The Returnee’s Guild Must Grow Properly

I raised a hand to stifle my laughter. Every time I saw the Demon King, he was decked out in full black like a child of darkness, so seeing him like this was beyond unexpected.

“Wanghun!! If you’ve got a tongue, speak now!”
Wanghyun shouted, raising his sword dramatically. I barely managed to suppress a laugh threatening to burst out.

‘Wanghun’? Did the ‘Demon King’ (Ma-wang) and ‘Mahun’ merge to create Wanghun?

The mage and Spirit Master both gave me odd looks as I tried to keep my composure. Clearing my throat, I pretended to focus seriously on the Demon King.

Perched on the throne, he let out a lazy chuckle and finally opened his mouth.

The Demon King… acting?

“Then tell me, how can there be two suns beneath the heavens?”

…

Was that a line from the script, or was he genuinely asking? Judging by Wanghyun’s face, he seemed to think it was the latter. Yeah, I had a feeling this would happen.

As Wanghyun floundered, clearly thrown off, the Demon King, fully immersed in his role as ‘Wanghun,’ rose slowly from his throne.

“And this body has but one brother.”

Director, are you seriously not stopping this? Don’t tell me you think that’s part of the script?

As filming continued, Wanghun advanced towards Wanghyun. With a sly smile, he used the back of his hand to push aside the sword aimed at his neck.

“Do you know Woo Mahan? He is my brother.”

“Ah…?”

Wanghyun’s dumbfounded noise marked the end of the scene as silence fell over the set.

“Cut! NG!! NG!!! Mahun!! What the hell was that?! WHY!!”

Of course, the silence was short-lived, broken by the director’s angry shout. The director, whose hair was thinning alarmingly near the crown, stood up and ruffled what little he had left.

“I swear, I’m losing my mind!”

“Director, if you keep losing your temper like that, you’ll lose more hair.”

“ARGHHH!”

“Director, please calm down!!”

The Demon King’s sharp retort left the director’s face bright red. Holding up his index finger like it was a middle finger, the director roared.

“Consider yourself lucky you’re handsome!!”

“My face is rather handsome. My brother even told me to take good care of it because that’s all I’ve got going for me.”

“ARGH! Talking to you is impossible!!”

“Alright, let’s take a short break before resuming!” someone announced.

The director for Two Suns Beneath the Sky was supposed to be a famous figure in the industry. Even so, the Demon King had managed to drive him up the wall.

“Respect,” the mage murmured.

I nodded. Honestly, I had to admire the Demon King in so many ways.

As the chaotic set continued its spiral into disarray, Kang Hasu sighed deeply, as if in defeat, and muttered apologetically.

“During the script reading, we only focused on his vocal projection. We didn’t account for… this.”

“Wasn’t casting the Demon King as a major supporting actor the problem in the first place?”

“Exactly… And I tried so hard to stop them…”

Kang Hasu let out another long sigh. But the reprieve didn’t last.

“Representative Kang! Why didn’t you tell me you were here? More importantly, do something about that guy! We’re not making any progress!”

“Ack, Director, I’ll talk to him properly! It’s probably just nerves from being on such a big stage for the first time!”

The Demon King looked far from nervous, Representative Kang.

The director stormed off, but Kang Hasu managed to hand him a drink he’d somehow prepared in advance.

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: Why don’t we get drinks?
|Northern Grand Duke|: What do you mean, nothing for us?
|Pr. Spirit Master|: Please take such questions to private messages.

Grumbling, the director accepted the drink and walked off the set. Watching his retreating back, the mage whispered to the Spirit Master.

“Spirit Master, what about our drinks?”

“I’ll buy some on the way back. Now, for goodness’ sake, just sit still!”

“I didn’t even do anything!!”
The Spirit Master slapped the Mage on the shoulder with a sharp sound and then walked away.
“Mahun!”
Woo Mahun, who had just handed a red cloak draped over his shoulder to another man, widened his eyes in surprise when he saw us.
“Isn’t that Do Haun?! And the Mage, you’re here too!”

At the word “Mage,” all eyes turned toward him. The infamous Hae Roun, the Mage, covered his face with his large hand and lowered his head.
“…Damn, can someone shut the Demon King’s mouth?”
No one volunteered.

“Mahun, am I invisible to you?”
“I didn’t see you.”
“……”
Something seemed to snap in the Spirit Master’s head with an audible click.

“But why are you all here?”
I pointed at the Demon King’s loosely hanging robe.
“First of all, button that up. It’s unsightly.”
“Unsightly?!”
Despite his protest, the Demon King quickly fastened his robe. The Mage chuckled under his breath.

“We came to watch Mr. Mahun act, but he’s terribly bad at it!”
At the Mage’s snide comment, Woo Mahun scowled. I grabbed the Mage’s ear and turned to the Spirit Master.
“Representative, you didn’t bring me here to teach this guy how to act, did you?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why?”

Representative Kang Hasu, looking as though he’d aged ten years, stared at the Demon King and explained.
“In the upcoming episodes, Mahun will appear and need to act alongside another character.”
“Oh, is this what they call a spoiler? The Mage loves spoilers!”
“Can you please just shut up?!”

Instead of releasing his ear, I gave the Mage a loud smack on his talkative mouth. He yelped in pain and jumped, but if I’d known, I would have hit him harder. The Spirit Master shot the Mage a frosty glance before addressing me.
“By the way, the character’s name is ‘Haun.'”
“So?”

The guild my brother leads, “Haun,” had made the name fairly common. Seeing the name in a drama wasn’t particularly surprising. I tilted my head in confusion. The Spirit Master rubbed his face and sighed deeply.
“…You’ll understand when you see.”

I soon realized why, as the next shoot began.

*****

The rookie actor Yeon Bareun was gaining recognition through Two Suns Beneath the Sky.
He was supposed to be working alongside Doby, an actor notorious for his awful attitude, but his counterpart had suddenly been replaced.
Still, Yeon Bareun didn’t mind.

“Your Highness, have you forgotten me? Have you forgotten the promise you made that day?”

The new counterpart was much easier to act with than the unpredictable Doby.

But Yeon Bareun didn’t know.

“Haun.”

In Two Suns Beneath the Sky, Yeon Bareun’s role was the sole survivor of a family unjustly slaughtered under false accusations.

“On that departing summer day, did you not name me as such when you gazed at the clouds?”

Woo Mahun’s character, Wanghun, was a prince in hiding, living as a commoner to evade potential dangers.
During his concealment, Wanghun met Haun, who had lost everything, and gave her the name Haun.

With tears streaming down her face, Haun spoke in a trembling voice.
“I do not wish to stand by Your Highness. I do not desire the position of the queen.”

Everyone held their breath as they watched Yeon Bareun’s performance. Thrilled by the attention he was receiving, Yeon Bareun delivered his next line with relish.
“I only wish to follow behind Your Highness…”

“Such nonsense!!”

“!!”
Wanghun, who had been sitting on the throne the entire time, suddenly stood up with a voice filled with anger.
This wasn’t in the script.

Yeon Bareun sucked in a sharp breath, glancing at Woo Mahan and then at the director.
The director was silent, observing the scene with bated breath.

Yeon Bareun swallowed hard. The rookie actor playing Wanghun was clearly ad-libbing. Yeon Bareun scrambled to figure out how to respond.

“Do Haun is not a woman who would settle for the mere position of a consort!!”
“…What?”

Before he could think of a proper reaction, a dumbfounded sound escaped his lips.

Woo Mahoon frowned and pointed dramatically at Yeon Bareun.
“Do Haun is the Godslayer who defeated even the Demon God! How could such a woman settle for such a lowly position?”

“Uh, no, I…”

“Is that truly what you think?”

“N-No…”

Without realizing it, Yeon Bareun found himself shaking his head.

*****

Shit.
A raw curse almost slipped out.

The Spirit Master covered his face with both hands. I stared at him silently, mouthing my question.
Did you bring me here just to screw me over?

Meanwhile, the Mage clapped softly, clearly impressed.
“Wow, the Demon King really is incredible. Pulled another one off, didn’t he?”

“……”
Yeah, pulled off something huge!

“WO! MA! HUUUUN!!”
The director hurled the script to the ground and shot up from his seat.
“Woo Mahun, you little punk! Are you planning to keep this up?!”

“Director! Calm down! He’s the guild master Woo Mahan’s younger brother!”
“Hwarang is investing! He’s the investor’s brother!!”

Ah, the power of capitalism. The director clutched the back of his neck and exhaled heavily, trying to rein in his anger. Meanwhile, the Demon King tilted his head in confusion.
“I do not understand, Director. I merely spoke to defend Do Haun’s honor.”

No, I wasn’t dishonored in any way.

“Who is this Do Haun, anyway?! Who are they?! Tell me!!”

The Demon King raised his hand.

|Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master)|: If you point at me, you’re dead meat.

Noticing the message, the Demon King redirected his hand.
“…Me?”

The Mage let out a foolish sound, and the Spirit Master subtly stepped away from him.

Following the direction of the Demon King’s finger, the director shrieked.
“You’re Do Haun?! What’s your relationship with Mahun, huh?!”

“What? Me? My, my relationship with Mr. Mahun?”

The Mage, visibly flustered, looked at me with trembling eyes.

|Pr. 9th Circle Archmage|: What should I do? The Mage is super nervous right now!!