Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character

Just past 3 PM, the inside of the office was pitch dark, in stark contrast to the bright world outside.
Thick curtains, newly bought to block any view from the outside, were drawn tightly. As soon as Cha Sahyeon activated his skill, the office was engulfed in absolute darkness, not a single speck of light remaining.

In that darkness, Cha Sahyeon blinked slowly.
An ordinary person would have seen nothing. But this darkness was his own creation, and with physical abilities far beyond that of a normal human, everything was vividly visible to his eyes.
Cha Sahyeon, who had been staring blankly into empty space with an unreadable expression, slowly turned his head. His gaze landed on the bed—someone was asleep there.

Golden-blond hair, softly scattered across the pillow, reminded him of sunlight. Below it, tightly shut eyes, a sharp nose, and slightly parted lips from which slow, rhythmic breaths escaped—all of it was strikingly harmonious.
Cha Seohu, having returned from stopping the second rift, had been unconscious for two days straight. As if trying to replenish the power he had spent, he ate little and did nothing but sleep.
Cha Sahyeon climbed onto the bed and pressed his body close to Seohu. His soft, wheezing breaths became even clearer. After watching him for a while, his gaze lowered.

His upper body, half-hidden under the blanket, was bare. Instead of clothes, various parts were wrapped in bandages, marked with injuries and bruises.
Unable to receive treatment from others or go ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) to a hospital, he was waiting for the wounds to heal naturally using his S-rank body’s superior recovery ability.
“……”

Expressionless, Cha Sahyeon began inspecting each wound carefully, then reached out with one hand.
His small hand moved slowly, brushing over the firm ridges of Seohu's abdomen, then sliding upward. It passed over his chest and stopped at the shoulder—thick gauze and tape were clumsily affixed there.
The shoulder, pierced by a monster’s claw, was healing much slower than the rest. Staring intently at Seohu’s sleeping face, then his shoulder, Sahyeon slowly applied pressure with his fingertips.

His fingers dug deeper into the injured shoulder. In the darkness, his green eyes gleamed with an icy light.
“Urgh… ngh…”
Blood eventually burst from the pressure. Crimson seeped rapidly through the white gauze as Seohu let out a pained groan, his brow twisting in discomfort.

His peaceful expression turned deathly pale in an instant. Only then did Sahyeon pull his hand away, watching him the entire time without blinking once.
Though Seohu’s face returned to a calmer state once the pressure was lifted, his posture suggested the pain was still lingering—it was no longer as peaceful as before.
Ignoring the blood smeared on his fingers, Sahyeon snuggled even closer to Seohu. He pulled the blanket over both their shoulders and, with a content expression, closed his eyes.

***
As I stirred in my sleep, I noticed someone curled up in my arms and spoke with my eyes still closed.
“Kiddo…”
As if that were the confirmation he wanted, the other person tightened his grip around my waist. Still groggy, I reached up and, just as expected, felt a small head under my palm.

“Hey, you can turn off the skill now.”
I cleared my throat and spoke with a raspy voice. The pitch-black shadows that had filled the room vanished in a blink. Thanks to the curtains, it was still quite dark, but at least I could make out shapes now.
“Did you sleep well?”

I gently stroked the black hair resting against my chest. At my question, Cha Sahyeon nodded quietly.
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, I saw that it was just past 11 AM. Not a bad time to get up.
I’ve rested for a week. Time to get moving.

After spending the whole week transformed into my S-rank state, just eating and sleeping, my body felt great. All the wounds had healed—except for the still-tender shoulder.
“Kiddo.”
As I sat up, I looked down at Sahyeon, who was still clinging tightly to me.

“After breakfast…”
“……”
“Wanna go out together?”

Sahyeon’s eyes sparkled brightly at those words. Seeing that, I couldn’t help but grin.
“We need to go buy your present.”
Technically, he didn’t keep his promise with me—in fact, he outright ignored it. But so what? I was alive because of him. Promises like these are meant to be handled with a bit of flexibility.

“Mm!”
His eyes went wide with surprise, then his cheeks flushed a rosy red as he nodded eagerly.
See? He’s thrilled. I gave Sahyeon a few pats on the back.

“Go on and wash up first. I’ll get breakfast ready.”
I watched him dart into the bathroom and then disabled my skill, getting out of bed. I pulled back the curtains that had been drawn all week, and sunlight streamed into the office.
I turned on the lights and began taking out the side dishes I’d bought and stored in the fridge. I also reheated some stew from the same shop and microwaved instant rice, putting together a simple breakfast.

Hmm… maybe I should try making a fried egg to round it out?
It felt a little lacking to just use pre-made stuff, so I grabbed a frying pan.
I’d never really cooked much in my life, but I figured I could at least handle a fried egg. I lit the stove and cracked open an egg from the fridge with confidence.

Ssshhh—raw egg hit the hot pan with a loud sizzle.
“Ah, right. Cooking oil.”
As I watched the egg cook, it dawned on me—I forgot to add oil to the pan.

Could I add it now? Probably better than not at all, right? As I debated, I opened the cupboard… and had another realization.
“…I didn’t buy any.”
I’d bought side dishes, instant rice, eggs, even a frying pan—but no cooking oil.

In fact, I hadn’t bought any soy sauce or salt, either. I’d just assumed I’d always eat takeout.
Sizzle, sizzle.
As I stood there in quiet despair, the egg continued cooking—then started burning. I hurriedly turned off the stove and lifted the edge of the egg with a spoon. Of course, it was completely stuck to the pan.

“……”
I scraped it off as best I could and placed it on a plate, but the result looked utterly inedible. If I’d had ketchup, I could’ve at least drawn a heart on it—but come on, if I didn’t have oil, there was no way I had ketchup.
Let’s just toss it.

Accepting the harsh truth, I picked up the plate and walked over to the food waste bin.
Just as I was about to dump the evidence like a criminal disposing of the murder weapon, a hand shot out and grabbed my arm.
“Gah! You’re done already?”

Of course, it was Cha Sahyeon. Damn, I got caught.
I gave him an awkward smile, and he tilted his head in confusion.
“Why are you throwing it away?”

“…It’s burnt.”
“Did you make it?”
“…It’s my first time. I didn’t have any oil.”

Feeling strangely self-conscious, I avoided his eyes as I muttered an excuse.
“Let go. I’m tossing it.”
“Don’t. I want to eat it.”

“What? No way.”
There he goes again with that weird stubbornness.
I refused firmly, but he gripped my arm tighter and started pleading.

“Why not?”
“Why would you eat that? The bottom’s burnt—it’ll taste awful.”
“I’ll just eat around the burnt part.”

“I’ll make you another one later, with oil this time.”
“But that won’t be the first one.”
That unexpected argument left me speechless. While I hesitated, he snatched the plate from me and said, clear and resolute:

“I want this one. It’s the first you ever made.”
“Ha…”
I let out a helpless laugh as he ran off with the plate.

I thought about taking it back, but let’s be real—I wasn’t winning any physical contests against him. If I forced it and he got upset, his Seed’s progression might spike. Total disaster.
Fine. It’s not worth forcing. Let him do what he wants.
I sighed and followed him, then ruffled his hair a little more roughly than usual.

“Go ahead, eat it. I’ll cut off the burnt part for you, so wait.”
“Okay!”
We sat down at the table for a late breakfast, facing each other with warm smiles.

Cha Sahyeon may have been stubborn, but honestly, I expected him to take one bite of that burnt mess and leave the rest. But surprisingly, he ate every last bit of that ruined egg.
When I saw the clean, empty plate, I felt something odd stir in my chest. I reached up and lightly touched my heart.