Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Obstacle
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...
After hearing me out, the branch manager rested her chin on her hand, her expression grave.
"So, Kim Wanwoo from the management team is the regressor."
"That's right."
"And you've been trying to tell me about it all this time, but every time you did, you were forced to loop back."
"Exactly."
"But..."
"Yes?"
The branch manager narrowed her eyes and muttered.
"Even after all that time, I've never once seen that golden light descending from the sky."
...
"Sorry. Just talking to myself."
Her face still serious, the branch manager pulled out her flip phone and started making a call.
"Ah, yes. It's me. Yeah. Where's Kim Wanwoo from the management team? On vacation? Oh."
Then she hung up.
"He's on vacation, apparently. Looks like he's already started making his move."
"You're awfully calm for someone who's heard all this."
"What are you talking about? I'm plenty worried, in my own way."
She smiled as she looked at me.
"But no need for too much concern."
"Huh?"
"It's nothing."
She let out a cheerful laugh instead of answering my question.
Something about that made me think of how she'd endlessly stroked my cheek before, and I found myself speaking up without thinking.
"Take care of yourself out there. Just because you're tough doesn't mean you should go throwing yourself into danger and causing trouble."
"...Oh my."
The branch manager stared at me blankly at my words,
then laughed and patted my back.
"Oh dear, oh dear. Are you actually worried about me? What makes you say that?"
"Seen some things I shouldn't have."
"Aw, poor thing. Must've been too much for a young guy like you."
"Now that you know how old I am, maybe don't say stuff like that so casually."
...
For a split second, the branch manager's face stiffened, and before things could escalate, I hurried toward the door.
I didn't want to get caught and chewed out.
As I grabbed the doorknob in a rush, her voice came from behind me.
"You used the watch."
...
I turned to look, and the branch manager was smiling softly.
"There is no world that exists for one person alone."
"Huh?"
"Humans can defy time, yes. But the moment this world turns back time, even the one who defied it remains unaware."
There is no world that exists for one person alone.
"So the regressor doesn't know about using the watch?"
"You're quick on the uptake. I never was."
The branch manager laughed as she gazed at me.
...
"There's something I need to do, isn't there?"
Something she needed to do.
I recalled the pouring rain. And the golden light shining down.
Part of me wanted to drag the branch manager along and grill him myself, but that would be pointless.
What I needed right now wasn't brute force. It was someone who could block the variables.
"It's going to rain again."
"Ugh, I hate that..."
At my words, the branch manager wrinkled her brow deeply and let out a heavy sigh.
"What can we do? It has to be done."
"...Please."
I gave her a slight bow and turned to leave for real this time.
"...Good work out there."
Her warm voice reached me from behind.
"No big deal."
Coming from someone who'd suffered more than me, it didn't mean much.
-Thud.
I closed the door and started walking.
There were places I needed to go, people I wanted to see.
I took the elevator down and moved my feet without a second thought.
"No, so..."
"...That's not entirely wrong, but..."
"...Haha..."
I heard familiar voices from three people,
and
-whoosh.
As I flung the door open, they all turned to look at me in response to the sound.
"...You're back."
Jang Chaeyeon waved with a soft smile,
"Went on a date with some blonde?"
Song Arin eyed me grumpily,
...
...
...
"Jaeheon?"
The girl with the bright smile still vivid in my mind looked at me.
...
"Huh?"
Her black hair gleamed in the sunlight as she tilted her head curiously.
Those round eyes that had smiled at me back then gazed at me now with the same warm expression.
*I'm so happy right now.*
Her image scattering like sand overlapped with the one blinking at me now—
"Jaeheon?"
"...Daon."
"Uh, did I do something wrong?"
Anxiety crept onto Yoo Daon's face.
"No."
"Then why..."
"Are you happy right now?"
"Yes...?"
Yoo Daon's anxious expression melted away, replaced by puzzled head-tilt.
Soon, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
"Of course!"
"...Good."
As I locked eyes with Yoo Daon, Song Arin sighed and wedged herself between us.
"What's going on? Where've you been that you're suddenly all sentimental like this?"
"Thanks to you too, Arin."
"Yeah... Wait, what?"
Song Arin nodded absently before her eyes went wide as she stared at me.
"Thanks to you, Arin."
"Hey, you... Are you... feeling okay...?"
Song Arin opened and closed her mouth repeatedly before pressing her hand to my forehead.
"No fever..."
Is it that shocking I dropped the 'Song' from her name?
"She promised me."
"Promised?"
"She told me to drop the 'Song' from my name for her."
"...Me?"
Song Arin clutched her head with both hands, eyes darting as she rummaged through her memories.
"When did I...?"
Then she stared at me blankly, as if she had no recollection at all.
"I just looped back."
"...Huh...?"
"Yeah?"
...
All three widened their eyes at me, and I slowly began explaining to the others.
The drumbeats echoing from the sky, and their sacrifices.
Jang Chaeyeon staying behind to send us off, and what Song Arin had confidently told me.
And then.
"Hey, what about me?"
"You mean Daon."
I looked at Yoo Daon, who gazed back curiously.
"...You were awesome."
"Eh?"
Disappointment flooded Yoo Daon's face.
"Just 'awesome'? Come on, there had to be something cool I did, right?"
"You were awesome."
"Not that! Tell me more!"
"Just take it like that."
I couldn't bring myself to tell her the details.
With that, I kept Yoo Daon quiet and continued the explanation.
"...Anyway, that's how I ended up back here."
"Hold on."
Song Arin, who'd been listening intently, raised her hand with a puzzled look to cut me off.
"Does it even make sense for a regressor to screw up?"
"...You're right."
She had a point.
Regressors don't make mistakes.
More precisely, even if they do, they erase them like they never happened.
But if the person who made the mistake doesn't even realize they did, that's a different story.
"So, Arin."
"Y-Yeah."
She flinched at 'Arin' but answered curtly.
"If it were you, how would you stop a regressor?"
"Me?"
She muttered in confusion for a moment, then narrowed her eyes and started mumbling to herself.
"Straight-up methods won't work. Like telling them to kill themselves—they'd probably just snap their fingers or stab themselves right away."
"I see."
"So what I could do is... a delayed attack."
"Delayed attack?"
At my murmur, Song Arin looked up at me.
"Remember when we talked about it? About how regression works."
"Oh, yeah."
Not a full reset from the beginning, but regression to set save points.
"People like that are always full of worries. They never let their guard down."
She muttered that hypnosis wouldn't work on them, then raised a finger.
"But messing with emotions a little? That's not hard."
"Not hard?"
"Everyone unconsciously craves stability."
Song Arin's gaze flicked to Yoo Daon before returning to me.
"People push away negative emotions and embrace positive ones more easily."
...
"Especially a regressor."
...
"When the goal's right in front of them, people get excited."
Song Arin twisted one corner of her mouth up.
"I'd plant a sense of relief. The kind that says they can finally rest."
"...Ah."
Relief.
"Yeah. You get it, right?"
"Plant relief to mess up their save point update."
"Exactly. I'd try all sorts of things, of course."
Song Arin clapped her hands together.
"But miss the save point once, and you can't go back. That's where I'd focus."
"No matter how many loops, one twist and it's irreversible."
I got it.
So in that short time, Song Arin had pulled it off?
"Thanks to you, I'm alive."
"Whatever it was, past me did good, huh?"
Song Arin crossed her arms, nodding with satisfaction.
"But."
Jang Chaeyeon, who'd been watching quietly until now, tapped my shoulder.
Come to think of it, I hadn't really talked about what she did for me.
She might feel left out.
Feeling sorry, I opened my mouth.
"Ah, Chaeyeon, you too..."
"No."
Jang Chaeyeon shook her head, cutting me off.
"I know what I'd have done."
"Huh?"
"I'd have done what I could and died without regrets."
...
Jang Chaeyeon smiled at me.
"No need to praise me. I wouldn't have chosen that just for your approval."
Her hand brushed my shoulder.
"I did it because I wanted to."
"...Thank you."
She smiled, then tilted her head.
"So, now that you're back, what's the plan? Got a way to stop him?"
"...Yeah."
I turned my gaze to the three of them.
"I'll explain the plan from here on."
Their expressions turned serious.
*
[You just left, and something's up already?]
After talking with the three, I called Ailin.
"I need some help."
[Again?]
"Please."
A sigh came through the phone, followed by Ailin's voice.
[Fine, tell me. That's what friends are for.]
"Then head to the Gangdong branch."
[What?]
"Arin's coming with you."
[Hey, wait. What the hell...]
I hung up and looked at Song Arin. She crossed her arms and let out a deep sigh.
"This is really happening?"
"Yeah."
"Alright."
As Song Arin passed me and headed for the door, she turned back to look at me.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"...Never mind."
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then shut the door behind her.
"Then I'll go too."
Jang Chaeyeon followed suit.
"See you there."
"Yeah."
She smiled and closed the door.
...
"Daon."
"Yes."
"Ready?"
Yoo Daon slipped on her black gloves and beamed.
"Yes!"
"Let's go."
I kicked open the HR Team's door alongside Yoo Daon.
They say the path of a great man needs obstacles.
We'll be those obstacles.