Online communities were abuzz with activity, and the hot topic of discussion was none other than Kang Cheol-min of the Cheongrim Guild.
[Title: What Was Kang Cheol-min Even Thinking?]
[ㅇㅇ]
Jeong Si-Hyun’s skills were already proven in Japan. What kind of intelligence does it take to bait people by claiming her title as the Saint is just a fluke? lol.
“If you think about it from Kang Cheol-min’s perspective, maybe it’s because the team lineup was completely different this ti?”
└ “True, the lineup was insane: Kim Ji-Ah, Jason, Sato, Kurosawa.”
└ “Wow, seeing it listed like that… the team really was stacked.”
“Different lineup, my foot, lol. It’s just that his IQ is lacking.”
└ “Exactly, lolol.”
└ “Bruh, even facts can be violent.”
“Why is everyone so harsh? Isn’t Cheongrim’s slogan ‘You Are the Protagonist!’? He’s just sticking to the branding.”
└ “You’re the worst, lol.”
└ “LMAO.”
[Title: So When’s the Bow Happening?]
[ㅇㅇ]
[ㅇㅇ]?
“Only Kang Cheol-min knows that, lol.”
└ “For real, lmao.”
“Knowing Kang Cheol-min’s personality, you think he’ll actually do it? I’d bet my precious on him not doing it.”
└ “Nobody asked for that… just saying.”
└ “Safe bet, honestly. I don’t think he’ll do it either.”
└ “And so, his precious was spared.”
[Title: Thinking About It Again…]
[ㅇㅇ]
Anyone rember Kang Cheol-min’s special lecture at the Academy? Back then, Si-Hyun hadn’t revealed her identity yet, but I heard he mocked her as a troll based on what soone told him. Looking back now… wasn’t he actually the troll?
“Oh? Now that you ntion it, yeah.”
└ “Right? Is Kang Cheol-min secretly the weakest of the S-ranks?”
└ “LOL, at this point, I’m starting to doubt if he’s even an S-rank Hunter.”
“Still, the dungeon raid was a success. Cheers to that.”
“Special lecture? What’s that about? Soone drop a link.”
Posts ridiculing Kang Cheol-min flooded every corner of the internet. So even dug up his past mistakes for further mockery. There was no way Kang Cheol-min himself was unaware of how things were spiraling.
“Goddammit!”
Bang!
Unable to suppress his rage, Kang Cheol-min slamd his fist into the furniture beside him. The hospital-grade table next to his bed shattered with a loud crack.
“How dare they! How dare they humiliate like this!”
His breathing was ragged, his face flushed red, and his eyes burned with fury. The storm of emotions boiling inside him demanded release.
“Huuh…!”
He exhaled sharply, then abruptly stood up, marching toward the door with heavy, anger-filled steps.
The sound of his stomping echoed through the hospital corridor. It didn’t take long before he found one of the Cheongrim Guild staff mbers waiting in the lounge.
Kang Cheol-min strode up to the man and leaned in close, his face re inches away.
“You. Co with .”
“W-What? Sir, uh, what’s this about…?”
His threatening voice and sharp gaze sent the staff mber into a stamring panic. The man’s hesitance only served to further ignite Kang Cheol-min’s fury.
“Don’t make repeat myself! Are you ignoring now, too?!”
“N-No, sir! I’ll co right away!”
The staff mber stood, trembling from head to toe, and followed Kang Cheol-min, though his dread was impossible to hide.
‘This is bad… really bad.’
He could already predict the storm coming his way. Incidents like this weren’t uncommon in the Cheongrim Guild.
At the sa ti, another thought bubbled up in his mind, unbidden but persistent:
‘Do I really have to stay in Cheongrim, enduring this kind of treatnt?’
His anger turned inward, directed at both Kang Cheol-min and the guild itself. A deep-seated resentnt began to simr.
“If you had handled things properly from the start, this wouldn’t have happened!”
In a quiet, empty room, Kang Cheol-min unleashed his fury. From the script he’d been forced to use during the special lecture to the dia interviews, nothing had sat right with him. Why hadn’t the guild’s PR team cut him off when they had the chance?
As his rant escalated, spit flew from his mouth, landing on the staff mber’s face. The man endured the indignity silently, knowing that any misstep could lead to physical violence.
But in that mont, sothing inside the staff mber snapped. The suppressed frustration, humiliation, and doubt about Cheongrim erupted like a dam breaking.
‘I can’t… I can’t take this anymore.’
The decision was made. He would leave Cheongrim.
***
Public interest in Kang Cheol-min showed no signs of waning. Despite being the one to provoke Jeong Si-Hyun first, he refused to apologize or even issue a statent of regret. This only fueled the ridicule directed at him.
[Title: Is Kang Cheol-min Really Not Apologizing?]
[ㅇㅇ]
Not only is he dragging himself down, but the Cheongrim Guild’s reputation is also tanking. Still no word from him?
“If he had the sense to apologize, he wouldn’t have stirred up trouble in the first place.”
└ “Exactly.”
└ “For real, lol.”
“??? : Anyway, I’ve done nothing wrong~”
“Looks like he doesn’t even have the courage to apologize, lol.”
“Probably too busy eating hospital food.”
[Title: ‘The Virtue of a Tanker?’]
[ㅇㅇ]
Above all else, it’s silence!
“I’ll bow deeply.”
“I’ll bow deeply.”
“I’ll bow deeply.”
“What the hell are you all doing? Lol.”
└ “Analyze the situation calmly. What matters is montum.”
└ “?????”
└ “This is from Kang Cheol-min’s Academy lecture script, lol. It’s a now.”
└ “Ah, thanks! That’s what it was, lol.”
“He’s doing a great job embodying that virtue, lol.”
As public attention grew, an anonymous tip was sent to a dia outlet. The details were explosive, enough to cause widespread outrage. The dia acted swiftly.
[Breaking News: Kang Cheol-min Exposed for Assaulting Guild Employees While Intoxicated.]
[Cheongrim Guild Whistleblower: ‘Are They Really Protagonists?’ Doubts Mount.]
[The ‘Karma of Kang Cheol-min’ Goes Viral.]
What began as a ripple turned into a tidal wave. Additional revelations surfaced, each more shocking than the last, until the scandal beca a full-blown societal issue.
[Cheongrim Guild Exposed for Exploiting Rookie Hunters with Unfair Workloads and Allocations.]
[Cheongrim Guild’s Unfair Profit Practices Unveiled as Whistleblowers Co Forward.]
[Breaking News: Cheongrim Guild Allegedly Behind Kim Ji-Ah’s Dungeon Accident. Fatal Dungeon Entry Ordered by Leadership.]
Each revelation shook the public and irrevocably tarnished Cheongrim’s image.
As the guild’s misconduct ca to light, rival guilds joined the fray, helping to expose its corruption further. Internal whistleblowers increased, and mbers left the guild in droves. Cheongrim’s facade crumbled, revealing its ugly core.
“Yes, it’s true. Cheongrim has been manipulating dungeon entry approvals by leveraging connections with the Hunter Bureau.”
“Wasn’t Kim Ji-Ah’s case similar? Rember the dungeon where her entire team died? Even the sole survivor ended up with permanent injuries. Isn’t that person the Academy President now?”
“It wouldn’t be surprising if her title as a specialist in high-risk dungeons was forced on her, regardless of her will.”
These allegations, tied to Kim Ji-Ah—a national hero alongside Jeong Si-Hyun—sparked outrage. The public was no longer just shocked; they were furious.
Naturally, the news reached Si-Hyun as well. Her fury was directed straight at the Hunter Bureau.
“If you don’t want to see lose my temper, clean out every single Cheongrim associate involved in this. If you don’t handle this properly… I will ensure this matter doesn’t end quietly.”
Si-Hyun’s voice, usually warm and approachable, was as cold as ice. Hunter Bureau Team Leader Jang Han-Soo broke into a nervous sweat under her piercing gaze. The Bureau declared a state of ergency, launching a large-scale audit.
This wasn’t the end. Si-Hyun’s influence had already surpassed national authority. Several corporations severed ties with Kang Cheol-min, scrambling to distance themselves from the scandal, especially with Kim Ji-Ah’s na now involved.
Advertising contracts, sponsorship deals, and collaborations with Kang Cheol-min all dissolved. Even Cheongrim Guild’s sponsors abandoned them.
Si-Hyun watched it all unfold. She had disliked Cheongrim ever since the incident with Da-Young and the Wing Guild. Now, Cheongrim had cented itself as her adversary.
Ultimately, Cheongrim’s leadership pressured Kang Cheol-min to act. The guild leader demanded he apologize to Si-Hyun and Kim Ji-Ah without delay.
But Kang Cheol-min resisted. His pride wouldn’t allow it. Besides, the incident with Kim Ji-Ah wasn’t his fault—it had been on orders from the late Yoo Byung-Joon. He refused to bow.
Even so, the scales had tipped irreversibly. Public outrage toward Cheongrim and Kang Cheol-min continued to grow.
What did Kang Cheol-min have left?
His honor was ruined. His credibility as a hunter was in shambles. Public opinion had turned entirely against him. Even his financial backing was gone. While he had amassed considerable wealth, his extravagant spending habits couldn’t sustain him indefinitely. He was cornered.
And so was Cheongrim.
“Hunter Jeong Si-Hyun is at the Bureau right now! Go and apologize imdiately!”
“…Hah.”
Grimacing, Kang Cheol-min reluctantly changed his clothes. He had no other way out. He got into a car driven by a guild employee and headed to the Bureau.
But when he arrived—
“…What did you say?”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we can’t allow you inside.”
“You’ve got to be kidding .”
Kang Cheol-min was blocked at the entrance by Bureau hunters who had rushed out to stop him.
“Do you even know who I am?! I’m Kang Cheol-min, an S-rank hunter!”
“Yes, we know. That’s precisely why we can’t let you in.”
“What the—! Hah!”
Fuming, Kang Cheol-min’s face turned beet red as he yelled, “You think you can handle the consequences of this?!”
“Consequences?”
Jang Han-Soo, standing in front of him, smirked. He couldn’t suppress a chuckle at the absurdity of the threat.
“Of course we can. After all, we have the Saint on our side.”
The confidence in Han-Soo’s voice was unwavering. Not even an S-rank hunter intimidated him.
Kang Cheol-min, impulsive as ever, reached for Han-Soo’s collar in a fit of rage.
“Do you want to kill you right here—”
Wham!
A sharp fist struck Kang Cheol-min’s face before he could finish his threat. He collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain.
It was Si-Hyun.
“Director, has he done anything else to bother you?” she asked calmly, dusting her hands as if she had touched sothing dirty.
“Not at all! You arrived at the perfect ti. Thank you,” Han-Soo replied with a grin.
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.” Si-Hyun cast a disdainful glance at the groaning Kang Cheol-min.
“As they say, old habits die hard. This guy hasn’t learned a thing.”
The contempt in her voice was palpable.
Struggling to his feet, Kang Cheol-min’s face contorted in rage as he shouted, “You bitch!”
He swung his fist toward her, but—
Smack!
Jason caught his fist mid-swing, gripping it tightly.
“Well, aren’t you an unruly little man,” Jason said with a chuckle, his strength making it impossible for Kang Cheol-min to move.
Si-Hyun turned to Jason with a smirk. “Take care of him, will you? I don’t feel like dealing with this ss myself.”
“With pleasure,” Jason replied.
“Damn it!” Kang Cheol-min scread, his frustration boiling over.
Si-Hyun responded by flipping him off with a smile before walking away with Han-Soo.
Jason didn’t hold back. By the end of it, Kang Cheol-min was back in the hospital, battered and bruised.
The incident spread quickly, accelerating the downfall of both Kang Cheol-min and Cheongrim Guild.
In the city, advertisents featuring Kang Cheol-min and Cheongrim began disappearing one by one.
The public had made their choice clear: they stood with Si-Hyun. Kang Cheol-min was no longer the protagonist of his own story.
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