20. I'm Deeply Moved Myself.
“So, what Director Tae Su-man really wants is for Guild Master Joo Se-ah to step down, right?”
“The guild master made a promise with the chairman. If she can't normalize things within half a year, she has to wash her hands of the guild.”
A promise with the chairman?
I haven't heard about this.
No matter that the guild was practically an affiliate of the group, for a conglomerate like Taeseong, it wasn't a scale worth much attention.
But if the chairman had mentioned it personally, that meant there was some backstory he didn't know about?
Whether it was the alcohol talking or not, Tae Su-man's flushed face grew animated as he spoke.
“Guild Master Joo is the chairman's daughter. Which makes her my half-sister.”
Kang Moo-hyuk nearly cracked his poker face.
This is a headache. When guilds get tangled up in blood ties like this, they usually go straight to hell...
Unwelcome information.
He kept a calm exterior, but inside, it grated on him.
“That's surprising. You don't seem all that curious about it, Expedition Leader Kang.”
“Curious about what? The guild master?”
“Yes. Normally, secrets about chaebol births are as juicy as some makjang drama, aren't they? But you don't seem interested. Not even asking follow-ups. It's like you knew already.”
“Who the guild master's parents are doesn't matter much for monster hunting.”
Tae Su-man nodded.
Just as the rumors said—a guy with zero interest in anything but the hunt.
The only time he drew Kang Moo-hyuk's attention was when there were more monsters to kill.
And for that goal, no sweeter prize than the guild master's seat.
Tae Su-man refilled Kang Moo-hyuk's empty glass as he spoke.
“For now, carry out your duties as expedition leader and report the guild master's activities to me.”
Kang Moo-hyuk's mind raced.
His sharp gaze sized up Tae Su-man.
Was it really just sibling rivalry with his half-sister?
No—those eyes saw Joo Se-ah as an enemy. Not as the chairman's child, but as a rival heir. Their fight was the same as any chaebol family's: a shadowy battle to claim the lordship of the vast Taeseong castle.
In an instant, a plan crystallized in his head.
“If you're going to use me, spying on the guild master's schedule is a waste. If you're using me, use me right.”
“What do you mean?”
“Might as well do it properly. Not just push her out of the guild—make sure the guild master falls completely out of the chairman's favor.”
Kang Moo-hyuk countered with his own proposal, reading the room. Tae Su-man leaned forward, clearly intrigued.
“Got a good plan?”
“As a hunter, Guild Master Joo has no flaws. With a little help from those around her, she could've handled the guild master role easily. She has the skills and the charisma.”
“And?”
Tae Su-man bristled slightly at Kang Moo-hyuk suddenly praising his much younger half-sister.
Kang Moo-hyuk had done it on purpose, but Tae Su-man didn't seem to catch on.
“Taeseong Group is still run actively by Chairman Tae Jin-seong. He can read the group's internals like the back of his hand. He'd know about any interference in the guild.”
“Get to the point. Quickly.”
“But he leaves a guild untouched for over ten years, then demands normalization in half a year? It doesn't add up. Somehow, it feels like the chairman wants her to fail. Maybe he's looking out for the guild master more than the guild itself... Success has its rewards, but failure demands a price. What if failing to normalize means she gets transferred to headquarters?”
Tae Su-man flinched inwardly. He'd actually gotten a hint that, upon failure, she'd be formally added to the family register—and moved to headquarters. No different from exile. Or worse.
The real question was his father's intentions.
Was it just pity for a daughter he couldn't raise in his arms, offering some compensation?
Father wouldn't do that.
A lord in his seventies, still vigorous.
Under him, four grown sons and three daughters. With Joo Se-ah, that made eight children.
The eldest was so grown he'd die of old age before claiming the chairman's seat at this rate.
Then suddenly, this illegitimate daughter rises to the top of the hunter world and gets brought into the fold.
And handed the guild on a platter.
Less like a handout, more like a test.
The children, raised watching their father, vaguely grasped the meaning.
The heir race, thought over, had restarted.
The flames of ambition reignited in those who'd bowed to the eldest.
But this guy cuts straight to the core. Did he know our family secrets beforehand? Whatever—he'll be useful... but damn, it's uncomfortable.
Even as Tae Su-man's thoughts tangled, Kang Moo-hyuk pressed on.
“I've only been here a day, but do you know what surprised me most about this guild?”
“No idea.”
“How surprisingly clean it is.”
“Clean?”
“Hunter skill shortages, poor performance, faction infighting—strip away those side issues, and looking purely at the financials, this guild has no problems.”
“Well, yeah, since the guild hasn't done jack...”
“A guild that can't even claim a single gate properly, maintaining this size debt-free? That's suspicious unless someone's intervening just enough.”
“You saying that's the chairman?”
“A guild that does nothing. Why would the chairman keep it around all this time? At first, I suspected it was for slush funds. But no signs of that. The guild master doesn't seem to care about that side either. Whether she has backing or just zero interest, who knows.”
The more he heard, the stranger it sounded. Tae Su-man had suspected the same once.
Why would his father maintain such a useless guild?
The man lived by the motto: if you can't be the best, cut it clean.
Yet Taeseong Guild was exempt.
Old doubts sprouted anew.
“Back to the start. Why would the chairman tolerate interference from the other children, knowing full well?”
“Well...”
Tae Su-man faltered.
“The way you and the other siblings tied the guild master's hands, making her accomplish nothing—didn't that actually protect her from any blemishes? Maybe that's what the chairman wanted.”
He wasn't certain. Even Kang Moo-hyuk couldn't conclude on thin info—it was speculation.
But truth didn't matter. What mattered was Tae Su-man's reaction.
His face was grave, but still conflicted.
Doubt and suspicion filled it.
Kang Moo-hyuk drove the wedge home.
“By the way, Guild Master Joo awakened as a hunter in middle school. Famous story—you know it. Joined Slayer Guild right after, youngest active hunter. Taeseong Guild was founded the next fall. And Slayer Guild consulted on it, apparently.”
“!!”
“Just thought you should know.”
Side info from researching Taeseong Guild, but he hadn't expected to use it like this.
Might mean nothing.
Truth didn't matter. Whatever.
As long as it planted unease in Tae Su-man's heart. As long as he could extract what he wanted.
That was enough.
Humans were like that, weren't they?
They saw what they wanted. Believed that was all there was.
How will Tae Su-man see the guild master now?
Half-sister? Rival? Enemy?
“The condition the chairman set might mean she doesn't have to do anything at all.”
“So what? What can you do about it, Expedition Leader Kang?”
Tae Su-man's drunken flush had vanished as he asked.
Kang Moo-hyuk smiled.
“So from now on, make her do everything. And make sure she fails.”
As Kang Moo-hyuk stepped out of the salon bar, the man who'd guided him earlier was waiting.
“Allow me to escort you.”
Politer now than at first.
Treatment for wrapping things up nicely with Tae Su-man.
What if it had fallen through? Would they have blocked me?
He pushed aside idle thoughts and declined the courtesy.
“I'll walk. Need to clear my head.”
He was heading to the nearest bus stop when a man emerging from a narrow alley blocked his path.
Kang Moo-hyuk made out the face in the light.
“Everyone's busy from day one.”
“Not surprised, so you know who I am.”
“Not just Lee Ki-young—I've got faces of all the guild hunters memorized.”
Kang Moo-hyuk recalled Lee Ki-young.
Not a hunter with a great reputation.
The guild factions split into three main groups.
Taeseong Group faction, directly managed from HQ.
Expedition faction, the guild's original core.
Assault faction, brought in by past guild masters to seize control.
And within each, lines divided into even messier webs.
Plus factions loyal to Joo Se-ah and neutral parties.
Lee Ki-young was from the assault faction—derisively called “the rolling stones.”
Weak past guild masters crammed in randos to build their own power bases.
Real riffraff flooded in.
Even convicts from the hunter supermax Ujungdo.
Lee Ki-young had done time there.
“You know me, so no long talk. Come with me a bit. Got something important to say.”
“If you have words, save it for the guild tomorrow. It's late.”
“Don't wanna deal with us?”
“I'm saying I'll make time. Planning to meet all departments—no rush.”
“You didn't get it. This is private talk.”
“Hey, Lee Ki-young! The expedition leader said no!”
Before Kang Moo-hyuk could refuse again, Choi Mi-ran jumped in. She'd been ordered to tail discreetly, but after spotting Lee Ki-young, got new orders to intervene.
“Felt a rat sneaking around— it was you guys?”
“C'mon, bro, harsh words.”
Kim Seong-hyeon scowled. Lee Ki-young snorted.
“You punks think I'm going easy 'cause we're guildmates. Trash like you wouldn't even meet my eyes normally.”
“Same B-rank, what you strutting for?”
“Rookies who can't even fight right think ranks mean shit?”
Feigning casual banter, Lee Ki-young geared up to teach a lesson.
But as he lunged—
A palm blocked his path, freezing him.
Damn, was about to leap...
His breath faltered. Just a casual hand, but he stopped without thinking.
Kang Moo-hyuk withdrew the restraining hand.
“What are you doing? In front of the expedition leader.”
“N-no, just a little difference of opinion, sir.”
Choi Mi-ran, oblivious to Lee Ki-young's attack intent moments ago, grinned and scratched her head innocently. Her mission: block the rolling stone from private contact with the leader. Success.
But Kim Seong-hyeon beside her broke into cold sweat down his back.
That bastard was definitely about to swing.
If Kang Moo-hyuk hadn't timed it perfectly, the strike would've landed.
Low-rank Choi Mi-ran missed it, but same-nominal-rank Kim Seong-hyeon had tensed for counterattack.
“Anyway, scrubs, beat it. So, leader—you coming with me or not?”
Lee Ki-young menaced with killing intent. Kang Moo-hyuk crossed his arms, tilting his head.
“Dunno. Why not ask someone else?”
“Someone else?”
“Watch quietly and clean this up after.”
“What trick is this...”
Lee Ki-young's hand, grabbing for Kang Moo-hyuk's shoulder, halted midair, unable to advance.
A shadow now loomed beside him.
Overwhelming presence locked his body stiff.
“Seeing lazy asses who never work pulling overtime—I'm deeply moved myself.”
There stood Jang Deok-gu, patting Lee Ki-young's shoulder with a grin.