Chapter 149
Chapter 149
Chapter 149: Public Opinion (1)
Translation: godtl
An office in Gangnam District.
A few days prior.
The branch manager's office of the American Dream, a world-renowned guild, was currently—
"Are you out of your mind, sis?!"
—filled with the furious voice of a blond man.
And for good reason.
"Did you suddenly get hit with homesickness or something? Are you seriously packing up to head back to the States?"
The news articles on the man's phone were filled with utterly nonsensical reports.
The man—a blond, intelligent woman—remained silent.
"Are you just going to keep your mouth shut? Say something! What the hell is going on here?!"
He tossed his phone onto the desk in front of his sister.
The screen displayed an overwhelming number of articles containing the words "Kim Si-mun" and "American Dream."
Yet—
"Team Leader Oliver. This is a workplace. Professionalism and personal matters—"
Olivia maintained her usual composure, but—
"Damn it! To hell with professionalism!"
Oliver finally exploded.
"Professionalism my ass! Do you even have the right to talk about that right now?!"
He slammed his fist down on the documents scattered across Olivia's desk.
Under normal circumstances, she would've kicked him without hesitation, but—
"......"
Olivia simply watched her younger brother's insubordination in silence.
Perhaps her calm demeanor only fueled his anger further.
"Just yesterday. Just yesterday! You personally went to Kim Si-mun with these documents and made him an offer!"
He spoke slowly, enunciating each word for emphasis.
Then he shoved the phone he had thrown earlier right in front of her face.
"And now this? Huh? 'American Dream confirms negotiations with Kim Si-mun concluded.' 'Kim Si-mun confirms immigration to the U.S.?' What kind of bullshit is this?!"
"......"
Olivia's eyes scanned the screen of the phone her brother had thrust at her.
After a moment, she closed her eyes briefly, then—
"Sigh... There was a reason for it."
She exhaled softly before answering.
"A reason my ass! You had a perfect first meeting, and now you pull this kind of low-tier PR stunt? What kind of reason justifies that?!"
Oliver clutched the back of his neck, his frustration boiling over at a situation he couldn't comprehend.
"What the hell is going on? Did you get heatstroke or something? Then again, it's only June, but the humidity's been brutal lately."
"Team Leader Oliver. I hate the heat even more than you do. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah, I know that damn well! But I had no idea you were the kind of person to pull such a stupid move!"
Oliver flopped onto the nearby sofa.
For a moment, he lay there lifelessly.
Then, in a drained voice, he pleaded—
"Sis... Please, just say something... I can't for the life of me believe you'd do something this idiotic..."
Olivia Denson.
A woman whose exceptional skills placed her in the upper echelons of Diamond-rank, matched only by her keen eye for talent.
Hadn't she been the one to discover both Andrew and Ron, the two rising stars of American Dream?
In fact, even before joining the guild, Andrew had been a top-tier prospect with ties to the Constellation Athena.
And long before that, Olivia had been the one to scout countless skilled players for American Dream.
Yet, here she was—
"What the hell was the point of spreading this ridiculous rumor? You were the one who said it yourself—Kim Si-mun is someone we have to approach more carefully than any other player."
To recklessly destroy all the trust and goodwill they had built without even a single discussion—?
But no matter how much he pressed her, she kept her lips tightly sealed.
For Oliver, it was enough to drive him insane.
And then—
"Sis! Please, just say something! I'm gonna suffocate from frustration! Aaahhh!!"
His madness finally erupted outward.
"Where the hell do you get off throwing a tantrum like this?!"
Even amidst his furious shouting, Olivia hadn't so much as blinked—until his outburst shattered her composure completely.
"You little—!"
Thud.
In an instant, a chilling aura sliced through the air.
"Elder sister! This is a workplace! An office, for god's sake!"
Startled, Oliver wrapped his hand in Aura and deflected the incoming chunk of ice.
At the mention of "workplace," Olivia barely managed to regain her composure.
"Huuu..."
She let out a deep sigh and swept her hand across her forehead.
Then—
Click.
Olivia tapped the small orb placed on her desk.
Simultaneously—
Huuuum.
A low hum swept through the entire room.
"You can tell just by the fact that I activated a Soundproofing Artifact, but this conversation must not leak anywhere. Understood?"
Olivia plopped down onto the sofa across from him and issued her warning.
To which—
"Of course! You know I'm tight-lipped!"
Oliver quickly straightened his posture and mimed zipping his lips shut.
Olivia watched her younger brother with doubtful eyes for a moment before speaking.
"You're right—normally, I would never pull something like this. Beyond being stupid, it's just too low-class."
She furrowed her brow and bit her lower lip slightly.
Oliver knew all too well that this was a habit of his cold-hearted sister when she was deeply unsettled.
"No wonder. It really didn't seem like something you'd do. The employees downstairs were in an uproar. Some even wondered if someone was impersonating you."
He nodded fervently in agreement.
Then—
"Wait."
Oliver's enthusiastic nodding came to an abrupt halt.
"Wait a second—that kinda sounds like you were forced into doing something you didn't want to do?"
"Correct. When I first heard the request, I refused outright."
At present, there were only two people who could force this monstrous sister of his to do something against her will.
One was Derek, the Guild Master of American Dream.
And the other...
"Hold on. Then?!"
"...Exactly what you're thinking. On top of that, the offer they made was impossible to refuse, so I had no choice but to accept."
Finally grasping the situation, Oliver exclaimed,
"Ha! So they were planning to use public opinion in the next meeting. I never expected them to make the first move like this."
He silently gritted his teeth as he watched his sister.
"We need to raise Kim Si-mun's value even higher. Contact the guild—we're increasing his share. I'll reach out to Derek separately."
[Breaking News! Kim Si-mun to Move to America?]
[American Dream Confirms:"Negotiations with Kim Si-mun Already Concluded"]
[Kim Si-mun, Immigration Rumors!]
BANG!
A desk was slammed violently.
Considering they had just replaced the same desk not long ago,
this one's lifespan wasn't going to last much longer either.
But—
"Choi Chang-wook!"
"You called, Association President."
This blade-like man didn't seem to care in the slightest.
"What the hell is this nonsense now? Kim Si-mun immigrating?!"
He could only seethe at the flood of news pouring in.
And for good reason.
"What does that make me look like if that bastard leaves the country at this point?!"
Kim Si-mun was the hero of this year's main tournament qualifiers and Korea's most promising rising star.
Even now, while guilds like Scorpion were stirring up controversy about corruption in the National Tournament,
public opinion was forming to forgive him, calling him a prodigy comparable to the Sword Saint and the Saintess.
In fact, Kim Mu-yeol had been steering the narrative in that very direction,
with his subordinate media outlets working overtime to push the angle.
But now, if Kim Si-mun fled to America?
"That damn snake! After I went out of my way to clean up his mess, he dares to stab me in the back?!"
Then all the media manipulation he'd orchestrated for Si-mun would make him look like the fool.
Worse still—
He'd be framed as incompetent for letting a prodigy like Kim Si-mun slip away to another country.
All thanks to the media spin from those damned guilds like Scorpion.
'If it comes to that, even I...!'
Kim Mu-yeol clenched his teeth.
Kim Si-mun was practically guaranteed to be the next Ranker.
In effect, it would mean not just abandoning a Ranker-level asset, but practically delivering him into the hands of another nation.
No matter how formidable Kim Mu-yeol was, even he wouldn't be able to control the public outcry that would follow.
"Contact that bastard immediately! No—I need to see his face myself!"
Kim Mu-yeol shot up from his seat.
"Uh... Mr. Association President. Actually, we just received a message from Kim Si-mun."
"What?"
Instead of answering, Choi Chang-wook, who had been standing stiffly, silently—
—carefully extended the phone he had been holding.
Displayed on the screen was:
[Kim Si-mun: Uncle. Since you've been shielding me so diligently, I prepared a little gift for you. Use it well.]
A message sent by Kim Si-mun.
After staring at it for a long moment, Kim Mu-yeol finally spoke.
"...What the hell is this?"
"It's a text Kim Si-mun sent right after the news of his transfer to the U.S. broke."
At Choi Chang-wook's words, Kim Mu-yeol fell into brief contemplation.
"Did you dig up anything else?"
"Yes. Apparently, the recruitment team from American Dream visited the Ranker Palace yesterday."
"Recruitment team? Ah. Now that you mention it, there was that matter about American Dream's branch establishment."
As if recalling something, Kim Mu-yeol nodded slowly and sat back down, fixing his gaze on Choi Chang-wook.
"About two weeks ago, wasn't it?"
"Yes, sir. It's been exactly two weeks since the branch establishment permit documents were submitted to you."
"That's right. And I approved them."
Normally, when a major foreign guild sought to establish a branch, it was viewed with suspicion.
This had been the case even before the advent of the Galaxy Arena.
There were countless concerns—foreign corporations entering and driving domestic businesses to ruin, or domestic capital being siphoned overseas.
It was a complicated issue, but in the end, those fears were only half-true.
Especially the part about domestic capital flowing out—that was even less accurate.
After all, it wasn't as if domestic capital was simply being drained overseas without compensation.
'Foreign corporations still have to go through the legal procedures—establishing branches, hiring local employees, making basic investments, and paying taxes.'
The correct way to phrase it was that they were earning money through legally defined processes.
In fact, didn't Korean corporations operate the same way overseas?
And this structure hadn't changed much even after the Galaxy Arena appeared.
"Wasn't the condition American Dream offered quite unconventional at the time?"
"Yes. Beyond just taxes, they agreed that—excluding SS-rank or higher items—all items obtained from the Korean server would be traded domestically. That clause seemed to satisfy you."
"Hmm. Right. There were other appealing terms as well."
Under normal circumstances, even with such conditions, he wouldn't have granted approval so easily.
'Their intentions were too obvious.'
After the Star Generation era, they had shown no interest in Korea for years—only to suddenly propose establishing a branch now?
There was only one thing in South Korea that could have caught American Dream's attention recently, wasn't there?
'Kim Si-mun. Those bastards must want to recruit him.'
And just as expected, American Dream had sought out Kim Si-mun.
But the real reason he had approved the branch establishment so readily wasn't just because of the conditions American Dream offered.
'Kim Si-mun isn't the type to be swayed by money. Just look at Kim Si-hyeok and Lee Yu-jeong—he'd never abandon Korea.'
He had been confident that Kim Si-mun wouldn't defect.
But now—
'First, the sudden flood of news about his emigration to the U.S., and now this "gift"?'
Tap. Tap.
His fingers drummed against his folded arms.
Then—
"Ha... So that's how it is, huh? That damn snake."
A bitter chuckle escaped Kim Mu-yeol as he stroked his sharp jawline.
"Fine. If he's bold enough to try to screw me over, he's certainly capable of orchestrating something like this. But I'm curious."
Kim Mu-yeol glanced at Choi Chang-wook and asked:
"Who from the American side met with him? Who would agree to be part of such a scheme?"
"According to reports, it was the Denson siblings."
"Oh-ho."
Kim Mu-yeol's sharp eyes gleamed.
"So the Winter Queen herself made an appearance? This just keeps getting more interesting."
Olivia Denson.
A Diamond-tier upper echelon player, and an exceedingly rare Magic Class woman.
Having faced her in the Arena several times in the past, Kim Mu-yeol found himself intensely curious.
"Given that woman's personality, she'd never normally agree to such nonsense... Just how did they manage to butter up that haughty Winter Queen?"
"I couldn't ascertain that part either... Given there were no further meetings afterward, they must have exchanged private communications."
"Naturally. For an operation of this scale, they wouldn't involve anyone prone to loose lips."
Kim Mu-yeol's brow repeatedly furrowed and relaxed.
His fingers drummed incessantly against his high-quality suit.
"I think I can roughly sketch out their scheme now. Considering public sentiment, it's a damn solid approach."
Having seemingly reached his conclusion,
he unfolded his arms and turned to Choi Chang-wook.
"Let's take this opportunity to contact Kim Si-hyeok too. Have the press releases ready for this evening."
"Yes, Association President. But..."
Choi Chang-wook hesitated momentarily before asking,
"Shouldn't we investigate what deal Kim Si-mun and Olivia Denson might have struck?"
"Hah!"
Kim Mu-yeol snorted derisively.
He shook his head slightly as he responded.
"If I ordered you to find out, could you actually uncover it?"
"...My apologies."
"Frankly, as long as he doesn't flee the country, whatever deals he's made don't concern us."
Kim Mu-yeol pulled a cigarette from his breast pocket,
and Choi Chang-wook smoothly lit it for him.
"We just need to enjoy the stage our dear nephew has so kindly prepared for us."
That evening.
[Kim Si-mun's Emigration! Actually Due to Revenge from Ousted National Team Guilds?!]
[Over 5% Stake in World's Strongest Guild? 'America Welcomes Heroes While Korea Pushes Them Away']
[SS-rank Assassin Night Hunter Sighs: 'Sick of Systematic Witch Hunts']
[Kim Si-mun's Emigration - A Calculated Exclusion?]
[All Corruption Allegations Against Kim Si-mun Were Only Reported by Specific Media Outlets?]
More fuel—no,
more oil was poured onto the already blazing portal sites discussing Kim Si-mun.
[Association President Visits American Dream Branch Office]
[Shocking! Iron Wood King Bows Head: 'We Did Our Best, But Can Only Apologize to the Public']
[Even Maximum Effort Couldn't Break Longstanding National Team Cartel? Association's Official Statement]
[Sword Saint Laments: 'I Fully Understand Kim Si-mun's Feelings, He Must Be Under Immense Stress']
Naturally:
-What nonsense is this? National team cartel? PR spin?
-Now that I think about it, just looking at the circumstances... sigh
-And yet the mindless haters still— lol this is peak Hel!
-For real lol this is Hel. Come on! All you keyboard warriors, step right up!
-These motherfuckers! I knew it when the same damn kids kept getting picked for national team!
-Exactly why Platinum division always gets shit on for being weak!
-And this time even our main team got eliminated in round of 16.
-Without Kim Si-mun they wouldn't even have made round of 16 lol just qualifier level.
Every domestic community and SNS platform erupted in heated debate:
-These scorpion bastards pulled that shit even in national team matches.
-Heard their Guild Master's ex-yakuza?
-The ousted guilds aren't pushovers either lol those who know, know.
-Scorpion's always been trash, but those guys were famous since First Generation~
-Look at Kim Mu-yeol bowing his head lol must be truly desperate.
-Literally the world's #1 guild offered at least 5% stake. What options does he have?
The fervor immediately spilled into real life:
"Hey, you see the news?"
"Of course! For fuck's sake! The world's strongest guild offers equity while ours just keeps biting the hand that feeds!"
"Even Sword Saint's considering emigration now."
"It'd be crazy to stay after seeing what happened to Kim Si-mun. I'd leave too."
"Exactly, I'd bail in a heartbeat. Did you see the qualifiers? Total national disgrace."
Early June.
Though the weather remained unseasonably cool for summer,
"This is too disgusting to tolerate!"
"Protests or whatever, we need to do something!"
"Where's those bastards' guild house located?!"
"Hey! Petitions are up! Petitions!"
South Korea burned hotter than midsummer.