“That day... in the tutorial... thank you so much... for helping me...” he muttered.

“...”

“...Hyung,” he added.

‘What the hell is wrong with this guy... W-what is this? Why the hell is he suddenly calling me "hyung" like we’re close?’

“I’m truly... grateful,” he said.

“...”

‘Seriously, what is with this guy?’

For the first time ever, I felt like I couldn’t keep up with the flow of a conversation.

‘What’s this sudden change? It’s so random... Is this even right?’

“If it hadn't been for you, hyung... I probably wouldn’t have made it out of there. I would have died. Thank you for giving me a chance, teaching me how to survive, giving me hope that I could survive, and giving me even a little courage and kindness,” he said.

“...”

“Thank you... for not giving up on me until the very end,” he added.

“...”

I genuinely couldn’t keep up with Kim Hyun-Sung’s pace right now. I never once expected him to bring up the tutorial, and I definitely didn’t expect him to start thanking me out of nowhere.

This wasn’t the kind of timing to suddenly say "thank you."

Of course, who could say that there was ever a right time for a conversation, but even so, every conversation had a certain flow to it. The atmosphere, the topic, and the relationship between the people talking about things. Kim Hyun-Sung's words ignored all of that and made a full U-turn. Of course, I understood what he meant when he said that he wanted to go back to the very beginning, but still...

‘Is this guy... in his right mind?’

Had he suddenly become a master of conversation after throwing everything away, letting go of himself, and deciding to die? Was Park Deok-Gu not the only unpredictable one? I couldn’t understand it at all. It wasn’t even an act; I was genuinely stunned.

Perhaps this could be a calculated action as well.

In some versions of the Dummy World, there was a setting where Kim Hyun-Sung became a master speaker. Calling me "hyung" at this exact moment could be an attempt to reset everything, return to the beginning, and redefine our relationship.

While all sorts of thoughts were passing through my head, Kim Hyun-Sung said, “You probably remember me.”

‘But how the hell do you remember me?’

“You must’ve already guessed—no, you already know, but the twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung you met that day in the tutorial... the coward who couldn’t escape that pit was me,” he said.

‘Well, it’s not that strange for him to realize it...’

“...”

“...”

‘Yeah, it’s not that strange.’

Considering the passing remarks First Life Ki-Young had made backstage and the many different circumstances, it didn’t feel all that strange that Kim Hyun-Sung had ended up figuring this out. His memories and the situation from that day could have suddenly become clear, or he could have pieced together the scattered puzzle fragments.

Otherwise, there was no way he could continue speaking with such certainty.

I was dazed by the ambush. I had no choice but to think about how First Life Ki-Young would react to him, but I could say with certainty that he wouldn’t be pleased.

That said, he wouldn’t suddenly explode in anger, either.

Would he swing an axe down on him from the very beginning?

I couldn't help but think that I had taken the wrong approach, but from the point of view of First Life Ki-Young, who had already resigned himself to a certain emptiness, there was no choice but to accept his words.

The pause in the conversation felt a bit long, but for now, it was best to calmly go along with the flow that he had created.

“So you knew... no, you remembered? How did you figure it out?” I asked.

“That’s...”

“But does that gratitude you’re expressing now even have any meaning? It’s already far too long ago. It wasn’t something I did for your sake either, and when I said I wouldn’t help you unless you were the pig, I meant it. Strictly speaking... the moment you refused my offer that day, our relationship was already over,” I said.

“...”

“There’s nothing more ridiculous than clinging to that moment. All I knew was your name, and all I did was leave behind an arrow,” I told him.

“If I had trusted you back then and escaped... would things have changed?” he asked.

“A lot would’ve changed, but I don’t think those kinds of assumptions mean anything. And that’s not what you want either, is it? What matters to you is the second life, isn’t it?” I asked.

“...”

“And if we’re talking about turning points, there were plenty. The time we exchanged letters was one of them, and if you trusted me a little more back then... if you had a little more strength... if you had the will to stop it, many things would have changed. No, if you let go of your greed for power from the start and had just a little more courage, none of this would’ve happened,” I explained.

“...”

“Back then, I thought you deceived me, but now, I know that wasn’t the case... I know now that you had some circumstances you couldn’t avoid. It just took me a long time to realize it. No, I just didn’t want to admit it. I needed someone to blame,” I added.

“...”

“Yeah, if you had taken my hand back then, maybe our story would’ve turned out a little differently. At the very least, it would’ve been far better than it is right now. We could have joined the Blue Guild together, or perhaps the three of us, including that pig, could’ve built a small clan.

"From my perspective, it would’ve been a bit of a hassle to have more people to look after, but I probably would have found it rewarding and enjoyable to watch you guys smile,” I explained.

“...”

“You had talent. At the very least, you could’ve fed me and that pig,” I added.

“...”

“Even if you hadn’t taken my hand back then, if you had saved Rahel, many things would’ve been different. I would’ve lived in Rahel with that pig, and you would’ve lived on this continent in Lindel as the Blue Guild Master. Perhaps we would’ve crossed paths a few times, reunited at some point, and when I realized that you were that twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung from back then, I would’ve spoken to you first,” I said.

“...”

“You probably wouldn’t have trusted me at first, but in the end, wouldn’t you come to trust me eventually? I’ve definitely thought that before. But you know, as I said earlier, these assumptions are meaningless. In a way, or rather from your perspective, this was already decided. They were all something you had to do. You regret what you did so deeply, and...” I trailed off.

“...”

“And you might doubt it again, but in the end, from your perspective, all of that had to happen, didn’t it? If there hadn’t been a purge, the second life wouldn’t have begun.” I continued.

“I won’t deny it,” he said.

‘He says he won’t deny it. This creepy bastard.’

“I regret everything I’ve done. I feel ashamed and disgusted with myself. I can’t deny that I tried to stop that massacre and that I sincerely wanted to cooperate with you, but at the same time, I also wanted to gain some power back then. There were even times when I hoped you set a trap. All of those things are... unbearable for me...” he explained.

“I know. I could tell from your letters that you didn’t want to trust me,” I said.

“B-but... as you said, if all of those things were necessary to obtain this current life, then I can accept that pain, that shame, and that disgust willingly. Because now... there are too many things in this life that are precious to me,” he said.

“...”

“I learned and felt many things. When I kept doubting whether I was truly a proper human being, whether I was living a proper life, there was someone who reached out to me.

"There was someone who said they would carry the burden with me, someone who told me they believed in me. I exist, and this life I have now exists because of him,” he said.

“...”

“I don’t know why you made me a regressor, but I can’t express how fortunate I feel that I was given that chance. You can’t even imagine how grateful I am that I was able to live a life like this, even if only briefly. Even if you had chosen me as a regressor for the sake of this very moment, I would accept it with a smile,” he said.

“I’m not an idiot, but I’m not smart enough to have predicted things to this extent either, Hyun-Sung. I didn’t calculate everything. I chose you as a regressor just to use you as a substitute for Altanus. And I didn’t choose you because I wanted you to be happy, either. Can you figure it out? Why do you think I chose you as a regressor?” I asked.

“It may be presumptuous, but...” he trailed off before continuing. “I feel like it was because you wanted to give me... another chance."

“...”

“I feel like you gave me the opportunity to correct my past mistakes,” he added.

‘Well... I don’t know about that... It’s probably just because you’re strong, good-looking, and have the makings of a hero...’

To be honest, if he were incompetent, I wouldn't even look at him. Even so, I didn’t think First Life Ki-Young had chosen Kim Hyun-Sung as a regressor simply because he wanted to give him another chance. It felt more like an interpretation that came from Kim Hyun-Sung mixing together the First Life Ki-Young and the Second Life Ki-Young.

The Lee Ki-Young in his mind was kind and overly naive. Despite everything that had happened, the same hyung who had reached out his hand to the twenty-two-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung wanted to give him another chance, or so he believed.

‘Still... in a lot of ways... it’s a good thing I showed up instead...’

Of course, I didn’t know what First Life Ki-Young had been thinking at the time. He probably believed that Kim Hyun-Sung had the qualifications, and after seeing his heroic qualities, he made the decision after much deliberation.

Fundamentally, it was probably because of his strength, but...

‘Yeah, there are plenty of strong people on this continent.’

People like Sung Ji-Hoon and Cha Hee-Ra, for example. I felt like he also took into account the fact that Kim Hyun-Sung would be easy to approach, as they started the tutorial together, but if one were to ask him whether that was really the only reason, I'd shake my head in response.

There were probably over a hundred reasons. I couldn’t list them all one by one, but at the very least, it was true that in the end, First Life Ki-Young did not hate Kim Hyun-Sung that much.

He didn’t make him regress just to inflict pain on him. Through everything that happened, Lee Ki-Young came to understand and analyze Kim Hyun-Sung as a person.

Perhaps, just as Kim Hyun-Sung had said, there was a small part of him that wanted to give him another chance. Just a little, a very small part.

“Of course, that’s not the only reason... So, how is it? Do you think you’ve corrected your mistakes?” I asked.

“Honestly, I’m not sure myself. I don’t know whether I’ve done well or not. Of course, I won’t deny that the second life ended far better than the first, but I don’t know if that means I’ve truly changed, or if I’ve fixed everything. I’m still weak, easily shaken, and quick to run away.

"If it hadn't been for you, I would have collapsed long ago. I even thought that maybe I wouldn’t be the continent's savior. I thought I'd end up abandoning it instead of saving it,” he answered.

“Do you really think you haven’t grown at all?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. At the very least, compared to the twenty-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung from the tutorial and the twenty-five-year-old Kim Hyun-Sung who thought Rahel had to be purged, I think I had grown, but I often wonder if this is truly growth, or if I’ve just changed.

"It might simply be because the situation and environment I was given are better than before,” he answered.

“Is that so?” I asked.

“If I hadn't been a regressor... if I hadn't been strong... If I hadn't been as confident as I am in my thoughts and what I possessed... what would have happened?” he asked.

“...”

“If I couldn’t think of anything beyond survival...” he trailed off before continuing. “If I believed I needed more power and authority, things would have turned out in a different way."

“All those assumptions are meaningless. You’re too easily shaken, and you think too much. But maybe that’s exactly why I chose you as a regressor. You think you’ve made too many mistakes, and you probably made plenty, but at least you don’t seem to have repeated the same mistakes.

"People who don’t waver easily tend to repeat the same mistakes even if time is turned back,” I explained.

“...”

“That’s probably why I didn’t choose to regress myself,” I added.

I suddenly realized that it wasn’t like First Life Ki-Young was afraid. Perhaps he knew himself too well, which was why he chose not to become the regressor. He had always been firm, never wavering. In some ways, it was an advantage, surely it was, but at the same time, he had to have believed that it could also be a fatal flaw.

Had First Life Ki-Young really never regretted anything even once? Even as he killed countless people, hurt so many others, and lived a life consumed by revenge, had he truly felt no regret at all?

Of course, I knew myself better than anyone. I knew that we were the type of person who wouldn't feel much when it came to the suffering of others, but even so, we weren’t the type to take pleasure in it like Jung Jin-Ho.

In other words, he had to be mentally exhausted at the time.

While missing that pig and resolving to devote everything to avenging him, First Life Ki-Young had to have felt something akin to regret. He probably felt that mental exhaustion when he ended up hurting Jung Ha-Yan.

When he hurt Kasugano Yuno and lost her, he had to have felt that same sense of weariness again. When he lost Ji-Hye noona, perhaps he had even wanted to give everything up. At least once, he had to have wondered if any of this had any meaning, and if it was really worth it.

“...”

Even so, First Life Ki-Young never turned the wheel away. Even after realizing that he was repeating the same mistakes and exchanging the same wounds again and again, First Life Ki-Young still pressed on the accelerator. People would say that it was because he had gone too far, but I didn't think so.

I believed it was all because he simply couldn’t stop.

We were the kind of bastards who could change our stance whenever it suited us, yet once we had made up our minds, we would never waver and would cling to it no matter what. He had to have recognized that aspect of himself early on and prepared for the second life.

After going through all of this and feeling it firsthand, perhaps he realized that he needed someone who could turn the wheel for him. He needed someone who could hit the brakes before he could make those mistakes in the first place.

“...”

“...”

“Even if time were to turn back again, I'd still choose you as the regressor, Hyun-Sung,” I unknowingly said.