll happen next, so it’s better to get ahead of it.”
“…”
Min Hayeon didn’t buy it easily.
She probably thought the regression secret was best kept buried—ideally never spoken aloud at all.
Plus, she’d always seen Han Bom as being on Han Yeoreum’s side, which made deciding even harder.
“Hayeon, it’s not about trusting me. Trust the Han Bom you’ve known all this time.”
“…Okay.”
After agonizing, Min Hayeon caught my gaze, then nodded.
Han Bom, swept up in the weird flow, glanced between us and asked,
“Wh-what are you two talking about?”
“Bom… I have something to tell you.”
Min Hayeon pulled away from my arms and faced Han Bom with a grave expression.
“What I’m about to say has to stay top secret. Especially from Han Yeoreum…”
“Uh…”
“Bom… can I trust you?”
Han Bom clenched her fists at Min Hayeon’s face, then nodded solemnly.
“Yeah. I won’t tell a soul.”
Min Hayeon took a huge breath, like she was about to burst a lung, then exhaled and said,
“This’ll sound totally insane, but… your brother—Han Yeoreum—is a regressor.”
“…Huh?”
“And… for some reason, every time he regresses, I do too. But… I don’t know about now.”
“S-sis…”
As Han Bom gaped blankly, Min Hayeon shook her head.
“I know it sounds crazy… but regression is real…”
Min Hayeon flushed, explaining it like she’d seen aliens or ghosts.
That’s when Han Bom’s eyes went wide, her mouth dropping open.
“S-sis… you too? You’ve regressed?”
“Yeah… huh?”
“No way… you’ve experienced it too?”
“…You have?”
…You too?
..
..
After hearing Min Hayeon out, Han Bom spilled her entire story without holding back.
I figured she’d skim a couple details, but with Min Hayeon as the listener, it all poured out—including everything she’d done with me.
“So then… back with Suho…”
“Sis… I’m sorry.”
“No. I’m glad you told me everything.”
Min Hayeon hugged Han Bom tight, patting her back.
“It must’ve been so hard. I was the idiot yelling at you all this time…”
“No! I’m the one who did wrong to you, sis…”
But their sisterly bonding peaked there.
Min Hayeon pushed Han Bom back, eyes hardening as she said,
“First, let’s fix Suho.”
“B-but… like I said, even before, we couldn’t cure it.”
“Ugh…”
Min Hayeon grimaced at the blood seeping from my arm.
With both of us deeming it impossible, her path ahead looked bleak—she shifted from worry to despair.
Still, she clung to her trademark composure, suggesting alternatives.
“Han Yeoreum! He gave you that item. Maybe he has a cure too?”
“Oh! But…”
“Bom! Where’s Han Yeoreum!?”
At Min Hayeon’s shout, Han Bom looked troubled and mumbled,
“I… left him right after the treatment and chased after you and the guy.”
“Bom, do you remember the spot?”
“Not far from here. Left out the cave entrance, three or four minutes, you’ll see it.”
Min Hayeon shot to her feet.
“I’ll grab Han Yeoreum. Wait here.”
“No! Red Summoners are out there!”
I clutched my bleeding arm and blocked her.
“If we go, we all go.”
“With that wound?”
“I’m fine. Han Bom said it lasted till evening before. It’s still daytime, and the bleeding’s not that bad.”
When Min Hayeon had stabbed me earlier, she’d aimed for my face; my arm deflected it, so the wound wasn’t deep.
The bleeding was untreatable and risky, but wandering the forest alone was worse.
“Th-then… let’s at least stop the bleeding.”
Min Hayeon pulled cloth from her inventory, wrapping and tying it tight around my arm.
It stanched the flow somewhat, but the curse kept it oozing.
She eyed my arm worriedly, then set her jaw.
“Let’s go!”
She supported my left arm.
Han Bom rushed to grab my right.
..
..
“Sh-should be right here…”
“Where’d he go?”
Min Hayeon and Han Bom scanned the summoning spot quietly for Han Yeoreum.
No trace.
But I knew where he was.
They took him somewhere safe, right?
[Based on prior experience, it’s a safe bet they handled it well.]
No regression meant Han Yeoreum was alive, and no sign here pointed to Red Crescent evacuating him successfully.
Without comms, though, confirmation meant meeting up.
They obeyed orders well, so trust was key.
Now… for the cure…
Min Hayeon’s face crumpled in despair.
“He’s gone…”
“That bastard got kidnapped last loop too. Probably that.”
“Th-then right now…”
Min Hayeon despaired again, her hope in Han Yeoreum’s potential curse fix dashed.
Curing it now would’ve been easy.
Min Hayeon and Han Bom now knew each other’s regressions.
They’d bonded over shared hardships, leaning on one another.
Up to here: perfect.
But lifting the curse was separate.
They knew I couldn’t break it in this state.
Curing it casually would shatter the hard-earned trust.
Trials forge unbreakable bonds.
I looked at their distraught faces and said,
“What if…”
“…?”
They whipped toward me, hanging on my words.
“Some of those Red Summoners came from upstairs, right?”
“Probably most. Like the ones who stole our inn…”
“So… maybe one has an item to break this curse?”
They exchanged glances, then shouted in unison,
““Let’s hunt them!””
***
Han Yeoreum lay paralyzed on the cave floor, cursing inwardly.
These fucking assholes! Even allies treat me like shit!
It was the same cave as last loop, same paralysis poison—he was a corpse on the ground.
Until recently, he’d been catching his breath after Han Bom’s treatment.
He’d never dreamed she’d shoot an arrow at him.
Unsure when the hallucinogen kicked in, he froze seeing it hit her instantly.
Then she’d turned and fired at him.
Humiliatingly, she’d stepped on his face going down.
Fuck… feels like my tooth broke. Does recovery fix teeth?
Her stomp had snapped his canine.
But teeth were fleeting; rage at the present surged.
We had a contract, those bastards! Why this treatment!?
During his brief rest, Red Summoners swarmed him—no chance to talk, just attacked and knocked out.
He’d woken here, same as before. Even the paralysis toxin matched.
As he pieced it together, footsteps approached; someone checked his pupils.
After a moment, they nodded and reported,
“Pupils twitching faintly. He’s awake.”
“…Good.”
A voice from Han Yeoreum’s memories.
The man who’d shown Han Bom’s disgrace.
The one who’d promised to kill Seong Su-ho.
Different loops, same voice.
Han Yeoreum glared daggers, cursing silently.
Fucking prick!! We contracted! Free me now!
The man read his glare like a book and muttered,
“I get the frustration from our deal, but bear it. This is our hideout—can’t just let your type in unchecked.”
“…”
“Assuming you hear me, let’s proceed.”
Boris pulled blue sapphires from his inventory, placing about twenty on the floor.
That’s…!
Obviously not gems—recording devices.
“These held footage of that Seong Su-ho guy while we watched the village, as you wanted.”
Each gem: one hour of record.
“Even we couldn’t infiltrate the inn, but this fulfills our contract.”
Boris waved the contract in Han Yeoreum’s face.
It glowed red, burning to ash like mages’ spells.
“Contract complete.”
“…”
Han Yeoreum’s eyes gleamed triumphantly at the scattered gems—his only expression.
Yes! Any intel’s gold. Hurry up and wear off, paralysis…
He buzzed like a kid on Christmas.
Desperate to see the footage now.
Then—
Chaos erupted outside.
“Gaaah!”
“Gurk!”
Boris, ever cool, yelled in alarm at the screams.
“What’s happening!?”
“B-boss! Intruders! Guh!”
Thud!
A Red Summoner reporting to the cave entrance took an arrow to the leg and tumbled.
“Damn it!”
Boris whipped out a katana from inventory, eyeing the entrance.
A man silhouetted against sunlight approached.
He nocked an arrow and loosed in a flash.
Whoosh!
“Hmph!”
Boris tracked the trajectory, swinging to block.
“An arrow this slow—wh-what!?”
His blade met empty air; yellow light flashed, veering the arrow to his thigh.
Crunch!
“Gaaah!”
He collapsed before Han Yeoreum, writhing in agony.
“Aaaargh!”
Han Yeoreum trembled, feeling Boris’s pain and his own terror.
What the hell!? What is that!! Fuck!!
Boris’s torment and approaching footsteps brought Han Yeoreum peak dread.
Steps halted—right on his ponytail crunching underfoot.
Ugh! Fuck… my hair’s ripping out!
Not a few strands—the whole back of his head.
Pain faded to mortal fear; he prayed silently.
Please! Just let me see the videos! Don’t kill me! Whoever you are…
Then, from his crushed ponytail, the voice he’d craved spoke.
“What? Han Yeoreum?”