I didn’t know exactly what Kim Hyun-Sung experienced in his past life but considering that his potential was high, it was basically confirmed that he was strong. If Hyun-Sung had Jo Hye-Jin as his secretary in his past life, I was certain the guild Kim Hyun-Sung led was not only inflexible, but they were probably the most old-fashioned guild of that time. If it were me or Lee Ji-Hye, we wouldn’t have a hard time breaking down those walls. I had an idea as to why my regressor failed. Robbing the weak was easier than backstabbing and since there were many people like me, I was sure he had a difficult time growing his guild. He must have gotten himself backstabbed once by Jung Jin-Ho and there was also a high chance that he had been bullied by Ito Sota.

‘What would you do without me, Hyun-Sung?’

He probably suffered quite a bit because of Lee Seol-Ho. Assuming that Ito Sota settled down in Lindel thanks to Lee Seol-Ho’s help, Ito Sota would have gained a lot of power.

When I glanced to the side, I noticed team leader Kim Mi-Young looking at me.

“Is there anything I should…”

“No, it’s fine. I think it would be best to keep an eye out for now. Actually, we need to have insurance, so I think we should create a ledger of materials in case the imperial auditors visit us.” I suggested.

“Okay! I’ll do that,” she said, agreeing with my suggestion.

“Having you here makes me feel reassured,” I told her.

“Th-Thank you...”

“I’m sorry for taking up your time on your day off. I’ll head out now, so please take a good rest,” I said.

“It’s fine. I’m glad I could help…” 

Despite talking to Kim Mi-Young, I couldn’t stop thinking about Jo Hye-Jin. Nothing was decided yet, but being able to control her was my homework because the Blue Guild had already accepted Jo Hye-Jin. Kim Hyun-Sung trusted her and when thinking about their relationship in their past life, there was a good chance that their connection wouldn’t break. Moreover, her potential and strength also made it natural for us to accept her. 

‘The problem is how…’

How should I accept her?

‘Should I flirt with her?’

The best way to make her fall for me was to put her in the same state as Jung Ha-Yan where she would end up relying on me, but having that thought in the first place was making me feel overly self-conscious. Both Jung Ha-Yan and Sun Hee-Young had experienced side effects because of that plan, so I didn’t want Jo Hye-Jin to end up the same way.

‘My chance of succeeding is low too…’

It became clear after thinking about her nature.

After saying goodbye to Kim Mi-Young, I left her dorm, but I felt lost for some reason.

I thought about wanting to take a break and not think about anything, but I couldn’t do such a thing because of the situation and my personality. It didn’t take me long to decide on a destination because there was only one place that I had to go to at this point.

‘Hyun-Sung…’

The one with the most power within the Blue Guild. I had to discuss future plans as well as Jo Hye-Jin with Kim Hyun-Sung. He was the only one that knew what was going to happen in the future and based on that future, he would make reasonable decisions.

‘This isn’t a break at all…’

I was busy the moment I woke up.

“Is the guild master here?” I asked.

“He’s probably in his office…”

“Oh, okay...”

I wasn’t sure if it was supposed to make me feel better, but I wasn’t the only one working. I guess Kim Hyun-Sung had a lot of things he had to take care of and plan out because he was stuck in his office. This was the best time to talk about work. When I walked and knocked on the door, I heard him telling me to come in. When I opened the door, I noticed Kim Hyun-Sung leaning on his desk and I also saw Jo Hye-Jin looking at me.

“Oh…”

I didn’t expect him to have a guest.

“Good timing. I was actually going to call for you, Mr. Ki-Young,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“I see...”

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked.

“No, not yet,” I replied.

“Then how about we eat together…”

“Yeah, sure,” I said, nodding.

‘It’s bothering me a lot more than I thought…’

I finally understood why Jung Ha-Yan went crazy every time I was with another woman. Of course, this situation was different, but I was really bothered by the conversation that Jo Hye-Jin and Kim Hyun-Sung had. It was to the point that I felt kind of frustrated at the thought that they were having a conversation without me. For Jung Ha-Yan, she was worried I might do something with another woman and this was the moment when I felt bad for my past self when I couldn’t understand her actions.

‘I’ll be more careful from now on, Ha-Yan...’

After apologizing to Jung Ha-Yan in my head, Kim Hyun-Sung spoke. “Did you have any business with me?”

“I do. It’s nothing serious, though…”

“Go ahead,” he said.

Kim Hyun-Sung’s eyes were full of affection when he looked at me, but this was natural since he trusted me before I even gave him the griffon as a gift.

“It’s nothing serious. I was just curious about our future plans…” I told him.

“Oh...”

“The guild has somewhat stabilized thanks to Miss Hye-Jin, so I think it’ll be good to go on an expedition. It’s time for me to return to my original position, too… so I wanted to know if you thought the same,” I explained.

“Yes, I’ve been thinking about that,” he replied, nodding.

‘I knew it.’

“I think it would be best to tell you ahead of time since you’re working on various things and would need to make time for the expedition,” he said.

“Yes, you’re right, Mr. Hyun-Sung.” I agreed.

Obviously, Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t going to abandon me during an expedition. I had proven my worth in the previous dungeon, so I was sure he thought bringing me along would benefit the party. Unlike the other mages, I was lacking in offense, but I had the ability to take care of Jung Ha-Yan’s mentality, be flexible and deal with unexpected situations, as well as care for the party as a whole. I must have done more than he thought. Kim Hyun-Sung probably wanted to see me grow as an alchemist, so I was certain he wouldn’t turn me into one of those gramps who simply stayed in their rooms. If he decided to exclude me from the expedition, that was when I need to start worrying because I had to go with them to acquire items.

“Nothing has been decided yet, but you’re right, Mr. Ki-young. It’s important to expand our streams of income through different businesses, but we have money to spare thanks to Mr. Ki-Young, so it won’t be so bad to go on an expedition. There has been a lot on my mind, so I think it would be best to tell you ahead of time,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

“All right...”

“I think our next destination is going to be Castle Rock,” he said.

“...Castle Rock?” I mumbled.

“Yes...”

‘This will make Lady Marilyn happy...’

“I don’t know about the details, but I heard that the monsters in Castle Rock have been showing anomalies. People have been saying that maybe they’ve been affected by the dungeon nearby or an epic-ranked named monster appeared,” he added.

“Hm…”

“The chances are low, but it could be a sign of a monster wave. There are a lot of hunting grounds in Castle Rock, so I don’t think it’ll be a bad idea to go on an expedition. What do you think, Mr. Ki-Young?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

“I agree with you, Mr. Hyun-Sung. I think it’s a good idea. It’s a bit surprising that it’s happening in Castle Rock and not near Lindel… since Miss Hye-Jin is from Castle Rock, she’ll be able to help us. Isn’t that right?” I said.

“Yes, sub guild master. I know the areas nearby very well,” Jo Hye-Jin answered.

“I haven’t mentioned this to you yet, but I was thinking about expanding the sales of the basic potion. Of course the expedition is the priority, but making a distribution contract with other guilds isn’t a bad idea either. Aren’t there a lot of stable guilds in Castle Rock?” I said to Jo-Hye Jin.

“Yes… sub guild master. They’re not as big compared to Lindel, but the market isn’t that bad because the majority of the guilds and clans survive by going on expeditions. There also aren’t that many priests compared to Lindel,” Jo Hye-Jin explained.

‘Is that right?’

When I glanced to the side, Jo Hye-Jin didn’t look so happy. Despite answering, she was biting her lips as if she was afraid of getting caught, so I was guessing she also hadn’t heard about Kim Hyun-Sung’s plan to go to Castle Rock. It was natural that she didn’t want to see the people she felt uncomfortable around, but Kim Hyun-Sung seemed as if he really wanted to take her there.

‘I wonder if this expedition is going to be a difficult one…’

Kim Hyun-Sung had already answered that question. It could be a simple dungeon conquest or an epic-ranked named monster raid.

‘It could be a monster wave too…’

At this point, I knew we were only heading to Castle Rock to fix the issue that was going to happen in the future. I was sure that I would get an idea once we headed toward Castle Rock, but I couldn’t deny the fact that I was going to benefit from this because we were heading there to raise our party’s worth. Most importantly, I could find out more about Jo Hye-Jin, too.

‘This is the best.’

It was my chance to talk with the executives of the Small Stone Guild, but of course, I was going to visit them as a businessman.

Kim Hyun-Sung directed a regretful look at Jo Hye-Jin when she suddenly stopped talking, but he didn’t seem like he was going to change his mind.

“How should we start preparing, Mr. Hyun-Sung?” I asked.

“Hm…”

I decided to strike while the iron was hot so I continued talking while the regressor was in the middle of contemplation. “How about leaving tomorrow? We can get the supplies later, but regarding the potion distribution, there’s something I need to personally find out.”

“I see. I thought about leaving after a month or two later, but I don’t think that’s a bad idea. The problem is, where are we going to stay?” he asked.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m kind of close to the daughter of Castle Rock’s feudal lord, so I’m sure I can borrow the lord’s castle,” I replied.

“Oooh!”

Lady Marilyn would welcome me with open arms.

Even after arriving at the cafeteria and eating our meal, we continued talking about the Castle Rock expedition. Jo Hye-Jin didn’t say much and Kim Hyun-Sung looked like he was trying to be considerate of her.

‘It has already been confirmed that she has bad memories of that place.’

Going to Castle Rock was unavoidable, but I guess it was happening a lot faster than Jo Hye-Jin thought. Considering the fact that it hadn’t been that long since she entered Lindel, I was sure that she was still the talk of the town in Castle Rock. Besides that, our other conversations were pretty ordinary. It was the usual conversation and they weren’t that bad. Kim Hyun-Sung sounded like he was intentionally complimenting Jo Hye-Jin and was trying to appeal to her strengths, but when we were finishing our food, I realized why Kim Hyun-Sung said those words.

When Jo Hye-Jin left her seat, he spoke first. “What do you think, Mr. Ki-Young?”

“Excuse me?”

“About Miss Hye-Jin,” he answered.

“I don’t think she’s a bad person. She’s skilled and has a good character, so I understand why you recruited her. When thinking about her power and growth potential, any guild would want her,” I replied.

“I’m glad. I was worried that you were uncomfortable around her.” He sighed in relief.

‘Why would I bluntly say I was uncomfortable around her? You’re so slow...’

“I know it’s all happening fast, but like I mentioned yesterday, I want to give Miss Hye-Jin a key position… what do you think, Mr. Ki-Young?” Kim Hyun-Sung asked.

This was probably the reason why he wanted to call me earlier. He looked like he was looking forward to my answer. It was good that he respected my opinion, but I couldn’t help but feel burdened by the current situation.

‘Sigh…’

“I…”

Before answering, I had to think about it again.