Absolute Regression

The Spirit Master was busy organizing the study.

He took out each book to dust it off, placing them here and there, expending his energy on an arrangement no one else would care about.

After organizing the books, he placed celestial incense throughout the study. Just as he boiled water for tea, Im Hyang arrived.

“Young Master Seo.”

“Miss Im. Come in. It’s a mess because I haven’t cleaned up.”

Despite the place shining as if it had just been tidied, Im Hyang smiled and pretended not to notice.

“You have so many books.”

“There used to be more, but I cleared out a lot.”

“Even with just these, you have a lot. I didn’t realize you read so many books.”

“This book here is written by the author himself. I received it personally in this room. And this book, I went all the way to Seo Chang to get it. If you want to know about ghosts, this book is perfect. Would you like to borrow it?”

“Oh, um, yes.”

Seo Gong took out a book and handed it to her.

“It’s really interesting. Oh, if you like this one, you should also read this.”

“That’s okay.”

“And this book here is…”

Seo Gong began explaining the books and piling more and more of them in her hands. Im Hyang, unable to interrupt his excitement, simply listened. But when the explanations dragged on, she finally said,

“Shall we have some tea?”

“Oh, I’ll make it for us.”

Seo Gong was as heated as the boiling water.

He could never forget the first time he saw her.

The Spirit Master attended a gathering of late-blooming prodigies held somewhere, and even that day, he felt out of place.

Though he wasn’t deliberately shunned, he sensed an underlying disdain. Besides the prejudices against the Gwi Gate, Seo Gong simply wasn’t the type to get along well with others. He couldn’t understand what made them talk so much or want to boast so eagerly.

Feeling stifled, he stepped outside and found Im Hyang there. He thought she was incredibly beautiful and had a refined aura, but then she spoke to him first.

“It’s not great, is it?”

He was taken aback. She was the first to speak to him at the gathering.

“The gathering, I mean. The musicians today, the taste of the alcohol, even the people gathered here.”

Seo Gong couldn’t have imagined such a thing. Talking so casually to someone she had just met.

“I’m Im Hyang from the Im Family Sword Clan.”

“I am Seo Gong of the Gwi Gate.”

“Oh!”

For a moment, the Spirit Master regretted it. He shouldn’t have revealed his affiliation. If he did, it should have been after more conversation.

However, her reaction was unexpected. She seemed rather intrigued.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Gwi Gate.”

“What have you heard?”

“That it’s an incredibly mysterious sect.”

He wanted to continue the conversation, but someone inside called for Im Hyang.

“They’re calling me. See you later.”

Im Hyang went inside first.

After a moment, Seo Gong also went inside.

In the distance, he saw Im Hyang surrounded by several martial artists, talking. She was very popular.

Im Hyang recognized him and waved. Because of that, the people around her turned their gazes towards him, but she smiled without a care.

Even after returning home that day, Seo Gong kept thinking about her. For a while, he diligently attended gatherings.

As he carefully prepared the tea, Seo Gong smiled and said,

“If there’s any book you want to read, feel free to borrow it.”

—

While gazing at the night sky by the window, Lee Ahn spoke to me.

“Young Master? Do you know what the most common wish people make when a shooting star falls is?”

“What is it?”

“Oh! Ah! Damn! I missed it!.”

I laughed at her words and said,

“I’m quick with my eyes and mouth, so I never miss it.”

“Really?”

“Just watch.”

The two of us looked up at the night sky, determined not to miss making a wish. Then Lee Ahn suddenly said,

“That was the first time I brought up my parents.”

When we were chatting at the inn, Im Hyang mentioned her parents.

“I wanted to tell you at least once, and it felt like a good opportunity then.”

“I thought so.”

“So, please comfort me.”

“What comfort? Honestly, I don’t really know much about the bond between parents and children either. You know? My mother passed away when I was young, my father is the most stoic person in the world. And you know what my brother feels about me. So, I’m not sure what to say to you.”

“I’m the same. Back when you were struggling because of the Cult Leader, I wanted to comfort you. But you have to know something to give comfort. I ended up learning everything I should have learned from my parents from you instead.”

“We grew up together, snotty-nosed kids. What could you have learned from me?”

“Even so, you wiped my nose for me. I learned a lot and leaned on you.”

I was about to say something comforting but stopped. We just stood together, looking up at the night sky.

“By the way, how’s the plan going?”

“I’m still thinking.”

“You need some motivation!”

“What kind of motivation?”

“How about kidnapping Miss Im and then having Young Master Seo rescue her?”

“If you do something clumsy, it could end in disaster.”

“There needs to be something thrilling between a man and a woman!”

“Lee Ahn, think about the most thrilling moment in your life. Were there any kidnappings, rescues, or things like that?”

“…No.”

“No one else’s life has that either.”

The excitement in my life came from the everyday. Mostly from things people said to me.

Words my father said, things Lee Ahn said, what Seo Daeryong said, what Jangho said, what the Demon Supremes said, what Jeong Dae or Gowol said, and what I said…

All those countless words piled up and changed my life. While I, as a person, didn’t change easily, my life did.

“So I keep trying to say things. To that person.”

At that moment, a shooting star streaked across the night sky.

Oh! Please… Ugh! Damn it!

* * *

A few days later, I rented a quaint manor and invited Seo Gong and Seo Jin. It was a gesture of gratitude for inviting me to the previous gathering.

The Spirit Master had already developed a favorable impression of me, and Seo Jin also felt goodwill towards Lee Ahn. Thus, they both gladly accepted the invitation.

It was a small gathering with delicious dishes prepared by a skilled cook, and only the four of us were present. Seo Gong greatly preferred this kind of atmosphere.

While Lee Ahn and Seo Jin chatted, I conversed with him.

“Thank you for inviting us.”

“No need to mention it.”

As we talked about various topics, I gently brought up the subject of marriage.

“How are the wedding preparations going?”

“Thanks to your concern, they are going well.”

“Sometimes, I envy married couples.”

“What do you envy?”

“They know each other so well, don’t they? Just by looking at each other’s eyes, they can tell what the other is thinking. In any situation, they know how the other will judge and act. Having someone like that in your life seems wonderful.”

I needed to bring Seo Gong back down to earth. Right now, he was floating, soaring through the sky. I had to make him plant his feet firmly on the ground and look calmly at the woman before him.

“When you look at Miss Im, do you have a sense of what she’s thinking?”

He seemed to ponder for a moment, then shook his head.

“Honestly, I still don’t know.”

I said nothing, letting him think about it for a while.

I wasn’t in a hurry.

We stopped talking about marriage at that point and shifted the conversation to ghost techniques, which increased his goodwill towards me. As someone who had deep understanding from learning the Temporal and Spatial Transference Technique, our discussion about ghost techniques went smoothly. Adding some flattery skills to the mix, and Seo Gong became deeply engrossed in our conversation.

Even after that day, I made efforts to meet him whenever possible.

Though the Spirit Master was busy, we didn’t need long meetings. Just a brief tea time was enough.

On some days, I would wait for him at his house’s guest hall, practicing the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique.

When I met Seo Gong, we talked about various topics, often steering the conversation back to marriage or women.

At first, Seo Gong was very suspicious of my frequent visits, thinking, ‘What’s this guy’s deal? What’s he after, just because we had a meal together?’ But as time went on, he started to enjoy our conversations. He had never had a true friend his whole life.

Although I started it with a purpose, I gradually began to enjoy our conversations as well. The need for flattery skills diminished.

“My junior sister says you shouldn’t treat women too well.”

“Why is that?”

“Because if you treat them well ten times and then fail once, they’ll feel disappointed.”

“Then you should treat them well all ten times.”

“As time goes by, don’t people’s feelings change?”

“Mine won’t change.”

“Young Master Seo is human, so you’ll change.”

“I’m different! I’ll never change!”

When he was this stubborn, I felt like shouting, ‘You’ve changed! You really will change! Oh, forget it, just don’t say it, don’t say it.’

“Don’t treat her too well. In the marketplace, bad boys are popular.”

“Oh! I’ve noticed that too. At gatherings, I often wondered why they liked such guys.”

“So don’t treat her too well. If you treat her poorly sometimes and then well occasionally, she’ll be moved. People can’t always be perfect.”

“That makes sense.”

In his later years, Seo Gong had so longed to talk with me. Back then, I would just barely drink a cup and then leave to find more materials.

Let’s have the conversations we missed back then, let’s really talk a lot.

Time continued to pass, and I kept meeting him like a mouse sneaking in and out of a basket.

“So the date you’re going to find important materials for ghost technique training overlaps with Miss Im’s birthday?”

“That’s right. So, what should I choose?”

“Of course, you should celebrate Miss Im’s birthday.”

“Even though it’s an important material? If we miss this chance, we’ll have to wait three years.”

“It’s not even worth comparing.”

Remember these words today, Seo Gong! When a similar situation arises, recall what you said. There’s a big difference between words never spoken and those said even once.

I tried hard.

I talked to him casually, persuaded him, and encouraged him. I gave him courage, hints, and information.

Even though Gwi Ryeongja had betrayed me, trying to go back in time alone despite my lifelong efforts to gather the materials for the Great Regression Technique, I was grateful that he brought me this far and tried until the end.

Finally, on the eve of the wedding, I met him for the last time.

“Who would have thought we’d meet until today.”

The Spirit Master spoke, revealing his honest feelings.

“Honestly, I still don’t understand. Why are you being so good to me?”

It was a question he’d held back for a long time, and it showed how close we had become.

“I told you I liked Miss Jin from the first time I saw her, didn’t I? It was the same for me with you, Young Master Seo. You felt like an older brother, a friend, and I had good feelings toward you. There’s no other motive. I visited often because after tomorrow’s wedding, I plan to leave again, and I don’t know when I’ll see you again.” 1

Seo Gong still had a suspicious look in his eyes.

I raised my hand toward the sky.

“I swear to the heavens. If I’m lying, may the Heavenly Demon drag me away!” 2

The Spirit Master waved his hand.

“Stop it! There’s no need for such a terrible oath! I believe you. I have to believe an oath like that.”

He extended his hand.

“Thank you.”

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

We shook hands. Thinking about it, it was the first time I had ever shaken his hand, both before and after the regression.

The next day, the wedding took place.

Lee Ahn was excited as it was her first time witnessing a wedding. True to the prestige of a noble family, the wedding was lavish and full of spectacles. Lee Ahn meticulously observed everything, asking the people conducting the ceremony about anything she didn’t know.

Of course, since she couldn’t be the center of attention, she wore a bamboo hat with a veil and clothes that didn’t reveal her figure.

As the wedding was coming to an end, I said to Lee Ahn,

“Now, let’s return to the cult.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Did you enjoy this trip?”

“I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.”

Seeing that she even documented it in her journal, I could tell how much she enjoyed it.

Lee Ahn and Seo Jin bade a bittersweet farewell. The two seemed to have become quite close. While I met with Seo Gong, Lee Ahn spent a lot of time with Seo Jin. In fact, I had entrusted Seo Jin’s fate to Lee Ahn.

In the distance, the groom was exchanging greetings with the guests when our eyes met. I waved at him. He smiled and waved back.

I didn’t know if this would be the end of our connection or if we would meet again. I didn’t know what kind of life he would lead.

All I could hope for was that the conversations we shared would bring changes to his life, and those changes would accumulate to alter the outcome.

I don’t know what lies beyond the door you opened today. Whether it’s full of regrets, as everyone says, or a companion who can understand you just by looking into your eyes. But there’s one thing I must ask of you: no matter how difficult things get, don’t give up. Just as you waited for me your whole life, don’t give up on your own life until the end. As you opened the door for me, allowing me to move forward without giving up, I hope you will do the same. Seo Gong, my friend, please be happy.

I left the Gwi Gate with Lee Ahn.

“Alright, let’s go back now, Lee Ahn!”

1 : I wonder if he’ll tell him that he regressed so that he can finally stop his family quest. Telling Lee Ahn would be nice too. Maybe after killing Hwa Moogi.

2 : If you fool around too much, won’t he come to drag you anyway ? XDXDXD

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