Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Endless Staircase
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In this world, there's a saying called the "endless staircase."
It's a colloquial expression meaning that everyone climbs an never-ending staircase through life. The higher you go, the narrower the steps become, and only a tiny fraction can keep ascending.
Those on the lower steps will use any means necessary to claw their way up, no holds barred. This staircase feels like a microcosm of society itself.
Cha Se-yeon, reporter for Daehan Ilbo.
She was pounding away at her keyboard late into the night in the office.
The world is so unfair.
Everyone works their asses off, yet only a handful get any recognition. Like the chairman of Ilseong Group or the one who took over Dae-young Group.
There are about 8 million businesses in Korea. Factor in all the employees, and you're talking tens of millions of people. Out of them, fewer than 100 hold real money and fame.
What are the rest of those workers doing?
Fighting tooth and nail.
Some are breadwinners feeding their families; others scrape together every penny for their own dreams.
Dreams vary from person to person.
Someone might crave a flashy foreign sports car or dream of owning their own home.
The same goes for reporters in the media.
She aimed for exclusive scoops with original, in-depth reporting.
Documents, documents, documents...
Reflecting on the mountain of papers and countless files buried in her computer, she charged into the fray ahead of deadlines and endless battles.
"Anything noteworthy to chase down?"
While scouring for leads everywhere, she stumbled on something odd. A community forum buzzing about streamer Jin-seong.
"Hope Deliveryman? What's this about?"
The post mentioned him planning some content to help the underprivileged. Cha Se-yeon smirked. She saw right through it as standard image-polishing, the kind you see everywhere.
But one familiar name caught her eye.
"Kim Do-jun!"
She shot up from her chair.
This guy popped up everywhere, no matter where she looked.
And now, out of nowhere, his name appeared in streamer Jin-seong's Internet Broadcasting content.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Forum Post Title Whoa! Kim Do-jun's good deeds just keep coming! A single post.
This one, pinned prominently at the top, had been shared by countless hands.
— Original Post Remember this, right? Kim Do-jun donated hundreds of billions for veterans not long ago. That put forgotten veterans back in everyone's minds—you know that, yeah? He didn't disappoint us this time either. Streamer Jin-seong pulls in nearly 200,000 average viewers—a total mega-star. If you're into Internet Broadcasting, you know him as the guy dubbed "President." Looks like Jin-seong and Kim Do-jun teamed up. For a streamer who needs a solid public image, this content is perfect. But here's the thing—this is the start of it all. Streamers and YouTubers broadcast to make a living, not to help others, right? Come donation season, they pop up out of nowhere like it's an eyes-wide-shut popularity contest. Remember the wildfire in Gangwon Province? Cyber Le Cafe—that trash-talk king—donated 20 million to polish his image. What did everyone say? "Fuck that guy... Always ripping others apart, but sniffs out the public mood like a ghost when it's time to donate." I remember those words clear as day. Unlike those clowns, Kim Do-jun's all about genuine give-and-take. As a businessman, it's his way of repaying the public for buying his employees' products. So yeah, I'm keeping tabs on this. These two are about to write legends in Internet Broadcasting... After reading it all, Cha Se-yeon stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment.
What the hell did Kim Do-jun really want?
If he wasn't gunning for president or something, why care so much about others?
There was a rumor floating in business circles.
A massive conglomerate was about to emerge in Korea.
This group could sway U.S. politics—the land they call the Heavenly Kingdom—and at its heart was a certain pharmaceutical company.
Cha Se-yeon had already dug into it.
She was piecing together the connection between Jin Seol-hwa and Kim Do-jun.
Follow the links between those two, and you'd hit a dead end... or a revelation.
"DJ Group's owner is Kim Do-jun."
A pure-blooded Korean.
Shocking enough that he owned a massive American pharma giant, but it hinted at a destined new star rising in Korea.
Cha Se-yeon gripped her mouse and dragged every article on Kim Do-jun across her screen. Sure enough, a pattern emerged.
"Heard Selig's ALS drug secretly treated Jack Ryder's son. If that's true, then DJ Group's Kim Do-jun is linked to Jack Ryder through America's Jin Seol-hwa. No way! This guy's in bed with him...?"
Jack Ryder.
One of America's top presidential candidates.
In a country rife with racism, Jack Ryder earned infinite trust from two races. If he ran now, victory was guaranteed.
Kim Do-jun partnering with him carried huge implications.
"National interest!"
With the economy in the dumps and folks tightening their belts, no one could predict the ripple effects of DJ Group's arrival.
But one thing was certain.
Job creation.
Cha Se-yeon didn't trust the government's word.
2.7%.
Last year's unemployment rate.
The problem? It excluded economically inactive folks, far from the felt reality. Plus, they muddied stats with bullshit public works gigs.
Short-term jobs skewed the numbers big time.
She tried criticizing it in an article.
Somehow, pressure from the higher-ups came down hard.
Forced to drop it.
But watching one man's moves left her scratching her head.
He was a new breed she'd never seen.
"What Kim Do-jun really wants..."
Climb to Korea's top business elite?
Nah.
Rake in cash for luxury and glory?
Nah.
Otherwise, he wouldn't donate hundreds of billions.
He could've bought a solid company instead.
Politics?
Nope.
The more she thought, the murkier it got.
Sweat dripped from her smooth forehead day after day. Give something, get something—that's the world's way.
If not this, not that... what did he want?
"No way..."
She adjusted her chair and leaned forward.
This mega-rich guy delivers briquettes? Keeps donating what others wouldn't touch?
Then.
An unexpected rumor hit her.
[Kim Do-jun might be the big spender Bukppudeupppu from Internet Broadcasting.]
Come to think of it, a few years back, Bukppudeupppu's debut shook the world. One guy dumping billions into broadcasts.
"How much cash does he have to burn like trash?" It gave everyone a sage moment.
They busted their asses for a few million a month, while Bukppudeupppu clicked once and blew house prices in the provinces.
"Huh?"
She stumbled on it by chance.
A VOD of Bukppudeupppu explaining himself on stream.
"The v-voice... it's similar!"
The voice from that stream matched the one she'd heard up close during the briquette delivery with him.
"!"
Cha Se-yeon nearly had a fit at the absurdity.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In this world, there's a word called 【coincidence】.
It refers to unexpected events or encounters happening out of the blue.
These coincidences can swing good or bad.
A prime good example? Winning the lottery by chance.
Happened to me, actually.
Bad side? Bumping into an ex-girlfriend.
If things ended messy, seeing the girl you once loved after ages—pure coincidence, pure awkward hell.
I'm the type who buys into coincidences pretty hard.
Hell, the lottery and my coin jackpot couldn't exist without "coincidence." That luck handed me astronomical wealth, top-tier in Korea.
Old saying goes:
Failure is the shortcut to success.
Great words.
Using failures as fertilizer, drawing on experience to reach success.
But that doesn't apply to businessmen.
Look at street homeless—plenty were once big-shot bosses.
They failed.
Couldn't repay debts.
Got disowned by family, ended up on the curb.
Tell them "failure's the shortcut," and you'd deserve the slap.
That's why I believe in coincidences but stay wary in one brain corner.
Hence, surrounding myself with sharp minds.
Jin Seol-hwa, Im Yun-ah, Olivia, Frisia, Park Seong-ho, Im Seok-hyun, Seo Kyung-hwan, and more.
Better schools than me, deeper society smarts—they always drop solid advice. Big crises? They offer fixes from every angle.
I pick the best, plan, prepare.
Never failed once, made it here.
Reason I built DJ Group, that behemoth.
"Holy shit..."
The star of Jin-seong's first "Hope Delivery" episode.
His semi-basement life or never getting a Pepero from a girl by thirty? Meh, not shocking to me.
A coincidence struck.
A good one, again.
Intense blue light blasted from the triple-monitor setup in the corner. Green "connected" messages floated over screens running different code, while instant noodle cups piled like an oasis in the desert below.
The floor was code-level chaos.
Cables snaked everywhere—hard to tell if it was a human habitat or a corporate server room.
Vigang Systems, on the rise.
CEO Seo Kyung-hwan once griped:
Drone AI programming talent shortage.
These skills get no love domestically, shipped overseas wholesale.
With a few more programmers, Vigang could crank out next-level drones.
"Oh Deok-bae?"
"...Huh?"
Jin-seong and Han Yu-jeong gaped, mouths agape.
Lucky his face stayed off-stream—call it divine intervention.
From today, I decided to bow to coincidences.
Jackpot.