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chapter 17
“That is…….”
Yeonwoo glanced over cautiously while poking at his untouched pork cutlet.
Seeing through the transparent behavior, Hanbit let out a sigh.
“If you’ve got a favor or something, just say it. We’re close enough for that. Or are you really telling me to join Yeonhwa Gaming?”
“…It’s because we’re that close that I’m saying this. Even for a major corporation, it’s rare to start with a salary this high.”
Yeonwoo was sincere.
Hanbit knew well how much Yeonwoo had worried about employment, to the point of constantly singing the ‘job job’ song even in the military.
He was especially interested in high salaries.
“Hold on.”
Understanding that mindset, Hanbit took out his smartphone.
After browsing the community, he pulled up a post and placed the phone on the table.
“I saw something like this yesterday.”
“What is this?”
“An internal exposé.”
“Huh?”
With a puzzled expression, Yeonwoo turned his gaze to the screen.
There was a post that looked like it had been taken from an office workers’ community.
I’ll get straight to the point.
Unless you really want to live as a hardcore slave, don’t go.
I’ll list a few basic rules.
1. The company’s vanguard team is king.
Don’t ask questions. Just memorize it.
The vanguard is king, and the vanguard’s lackeys are nobles.
At minimum, up to the department head level, everyone just bows their head to the vanguard.
2. All the gold, items, and information you obtain belong to the vanguard.
More precisely, it goes into the mouths of the vanguard or their lackeys.
Incentives? Even if you find a Hidden skill, it gets recorded as the vanguard group’s achievement.
For reference, even if you log in from home, everything is monitored, so don’t try anything funny.
3. Synchronization of game and reality
Including the crap written in #2, you also live as the vanguard’s slave in real life.
From minor errands to being an emotional trash can, you’ll be reborn as a perfect slave.
By the way, being an emotional trash can is the most important task.
…….
-What the hell is this?
-Is this real?
-Not believing it without proof.
└You need an employee ID to even join that community.
-There’s tons more fucked-up stuff besides what’s written.
└For real LOL
└No comment.
└Scared?
└Truthful defamation is scary.
-There’s a reason they pay so much.
-Isn’t this basically erasing your humanity?
-But it was too much money to run away from.
“……”
Yeonwoo couldn’t bring himself to speak after reading the post.
Even if he already knew about it, it was hard to convey this to Hanbit.
“So? You think this is real?”
“…There definitely are companies like this, but Yeonhwa Gaming is different. Their vanguard isn’t authoritarian. And you’re being scouted directly, hyung.”
“But it’s not like I can immediately replace the vanguard, right? Or are you saying I should just be a good lackey?”
“Ah, hyung!”
When Hanbit laughed and mocked it, Yeonwoo raised his voice in protest.
Watching him with amusement, Hanbit finally voiced the decision he had already made.
“I’m not joining a conglomerate. I have no intention of letting a game interfere with my life.”
“What? They’re offering a 100 million won salary!”
“Ah, I don’t care. If I say no, it’s no.”
At his stubborn refusal, Yeonwoo fell silent and stared at him.
Then he nodded to himself and said,
“Hyung really is a role model for otaku.”
“What kind of bullshit is that now?”
“Choosing the dream of fantasy over a stable job. If you die, I’ll write your autobiography. The Legend of the RP Otaku.”
“Want me to kill you right now?”
Hanbit raised the fork skewering the pork cutlet.
Even as they joked, he repeated to himself inwardly,
‘Disposable asset? No way.’
A life weighed down by corporate restrictions, having everything you gain taken away.
No matter how many times they offered, he would never accept.
Just thinking about intern life alone made his whole body twist in disgust.
‘Besides, it’s still too early.’
The three million won earned through the game and streaming was not insignificant.
Being unable to decide immediately meant the expected value of deliberation was also large.
If he used the experience and knowledge he hadn’t yet revealed, its value would be impossible to predict.
It was right to postpone deciding his life’s direction a little longer.
‘To do that, I need to move fast.’
High-value items and information were obtained as progression advanced.
But there was no guarantee that information and items would be implemented identically.
The best choice was to reach that point and verify it directly.
A goal of reaching places he had never reached in the other world.
A goal of enriching his mother’s life and his own.
It was all part of that process.
“So what about you? You want to start a company, right?”
“…How did you know?”
At the casually tossed question, Yeonwoo’s eyes widened.
Chewing on his pork cutlet, Hanbit replied indifferently,
“You said it in the military. That you wanted to become independent and start a company.”
“You mean that thing I said during training? That was just once.”
“What does it matter if it was once?”
“Well…….”
Yeonwoo recalled something from when he was a private.
A position they’d been deployed to during their first winter training.
He’d talked a lot with Hanbit back then.
Honestly, there was more nonsense than substance, so the company talk barely registered.
“How is your memory like that?”
“No idea. Anyway, what kind of company?”
“Hmm.”
At the question, Yeonwoo put down his utensils and straightened his posture.
Then he lightly cleared his throat and said,
“I want to form a streamer-based group. Not a rigid company, but more like a guild that straddles reality and the game.”
“What is that?”
Hanbit was confused.
He hadn’t expected Yeonwoo to start a normal company, but this was unfamiliar.
“But didn’t you like doing game broadcasts? How are you going to manage that while running a company?”
“I do like it, but I actually enjoy watching games more. To begin with, I’m not really cut out to be a player.”
Yeonwoo had always felt a sense of friction while playing games himself.
He got more pleasure from watching other vanguards or streamers doing crazy things.
That was also why he’d brought Hanbit in—he expected him to make the game fun.
What he’d seen yesterday was fun in a completely different way.
“I’m still planning it out, but my dream is a family-like atmosphere.”
“Isn’t that exactly a black company motto?”
“Come on, do you think I’d abuse my power? I’d be lucky if new people even listen to me.”
“That’s true.”
“…Why are you agreeing so easily?”
Yeonwoo asked in disbelief.
No matter how Hanbit imagined it, he couldn’t picture this younger brother running a black company.
“So, what do you do in this family-like atmosphere?”
“We stream together and play games together. Donations and in-game profits go entirely to the person involved. Information gets shared first, though.”
“Then where does your money come from? Do your ancestors earn it for you? How are you going to run the company?”
“I’ve thought about that too.”
With a grin, Yeonwoo touched his screen.
Something appeared on it.
“Videos?”
On the screen was the main page of the streaming platform ‘Recorder.’
Below it were countless edited videos from various streamers.
“This makes money?”
“The feature hasn’t been around long, but the ad revenue is bigger than you’d think. The company edits and uploads everything, then splits the profits with the streamer. They also coordinate collaborations.”
“Really?”
It felt like looking at old YouTube.
But every video was about RP.
The most-viewed recent one was titled ‘Frontline, Large-Scale Lure Hunt.’
There were ten-minute videos, short clips, and even long videos over several hours.
“Doesn’t it seem decent if you grow a channel steadily?”
“I don’t know. If it’s your idea, it’s probably right.”
“Oh, blind trust isn’t bad either, you know?”
Despite appearances, Yeonwoo was a smart younger brother.
Not just academically or with quick thinking—he had a broad perspective and deep thoughts.
If Hanbit had to name someone he trusted most besides his mother, it would naturally be the brother in front of him.
“When you start the company, tell me. I’ll help with anything. I’m going to be appearing on your stream anyway, right?”
“You’ll need to stream yourself soon, hyung. Oh, and for the record, I’m not planning to tie you down with employment. Unless it’s as co-CEO.”
“Co-CEO, my ass. Forget it—just tell me whatever. You already got investment, didn’t you?”
He thought of the RP gear placed at the foot of his bed.
Five million won—more expensive than any appliance in Hanbit’s house.
“Investment? No way. That was really a gift.”
“I know, you bastard.”
Yeonwoo’s lies were extremely easy to see through.
Just hearing his voice made the awkwardness obvious.
That was why Hanbit also knew the next words were sincere.
“Anyway, think about it a bit more, hyung. And don’t think too badly about conglomerates.”
“Why? I told you I hate companies like that.”
“Because if you keep streaming for a few more days, there’s a high chance the conditions will change drastically. You never know with people.”
He said it in a firm tone.
In that state, his stubbornness wouldn’t bend.
Hanbit let out a sigh.
“Alright, alright. It’s not like anything will change tomorrow.”
“Right?”
The two smiled faintly and were about to resume eating.
Bzzz—
At that moment, Yeonwoo’s smartphone on the table vibrated.
Their gazes converged almost simultaneously.
“Oh, perfect timing. I’ll hand it to you—just hear them out at least.”
“Okay.”
At a wave of his hand, Yeonwoo picked up the phone and accepted the call.
Hanbit returned his gaze to the pork cutlet.
But then—
“What?”
Yeonwoo’s reaction on the call was strange.
“Why?”
Hanbit asked quietly.
Yeonwoo’s expression was turning pale with shock.
“That’s absolutely not true! If that were the case, we wouldn’t have even turned on the stream—”
His raised voice cut off abruptly.
It seemed the call had ended.
“What is it? What happened?”
“…Hyung, you remember the vanguard ranger, right?”
“Yeah. The guy with the golden bow.”
At Hanbit’s answer, Yeonwoo nodded.
Then he said with a stunned expression,
“The Artsvel quest. That conglomerate declared they’re monopolizing it.”
