Chapter 81: The Unraveling of Sahyeon Guild

The sly remark silenced the surroundings. A multitude of people stared, their faces contorted as if ready to seize their weapons.

Dokyeom gazed for a long moment at the man whose eyes blazed with fury, then, a faint smile gracing his lips, he rose.

“Brother, let’s talk for a moment.”

As he pulled Beom Yeonhu by the wrist and exited the vacant lot, neither of them spoke a word. Trailing behind them, panting, was a friend whose face was a mask of either rage or injustice.

Dokyeom checked on Agon and Dali, who followed him obediently, and occasionally slipped his hand into his pocket.

Inside his pocket, he felt the crisp touch of paper. It was a business card someone had handed him before coming here, a promise to rise together.

While one’s future was never set in stone, it was remarkable how fickle the human heart could be; a piece of paper he’d once dismissed as trash now felt like a gold-leafed card, adorned with pure gold.

Dokyeom tilted his head back, his gaze fixed on the mid-day sun blazing in the sky. With sunset still a distant prospect, he intended to watch the unfolding spectacle from across the river.

An unprecedented spectacle, one that would even draw out the guild leader.

****

Jeong Ohyeon, a new employee in the Sahyeon Guild’s legal team, sipped his iced americano from a tumbler, gazing contentedly out the window with a serene heart.

It had been nearly two months since he joined, and days free of twists and turns had surprisingly become the norm.

Just a month prior, as the sole legal team member in a small guild, he had been buried under a mountain of work, barely able to breathe. However, after transferring to the Sahyeon Guild’s legal team for payment-related issues, every day felt like paradise. Looking back, deciding to switch jobs had been a stroke of genius.

The Sahyeon Guild’s social standing as a colossal guild was no empty boast; even its legal team was so large that it operated in multiple units. Everyone possessed exceptional abilities and a generous spirit, often laughing off mistakes with good-natured ease. Of course, this was a boon for him.

Their general duties included legal consultation, handling hunter lawsuits, reviewing contracts, and debt collection. Additionally, they proactively managed media issues, checking and taking charge of them to initiate legal proceedings immediately, all for the sake of the guild’s corporate image.

Whether the Sahyeon Guild was simply saving face or genuinely operating differently, it maintained a surprisingly quiet profile for a massive guild.

Elsewhere, scandals and abuses would have had people constantly knocking on the doors of associations and public offices until the thresholds wore down. Here, however, each day was peaceful, and the people were amiable.

Consequently, the legal team had long been the envy of all other departments within the Sahyeon Guild, enjoying an unparalleled tranquility.

However, that era ended today. The shout of a senior employee ignited a storm.

“What is this?!”

Someone kicked back their chair and screamed. Jeong Ohyeon, who had been melting like a perfectly cooked injeolmi rice cake, turned his gaze to the senior colleague beside him.

Their eyes were wide, as if about to pop out, and cold sweat trickled down their temples, indicating something truly out of the ordinary.

“What is it? What’s going on?”

As another senior colleague, passing by with coffee, squinted and asked, the man who had shot up and yelled convulsed as if bitten by a snake, grabbing and shaking his monitor.

“This bastard is spouting nonsense…! No, isn’t this lunatic insane?!”

Only then did everyone regain their composure, quickly sit down, and begin clicking their mice. When the scattered clicking sounds ceased, an untimely chorus of screams erupted in the office.

“What is this trash reporter even saying?!”

“What, what?! Illegal acts? There’s a limit to what they can accuse us of, what the…!”

“Assistant Manager Han, what are you doing?! Contact Haeil Ilbo immediately and demand they take down all the articles! Assistant Manager Kim, find that reporter’s contact information and connect the call quickly! Hurry! Move!”

The people who had been as round and amiable as the sun and moon were now spitting curses, transformed into wildcats with bared claws. Jeong Ohyeon, startled, clutched his chest and huddled in a corner.

Just as the employees began wrestling with their phones, calls started pouring in from all directions, adding insult to injury.

Jeong Ohyeon stared blankly at the ringing phone, which vibrated as if it would collapse from exhaustion. Slowly, he shifted his gaze, and several article headlines, displayed in massive letters, appeared on the monitor screen.

[Sahyeon/]

[Low-ranking/]

[New Recruit/]

[Taeseongyeon’s/]

A tempest was brewing. This was an unprecedented tidal wave. Jeong Ohyeon swallowed hard, surveying the office where curses rained down. Everyone was already on their phones, brows furrowed, as if brandishing swords in defiance.

“Yes, yes. This is the legal team. No, we’re handling it right now… Excuse me, we just saw it too! That’s why we’re saying we’ll resolve it! Is the article’s publication the legal team’s fault?! How exactly is the management team handling gate supervision to allow such an article to appear?! Is this really the time to argue over who’s at fault?! We’re already swamped, what do you want?! What? Hey, you bastard, what did you just say?!”

“This is the Sahyeon Guild’s legal team. We’re calling about the article written by reporter Ju Nohaan of Haeil Ilbo. What do you mean, denying it again? I’ve seen the article claiming illegal activities spread all over the portals. Where in the world is such a thing acceptable, huh? No, you should have contacted the legal team first! Are you trying to pick a fight with us now?”

At the bottom of the article, which featured clickbait-inducing headlines, the source was boldly identified: ‘Ju Nohaan,’ a reporter for ‘Haeil Ilbo.’ It felt as if the reporter was provoking them, daring them to try and challenge him.

‘We’re doomed. There’s no way I’m going home today.’

As Jeong Ohyeon silently screamed and clutched his head, the legal team’s manager was already taking Cheongsimhwan, preparing for the impending crisis. And before the Cheongsimhwan could even take full effect, a thunderbolt of news struck.

“Manager! The CEO’s office is calling! They want you up there, right away!”

At a staff member’s piercing scream, the manager rose, a grim expression on his face, as if acknowledging the inevitable. Hastily dressing and tidying his appearance, the manager walked through the parting employees, who made way for him like the Red Sea for Moses, and exited the office.

That was the last Jeong Ohyeon saw of his manager that day.

****

When had Beom Yeonhu’s phone started ringing off the hook? Dokyeom, ignoring Beom Yeonhu’s phone, which vibrated with incoming calls even during their conversation, looked up at the peacefully serene sky and crunched on his ice cream.

–Reporter, is it really okay to live so recklessly, as if there’s no tomorrow?–

–Hunter Han, are you worried about me right now? Pfft, if I didn’t have this much guts, I would’ve quit when people started calling me a trash reporter. ‘Trash reporter’ is actually a compliment in our line of work, you know? But Hunter Han, what are you munching on so noisily? I’m absolutely starving right now, my stomach is practically glued to my back. Are you going to be like this? Let’s eat together.–

He had been subtly probing about what Dokyeom was eating, but Dokyeom wanted to ask him something even more pressing. ‘Where on earth are you?’

Haeil Ilbo, Ju Nohaan’s newspaper, had long since declared its withdrawal from the conflict with the large corporation, effectively selling Ju Nohaan out.

Even with the Sahyeon Guild joining forces to locate him, Ju Nohaan’s whereabouts remained remarkably elusive, making one wonder if it was even possible to find him. Moreover, the IP address used to upload the article had been rerouted through a VPN to a foreign location.

Having done so, and perhaps feeling a threat to his own safety, he was now hiding somewhere completely untraceable, merely playing with his fingers. Indeed, articles were still pouring out in droves.

Given the internal approvals, it seemed the higher-ups at Haeil Ilbo were silently backing him. However, since Ju Nohaan remained tight-lipped, Dokyeom could not guess how far their influence extended.

Nevertheless, thanks to this, news spread from all corners that the Sahyeon Guild, from its legal team to its management and general affairs teams, was now entangled in chaos, flapping and overturning desks.

–There’s nothing to worry about at all, Hunter Han. All you need to do is boost my article’s viewership, hahahaha! Oh, and once this whole thing blows over, I’ll have an article ready, so you can give me the direct scoop. I have a knack for adding a little ‘MSG’ to my storytelling, you see.–

Ah, yes. This was precisely why people said it was terrifying to make an enemy of a reporter. While Dokyeom had pushed him into the swamp, Ju Nohaan, who had eagerly accepted the challenge, was clearly not in his right mind either.

His brazen nonchalance, even reading comments and giggling, was almost admirable.

“Anyway, I’ll make sure no harm comes to you, Reporter. Just stay hidden a little longer. It’ll be resolved soon enough, I suppose.”

With the guild’s reputation and honor at stake, it was bound to be resolved by the end of the day. The real question was how Taeseongyeon would react.

The call ended swiftly. Dokyeom ignored Beom Yeonhu’s quick glance at the phone and sprawled out lazily in the pavilion.

“…Dokyeom.”

“Brother, I told you to just relax. Why are you shaking your leg? You’re chasing away your luck! I’m telling you, you’re chasing it away!”

Next to him, Beom Yeonhu’s sigh echoed, deep enough to make the ground sink. His gaze was fixed on his phone, where calls and messages continued to flood in.