47. It Doesn't Live Up to the Hype
Joo Se-ah stood on the empty rooftop of the old Taeseong Guild building, catching the breeze. Even the helicopter that usually waited on the helipad full-time had been moved to Nampocheon.
In the ghost of a building, silent now that all the people and luggage had cleared out, she quietly took in the Seoul skyline.
As the sunset flared red and then slowly faded, the rooftop access door creaked open.
"Still up here, Guild Master? I checked your office—it was empty."
"It's the last day in this place, so I guess I lost track of time. On my first day here, I showed up way too early and watched the sunrise from this spot. Back then, I thought everything would work out fine. I figured I'd leave someday when things were going great, but not like this."
"What kind of send-off were you hoping for?"
"Samsung-dong, where the top-tier guilds are? Or Yeouido, packed with A-ranks? Something like that."
"A pipe dream for Taeseong Guild."
Joo Se-ah furrowed her brow and shot him a glare with her signature axe eyes.
"Ugh, seriously. You're a master at killing the vibe. I was just getting into the mood."
"A leader has to face reality, no matter the occasion. Guild master or not."
"Haa, how the hell did you turn out like this..."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself. Anyway, how'd it go with your father... I mean, Chairman Tae Jin-seong?"
"Fine. Even a cutthroat businessman like him has a soft spot for his daughter."
"Probably just greedy. He's not the type to act on emotions. He still thinks he can control me however he wants."
She called him "father," but Joo Se-ah's tone when mentioning Tae Jin-seong was flat and emotionless, like someone whose feelings had long worn away.
Kang Moo-hyuk was surprised by her attitude—no resentment, not even a speck of anger. His own relationship with his father wasn't great, but he'd at least shown fury.
Joo Se-ah seemed to feel no familial bond with Tae Jin-seong at all.
Whatever. As long as the guild master has no lingering attachment there, it works for me. I can deal with the chairman without holding back.
Kang Moo-hyuk thought the father and daughter shared more than a few traits. Maybe that's why Tae Jin-seong paid her any mind. A successor who mirrored him more than anyone. The arrogance that no one but himself could protect the Taeseong empire might have twisted into an obsession with that spitting image.
But a question lingered.
Why drag in a guild master who's only ever been a hunter, when he has an eldest son who's been groomed in management for over a decade? A bastard daughter, no less. Shaking up a stable succession line like that.
The chairman wasn't young anymore—tomorrow wouldn't be too soon for him to drop dead. No time to parade a new heir in place of the established one.
Or is there something I don't know?
The chairman's moves still didn't add up.
As stray thoughts churned in his mind, Joo Se-ah asked.
"So, what's the next plan? If we leave it like this, Chairman Tae Jin-seong will pull all the strings. If things go south, we'll have no choice but to abandon the guild."
"Time to flex some muscle from here on. Like defending corporate control—gather friendly shares and seize operational rights."
"That's the hard part. Rounding up those friendly shares isn't easy."
"Which is why we need allies."
"Allies? Who...?"
"Don't you have a new friend from recently? Hanju Group."
Joo Se-ah's face twisted into something unreadable—approval or doubt, hard to say.
"Hanju? Can we trust them?"
"Trust isn't the issue. They want something from us. For now, trading what we can give each other will do."
"Tell me more."
She crossed her arms and leaned in.
Kang Moo-hyuk rolled his eyes upward, organizing his thoughts, then continued.
"Taeseong Machine is the easiest Taeseong Group company to shake loose right now. Hanju's quietly buying up its shares. Once Iron Will acquires Taeseong Machine, the chairman won't move right away—but if he attacks, they'll step in as our white knight at a key moment."
"If you say so, Deputy Leader. But can Hanju alone protect the guild? They overlap with Taeseong in a lot of business areas. They're rivals, so teaming up might make other shareholders suspicious. If the pro-Taeseong ones rebel, we'll just make more enemies."
"That's where another ally who'll back us comes in."
"Another one?"
No matter how she racked her brain, nothing came to mind. Another ally she didn't know about? When did he build that connection? Curiosity won out.
"Who? Who's this ally?"
"The guild master's brothers."
"Wait, did I hear that right? Brothers? Which ones?"
"Tae Su-cheol. Tae Su-man. No one wants the guild master to succeed more than them."
Tae Su-cheol recalled his secretive meeting with Kang Moo-hyuk.
The vice chairman's in his fifties. Father's pushing eighty. He should have taken over the group by now, or at least stepped up to the front lines... No wonder Father still calls all the shots. And he's healthier than most in his seventies. At this rate, I might not sit in the chairman's seat even in my sixties.
He'd brought up what not even Tae Su-cheol's closest aides dared mention.
Dull nerves? Or no tact?
But Kang Moo-hyuk's words hit a sore spot. It had always nagged at Tae Su-cheol too.
Plenty of chaebol heirs his age—or even much younger—were already in management. The bold ones claimed the top spot in their late thirties.
Until now, he'd endured with the certainty that he was Taeseong's sole heir.
Then out of nowhere, he drags in a half-sibling...
At first, handing the group guild to Joo Se-ah seemed like no big deal—he let it slide. Sure, he didn't like it, but she was one of Korea's top hunters. Tae Su-cheol had lightly approved her appointment as guild master, figuring a proper guild would look good in the empire he'd inherit.
That was my mistake.
Father—no, his own father—had never trusted him.
Joo Se-ah was strangling Tae Su-cheol's throat. Whether she wanted it or not, she'd become the biggest threat. Her presence cracked the foundation, drawing even his brothers—who'd surrendered long ago—back to sniffing around.
History makes sense now: kings slaughtering brothers in succession wars. A true king leaves no loose ends.
That's why Kang Moo-hyuk's proposal piqued his interest even more.
A backdoor listing for the guild. Followed by spinning it off from the group.
The cleanest way to distance Joo Se-ah from Taeseong with minimal fallout.
But one thing bothered him.
Too aggressive. Knows too much. Throws proposals at me without hesitation at this stage. No fear, even proposing regicide against the chairman. And he's just an affiliate manager.
Kang Moo-hyuk's boldness and drive were impressive, though. Getting backdoor listing approval from his father, no less.
Obstacles would pop up everywhere for the listing, but Taeseong could handle them. The toughest hurdle—Chairman Tae Jin-seong's permission—had cleared easily.
The issue was the hand extended to him for guild independence.
He'd promised the guild master spot once Joo Se-ah was out, yet here he was scheming a full split.
Is he with Se-ah?
He'd never fully trusted him, but Kang Moo-hyuk's demeanor left you guessing.
Hard to pin as enemy or ally. Seemed foe-ish, yet kept leaving openings for friendship.
You knew it was a clever ploy to make you hesitate to discard him—and sure enough, you couldn't bring yourself to.
After much deliberation, Tae Su-cheol settled on a half-measure.
"Cunning's not bad. As long as the deputy's aim stays on Father."
"Alright, let's get down to real business."
At Kang Moo-hyuk's words, the remaining guild staff recoiled. Same thought from everyone.
If this is 'real,' what the hell was before?
Most old staff had quit after the North Pocheon goblin extermination, leaving numbers thin—but guild work overflowed regardless.
Once in North Pocheon, "home" lost meaning. Quitting time was for other guilds.
As burnout loomed, senior staff stepped up to confront the deputy leader directly.
"This is too much! Are we slaves? Dorms aren't even fixed yet—we're dying here—and no weekends?"
"Right!"
"Guarantee work-life balance!"
Ding! Ding! Ring ring!
"Huh? What’s that?"
"Yeah?"
Smartphones chimed in perfect sync.
Comms had just gone live near Sanjeong Lake. Used to phones as mere clocks, staff awkwardly pulled theirs out.
"!!"
They alternated stares between screens and Kang Moo-hyuk, eyes screaming What is this? Some rubbed their eyes, double-checking in disbelief.
"Payday."
"A few days early... Wait, isn't this a mistake? It's... a lot."
One held out his phone for verification. Kang Moo-hyuk glanced and shook his head.
"It's correct. You all worked hard this time—bonuses factored in."
"..."
"I'll keep compensating you fairly going forward. Got sidetracked there. Work's piling up, right?"
Staff exchanged glances, then laughed it off in unison.
"Oh come on, work's fine! Guild's growing—we're supposed to be busy."
"Juniors were whining, so we put on a show for you, Deputy Leader. You know how it is—gotta make the gestures to shut 'em up. Haha."
"We'll handle them. Focus on guild ops—no worries."
Joo Se-ah gaped at the instant face-turn.
"Even I, infamous for flip-flopping in hunter circles, hesitate to say it—but people are two-faced. Guessed you'd front-load payday to preempt this. How'd you know a group complaint was coming?"
"I have my insiders. Monitoring staff gripes in real-time."
"Reliable as ever. Nipping complaints like that."
"Gold fixes everything, past or present."
With the budding strike nipped, Kang Moo-hyuk unleashed long-planned projects.
Starting light: guild emblem contest.
It doubled as promo for Iron Will—low recognition—and spotlighted North Pocheon's special zone.
HQ upgrades ramped up too.
Main building for ops and staff dorms needed work.
Existing structures saved new builds. Remodeling cleaned, upgraded interiors to luxury.
Hanju-introduced mid-tier constructor handled it.
Kang Moo-hyuk requested local Pocheon SMEs as subs—fitting Iron Will's "with the community" regional guild slogan.
Next: hauling C Warehouse gear from Titan Guild.
This "simple" transport ballooned into the biggest headache.
North Pocheon north had high mana density—standard engines failed. Needed mana-shielded rentals; mana stone fuel alone cost a fortune beyond rent.
Need funds for Taeseong Machine too. Expenses mounting. Hanju paid premium for watusi snake byproducts, but it's nearly gone. Can't waste more... Hmm, to secure cash, guess I have to go there myself.
In the end, Kang Moo-hyuk left Pocheon for Samseong-dong.
[Slayer Guild]
Kang Moo-hyuk glanced up at the logo embedded in the penthouse of the towering skyscraper, then entered the lobby.
Slayer Guild's lobby dazzled. Not from pricey fixtures or decor.
The vast space brimmed with exhibits overwhelming him.
Is that... a 'Trakellop'? Holy shit. Not a model—the real deal. Displaying bones that valuable...
Felt like a museum. Slayer's lobby showcased monster specimens they'd hunted. Some could've fetched top dollar as weapons, parts, materials.
He inevitably compared to his old haunt, Titan.
Top-tier guilds impressed anew. Titan led A-ranks, but tier guilds were another level. Iron Will? Not even on the map.
Admiring a massive dinosaur monster's full skeleton, he muttered unwittingly.
"Heard rumors, but... money pit. If it's to intimidate visitors, it sure delivers."
"It doesn't live up to the hype. Few guests anyway."
Kang Moo-hyuk eyed the man beside him. The guy, gazing up at the dino with him, turned and offered a handshake.
"First time meeting. Seong Seon-je of Slayer Guild. Deputy Leader Kang Moo-hyuk."