The Regressor Only Protects Me

Chapter 7. Reunion (2)

“I have a younger brother? How do you know that?”

His eyes revealed no trace of emotion.

Jae-hee felt a chill run down her spine in that moment.

She already knew.

If she recklessly pushed Kang Sion, someone as cautious as he was, into a situation like this, danger was inevitable.

Especially if it involved his brother. She knew he’d react sensitively to something like this.

However, bringing up his ‘brother’ so abruptly had been part of Jae-hee’s plan.

Sion was the type of person who, no matter the situation, always acted in the way that best served his goals.

He had already seen Jae-hee’s skills from how she had slain monsters up until now.

And her real sword.

Sion, who had witnessed all of that, already had an idea of how he would perceive her.

He would want to keep Jae-hee by his side.

After all, she had already proven herself as the strongest in terms of combat ability here, right before his eyes.

But Sion would also question how she had acquired such strength, as well as scrutinize her every action.

That was why she didn’t hide it.

The fact that she was a regressor.

If she tried to hide it, the Kang Sion standing in front of her would never trust her.

And Jae-hee needed Sion as well.

No matter what, the man standing before her—Kang Sion—was the one who had come closest to victory in her previous life.

This was the fastest way to earn Kang Sion’s trust and become his ally.

If things had gone as usual, she would have hidden the fact that she was a regressor and moved cautiously.

She would have slowly become Kang Sion’s most reliable ally and navigated this cursed game with him.

But that wasn’t an option this time.

For Jin Jae-hee, this might be her last chance.

‘…As expected, he obtained the revolver earlier than usual.’

Jae-hee lowered her gaze to stare at the gun barrel.

The revolver pressed against her temple felt cold.

Sion spoke again.

“How do you know? I asked you a question.”

His voice was icy and cold.

Kang Sion would shoot.

She knew that much from her past life.

Jae-hee thought to herself.

If she died here, none of it would matter.

Thud.

The cigarette butt naturally fell from Jae-hee’s lips, landing on the ground.

She slowly stood up.

As she rose, the barrel of the gun followed her movement.

Kwon Kyung-soo stood awkwardly nearby, watching the two of them.

‘…A g-gun?’

For him, it was a shocking sight.

No, everyone present in that space had frozen, staring at Sion holding the gun.

In South Korea, possessing a firearm usually meant involvement in criminal activity.

The very act of a civilian owning a gun was inherently suspicious.

Yet, in Kyung-soo’s eyes, Sion appeared to be nothing more than an innocent young man in his early twenties.

He didn’t look like a bad person at all.

Amid the nerve-wracking silence, Jae-hee spoke to Sion.

“Let’s move somewhere else.”

This wasn’t something that random onlookers should overhear.

Sion nodded.

He didn’t want to talk about his brother in public either.

I followed the woman, maintaining a certain distance.

The barrel of my gun remained aimed at her head, while she kept her hands raised.

Turning the corner toward the restroom, we walked through a dimly lit hallway.

I spoke to her as she walked.

“Stop. Speak now.”

At my words, she stopped in place.

Then, she said.

“Put the gun down.”

I refused.

“No.”

I couldn’t afford to waste bullets.

If this woman was an enemy, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.

I maintained my distance, watching her every subtle movement.

“This is your last chance. Talk.”

I didn’t want to waste time.

Nor did I want to engage in pointless conversation with her here.

But the woman calmly continued to speak, almost as if to taunt me.

“Where should I start?”

Her voice was composed, steady.

As though she had anticipated this situation all along.

It wasn’t a tone one could use while staring down the barrel of a gun.

I asked again.

“How do you know about my brother? Start with that.”

I scrutinized her face carefully.

She wasn’t family or a relative.

To begin with, the concept of “family” didn’t even apply to me and my brother.

She wasn’t a neighbor, nor someone I had run into by chance.

Could she be a teacher at Junho’s school?

No.

When I had attended Junho’s parent observation day, the teacher had been a man.

And this woman was far too young to be a teacher.

The woman finally spoke.

“I knew. Before coming here.”

Her words lacked sufficient evidence.

We went back and forth.

“I don’t know you.”

“You don’t know me, but I know you. And your brother. Just your names, though.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Even if you knew my brother, there’s no way you’d know I’m his brother. And we don’t even know each other.”

“We do know each other. At least, I know you.”

“If this is some kind of wordplay, cut it out. I’m not in the mood for jokes.”

“Neither am I.”

She suddenly spun around to face me.

I gripped the gun handle more tightly.

She was staring straight into my eyes, while I still had my gun aimed at her forehead.

And then, her next words struck me like a thunderclap.

“I’m a regressor.”

“What?”

“This is my second time playing the game.”

“…”

For the first time, I lifted my gaze from the gun sights and looked at her.

Swish.

She raised her arm, revealing her forearm.

Her arm was covered in scars from countless blade wounds.

“We met years ago in my timeline. Seven years from now in this timeline. We first encountered each other in Seongnam and made it all the way to the final round, but in the end, we both died.”

“You expect me to believe that?”

Honestly, I didn’t want to.

“I even know parts of your past. Not everything, but enough.”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

“We have to win this League, no matter what. I’ll help you.”

“Shut up.”

“Trust me, Kang Sion. This is the last chance. There’s no going back now.”

“Quiet!”

“I’ll help you find your brother. I can do it.”

“…”

“…”

After their argument, a brief silence settled between them.

The gun barrel remained pointed at her forehead, and the woman lightly tapped her chest with her palm as she spoke.

“I won’t hurt you. I can find your brother. I know how. I’ll definitely be of help to you. You have to trust me. And you know this isn’t just a simple act of terrorism, don’t you? This is a game orchestrated by the gods.”

She was pleading with me.

Begging me to believe her.

But I couldn’t trust her.

No, in truth, I was leaving all possibilities open.

The sudden appearance of black smoke.

The flood of alien monsters emerging from it.

The enormous eye floating in the sky.

Even the status window.

None of these things made sense, but this was the reality I was in.

And when I looked at everything while keeping all possibilities open, her words weren’t completely unbelievable.

Even so, she would need to pass my test.

“If you’re a regressor, you must know my past, right?”

“…Yes.”

“Then say it. If you’re a regressor, you should know the answer you need to give right now.”

The woman swallowed and nodded.

My damned past.

If what she said was true, if she was someone who had shared life and death with me, she would know.

She would know the dark past of me and my brother, something I had never told anyone.

Thump, thump.

My heart started to beat faster.

It was strange.

I was the one holding the gun, but I was the one feeling nervous.

Why?

Why was this happening?

Was it because I suspected she truly knew about my past?

No, maybe for some other reason.

Time felt like it had stopped, and everything around us seemed to move slowly.

Her parted lips opened, and she uttered a single word.

“…Aunt.”

“Stop.”

Stagger.

I felt slightly dizzy.

I bowed my head slightly, my breathing growing heavy.

It was a dark past I had never shared with anyone.

That was enough.

I could trust her to some extent.

At least about her claim of coming from the future.

“All right. I’ll believe you. For now.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

The woman, as if reassured, finally lowered her hands.

I looked at her coldly and spoke.

“But don’t get too familiar. It doesn’t mean I completely trust you.”

“Understood.”

I lowered the gun.

Then, I opened my inventory and stored the firearm.

Whether or not I believed her didn’t matter.

The woman standing before me, whether a regressor or not, was a key to surviving the first round.

One way or another, all I needed was to reach my brother.

If this woman could help with that, all the better.

Turning around, I prepared to head back to where the others were.

At that moment, a question came to mind.

I turned back to look at her.

“You said this is your second game, right? And you said you know me.”

She nodded, and I asked again.

“Then what happened to my brother in your past life?”

It was perhaps the most important question.

The woman, who had been following me, stopped.

After some hesitation, she opened her mouth.

“It might be better for you not to know. Are you still curious?”

My hands trembled slightly.

But I didn’t avert my gaze from her.

I nodded silently.

The woman let out a small sigh and then spoke.

“Do you know about the butterfly effect? How even a tiny change can alter the future completely?”

“Yes.”

“Listen carefully. Just hearing this could change the future. Keep that in mind. Even so, if you want to know, I’ll tell you.”

Her words frightened me a little, but I had to know.

“Yes. Tell me.”

My heart pounded, and she spoke calmly.

“He probably died.”

“Ah.”

The sound escaped my lips involuntarily.

For a moment, dizziness overwhelmed me, and I felt like collapsing, like bursting into tears.

My hands shook uncontrollably, and I couldn’t bring myself to meet her eyes.

‘Stay calm…’

Letting out my emotions could wait until everything was over.

Now was a time for composure.

That was a past life.

It had nothing to do with me—yet.

The future she spoke of, my brother’s fate, hadn’t happened to me.

I needed to remain calm.

I clenched my fists so tightly that the veins on my hands stood out.

At that moment, she took a step closer and spoke.

“But that doesn’t mean it’s certain he’s dead.”

“…?”

Only then could I meet her gaze.

She was already standing close to me.

“When I met you, you were an emotionless man. So, to be precise, I can’t know for sure. I’m just guessing. Maybe you lost your brother and wandered the field.”

“…”

“So don’t give up. You still don’t know anything. Before coming here, I wanted to find your brother, too… but you know. I only know his name. I don’t know his face or what he looks like.”

The woman fell silent, as if waiting for me to respond.

I lowered my head again, staring at my worn-out work boots.

Was it a lie or the truth?

No, it didn’t matter.

Whether it was a lie or the truth, the result wouldn’t change.

There was no way to leave the mall and return home now.

I was trapped here, and I had to win this cursed game.

The conclusion remained the same.

I had to win this game, survive, and go home.

And I had to find my brother.

Even if he was nothing but a corpse.

Her strength would be a great asset in that effort.

I turned and headed for the corridor leading outside.

It was time to approach the others.

But then, she called out to me.

“My name… Jin Jae-hee. You didn’t know, right?”

I turned my head slightly and answered.

“…I don’t need to introduce myself, do I?”

“No.”

With that, I began walking again.

Step, step.

My shoulders sagged, and my vision blurred.

Though I didn’t have the luxury to grieve, for some reason, anything related to my brother made it impossible to control myself.

I repeated it to myself.

Thud.

I hit my thigh with my fist.

Slap.

I struck my left cheek with my palm.

I repeated it in my mind.

Survive.

Just survive.

That’s all I had left.

Then, footsteps echoed.

As I turned the corner, a female student appeared.

She was catching her breath as she addressed us.

“Uh… uh…! Excuse me! You need to come out quickly…! There’s something… something over there!”

The sound of commotion from the store reached my ears.

I followed the female student with slow steps.