episode_0059

Team Seoul City Hall’s debut was a huge success.

No, even if it was a huge hit, it wasn’t enough.

Two D-ranks with no experience and one F-rank who had just awakened their abilities defeated a B-class gate.

Because the appearance of Queens had already been a huge shock, it was an industry that did not show much of a response to the appearance of most newcomers… .

Even the queens didn’t have such a shocking debut, so it was enough to garner a lot of attention and buzz.

“Hannah Bang! Congratulations on your successful debut! Please tell us what you think!”

“Thank you! uh… . I’m so happy for you… !”

“You have challenged the top gate since your first debut. Did you have any difficulties?”

“F, the producer directed it well, so it wasn’t particularly difficult… !”

“Did Producer Do Ji-hyuk’s producing ability help you a lot?”

“Yes… ! If it weren’t for the producer, I think it would have been impossible in my life to challenge this gate… !”

Immediately after the members left the gate, reporters brought in through personal relationships and reporters brought in by Sejin,

And I don’t know how they knew, but outside reporters who had already smelled the big hit joined in and interviewed the members… .

“Mr. Seowon! Weren’t you nervous about facing the steel bear in person?”

“… Yes.”

“Did you encounter any difficulties while dealing with the Steel Bear?”

“… Yes.”

“Do you think Producer Do Ji-hyuk’s guidance played a big role?”

“… Yes.”

“Oh, I would appreciate it if you could tell me in more detail what part you liked and how!”

“… I’m not sure.”

It was impossible to have a meaningful interview with Jin Seo-won, who interrupted the interview with short answers, or Bang Han-na, who was overly nervous… .

“Na-rae Kim! You showed the most activity as a supporter today. How do you feel?”

“I feel really proud because I feel like I helped the team!”

“Did producer Do Ji-hyuk’s production play a big role?”

“Yes! The producer gave surprisingly detailed orders and detailed explanations, and each one was really helpful.”

“Please explain in more detail!”

“Producer… … .”

Thanks to this, many reporters flocked to Kim Na-rae, who was able to be interviewed normally.

“Did Narae do this well in the interview?”

“Sure… . I think we need to have Narae prepare more for the interview.”

“I need to get the other kids to practice too.”

At that time, I was watching the interview between the three people with the Seoul City Hall team from a step away.

“Do Ji-hyuk! Congratulations on the subjugation! Would it be possible to have a short interview?”

Reporters flocked to me and asked for interviews.

“You challenged a gate that was 2 levels higher than the average rank of the members. How did you make that decision?”

“Fact… , I was initially thinking of a gate one level lower. However, the members showed much better skills than I expected, so I had to change my plan.”

“You decided to debut with just a few days left in the season. What are your goals for this season?”

“This season, our goal is to make our team well known to the public.”

“You have shown tremendous potential since your debut. Are you creating a second Queens?”

“It is impossible to recreate a team like Queens. So, rather than becoming a second Queens, we are aiming for a new team, Seoul City Hall.”

“When did the cooperation with Sejin Guild begin? Was this planned from the beginning?”

“There was no specific plan. For more details, please contact Sejin Guild.”

Since I’m not a rookie, I was asked a lot of questions about the team rather than strategy… .

“Did you come out of Queen’s with the intention of taking over this team from the beginning?”

“No. It was truly a coincidence that I took charge of this team, and there was no special discussion about it at all.”

Among them were several reporters who were obsessed with Queens.

“Then, is it true that you came out because of a discord with Queens?”

“This is my first time hearing such a rumor going around. Anyway, today is Team Seoul City Hall Day, so I would appreciate it if you could just talk about Seoul City Hall.”

To avoid creating controversy, I continued the interview as gently as possible.

*

100 days guild.

Director Kang Moo-jin, who was sitting in the director’s office decorated like a cozy study, asked back, focusing on the story of the woman across from him.

“Pushing Mt. Gwanak with two D-classes?”

Kang Moo-jin, who was tall and had a beard, gave off a subtle sense of intimidation thanks to his strong impression.

The white-haired woman sitting across from him smiled brightly and continued talking, as if she was at ease with him.

“Can you tell me something even more surprising? The main dealer there is F grade!”

“What?”

“He’s a rookie who just recently awakened.”

“… Really?”

Kang Moo-jin looked away from the woman who nodded and quietly touched her chin.

“Do Ji-hyuk… . I’m sure he’s a really weird guy… .”

Kang Moo-jin, who had been keeping an eye on Do Ji-hyuk since he was a promising hunter, found him quite interesting.

After suffering a serious injury and giving up his dream of becoming a hunter, he immediately gathered his friends and formed a team.

By a wonderful coincidence, all team members had S-class potential,

He proudly walked the path of a royal roader and reigned at the top for many years with production that was difficult to imitate.

Many factors have been mentioned as reasons for Queens’ success so far, but Kang Moo-jin valued Do Ji-hyuk’s role the most… .

He rejected all the courtship from the large guilds and suddenly entered the city hall and even made his debut as a show of pride, so I couldn’t help but harden my thoughts on Do Ji-hyuk even more.

“What are you going to do?”

Kang Moo-jin, who glanced at the woman’s words, moaned softly and spoke.

“I wish I could bring it… . It won’t be easy, right?”

“Because Hyeri Lee is there anyway.”

Everyone already knows that Lee Hye-ri, the leader of the Sejin Guild, has been targeting Do Ji-hyuk for a long time.

Remembering that fact, Kang Moo-jin crossed his arms and thought deeply.

“Hmm… .”

That moment.

“… Shall I try it?”

The woman sitting across from me quietly expressed her opinion.

“You?”

Kang Moo-jin looked at her with a slightly surprised reaction.

“Huh? Why is your reaction like that?”

“No, it’s because you said that.”

“I’m an employee here too, right?”

“Not an employee in name only?”

The woman, who was leaning back on the sofa as if she was dumbfounded by Kang Moo-jin’s answer, waved her hand as if it was okay and said.

“That’s it. then. Just figure it out.”

“Seeing you say that… . Do you have something in mind?”

“It’s done?”

The woman snorted innocently and turned her head away.

And when Kang Moo-jin kept his mouth shut for a while… .

“What… . If you really want to hear it, I can tell you.”

I started telling the story on my own.

*

A dark room where you can’t tell if it’s daylight or dark night.

Seol Joo-hee, buried deep in bed, was just staring at the ceiling.

“… … .”

Seol Joo-hee has not yet recovered from her last defeat.

Even though it wasn’t my first time experiencing defeat, I couldn’t shake it off easily.

It’s all because of Do Ji-hyuk.

The day he was forcibly taken down from the throne.

Seol Ju-hee experienced the bitter indifference brought about by helpless defeat.

Calm gazes, not awe and respect.

Eyes that don’t contain even the slightest emotion, as if looking at a stone.

That cold response made me realize how fleeting fame is.

I finally encountered the truth that I had tried so hard to pretend not to know.

The reason Queens was able to maintain a stable high position was… .

The fact that Do Ji-hyuk’s contribution was great.

Seol Joo-hee thought that the team would run well even without Do Ji-hyuk.

No, it had to be that way.

but… .

When Do Ji-hyuk left the team, Queens began to shake.

From small to large, Do Ji-hyuk was spreading his influence in so many places.

When Do Ji-hyuk, who had been running the team organically, disappeared, the team quickly became stagnant like a congested highway.

Of course, just because Do Ji-hyuk is missing doesn’t mean the team won’t run.

In fact, the S-class gate that was challenged after Do Ji-hyuk escaped was also successfully defeated.

All you have to do is re-establish the system and form a team again.

however… .

Cheonhwa Guild began to turn Queens into a broadcaster rather than a gate.

Meanwhile, the dislike for Do Ji-hyuk reached its peak.

Seol Joo-hee suffered a helpless defeat at the hands of Do Ji-hyuk, whom she hated so much.

“… … .”

Do Ji-hyuk was competent.

Seol Joo-hee knew that fact better than anyone else, and she accurately recognized that the only person who could truly make her shine was Do Ji-hyuk.

Still, she wanted to be alone.

and… .

It failed miserably.

Even Choi Hyo-min, whom he looked down on, rose to first place thanks to Do Ji-hyuk.

After abandoning Do Ji-hyuk, he was pushed down to second place.

He realized that he could never truly become number one without Do Ji-hyuk, whom he hated so much.

Seol Ju-hee fell into such a terrible cycle.

When I get up and say that I just need to work hard to regain first place, I remember the cold reaction I encountered that day and crush my motivation.

No matter how many times you rank first throughout your life and no matter how many achievements and records you set,

Because once you’re pushed to second place, it’s of no use.

If you lose motivation like that and lie down again… .

This time, the need for Do Ji-hyuk comes to mind.

A feeling of disgust that naturally follows.

An extreme feeling of self-destruction, feeling like you are nothing without Do Ji-hyuk.

Subsequently, self-esteem is diminished along with falling confidence.

If you can’t endure this and try to make a comeback again, the fleetingness of fame will chase you fiercely.

Literally, it was a terrible bondage.

“… … .”

Seol Joo-hee, who was eating away at herself like that, once again grabbed her cell phone, which was in the middle of charging.

Perhaps because I had been using it for so long, it was still hot.

Talk─

After brightening the screen and unlocking the screen, Seol Joo-hee naturally turned on SNS.

And then, as I looked at the newly posted posts and shared photos, I became more and more lost in my daze.

Because the stimulation that poured out indiscriminately helped me forget about the difficult work for a while.

If you let go of your phone like this, you will be faced with a cruel reality as if it had never happened before.

I knew this was all pointless, but… .

I couldn’t bear to let it go.

Talk… Talk…

So, Seol Joo-hee absentmindedly fell into social media without even knowing what she was reading… .

[ @ImArin shared a photo. ]

I paused for a moment at the new notification that came to mind.

‘… Arin… .’

Lim A-rin has just posted a new post.

Talk─

Seol Joo-hee unconsciously checked Im A-rin’s post,

“Ah… .”

I inadvertently let out a sigh.

[ @Team_SeoulCity Congratulations on your first subjugation! ]

In the photo, Do Ji-hyuk, surrounded by his teammates, was smiling so brightly.

Tok─ Tok…

Seol Joo-hee unconsciously enlarged the photo and looked blankly at Do Ji-hyuk’s face.

“… … .”

Out of indescribable disgust and overwhelming sadness, I bit my lip.