— "I'm not a leader."
Emir said it aloud, to no one in particular.
The room didn't argue.The coffee didn't rebel.Even the cracked window offered no dissent.
"Sure," Atatürk's voice replied, tone soaked in sarcasm."That must be why you're the one everyone's quoting this week."
— "They're quoting a version of me. Not me me."
"Ah yes, the classic modern excuse: 'I've been misunderstood by a viral tweet.'"
Emir rolled his eyes.
— "This isn't funny."
"It's hilarious."
"You're doing what every reluctant icon does: insisting you're not in charge while standing exactly where all the attention happens to be."
—
The Circle was fractured.
Some wanted action.Some wanted secrecy.Some just wanted to be right.
Emir stood in front of the group that night, hands in his pockets, as if that made him less of a focal point.
One member—new, intense, twitchy—spoke up:
— "Why don't you just tell us what to do?"
Emir blinked.
— "Because I'm not here to install a new operating system.I'm here to delete the malware."
That got a few chuckles.
Someone whispered:— "You kind of are becoming a leader."
He sighed.
— "Can we please stop trying to crown people just because they know where the exit is?"
"Oof," Atatürk muttered inside."That line was good. I might steal it retroactively."
—
Later that night, Emir sat at his desk, staring at a folder titled:Requests.
It included:
An invitation to speak at a "memory rights" rally.
A podcast request from a known conspiracy theorist.
A handwritten letter from someone who claimed to be "his spiritual successor."
He deleted the last one without opening it.
"You're not a leader," Atatürk said mockingly,"You're just someone being begged to speak, explain, inspire, and unify.Totally different."
— "You know sarcasm doesn't help, right?"
"Actually, it does.It's the only thing that got me through dealing with generals and sycophants for twenty years."
—
Before bed, he opened his notebook.
Wrote only one sentence:
"The more I insist I'm not leading, the more they follow."
He stared at it.Then underlined "follow."
Then, with a sigh, added:
"Maybe I'm not a leader.But I am no longer just a witness."
—
In the mirror, he gave himself a half-smile.
It wasn't confidence.
It was acceptance.
"Sleep well, Emir."
"Tomorrow someone will call you dangerous again."
"That means you're doing something right."
—