Regressor Instruction Manual
Chapter 158

I wondered if I had made a mistake, but nothing came to me. It didn't help that I currently felt dizzy. fWas I rude?'

Was it really necessary for her to react that way to my offer? I could see why Song Jungwook had said she was an inflexible person.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what was wrong with what I've said."

"A-Are you being serious right now? Dung Hayan is right next to you..."

"Is it a problem that Hayan is here?"

"I don't mean that!"

'What is this kid talking about?'

Upon seeing her reddened face, I understood what Cho Hyejin had been thinking. fHuh... .'

The problem was not in my words, but the environment surrounding us. It is clear that she misunderstood what I had meant, as we stood in front of a luxury motel on a dark night.

fYour innocent imagination....'

She had seen me as a person who had just molested his junior at work.

Even Dung Hayan wouldn't misunderstand that.

As I continued to show a disbelieving expression, Cho Hyejin blushed as if she became even more embarrassed. As she started to realize her mistake, Dung Hayan spoke.

"What are you t-talking about?"

"I don't..."

"Ah..."

Cho Hyejin busied herself with looking around, realizing what she had done wrong.

"That... That... ."

"Is there any problem...?"

"N-Nothing. I guess I was seeing things for a moment."

"What things?"

"It's nothing."

"Did you have any strange thoughts?"

"It's nothing."

"I think I can tell how Cho Hyejin sees me now..."

"That..."

"It's a little disappointing."

"I-I'm sorry."

'What a welcomed situation!'

The fact that I could make fun of her was an advantage. There was always a good chance that Cho Hyejin would reject any offer I make with her, but since she had committed a mistake this time around, I knew she would feel guilty if she dared rejected me this time around.

"Well, I'm joking. I said something that could be misunderstood. My relationships are not so clean, so It would be natural for you to think of me like that."

"It's...not like that."

"You don't have to worry about it. I'm quite familiar with this kind of thinking..."

"N-no, it's not that."

"Are you really sorry?"

"Yes."

"Then... How about killing some time with me for a while, and then go?"

Cho Hyejin went silent for a moment before she nodded.

"If it's only for a while..."

"Good. Then let's go in."

"Vice Guild Master. T-that way..." "Yes? There's no pub in this motel?"

"A-Ah. Maybe there is."

Though I was just teasing her, I could see I wasn't someone she trusted. Though polygamy and polyandry were commonly seen here, my relationships were indeed messy. It seemed like she was wary of the fact that I might try to possess her, too.

fIt's not that I didn't think about it...'

In the first place, I wasn't her type. Upon opening the door, the motel's guide approached us.

"Hello. Do you have a reservation?"

"Ah. I am not here to stay. I want to spend a little time at the lounge bar or pub."

At my words, Dung Hayan took out a bunch of gold coins from her purse. I tilted my head. fWhy give him so much?'

Even if she gave him only one, he would be remarkably happy, but when she just grabbed what her hand could get, it seemed that the guide had received at least five. His face showed his disbelief at his luck.

"If you could get us a quiet place, I'd really appreciate it."

"Yes. We will guide you right away."

Certainly, having money was convenient. As I went upstairs, I noticed a nice seat where we could observe the city from above.

"Let's go there."

"Yes."

"What about the order?"

"You can bring anything that tastes good, regardless of the price."

"Yes. Okay. Then have a good time."

"Yes."

Cho Hyejin sat quietly and looked at me with an awkward expression. This seemed to be the first time she came to such a place. It was a little luxurious, but it was not so much that Cho Hyejin, who was once a Litte Rock executive, couldn't have passed by.

Either Song Dungwook was stingier than I thought, or Cho Hyejin chose to live a modest life.

Personally, I chose to believe in the latter. It was hard to imagine her being underpaid.

"Is this your first time in a place like this?"

"Huh? Yes..."

"I heard you've been in Castle Rock for a while, but that's surprising. I thought you would have visited many good places because you were an executive in Little Rock... It seems that you lived a modest life while you were here."

"A modest... I think you can say that. I certainly don't remember spending gold coins in useless places."

"Hahaha. It's not useless."

"What?"

"It is not a good thing to stack gold coins. It means that you have to consume it to use its function properly. People who have gold coins must sprinkle gold coins in society for society to work properly. I think you understand what I mean."

"Ah..."

"The guide who we just tipped will also spend it, and the gold we spend here today will be spent somewhere else. You go into a restaurant or shop run by an ordinary free man or poor imperial man, and someone else spends again. As you may know, the person at the top of the pyramid must reasonably roll down gold coins to make the economy more active."

"I know what you mean, but..."

"Yes?"

"I don't know if I'm mistaking, but your tone sounds like you're looking down on me..."

"I am not. But it is necessary to be aware."

"You mean the Vice Guild Master is on top of them?"

"Yes. Personally, I think that having such awareness makes it a little easier to face. You have to keep thinking about where you are, and what impact you can create."

"It's hard to understand what you want to talk about. Vice Guild Master."

"I think I'm a little tipsy and have said useless things. I didn't call you to talk about this. In a way, it can be seen as an extension line. Ahem. I don't know if you know, but today, I signed a contract with the Master of Little Rock."

"That... That's good."

As expected, Hyejin sported a dissatisfied expression. At this point, I no longer found a reason to hide the fact that I knew about her. In fact, I wanted to discuss it in detail.

"Have you heard?"

"Are you talking about you being a whistleblower?"

"Yes."

"Yes, I heard about why you left Little Rock, and why you left Castle Rock and came to Lindel. I didn't even ask; he told me first. It seemed that you were being resented a little. And it is understandable. You've been betraying your colleagues that you have been together with since the tutorial." "It seems that almost everyone knows. I don't know why you tried to hide it in the first place, but it is something that I would find out anyway."

"Are you criticizing me?"

"What did Hyunsung-ssi say when brought Hyejin-ssi to the guild?"

"He said it didn't matter."

I could see that her expression was slightly relaxed. fAhhh.'

I noticed it slowly, but Kim Hyunsung was not a simple boss to this woman. fHe did it.'

I didn't know if it was intentional or not, but Kim Hyunsung certainly flagged this woman.

"Rather, he said I did well. It is important to carry out your own beliefs... That's what he said."

"That's a reasonable argument. This is like Hyunsung-ssi. The same goes for me. I don't blame you either. Didn't you accuse them of illegal monster trading and tax issues?"

"The issue of the interracial slave trade was also entangled."

"Oh, that's news I haven't heard. Well, it's okay. I will talk openly. I don't blame you, but I do think you're stupid."

"I'm sorry?"

"You are stupid."

"What are you..."

"This society is not very friendly to whistleblowers. No matter how much you carried through your convictions, you are really stupid when you look at the results. Why did you do that?"

"It's hard to understand what you're talking about. You certainly have said earlier that you are not criticizing."

At this point, Cho Hyejin had on a disconcerted look, which was only natural.

"I must have told you earlier. I said that you should always be aware of which position you are in. Have you ever thought about the consequences of whistleblowing?"

"Should I care about that too? They committed a crime!"

"It was not about them that you were told to think. I'm talking about a lot of people who will be hurt because of you, and that is Little Rock. After that happened, they said they were forced into restructuring. The charges were cleared, but the tax issue was indeed entangled." "Their number of guild staff has decreased a lot. Many people lost their jobs overnight. I heard that most of them are in a bad situation either by taking their own lives or by forcibly hunting."

"That..."

"The female employees were driven to the streets, and the heads of households became unemployed and headed to the hunting grounds in order to feed their children. Even a young man who had just gotten a job is living and begging in the slums because he was fired."

"That... Is that true?"

"No. I made all this up."

"V-Vice Guild Master? Are you playing with me?"

"However, it's not a story without reality. In fact, it may not have been as I said, but some may really be living that way. I just didn't look it up. If you decide to find it, you can easily find it. The dear old colleagues you really wanted to accuse are still eating and living well, but only the tough people v/ere hurt."

"Ah... "

"I just said you are stupid for the same reason. It means that leaving it to your conscience does not solve everything, Cho Hyejin-ssi. You have to strangle a little more if you wanted to end it. In the end, you did something that was enough for you to be hated by many."

"You have not contributed anything. Even in the development of Castle Rock, nothing has been done properly in carrying out your beliefs. I couldn't find the evidence, and I v/as just thinking about it. You didn't do anything other than resolving personal remorse. Even if the plan v/ere successful, I would have called you an idiot."

"Do you know how many employees Little Rock Guild has? This includes those who do not participate in work, or are forced to cooperate with the Guild Master to live and eat. You are not the one who can take responsibility for their lives. At this point, it is time to think that it is fortunate that it has failed. Hundreds of unemployed people v/ere not driven into the streets."

"..."

"Have you ever thought about this type of problem at all?"