A few days later...

"Hmm... I think we should just consolidate the departments altogether..."

I was thinking of changing the direction of Team A’s management.

"Are you planning another reorganization?"

"Yeah, I was considering merging everything into one."

I thought back to when Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana had recently led other S-rank hunters into the dungeon.

"Doesn't it seem like dividing teams and departments is meaningless at this point? We should just keep the ranks and get rid of the rest."

"Well, smaller guilds do that, but do you think it’s okay for us to do the same?"

"They seem to be managing just fine without much oversight."

Looking at how dungeons were being cleared recently, that was the case. Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana were going at it full force, voluntarily.

I hadn’t even given them any specific instructions, but they were practically tearing through dungeons like mad.

In fact, it seemed that the departments were only restricting them. Now, they were working on their own without needing any organizational boundaries.

"Wait... you're saying we should just get rid of the departments altogether?"

"Yes, I’m thinking of leaving only the ranks. My original plan was to assign each department to an S-rank hunter, but I don’t see the need for that anymore."

I wondered if they’d be disappointed. After all, the S-rank hunters were probably looking forward to being assigned to their own departments. Everyone in the hunter world wants to work with an S-rank hunter.

"Th-thank you!!!"

"...?"

The reaction was unexpected.

"Oh, we thought we were going to die!!! Lee Soo-ah was running us ragged. There was no way we could keep up with the S-rank hunters."

"It was the same for us. Yoo Hana was way ahead of us, clearing dungeons like it was a competition. We couldn’t keep up at all."

They were practically tearing up as they spoke, clearly overwhelmed by the previous restructuring.

'What? They’re actually relieved?'

I felt a bit guilty, but they seemed to be happy about the change. Instead of assigning S-ranks to separate departments, the plan was to let them work together freely as one team.

'Did Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana really push them that hard over the past few days?'

Everyone let out a sigh of relief, looking like they’d been freed from shackles. Their expressions were practically filled with gratitude, as if they were looking at their savior.

"Honestly, A-rank should stick to A-rank, and B-rank should do the same. I don’t know what’s gotten into Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana lately. They’ve been tearing through dungeons like crazy."

"Exactly! They used to handle things just fine, but now, all of a sudden, they’re acting like this... Why?"

The heads of departments 1 and 2 were staring at me, as if I was the one responsible.

"I didn’t say a word. Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are doing this on their own."

I waved my hands in denial, but it didn’t seem like anyone believed me.

"Reorganizing the departments? You're going to merge them? All at once?"

"Yes. It seems like Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are managing things well on their own."

"Huh...? But don’t large guilds usually divide things more systematically?"

"True, but Lee Soo-ah was basically doing things her own way anyway, right?"

"Well... that’s true..."

Lee Soo-ah looked a bit flustered, as if I had hit a nerve.

"So, I think we should just leave the ranks and let everyone work freely. I believe Team A’s profits will stay high regardless."

"Yes."

Lee Soo-ah left with a satisfied smile on her face.

'What’s she so happy about?'

Everyone seemed to be content with the situation. I had expected some pushback before making the changes, but it looked like everyone had their own plans in mind.

'Hehe... Whether the departments are divided or merged, it doesn’t matter to me. As long as I do what Ji-hoon wants and become the number one S-rank hunter, that’s all that matters.'

Lee Soo-ah was giggling to herself, feeling very pleased. She had made significant progress over the past few days. There had been a gap between her and the current number one S-rank, Cha Soo-hyun, but she was quickly closing that gap.

'Hmm... but Yoo Hana...'

She couldn’t stop thinking about Yoo Hana. It seemed like she had the same goal.

'What the hell... Yoo Hana... Seriously...'

Her competitive spirit towards Yoo Hana was reigniting. Although they had formed an alliance for a while, in this situation, the first to get ahead and please Baek Ji-hoon would be the winner.

'Ji-hoon may not want to make it obvious, but I know he’s rooting for me. To meet his expectations, I have to become the number one S-rank as soon as possible...'

Lee Soo-ah set her sights on Cha Soo-hyun. The biggest obstacle in her way was Cha Soo-hyun.

'He wants me to be number one again. If I reclaim the top spot, Ji-hoon will definitely pay more attention to me. Hehe.'

She smiled brightly as she returned to the office.

"Soo-ah, you seem to be in a good mood lately. Not tired? I heard from Manager Park that you were running through dungeons like crazy yesterday."

Manager Cha was looking at her suspiciously, as if something was off.

"Yes, I’m going to become the number one S-rank again. I’m working hard to take Cha Soo-hyun down. Hehe."

"Why the sudden change? You weren’t like this before."

"Well, it’s my decision. I was struggling with status effects before, but since Ji-hoon arrived, I’ve been doing much better. I think Ji-hoon is having a positive influence on me."

"Hmm. Is that so? Well, I won’t stop you from working hard, Soo-ah."

He tilted his head slightly in confusion and walked away.

"Sigh, Manager Cha. I’ve always worked hard. Why does he keep picking a fight with me?"

She didn’t seem to care too much.

Bang!

Lee Jin-hyuk stormed in, slamming the door open.

"Hey, Soo-hyun! Soo-hyun!!!"

"What is it? Can you keep it down?"

Cha Soo-hyun glanced at him with a slightly annoyed expression. She was too busy figuring out how to get back to Baek Ji-hoon.

"Ugh... Do you even know what Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are doing right now? They’re going crazy trying to become the number one S-rank. I heard they’re about to overtake you. What are you doing?"

Lee Jin-hyuk was visibly upset. The only reason he had managed to hold on to Cha Soo-hyun was because of her position, but now that reason was at risk of disappearing.

'Wait... Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are suddenly working hard? To be number one? What’s going on?'

She looked a bit surprised.

'Whatever. I don’t care. I’ll just focus on getting back to Ji-hoon oppa.'

Cha Soo-hyun thought everything would be fine once she got back to Baek Ji-hoon, so she didn’t care about anything else.

"So what? What do you expect me to do? What do you want from me?"

"Are you kidding me? It’s been almost a month now, and what have you done? You were recruited as the number one S-rank, but what are you doing? Are you just going to live like this?"

His voice grew louder, fueled by the scolding he had just received from his father.

"Ugh, I don’t care. Do whatever you want. I’m going to live my life and do what I need to do, so stop bothering me."

Their relationship was breaking apart, cracking at the seams.

"What? Didn’t you want to marry me? If you keep acting like this, I’ll call the whole thing off."

"Ha."

Cha Soo-hyun let out a dry laugh. She stood up, glaring at him.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. End it if you want. I’m sick of this. What am I, your toy? Always telling me what to do. You’re so annoying. Fine, let’s end it here. I have plenty of things to do, so I’ll just focus on my work."

Cha Soo-hyun showed no signs of backing down.

"What? Are you serious? Damn..."

Lee Jin-hyuk looked like he wanted to say something more, but he bit his tongue.

"Fine. I’ll let it slide today. But if you mess with me like this again..."

"What? Mess with you? Are you kidding? I’m the number one S-rank. What are you?"

It was clear that she had decided to end things with him.

"Ugh... Are you serious right now?"

Lee Jin-hyuk looked like he wanted to hit her, but he couldn’t, not against the number one S-rank.

"Whatever. Just think about what I said. Lee Soo-ah and Yoo Hana are working their butts off to take the number one spot. Everyone in Blue Guild knows about it. If you don’t want to be left behind, you’d better start trying."

Bang!

Lee Jin-hyuk slammed the door in frustration as he left.

"Hah... This is ridiculous."

Cha Soo-hyun frowned deeply as she stared at the door.

'This is all Jin-hyuk’s fault. Really. I’ve always liked Ji-hoon oppa. But he’s the one who messed everything up. He ruined my life. Jin-hyuk... I’m ending this now. I’m done.'

She was beginning to gather her thoughts, realizing that there was no future for her in the Baekho Guild.

'Yeah. I’ll wrap things up here. Then I’ll sincerely apologize to Ji-hoon oppa. Maybe he’ll take me back. He’s probably waiting for me.'

Lost in her fantasy, she smiled to herself, already imagining her happy reunion with Ji-hoon.