Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character

Late at night, after all the guild members had left for the day, a man lifted his eyes from the documents and said to his companion, "That’s enough for today. Let’s look at the rest tomorrow."
His companion, deeply focused on the papers beside him, looked up. With his silver hair tied loosely behind him, Song Jiwoon gave a sheepish smile. "I haven’t finished reviewing everything yet."
At that reply, Song Jiwoon’s older twin, Song Jiwon, curved his eyes with a faint smile. "There are a lot of applicants, so it can’t be helped. But you’ve already gone through more than half, so tomorrow should be easier. You’ve got about four days, so there’s no rush."

Now that S-rank dealer Song Jiwoon had been confirmed as the next guildmaster, Circle Guild had begun officially recruiting new members. Since Jiwoon was still in the learning phase, Jiwon was helping him here and there—but for someone who had never once managed a business in his life, it wasn’t easy. Even a simple task like sorting documents took significantly longer compared to Jiwon. With other responsibilities, Jiwoon fumbled through much of it.
"Don’t pressure yourself."
Rising from his seat, Jiwon picked up the empty glass next to Jiwoon and looked down at him. Their faces were nearly identical, yet Jiwon’s held a hint of age. "I’ve been doing this for decades, but you’ve barely had a month. It’s normal for it to feel unfamiliar."

Not content with just clearing the glass, Jiwon even helped Jiwoon to his feet and gently guided him toward the door. "If something can’t be rushed in a day or two, you might as well get a good night’s sleep. You know stamina is key in a long game, right?"
Jiwoon, hesitant to leave first, glanced up with a slightly guilty look. "You’re heading home too, right?"
"Of course. I’m dead tired. Go on, wash up and rest. Sunghyun said he’d help tomorrow, so things will go a lot faster."

He meant it as encouragement, but as soon as Ryu Sunghyun’s name came up, Jiwoon’s face soured.
—So they’re still not getting along.—
They had been close before the regression, but with fate altered, even their relationship had changed. Jiwon found the contrast amusing and chuckled silently to himself.

"I’ll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Have a good night."
Jiwoon was staying in the lounge downstairs. It was the same room Cha ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) Seohu had used before the regression. Jiwon had offered to find him a place near the guild, but Jiwoon had firmly refused. He was already grateful for everything his brother had done for their grandmother—he didn’t want to be more of a burden.

—Even though we’re supposedly brothers…—
As Jiwoon left the office, Jiwon wore a complicated smile and turned back.
A pitch-black bird was perched on the windowsill—when had it gotten in?

"You're quick."
That was another reason Jiwon had sent Jiwoon away. The guest he’d been waiting for had finally arrived.
Snap. Jiwon flicked his fingers, forming a barrier around the office to keep any energy from leaking out. The bird flew in and melted into a black liquid that pooled on the floor.
The shadow puddle surged upward, forming two figures.

Cha Seohu, transformed into Cover, removed his cap and looked around the office.
Even though he had come to meet Jiwon, he didn’t spare him a glance, too busy scanning the office. Then he spoke.
"Hey."

"Hmm?"
"Just how much are you working our guildmaster to death?"
Our guildmaster?

Jiwon blinked for a second, then realized Seohu was talking about Song Jiwoon, and gave an incredulous look.
"Working him to death? What are you talking about?"
"Then who’s the one who sat in that chair and reviewed all these files? And look at those empty glasses! There’s no way one person drank all that."

Pointing exactly at the chair Jiwoon had used and the stack of empty glasses, Seohu glared at Jiwon.
"Tell the truth. You’ve been working our guildmaster to the bone, haven’t you? Or was it Sunghyun-hyung?"
"Geez, scary..."

Jiwon gave a hollow laugh. He wasn’t joking—he was genuinely a little tired of this guy.
"Enough nonsense. Sit down."
"You're suspicious."

Still shooting daggers, Seohu finally took a seat on the sofa. Jiwon watched Cha Sahyeon move in after him and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Hmm."
With his usual expressionless face, Sahyeon met Jiwon’s gaze. A subtle tension settled over the table between them.

Looking between the two of them warily, Seohu spoke up with clear discomfort.
"…You’re not going to fight here, are you?"
"Fight? Me? Why?"

"Well…"
Grinning at him, Jiwon waited, but Seohu trailed off awkwardly and couldn’t finish the sentence. Seeing that, Jiwon stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"That kind of reaction means you already know the basics. I mean, it’s not hard to figure out after raising that being."

He nodded, satisfied, then Sahyeon spoke gently from beside him.
"If hyung doesn’t like it, I won’t fight."
"Even so, I didn’t expect things to turn out this way either."

Clicking his tongue, Jiwon explained calmly.
"What have you heard? That time is reverting into the past, and this being remembers all of it?"
"I’ve heard. That he’s reliving his life repeatedly."

"And the cause of the world’s destruction?"
"…Yeah."
Seohu replied reluctantly. Jiwon stared at him in silence before whispering coldly.

"So you brought us together knowing everything—without being ready to deal with the consequences."
His voice was surprisingly icy. Seohu winced and frowned as Sahyeon stepped forward and extended a hand in front of him. Those green eyes beneath long lashes blazed fiercely.
Standing protectively before Seohu, Sahyeon radiated a raw killing intent.

—Damn. That’s a sensitive reaction.—
Well, it’s exactly the kind of response I wanted to test.
Intrigued by Sahyeon’s glare, Jiwon shrugged.

"I get it. You need countermeasures, and you're short on intel. You had no choice. Especially with yesterday’s dungeon break incident."
The chill from earlier vanished instantly.
"We’re allies, so this much is fine, right? To ease our ally’s anxiety a bit—let me say this: I have no personal grudge against this being. No reason to fight. More accurately, I’m not allowed to touch him."

"What do you mean?"
"It means I’m under restriction."
Jiwon flicked his fingers and cast another layer of barrier around the office.

"From here on, it’s better if we speak in my true form."
"What? Urgh…!"
A dazzling light burst from Jiwon’s body. Seohu instinctively covered his face and shut his eyes.

Even with his S-rank status, the light was strong enough to sting. The brilliant white glow swallowed the entire room—and then condensed.
As the warm pressure on his skin faded, Seohu cautiously opened his eyes.
Where Jiwon had stood now stood a tall man, looking nothing like him.

The first thing that caught the eye was his long hair. A soft, shimmering blond like midday sunlight flowed lightly with his movements.
"Oh. I don’t need this here."
He murmured gently and removed the white blindfold covering his eyes, revealing golden irises as rich as honey.

From his voice to his appearance, he bore no resemblance to Song Jiwon.
Seohu had already seen him once in a dream, so it wasn’t completely new—but that didn’t make it easier to take in.
A faint glow gently rippled around the man’s body.

If a regular person stood before him, they would likely drop to their knees without hesitation. Anyone with eyes could tell—this wasn’t human.
He radiated both nobility and overwhelming otherness.
The man smiled at Seohu’s frozen, tense expression and said, "Let me reintroduce myself."

There were countless titles that could define him. Over his long life, he’d been called many names.
But among them, the most frequently used and most accurate was this one.
"I am Chronos."

He tilted his head slightly, saying that name aloud for the first time in ages.
"Master and administrator of this world."
The voice, filled with a sense of resonance, suddenly took on a playful tone.

"I’ve had a long, tangled history with your little brother."
His gaze shifted toward Cha Sahyeon.
"My, he looks quite unwell."

"Sahyeon?!"
Coming to his senses, Seohu jumped up in alarm at Sahyeon’s condition.
Sahyeon clutched his chest and trembled, barely keeping his eyes open as he leaned on Seohu. His glare toward Chronos was sharp, but his complexion was deathly pale.

"If this level of power is already too much for him, then I suppose his awakening still has a ways to go."
Seeing Sahyeon’s frail state for the first time, Seohu grew frantic and barked at Chronos, "What the fuck did you do to him?"
Chronos smiled brightly at the curse.

"Don’t be so cold. I had to check things for myself, didn’t I?"
His fluttering, carefree attitude was infuriating. The holy aura and intimidating pressure from earlier were now completely gone.
At least when he was still Song Jiwon, he looked like Jiwoon, which helped Seohu keep his cool. But now… he really wanted to punch him in the face the first chance he got.