The Emperor's Right Hand
Looking back, Lee Shin had always been certain about everything.
Not in the cheap, irresponsible way self-help books claimed—“If you want it badly enough, it will come true”—but with genuine, bone-deep conviction in the outcome.
And he had made every last one of them reality.
The dying Mir Guild had been taken off life support. It had swallowed Yeongdo whole and was now setting its sights on the rest of Busan. The guild was becoming a city, and the city was becoming the guild.
He had brought in the Mountain King when no one else would have dared, and turned the pathetic, crawling Park Su-bin into a world-class prospect. Yu Ri-ra, Kim Yu-shin, Baek Yeon-woo, Lee Hye-jung, Kang Malsuk, the Princess… every last one of them had been brought in by him.
The youngest guild representative in history. The most handsome. The most charming according to Forbes. The most beloved representative in league history.
And so—
Lee Shin had become that emperor.
By turning every single word he had ever spoken into reality.
And there was one thing such a man always said.
Lee Shin never stopped calling Chae Dong-ha an SS-grade genius general manager, placing infinite trust in him.
Even Chae Dong-ha had questioned that incomprehensible faith. What exactly did Lee Shin see in him to trust him so completely?
They had spent the most time together, observed each other the closest, and shared the most thoughts.
And that in itself was proof of Chae Dong-ha’s competence. Because if he couldn’t keep up with Lee Shin’s pace…
Lee Shin was not the kind of representative who kept incompetent people at his side out of mere sentiment.
If Chae Dong-ha had fallen short of his expectations, Lee Shin would have given him a suitable but unremarkable position, no matter how much he cared for him.
But Chae Dong-ha had clawed his way forward, enduring the role of human lighting while stubbornly remaining at Lee Shin’s side.
Never forget.
Lee Shin had never once failed in a recruitment.
Not a single time.
·
·
“Wait. Could you repeat that, please?”
Chae Dong-ha lifted his glasses slightly, eyes gleaming. Despite his gentle tone, his gaze was sharp as a hawk’s. The PR team leader swallowed hard.
“Th-the ‘Let’s Cheer in Mir City!’ event that the vice-leader oversaw has received a far better response than we anticipated…”
“No, not that part. Before that. You said the fans expressed complaints during interviews.”
“Huh? About the insufficient smoking areas and the menu receiving mixed reviews…”
“Exactly. That’s what I wanted to hear.”
“Vice-leader, those weren’t real complaints. They were just offhand remarks…”
“Whether they’re offhand or not is for me to decide. Tell me everything.”
The way he zeroed in on even the most casual complaints was pure Chae Dong-ha. If Lee Shin captivated crowds with his unique charm and momentum, Chae Dong-ha was tenacious and meticulous.
To Chae Dong-ha, Lee Shin was a genius—a talent sent from heaven for the sake of the guild. By comparison, he was painfully ordinary.
That was why he had to work harder. If his insight was lacking, he would review everything until something clicked. If that still wasn’t enough, he would pressure the team leaders.
It might be painful for those under him, but inspiration was born from pain.
…Just like now.
“A cooking competition sounds excellent. Broadcasting team leader.”
“We could kill two birds with one stone and film a cookbang show. There’s no content that sells as consistently well.”
“Actually, instead of producing it ourselves, how about handing it to a broadcasting station? I have a feeling the visuals would be fantastic.”
“Oh, I agree completely.”
“Could the broadcasting team look into it?”
“Yes!! I’d love to take charge of it!!”
“You’re dismissed.”
The broadcasting team leader left the conference room bathed in everyone’s envy.
Want to leave too? Then bring me an idea. Chae Dong-ha’s gentle eyes seemed to say.
“It’s already been two hours. Let’s keep this next one very short. Analysis team leader.”
The hellish meeting resumed.
From the team leaders’ perspective, Chae Dong-ha was undoubtedly a difficult superior. Who would enjoy three-hour meetings as the default?
Yet no one dared complain.
Because to them, Chae Dong-ha was also a genius—just a different kind.
Chae Dong-ha thought of himself as ordinary, but to them he was simply a different species of monster.
If Lee Shin planned and achieved the impossible, Chae Dong-ha planned only what could be achieved. If Lee Shin pursued extreme efficiency, Chae Dong-ha eradicated all waste.
The fact that he had seamlessly filled the void left by the great Lee Shin was proof enough of his ability.
A quiet genius of a different sort. Chae Dong-ha was already widely acknowledged.
“Good. Next item.”
“Ah…”
“Haha, just kidding. We’re done. It’s already been three hours. Meeting adjourned.”
The moment the meeting ended, everyone fled the conference room as if escaping a burning building.
Chae Dong-ha stretched and closed his eyes. He got tired too. He wanted to rest. Every time he felt that way, Lee Shin’s mischievous grin floated into his mind.
Lee Shin had endured this same burden for years while still smiling so brightly.
“…He really is incredible.”
Then again, he should have known from the moment the man slept only two hours a night and still moved like tomorrow didn’t exist.
He was smiling at the thought of Lee Shin’s annoying face when the door opened and the sharp click of heels approached.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re here, Strategic Planning Director.”
“Everyone’s gone.”
“You’re here, Cho-a noona.”
“Have you eaten?”
“The meeting just ended.”
A lunchbox appeared in front of Chae Dong-ha.
It was pork cutlet from his favorite shop.
“What’s this?”
“I picked it up on the way.”
“You bought one for yourself too?”
“I bought mine.”
“Hehehe.”
“What? Why are you laughing?”
“Nothing. You’re just cute.”
“You never run out of things to say.”
Just eat.
At Yun Cho-a’s gruff display of care, Chae Dong-ha smiled and picked up his chopsticks.
“Once the Kirin Guild match ends, the first half of the season will be over. Should we go on a trip during the break?”
“Can we?”
“Probably not, haha. By the way, noona, didn’t you go investigate the Kirin Guild? Did you find anything?”
“Nothing major. The Flame Queen is injured.”
“…Nothing major?! That’s huge news!”
A guild would never willingly reveal an injury to one of its raid members, yet Yun Cho-a had uncovered it through her own wits. Thanks to that, Mir Guild now held the advantage heading into the upcoming showdown with Kirin Guild.
“So that’s why Manwang was making so much noise.”
“He always talks more when he’s at a disadvantage. That’s Han Jeong-do for you.”
Just as Yun Cho-a said, Han Jeong-do had been strangely talkative for the past several days.
Claims that he wouldn’t lose to a guild whose representative had abandoned them mid-season to fly overseas. Accusations that the Bureau was showing Mir Guild too much favoritism.
He had thrown every petty complaint he could think of, but it was nothing more than a scared dog barking.
What was interesting, however, was the reaction from Chae Dong-ha and Yun Cho-a.
Normally they would have laughed at such obvious media manipulation, but right now both of them wore identical expressions of pity the moment Han Jeong-do’s name came up.
“The boss is going to drool when he hears this, isn’t he?”
“He’ll wring him dry, soul and all.”
“Of all times, that poor man really has terrible luck.”
“Exactly.”
“How pitiful.”
Chae Dong-ha searched for articles on his phone.
The man was coming.
The god of Mir.
* * *
“Oh god… Is this real? Are we really watching what I think we’re watching? Set score 2:2. Final fifth set, kill score 16:7. A super slugfest with over one kill per minute!”
“You can do it, Mets! Game time is only twenty-one minutes. There’s still plenty of time left.”
“Haha, Johnson has completely lost his mind. At this point it’s clear the Yankees completely underestimated the Mets.”
“They were arrogant. They’re paying for it now! Listen, the new Mets might lose to anyone, but they’re a bomb that can beat anyone! To use a three-man rotation against a team like that? Pure arrogance.”
“Exactly. The result? They lost the first set in twenty-one minutes and the second in nineteen. They finally swapped in their starters, but they’ve reached the final set and… the team currently in the lead is the Mets! If this continues, the Mets will claim the Subway Series against the Yankees for the first time in ten years…!”
“Shut up, Philip! Shut your mouth before I come over there and knock your teeth out!”
Mets fans held their breath.
Half of New York fell silent.
Ten years. Ten years without a single victory against their local rivals, the Yankees. They were on the verge of cutting the throat of that very same team.
The fans instinctively understood. If the Mets won this match, they would truly be reborn as ‘Amazing.’
“Twenty-four minutes! It’s Amazing Mets time! They’re moving! Once again, it’s the Mets Guild taking control of the match!”
“All-in Mets! Giant-killing Mets! Go go! Mets!! You can do it!!”
“The Mets Guild throws their bodies forward to open the path! It’s open! The runway is clear! What a moving play!! They take off with the Destroyer double dash!!”
Teamwork that meshed together like the gears of a precision clock.
Guts that refused to yield to any opponent.
And finally, an unquenchable thirst for victory.
The passion Lee Shin had instilled in them was blooming brilliantly—in the hands of the Destroyer he had personally picked.
“Double kill! Triple kill! Quadra kill!”
“Penta kiiiiill!!”
“Ding ding ding! Match over! The Mets Guild destroys the Nexus!”
“They’ve claimed the Subway Series for the first time in ten years! Aaaah!!”
Could any rebuilding project have been more perfect?
This was the beginning of the real Amazing Mets.
* * *
John F. Kennedy International Airport.
On the runway where the private jet waited, Lee Shin and MK stood facing each other.
“Brother. Thank you.”
“What are you talking about? I just gave back as much as I received.”
“Don’t say that. Other people might not know, but I do. Just how fantastic you were.”
Even the phrase ‘beyond expectations’ felt insufficient.
Even if you searched through every adjective in existence, could you truly describe the miracles Lee Shin had performed?
“Why don’t you just stay? I’ll give you as much money as you want.”
“Mark, do I look like someone who moves for money?”
“Then at least think of the Mets fans who want you to stay.”
“Look at you, already taking fans hostage as the owner?”
Lee Shin smiled and added.
“Just run the team according to the reports I gave you. Leave the representative position vacant for now. Appoint Selena as general manager instead.”
Selena, who had been shedding tears, quickly lowered her head at a gesture from Lee Shin.
“Will that be all right? Isn’t she too young?”
“SS-grade genius general manager.”
“??”
“The Chae Dong-ha under me is an SS-grade genius general manager. Selena is America’s Chae Dong-ha. She’ll be able to bring the Mets to the top.”
“You really mean that?”
“You don’t trust me?”
He hadn’t just cleaned out a hopeless cesspool—he had planted color in it and made passion bloom. And not just for the Mets; he had covered half of New York in flowers of passion.
And now he was even leaving behind Selena for the future.
It was a gift that could not be measured in money. Without a doubt, it was the most fantastic and magnificent gift MK had ever received.
That was why he had prepared something in return.
At MK’s signal, the bodyguards handed over a case.
“Repayment.”
“This feels suspiciously like a bribe.”
“Haha, exactly. A little lobbying so you’ll help us from time to time. Don’t forget that lobbying is legal in America.”
“Well, I don’t have anything else to give, so come here.”
“Uh…”
Lee Shin and MK shared a light embrace.
“See you next time, Mark.”
“Come anytime, brother.”
The private jet carrying Lee Shin left the runway and rose into the sky.
“It’s Representative Lee! Sit here.”
“Boss!”
“Want a drink? How about it?”
“I’m good. Everyone drink in moderation.”
Lee Shin walked past the ‘brother service’ crew who were pouring vodka like water and took a seat. He reached into his pocket.
What came out was a phone with a headset connected. Seeing the fruit logo on the back, he let out a small chuckle.
“This guy. I’m from the Ido Group, you know.”
When he plugged in the headset, an upbeat beat flowed out.
The song title was ‘Passion.’
It was a track made while watching Lee Shin with the Mets. Perhaps that was why both MK and Lee Shin were listed as composers.
Even if the whole world turns its back
Even if the road is blocked
We'll run straight ahead
With this burning passion—
At the sincerity behind it, Lee Shin smiled warmly and took out the final gift. Was it an item? Or something else?
His heart raced as he opened it.
In that instant, Lee Shin froze.
“Huh… what? This guy?”
It was a shield.
A silver shield engraved with a blindingly beautiful goddess.
Of course Lee Shin knew exactly what it was.
It was an item that should have belonged to the EU’s representative guild, the Round Table Knights. A legendary shield whose power varied wildly depending on the wielder’s ‘disposition.’
◈ A shield deeply tied to the legendary King Arthur. Grants invincibility to the courageous and indomitable will to those who press forward. A shield blessed by the goddess that leads the righteous to become heroes.
◈ Are you righteous?
“No one can stop Yu-shin hyung now.”
Puhahahahaha!
The plane sliced through the open sky.
Carrying an armful of gifts.
* * *
Guild rebuilding completed at a 'fantastic' level.
Congratulations. There should be no one left in the eastern United States who does not know your name.
You have accomplished a near-impossible feat.
You have accomplished a near-impossible feat.
You have accomplished a near-impossible feat.
You have exceeded all expectations.
Rewards will be recalculated due to overachievement.