Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Loser Wants to Become a Chronic Masturbator
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A petty, narrow-minded man.
Such a loser—that's me.
Me, who used to hole up in my room jerking off all day, now giving a speech in front of all the employees.
Of course, my face was masked, but this was progress in its own way.
"Ah, can you hear me?"
"Yes!"
The space, originally a cafeteria, had been remodeled for these monthly morning assemblies.
Countless eyes stared at me.
With intensely curious gazes.
Of course they would.
The company had flipped upside down in just one day.
"Then let's begin the assembly."
I removed my mask for the first time in history.
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise at my unexpectedly ordinary face.
Well, with half my face covered by the mask, I probably looked around forty.
Not that I'd say it myself, but my voice had a bit of an aged rasp to it.
"Surprised I'm so young? I'm thirty this year. Haha..."
"No way, President! You look great!"
Ahem.
These folks really know how the world works.
Tears suddenly welled up out of nowhere.
Looking at the dark circles under the eyes of employees who'd slaved like dogs under that vicious Ma Chun-dong for years—they looked as shadowed as silhouettes at sunset.
I hoped none of them would collapse.
"As you all know, I'm Kim Do-jun, and starting today, I'm Starlight's new president. I've been briefed on the situation. Salaries backed up by two months, right?"
"......"
"And not just a five-day week—you've all been working seven days, without even overtime pay."
"......"
I looked around the room.
Everyone hung their heads.
Some employees' shoulders shook with quiet sobs.
They must feel so wronged.
Working their asses off, only for the boss to keep delaying their pay...
There were young recruits here, and department heads pushing fifty. With wages delayed, those paying off home loans from banks or fresh grads repaying student debt must be struggling hard.
Even when a few reported to labor authorities, it was just a brief audit at most.
The gaming industry is colder and smaller than you'd think.
Word spreads instantly about who snitched where—no need to see it to know.
"Your two months of back pay—I'll have it all disbursed by the end of this week."
Why should I foot their bill?
Think differently.
It didn't feel like a waste at all.
These were the people making South Korea what it is today. They'd gnawed away at their own lifespans, slaving solely for the company.
Just looking at first-half sales—they crushed last year's.
If they've earned merit for the company,
they deserve rewards to match.
Don't you think?
Today, I'd shed my 'loser' skin and be a real man for them.
"Also, I've seen the numbers myself—our sales have skyrocketed lately. So, I'm giving everyone here a 500% bonus."
"Woooaaah!"
A 500% bonus.
Five times their base salary.
The employees, suddenly flush with cash, erupted in cheers.
Too early to celebrate.
There's even bigger rewards coming.
"Mr. Kim Han-cheol."
"Yes, President!"
Like a fresh private reporting to his unit.
Shirt collar crisp, tie stiff as a board.
Kim Han-cheol marched up and stood at attention.
"Your wedding anniversary was recently, right?"
"!"
"You should've been enjoying it with your beloved wife, but you were here at the office."
"P-President... there was work that day..."
No.
That's not it!
Even if work piled up, a wedding anniversary comes once a year—it's a sacred family duty.
For a nation to prosper, its people must be happy.
For people to be happy, families must be happy.
Ask any country,
any government,
any official—they'd all say the same.
"You stayed because no one to share your workload, right?"
"......"
"No replacement, so you had to shoulder it all. That's why you missed your anniversary with your wife."
"......"
"I'll build a new team within a month."
I bowed to him.
Out of genuine gratitude.
These folks would be my loyal soldiers charging into battle for the company from now on.
"Yun-ah, bring it here."
Im Yun-ah, expressionless behind me, handed over a luxurious case.
The small box was heavier than expected.
"Mr. Kim Han-cheol, you've dedicated four years solely to Starlight. Everyone here knows it. I checked the logs—you worked 130 hours a week. Excluding commute, breaks, and meals, you basically lived here. Without even sleeping."
"P-President..."
Recognized like this, tears fell from Kim Han-cheol's eyes.
In fact, he'd pitched a tent in the office.
Employees spilled that he skipped proper meals, scarfing triangle kimbap from convenience stores.
"That's why, as Starlight's president and your employer, I felt you deserved proper compensation."
I handed him the case.
And inside it was...
"Woooaaah!"
"W-What is that? Real gold?"
"It's gleaming—is that actual gold?"
"First time seeing someone gift gold. For real?"
"How many don is that?"
It must feel pretty hefty.
Because the gold bar I just handed over was a whopping 50 don.
Rough price? Over 24 million won.
I smiled softly at the flustered Kim Han-cheol.
"Gold doesn't drop much. Just hold onto it, and it'll appreciate. Especially with the current global situation."
"Th-Thank you, President!"
He looked ready to die if I asked.
This man, twice my age, was bowing so low his back nearly touched the floor.
'That fucking bastard Ma Chun-dong!'
I resented that damned Chinese prick even more—he'd sucked these good employees dry to the bone.
'Seol-hwa said she handled it well, so I trust her.'
From what I heard, some past connection or whatever.
She liquidated it while the market was up.
"That concludes the morning assembly."
"Thank you for your hard work, President!"
Without being told, all the employees stood and shouted in unison.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Work was tougher and busier than expected.
The shit that ex-president Ma Chun-dong—that fucking prick—had left behind was scattered everywhere.
A handful of executives in the meeting room.
One scratched his gleaming bald pate with a pen; another irritably ran fingers through his hair.
One reason only.
Starlight's image was tanking day by day.
I sat at the head of the table and spoke right away.
We didn't have much time left.
"Due to Starlight's shitshow... operations, users are revolting. How many protest posts hit daily?"
"Around 2,000 complaints a day."
"That's a lot..."
This was like sitting on a sinking ship.
We might have to accept some heavy losses.
"Suspicion of rigged rates, rigged rankings, more predatory BM than competitors. That's Starlight's reality. So, I'm pushing full refunds for all users who spent in the last three months."
"P-President! We'll go bankrupt!"
One executive stared in horror, trying to dissuade me.
I know.
I know.
But if we keep going like this, we'll go bankrupt anyway.
You'll all be out on the streets.
The silver lining? Our biggest hit, 'Raising Witches in Another World', still had massive popularity. Despite trash operations, the gameplay kept users hooked beyond imagination.
They probably thought,
'Maybe tomorrow it'll get better?'
"To survive, we need to win back user trust like before. How? Announce the refunds, the new BM structure, and the leadership change publicly. Make them see we're a clean company now."
It wasn't too late.
Sometimes, the moment you think it's too late is perfect timing.
Like now.
"Losses will be huge. But we have to do it. The industry will get fiercer. To survive, we need our edge: making even more user-friendly games."
"What do you mean by user-friendly, President?"
A woman raised her hand.
Late thirties, maybe.
Her casually rubber-banded ponytail gave an impression of no-fuss efficiency.
Poor thing—her face was deathly pale from exhaustion.
I stood from the head seat and gazed out the window.
Me, thirty this year.
I recalled games from twenty years ago.
Lots remade classics—famous old titles tweaked for modern trends.
Kingdom Under Fire, Pang, Ragnarok Online, Diablo, Albion, and such.
They fixed past flaws massively and succeeded.
"Twenty years ago, users played for free. Resources were farmable in-game; rates were different, but there was hope."
"!"
"But now? Key resources only via cash. Can't play without opening your wallet. Money matters, sure—we're not a charity."
Finally getting it, her pupils dilated.
Yeah. I planned to go back to those days.
Games everyone could enjoy.
Reviving those nostalgic moments.
"Going forward, all Starlight games will be free-to-play as principle. All resources in-game farmable. BM based on cosmetic cash items only—no power stats."
"Sales will drop."
"We brace for it. No other way to recover trust that's hit rock bottom."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A massive notice plastered on Starlight's homepage.
It captured every developer formally apologizing to users.
Starlight's new ironclad rules:
📰 Official Announcement 1. Starlight will overhaul its BM structure effective immediately to satisfy users. 2. We'll hold a forum on past suspicions around rates and rankings. 3. Full refunds for all spending in the last 3 months to disappointed users. 4. Starlight promises cleaner operations moving forward. 💬 User Comments — AnonGamer42 WTF, these guys lost their minds. Full refunds for 3 months??? — RefundKing For real. That's gotta be over 10 billion won easy... — ForumLurker Heard the news? Starlight's president changed. — CasualPlayer Wha? For real? Who to? — InsiderLeak Rumor says he was a regular player who got pissed and bought the company. — Skeptic99 LMAOOOOO delusion much? Who'd do that? — TruthBomb It's real. President's name changed. — CynicPro Just a name change? Common in the industry—tail-cutting. ⭐ Top Comment — NewsHound Nope. It's in the articles. Chinese guy got fired, Korean took over. — WhaleHunter Damn! How loaded do you gotta be to buy Starlight? — WinWin Good for us though, right? Refunds incoming. Users started trickling back upon hearing the news.
Curious about what the hell happened, at least.
Was it the effect?
Concurrent users finally broke 500,000.
— ChartTopper Oh, back to #1 on Google sales LMAO — TuniHater Tuneegee entering the abyss. — ComparisonKing LOL Tuneegee getting wrecked in comparison. — LoyalFan Sticking to Starlight games from now on. — Returner? For real? That big a change? — TesterX Yeah, shop/UI overhauled. No eye strain anymore. All stat boosts on cash items gone. — ComebackKid Uninstalling others. Worth a return? — Recommender Yep, trust me. Super fun now. Servers all jammed. Thanks to everyone's efforts, Starlight reclaimed users' love.
And one woman saw it all.
'......'
Kang So-yeon, who'd racked up 40 million views on Lightpia with her gender-bender novel, had received a proposal from the platform days ago.
[Starlight wishes to adapt 'Moonlight Girl'-nim's novel into a game.]