You Don’t Even Know Why I’m Upset? (1)
“I….”
Before I answered, I had to think it over at least once.
The answer I wanted to give was obvious.
Of course I didn’t want her gaining more power than necessary. She should be cut off. And yet, I also wanted to make it clear that I didn’t like being pushed out of the loop too blatantly.
It wasn’t easy to kill two birds with one stone, but it was worth a try. I didn’t want to give Kim Hyunsung the impression that I was suddenly getting greedy for power.
Besides, the fact that he came to ask my opinion at all is a good thing.
“Before that, I’m curious what position you’re planning to put her in.”
I already knew he meant the guild chief secretary, but of course I had to ask again.
He hadn’t actually said what post he intended to give her. Even Kim Hyunsung seemed to have something to feel guilty about.
“I’ve actually been considering a few things….”
“Yes.”
“If you’re all right with it, I’m thinking of appointing her as the guild chief secretary.”
“Pardon?”
“The guild chief secretary.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Well… I’ve thought about it from several angles, and I think it might make things much easier for you too, Kiyoung. You’ve been handling quite a lot until now. Hyejin can help you in many ways.”
“Hmm….”
“I think you’d be surprised if you looked into how much she’s actually taken care of.”
“I see….”
Honestly, I was against it. Absolutely against it.
I was just about to bring up how I should object when Kim Hyunsung’s tense expression came into view.
Ah.
I understood right away why he was making that face.
First, there was my expression, which clearly wasn’t favorable. Second, he seemed to be bothered by the fact that he was planning to place her in a high position without consulting me closely.
Of course, he was asking me now, but given the nature of the position, it seemed like he’d made the decision on his own and brought the proposal to me afterward, and that was clearly weighing on him.
What a cute bastard….
The surprise he’d probably imagined would leave me delighted and in perfect agreement had run straight into my displeased expression and died there.
When he finally opened the box, the person receiving the gift—me—wasn’t showing the slightest bit of joy, and that had thrown him completely off.
No, far from being happy, I looked uncomfortable, so he was surely getting more and more anxious inside.
It was only natural that he would look like he thought he’d made a mistake.
Kim Hyunsung wasn’t the type to bulldoze his way through everything. I didn’t know exactly how he’d failed in his first life, but perhaps because he’d taken enough hits to the back of the head to last several lifetimes, he paid a great deal of attention to his party members’ mental state and condition.
Especially when it came to me.
If you remembered the face he’d made when I went to the Holy Empire, looking for all the world like he’d lost his country, you’d understand.
Kim Hyunsung wasn’t a dictator.
He was the Guild Master of Blue Guild, yes, but he knew his own shortcomings, and he always understood that he needed the help of the people around him.
In a way, you could call that ideal, but in any case, I was at the very top of the list of people he could rely on.
Exactly.
After checking his expression once more, I opened my mouth.
“Well….”
“Ah.”
“It’s true that Hyejin is capable, but I do think it’s a little too early. I’d rather we watch her a bit longer. Still… ah! I do understand where you’re coming from, Hyunsung. You made that decision because you were thinking about how overworked I’ve been, and… well, it’s a reasonable decision in its own way.”
“Yes….”
“But if she’s suddenly appointed as the guild chief secretary, I think it might make the other guild members feel uncomfortable. That’s just my personal opinion, of course, but… maybe she needs a little more time. From the guild staff’s perspective, it might look like a CEO with no prior connection to the company suddenly appeared and seized control out of nowhere.”
“I did consider that, but when you were away for a bit, Kiyoung, she blended in quite well, so I….”
“So I was the only one who didn’t see it….”
“Ah.”
I didn’t say it outright, but I naturally activated my how could you do this to me skill.
When I looked at Kim Hyunsung with a face full of hurt feelings, I saw him flinch just a little.
I’m a little hurt, Hyunsung.
Of course, it was all an act.
He looked even more flustered than before. He clearly hadn’t imagined that a question he’d thought was trivial would produce this kind of result.
Because it was Kim Hyunsung trying to think of me first, I felt the corners of my mouth twitch up a little, but I didn’t show it.
A slight sigh, a little shortening of my answers—just acting mildly offended would be enough.
I figured he’d already realized this conversation over Cho Hyejin’s appointment was getting more and more delicate.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“No, I trust you, Hyunsung. You’ve never made the wrong choice before. Personally, I think it’s a bit much, but I’m sure there’s some reason I don’t understand.”
“That’s not it….”
“It should be fine. Thank you for asking me, but the guild master is you, Hyunsung, so you should be free to make these kinds of decisions.”
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”
“No, no. There’s no misunderstanding.”
“I-I was only thinking about it personally because Kiyoung seemed so exhausted. I had no intention of appointing her right away, and Hyejin herself seemed pretty burdened by it too….”
“I see.”
“Yes.”
I’d expected him to say something like that.
Most people in this kind of situation would say, It was for your own good. But I still didn’t let up on my attitude. I wasn’t angry, and I wasn’t even irritated, but by continuing to act faintly hurt, I could see his face growing more and more frustrated.
There’s a reason that pushing too hard is bad, and that applies not only to romance but to every human relationship.
He probably has no idea why I’m doing this.
To put it simply, I was using my ultimate technique: Oppa, you don’t even know why I’m upset?
And of course, the effect was even greater than I’d imagined.
It was a little heartbreaking to see our regressor suffer emotionally, but I had to keep the push-and-pull going if I wanted to delay Cho Hyejin’s debut as much as possible.
“Hyunsung… you can just forget what I said earlier. It was only my personal opinion, after all. If you think Hyejin is right for the job, feel free to appoint her.”
Feel free my ass!
“Ah! Just so there’s no confusion, I’m not misunderstanding anything. From your point of view, Hyunsung, it’s a perfectly reasonable line of thought.”
You are misunderstanding! Hyunsung, I am misunderstanding you!
“I’m not really that upset.”
Hyung is upset! Really, really upset.
I was starting to dance around the issue while chattering away. I said it was fine, but in Hyunsung’s position, I suspected it would be hard for him to go through with the appointment now. No matter how foolish he might be, he wasn’t so clueless that he couldn’t read the room entirely. He was probably agonizing over it in his head.
Yeah, I’d say I’ve delayed things for now.
In any case, the fact that Cho Hyejin would eventually secure a solid post in a high-ranking position was already a certainty.
I also believed that if I was going to use her properly, she needed some degree of authority.
It would be a waste to let someone capable gather dust.
Her image as an insider whistleblower also helped. If she settled into Blue properly, Cho Hyejin as a person could become a kind of public relations asset. Using someone strong, smart, and likable as nothing more than a party member would be foolish.
The only real problem was the timing of her arrival.
Truthfully, this situation wasn’t even a power struggle between her and me.
It was just me shadowboxing based on my own premature assumptions. There wasn’t any clear move on the board yet, but if the issues surrounding her were resolved, I was prepared to work her harder than anyone else.
Like a dog.
“Well then. I’ll be heading out now, Hyunsung.”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve finished eating for the most part, and I should probably start getting ready to head to Castle Rock.”
“Yes, of course….”
“I’ll give you instructions on the basic supplies, but if there’s anything else you need, please send it in writing.”
“Th-….”
Just as I was at the point where I needed to leave, I opened the door slightly and caught sight of the guild staff.
“Kiyoung!”
It was then that Kim Hyunsung called out to me in a loud voice and grabbed my arm.
For some reason, everyone’s attention snapped toward us at once. I didn’t know why, but even the guild staff members were blushing.
Most of the women let out little squeaks.
What the hell?
“I… I still have something to say.”
It was only natural that he’d realized something about the atmosphere around us was off. Somewhere, I heard a tiny voice saying, “I told you so,” and another one going, “Oh my, oh my.”
I even heard someone say, “I heard the girlfriends were just a smoke screen….”
It took only an instant to understand what kind of misunderstanding they were making.
This is not what it looks like, damn it….
“Uh… I think I may have misunderstood. Kiyoung.”
I know. Let go of my arm.
“It wasn’t that I meant anything else, I just thought you might feel pressured….”
That sounds even worse.
At the cawing sound of a flock of black crows, it was only natural that I hurriedly shut the door.
I could see Kim Hyunsung speaking again.
“As you said, Kiyoung, it would be better to delay the timing a little. If I made you uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize. I suppose bringing this up the moment we got back to the guild was a little off on my part too.”
“No, that’s not—”
“You’ll also need time to get to know Hyejin. I understand that the other guild members might feel uncomfortable too. Of course, you might feel uncomfortable yourself. It’s only natural that you’d be startled, and it’s only natural that you’d be upset. I was thinking too narrowly.”
He sounded like he was genuinely apologizing.
It seemed a little strange, but it wasn’t bad. Jung Hayan wasn’t the only one clumsy with relationships.
The regressor, who had lived more lives than I had, was also pretty awkward when it came to dealing with other people.
To put it another way, he was a lot like a train. He wasn’t flexible, and his personality was straightforward to the point of simplicity.
A well-meaning mediator.
Honestly, the fact that a regressor who had been through every kind of disaster in his first life was still managing to preserve any real humanity at all was impressive.
Seeing that his expression now was different from the one he’d worn when we first met in the tutorial, it really did look like Kim Hyunsung was recovering what he had once forgotten.
Not bad.
A regressor with a lot of affection was a good thing.
If I’d been the one in his place, I wouldn’t have apologized so directly in such an awkward situation.
Really not bad at all.
I looked at him and spoke.
“No. I really am fine, Hyunsung.”
That was only half a lie.
Hyung forgives you, punk.
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