Chapter 16
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: First Settlement
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Three weeks had already passed since Jin-seong started the job.
Jin-seong focused more on recruiting new members through the acquaintances of his initial sign-ups rather than the members he'd directly lured from Naland.
Thanks to those efforts, the membership in his personal group chat had grown to 42 people.
For a rookie Master Agent less than a month in, securing this many members was an astonishing pace.
Every morning, Jin-seong used his work phone to send individual KakaoTalk messages to each member, checking in on them.
When a member won money, he celebrated with them like it was his own victory.
When they lost, he offered sincere comfort and encouragement: "Let's recover after work!"
Before long, the members naturally felt close to him, and thanks to their loyalty, his settlement page—once in the red—was steadily turning black.
Jin-seong paid extra attention to members transferred from Naland.
Those from personal referrals settled in on their own, chatting among themselves in the group, but Naland transfers had bounced through multiple Master Agents before landing with him, so they needed careful handling from the start.
He chatted a lot with them right away, listening to how they'd been screwed over by previous agents.
"Aigoo, hyung. How'd you end up with trash like that?"
He'd curse along with them, fully empathizing.
After all that dedication, Monday finally arrived.
Master Agents typically settled up every Monday at midnight based on net deposits and withdrawals.
Heart pounding, Jin-seong opened the admin page. His agent dashboard now spanned over two pages.
It was finally his first settlement.
Jin-seong shouted in the office, overcome with emotion.
"Whoa, we cleared all the deficits—first settlement!"
Yeop-rak and Ant clapped for him, sharing the joy.
"Hyung! Congrats. I knew you'd shake off the red quick. At this rate, you'll blow up soon, right?"
Jin-seong grinned proudly at the screen. It had felt daunting at first, but confirming his strategy worked filled him with even more confidence.
Thus, Jin-seong savored the thrill of his long-awaited first settlement.
The next day, Seung-woo showed up at the office carrying a Louis Vuitton Boston bag.
As he opened the door, he boomed:
"Alright~ Today's our Hani's first settlement day, yeah? Good work~ Time to taste some real cash. Let's hustle even harder from here~"
Seung-woo beamed at Jin-seong, then led him to the room next to the living room where the guys crashed.
Once inside, Seung-woo's face turned serious as he patted Jin-seong's shoulder.
"Hani, honestly, seeing a first settlement this solid is rare. Big expectations, yeah~?"
With that, he pulled thick wads of cash from the Louis Vuitton bag.
"Since it's your first, I threw in 600,000 won extra as a bonus—rounded it to exactly 6 million."
He handed over a bundle of 50,000-won notes and another of 10,000-won notes.
Jin-seong's heart raced as he took the cash.
It was the first time he'd ever held a big sum he'd earned in cold, hard bills.
For a moment, he glanced at Seung-woo's bag, stuffed full of other agents' settlements.
Every week, Seung-woo lugged this bag around, paying out to his agents.
As Jin-seong exited with his money, Yeop-rak and Ant went in one after another, emerging with their own hauls.
Yeop-rak got around 14 million won—way more bundles—and Ant came out beaming with over 10 million.
Settlements done, Seung-woo grinned warmly.
"Alright, great work this week, everyone. Don't go blowing it on booze and dumb stuff in a hype—save it up, yeah~?"
With that encouragement, Seung-woo left the office.
The moment he was gone, Yeop-rak and Ant looked at Jin-seong, suggesting drinks to celebrate the settlements.
"Hyung~ First settlement—gotta grab a drink for the milestone, right?"
But Jin-seong just smiled and shook his head.
"Nah, still got a ton to pay back to my parents... Let's save up a bit more and party later."
Yeop-rak and Ant looked disappointed for a sec.
Jin-seong reassured them instead.
"I'll be here in the office running picks all day, so go have fun worry-free. I've got my settlement, so play easy—I'll cover picks for you."
Feeling guilty but grateful for his thoughtfulness, they smiled.
They each pulled a 50,000-won bill from their wallets and handed it over.
"Thanks, hyung! Get some sushi you like or something tasty with this."
With that, they headed out, pumped to party.
As soon as they left, Jin-seong messaged the Master Agent group chat.
"Settlement day's light on picks, but I'll run 'em through dawn—go enjoy yourselves easy."
The agents replied right away.
"Whoa, hyung, you're the best."
"Hani-hyung's the king as always. Thanks, off to play lol."
Jin-seong was building his rep even among the other agents with his diligence.
His mindset was clear.
He was thrilled with the first settlement but stayed grounded.
To grow further, steady effort and management were key.
While most agents partied post-settlement, sticking around the Family Room would leave a great impression on members—and that loyalty would be his biggest asset when he built his own independent line later.
With that, Jin-seong quietly held the fort and started running picks.
As Bayern Hani dropped picks in the Family Room, members reacted with amusement.
Other Picksters usually clock out early Tuesdays, but Hani's solo-piloting today lololol
Jin-seong replied warmly with a chuckle.
Picksters are human too—Tuesday's their early out to chill hehe. I'll run 'em long tonight~
And so Jin-seong soloed picks till dawn, trading light banter with hundreds of members, keeping the Family Room vibe lively and warm.
Meanwhile, other agents—out drinking or playing with their crews—still peeked at the Family Room. With Jin-seong holding it down solo, they relaxed fully.
Normally, they'd panic-throw a pick or two if things went quiet mid-drinks, but tonight, thanks to him, they partied carefree.
Truth be told, only Yeop-rak, Ant, and Seung-woo had met Jin-seong in person.
Agents from other offices hadn't even seen his face.
So whenever they gathered at their own spots, talk turned to him.
Dalseo-gu office crew, out for drinks, watched him drop picks nonstop:
"Man, even as a member, Hani spammed picks all day—now as an agent, he's ramping it up? Dude's a machine."
Jung-gu office team, hearing about his first settlement:
"Hani-hyung's payout was huge for a debut. That guy's gonna skyrocket."
Leaving deep impressions across offices, Jin-seong wrapped up at 3 a.m.
Members, raking in profits thanks to him, buzzed excitedly.
Hani, you killed it today—thanks for the grind!
Full Hani trust from now on~ Tonight was sweet hehe
Hani's top Pickster! See you tomorrow!
Basking in their praise, Jin-seong left a final warm note.
Everyone~ Eyes hurt from staring at monitors all day ㅠㅠ Catch you tomorrow! Congrats on profits—sleep well~
Packing up and heading out, Jin-seong cruised the quiet pre-dawn streets, thinking of his first settlement cash.
The thick stacks in his bag brought a smile unbidden.
'Even with just 40 members, this income... 400 would be massive.'
Jin-seong set a bolder goal, steeling himself.
'First target: 100 members, no matter what.'
Breathing the night air as he drove the empty roads, he vowed even greater success on the way home.
Jin-seong quietly opened the front door and slipped inside. The house was silent; his family deep asleep.
He tiptoed to his room and stashed today's cash deep in his closet.
After a quick face wash, he lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
As always, thoughts flooded in once horizontal.
'Should I give Mom and Dad money bit by bit... or hold off, invest, make bigger bucks?'
After mulling, he decided.
'Better to save for 100 million at once and hand it over clean.'
The answer was already set in his heart.
No more hesitation—a few more weeks stacking cash, then quit the store job.
Balancing agent work with helping at his parents' shop as a side gig was tougher than expected.
He'd already told them he was learning stock management and handling that side.
Once he quit the store, he'd grab a cheap two-room nearby for his solo office.
Working with Yeop-rak and Ant was great, but he'd learned most of what there was to know.
He grasped the agent structure fully; for independent growth and managing more members, he needed his own space.
And if scale grew, he'd negotiate 35% commission with Seung-woo.
He'd recently learned some agents earning less settlement than him already got 35%.
Jin-seong figured he deserved the higher rate too.
With plans solidifying, his mind eased, eyes growing heavy.
Thus, Jin-seong drifted into deep sleep in the quiet dawn.