Unlike the dim hallway outside, the representative’s office beyond the door was brightly lit.
Stacks of documents cluttered the desk, with two worn leather sofas in front of it. A bookshelf stuffed with books. The faint scent of ink drifting in the warm air.
It had been a while since I last stepped into the Circle Guild’s representative office, but it felt much the same as I remembered. Even the man standing inside it.
The Guildmaster of Circle stood with his back turned, gazing out the window. Creak. Click. As I stepped inside, Ryu Sunghyun carefully closed the door and spoke.
“I’ve brought him as you requested, Guildmaster.”
It was his tone that caught me off guard.
Hyung?
His words were overly formal, unnaturally polished—completely unlike how he normally sounded.
Sure, Ryu Sunghyun had always shown respect to the Guildmaster. But this... this felt different. Like a subordinate trying not to displease a very difficult superior.
“I see.”
A gentle voice flowed from the Guildmaster, still facing away.
My gaze shifted from Sunghyun to the man standing at the window. Slowly, the Guildmaster turned toward me and revealed his face.
“...!”
Pale, honey-blond hair falling over his brow. Delicate, sprout-green eyes beneath long lashes. Lips gently tilted at the corners. His hairstyle, loosely tied to one side—everything matched the Song Jiwoon I remembered from before regression.
But an indescribable wave of unease crashed over me.
No matter how many times I blinked in disbelief, nothing changed. The face in front of me was still Song Jiwoon’s—but at the same time, it absolutely wasn’t.
Just as I opened my mouth behind the mask, a piercing chime rang out—sharper and more urgent than usual.
Ding!
And then the system window appeared.
《Warning! Dangerous individual detected!》
《Scanning identity...》
《Error!》
《Identifying...》
《Error!》
《Identif–》
《Error!》
Zzzt—static flickered across the screen as cracks appeared throughout the interface. And then:
《Iden▣¤□》
《Indivi□▣¤□》
《▣□□■■□□¤□》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
《Error!》
A flood of fragmented and corrupted windows overwhelmed my vision. I’d never seen anything like it. A chill of dread shot down my spine.
“Haa...”
I gasped, stumbling back as my body buckled. Alarmed, Ryu Sunghyun caught me by the shoulders.
“Cover Hunter?”
He called out, but even as I tried to pull myself together, my heart was pounding out of control.
“I... I’m fine...”
I had no idea how to recover from this.
I hastily pulled my cap further down, making sure my face stayed hidden from Ryu Sunghyun. Just then, Song Jiwoon’s voice rang out again.
“Looks like our guest isn’t feeling too well.”
Despite my sudden deterioration, he wasn’t the least bit fazed. He smiled casually.
“Some tea should help you feel better. Leave him to me, Sunghyun. You’re dismissed.”
“...Understood.”
Ryu Sunghyun hesitated, staring at me with concern, but ultimately didn’t argue. He stepped out of the room, and the soft sound of the door closing marked his departure.
Now I was alone—face to face with this... whatever he was.
The silence hung heavy. But the moment Ryu Sunghyun left, my racing heart started to calm.
Without even realizing it, I had instinctively tensed up—like I was protecting him. With no one left to protect, I could finally take a closer look at the man in front of me.
“....”
No matter how many times I looked, he was exactly the same as the Song Jiwoon from before regression.
But that was only on the outside. With my current S-rank sensitivity, I could easily tell: this wasn’t the same man.
Then why... doesn’t Hyung know?
Someone was wearing Song Jiwoon’s skin. Pretending to be him. But why couldn’t another S-rank like Ryu Sunghyun tell?
“It feels like you’re trying to pierce my skin with that glare.”
He didn’t seem to care how hard I was staring. Calmly pouring tea into a cup, the man gestured at me.
“You look like you’ve got a lot of questions.”
“....”
“Wouldn’t it be better to talk things through peacefully?”
He placed the teacup on the table and sat down on one of the sofas, motioning to the seat across from him.
His movements were fluid, relaxed—completely natural. I could tell immediately where that confidence came from. This man was far stronger than me, and he knew it.
I took a slow breath and moved forward. As I sat on the sofa across from him, he simply watched.
Even though we sat across from each other, I had no intention of touching the tea. Still tense, I waited until he spoke first.
“Try ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) it. It’s cheap, but surprisingly good.”
He was completely unrestrained now. Even his way of speaking was nothing like the real Song Jiwoon.
It wasn’t just unsettling—it was infuriating. I forced my tangled thoughts into submission and asked coldly,
“Who are you?”
“Guildmaster of Circle.”
The reply came instantly, like it had been memorized.
“Song Jiwoon. Age 42. A-rank support-type with emotion-regulation skills. Founder of Circle Guild—this is the third year since its creation.”
“...”
“Why? Is that not what you were asking?”
Clink. His pale fingers lifted the teacup. As he drank with ease, I bit my lip.
Everything he said aligned perfectly with Song Jiwoon’s official records. And if not for the bone-deep wrongness I sensed, his aura felt just like an A-rank Awakened, too.
Did he deceive Sunghyun like this? And all the other guild members?
But why?
What could he possibly gain from a small guild like Circle? The more I thought about it, the more lost I felt.
What if... he really had done something to the real Song Jiwoon? Silently taken his place?
“...Cha Seohu.”
“...!”
My runaway thoughts screeched to a halt. I jolted and looked up. The man had set down his cup and was staring directly at me.
“Now you’re finally looking at me properly.”
“How...”
I couldn’t help but ask. He smiled darkly, crossing his long legs and resting his hands on his knee.
“Your identity isn’t hard to guess.”
“...”
“The Song Jiwoon you knew is no longer here. I didn’t touch him, and his life isn’t in danger. He simply never became the Guildmaster of Circle.”
He never became Guildmaster? Then... did the future change again when I regressed?
Wait. That can’t be right. Circle already existed before I regressed.
At the point I returned, Circle had already been established for five years. Just like the man said, this was two years in the past—so three years since its founding.
Could the regression have changed who the Guildmaster became? Then who the hell was this person, who looked exactly like Song Jiwoon?
“You look like you’re struggling to make sense of things.”
The man rubbed the corner of his mouth with an expression of mock pity.
“It’s a shame. I didn’t plan to meet you like this. I wanted to be more prepared first.”
“...”
“You rushed here because of the competition, right? There wasn’t one in your last life, was there? That explains your reaction. You don’t want to see Circle lose.”
Last life.
That phrase, spoken so naturally, made my fingers twitch. He already knew I had regressed.
“I can answer everything you’re wondering about. But you’ll need to give me something in return.”
“...A price?”
“Win the competition. That’s what you came here to do anyway, isn’t it? It’s not a loss for you.”
“You’re saying... if I win, you’ll answer all my questions? Even where Song Jiwoon is?”
“Exactly.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He chuckled softly.
“What good would doubting me do? You’d want to win the competition either way. Isn’t it better if there’s a reward in it for you?”
“What do you get out of this deal?”
“I’ll tell you that—if you win.”
We were completely out of sync. As I bit back a sigh, the man continued.
“I’ll approve your participation and then step back. You’ll handle getting your identity verified by the Administration Bureau, and making sure the matches happen at night. I assume you’ve already prepared for that.”
“...”
“If you need, you can borrow Ryu Sunghyun for—”
“Don’t say his name so casually.”
It was bad enough that someone pretending to be the Guildmaster was standing next to Sunghyun. I didn’t need him throwing his name around too.
I stood up. As frustrating as it was... there was nothing more I could do here.
If I wanted answers, I had to win the competition—just like he said.
“I accept the deal.”
The moment I said it while glaring down at him, a glitched system window appeared.
Crackle, zap!
Cracks spread through the interface, but it barely held together as it displayed the new quest.
《Main Quest: Win the competition against Ronik Guild with Circle Guild. (Time Remaining: 10 days 11 hours 59 minutes)》

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