Your Commander-in-Chief – Chapter 62

I left the house with Harang.

It seemed he hadn’t changed his mind about wearing a full suit to go out, as he walked out just like that.

He even wore shiny shoes that made a clack-clack sound with every step.

“What a crazy guy.”

“Shut up…”

Excluding Harang, Sohee, and myself, there were 17 people attending the guild gathering.

At first, there were more, but some people unexpectedly canceled at the last minute.

They claimed something urgent came up, but I could tell they were just too burdened to come.

Whenever setting up a guild gathering, there always seemed to be those who couldn’t handle the pressure of participating.

In fact, it was highly likely that the 17 who said they would come wouldn’t all show up anyway.

“Hey, over there.”

“Yeah?”

While checking my phone and walking, Harang stopped and nudged my arm.

Curious, I raised my head and spotted an upscale sedan parked right in front of us.

I wondered who the hell was crazy enough to park here, and as I looked around, I saw my friend getting out of that car.

I blinked at Sohee.

This was the second time today I had seen Sohee in casual clothes instead of her school uniform.

“Sohee?”

“I came to pick you up.”

After getting out of the car, Sohee exchanged a casual glance with Harang standing next to me, then opened the door and gestured for us to get in.

“Come on, get in.”

“Um…”

I had planned to take the subway, but this way, it seemed we’d arrive at our meeting place much earlier than expected.

I awkwardly pulled Harang along and headed toward the car. Well, that was my intention.

If Sohee hadn’t interfered in the middle of it.

She blocked Harang from getting in.

Then she bowed her head and greeted him.

“Hello, oppa.”

“Uh, uh… hi…”

As Harang stood there with a bewildered expression, Sohee gestured forward and said,

“Could you sit in the front? I want to be alone with Hayun.”

“Oh, sure?”

Harang nodded at Sohee’s suggestion and climbed into the front seat.

It seemed like Sohee and Harang were already acquainted.

It was awkward, but they definitely recognized each other.

“Isn’t it fine for all three of us to sit back here? It’s spacious enough.”

The back seat was indeed roomy enough for three.

But Sohee shook her head and held my hand tightly.

“I just want to be alone with Hayun.”

“Oh really?”

Did she have something special to talk about?

Harang, sitting in the front, was looking around with a more relaxed expression.

I glanced at the man in the black suit driving.

He was the same guy who used to drive Sohee.

As our eyes met in the rearview mirror, he gave a slight bow.

“Do you know where you’re going? Should I plug in the coordinates?”

“I already know.”

“Feel free to speak. I’m still a middle school student, you know.”

“That’s alright.”

The driver quickly looked away and started the car.

For some reason, it seemed talking to me was awkward for him.

Sohee, who wanted to be alone with me, didn’t say much.

Instead, she just kept fiddling with her palm all the way.

If that’s the case, why did she even want to sit alone?

I guess a fake middle school girl like me couldn’t understand the mindset of a real one.

We arrived at the meeting place 30 minutes earlier than expected.

It was all thanks to Sohee.

“Thanks, Sohee!”

I hurriedly got out of the car.

My palm, which had been touched all the way here, was gradually losing feeling.

After stepping out of the car, I took a big breath.

Even if the world had changed, the basic structure remained intact.

The meeting place was Seoul Station.

Although the station might have changed a bit, I could still vaguely recall the image of another world.

Even though I arrived 30 minutes early, some people were already there.

The thief leader Iyap, the newly joined Snow Mage, and the healer leader Chloe.

Checking the messages, they were waiting, having bought coffee from a nearby café.

Holding my phone, I looked around.

I quickly scanned the crowd. No matter how much the throng of people made it dizzying, there was a distinctive vibe coming from those who were attending their first gathering.

As Sohee and Harang approached from behind, I spotted the three people I wanted to meet.

They were all holding coffee in one hand and looking awkwardly at their phones.

Those guys there.

A combination of two guys and one girl.

One of them was definitely Iyap, and the other two I would have to see up close.

“Hey, those must be them.”

“Really? Why not send a message?”

“Should I?”

I nodded at Harang’s suggestion and typed a message in the group chat.

Yeo – [I’ve arrived too.]

Just as I sent the message, the three looked up simultaneously and started scanning the area.

“See? It’s definitely them.”

As I anticipated, I beamed at Harang and Sohee.

Harang suddenly made a fierce expression while Sohee busily tapped at her phone.

What are they both doing?

“Are you going to fight? Why don’t you relax a bit?”

“Hmm…”

I couldn’t let the first gathering go poorly.

I patted Harang on the waist with my fist, who was scrunching up his face.

He finally relaxed his expression and cleared his throat.

“Let’s go.”

I led Sohee and Harang toward the people waiting at the meeting place.

After scanning the area continuously, the three suddenly spotted me and gaped at me.

“Hello?”

“G-Guild Leader…?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Wha…?”

“Blood Demon…”

The person who muttered Blood Demon was a tall woman.

She had a cute phone case on her phone.

I think I know who she is. It must be Snow Mage.

“No… Is this really happening?”

The oldest-looking man glanced around, as if doubting my identity.

He clearly couldn’t believe it.

I nodded with my arms crossed.

The party leader you all talk about is right here.

“It’s me. I’m Yeo.”

At this point, I could tell who was who.

The man in his late thirties was definitely Iyap.

Then the other person, a guy in his late twenties standing behind with a surprised look, must be Chloe.

“Th-Those people next to you…”

“That’s Helena.”

“And Hwarang.”

They introduced themselves to each other.

Their identities were just as I expected.

Iyap, Chloe, Snow Mage.

They were unfamiliar faces but bound by the connection of the game.

It didn’t take long for us to chat comfortably like we were in the game.

“Wait, Guild Leader? Is there a reason you made your character look just like you?”

“I just thought customizing my character was a waste of time.”

“Wow… So the shutdown law wasn’t just a concept?”

“Of course not. Who in the world would turn off a game during an interview?”

“Well, it’s fine that it’s you, Guild Leader… but… Is it really true that Hwarang and Helena did as well…?”

I chuckled at Iyap’s comment and glanced at the expressions of the others.

The management members in the guild seemed to be considerably younger than them.

It was a choice that had more downsides than upsides, but it was a necessary decision to solidify the bond within the guild.

As we started chatting like we do in the guild chat, people began arriving at the gathering place one by one.

11:10 AM.

The meeting time had arrived.

I checked the faces of the gathered guild members one by one.

Although their faces were completely different from what I saw in-game, the atmosphere was strikingly similar to when we met in-game.

“Looks like two people aren’t coming. They said something personal came up.”

“Hmm… That’s too bad. They won’t get to see their guild leader in real life.”

While saying that, there were still some people who didn’t let go of their suspicious looks.

A total of 18 members.

Excluding Sohee and me, all were men.

I expected it. Deron was a game that older men played.

But there was no need to feel disappointed. After this gathering, those who understood the vibe would share their experiences with their friends.

If this first gathering went well, more people would likely join the next one.

“Everyone seems hungry; let’s head to the restaurant.”

Leading the guild members, I started walking in front.

I had to show the true image of a guild leader, so I straightened my posture.

“Is it really the Guild Leader…?”

“Looks just like in the game.”

“Did they send their daughter instead?”

“Maybe someone is watching from nearby.”

With my keen hearing, I could catch every single word of the guild members chatter behind me.

But I understood. If I were in my previous world, I wouldn’t have believed that such a small middle school girl was here.

As I was walking along, I realized one issue.

In the front where I had been leading, I suddenly found myself among the guild members.

The difference in stride!

With my short legs, I couldn’t keep up with the strides of adults.

Harang, who was walking next to me, finally noticed I was lagging behind and rushed to my side.

“Hey, are you feeling alright?”

“Uh, no…”

“Why are you falling behind like this?”

I couldn’t bear to answer him that my short legs were the reason I was naturally lagging.

The stride issue became more pronounced as time passed.

Before I knew it, I was behind, and the guild members were leading the way.

“T-This is…”

The guild members who had been having a great time chatting suddenly stopped and stood still when Iyap gave them a look.

They began to wait for me.

My tightly clenched fist trembled.

I had to show dignified behavior as the guild leader… but…

“Do you want a piggyback ride…?”

“I don’t need it…”

Harang, who was looking at me sympathetically, offered help, but I shook my head and dashed forward.

If I was slow walking, then I could run.

I gathered my strength and started to dash forward.

In an instant, I flew past the standing guild members, and Harang and Sohee followed close behind.

Unlike me, who was lightly running, they were merely walking quickly.

“Wow, the Guild Leader is running…”

“Should we run as well…?”

“I think it’s okay to just walk.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to at least act like we’re running?”

The guild members were likely trying to be considerate of me by lowering their voices, but my keen hearing caught every single word.

My face felt so hot.