episode_0044

After meeting Hong Yu-ra.

I was deep in thought and realized that these were problems that could not be solved right away, so I returned to the training ground.

The team members didn’t ask me anything, as if they were aware of my situation, and thanks to that, I was able to shake off random thoughts and focus on my work again… .

“Hannah.”

“… … .”

“Are you Hannah?”

“Yes, yes!?”

“Would you like to talk for a moment?”

“… ?”

I made time to coincide with Hannah Bang’s feedback, and while watching her, I spoke calmly, pretending not to know anything.

“It seems like you’ve been thinking about something since a while ago… . Do you have any concerns?”

OK.

Bang Han-na flinched as if she had been stabbed, then immediately threw up her hands and strongly denied it.

“Oh, no!? Don’t you have any worries?!”

Strong negativity equals strong positivity.

She looked like she was worried.

‘Is it because of Seowon?’

We already knew that Bang Han-na secretly feels inferior to Jin Seo-won.

It seemed like he had improved a lot recently, but he seemed to have been shocked again by Jin Seowon’s skills.

‘… ‘It would be better to pretend not to know here.’

“Really? Otherwise, I’m glad.”

Naturally, I passed the topic, paused for a moment, looked around, glanced at Hannah Bang, and brought up the most important point.

“Hannah. Let’s stay with Seowon for just two weeks.”

That moment.

“… … Yes?”

Hanna Bang reacted blankly as if she didn’t understand,

I gained momentum and quickly laid out the need for a training camp.

“As I said before, Seowon and you have a relationship that absolutely requires cooperation. Do you still remember?”

“Uh… . I used to remember… .”

“That’s why I planned it, and I think it would be good for you and Seowon to develop teamwork through a training camp.”

“… Ha, training camp… ?”

“Yes. At first, I thought about doing it with Narae, but I didn’t think I would need it right away.”

In fact, training camp is a kind of extreme medicine.

It is a dangerous method that can either dramatically increase teamwork or go extremely wrong.

There is no need to involve Kim Na-rae, who has no problems.

“Of course, we will cover all accommodation and basic living expenses, and we plan to find a house where we can share the living room so that there is as little inconvenience as possible.”

“Uh… .”

“Just try it for two weeks, and if you feel any discomfort, you can stop. I have no intention of breaking your teamwork by forcing you.”

“Umm… .”

Bang Han-na, who seemed taken aback by the unexpected suggestion, showed a very subtle reaction, as if my persuasion had not worked… .

‘I need something powerful.’

After thinking about something to persuade her for a while, I immediately took out my cell phone and started appealing to her about the strengths of living in the dorm.

“Would you like to see what the room looks like first?”

“… Wow, suddenly?”

“Actually, I took pictures of everything just in case. ah. It’s the same apartment as my house, so I’m cool around here.”

“… … Yes?”

Their accommodation is the same apartment where I live.

It’s obvious that minor problems will arise between the two, but shouldn’t someone take care of them?

“Do you remember my house? It looks exactly the same as the structure… .”

“No, no, wait a minute… ! The accommodation is in the same building as the producer… ?”

“Is that a bit like that?”

“Well, that’s not it… ! that… . Is the producer also stopping by the hotel? ? Sis, it’s not that I don’t like it! A little more. that… . Should I say friendship? . Anyway, I was wondering if there was such a thing… !”

Bang Han-na looks strangely expectant.

To meet her expectations, I nodded confidently and recited the details of the services I could provide.

“Then, of course there is! Homemade home-cooked meals served every weekday evening. You can choose the dinner menu when participating in the grocery shopping. When there is no special business, we guarantee you to commute to work by your own car, and provide your own car and manpower for personal purposes. Isn’t this pretty good?”

Gulp─

My suggestion must have been very attractive, so she swallowed her saliva and carefully asked me back, blinking her big eyes as if she couldn’t believe it.

“… Really?”

“Yes.”

“Really? Are you really doing this?”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Well, that’s not it… ! I thought it might be too difficult… .”

“A… . If this is hard, you can’t be a producer.”

And only after receiving confirmation several times, he spoke with his eyes sparkling as if he was truly convinced.

“I’ll stay in the camp… !”

It felt like there was some other ulterior motive… .

‘Well, what’s good is good.’

One way or another, it was going in a good direction, so I decided not to think about it too hard.

*

After a while.

In the afternoon, I took some time to stop by the Sejin Guild headquarters and was having a meeting with Sejin Guild members, including Hye-ri Lee, about producing Black Rose.

“Our team is currently in second place with approximately 870,000 points. Since Queens has not been active at all at the gate recently, our goal is to narrow down the points as much as possible until we subdue the witch’s castle whose activity has been confirmed.”

Hunter team rankings are determined by how many points have been accumulated, which is converted into a kind of public value.

Based on the season concept, it is reset every August 1st, and the current first-place team, Queens, has a little over 1 million points.

“It says that there are three gates scheduled before the witch’s castle… . Is this correct?”

“Two A-class and one S-class, a total of three scheduled.”

“Hmm… . I think the schedule is too tight. Can’t it be removed after the Witch’s Castle?”

Im Da-seop, who is the producer of Black Rose, looked slightly troubled.

He, who has been in charge of Black Rose for nearly 10 years, has consistently explained the situation to me, who is much younger than me, by using an honorific title.

“Actually, I’d like to… . The kids really want to achieve first place in the witch’s castle.”

“Hmm… .”

I was able to fully understand the feelings of the Black Rose members.

Black Rose, which had always been in first place, has not been able to get out of second place for the rest of its life since the appearance of Queens.

If you don’t achieve first place now that you are at the peak of your career, you may never be able to top first again in the future.

Of course, there is something that has been built up over time, so it won’t fall down easily… .

It will not be easy to beat Queens, who has not yet reached what is called his prime.

however.

“I understand your feelings. I feel like I’m shouting too quickly. Even if you achieve first place in defeating the Witch’s Castle, the Queens will not sit still, so from then on, you will have to really put your life on the line.”

The world of competition is cruel.

It seems like Black Rose wants to take the lead in conquering the Witch’s Castle by 10,000 points.

This was a difference that would quickly be overturned if Queens resumed the gate conquest.

“The Witch’s Castle is not an ordinary S-class gate, and it is ambiguous even if you attack it calmly and in full condition. I think it would be right to try to persuade the members again.”

at that time.

“You can try to convince me yourself.”

Lee Hye-ri, who had been quietly observing the situation the whole time, readily spoke up.

“Come in.”

Then he motioned outside and called someone in.

Suddenly─

Eventually, the door opened and everyone’s eyes naturally focused on her.

“Excuse me.”

I was a little surprised by her unexpected appearance.

‘I’m a public figure!’

It was Gong Na, the leader of Black Rose and an S-rank hunter.

She came in with her trademark black bob hair and said hello to the Sejin guild people. Then, upon spotting me, she greeted me with a slightly surprised reaction.

“I heard you were there, so I came to see you. You’re not disturbed, right?”

“Is there anything that can get in the way? Thank you for coming.”

So, I naturally participated in the meeting.

“How far has it progressed?”

“Well, we were talking about our schedule… .”

Lim Dae-seop, who was explaining the contents of the meeting, looked at me carefully and told me that the schedule was tight… .

“… Really?”

As if it wasn’t right to interfere with their plans, Gong In-na gave me a strange look.

That moment.

“Producer Do Ji-hyuk says he has something to say about that. Let’s listen, right?”

Hyeri Lee quietly intervened and encouraged the conversation.

This meant that if you don’t like the schedule, do your best to persuade them.

‘However much.’

“… As you just heard, I decided that this schedule was unreasonable. I don’t think it’s enough even if I stock up on stamina to the witch’s castle.”

I said while making direct eye contact with Gong Inna.

“I’m not doubting Black Rose’s skills, but I’m saying this considering their future activities. As you know, the Witch’s Castle is a fairly difficult gate. There is no need to take risks and make unreasonable schedules ahead of such a large-scale event.”

Then, Gong In-na slightly narrowed her eyebrows as if she was disapproving, and then refuted it clearly.

“Do you know where our team’s goal is?”

“Yes. Isn’t it number 1?”

“Don’t you know better than anyone how hard you have to work to get that first place?”

That is correct.

There are probably few people who know hunter team rankings better than me.

but.

Therefore, I could not agree to this schedule.

“Then let me ask you just one question. Inna, how much do you want to be in first place?”

“What… .”

Gong-na is trailing off as if she doesn’t understand the gist of the question.

I continued my persuasion by recalling the probability that Black Rose would actually be ranked first.

“The odds of the Black Rose finishing the season in first place are quite low. Right now, the Cheonhwa Guild is using the Queens to the outside, but if they conquer just one gate a week, they will easily finish in first place.”

This time, Gong-na did not refute either.

Because it is such an obvious fact.

“That’s why I’m asking. Are you going to work hard and stay in first place for just one week, or… . Are you really going to work hard and finish the season in first place?”

“… It’s natural to want to end the season in first place.”

Gong Gong I was hoping for first place,

Thinking that I was actually done persuading, I leisurely opened my mouth.

“Then stop being stubborn and just follow the front desk.”

“… What?”

“The same goes for Producer Dae-seop Lim, who is here right now. The person who has led Black Rose for almost 10 years asked for my help, willing to bend his pride to somehow make it number one.”

A producer is equivalent to a manager in sports.

It is not easy for the coach who originally led the team to receive help from another coach.

“The producer also judged this schedule to be unreasonable, and the front office assisting the producer also judged the schedule to be unreasonable. Isn’t that right?”

“… That’s true, but… .”

Having obtained Lim Dae-seop’s consent, I looked at Gong In-na carefully and blurted out a few words.

“That’s right.”

however… .

“… So what should I do?”

Gong In-na clenched her fists as if she was angry and gave her a sharp look.

“The opportunity has come right in front of you, but are you just sitting still? How can you do that?”

She seemed really hungry for first place.

Although she was already an S-rank hunter, equivalent to 0.1%, and was leading a second-place team that was difficult to overcome, she seemed to have not yet given up her desire to be ‘normal’.

“If not for this time, I might never be able to rank first in my life! Anything… , you don’t have to do anything… !”

So is that so?

I am a public figure who only longs for the top… .

It felt so dazzling to my eyes.

“That’s why I came. To send Black Rose No. 1.”

“Hey… !”

“And. I think you’re mistaken… , I didn’t tell you to give up first place. I told you to change your schedule.”

“… !”

I ignored Hye-ri Lee, who was laughing out loud, and confidently declared while looking at me, the public figure who was caught off guard and staring blankly.

“I will definitely make you number one.”

“… Well, that’s… .”

Gong In-na and Lim Dae-seop looked at each other with a reaction that seemed difficult to believe,

I smiled shamelessly and spoke lightly to the two people.

“Would you like to continue the meeting?”