Chapter 618: Negative Public Opinion (4)
“I had a great time today. We’ll try to make time again soon.”
Even though he said what he always did, it sounded like he was rushing to send Raphael back home. At the same time. Raphael was preparing to go back because he thought it would be wasteful to be with us at that point.
‘He probably thinks his day’s been ruined… Hmph…’
Before coming in, he must’ve entered the place to befriend the Blue Guild members.
We didn’t have enough time that day. Hence, they couldn’t do much to him during the time we were together.
However, I could assure anyone that it was all in vain.
Park Deokgu and Kim Hyunsung insisted that they didn’t feel good about him, and Sun Hee-young sided with them. Meanwhile, Kim Ye-ri had no interest at all…
Some people gave him a favorable look, but their intentions couldn’t be properly revealed because of the Guild Master. No guild member in the Blue Guild couldn’t understand the atmosphere where Kim Hyunsung blatantly showed his dislike.
‘Don’t be so disappointed, you little bastard. People’s wishes don’t always go their way.’
Naturally, his expression had become darker since he heard the congratulatory order and the dismissal order.
“The way to the accommodation…”
“I remember, Hyung-nim. You don’t have to pay that much attention to me.”
“I’ll tell someone to guide you.”
“That’s alright, Blue Guild Master.”
“I’m glad. Then I’ll see you off to the door.”
It made me feel bad watching him send him out as fast as he could. It was obvious why Kim Hyunsung wanted to remove Raphael from the premises quickly.
Perhaps he had something to say to me.
‘…’
It wasn’t until Raphael left the place that Kim Hyunsung spoke up.
“I’d like to talk to you a moment. Can you spare me some time?”
“Oh, yeah, well…”
“Hee-young, lead the guild members to the next room. I’ll follow you in a few minutes.”
“Understood.”
Cho Hyejin peeked at me if she was worried about something, but when I signaled that I was okay, she nodded. She seemed to be mindful of the situation.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung might’ve been trying to talk about what he felt about Raphael.
I had a rough idea of what he’d say. It was clear that he would argue that my choice wasn’t right, listing the possibility or suspicious circumstances that pointed towards him not being a chosen warrior.
After having been together for so long, the repertoire had been roughly portrayed in my head.
Of course, I wouldn’t listen to him anyway. Kim Hyunsung would be even more nervous if Raphael weren’t within our sights at all times.
Rather, it was better to keep him close and lead him to light with certainty.
Wouldn’t it be better to block off his words before they could pop out of his mouth?
My heart hurt a little, but I knew I had to say something. It was only right for the person who got embarrassed to get angry.
It was a half-beat defense strategy.
Normally, the winner in such situations was the person who had become enraged first.
“Why on earth did you act like that?”
“What?”
“I’m talking about the way you acted in front of Raphael. The Holy Sword chose him. He’s been waiting and waiting. It’s not good for the Blue Guild or me for you to push him away like that. We need to get as much cooperation as we can…”
“I can explain.”
“It’s clear that no matter what reason there was, we took the wrong attitude. I brought Raphael here myself, so why did you treat him like that? Did you even consider my position? I don’t even know how to apologize for what happened today.”
“So…”
“If the chosen warrior sees a bad image of the Blue Guild or the Continental Protection and Management Committee, things will get complicated. There might be no problems right now, but I assure you there will be problems in the future.”
“That’s…”
“He was my guest. You shouldn’t have treated him like that. I can understand Deokgu and the other guild members doing that, but I don’t think Hyunsung should’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Really, what happened at the dinner today… disappoints me.”
“…”
‘Am I being too harsh?’
I was amazed by all the words that were pouring out of me like quicksand, but I couldn’t help but worry.
“Of course, I think there’s a reason…”
‘Oh, you punk, you look so intimidated…’
It bothered me that Kim Hyunsung was getting even more pitiful.
‘Am I being too harsh on him?’
Since the devil contractors’ attack, Kim Hyunsung had been getting worse, which reminded me of many things.
It was no exaggeration to think that I pushed him too hard.
It occurred to me that I had forgotten for a moment that the regressor’s social skills weren’t that good, so I was hooked.
‘Did I make him feel too bad?’
However, there was nothing I could do. It was his fault.
‘But it does bother me a little…’
Since I knew what Kim Hyunsung thought of me, I had to pay attention to many things.
I was the only friend he could share his feelings with, and he treated me as his own brother and as his precious colleague who carried his burdens with him.
Wasn’t that my position in his life?
How disturbing would it be to think that he was being pushed away by his friend who truly understood him and what he had gone through in the past?
Extroverts had lots of friends and could easily befriend others no matter where they were.
However, Kim Hyunsung wasn’t that kind of human. It was childish, but that was the relationship we had.
Mr. Cho, who was already 80 years old, also felt upset when he drank without me.
Imagine sending a message to a close friend and being constantly ignored. Anyone would feel uncomfortable because the friend was starting to avoid them.
The mainstreamers who lived a normal social life weren’t like that… But Kim Hyunsung, who had no friends, would most likely feel anxious.
In his case, I was his first friend in decades.
Relationships were precious to everyone, but I could bet that our relationship meant a lot more to him.
Although there had been a step forward since he confessed that he was a regressor, he had since drastically drifted apart and became awkward with me.
In addition to this, it might’ve felt easier to disregard it by swinging his sword. He was a gem in solving such kinds of conflicts.
For the time being, I thought it would be better to get angry first, so I tried to get upset, but I thought it would be better to take a step back for Kim Hyunsung’s mental health afterward.
The story that Lee Jihye told me was in my head.
“Whoo…”
“I’m sorry… but…”
“No, you don’t have to be sorry. Rather, I should be the one to apologize. I’m a little sensitive these days, and I think I got swept up by my emotions. I didn’t have to say what I said…”
“…”
“I’ve been so busy lately… Since many things happened simultaneously, I don’t think I’ve had that much time to relax. I felt like I was being cornered even though I wasn’t.”
“That’s alright. I did do something wrong anyway…”
“I don’t think so. There must have been a reason why you reacted the way you did. Is there something bothering you?”
“Yes, I can’t say I’m certain yet, but…”
“…”
“I think we should think about the possibility that Raphael isn’t the chosen warrior. I mean, he can’t even read the information on the Holy Sword…”
“There’s definitely that possibility, but it’s also true that Raphael can handle the gray light. I listened to everything you said earlier. I know that I shouldn’t trust people too easily. But we don’t have enough time to move carefully.”
“That’s…”
“Don’t you know better than anyone else that we have no choice but to proceed with the development plan? We need one more card besides the one we have now. In addition to blocking the northwest region, we need someone who can follow you, Hyunsung. How was the war with the Republic?”
“What…”
‘Well, of course, you’re ‘Tactic Kim Hyunsung’.’
“If Raphael could do something like Hyunsung… There will be more options to choose from. It would go without saying that you would be safer.”
It was like chewing on sour patches, but the war itself could’ve ended differently if Tactic Raphael was available.
It would’ve been possible to reduce the regressor’s physical burden and use the holy warrior long-term for as long as we trained him properly.
Of course, Kim Hyunsung hesitated to agree with me as if he was unwilling to. He had a negative feeling about Raphael, after all.
‘This is directly related to your safety, Hyunsung.’
His physical strength wasn’t infinite. As I raised my hand and tapped him on the shoulder, I saw him smiling.
I felt like it was forced, but for the time being…
‘You agreed, right?’
I thought it was time to put the wedge in.
“I know you’re worried a lot about my safety, but as I said before, it won’t be a big problem. I’m sure Park Li-ahn or Hayan will always be around me. Most of all, I’m sure you’re aware that at the level of Raphael right now, he won’t be able to do anything to me.”
“I understand.”
“The plan to foster the holy warrior should proceed as quickly as possible. You can decide to keep him or abandon him later on, even if it’s after you’ve already started. If there’s really a problem, then we’ll fix it immediately.”
‘That’s right.’
“If Raphael proves to be as problematic as Hyunsung thinks, then I’ll help you deal with him myself.”
“…”
“So let’s get going. Everyone else must be waiting. From here on out, it’s going to be a regular Blue Guild meeting.”
“Yes, I see.”
There was a little conflict, but when I smiled broadly as if our friendship wouldn’t change, his face seemed to look a little relieved.
He didn’t say what he wanted to say properly, and the short conversation ended, but Hyunsung probably thought he had told me everything that had to be said.
Of course, I knew what our regressor was concerned about. The main point was that they felt as if my safety would be threatened.
It’s the same as what I was concerned about.
“Let’s go meet with Yuno Kasaguno and Benignore.”
It would be better to show them after giving them a break rather than pushing them too quickly.
I wondered how he would react the moment Raphael found out that everything he believed in was false.
‘Will he deny it or accept it?’