* * *

At first, I couldn’t bring myself to care for him.

He looked soft and fragile on the outside, but I knew he was just a fledgling monster.

Seo Hoon seemed to notice my reluctance.

Though he didn’t say anything, likely because Seo Heewon trusted me completely, I could tell it bothered him.

But I couldn’t afford to distance myself from Seo Heewon because of his guardian’s interference.

Nor could I let the young Seo Heewon grow up and notice something off, only to push me away.

I suppressed my murderous intent and tried to see Seo Heewon as he was.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too difficult.

The Seo Heewon I’d fought before had always been an adult or close to it.

The young Seo Heewon was gentle.

Astonishingly so, to the point where it was absurd.

He was nothing like the grown Seo Heewon I knew.

Perhaps that’s why I began to adjust to him.

I’d always adapted quickly, given how regression constantly threw me into new environments.

And Seo Heewon, absurd as it was, was genuinely kind.

He even seemed to adore me.

Watching him was like seeing a loyal puppy, wagging its tail furiously at its beloved owner.

When it seemed Seo Heewon’s awakening was near, bad things began to happen one after another.

Judging from the traits I’d briefly inherited, it was likely the backlash from the abilities he would manifest after awakening.

Seo Heewon, looking utterly deflated, eventually ran away.

I dropped everything to search for him.

When I found him, relief washed over me.

Seo Heewon was strikingly beautiful, the kind of person who’d attract attention even in a crowd of thousands.

I had worried he might run into perverts or get caught up in something terrible…

Looking back, I realized how dangerous it would’ve been if I hadn’t found him in time.

I was fortunate to have located him so quickly.

I dragged Seo Heewon back home.

Thankfully, he didn’t resist.

As usual, he returned to his usual self—docile and compliant.

That Seo Heewon made me proud.

Any other child might have gone astray, but Seo Heewon tried his best to stay on the right path.

That was probably when everything changed.

Seo Heewon stopped being just someone I monitored.

He became someone who truly mattered to me.

I wanted Seo Heewon to grow up well.

It wasn’t a thought born from my role as a regressor aiming to save the world. It was my pure and genuine desire.

Of course, that didn’t mean I could let my guard down.

Even if Seo Heewon was growing up well now, one wrong step could turn him into the seed of catastrophe.

I often had to steel myself, suppressing my softening heart, and made every effort to keep a close watch on him.

While monitoring Seo Heewon and reflecting on morality from time to time, I also occasionally introduced him to potential romantic partners.

Unlike the Seo Heewon of the past—who abhorred humans—this Seo Heewon liked people.

And a good relationship with a romantic partner often stabilizes a person.

Though Seo Heewon didn’t particularly like the idea, I believed that meeting someone truly good would change his mind.

While I was thinking along those lines, Seo Heewon unexpectedly showed up wearing a ring.

I was so shocked I nearly fainted.

I congratulated him, of course, but I was extremely anxious, wondering which bastard had managed to charm him.

Seo Heewon wasn’t someone who’d fall for just any sweet-talking nonsense.

It was obvious he had been coaxed with some utterly ridiculous flattery.

If some fly managed to attach itself to him, I wouldn’t be able to achieve my original goal.

When I found out that the fly was Kwon Sahyeok… I was utterly speechless.

When that bastard said they weren’t dating, I nearly killed him.

I thought he’d just been toying with Seo Heewon for fun.

If I hadn’t felt the need to maintain my image as the Guild Master of Somang Guild, I might’ve actually killed him.

Between Kwon Sahyeok and Lee Jooyun, the latter was much better in every way.

Lee Jooyun was my steadfast ally who’d helped me countless times throughout dozens of regressions.

And since Lee Jooyun also liked Seo Heewon, it seemed perfect.

It should’ve been perfect…

But for some reason, I couldn’t help but find faults with Lee Jooyun.

Sure, he was good-looking, but he couldn’t compare to Seo Heewon.

He was kind and diligent, but honestly, a bit boring—he didn’t even know how to make a simple joke.

And while his frugality was admirable, it seemed excessive, as if he couldn’t provide the life of abundance Seo Heewon deserved.

I knew I was unfairly criticizing Lee Jooyun, but I ignored my feelings and pushed Seo Heewon to meet him anyway. Still, some part of me stubbornly disliked the idea.

It was during this confusing time that it happened.

“Guild Master, you like him, don’t you?”

I had visited the two of them by chance when Lee Jooyun said those words.

Seo Heewon, completely unaware that I was listening, didn’t deny it.

Flustered, I hurriedly fled the scene.

I couldn’t comprehend what I’d just heard.

That night, I had a dream.

Like in the past, Seo Heewon was bound, his limbs restrained, and subjected to horrific torment.

His body was tattered and bloodied, as if struck directly by a bomb.

His pale skin was grotesquely scarred, his flesh torn to the point where bone was visible.

Chains fastened tightly around his neck were bolted to the ground, preventing him from even lifting his body.

It was a familiar sight, but in this regression, it felt foreign—a dream that was somehow different.

“Baek Gunho…”

In a frail voice I’d never heard from the Seo Heewon of the past, he called my name.

Horrified, I looked down at him.

But as I looked closer, Seo Heewon wasn’t actually injured—he was just covered in blood.

Instead of heavy chains, he was tied up with thin ropes, in a strangely provocative way.

The sight left me utterly bewildered.

“Baek Gunho…”

He whispered my name in a voice tinged with pain.

The way he called me—so unfamiliar—made me feel strangely self-conscious.

I approached Seo Heewon.

I needed to untie the ropes that had bound him so disgracefully… But instead of freeing him, I tugged at them.

The tightened ropes dug into his skin, leaving marks, and Seo Heewon’s eyes welled up with tears.

“Baek Gunho…”

Even the slightest touch left Seo Heewon trembling. He whimpered as if urging me on.

“Please… just…”

“Just what?”

“Touch me…”

I ripped the ropes binding Seo Heewon.

He let out a sharp scream, and I kissed the reddened marks on his skin before taking him in every way imaginable.

✧✧✧

“…”

I woke up the next morning, hit hard by a massive wave of post-dream guilt.

It was truly a deranged dream.

I couldn’t understand why I’d dreamed something so insane.

Seo Heewon had been like a child I’d raised since he was young.

How could I have such an indecent dream about someone like that?

I was truly a lunatic.

Was it because it had been too long?

After countless regressions, I’d abandoned things like dating long ago.

Was that why my dreams had become so twisted?

I had no answer.

Thankfully, I was shameless enough to keep a straight face around Seo Heewon afterward, pretending nothing had happened.

Seo Heewon didn’t seem to have any intention of confessing to me either, so I thought time would simply smooth things over…

…Of course, it wasn’t that simple.

After realizing that Seo Heewon had feelings for me, my patience wore thin.

I started getting upset over things I’d normally brush off.

The mere thought of others approaching Seo Heewon infuriated me, knowing he wasn’t interested in dating anyone else.

The words “Let’s date” slipped out impulsively, but I didn’t regret them.

After all, the whole reason I’d wanted Seo Heewon to have a partner was for his stability—to ensure he wouldn’t get hurt or killed.

And the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like I was the most qualified person for that role.

Laying a startled Seo Heewon beneath me, I indulged in my desires… though I didn’t take things too far.

I held back my deeper urges to torment and tease him more. Even so, I was immensely satisfied.

When Seo Heewon refused to date me, I reflected deeply on my feelings once more.

He said my feelings weren’t the same as his. Maybe they weren’t entirely the same.

To me, Seo Heewon was the culmination of every emotion I’d ever felt.

Once, I hated him more than anyone, but now, I cared for him more than anyone else.

Seo Heewon was, in every sense, the only one for me.

The one and only thing in this world.

In the endless loop of regressions, every moment felt like a repetition of things I’d already experienced.

Nothing was new, and those around me were no different.

When this life ended, there’d just be another one, so what was there to feel attached to?

But Seo Heewon was different. He was irreplaceable.

If this isn’t love, then what is it?

I wanted to ask Seo Heewon, who denied my feelings.

How would you define this?

It didn’t matter what the answer was.

No matter what, I couldn’t let go of Seo Heewon.

No matter what he said, staying by his side was the only thing I could do.

* * *