The Birth of the Typhoon
With the director's approval, the process of establishing the guild went off without a hitch.
A few sheets of paper.
A few signatures.
That was all it took.
Kang Mina checked her tablet a few more times and nodded.
"All requirements for guild establishment have been met."
"Then..."
"Yes. Congratulations."
It was almost anticlimactic how easily the Typhoon Guild was established.
Is it really supposed to be this easy?
As if reading my mind, Kang Mina shrugged.
"Normally, it doesn't get processed this quickly."
"Ah, I figured as much."
"Well, Hunter Lee is an exception among exceptions."
"Haha..."
I scratched the back of my head, laughing awkwardly.
The screen Kang Mina showed me was quite bare.
Guild name.
Master name.
That was about it.
"As of this moment, you are the Master of the Typhoon Guild."
Master.
It was an awkward title.
But it didn't feel bad.
"For the time being, I will assist you with the administrative side..."
"Ah, that's alright."
At my words, Kang Mina's eyes went wide.
"Excuse me? It will be difficult to manage on your own..."
"I have a partner."
"A-A partner?"
Kang Mina gasped, covering her mouth.
Was this really something to be so shocked about?
"Y-You mean, you already have someone to handle the operations?!"
"Yes. Go Juhee. She'll be managing the guild for the time being..."
"G-Go Juhee?!"
Kang Mina looked utterly appalled.
"The Go Juhee of the GR Group?!"
"Yes. How did you know?"
I heard the distinct sound of teeth grinding.
"Don't tell me... was she the one who suggested establishing the guild?"
"No. I was the one who proposed it."
"Why Go Juhee, of all people? She's already with GR..."
"She has her own circumstances. Our needs aligned, so we decided to cooperate."
"B-B-But still...!!!"
"Don't worry. I can take care of myself."
Kang Mina's shoulders slumped.
Seeing her react like that, she must have some history with Go Juhee.
"Do you two know each other?"
"...We were college classmates."
"Ah."
I had a feeling I knew what kind of history they had, so I didn't pry further.
"If anything seems even slightly off, you must contact me immediately."
"Yes, yes. I understand."
"I mean it!!!"
Leaving behind a stomping Kang Mina, I returned to my quarters.
I had worried that I would have to return my temporary quarters, but fortunately, the Hunter Administration Office was considerate enough to let me stay.
They told me I could stay as long as I liked.
Though, rather than pure consideration, they probably had their own motives.
Regardless, I found this place comfortable, so I planned to stay here for the time being.
As for a house, I could look for one slowly while searching for a guild office.
"Ugh..."
As soon as I got back, I threw myself onto the bed and stretched my stiff body.
The fatigue over the past few days was no joke.
Even though I slept wearing the Deep Sleep Socks, I still felt exhausted.
No matter how I looked at it, I had used my brain way too much lately.
"I need to take a nap..."
Without even changing my clothes, I closed my eyes and fell asleep right then and there.
A few days later.
Bzzzt.
Receiving Go Juhee's message, I headed out of the Hunter Administration Office.
"...By the way, why is Ms. Kang Mina coming with us?"
"Ahem! The director specifically instructed me to assist you!"
"Is that so...?"
Normally, does the Administration Office help hunters look for guild buildings?
I highly doubted it.
It's because of Go Juhee.
I had sensed some bad blood between them earlier.
Well, it didn't matter to me.
If she kept a hawk-like eye on Go Juhee to make sure she didn't pull anything funny, I'd actually be grateful.
"Taepyeong, over here!"
As soon as we stepped out of the building, a black car caught my eye.
Go Juhee spotted me first and waved her hand.
"Oh, and you are..."
Go Juhee tilted her head as she noticed Kang Mina.
"Mina, is that you?"
Mina?
"...It's Min-ah, not Mina, Ms. Go Juhee."
"Sorry. I lived abroad for a long time."
"I don't think that has anything to do with it."
Go Juhee smiled effortlessly.
"Alright, Mina. But what brings you here...?"
"I came along under the director's orders to ensure there are no inconveniences. Is there a problem?"
Go Juhee glanced at me.
I nodded to show it was fine.
"Well, if Taepyeong is fine with it."
Fortunately, nothing major happened after we got into the car.
To be precise, I heard them whispering back and forth in the back seat, but I fell asleep and couldn't hear what they were saying.
Judging by their sour expressions when I woke up, it certainly wasn't a friendly chat.
"It's a small building, but it's pretty nice, isn't it?" Go Juhee asked me with a triumphant look.
"It's great."
Not long ago, I was contemplating suicide after losing my savings to rental fraud, and now I had my own 'building' in the middle of Seoul for my guild.
"How did you manage to..."
"I have my ways," Go Juhee cut me off, guiding us inside the building.
It wasn't a massive skyscraper like the ones used by major guilds.
It was a modest five-story building. It looked old, but well-maintained and clean.
"You know what they say, older buildings are sturdier."
"I don't know about that. Isn't it a bit too small for a guild building?" Kang Mina retorted immediately, as if waiting for the chance.
"It's fine. I don't plan on expanding it that much anyway," I said.
"O-Oh, is that so? Ahem!" Kang Mina coughed awkwardly, taken aback by my response.
"It's small, but it'll be quite useful. If the guild grows, we can always relocate later," Go Juhee suggested.
I shook my head.
"No, this size is perfect for me."
"Are you really planning on running a solo guild?"
"Not exactly..."
I planned to ask my party members soon.
To see if they would join the Typhoon Guild.
Woo Jumin was still a minor, but I could probably work something out with the Administration Office...
And if I met the conditions Cha Yerin and Baek Harim wanted...
Well, I won't know until I ask.
I didn't want dozens of members like other guilds.
But having three or four more people in the guild would be nice.
So we could climb the tower together as a cozy group.
Anyway, this was good enough.
The basement could be converted into a training room.
The first floor would be the lobby.
The second and third floors would be for the guild members.
The fourth floor would be the administrative office.
And I'd take the fifth floor.
Perfect.
We finished looking around the building and stepped outside.
"Director Go!"
A middle-aged man with a flushed face approached us, huffing and puffing.
The moment Go Juhee saw him, the smile vanished from her face.
"Team Leader Han Myeongjin."
Ah, so that man was Han Myeongjin.
How did he know to come here?
"What brings you all the way here?"
Han Myeongjin didn't answer Go Juhee's question.
Instead, he shouted at her in a booming voice.
"What on earth are you thinking?!"
Go Juhee was the director.
Han Myeongjin was a team leader.
This hierarchy seemed completely backward right now.
How did Han Myeongjin find out about this place?
Han Myeongjin was already furious.
He had never expected Go Juhee, the only daughter of the GR Group, to stab the GR Guild in the back.
He thought she would stay quiet, satisfied with her position as the director of foreign cooperation.
Yet she was pulling this behind their backs?
And with Lee Taepyeong, the GR Guild's prime recruitment target, no less.
Instead of recruiting him, she was helping him establish a new guild?
This was beyond mere betrayal.
It was treason against the GR Group.
The GR Guild was already weakened by the departure of several veteran hunters.
Recruiting Lee Taepyeong would have solved everything, but the man had rejected every guild's offer with absurd conditions.
To think it was all because he had a safety net to fall back on.
Han Myeongjin, who had lived comfortably off the GR Guild's riches, could not let this slide.
His very livelihood was on the line.
The only saving grace was that his opponents were Lee Taepyeong, a clueless rookie, and Go Juhee, who was far down the GR Group's line of succession.
That was the source of Han Myeongjin's confidence.
Go Juhee would tuck her tail if he brought up the GR Group and her brothers.
And Lee Taepyeong, who didn't know the first thing about business, could be easily swayed to join the GR Guild with the right mix of carrots and sticks.
Just like the countless hunters who had passed through the GR Guild over the last decade.
"Hunter Lee Taepyeong."
"..."
"I knew you were a naive young man, but to be this ignorant of how the world works..."
"Me?"
Lee Taepyeong looked at Han Myeongjin with wide, innocent eyes, as if he had no idea what he was talking about.
"I don't know what kind of sweet talk the director—no, the young lady—used to seduce you."
"Seduce me?"
Taepyeong's expression grew even more bewildered. Go Juhee, standing beside him, looked equally dumbfounded.
"What you are doing right now isn't just making an enemy of the GR Guild. You are making an enemy of the entire GR Group."
"Hmm..."
"Do you even realize what that means? You might feel like you're on top of the world right now because everyone is calling you a super rookie. But once you pass the 40th floor, countless hunters give up."
"..."
"Do you think you'll still be able to act this arrogant then?"
Han Myeongjin raised his voice, shouting authoritatively.
And at that exact moment...
"Pfft, hahaha!"
Taepyeong burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.
"Pfft... Ah, s-sorry... haha!"
Taepyeong covered his mouth, barely managing to suppress his laughter.
Naturally, this only fueled Han Myeongjin's rage.
"Do you think this is a joke—"
"No, it's just that you're saying such cliché villain lines. It's hilarious."
"What?"
"It's like we're in some cheap drama."
Wiping a tear from the corner of his eye, Taepyeong let out a short sigh.
"The one who doesn't know how the board is moving is you, Mr. Han Myeongjin."
"What did you say?"
"You should be busy packing your bags to flee the country right now, yet here you are trying to lecture us..."
Taepyeong clicked his tongue, and Han Myeongjin's face instantly contorted.
"You brat, do you even know what you're saying right now?!"
"Ms. Go Juhee, could you explain the rest? I'm not very familiar with their industry jargon."
At Taepyeong's request, Go Juhee flashed a cold smile.
"Of course."
Go Juhee gestured, and her assistant immediately handed her a folder.
"This is a list of 'irregularities' involving the high-ranking executives of the GR Guild, including you, Han Myeongjin."
"W-What did you say...?"
"From unfair contracts to manipulation of transaction records. I only listed the major offenses, and even then, it was overwhelming."
"M-My lady!"
"You should call me Director, not 'my lady.'"
Gulp.
Han Myeongjin swallowed hard, his body beginning to tremble.
"D-Director! What is the meaning of this? Are you really trying to destroy the GR Guild...?"
This time, Taepyeong answered instead of Go Juhee.
"We're sending you to the graveyard."
Han Myeongjin looked desperately at Go Juhee, who simply smiled back at him.
"T-The Chairman won't stand by and watch this..."
"You really don't know my father at all, Team Leader."
"What?!"
"My father is a chillingly strict meritocrat."
"...!!!"
"If anything, he'll praise me."
Rustle!
Losing all strength in his hands, Han Myeongjin dropped the papers, sending them scattering across the ground.
And Taepyeong...
"Oops, let me get those for you."
I politely picked up the reports detailing all of Han Myeongjin's corruption, sheet by sheet...
"Here you go."
I handed them back with a bright smile.