After assessing the atmosphere, I began to grasp Lee Jihye's strategy for handling this situation.
"Hm, she's smart," I thought to myself, recognizing her ability to assess situations effectively.
It was clear that I wasn't the only one skilled in this area. The Black Swans were fortunate to have someone capable of handling their internal affairs. It was a bit embarrassing to acknowledge that my rival could be Lee Jihye, but there was no shame in it. She was possibly just as adept as I was in employing underhanded political tactics.
In any case, she was a hundred times better and smarter than Jung Yura. This meant I had a valid reason to be cautious.
"Unfortunately for you, however, I know just what you're planning to do," I thought, realizing that Lee Jihye intended to let others know about our "close" relationship through such means.
I decided to play along. "Is that really you?"
"Yeah. It's nice to see you here again."
"Long time no see. How have you been?"
"I've been fine. I honestly thought it'd be a long time before we met again. I'm pleasantly surprised to see that it isn't."
"Yes, I agree." I nodded in response to her words, confirming that I was right. All present Black Swan Guild members appeared pleased upon hearing our exchange, as did the delusional old men from my side.
"Hahaha. I see that you're both getting along quite well," one of the old men chimed in.
'What the heck are you laughing at? You crazy old man.' I couldn't help but feel uneasy about their presence. It spelled trouble. At the same time, I felt a slight embarrassment at this display.
Despite the fact that the Black Swans were a large guild representing Lindel, the Blue Guild saw no reason to bow to them simply because they had decided to visit. We were in accord with the Red Mercenary Guild, so we had the upper hand.
This situation was akin to spoiling Jung Yura with lots of candy. In the process of diplomatically resolving this complex situation, I knew the Blue Guild could gain more than any other guild.
"I must apologize for stopping by this late. We also had some matters to deal with from our side," Lee Seolho said.
"No, no, your presence here is already enough," Lee Seolho's words irritated me.
'Enough? What do you mean, enough? Crazy old man,' I thought.
I didn't like how we were faring in this exchange. There were polite smiles all around, and the easy dismissal of apologies made me feel like the rude one for not joining in the pleasantries.
Then the introductions began.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I failed to do this… I am Choi Eunhee from the Black Swan Guild."
"I am Kee Miyoung. It's nice to meet you."
However, it seemed that Lee Seolho did not want to help me out. As if to ignore my words, he turned to Choi Eunhee and spoke as if I wasn't there at all.
"Oh no, no, why don't we have some tea instead of all this awkward hoo-ha?" Lee Seolho suggested.
"Yes, Seolho. Shall we do that?"
They then began to strike up a conversation, leaving me fuming.
'What the heck are you laughing at? You crazy old man.' I didn't like how we were faring in this exchange. There were polite smiles all around and the easy dismissal of apologies. In such a situation, I felt like I was the rude one, simply because I was the only one who refused to join in the pleasantries.
Then Lee Jihye spoke up. "Tea would be nice. I think both of you should do that. We still have other things to discuss here."
"Ah," both Lee Seolho and Choi Eunhee gazed at Lee Jihye in surprise.
However, upon seeing Choi Eunhee nod at her words, almost trembling, I realized Lee Jihye had more authority than I first thought.
'Hm, that's interesting,' I thought. I didn't know exactly how the Black Swan Guild's system operated, but it seemed that they had respect for those who held authority within their group.
"Then will we do that? Seolho?"
"Y-Yes, I suppose…"
"We have separate matters to talk about, anyway. I think it would be better to leave this work to the younger ones. First, I will show you the gift I bought."
"Huh, huh. Thank you so much for this, Eunhee Choi."
'He's not just crazy, he's also gullible,' I thought. Their plan was quite obvious.
They wanted to win the Blue Guild over by bribing the corrupted ones with gifts. Choi Eunhee smiled and nodded to Lee Jihye upon Seolho's confirmation.
"Take care of Yura then, Jihye."
"Yes, eunni."
No matter which angle I tried to take, the two indeed resembled a close-knit relationship. Pretty soon, the older ones left the parlor, leaving me alone with Lee Jihye and Jung Yura.
Although Lee Jihye herself was smiling, Jung Yura looked none too pleased to be here. It seemed that she was struggling from just trying to rein in her emotions. I could understand why.
She was also struggling with self-guilt; I knew it. Not only did she bring shame to her guild, but she also single-handedly destroyed their pleasant relationship with the Red Mercenaries.
How many adventurers chose to boycott the Black Swans, leaving the guild with less than a few opportunities to redeem themselves.
It was only natural that her position within the guild be brought down due to her actions. Perhaps she was grateful she hadn't been kicked out at this point.
Even with these thoughts running in my head, the urge to smile was still apparent.
Unsurprisingly, Lee Jihye took it upon herself to start the conversation.
"Aren't you annoyed?"
"What?"
"The old man from earlier… It doesn't take a lot of smarts to realize if someone is useless or not, and that man looked as useless as they would go."
"Well, every guild has its own circumstances to focus on. I wasn't even expecting to see you."
"It just happened out of the blue. I hadn't been expecting it at all, yet I suppose my guild also needs someone to deal with situations like these. The executives also decided that I would be the best person to deal with this situation."
"I agree with them."
"This is all thanks to you. After all, you inspired me to work harder to secure my standing."
"Thank you for such praise."
"I'm not saying this for the sake of having something to say. In fact, I've seen the advantages of being close to you . Knowing you, you're very well capable of designing situations such as this."
I couldn't read her expression properly, but I knew that she was just trying to get me to admit to my involvement. Keeping my expression nonchalant, I shrugged.
"Well. I don't know what you're talking about."
Jung Yura, who was sitting next to Lee Jihye, looked very much embarrassed. During this whole exchange, she shrunk down in her seat, trying her best to look inconspicuous.
I, too, felt a little surprised. I would have expected Lee Jihye to include her in the conversation right away, but the opposite was happening. It actually felt like Jung Yura was being excluded from the conversation.
No… It felt like Lee Jihye was using this opportunity to watch Jung Yura's reaction.
'Huh.'
I had to admit that the girl was definitely resourceful. Although she had revealed her advantageous position at having some form of relationship with me, Lee Jihye only seemed interested in having this advantage serve her well, not for the guild's sake.
"Anyway, it's all been said and done. There's nothing we can do but try our best to fix the situation… But before that, how have you been all this time? It's been so long…"
I was no longer surprised when Lee Jihye hitched up her skirt ever-so-subtly as she spoke.
I remained poker-faced.
"Oh, you're so cruel. I thought for a moment that it would be good to reminisce…"
"Don't say such things, Jihye. You're just trying to spin this situation around."
"Oh, . If this girl wasn't here right now, I know things would be different."
"It's not because of that."
"I think I can understand what you mean… Anyway! Before we get on with the real story, I think an apology is in order. Jung Yura? It's your turn." Upon saying this, Lee Jihye tapped Yura on the shoulder.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting this kind of scenario at all. If I had known, I would have brought Lee Jihye to my side as soon as possible.
At Lee Ji-hye's urging, Jung Yura turned to look at me.
Of course, I knew she had no intention to apologize to me at all. In fact, the woman was probably thinking about how unfair it was to have to apologize when she did nothing wrong in the first place. However, on the other hand, she knew she had no choice.
Seeing her struggling within herself almost made me laugh.
It wasn't what I wanted, but it's not bad either.
"…Sorry."
"Oh, Miss Yura… I think you have to apologize a little more sincerely, or else I will not accept that."
"So… I'm sorry."
A painful silence ensued afterwards.
Suddenly, Lee Jihye lunged forward and grabbed Jung Yura's hair by the handful, forcing her to look at me directly.
'Huh.'
At this point, I couldn't really figure out what was going on anymore.
After seeing Yura's trembling expression, I began to wonder more about Lee Jihye's influence within their guild.
"Yura, didn't you hear what I just said?" Lee Jihye demanded.
Jung Yura blinked several times at this, unsure as to how she could respond.
"Please do it properly this time."
Watching this spectacle almost made me laugh aloud. Seeing how Lee Jihye treated Jung Yura, I caught a glimpse of how the entire guild must be treating the woman now.
At the same time, I made a mental note to assess Lee Jihye more carefully now. It appeared that every move she made was calculated, yet for what reason, I did not know.
Perhaps she did it to show off her authority to the other person, but I also knew it had something to do with showing preference to the opposing side – my side.
It felt great seeing someone like me, someone who knew they had little to no potential, yet managed to get by through wits alone.
Based on potentials, it wouldn't be a hassle for Jung Yura to kill Lee Jihye off. In fact, it would be as easy as stomping on an ant. However, the fear on the other woman's face was palpable, giving me the impression that Lee Jihye's position within the Black Swan was quite possibly higher than my position within the Blue Guild.
"Please apologize as sincerely as you can."
With a snap, Jung Yura was forced to look my way again. Watching her, I felt no compassion at all. Rather, this scene felt a bit exhilarating to witness. I wasn't a pervert, but it felt nice to see one of my past tormentors suffer to this extent.
Tears had already begun dripping from Jung Yura's eyes. However, she tried her best to remain composed.
When a moment had passed, and she still had not apologized, Lee Jihye hauled the woman to her feet.
"I told you to apologize straight away. Yura."
Whatever choice Jung Yura would make now didn't matter. She would receive humiliation either way.
"Do you understand me now? Apologize as sincerely as you can."
"So…"
At the next moment, Lee Jihye sent Jung Yura sprawling onto the floor. It was then that the woman broke.
"Sorry. Ugh… I'm really sorry. I was very thoughtless in my words and actions… I'm so sorry."
I felt a strange sort of pleasure at this scene. Here was a woman who could easily kill me off if she wished to – and yet, she was on the floor and apologizing to me.
As soon as she apologized, Lee Jihye turned to me.
"I have anything you want. If you don't want me, then will this girl do it?"
"No, I'm not interested in that."
"Still… There must be something you want."
"Hm… I think my shoes look a little dirty…"
At my words, Lee Jihye began to smile.
'Ah, it's such a waste not to have you on my team…' I couldn't help but think about this.