“There you are, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.”

“Oh, I’m sure I…”

“I’m Park Joong-Ki, a member of the guild,” he said.

“Ohhh, Mr. Joong-Ki. Yes, I remember you. How can I help you?’ I asked.

“The guild master asked that all the executive members gather,” he answered.

“I see. Please return to the guild first and let them know that I’ll be on my way,” I told him.

“Understood.”

Despite being an ordinary guild member, his agility points must be high because he disappeared in an instant and I was assuming that was the reason why he played the role of the messenger. As soon as I used my attribute, his stats just came pouring in.

‘His agility is below epic…’

“Not bad.”

“Excuse me?” Sun Hee-Young asked.

“Oh, it’s nothing, Miss Hee-Young,” I said.

“Do you need to head back now? I think I heard him say that there’s a meeting…”

“I don’t think it’s anything urgent,” I told her.

“Oh, that’s a relief. Then, how about getting some coffee?” she suggested.

“Let’s stop by a coffee shop on the way back,” I said.

It was strange because it felt like we were on a date, but there wasn’t a reason for me to hurry back to the guild because I had an idea as to what the meeting was going to be about. Lee Sang-Hee must have finally made a decision after staying hidden for a long time and I was certain that the reason why she called for the executive members was that she wanted to discuss the future of the Blue Guild as well as the position of the guild master. She must be at her limit by now, so no matter what the meeting was about, it was only right to make a decision.

As a leader, Lee Sang-Hee was incompetent and I was sure that she knew that better than anyone. She had probably realized it even more during the time that I wasn’t at the guild. It was probably difficult to get back up again after all the administrative team left and if I were to be blunt, the already collapsed guild was sinking underground.

The issue wasn’t how Lee Sang-Hee was going to handle this amidst her exhaustion. I was sure that Kim Hyun-Sung was mentally prepared for anything that could happen, but there must be unseeable flaws in his plan. Even in his past life, I was certain that he only knew how to use a sword, so it was understandable for him to be unfamiliar with politics, but the result wasn’t what was important.

‘I can just create the result I want later, anyway.’

The thing that was important was what Kim Hyun-Sung was going to do right now since the Blue Guild was currently facing a crisis. Our Kim Hyun-Sung was a competent leader that possessed both power and intelligence, so I was sure that the guild members were relying on him while I was away.

‘I do feel bad for making him do all the work…’

But I was certain that he understood what I was thinking.

‘That’s why he hasn’t said anything.’

After moving to a different location and talking to Sun Hee-Young while drinking the beverage that I was holding, I noticed that some time had passed. Honestly, talking to Sun Hee-Young was kind of fun. Out of all the women that I had talked to, if I were to pick the person that I got along with the best, Lee Ji-Hye would definitely be on top of the list, but there were some things that Sun Hee-Young and I had in common. She was better than the blunt and straightforward Cha Hee-Ra.

“I should get going,” I told her.

“That’s unfortunate. It felt like it’s been a while since we had time off like this,” she said.

“I feel the same way, Miss He-Young. We should do this more often,” I said.

“Are you going to hang out with me more often?” she asked.

“Of course,” I answered.

After making a typical friendly suggestion, I started walking back.

Honestly, even while I was with Sun Hee-Young, all I could think about was if Kim Hyun-Sung was doing well and I wasn’t sure whether this was the right comparison, but I felt like I asked the person that wasn’t interested in housework to run some errands. I regretted for a moment that maybe I should have helped behind the scenes, but I believed that Kim Hyun-Sung was able to handle it on his own.

‘I’m sure he’s doing fine.’

Kim Hyun-Sung wasn’t an idiot and he was the type of person that would grab whatever was beneficial to him.

“I’ll see you at dinner after the meeting,” I told Sun Hee-Young.

“Sounds good,” she said.

Despite walking slower than usual, it didn’t take long for me to reach the guild. I guess I walked faster without realizing it because I was worried about whether Kim Hyun-Sung was doing well. After parting ways with Sun Hee-Young, I immediately headed to the guild’s meeting room. After knocking on the door, I noticed three people sitting in there with serious expressions.

“It’s Lee Ki-Young. I’m coming in…” I said.

“Come in.”

I saw Lee Sang-Hee looking at me with a composed look, Hwang Jung-Yeon had a look of relief, and Kim Hyun-Sung was looking at me with a small smile on his face. I couldn’t help but realize that he was successful.

‘Great.’

“I’m sorry for being late. There was a small accident on my way back…” I said.

“No, it’s fine. I did call the meeting out of the blue,” Lee Sang-Hee said.

“So what’s going on…”

Kim Hyun-Sung was the one that answered.

“We were discussing what the Blue Guild should do moving forward and Miss Lee Sang-Hee explained that she wanted to step down from her position, so we were discussing that as well.”

“I see…” I said.

‘Nice.’

“I know I’m lacking, but I’ll be taking care of the guild for the time being and Miss Lee Sang-Hee will act as an advisor and teach me about the position,” he added.

I nodded slightly.

‘Not bad.’

Giving Lee Sang-Hee the advisor role was a good idea. She was lacking as a leader, but it didn’t mean that she was incompetent. The problem was that she was overly competent in other areas which could be the reason why she was incompetent as a leader. I was sure that she was worried about the guild members being confused and the reaction of others around us because of the sudden change in power, but based on her nature, she wasn’t the type to get deeply involved. As such, it didn’t make sense to let a competent person like her go to waste.

‘We need to put everything in the past and get back to work. Even our Sang-Hee…’

Kim Hyun-Sung was more quick-witted than I thought and I was very satisfied with him.

“You’ve made a hard decision. You too, Miss Lee Sang-Hee…” I said.

“It was nothing, Mr. Ki-Young. All this time, I felt like I was in a position that didn’t really fit me, and now that I’ve stepped down from it, I feel a lot better. Shall we get going now?” she suggested.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“We need to let the other guild members know. Mr. Joong-Ki, please…”

“Everyone has gathered, just like you wanted,” he said.

“Then, let’s head there now,” she said.

I guess she really was burdened by her position seeing how she planned this and told Park Joong-Ki ahead of time.

I couldn’t help but smile.

I didn’t know what kind of conversation Kim Hyun-Sung had with Lee Sang-Hee, but I was sure that he was asking a lot of questions about the announcement. When I glanced over at the assembly hall, I noticed that there were a lot of people. Park Deok-Gu and Kim Ye-Ri, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, were sitting in the front row with Sun Hee-Young.

I was sure that I didn’t need to go up on stage today since they were going to announce the transfer of power to the guild members anyway.

“Hyung-nim,” Park Deok-Gu called out.

“How have you been?” I asked.

“Don’t you think you’ve been too busy lately?” he asked.

“I mean there’s a lot that’s been going on, but I think we’ll be spending a lot more time soon. I’m sure that things will get easier once we’re done rebuilding the guild,” I said.

“I hope that day comes soon… by the way, how is noonim doing?” he asked.

“I heard her talking in her sleep yesterday,” I answered.

“That’s a relief,” he said.

“Miss Sun Hee-Young said that she should wake up soon, so there’s no need to worry so much. More than that, focus on the announcement today,” I told him.

“I was actually surprised when they asked everyone to gather… is it interesting news?” he asked.

“You’ll see,” I answered.

It wasn’t just interesting. It was time for me to see with my own eyes the reward I deserved for all the work I had put into this guild.

After some time passed, I saw Lee Sang-Hee and Kim Hyun-Sung walking onto the stage. It wouldn’t really matter if Lee Sang-Hee simply handed the position over to Kim Hyun-Sung, but I guess she planned this out in order to officially step down from her position. When she spoke, it was in a calm voice that I hadn’t heard for a while now.

“The reason why I called all of you here is that I wanted to tell you the direction that the Blue Guild is going to take from now on and how we plan on moving more efficiently to handle the situation that the guild is currently going through. In conclusion, I’ve decided to step down from the job that has been burdening me for quite a while now.”

She looked a bit calm, but that didn’t mean that the audience was calm. People started sighing and were worried that she was going to leave the Blue Guild despite being one of the original members.

“The executive members and I have all agreed that Mr. Kim Hyun-Sung, the leader of party seven, would fit the role of the new guild master. I understand that we’re currently in a chaotic time and I’m embarrassed of showing this side to you all as the former leader of the guild, but I hope you’ll overcome this crisis with us,” she said.

I heard quiet claps here and there.

It was a good speech because it was short and powerful. The reason why she didn’t use rhetoric was probably that she wanted to give Kim Hyun-Sung more time to talk. When Lee Sang-Hee quietly moved away, I saw Kim Hyun-Sung quietly standing up and moving toward the podium. He didn’t look nervous or awkward when he got on the podium. On the contrary, he looked like he was used to it.

‘Probably…’

Because he had been in a similar situation in his past life.

“It’s an honor to be in this position. I know that many of you have expressed your concerns, but Miss Lee Sang-Hee didn’t make this decision out of the blue. She had been thinking about it for quite a while now and had discussed it with me many times. I know it hasn’t been that long since I joined the guild, so as the original member of the Blue Guild, Miss Lee Sang-Hee will remain in the guild as the guild’s advisor,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘Nice. Good job, my Hyun-Sung.’

“The Blue Guild has been through a lot of pain and I’m sure that the guild members and the employees here have been with the Blue Guild for a long time, so I understand how upset all of you are regarding the recent incident,” he said.

He was admirable.

“Let’s think of this as a new beginning.”

He was very admirable.

“Let’s think of it as starting anew on an empty plain. The Blue Guild will change and I’m telling you right now that the change will start now. I know that this is so sudden, but I’ll tell you about my plans for developing the guild,” he started.

I didn’t think that he prepared this much, but when I glanced over at Lee Sang-Hee, she looked as if she already knew about it. I didn’t know when they discussed it, but I was certain it was still too early to talk about it because people weren’t used to changes and it could cause resistance. Of course, their resistance wouldn’t really mean much, but I thought that being cautious in the beginning was the right thing to do, but I guess Kim Hyun-Sung must have thought otherwise.

My heart started pounding when I saw him talking again. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t have any expectations because I was looking forward to the position that Kim Hyun-Sung was going to prepare for me. When thinking about the contribution I made to the party and the guild so far, I was certain that he was going to prepare a rewarding position for me.

I looked at Kim Hyun-Sung nervously as he started talking again.

“First, I would like to appoint Mr. Lee Ki-Young as the sub guild master.”

‘I love you! Hyun-Sung!’

My eyes widened because this was what I was expecting. Actually, I didn’t think that he was going to do this much for me.

‘The second-in-command in Kim Hyun-Sung’s kingdom.’

I knew he cared about me, but Kim Hyun-Sung thought highly of me more than I thought, so of course, I couldn’t help but smile. I wanted to stand up and start dancing, but the announcement I heard after made me even happier.

“I would also like to appoint Mr. Lee Ki-Young as the guild’s temporary treasurer.”

Managing the guild’s funds meant that I had a lot of power. Not only was I the sub guild master, but I was the treasurer as well. I knew I was going to be a little busy, but I could handle that much work.

“Recruiting people is the most important, so after creating a temporary personnel committee, Mr. Lee Ki-Young will be the chairman of that committee as well,” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

I liked that too. Being able to recruit people that I liked certainly was an advantage.

“When we create a new dungeon strategy team, Mr. Lee Ki-Young will temporarily manage the team.”

I realized that something was wrong…

“After establishing the guild’s future strategy headquarters and the damage countermeasure committee, Mr. Lee Ki-Young will be the first chairman,” he said.

‘Wait.’

“I would also like to appoint Mr. Lee Ki-Young as the temporary senior administrative officer who will overlook the overall administrative affairs. He’ll continue to be the overseer until the situation stabilizes.”

‘Stop.’

“After we create the pension strategy office, Mr. Lee Ki-Young will take the managerial position there.”

‘Stop it.’

“He’ll also be temporarily in charge of the guild’s marketing once we establish the public relations strategy team.”

‘Please stop it, you bastard!’

The problem was that Kim Hyun-Sung kept saying my name. Of course, he mentioned Hwang Jung-Yeon and Sun Hee-Young here and there, but he kept saying my name for strange jobs that didn’t make sense to me. Even the others thought that it was strange at first but then they started to look at me as if they were pitying me. At this point, I became suspicious of whether Kim Hyun-Sung was trying to screw me over or not, so I didn’t say anything else for now.

“I appoint Mr. Lee Ki-Young as the temporary chairman…” Kim Hyun-Sung said.

‘I got it, so stop it already…’

A silent cry.

For the first time ever, I resented Kim Hyun-Sung.