Chapter 229 : Talent Can't Beat One Who Enjoys (1)

Talent Can't Beat One Who Enjoys (1)

Dawn Light expressed her willingness to cooperate, but her restraints were not undone.

"We'll decide after hearing what you have to say."

That was what Alex said with the start of the cutscene. Alex and the manager weren't naive enough to trust her words so easily.

Light frowned at this, but then nodded her head quietly.

"I told you already, but I haven't been with them for long. I haven't heard that many details."

"Then what makes you so confident..."

The manager was dumbfounded, but Alex's restraint cut off his words.

"But there is one thing I heard for sure."

"And what is it?"

"The next target of Hired Gun."

With those words, alex and the manager's eyes changed.

- Oh ㅋㅋㅋ this is it

- Right! When she joins again, it's to pull something off

- That was some top-tier info, huh?

The viewers were excited, too.

As their attitudes changed, light opened her mouth again.

"The boss said so. 'You can't fight with empty hands, so securing funds is crucial.' He said to wait for his letter once preparations are complete."

"Funds?"

"What on earth are they plotting?"

When they pressed her, light paused for a moment. She rolled her eyes, then took a deep breath.

"The center of the gold rush—Rich Hills."

The camera captured the two's eyes widening at Light's words.

"He said they'd cut down the pigs there and share the gold with the exploited miners. Some, we'd keep ourselves."

"My god! What nonsense is this?"

The manager shook his head at those words.

"Killing the owner of the mining town won't turn the rights over to the miners. No, the rights would only return to the bank! The miners might even be framed as accomplices...!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Alex, ignoring the manager's flustered reaction, asked her. Light, startled by the manager's passionate reaction, nodded.

"If the gang came to check the letter, it means their plan is about to happen. Something will go down at Rich Hills soon enough."

At Alex's words, the manager's face turned ashen.

"Oh, you're right! I need to request support from headquarters immediately!"

"If we wait for reinforcements, it might already be too late."

With that, alex undid Light's restraints. The manager glared at him.

"No...!"

"It's fine. Even if she doesn't cooperate, she'll have value as a hostage."

"If—they really are just mass murderers as you say, then they ought to pay for that."

Light massaged her wrists and spoke in a cold tone. The manager fumbled for words, then sighed.

"Whew, all right. Agent Alex, with your skills, I can trust you. I'll report to headquarters as quickly as I can."

"We'll wait at Rich Hills."

"Yes, good luck."

Alex left the agency with Light. The manager, watching them go, quickly started writing a letter.

The screen went dark, with the scratching sound of a pen and the black ink pooling next to the letter.

[Chapter 2 – Lady Helen]

[End]

Soon, text floating above the black fluid marked the end of Chapter 2.

– Kyah ㅋㅋㅋ so good

– Next chapter's gonna be the mine, huh!

– Finally getting that REAL feeling

– Hired Gun's revenge plot sharpening, right?

– Let's wipe them out in one shot!

Viewers expressed their satisfaction. Lee Gyeongbok also spoke with a smile in his voice.

"Man, I was totally immersed in this chapter too. Especially, I think it's the chapter where you really get a taste of Roderi's freedom."

– Seriously ㅋㅋㅋ Never imagined the wanted criminal disguise

– The British chain letter was even funnier ㅋㅋㅋ

– That was big brain thinking, seriously

– This hyung is a real prankster at heart ㅋㅋㅋ

– Such a mischievous little guy

– But cleaning up after the pranks is no joke ㅋㅋㅋ

– For real ㅋㅋ He finished it off perfectly

The chat filled with laughter at Lee Gyeongbok's remarks. But soon, when he clapped his hands, that laughter turned to cries.

"All right, that's it for today's stream. I'll be back again tomorrow!"

– Ah ㅠ Of course, it's the end of the broadcast ㅠ

– You gotta fix this habit of ending streams!

– At this rate, he'll only stream once a day!

– I thought this was freedom! What about my freedom to watch your stream!

– Hurts so good ㅠㅠㅠ

– Gonna miss you tomorrow too ㅠ

The chat was filled with crying emoticons, but Lee Gyeongbok just waved with a laugh.

"Trba!"

* * *

The next day, early morning.

After finishing his workout as usual, Lee Gyeongbok came out freshly showered.

"Hm?"

A notification was blinking on his Smart Link. It wasn't a message app, but an SMS.

He checked the contents and his jaw dropped.

'Ah, it's payday!'

[QOOGLE ASIA PACIFIC]

[Deposit – $30,412.5]

[Exchanged – 39,876,544 won]

[TRY INTERNATIONAL]

[Deposit – $35,714.6]

[Exchanged – 46,828,601 won]

The payment for his second month of streaming had deposited.

'Wow, it's nearly doubled in just a month.'

First month's payout was about 50 million won. This month, that payout approached 90 million won.

'All I did was get ready for Demerc and CrazySmurf, and it's this much.'

Unlike the first month, he hadn't played many games this month. Yet his revenue doubled.

Pleased with himself, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened again as he scrolled down.

'What's this?'

There were more messages below.

[QOOGLE ASIA PACIFIC]

[Deposit – $112,471.2]

[Exchanged – 147,471,031 won]

There was a separate deposit from Qoogle—an even bigger sum.

"Whoa..."

Lee Gyeongbok uttered an unintelligible sound. It was about 150 million won.

Of course, it wasn't a Qoogle error. He figured out the source right away.

'I'd heard there were a lot of membership sign-ups, but this much?!'

It was revenue from Q-tube memberships. He had heard from Choi Byeonghun that the split was 7:3.

'Juho said last time there were over 10,000 sign-ups—and now there's even more?'

The memberships, which started with the Demon Must Cry dubbing service, caught fire as the CrazySmurf tournament gained traction.

'Earning over 200 million in a month...'

Just like last month, the amount felt almost unreal. But Lee Gyeongbok swallowed dryly.

'... There's even more?'

Amazingly, there were still more messages.

He scrolled down carefully.

[CAP Company. Ltd.]

[Deposit – $271,404.9]

[Exchanged – 355,863,193 won]

Lee Gyeongbok blinked at the number. What the heck was this?

'The digits?'

No matter how many times he checked, it didn't change. The same number of digits as above, but a different leading digit.

"Three hundred fifty million...?"

It was an amount that blew away the earlier shock. Where could such a sum come from?

Given the depositor's name, only one possibility came to mind.

"DLC sold this much?"

It was the revenue for the 'Perfect Voice Pack' launched with Demon Must Cry, contracted at a whopping 9:1 ratio.

'Roughly... more than 70,000 sales?'

A smile spread across his face.

Not included in this calculation were the pre-order bonuses bundled with the voice pack—this was just from people who purchased it separately.

'If that included the pre-orders too...?'

News reported over three million global pre-orders. Had all of those counted, it would have been an unfathomable payday.

But Lee Gyeongbok just chuckled.

'But the developer wouldn't have agreed to a 9:1 split if pre-orders were included, either.'

Developers weren't stupid.

If the split included pre-orders, they wouldn't have gone for a 9:1 ratio. Pushing too hard might have soured the relationship with the developer.

'Don't get greedy. Even what I've made now is extraordinary.'

Lee Gyeongbok breathed deeply.

Adding it all up, he had close to 600 million won deposited.

'Even after expenses, there's no way I'll spend a whole hundred million.'

Staff salaries, incentives, and miscellaneous costs.

Even at the high end, it wouldn't reach 100 million. Meaning that pure profit for Lee Gyeongbok was...

"Five hundred million in one month...!"

He clenched his fist tightly, an electric thrill running through him at the number he uttered.

Last month's revenue was shocking, but this month was in another league.

'But this isn't something I could've accomplished alone.'

Purple's stream wasn't a one-person show.

If not for Choi Byeonghun and Park Juho, would he have even thought to start Q-tube memberships? If Jo Daehan hadn't worked as Translation Wagon? Wasn't it he who spread word of the CrazySmurf tournament to overseas viewers?

'Good people are harder to find than money.'

And they weren't the only ones. There were the PerG-Day members who joined the CrazySmurf event.

Lee Gyeongbok felt anew how important those around him were.

'I should make sure to show my appreciation.'

Thinking of all he was thankful for, his mind went to the most important contributor to this month's earnings: the person who helped him make the high-quality voice pack.

'Wasn't she in Japan right now?'

* * *

Japan, a hotel in Tokyo.

Yoon Nara glanced at her phone as it vibrated.

[P〉 Thanks for introducing me to that great engineer]

[P〉 Must be busy with the concert tour]

[P〉 Good luck!]

It was the first message in nearly a month. She checked the content but didn't reply.

"Nara, are you listening?"

"Ah, yes. CEO."

Yoon Nara straightened up and nodded at the woman before her—Sweeties' agency CEO, Jang Daye.

"This is a crucial time. As the leader, you can't fall apart, can you?"

"Yes, I know."

Jang Daye watched her for a moment, then asked offhandedly,

"You're not dating, are you?"

"... Sorry?"

Yoon Nara's eyes widened. Jang Daye simply nodded at her Smart Link.

"No, never. It's just someone I met through games, someone who helped me, that's all."

"Are you sure they can be trusted?"

"Yes."

Even with her answer, Jang Daye took a deep breath.

"Nara, as I've said many times—you're an idol. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Yes, I haven't forgotten."

Yoon Nara answered with a confident tone, as if to erase any doubt.

"I got through tough times thanks to my members and my fans. I'll never let them down."

"Good. I wonder if I'm holding on to you too long, though."

"No, it's fine."

Jang Daye gave her a slight smile, then fell deep in thought as she sent Yoon Nara out.

'A kid who didn't care about anything but work is now making plans and even booking the studio for an outsider...'

Her slim fingers tapped lightly against the sofa. Even if Nara insisted, as a CEO it wasn't something she could just ignore.

'Streamer Purple.'

She'd asked the audio engineer separately, and the engineer raved about him as if entranced.

'He's got enough star quality to make it in entertainment right now...'

Jang Daye pulled up Purple's Q-tube page on her Smart Link.

[PerfectPlay]

[1,673,000 subscribers]

Her lips curled in a slight smile. The number of subscribers closing in on 1.7 million was startling.

'To attract so many people after just three months.'

As a talent agency CEO, she couldn't help but be interested. He started from virtually nothing, built this up with empty hands.

'These days even influencers often appear on broadcasts.'

There was no reason for an entertainment agency to only work with celebrities or aspiring stars.

'If he finds broadcasting burdensome, maybe tie-in with advertising instead.'

The boundaries of media had already collapsed. Even celebrities were running personal streams these days. As an agency head, she had to broaden her perspective.

'If someone has a talent the public loves, that's enough.'

Streamer Purple.

Lee Gyeongbok was worth keeping in mind as a business partner.

* * *

Early afternoon.

Jo Daehan was hard at work on his hobby, his role as Translation Wagon.

[Disguised as a criminal using sleep—burst out laughing www. Immediately reminded me of PPAP www]

[Eeeh? Guard-san, you're so obvious! Evidence, really! You were just too greedy, that's why you got caught (lol)]

[Purple's rope action isn't even human level! Watching it makes me want to get tied up too? No, no, I'm definitely not M!]

[Aagh! Aagh! I tried copying Purple's pose in the prison van, but failed miserably. It's super hard www My muscles shouted 'save me' www And you want me to shoot, too? No way!]

[Wait, you hate fish? If there was sushi in the Wild West, things would be different www Westerners, so pitiful www]

[Aw, only three people picking on him? Hey, that's a joke, right? You're calling THAT bullying? Roc&Roll guys, imagination level's too low!]

[Apostle of justice! Quick-draw detective Purple is here!!! (ﾉ☉∀☉)ﾉ!!!]

[What? Nunim was part of the gang? Is that for real...! I was rooting for her, but now I'm betrayed! Unforgivable!]

[No, no! Wait, wait! Light-san, do you plan to catch every animal in the forest? Too many traps www Even if the difficulty is 'superhuman,' that's wild wwwww]

[I couldn't believe my eyes. But the mistake was mine. Still, parrying arrows with bullets!? Impossible is normal here (ﾟДﾟ;)]

Jo Daehan couldn't stop smiling as he read through comments from Japan. He'd already checked through North America yesterday.

Checking the time, he jumped up.

"Ah, I'm going to be late!"

A Team Perfect meeting was scheduled. With Choi Byeonghun's past example, Jo Daehan had sworn never to be late again.

He even intended to arrive first.

'This time, for sure...!'

He confidently entered the meeting study room.

"Oh, you're early."

Upon hearing the voice, he realized he'd failed—Park Juho was already there.

"Hello!"

Jo Daehan greeted energetically and immediately helped him with setup.

Park Juho appreciated it but added,

"As the company's youngest, you don't need to come early. Scheduling is a manager's job, and so is getting the meeting ready."

He could guess why Jo Daehan always came early. He was grateful—but didn't want him to feel obligated.

"Everyone doing their assigned work well is best for everyone."

"Yes, understood."

Jo Daehan nodded, but glanced over sheepishly.

"But if I want to help, is that okay?"

"Well... I can't really stop you then, can I?"

Park Juho responded with a gentle smile. Right before the scheduled meeting time, the next member arrived.

"Wow, both of you are early. Oh? I came before Gyeongbok this time?"

Choi Byeonghun entered, grinning with his trademark bravado. Having Madman work as an assistant editor gave him more free time.

"What the...?"

Lastly, Lee Gyeongbok arrived and smiled at all three.

"You all always come early! Should we just move the scheduled time earlier?"

"If we did, we'd just end up coming even earlier."

Everyone laughed at Park Juho's answer. Then, Lee Gyeongbok operated his Smart Link.

A holographic document floated before the three.

"What's this?"

"Huh? A dishwasher?"

"Boss? This is...?"

The document was a shipping order for a dishwasher.

Everyone but Jo Daehan immediately caught on.

"Again?"

"Wait, didn't you give us robo-vacs last time?"

"Hey, at least I got the receipts this time. Good, right?"

Lee Gyeongbok laughed at their reactions and sent another document to Park Juho.

Jo Daehan hesitantly joined in,

"Um, why the dishwasher all of a sudden?"

"Oh, right. Daehan, you wouldn't know. On payday, our boss is generous enough to give us presents."

"Presents?"

Lee Gyeongbok smiled and said,

"Just a thank you. If you don't like it, you can swap it for something else. But you HAVE to take it—it's company policy."

"There wasn't any rule like that."

"I just made it up. I am the boss, aren't I?"

As Lee Gyeongbok bantered, Park Juho sighed and Choi Byeonghun chuckled.

'Salary's already good, but monthly gifts too?'

Jo Daehan's eyes sparkled.

Could there be a more perfect company?

He renewed his loyalty once again, deep inside.

"Let's talk exchanges after the meeting. How's the latest video performing? Looks like the membership's growing, so it seems good."

Park Juho started the meeting immediately. Jo Daehan came to his senses and explained.

"Almost no negative reactions. Everyone's amazed and full of praise. As always—it's the best!"

Everyone smiled, and Jo Daehan suddenly clapped.

"Oh, but there's one unusual point."

"Unusual point?"

The three looked curious. Was there a problem?

"I don't think it's really a problem, but... Looking around Japanese communities, I found out Roc&Roll's Japan branch also set up ad streams."

"For Japanese streamers?"

"Now that you mention it, they DID say 'Asia region' during the meeting."

Park Juho recalled immediately. Korea wasn't the only country unfamiliar with the Wild West era.

"So what?"

Lee Gyeongbok turned his attention back to Jo Daehan.

"Well, some people are, kinda quietly, comparing Korean and Japanese ad streams."

Korea and Japan.

Whenever those two are entangled, this always happened.

"Probably, the issue will come up on stream today."

Even if Korea lagged behind other countries,

When it came to Japan, Koreans couldn't even stand to lose at rock-paper-scissors.

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