Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character

Tap!
I chased after the Hunter sent by Spiderweb, organizing my thoughts as I ran.
So they were watching us after all.

He said he understood when I told him not to monitor us, but there’s a limit to how shameless one can be. This is exactly why I can’t trust Eun Woojeong.
If he was waiting for me to leave, that means he noticed the battle in the office too.
More than noticed—he probably already knows Cha Sahyeon was abducted.

That’s why he had one of his men stationed in the back alley. He must’ve anticipated that I’d come looking for him to get information about where Cha Sahyeon was taken.
And considering he didn’t come himself or pass along the information directly, but made me move instead…
He’s not planning on giving it away easily.

Most likely, Eun Woojeong is going to demand something in return. He might even suggest a new deal.
Depending on whether the Hunter named “Cover” has become more or less valuable in his mind, I’ll find out through this negotiation.
About thirty minutes passed as I rushed through the night sky without pause. Finally, the Hunter guiding me came to a stop. Just like when I first met Eun Woojeong, it was on the rooftop of a tall building.

The guide gave me a small bow, as if to say his job was done, and quickly disappeared.
Whoosh—the wind blew from somewhere, tousling my hair beneath the brim of my hat. At the same time, a razor-sharp killing intent shot toward my shoulder from behind.
Clang!

I struck it precisely with the sheath I had been holding, and the silver chains that had been flying at me lost their path, quivered in the air, and dissolved into particles of light.
"That was my way of saying hello. You could’ve at least acknowledged it."
“What a fucking greeting.”

When I turned my head, I saw him standing there casually with his arms crossed. As always, a mask covered his face beneath his flowing silver hair, swaying gently in the wind.
There was no time for pointless chatter like asking how he’d been. I spoke in a low voice.
"You already know why I came, don’t you?"
“Hm.”

"Give me the location."
Eun Woojeong, still masked, brushed his fingertips across his lips and shrugged.
"Well, okay. Dragging this out just to wear down your patience wouldn’t benefit me either."

"……."
"Just as you guessed, I didn’t remove the surveillance from Hunter Cha Seohu’s office. I already received a report on the abduction incident earlier this morning."
Eun Woojeong sat down on the edge of the rooftop railing and continued with a tone of amusement.

"Actually, we weren’t the only ones watching that place."
"Someone else was?"
"You didn’t know?"

He nodded as if it made sense.
"Yeah, they were monitoring from a distance—probably worried Cha Seohu might detect them. They likely only tracked who entered and left the building. They were too far away to sense any Awakener energy, so they wouldn’t have been able to tell who was a Hunter and who wasn’t."
"That’s not what I asked."

“I’m talking about Guildmaster Kwon Taehyuk.”
Kwon Taehyuk? Then that’s Yesung?
That really was unexpected. Why the hell would Kwon Taehyuk be watching the office?

Did he figure out the abduction too?
The thought crossed my mind, but I dismissed it quickly.
If he had, the Yesung Guild Hunters would’ve shown up at the office already. Maybe even Kwon Taehyuk himself.

The Kwon Taehyuk I knew wasn’t the type to overlook something like this.
If he was watching from that far away, then it’s likely he didn’t notice the abduction—or even that Hunters had come to the office.
In the end, Eun Woojeong’s intel was my only option right now.

And that bastard knows it, too.
Meaning this whole detour was just idle chatter.
Frustration and impatience surged up inside me, but showing it would only put me at a disadvantage. I forced down the curse burning at the back of my throat.

"What do you want?"
"You’ll give it to me if I tell you?"
"You're the one who called me all the way here instead of handing over the information for free. Just cut to the point. I’m not wasting more time."

I was the one in need. That was an undeniable fact.
Whatever this bastard proposed, I was prepared to accept it—so long as it meant rescuing Cha Sahyeon. I could deal with the consequences later.
But what was odd was Eun Woojeong’s attitude.

Even though I’d already laid the groundwork, he didn’t speak right away. He tapped his fingers lightly against his crossed arms for a good minute before finally opening his mouth.
"To be honest… I was planning to bring this up after seeing the results of the second ranking match."
Makes sense. Our first deal was contingent on me maintaining Rank 1.

I had planned to continue our deals based on the influence I’d built up as “Cover,” even if I lost the top spot… but with how things turned out, Rank 1 didn’t matter anymore.
"It’s not a problem for me. The information I have now is stronger and more certain than anything related to that lab you asked me to look into."
"……."

"So, shall we negotiate again using this instead?"
Eun Woojeong intertwined his fingers and looked at me gently.
"The information I’m offering is the location where Hunter Cha Seohu’s little brother was taken. Thanks to you showing yourself, I kept gathering data and confirmed not just the place but also the number and scale of the Hunters stationed there. I’m confident this is valuable intel."

He tilted his head.
"What can you give me in return?"
A relaxed question from someone holding all the cards. Cha Sahyeon’s location and the enemy’s composition—it was perfect intel with no flaws.

Yeah, I expected this much. I responded calmly, without wavering.
"I said, tell me what you want."
Make your offer first, you bastard. You didn’t summon me here just for fun.

"Hmm… Alright."
Maybe he was disappointed I didn’t lose my composure. He sighed lightly and spoke again, voice a few degrees colder.
"I’m curious about something."

"What is it?"
"Your skill."
"I told you last time, didn’t I?"

Eun Woojeong let out a dry chuckle.
"That was an amusing joke. You really expect me to believe /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ that? I didn’t think you’d keep that bullshit up even now."
"What if it wasn’t a joke?"

"Really? Then answer this."
Clink.
Several chains materialized out of thin air, filling the surrounding space. They radiated outward from Eun Woojeong like the strands of a spiderweb.

"When exactly did you enter Cha Seohu’s office?"
"What?"
"We were monitoring every entrance to the building and checking for Awakener energy in real time… but your energy suddenly appeared inside the office."

"……."
"You must’ve used a teleport item or a related skill. Then why was it seven hours after Cha Seohu was injured? Why couldn’t you go earlier? And what happened to him afterward?"
"……."

"That’s what I want to know."
Inside the mask, I bit my lip.
No excuse would work. Maybe with someone else, but this guy wasn’t someone you could fool with lies.

"And the other request is the same as last time—your face. I just can’t let that go."
"You're asking for two things?"
"Isn’t the intel worth that much? Honestly, I’m the one getting the short end here. But you’re the desperate one, after all."

A chuckle leaked out from behind his mask.
I slowly closed my eyes as I listened. Taking a deep breath, the suffocating anxiety clouding my head eased a little.
He’s right. If not for Spiderweb, I wouldn’t even have the hope of saving Cha Sahyeon.

But still—
Sorry, but just sitting here and getting screwed over isn’t really my thing.
The corner of my mouth curled on its own. Having made up my mind, I opened my eyes and walked forward without hesitation.

I ignored the chains tightening around me from all directions and moved straight ahead. I stopped right in front of Eun Woojeong and spoke.
"I have a new deal to propose."
Eun Woojeong, who had been silently watching me approach, raised his head.

"A new deal?"
"Information I possess."
I cut myself off mid-sentence and smiled deliberately, eyes narrowing. Even with my hat and mask on, at this distance, he’d definitely see it.

"I’ll trade it… on the condition that you keep your mouth shut about it for three months."
“…What are you talking about?”
From within the darkness of the mask, I could feel Eun Woojeong’s eyes focused on me.

"If you’re playing word games—"
"As if. If you consider the value of the information, it’s more than fair."
I leaned in closer, slowly lowering my upper body until our faces were just inches apart. I brought my lips to his ear and whispered past the edge of his mask—

"Isn’t that right… Eun Woojeong the Actor?"
“……!”