Chapter 206
Chapter 206
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Nayeo-ju Saves the World Part 2 Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What is this?
Why is everyone so quiet?
The conference room had fallen so silent that I could hear the sound of cars passing outside, and sweat beaded on my forehead.
Did I say something wrong?
Did the Magma Guild have some ironclad rule against making merchandise?
No way.
The Magma Guild merch that had been sold so far was famous for its top-notch quality.
So what was with this reaction?
That's when the employee who had introduced herself as Kim Ji-hee cautiously spoke up.
"Um... so, does that mean we won't get laid off?"
"We're merging on the condition that we take on all of the Magma Guild's personnel, right?"
"E-even so..."
Kim Ji-hee glanced at her colleagues, then mustered her courage and continued haltingly.
"Even with those conditions, I've heard they sometimes sideline frontline staff and let them go later..."
"Which guild pulls shady stunts like that?"
"I-I've heard it happens sometimes with guilds that merged with the Sama Guild..."
That bastard Sama Young must be out of his mind.
I'd expected the Sama Guild, which blindly bulked up its size, to resort to dirty tricks.
Apparently, they cherry-picked only the core hunters and spat out the rest of the staff.
"Let me say this upfront. I hate the Sama Guild. Like, really, really hate them. So I have zero intention of pulling anything like that."
"Ah..."
"And this merger was made possible by the long-standing trust between Guild Leader Yang Hwa-yeon and Justice Guild Leader Kang Han. Since it's a contract they both agreed to, I plan to honor it fully. So no need to worry about that."
"Haa."
"What a relief..."
The office staff let out sighs of relief, each patting their chests.
They must have been really worried.
I felt the same wave of relief inwardly.
'So they weren't upset about the merch business.'
I thought they were mad because it wouldn't make money.
Once the staff realized their jobs were safe, they regained their composure and switched into work mode.
"This is the list of merch the Magma Guild has done so far..."
"This vendor offers fast shipping options..."
It was reassuring.
I felt like I'd gained a thousand troops.
Listening to the experts, the merch business I'd only imagined before started taking concrete shape.
Naturally, the conversation flowed into planning the Justice Guild's first merch item meeting.
"What would be good for our first merch? Any ideas?"
My question prompted the team members to share their thoughts freely.
"It's modest, but how about ID badges with the Justice Guild logo? We could include the hunters' proof photos too."
How did she even think of that?
Just hearing it made me want to collect them.
This one's a go.
I wanted to start on it right away.
But the ID badges weren't the end of it.
As the meeting continued, one tempting item after another poured out.
"We could do a photoshoot and turn the pictures into calendars. Wall-hanging, desk, diary types—various formats."
"If we get a chance to collab with a beverage company, how about limited-edition flavors based on the hunters' favorites? It'd be a fun way for supporters to share tastes with them."
"The Magma Guild did this too, but Justice Guild supporters skew older. Maybe higher-priced accessories with collectible value..."
Not a single off-base idea among them.
I'd push them all forward step by step.
And I threw out one item I'd always wanted to try.
"What about Justice Guild uniforms?"
The Justice Guild's uniform jacket had a unique yet pretty design that was well-known.
It had even sparked a trend among college students making similar department jackets for a while.
So wouldn't our originals sell well?
"It might be too ambitious for the first merch, but I think there's demand."
After saying that, I glanced at the office team's reactions.
Fortunately, they were extremely positive.
"That sounds amazing!"
"I'd want a Justice Guild uniform too. You'll give us samples if we make them, right?"
"Let's go all out with top-quality merch!"
Among them, Choi Young-eun's mention of "top-quality" caught my ear.
I had that greed too.
I wanted to do it right if we were doing it.
But first, there was one thing to check.
"You're just agreeing because it's the team leader's idea... right?"
"No way, why would you say that?"
Kim Ji-hee waved her hands frantically.
"We're—not the Magma Guild anymore, we're Justice Guild now. Anyway, we're the most passionate people about our merch!"
"Good to hear. Since we're making it, I don't want to skimp on quality even if margins are slimmer."
"Team leader's right. This is the Justice Guild's first merch, after all."
"Exactly. It's like staking our claim! 'We're dropping killer merch like this from now on!'"
The other team members chimed in one by one.
"So how do we go about making the uniforms?"
That was my problem.
I had the enthusiasm, but no clue how to actually execute it.
Fortunately, I now had four merch experts on my side.
"We've done t-shirts and hoodies before, though not jackets like the Justice Guild uniform. We have the original design to base it on, so replicating the shape shouldn't be too hard..."
"But?"
"Hmm."
Kim Ji-hee hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously.
"I heard our uniform was made by Hunter Jeong Hee-ok—or should I say Artisan Jeong Hee-ok? Is that right?"
"Yes. But why...?"
"To make merch copying the uniform design, we need permission from the original designer."
"So we have to go to Artisan Jeong Hee-ok and ask if we can copy her design to mass-produce and sell it?"
"Yes."
"Ha ha. Well..."
We're screwed.
Even if it weren't Jeong Hee-ok, it'd be a tough ask for any designer.
No designer in the world would be thrilled about someone copying their work exactly for mass production.
"My friend in crafting heard rumors."
Gu Eun-a cleared her throat dramatically and whispered.
"They say Artisan Jeong Hee-ok is super strict, like really uptight..."
"Oh no..."
Deep sighs erupted from the office team.
And their pitying gazes turned to me.
"..."
Silence fell over the conference room again before Choi Young-eun said to me.
"Maybe we should do something else instead of uniforms?"
"Yeah, the ID badge idea was good too."
"Accessories sounded great!"
They were all trying to console my disappointment.
But I said firmly.
"No, let's at least try. Getting permission for the uniform production."
Call it obsession or stubbornness.
But before going all-in on various Justice Guild merch, I wanted to debut with the uniform.
Like a declaration of intent.
"I'll go meet Artisan Jeong Hee-ok."
Worst case, I get turned away at the door.
"Maybe getting turned away at the door would have been better."
Looking up at the grand hanok's towering gate made me feel utterly insignificant.
Like I'd regressed to being a child again.
The antique hanok exuded such majesty that the word "noble house" naturally came to mind.
"Should I just turn back now?"
Yeah, let's do that.
I could always say I got rejected to the others.
I'd just taken a step to leave when—
Creeeak—
The low sound of wood creaking made me turn around. The gate, which had definitely been firmly shut moments ago, now stood wide open.