Chapter 91
Thud-.
The slow footsteps echoed loudly. When emotions run high, they often show more through actions than expressions or words.
That was the case with Un Hyang now. Suhyuk, observing her seemingly calm demeanor, was certain.
She was angry.
“You are….”
Jung Yuhan’s eyes widened at the familiar face. She was the beauty he had seen on the first floor of Lee Suhyuk’s place. He had clearly remembered her face because he had fallen for her at first sight and tried to hit on her.
But for her to be here now, “What’s your relation with Lee Suhyuk?”
Jung Yuhan asked, and Un Hyang replied.
“Manager.”
“Manager? Of this guy?”
She hadn’t mentioned that when they met before. Jung Yuhan frowned in displeasure.
“You deceived me.”
“I didn’t deceive you; I just didn’t tell you. Don’t get it twisted.”
She wasn’t wrong. But in that short and unremarkable conversation, Jung Yuhan felt a peculiar sense of incongruity.
What was the difference?
The woman in front of him looked the same, but she seemed like a completely different person. As if someone else’s soul had entered her body.
The chilling atmosphere, which seemed to lower his body temperature, made it impossible for him to speak to her as eagerly as he had in the morning.
“You said you were from Blue Zone?”
At Un Hyang’s question, Jung Yuhan looked troubled. Back then, mentioning the name of the giant guild had acted as a business card, a halo for him.
Now, however, the name of that giant guild had turned into a weakness. The fact that a guild like Blue Zone was forcibly recruiting players must never be revealed.
Why had Blue Zone sent him?
To handle such situations silently, they selected someone with the ‘Silent Night’ skill. But now…
‘Balhae is a large company. If they start spreading public opinion, things could get too big.’
Such matters must be handled discreetly. Even if giant guilds aren’t all good and law-abiding, these actions should never come to light.
If this matter were to be exposed, ‘…I wouldn’t just fall out of favor with the vice guild leader.’
Shhh-.
Jung Yuhan’s gaze alternated between Suhyuk and Un Hyang. There were two options. Silence them through persuasion.
Or…
“Do you think you can manage?”
Just as this thought occurred, “With your standing?”
Un Hyang’s voice came close. A voice as sweet as honey whispering in his ear. The moment he sensed that her breath mixed with her words, Jung Yuhan heard a cracking sound in his throat.
‘What is…….’
As he felt his consciousness fade, Jung Yuhan’s last vision was of Un Hyang twisting his neck.
‘What happened…….’
Thud-.
Jung Yuhan collapsed to the floor. Suhyuk was equally stunned by the sudden event.
‘How did she move?’
Even with his dynamic vision, he couldn’t see clearly. It seemed as if she kicked the same spot repeatedly, and suddenly her position changed to be behind Jung Yuhan.
It felt like watching magic. It resembled some kind of footwork technique, but he couldn’t tell what exactly it was.
There was no longer any need to use the Lightning Lord. Suhyuk looked at Un Hyang with astonished eyes.
‘I thought she was skilled, but…’
Even though Jung Yuhan was injured and exhausted from fighting him, Un Hyang subdued a semi-ranker with a single move.
Something that even many rankers would find difficult, Un Hyang had done with ease. Having such skills yet serving as a manager?
She was a truly enigmatic person.
“Why are you looking at me as if I’m a monster?”
Did she notice Suhyuk’s gaze?
“You can easily achieve this too, Suhyuk-nim. Just give it about six more months.”
Six months.
It was a generous evaluation. Although he didn’t know the exact extent of her skills, it was clear that no ordinary player could reach her level with just time and effort.
That was the realm of talent.
“I never looked at you like a monster.”
“It seemed like you did…”
“I was just surprised. You fought better than I expected, and I was curious how you got here.”
At Suhyuk’s words, Un Hyang glanced down at the fallen Jung Yuhan.
“I met him this morning.”
“This guy?”
“Yes. He suddenly hit on me, and I wanted to teach him a lesson.”
The deadly aura from a moment ago was gone, and Un Hyang was back to her usual self.
“You should have. You could have easily done so.”
“He suddenly gave me his business card, saying he was from Blue Zone. I thought I should at least hear him out…”
Un Hyang briefly explained what had happened with Jung Yuhan. Additionally, she shared the concerns she had until just a moment ago.
“Looking at it now, my worries were unnecessary. Seeing you fight like this, it seems you’ve already made your decision.”
“If you mean that decision, I made it a long time ago.”
“But you never know, right? If given a huge offer, even you might waver. Besides, from what I see, you’re worth it.”
Despite pouring out her concerns, Un Hyang’s face looked somewhat refreshed. She felt relieved, having resolved the issues that had been troubling her.
“But I was wrong. Even if you decide to join such a guild, I won’t let you.”
“I’ve already declined.”
“Oh, right. Haha.”
Realizing she had been worrying for nothing, Un Hyang laughed awkwardly. Torn between wanting to stay together and wanting the person she genuinely liked to be in a better place.
She had been debating between these feelings, but Suhyuk had already made his decision.
“By the way…”
Un Hyang, realizing the gravity of the situation a bit late, prodded Jung Yuhan with her foot and asked,
“What should we do about this? We should report it to the company, right?”
Blue Zone had attacked a streamer. Whether a streamer or not, a giant guild oppressing an ordinary player was a significant issue.
If this information became public, it would likely hurt Blue Zone’s image considerably.
“They need to be publicly shamed…”
“Let’s report it to the team leader first. But let’s hold off on making it public for now.”
“What? Why?”
“Because that would mean a full-scale war between us, Balhae, and Blue Zone.”
Blue Zone is a giant guild. And in this tower, a giant guild is like a state, a massive organization with great power.
Making enemies with such a force is never a good choice. However, it shouldn’t be simply overlooked either.
A worm that doesn’t even squirm when stepped on keeps getting trampled until it dies.
– We needed to show that we have hidden fangs too.
“Being a streamer has its perks in situations like these.”
Suhyuk smiled as he looked around. The clearing became a wreck after the fight. Glancing at the scorched ground, broken and burnt chairs, and planters, Suhyuk continued.
“Let’s go live. Right here, right now.”
*
In the late hours of the night. Lee Wonjae woke up in his dark room.
Buzz, buzz-.
His kit was ringing at this late hour. Typically, such a thing wouldn’t happen. Lee Wonjae didn’t get annoyed or angry.
Instead, he hurriedly checked the kit. The fact that someone would contact him at this hour meant it was an urgent matter.
“What is it?”
Deputy Guild Leader, there is something you need to check.
“Check? At this hour?”
The person on the other end was his personal assistant. Someone who handled everything from official tasks to minor chores—he wasn’t one to make a fuss.
– Yes. A streamer named Lee Suhyuk…
Hearing the name, Lee Wonjae sat up in bed.
“Hang up.”
Lee Wonjae checked the list of ongoing streams. Since he had always been interested, he had subscribed to Lee Suhyuk’s channel.
Despite the late hour, quite a number of viewers were watching Lee Suhyuk’s stream.
『Viewers: 5,533』
Over five thousand viewers. Though it seemed many, it was actually fewer than usual for Lee Suhyuk, considering his regular viewership.
However, what really caught Lee Wonjae’s attention wasn’t the number of viewers but the title.
『Title: Attacked Without Reason.』
An ominous title.
Not too long ago, he had ordered Jung Yuhan to bring Lee Suhyuk over. The timing suggested the two would have met today or tomorrow.
Lee Wonjae entered Lee Suhyuk’s stream.
The location wasn’t a trial site. It was an open space on the 4th floor, charred black everywhere, with shattered and broken items scattered around.
“I didn’t expect assassins even outside of the trial sites.”
The stream was ongoing. It didn’t seem too long since it started. That might explain why there were fewer viewers.
– Really?
– A real-life assassin… This is rare.
– Rare? It’s freaky as hell.
– Who did it?
Naturally, the viewers were in an uproar. Their favorite streamer had been attacked. Fans were bound to be outraged.
‘Did he fail?’
This was an unexpected turn of events. Even if the persuasion didn’t work, failure wasn’t something he had considered.
No matter how talented someone is, there are limits to that talent. Even if they possessed a brilliance akin to the real Lee Suhyuk, there was no way a player from the 4th floor could win against a semi-ranker.
So then, ‘Did Balhae assign a bodyguard to him or something?’
That was the only plausible explanation. And surprisingly, that guess was nearly accurate. The only difference was that it wasn’t a bodyguard but a manager.
‘This is troublesome.’
Now he understood why he was woken up at this late hour. Lee Suhyuk was a rather famous streamer.
Moreover, Jung Yuhan likely didn’t use full force right away, so Lee Suhyuk must know who was behind this. If this information were broadcasted, blue zone would quickly be held accountable.
Lee Wonjae furrowed his brow.
‘No way…’
His attention glued to the stream. Slowly, Lee Suhyuk began to speak.
“I don’t know the mastermind yet.”
A relief. If the name Blue Zone had been mentioned here, public opinion would have erupted.
But still. Lee Suhyuk’s words weren’t finished.
“I have some guesses, but since nothing is certain yet, I can’t say for sure.”
Could that be true?
It was odd. If it were true, it meant Jung Yuhan had tried to recruit Lee Suhyuk without revealing the mastermind.
That made no sense at all.
‘What’s really going on…’
And then it happened.
Buzz-.
A call came through the kit.
Once again, it was his personal assistant.
“Yes, I’m watching it now.”
-It’s not about that…
“What is it then?”
With his sleep disturbed and now dealing with this irritating situation, Lee Wonjae’s voice sharpened like a knife.
-There’s someone who wishes to meet you, vice-guildmaster.
“Me?”
-Yes.
Before Lee Wonjae could inquire further, the assistant quickly added,
-It’s John Dale, the head of Balhae’s management division…