Chapter 11

# 11

User Manual for the Regressor 011

Jung Hyeon (2)

"Hey, mister. If you don’t want your hand to break, it’s best to let go."

"Huh?"

Crack!

"Aaaaaah!"

"A!"

I couldn’t figure out exactly what had happened.

The moment a huge shadow blocked my face, I closed my eyes.

But the screams were real.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Park Deokgu quietly looking down and Yoo Seokwoo sitting on the ground, screaming.

"Deok, Deokgu?"

"Aaaaaah…."

"I can’t believe there are such trashy people. Hey, it didn’t break, so stop whining."

"Aaaaaah…."

A large hand sliced through the air again. The hand that fell precisely on Yoo Seokwoo’s head made a loud thud and started to press down.

It looked unreal, as if he had been hit by a blunt object.

"Aaaaaah! E… Eeeeh…."

"Stop whining. I didn’t hit you that hard…. Anyone watching would think a newborn baby was being born."

A large foot lifted, and Yoo Seokwoo’s body briefly floated in the air.

He had been kicked.

Seeing him crash into the wall, I worried that he might have a serious accident.

"Stop it now. You’ll hurt him. Deok, Deokgu."

"A…."

The slightly downward glance was somehow scary.

But it was natural to think that if I didn’t stop him, Yoo Seokwoo might really die, given how he was trembling on the ground.

"Don’t worry, miss. I just pushed him. Hey, this guy is just whining…."

That’s not all.

A few people, hearing the commotion, were running over, drawn by Yoo Seokwoo’s screams.

"Stop it!"

"…."

"What are you doing? Seokwoo, are you okay?"

"I’m… I’m fine…."

The most noticeable was Lee Ji-hye. She led a group and started to look at us with a somewhat flustered expression.

"What are you doing? Internal violence is prohibited."

"That guy was harassing Hyeon. I just gave him a taste of his own medicine."

"Is that true?"

"I saw it with my own eyes."

"A… I…."

"What?"

"Maybe… Maybe I did grab Hyeon’s arm, which could be misunderstood… But, it was a mistake…."

"You still have a mouth on you."

"Stop it, Deokgu. As you said, violence is prohibited here. Even if Seokwoo was wrong, hitting him without hearing both sides can create tension among members. This… This isn’t right. We should first figure out who’s right and who’s wrong."

"…."

"Seokwoo, did you really grab Hyeon’s arm and sexually harass her?"

"N, N, No. Absolutely not. I had no intention of doing that."

"What Deokgu saw…."

"There was some misunderstanding. Of course, I did express my feelings to Hyeon, but I mistakenly thought she agreed… That’s why this happened."

"Is that true?"

"Y, Yes… That, that’s right."

"Please repeat exactly what you said."

"I told Hyeon that I wanted to get closer, and Hyeon also said something positive… It seems I was mistaken."

"Hyeon, please confirm. Is what Seokwoo just said true?"

Various gazes mixed and flew at me. Of course, I couldn’t adapt.

The gazes of the people around me were not friendly.

I realized in an instant that I had no allies here.

My arms and legs trembled, and I saw Lee Ji-hye’s face, which seemed to be urging me to speak.

For some reason, my mouth wouldn’t open.

"T, That’s true. But after that, Seokwoo… F, Forced my arm and said… If I wanted to get along well here… I, I was a bit surprised…."

"Tell the story clearly, Hyeon. I can’t hear you properly. Speak step by step."

"S, So…."

"So, Seokwoo really said he wanted to get closer, and you agreed, right?"

"Y, Yes… But I didn’t realize… I, I didn’t know…."

"I asked if it’s true or not."

"It’s true. But…."

"Hey, Hyeon."

"Y, Yes?"

"Wasn’t it you who made the situation open to misinterpretation? I noticed that you’ve been sticking with Seokwoo since you came here. Am I wrong?"

"That’s true, but… Seokwoo was the one who…."

"Your usual behavior led to this accident."

"No… That’s…."

"Is it okay to create a situation where anyone could misunderstand and then pull away? Deokgu also acted rashly without considering the circumstances…."

I slightly turned my head to look at Park Deokgu, and I saw a somewhat flustered face.

He was probably wondering if he had made a mistake.

"Is what that guy said true, miss?"

"It’s true that he wanted to get closer, but…."

My mind was in chaos, not knowing where to start or how to explain.

I had no idea how to resolve the sudden situation or where to start unraveling it.

The expressions of the people looking at me made my face turn red, and tears welled up in my eyes.

"Do you think crying will solve anything?"

"I’m… I’m sorry. I… I…."

"Apologizing with words won’t solve the problem. The atmosphere is already bad… Deokgu also… Of course, it’s good that you helped a woman who seemed to be a victim, but you shouldn’t act rashly without hearing the full story. This time, you were a bit… reckless."

"Ugh…."

"In a situation where it’s unclear who the victim and the perpetrator are…."

"I’m… I’m sorry."

"That’s not a problem you can solve by apologizing to me."

"Apologize directly to the victim, Seokwoo."

"I’m… I’m… sorry…."

"What’s going on here?"

* * *

"What’s going on here?"

I can answer the question I asked.

It’s a very appropriate and good situation.

I thought something would happen soon, but not like this.

I never imagined such a big incident would occur.

Park Deokgu, looking a bit flustered, and Jung Hyeon, sobbing uncontrollably.

Of course, she must feel wronged.

At a glance, the perpetrator and the victim are clear.

I don’t really care if Jung Hyeon was trying to use Yoo Seokwoo, but the fact that she’s in a tight spot is quite significant.

The first to speak when she saw me was Lee Ji-hye.

"Good timing, Ki-yeong. Now!"

"Are you out of your mind?"

"Excuse me?"

"Ji-hye, are you out of your mind?"

"T, That’s…."

"Do you think this is a neighborhood playground? Don’t you think the monsters will hear if you shout so loudly? Just because they periodically clean the outside doesn’t mean they can’t come here."

They realized their mistake.

"A… That’s… the situation…."

"Ji-hye, I can roughly understand the situation from a distance. If I were in your shoes, I’d be scared too. If the group starts to corner one person without clearly identifying the perpetrator and the victim, even I would be scared. So, what’s the situation now?"

"But it’s clear that the woman is at fault…."

"Ji-hye, can you really be sure that Seokwoo is not at fault?"

She probably can’t be sure.

The moment she says it out loud, the responsibility falls on her, not Yoo Seokwoo.

I saw her hesitate.

Her face looked anxious and flustered.

"Besides, from Hyeon’s reaction, it doesn’t seem like that… Most importantly, Hyeon is not the type to do such a thing. I can vouch for her."

It’s a lie. Purely a lie.

I’m saying something ridiculous.

It’s so absurd that I almost laugh as I say it.

Just saying she’s not the type to do such a thing might be a great help to Jung Hyeon.

But not to others.

When did I ever see her to vouch for her?

I have no connection to her other than being a simple advocate.

In fact, there’s a lot to say.

Asking the victim for a crime related to sexual assault is fundamentally wrong.

Lee Ji-hye, being a woman, can’t be unaware of this. Her support for Yoo Seokwoo might have been to exclude outsiders and strengthen her own allies.

Or perhaps she intended to make things difficult for Jung Hyeon from the beginning.

While logically refuting each point would be good, pushing through with a bit of force might also be effective here.

No, it would definitely be effective.

Because….

'I’m the one in power.'

I am the authority here.

My words carry more weight than anyone else’s.

"Hyeon is not the type to do such a thing."

"A… That…."

Jung Hyeon, wiping her tears and looking at me, and the people looking at her with somewhat hostile eyes, were in stark contrast.

They might see this situation as unreasonable. Suddenly appearing, taking control, and showing excessive bias towards one person.

Of course, I won’t be the one to be hated.

I started to look at Jung Hyeon.

A woman favored by the authority.

A character that anyone would hate.

Especially people like Lee Ji-hye.

"Everyone, gather. Yoo Seokwoo should get treated first. After the treatment, I’ll ask him again what exactly happened. Let’s move Seokwoo for now."

"Y, Yes."

"Ji-hye, please clean up and start your work. Hyun-sung will be back soon. The monsters might come because of this, so Deokgu, please do a light patrol around the area."

"Y, Yes, sir."

"And… Hyeon, come with me for a moment."

"Y, Yes."

A few people murmuring, Lee Ji-hye biting her lip, and Yoo Seokwoo looking somewhat anxious.

Their thoughts were obvious.

Muttered words reached my ears, but no one directly criticized my actions.

"What… That woman."

"Annoying."

There might be better prey than me.

"Let’s go."

"A… Yes."

People who are not in power, but easy to tear apart.