Chapter 10
—
Dawn Breaking.
As always, Jeong Soon-dong, the guild master of Mir Guild, arrived at the office early in the morning. However, as he hovered near the door, he still couldn’t adjust to the newly changed office atmosphere.
“Where is it?! The equipment contract from last month!!”
“Are we going to keep organizing documents like this? I told you to mark them clearly with post-its.”
“Haha, Reporter Park. Could you wait just a little longer? Our side hasn’t sorted things out yet. I’ll get it ready for you by this morning—just for you…”
The official office hours started at 8 a.m.
Jeong Soon-dong glanced at his watch.
7 a.m.
He looked back inside.
Not a single desk was empty.
Just a few days ago, the office was pitch dark at this hour. Jeong Soon-dong was always the first to arrive, the one to turn on the lights and adjust the temperature and humidity.
But now, look at it.
The rhythmic sound of typing hummed in the background, the hurried footsteps of staff filled the space with a beat, and phone calls added the lyrics.
Perhaps the title could be “Passion.”
“Heh…”
A dry laugh escaped from Jeong Soon-dong.
Passion.
If you had to pick a word that least suited the Mir Guild, it would undoubtedly be passion.
Previously, this office had no passion, let alone a semblance of enthusiasm.
Exhausted employees with half-closed eyes and heavy dark circles shuffled about like walking corpses.
And yet…
“Could things really change this much because of one person…?”
Lee Shin.
On his first day as the new representative, this young man made his mark by transferring Yang Pan-seok and the entire raid team.
What followed was one-on-one interviews.
At first, the employees felt nervous but not necessarily endangered.
That changed the next day when more than half the desks were gone. It was only then they realized who the nation’s notorious delinquent really was.
But what left Jeong Soon-dong truly shaken was the aftermath.
You’d expect layoffs like this to stir controversy, right?
Strangely, there was none.
Even Jeong Soon-dong didn’t know the exact details of what had transpired. He could only make a guess.
― “I’ll say this just once. Listen carefully. Spit out everything you’ve swallowed and leave quietly. Oh, and by the way, Yang Pan-seok has also agreed to leave quietly. Does that help with your decision?”
Of course, it was inevitable.
The moment Lee Shin stepped into the role, housecleaning was bound to happen.
Truthfully, Jeong Soon-dong had prepared himself mentally for it too.
Even though he prided himself on being dedicated and diligent, he knew deep down he was an indecisive guild master who always let the raid team walk all over him and never delivered results.
If he were Lee Shin, he wouldn’t keep such a guild master either.
So, he had tucked a resignation letter into his inner pocket when he faced Lee Shin.
But the actual meeting with Lee Shin… was peculiar.
― “Wow, I wasn’t mistaken. You’re the guild master here? What a pleasant surprise. Master Jeong, you must have quite the connections, right?”
Rather than being concerned, Lee Shin had beamed like he’d found a hidden treasure.
How had he even guessed that Jeong Soon-dong had an extensive network?
Of course, Lee Shin was merely associating him with “Vice Chairman Jeong Soon-dong of the Awakened Association.”
Unaware of this, Jeong Soon-dong was left flustered by Lee Shin’s unexpected warmth.
Obviously, there was no chance to pull out that resignation letter.
After the dramatic transfer of Yang Pan-seok and the raid team, and the massive restructuring of the overly bloated administration…
“At last… we’re back on the right track.”
For the first time, Mir Guild was truly standing at the starting line.
* * *
The Butterfly Effect.
It begins with the faint flutter of a butterfly’s wings.
[ Lee Do Group! Pulls Out the Big Bucks for Regional Development. ]
[ Lee Do Group’s Spokesperson: ‘1st Fund: 500 billion won, 2nd Fund: 1 trillion won. 3rd Fund: Unlimited?’ ]
[ Local Economies Scramble to Court Lee Do. ]
While 500 billion and 1 trillion seemed like small flutters, they meant little to the fans of Mir Guild.
After all, it wasn’t their money, and who cared about boosting the local economy?
The fans’ minds were completely occupied with the guild’s website, which had been down for days. Real-world news held no interest for them.
But then…
The wind began to blow.
[ (Official) League 4’s ‘Mir Guild’ Revealed to Be Acquired by Lee Do Group. ]
└ ?????
└ ??;;;;;;;
└ ??: Why is he there?!
Who could’ve known the fluttering wings of Lee Do would reach them?
The wind gained strength, fueled by the hopes and prayers of millions of fans.
And soon, it became a typhoon.
[ ‘We are willing to pay any price to ensure Mir’s promotion.’ ]
└ Blow the horns!!
└ Kyaaaaah!!! Dreams☆come true!!
└ ??: A League 4 guild backed by Korea’s top conglomerate?!
There was no stopping it.
Once a typhoon starts, it’s unstoppable.
[ Newly Appointed Representative Lee Shin Praises ‘Mir’… ]
└ Of course, our guild is amazing!
└ Wait a second, this… Shin?
└ Is this the delinquent Lee Shin I know?!
But did you know?
A typhoon is categorized as a natural disaster.
[ ‘Only Promotion. Die Trying for Promotion,’ Declares Representative Lee Shin. ]
└ Hold on. Wait, hold on.
└ Dude, calm down. At least hear us out…
└ It’s chilling. A dagger pierces my heart.
And disasters are inherently dangerous.
[ ‘Mir’s Shocking Transfers!! Yang Pan-seok and Entire Raid Team Relocated.’ ]
└ ;;;;;;;;;;;;
└ ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
└ Haha;;; Who’s coming to burn this place down?
Lee Shin’s typhoon had now made landfall at Mir Guild.
* * *
It’s Burning.
“…Let’s go burn the guild down. Where does Lee Shin live? That bastard… I’ll tear him to pieces…”
It’s blazing… truly burning!!
“…Watch your back. A hole in your gut… Heh, as expected of Busan. Tough crowd.”
The shocking and terrifying announcement of the transfers.
Fans, like a wildfire, had risen up, flooding the community with unmentionable curses.
And yet, Lee Shin—the arsonist behind this fiery chaos—was savouring these insults, wearing a smug grin.
“Man, everyone’s so curious about how my parents are doing. Our Vice Chairman has become a celebrity.”
“…Are you enjoying this?”
“Oh, absolutely. It’s electrifying, always refreshing. Attention truly is the best.”
Surprisingly, this attention wasn’t too bad. From the tips of his toes to his frontal lobe, a dopamine shower swept over him, shwaaah!
Watching Lee Shin give a cheerful thumbs-up, Chae Dong-ha couldn’t help but reevaluate things.
For the past few days, he had been genuinely impressed by Lee Shin’s extraordinary efforts to reform Mir Guild. But now, he was convinced—this guy really was a delinquent.
His entire way of thinking was on a different level. Otherwise, who else would revel in their own public criticism?
“Hmm, is that all? Tch, the reactions were pretty decent, but the volume… Is it because it’s League 4? There’s no stamina.”
“Are you serious? Ten whole pages filled with nothing but insults directed at you, and you’re saying it’s not enough?”
“Exactly. Never underestimate the power of page count.”
“???”
“???”
Their conversation was completely off-kilter.
Lee Shin cast a tilted glance at Chae Dong-ha.
“Look at you. Still not getting the hang of this?”
“What do you mean?”
“This. This situation right now. I’m so busy I barely get seven hours of sleep a week, yet here I am, laughing at online forums like a kid.”
“Well… You seem to enjoy it…”
“Ha. You really don’t get it, huh?”
Ah, even the future genius director still had a long way to go.
For a moment, Lee Shin’s gaze turned cold, sparking a defensive reaction from Chae Dong-ha, who was about to retort. But Lee Shin raised a finger to silence him.
“Shh. Just watch and learn.”
He picked up the phone.
“Guild Master, could you bring the PR team to the conference room?”
Shortly after, Jeong Soon-dong arrived with the entire PR team.
“…”
Well, entire team only meant about eight people.
Given that the PR department had been hit hardest during Lee Shin’s restructuring storm, the team leader—a rather young-looking woman—swallowed nervously in her seat.
“Relax, everyone. Don’t be so tense. Now, do any of you follow the community forums?”
“Yes!!”
“We monitor ‘Gulld Korea (Guild Korea)’ constantly.”
“Then you’re aware our guild is currently on fire?”
“About that…”
“Just so you know, I’m not blaming anyone. I just want an objective assessment of the situation. So, speak freely. What’s causing the most uproar right now?”
The PR staff exchanged glances.
You want to say it? You say it! Fine, let’s all say it together.
After a brief silent negotiation, everyone spoke in unison.
“Most fans are unable to accept the recent transfers.”
“The biggest issue, without a doubt, is the sudden transfer of Yang Pan-seok, our former raid captain.”
“Yang Pan-seok wasn’t just a guild legend; his influence in this region is immense.”
“He was born here, raised here, made a name for himself here, and even after gaining national recognition, he chose to stay in the place that nurtured him. He’s a true local hero.”
As expected, the problem was Yang Pan-seok.
A hometown hero with deep roots, a legendary franchise star.
His popularity was disproportionate to his actual achievements, but it was understandable. Mir Guild’s dire circumstances had left them clinging to Yang Pan-seok as their last hope.
“Good. Great insights. Now, let’s discuss what actions we should take moving forward.”
Mir Guild was at a critical crossroads.
With Lee Do Group as its parent company, the arrival of the bombshell representative Lee Shin, the shocking transfers, and a fanbase unable to cope with the departure of their guild’s icon, Yang Pan-seok…
How they handled this moment would determine Mir Guild’s survival.
On this point, the entire PR team was in agreement.
“We need to bury it as much as possible!”
“Even though it’s unlikely, if the transferred players start speaking out, things could spiral out of control.”
“I think it’s best to maintain a friendly stance with the media and keep a low profile for now.”
Their unanimous strategy: Bury it.
Even Jeong Soon-dong, along with the newly promoted deputy director Chae Dong-ha, nodded in agreement.
“Well… W-whatever the case, w-with the new representative arriving, it’s a chance for a f-fresh start. If there are too many s-scandals at the b-beginning, it won’t be good.”
“There’s a saying that starting is half the battle. That 50% is huge. I agree.”
The initial period of a new representative’s tenure was a critical time for solidifying their image.
And with Lee Shin’s reputation as a former “National Delinquent,” any misstep could easily cement his old image.
Even if they had valid reasons for Yang Pan-seok’s transfer and the forced layoffs, asking the fans to understand was a stretch.
The optics would be terrible, and any leaked details could lead to an uncontrollable backlash.
For now, they had to bury it…
“Promotion is the top priority.”
Promotion first.
Even if the team’s legend leaves, or if there are some controversies during the acquisition process—
As long as they achieve promotion, everything will be forgiven.
Every word was logical, and Lee Shin nodded repeatedly in agreement. It seemed like everyone was on the same page, but then…
His next statement froze everyone’s thought processes.
“Alright. Let’s fan the flames even more!”
“……?!”
What do you mean, ‘Alright’? We didn’t understand anything!
But Lee Shin’s opinion was resolute.
“Why cover it up? Why? Why would we waste such a great opportunity by covering it up!”
“This is an opportunity! This is the last chance for Mir to re-establish itself as a major guild!”
Lee Shin argued passionately, and the crux of his reasoning was simple:
You have to face reality.
Mir Guild had been irrelevant for far too long to still be considered prestigious.
“To the younger generation, Mir is nothing more than a local League 4 guild. It’s a nobody among nobodies. In Busan, they might scrape by on name value alone, but nationally? Pfft—nothing!”
But now, Mir Guild had returned to the spotlight.
Sure, the attention wasn’t for the best reasons, but as the saying goes: bad publicity is better than no publicity.
And Mir Guild was not in a position to be picky.
“Criticism, curses, that guy over there threatening to burn us down, even the one checking in on my parents—use it all. Use every bit of it to capture their attention.”
Even if you have to put on a fire show or literally set yourself on fire, grab their attention and become the center of the conversation.
Therefore—
Keep feeding the flames.
“It doesn’t matter how much it costs. It doesn’t matter what you do. Hold press conferences with reporters. Post articles on every online platform—blogs, forums, NTube. Whatever you can use, use it. Amplify the conversation.”
Of course, it was still League 4.
Sooner or later, the limits would show. When that time came—
Lee Shin grinned mischievously and pointed to himself.
“Sell me.”
A character infamous solely for his notoriety. [ Reputation: 0 ]
A character perpetually in the spotlight regardless. [ Charm: 101 ]
“Propaganda, manipulation, slander—it’s all fine. Use me however you like. The reactions will exceed whatever you’re imagining.”
A cheat code for generating buzz.
That was the character Lee Shin had created.
“Go. Make the entire world hate me.”
—
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