Regression Guidelines For the Supporting Character

After knocking, Dan Yeoun waited for the door to open.

“……?”
But there was no response from beyond the door.
Puzzled, Dan Yeoun glanced at the silent camper van. Just as he raised his hand to knock again—

“Hunter Dan Yeoun?”
At the sound of Park Minhyuk’s voice, he turned around to see several S-ranks walking toward the camper. Kwon Taehyuk spoke up.
“What brings you here?”

Not only Kwon Taehyuk, but Park Minhyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon beside him all looked genuinely surprised to see Dan Yeoun visiting the camper.
It was understandable. Aside from having met Cha Seohu once before the kidnapping incident, there had been no meaningful contact between them.
At the same time, Dan Yeoun quickly sensed a sharp tension radiating from the group.

It was the gaze of observers—an intent to uncover every detail of what had occurred between him and Cha Seohu.
Suppressing a reflexive scoff, he turned it smoothly into a smile as he lifted the jacket draped over his arm.
“Hunter Cha Seohu lent me this during the kidnapping. I was wearing something… inconvenient at the time.”
“Ah.”

They immediately understood without needing further explanation.
Kwon Taehyuk cleared his throat awkwardly, seemingly recalling the bizarre attire the fairies had forced on him.
“So I came to return it. Is Hunter Cha Seohu somewhere else? He didn’t respond when I knocked.”

“Hmm, not sure. He doesn’t really have any other place to be.”
“Maybe he’s asleep?”
“Wasn’t he with his brother?”

Upon hearing Cha Seohu was absent, the S-ranks quickly approached the camper.
As if competing over who knew Cha Seohu best, they each threw out a guess. Kwon Taehyuk took the lead and knocked on the camper door.
“Hunter Cha Seohu?”

Knock, knock, knock.
The knock was slightly more urgent than Dan Yeoun’s had been.
Still no answer. Just as Kwon Taehyuk reached for the doorknob—

Bang!
Someone from inside yanked the door open roughly before he could touch it.
A tall man stepped out—someone unfamiliar, not seen during the previous treatment visit. Yet there was something in his aura that resembled Cha Seohu.

The moment Dan Yeoun met the stranger’s cold green eyes, he understood.
‘Ah, the younger brother.’
Come to think of it, Kwon Taehyuk did say he was with his brother.
There was no need for an introduction—it was obvious he was Cha Seohu’s younger brother.

“…….”
Looking thoroughly annoyed, as if he'd just been interrupted from something important, the brother gave the group of S-ranks a sweeping glance, then turned on his heel, leaving the door open.
He walked back into the camper without acknowledging a single person. None of them questioned it. It wasn’t the behavior of someone rude for a day or two.

Dan Yeoun, having instantly grasped the brother’s personality, followed him into the camper.
No matter how spacious it was, it wasn’t a hotel. The inside of the camper could be taken in at a glance.
Cha Seohu wasn’t there. Not on the bed, not on the sofa, not in the kitchen.

But there was the sound of running water.

It came from behind a curtain—there was a small bathroom. As the water stopped, Cha Seohu emerged, wiping his wet face with a towel.
It seemed more like a quick face rinse than a full shower. Sweeping his damp bangs back casually, Cha Seohu glanced at the S-ranks who had entered and greeted them with a brief remark.

“You’re here.”
His voice lacked its usual energy. His expression looked like someone who had just finished a marathon—exhausted and drained.
‘Hmm. I can’t heal colds.’

Perhaps thinking the same thing, Kwon Taehyuk looked at him with visible concern.
“Are you sick? Do you want some fever medicine?”
“No, I’m just a bit tired.”

Cha Sahyeon, lounging on the sofa with his chin resting in his hand, smirked faintly.
“You did it?”
“…Do you think I did?”

Cha Seohu frowned at the subtle provocation.
Even without enhanced hearing, in a place like this, you’d still hear through a closed bathroom door and running water.
He wasn’t deranged enough to pull something like that with Sahyeon sitting right outside. He’d just splashed cold water on his face to calm himself down.

After exchanging a few words others wouldn’t understand, Cha Seohu turned to Park Minhyuk.
“What happened with the meeting?”
Park Minhyuk, staring at Seohu with a complicated expression, answered obediently.

“We’ll be departing tomorrow after resting today. However, to avoid a repeat of the kidnapping, major positional changes have been made. The Supporter team will now remain in the center, with assigned dealers mixed in to protect them.”
It was similar to how things were set up in the labyrinth, where the constantly shifting walls required fast movement.
Originally, the Supporter team was positioned at the rear, guarded only by a few dealers. Since most combat happened at the front line, that made sense.

But after confirming the risk of abduction following the maze incident, the representatives concluded that keeping the Supporters at the back was no longer safe.
“However, the problem is…”
Park Minhyuk hesitated briefly. Cha Seohu had a pretty good idea what he was going to say.

“Both the Supporters and the Dealers seem unhappy with the decision.”
Cracks, once formed, were hard to mend.
The Supporter team had insisted on rescuing the kidnapped, while the Dealers opposed the idea.

Of course, not everyone had aligned that way. Some Dealers agreed with the Supporters, and vice versa.
But majority opinion had split the two teams, and the resulting rift only continued to grow.
Park Minhyuk sighed.

“The Supporters aren’t thrilled about having Dealers act as their escorts. They know it’s necessary, so they’re not openly hostile, but still…”
“And the Dealers probably mocked them for that reaction. I can already imagine it.”
Nothing had changed.

Even if the Supporters disliked it, and the Dealers mocked them again and again, surviving this Great Dungeon required cooperation.
These weren’t random nobodies—they were 100 Hunters selected through national vetting. They all knew the truth.
The decision made by the representatives would hold.

But that didn’t mean it was safe. Emotional fractures between people were like ticking time bombs. No one could tell when they might explode.
All the representatives, including these S-ranks, held key positions. Of course they worried about the same things Cha Seohu did.
But what choice did they have? Starting tomorrow, they’d be crossing a desert, searching for an escape. And staying alive during that process was paramount.

“In any case, we leave tomorrow morning, so get plenty of rest tonight. I heard you had a rough time in the monster den, Hunter Cha Seohu.”
“Huh? Who said that?”
Muttering in disbelief, Cha Seohu’s gaze suddenly fixed on Dan Yeoun.

‘That bastard didn’t go around flapping his mouth, did he?’

Of the people who were kidnapped, the only one who seemed like the type to blabber was Dan Yeoun.
As Seohu narrowed his eyes in suspicion, Dan Yeoun smiled innocently and handed him the jacket.

“Thanks for lending it to me. I didn’t get a chance to wash it because of the situation.”
“It’s fine.”
“If you want, I still have the clothes the monsters made me wear. Everyone else burned theirs, but I kept mine.”

“…If you’re done, stop spouting nonsense and leave.”
“Just joking.”
The natural flow of conversation between Seohu and Dan Yeoun left the S-ranks mildly surprised.

Dan Yeoun clearly seemed interested, while Cha Seohu just looked annoyed. Still, they did seem relatively comfortable around each other.
Watching them, Park Minhyuk shook his head.
Healers were Awakeners too—they could receive buffs. And if Dan Yeoun was hovering around Cha Seohu like that, he’d probably gotten a buff.

‘One more person obsessed with Hunter Cha Seohu, huh.’
And so, another misunderstanding was added to the pile.
***

The next day, as the sun rose, the surroundings gradually brightened. Morning had come.
The Hunters packed up the base camp and took their designated positions as decided yesterday. Naturally, Cha Seohu joined the Supporter team.
Many glanced his way with sideways glances—most of them were Dealers, not Supporters.

Park Minhyuk, checking the team lineup before departure, noticed the stares directed at Seohu and frowned.
‘As expected…’
There was something he hadn’t managed to explain to Seohu yesterday.

The Dealers had begun taking an interest in him.
Cha Seohu had already drawn attention by hanging around S-ranks like Kwon Taehyuk, Ryu Sunghyun, and Song Jiwoon.
Interest that had once faded due to his B-rank status had flared up again after the kidnapping incident, albeit in an odd direction.

“I hear his buff’s insane. Sure, it’s B-rank, so the duration might be short.”
“But there’s gotta be a reason all those S-ranks are drooling over him.”
“Apparently, the buff requires physical contact.”

“I wouldn’t mind that. Look at his face. Even if he’s a guy—shit, honestly? I could see it.”
“Yeah. Not like he’s disgusting or anything.”
The Dealers near Park Minhyuk whispered and chuckled among themselves.

Not everyone thought that way, but still—it was clear Cha Seohu was getting unnecessary attention.
A Supporter who had gone head-to-head with a monster that killed an A-rank Dealer in a single blow.
A Supporter who had convinced Park Minhyuk and Kwon Taehyuk.

A Supporter who had successfully rescued all ten /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ kidnapped victims…
Dealers had always looked down on Supporters as weak.
But now, a Supporter had accomplished what they couldn’t—and done it for all to see. Of course they were bothered.

‘Should I just tell him already?’
Even as he debated, Park Minhyuk couldn’t bring himself to approach Seohu.
If the team leader showed special concern for him, it would only draw more unwanted attention from the Dealers. And if word got out that Cha Seohu wasn’t actually a B-rank but an S-rank buffer—

‘It’ll be hell.’
The mere thought gave him a headache.
Just then—

“Ahem! Hello, Hunter Cha Seohu.”
An awkwardly delivered greeting reached Seohu’s ears.
Startled, he looked up to see Ronik Guildmaster Park Heeseok forcing a stiff smile beside him.

“…….”
Cha Seohu’s gaze twisted in clear displeasure as he looked up at Park Heeseok.