The Regressor’s Personality Training

Either way, listening to a criminal’s excuse wasn’t Danwoo’s taste. He kicked the robber’s head and made him shut up.

“Ah.”

Cha Woowon looked down at the passed-out robber.

“Why were you listening?”

“…I thought you were sick.”

“If I were sick, does that mean you have to turn into an ATM machine to send me to the hospital?”

“It’s not that bad. I’m glad you’re not sick. You’re awakened. Why were you crying earlier?”

Cha Woowon’s question was with good intentions, and Lee Danwoo had nothing to say.

‘I lose my mind sometimes.’

But he couldn’t say that, could he?

“Don’t mind it.”

“…”

The young Cha Woowon looked at Danwoo with a surprised face.

‘What’s with your personality?’

Was what Cha Woowon seemed to think.

The older Woowon was not surprised at all by Danwoo’s tone. That was why the two got together so often.

Danwoo’s heart was pounding.

‘Huh.’

Cha Woowon was too young.

The Woowon whom Danwoo had vaguely imagined as he got on the bus was certainly not this ‘Cha Woowon’. His younger self wasn’t the kind of person that Danwoo knew, who was already accomplished.

The police arrived just in time, and Danwoo was spared the trouble.

Then, the policeman spoke.

“Wow, you’re amazing even if you’re so young. It’s a relief that you two were on the bus. I think he’s an unregistered awakener. He’s not showing up even if I look him up in the records. He was determined to commit a crime, but you two stopped him!”

“Why did he pass out? Did he overdose?”

“…”

“Oh, you two. I’m sorry, but could you follow us? It won’t take long. There will also be citations! Kind of like a brave citizen award. When school starts, the principal will praise you during training class.”

“If you could spare me a moment… Where were you two heading?”

The policeman asked.

‘Where would two awakeners go with the bus headed towards the centre at this hour?’ 

Whether Cha Woowon thought the same, he answered the policeman without asking Danwoo first.

“Actually, we were on our way to the hunter qualification exam.”

“Oh.”

“At what time is your exam?”

“Aren’t you late?!”

“Hop in!”

“If you miss it this time, you’ll have to retake it next year!”

Since the policemen made a fuss, Lee Danwoo sat in the back seat of the police car. The unconscious robber leaned on the car door with his wrist tied with a mana restraint.

Even if he caught the robber, Cha Woowon was a citizen anyway, so why was he sitting at the back?

If an awakener wore a mana restraint, they would become incapacitated, but…

‘When Cha Woowon got out of the police car, it seemed like he was being treated as a VIP.’

Blocked by the front seats and the iron bars, it felt like he was some kind of criminal. Danwoo looked at Cha Woowon, who was sitting next to him, and he didn’t look very comfortable either.

Danwoo felt strange.

“Where is the exam room?”

“C City, building A, centre one.”

Woowon answered, and he tilted his head towards Danwoo.

“It’s my first time riding a police car.”

‘Do you think I’ve ever ridden one before?’

“Hm.”

It would’ve been strange for Danwoo to say something like that. Did he not look like he was in his early 20s?

“It looks like we’ve been taken in. What do you think will happen when we arrive at the test site?”

“How should I know?”

“…”

Cha Woowon was Cha Woowon.

The son of the ‘hero’ Cha Moonkyung, the awakened whose signature skill was ‘Master of the Sword (S)’, a genius, and the disciple of the Celestial Guild leader. Those were the titles that defined him.

Since it was an incident that included him, it would become a hot topic, no matter what he did. It was also strange to say something like that.

The young Cha Woowon stared at Danwoo.

Although he had no expression, Danwoo had seen that face every day. ‘What’s wrong with him…’ Danwoo could tell that was what Woowon was thinking with his eyes closed.

“By the way, I didn’t even ask for your names. What are your names?”

Asked the policeman.

“If you leave us your contact information, we’ll contact you after the exam. Or do you want our contact information instead?”

“Don’t worry about our work. We’ll record you as ‘the brave citizens who caught the bus robber. If we call you tomorrow after the test is over, will you be able to testify? I have to drop you off as soon as I arrive at the exam centre, so write it down quickly.”

“Yes, uncle! Please, tell me your names as well!”

A junior police officer picked up the notebook.

“Ah. I’m Cha Woowon.”

“Lee Danwoo.”

The old man who was driving nodded his head.

“Oh, are you two friends? What’s your relationship…”

“Cha Woowon and Lee Danwoo. Cha… Woowon and… Cha Woowon?”

The junior police officer who was dictating their names looked back.

“Cha Woowon? Cha Moonkyung’s son?!”

“…Are you Cha Moonkyung’s son? Cha Woowon, who ranked first in the trainee centre?”

“That’s right! Cha Woowon is taking the qualification exam this year!”

“No, you don’t have to make a big deal out of it…”

‘Keep your eyes on the road.’

Danwoo started getting nervous as they kept looking towards the back seat. There was no way Cha Woowon would get involved in a car accident, but were those people really civil servants?

“That’s why you caught the robber! It wasn’t dangerous! Ah, Hunter Cha Woowon! No, Mr. Cha Woowon? Cha Woowon! Is it true that you are coming to our side? Will you come to the centre?”

“Why would Cha Woowon enter the centre? I work a lot and I’m cursed by the low salary of a civil servant. I’ll live until I’m 200 years old due to this curse. I might die of stress before that, but…”

“Ah, senior! Aren’t you supposed to convince me to join the centre? What are you talking about?”

The police quarrelled, and Cha Woowon finally cleared everything up.

“I’m not joining the centre.”

“Ah, as expected…”

The policeman sighed.

“Then you’ll join Celestial.”

“I’m a fan of the Celestia Guild leader! If you don’t mind, could you give me an autograph later…”

“Yes. I’ll get the guild leader’s autograph and give it to you when I come to testify.”

Cha Woowon spoke, not bothered by it.

He used to be that kind of guy.

The junior police officer saw the opportunity and stretched his hand.

“Oh! The guild leader’s autograph would be great, but Cha Woowon’s autograph too!”

“What are you going to do with my autograph?”

“I’ll keep it as a family heirloom!”

Cha Woowon seemed to smile a little before he spoke again.

“Sure, I’ll give it to you.”

“Is the person next to you a friend? Mr. Lee Danwoo?”

“I guess they’re from the same trainee centre. Of course, they’re promising stars! You’ll be a ranker in a few years, so we need to get your autograph now…”

“I’m not a trainee.”

The police officer wasn’t paying attention, so Danwoo cut him off.

Then, he thought.

‘Is that really it?’

“Oh, I see. You’re a trainee belonging to the guild!”

“No.”

“Uh…”

“I’ve failed both, I’m just a civilian.”

“Uh…”

‘Do you think anyone can become a centre trainee or a guild trainee?

To be a promising asset for the centre or the guild meant that he had great talent that would later be ranked in the top 100.

Lee Danwoo had nothing.

“You failed?”

Cha Woowon asked.

Danwoo wondered how old the soft-skinned Cha Woowon thought he was to act so friendly.

“Why are you talking down to me?”

Woowon paused, then straightened his attitude and asked.

“How old are you?”

‘I’m 27 years old.’

Danwoo was silent for a moment because he couldn’t say that.

“I’m 20.”

“…Aren’t we the same age?”

Well, if you’re an awakener, wouldn’t you give them a hunter ID as soon as you come of age?

It could be said that Cha Woowon spoke informally to Danwoo and thought they were the same age as a result of natural speculation.

Of course, Lee Danwoo’s feelings of being talked down to by a 20 year old Cha Woowon were still strange…

“Did you fail the personality test?”

Woowon asked carefully.

Danwoo ignored him and grabbed his arm.

“…?”

He could feel Woowon’s pulse, then Danwoo pointed at his chest.

“…!”

Cha Woowon grabbed Danwoo’s wrist, but he didn’t push it away.

He could feel Woowon’s heart beating against his palm. His chest was raising and falling as he breathed, and he even felt the sensation of his hard ribs.

Danwoo covered Cha Woowon’s face.

When he looked at him with both hands on his cheeks, his eyes became blurry.

— Lee Danwoo, get out. Pick up this sword and don’t look back, you decided to listen to me this time.

As he spoke, his face softened.

“Hey, I’m sorry, but I think we should head to the hospital first.”

Cha Woowon looked forward as he spoke.

“What? Are you injured? If I turn around now, you’ll be late for the test…!”

“There was no visible injury, are you feeling dizzy?”

Danwoo’s heart was pounding.

“Are you sick?”

“No, you’re the one who’s sick…”

Woowon grabbed Danwoo’s face and asked, embarrassed.

“Why do you keep crying?”

‘Because of the way you treat people.’

Cha Woowon’s hands were warm.

‘You’re alive.’

It was the hands of a living, breathing Cha Woowon. Soft, not bloody, not cold or stiff… Hands that could touch Danwoo.

But he couldn’t say that.

“Nevermind… I’m not sick, so please go to the exam centre. I think we’ll be late.”

Danwoo looked at his watch.

His heart kept pounding.

“Are you really okay? If you’re not, then if we drop you off, we won’t be okay either.”

“Aren’t you going to get a pay cut if you end up on the news for neglecting the robber?”

“Would it end in a pay cut if they found out it was you, Cha Woowon? And I can hear you from the back, so you can speak quietly…!”

Danwoo could hear the police officers fighting in a low voice.

Cha Woowon seemed at a loss for words.

The reason was because Danwoo was still holding Cha Woowon’s face, so he slowly put his hands down.

And then he thought…

‘I really went back to seven years ago.’