The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

The mage was having a blast, but I couldn’t care less. I grabbed the Spirit Master by the shoulder and shook him.

“Hey! Why are we even going there?”

“Hold on a second! I’m driving, aren’t I?!”

The car swerved slightly with a screeching sound. Clicking my tongue in annoyance, I let go of the Spirit Master. The mage, tapping away on their phone with a delighted grin, suddenly turned to me and pressed a finger to their lips.

“Miss Haun, hush for a moment.”

If only that damn “Miss” nonsense would stop.

“…Miss Haun? I was wondering why you two were together, but what’s going on here?” The Spirit Master looked at me with a dazed expression. I simply shrugged in response. Then, the mage, now holding their phone to their ear, broke into an even wider smile as they started talking.

Whoever could they be calling to look that pleased?

“Yes, Guild Master Hajun, it’s me.”

The voice on the other end was my brother. The mage shot me a playful glance through the rearview mirror and continued.

“No, nothing much. We’re just on the move with Representative Kang Hasu right now.”

The mage paused briefly before speaking again.

“Yes, one moment. I’ll hand him over.”

And ever so kindly, the mage held the phone right up to Kang Hasu’s ear. Kang Hasu glared at the mage for a moment but quickly softened his expression.

“Oh! Guild Master Do Hajun, hello! It’s Kang Hasu here.”

With a smile that I could practically feel through the phone, Kang Hasu began speaking.

“Yes, you see, there was something I promised Miss Haun during the evaluation incident. Yes, yes, we’re not going anywhere unnecessary. Just a little visit to a drama set.”

After another pause, Kang Hasu’s smile deepened as he responded again.

“Understood. I’ll pass her the phone now.”

At his words, the mage handed me the phone. With a deep scowl, I took it and brought it to my ear.

―Haun.

“Yeah, brother.”

Almost as soon as I responded, messages started flooding in from my annoying guild members.

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: The mage definitely wants to go!!
|Pr. Spirit Master|: Please, Guild Master!! I’ll take on three requests a week!! No, five!!

Ignoring the mage’s message, I responded directly to the Spirit Master.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: Make sure you keep that promise. ^^

Upon seeing my reply, the Spirit Master let out a pained groan. Ignoring him, I focused on my brother’s voice again.

―How did you even end up running into Representative Kang Hasu? You said you didn’t have any plans today.

“I forgot. You know how Hain’s obsessed with that drama lately?”

―Two Suns Beneath the Sky, that one?

“Yeah. I’ve been watching it with him, and Representative Kang said if the evaluation went smoothly, he’d take me to see the filming set.”

At my response, Kang Hasu exhaled in visible relief while the mage gleefully raised their hand in triumph.

―I see… Got it, Haun. Just make sure you stay close to Hae Roun. Understand?

“Hae Roun…”

Trailing off, I glanced ahead.

“Could you two stop being so distracting? I’m trying to drive here!” Kang Hasu snapped.

“Ugh! If that little bit of noise is a problem, your driving skills are seriously lacking!” retorted the mage.

“Ugh, seriously!”

Stay close to that guy? Really, brother? Does it have to be this way?

―Haun?

“…Yeah, fine…”

Resigned, I handed the phone over to Hae Roun. Grinning like a fox, the mage answered with a sugary voice.

“Yes, Guild Master Do Hajun! Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll keep a close eye on Miss Haun. You can rest easy!”

As soon as the call ended, Kang Hasu broke his silence.

“Miss? Guild Master, why on earth does that mage keep calling you that?”

“‘That mage,’ huh?! You’ve hurt the mage’s feelings, you know!!”

The Spirit Master looked at the mage with a face full of distaste. I let out a deep sigh and said,

“I have a contractor-employee relationship with him.”

“What?”

“To be precise, our Guild Master is technically the client’s target of employment,” the mage chimed in with an annoyingly cheerful tone.

“What…?”

The Spirit Master’s voice was incredulous, but instead of responding, I leaned my head against the car window.

“Just tell us what this is all about already.”

“Ah… I was going to, but I forgot because of that loud mage.”

“Don’t call me ‘that loud mage!’ It’s mean!”

“Silence!”

Both of them were being noisy. Honestly, I wished I could just get out of the car. But then again, if I did, there wouldn’t be anyone left to drive. That’d be a problem.

The Spirit Master, who had almost been sucked into the mage’s chaotic pace, cleared his throat a couple of times to steady himself.

“Ahem. So, do you remember when Dobin came to us before the evaluation?”

“When he said he didn’t want to do the drama anymore? Yeah, I remember.”

The Spirit Master wore the expression of someone who had aged a decade as he replied.

“While we were busy dealing with the media frenzy caused by the evaluation, Dobin couldn’t hold back and got into a huge fight with the director.”

“About quitting the drama?”

“Yes, apparently, he declared he was dropping out.”

“Dobin is truly a free spirit.”

Both Kang Hasu and I turned to glare at the troublesome mage as if we’d coordinated it. The mage pursed his lips and fell silent.

Kang Hasu sighed heavily before continuing.

“The director said he couldn’t continue without a replacement actor….”

As the car came to a stop at a red light, Kang Hasu lightly tapped the steering wheel before running his hand through his hair. His tone was tinged with irritation as he added,

“And Dobin actually found a replacement.”

“Wow, so he does have celebrity friends?”

“No. Dobin doesn’t have friends.”

“….”

The Spirit Master’s blunt declaration left me momentarily speechless.

The light turned green, and Kang Hasu shifted gears and resumed driving. Meanwhile, the mage took out a bottle of water and began drinking.

“He brought in someone who’s apparently working as a bit actor….”

Wait a minute.

An ominous feeling welled up inside me. I moved to stop the Spirit Master from speaking, but before I could, he dropped the bomb.

“It’s the Demon King.”

“Pfft!!”

The mage spat out the water they had been drinking.

“Cough, cough, hack! W-who?!”

“…The Demon King! And wipe up that mess with some tissues!” Kang Hasu scolded, handing over some tissues from the glove compartment.

More importantly… what? Dobin brought in the Demon King as his replacement? For a supporting lead role in the drama?

I pressed my temples, feeling an ache that shouldn’t have been possible thanks to the Saintess’s power.

“Why in the world…? No, wait—how is it even possible for him to be Dobin’s replacement?”

“The director and writer both gave their immediate approval after seeing him.”

“Why?”

At my question, Kang Hasu let out a groan and replied.

“They said they liked his presence. He looks great on camera, his voice projection is better than most professional actors, and…”

“But the mage also looks great on camera!” the mage interrupted.

“Quiet,” the Spirit Master snapped decisively, making the mage sulk with a pout. Whether he was sulking or not wasn’t my concern.

More surprising was that the Demon King apparently had unexpected talents.

Still, this was too much.

“What about his older brother? Didn’t he object to this?”

“Apparently not. His older brother even raised both hands in celebration, saying, ‘Finally found something you’re good at?’”

“…”

Guild Master Woo Mahan! Instead of celebrating with open arms, you should’ve opposed it! You know exactly what kind of mouth your younger brother has!

Just imagining that infernal tongue spewing words in front of a camera sent shivers down my spine.

Letting out a groan, I asked, “But isn’t the drama close to finishing?”

“There’s still a while to go. The ratings are so good they extended it by five more episodes.”

Those ratings will probably get cut in half once the Demon King appears.

“What’s the story going to be like? Even with a stand-in, anyone can tell Dobin and the Demon King look completely different. Is a Hunter going to cast a skill or something?”

“No, nothing like that. The twist is that Dobin’s character was actually a fake royal all along, and the real one has been in hiding.”

“And the real one is… the Demon King?”

“Exactly.”

It’s certainly a creative way to twist the story.

“We’ve arrived.”

The sleek black SUV came to a stop at a bustling filming set teeming with people.

“Guild Master,” the Spirit Master turned to me with a face full of desperation. “Please… I’m begging you.”

Begging me for what, exactly?

*****

A drama rewriting the history of cable TV, it followed the story of two princes, twins separated by fate.

Dobin had played the eldest, Crown Prince Wangho.

And the one who stood against him…

“How could there be two suns beneath the heavens, my brother?!”

…was the second prince, Wanghyun, born a royal but raised as the son of a servant. Except the man challenging him wasn’t Dobin.

“Where’s Dobin?” I muttered.

“Shh,” Kang Hasu hissed, furrowing his brows.

I pouted but turned my attention back to the man facing off against Wanghyun. Draped in a crimson robe over a loose white jeogori, his front partially undone, I squinted to determine if he was really the person I thought he was. No matter how I looked, it didn’t seem possible.

Even the mage, standing next to me, had their mouth hanging open.

Frowning, I sent a message to the Spirit Master.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: That guy… is he really the Demon King?

The Spirit Master glanced at me, his brows knitting together, before sighing deeply. Then he sent a reply.

|Pr. Spirit Master|: Yes—he’s the Demon King――^^

What the… seriously?

|Pr. Spirit Master|: The director and writer saw him in that outfit and immediately shouted OK――^^