Netkama Punch!!!

While all that was going on, I found myself quietly growing suspicious of Yeou.
‘No way… don’t tell me she’s a spy?’
It wasn’t unheard of for people to stay behind in a clan after their friends left, only to stab everyone in the back and then leave later.

Spies would sometimes guard the gate during siege wars and then step aside, letting the enemy rush in uncontested—or they’d leak our strategy to the other side and make our plans useless.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CYeou: I’m not a spy ㅠㅠ

‘Shit. That scared me.’
As if she’d read my mind, Yeou messaged first. She sounded seriously wronged and started whining to Shin Heejae.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]

CYeou: I told you everything before Yuna left... she keeps trying to stir things up
CYeou: You should’ve just listened to me ㅠ
Then she dropped something unexpected.

I had no idea what she was talking about. Curious, I glanced at Shin Heejae, but he still wore that same unreadable face, like he didn’t care either way. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CHeejae: ㅇ_ㅇz Who said what now

And then he typed something dumb like that.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CYeou: ㅡㅡ

CYeou: You’re the worst
CHeejae: Yuna didn’t ask you to leave with her?
CYeou: I’m a man of loyalty, thanks
CHeejae: Guess she didn’t bring you because you’re weak ㅇ_ㅇ

CYeou: What are you even talking about
CHeejae: ㅇ.ㅇ lolol You don’t pay, right?
CYeou: I spend thirty bucks a month, actually??

Shin Heejae didn’t even try to verify anything Yeou said. Instead of getting mad about Yuna or the traitors, he just joked around like always.
And he didn’t thank the members who stayed behind, either. He just laughed that Yuna didn’t take them because they were too weak.
Thanks to that, the icy mood finally melted. I wasn’t sure if Heejae had planned it that way, but it worked.

Then, even though Shin Heejae hadn’t said a word about them, the remaining members naturally started trash-talking Yuna and the ones who left.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CDijimong: I returned the gifts ‘cause it felt like too much, and after that she wouldn’t even say hi;;

CApssal: That group was boring as hell anyway, glad they left on their own
CGyeoksal: For real, full party refresh was a huge win lololol
CUrara: I wanna be right next to Heejaejjang when he hits rock bottom ><

CBakibug: Yuna blocked me ㅠㅠ Said my username was gross ㅠ
CsvMagicvs: She said she was gonna make her own clan after leaving, I stayed behind lol Like… seriously? It'll take her a year just to gather enough Clan Points lololol
CFlowerWall: Hehe, not like this kind of thing hasn’t happened before... Heejae-nim always wins, so I trust him ^^

Some of them were weird, sure, but most of the people who stayed seemed like solid players who genuinely liked the clan.
And I was honestly surprised how many people found Yuna’s sudden “generosity” (read: gift-giving spree) uncomfortable and unwelcome.
‘They really like him that much…?’

I gave Heejae a sideways glance full of doubt.
It’s not that I didn’t understand why they were loyal to Shin Heejae instead of Yuna. As much of a jerk as he was, the guy was undeniably capable as a clan master. There was a reason he held three territories.
‘This bastard really did show up to siege wars every week…’

People who haven’t played wouldn’t understand what it means for a clan master to personally attend every weekly siege war. But I’d once been in that position myself, so I knew how much of a pain it was.
Clan masters could easily just appoint a proxy for sieges. The novelty wears off fast, and doing it every single weekend gets tiring—not to mention risky if you lose. Most clan leaders switched to using a stand-in after a couple months.
Players who actually fulfilled their responsibilities as clan master were rare. Especially in large clans, most masters just sat back, flaunting their power and exploiting their members under the excuse of having founded the clan.

On top of that, the cliques were brutal. Masters would favor their little circle of friends, which usually led to fights, splits, and the eventual collapse of the clan.
But Shin Heejae led the sieges himself, won them consistently, and kept advertising the clan on his streams, bringing in a steady flow of new members. He didn’t form little worshipping circles around himself, either.
That way, he prevented the clan from stagnating while expanding its size with actual substance. No wonder [Degeuldegeul] members were so loyal to him.

[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CsvMagicvs: And seriously, worshipping someone just ‘cause they gave you gear? That’s disgusting
CsvMagicvs: I left my old clan ‘cause some asshole was doing the same shit

CGyeoksal: LOLOLOL
CGyeoksal: Tbh, even Lemonade started acting cocky after Hooha got promoted to deputy leader lololol
CGyeoksal: She kept growing her own little circle too, it was already pissing me off

CGyeoksal: This refresh was a divine move
CApssal: And Hooha’s got no spine
CApssal: Lemon says one thing and it’s all “Should I?” and just follows along

CGyeoksal: So true lololol
CYeou: ㅜㅜ……
CYeou: Did I come off like that too?

CGyeoksal: Don’t talk to me
CGyeoksal: Just kidding ㅎ
CYeou: Ugh seriouslyㅠ

Yeou was whining, but he sounded like someone who maybe hadn’t realized the «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» kind of vibe he was giving off.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CYeou: It’s just… Lemon was super nice to me when I joined...... So I just kind of followed along after that

CUrara: Didn’t you guys have your own private Discord with Yuna?
CYeou: I never said a word in there......
CUrara: Why not?

CYeou: Well… some of the clan people were kind of talking behind others’ backs;
CYeou: I mean, there were people I didn’t click with either, but still......
CBakibug: I badmouthed people too ㅠㅠ Everyone knows ㅠㅠㅠ

CYeou: Don’t think I ever heard anything about you, Baki;;
CYeou: And honestly, people stopped using that room after a while??
CHeejae: Yeou got kicked out ㅇ.ㅇ lolol

CYeou: LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO
CYeou: Damn... you’re right
Basically, Yeou hadn’t actively joined in, so they probably just left him behind when they made a new Discord. And reading the room, he chose not to follow them.

I clicked my tongue at the familiar stench of clique drama.
‘So… when Yuna said everyone was talking shit about me, that was just her circle, huh?’
Just then, as if he read my mind, Yeou messaged again.

[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CYeou: Still, everyone seemed happy with the clan......
CYeou: But after you came back, Sesam-nim… Yuna kind of...

I didn’t even need him to finish. And honestly, I had nothing to be ashamed of anymore. The netkama thing was already out, and the rest of the clan knew about it.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CSesam: It’s ‘cause I sold the staff for a ton lol

I could feel Shin Heejae glancing at me, but I kept my eyes on the screen. An awkward silence settled in—until Yeou jumped in to agree with me, right before it got unbearable.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CYeou: Oh right; I saw Yuna holding that staff one day?

CYeou: At first I thought you’d changed your nicknameㅎ
Once Yeou broke the ice, other clanmates started joining in too.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]

CFlowerWall: How much did you sell it for? ㅎㅎ
CSesam: Eighteen hundredㅎ.ㅎv
CYeou: Whoa

CUrara: LOLOLOLOLOLOL Yuna-jjang had every right to go dark
CBakibug: ㅠㅠ That was so mean ㅠㅠ
CGyeoksal: ;;

CApssal: Wait, wasn’t that staff originally Shin Heejae’s?
That last one caught me off guard a bit—but this time, Shin Heejae replied.
[Clan Friend Party Whisper]

CHeejae: What’s mine is yours when you’re married ㅇ_ㅇ
I scowled and glared at him. What the hell was that supposed to mean? That he gave me the money back and now we’re even?
I couldn’t just let that slide, so I hit the keys fast.

[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CSesam: I gave all that money right back to Shin Heejae, okay? Lolol
CHeejae: Told you so ㅇ.ㅇ

CApssal: Oh……
I tried to figure out what the hell that bastard meant by “told you so”, then stood up from my seat and pointed a finger at him.
“What do you mean ‘told you so,’ you crazy bastard? You’re not even explaining anything!”

“You want me to explain everything?”
“Yes! And cut the ‘we’re married’ bullshit!”
And that’s when the crap he typed in the chat was this:

[Clan Friend Party Whisper]
CHeejae: Actually, we’re not married ㅇ.ㅇ We’re just living together right now ㅇ_ㅇ