Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Corporate-ization
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Jin-seong was sitting in a quiet corner of a café during the afternoon hours.
Unlike usual, today he was there to meet someone introduced by an acquaintance.
Having seriously considered building a hacking team lately and scouted around everywhere, he had high expectations for this person.
As the appointed time arrived, the café door opened, and a man walked in.
The man's appearance matched Jin-seong's expectations perfectly.
A baggy hoodie, training pants, and worn-out sneakers.
It was the quintessential nerd style.
Behind thick glasses, his eyes lacked confidence.
Jin-seong stood up first and extended his hand.
"Hello, I'm Kim Jin-seong."
The man cautiously offered his hand for a shake and awkwardly replied.
"Ah, hello. I'm Lee Young-jin. Twenty-four years old."
The two sat facing each other.
Jin-seong offered him coffee to ease the atmosphere.
"I don't know exactly what you heard, but what did the friend who introduced us tell you?"
Young-jin hesitated before cautiously speaking up.
"Uh... just that you'd pay well and it was computer-related work."
Jin-seong nodded and slowly asked.
"Young-jin, are you in a bit of a financial pinch right now?"
At the question, Young-jin averted his gaze for a moment before reluctantly opening up.
"Yes, honestly, my family situation isn't great. I have some debts, and it's urgent."
Jin-seong asked again.
"Is that debt from living expenses?"
Young-jin's face flushed slightly as he stammered.
"Some from living expenses... and honestly, some gambling debt too."
Jin-seong nodded calmly and asked.
"Can you tell me specifically how much debt you have and how much you'd like to make?"
Young-jin hesitated before saying weakly.
"About 30 million won in debt. As for pay... the more, the better. Honestly, I don't even have money for interest payments right now; it's really tough."
Jin-seong stayed silent for a moment before speaking with a serious expression.
"Young-jin, to be frank, what I do is illegal."
But I have no intention of causing direct harm to others or making you do anything bad.
I just want us to help each other—your skills supporting my operations."
Young-jin's face visibly stiffened.
The word 'illegal' was shaking him.
Jin-seong added, seeing his reaction.
"I'm just looking to build a hacking team and set up another site for stable operations. If your skills check out, I'll clear your debt and guarantee whatever salary you want."
Young-jin stared at the floor, lost in thought for a long while.
His mind was a whirlwind.
He couldn't even pay interest right now, and with almost no work experience, finding a stable job was realistically tough.
Jin-seong sipped his coffee slowly, waiting patiently without a word.
A tense atmosphere and heavy silence filled the café.
After much deliberation, Young-jin cautiously spoke.
"Um... you'll really pay off my debt and give me good pay?"
Jin-seong nodded without hesitation, earnestly replying.
"If you commit fully and help build the team, I'll support you generously. How about starting at 10 million won a month?"
Young-jin felt his breath catch.
Even for illegal work, that amount was rare even at big corporations.
He hesitated briefly but rationalized it to himself as 'just like freelance contracting' and steeled his resolve.
Finally, with a trembling voice, Young-jin said.
"Yes, I understand. I'll do it."
Jin-seong smiled in satisfaction and asked another question.
"Do you live with your parents right now?"
Young-jin nodded.
"Yes, I live with them."
Jin-seong thought for a moment before naturally suggesting.
"Then I'll rent an apartment for you to use as both home and office. I'll cover rent and utilities completely, so just bring yourself and work comfortably. Sound good?"
Young-jin's eyes widened in genuine shock.
Truth be told, his parents always disapproved of him glued to the computer all day at home.
He was tired of their daily nagging to get a job.
"You'll really do all that...?"
Disbelief was still thick in Young-jin's voice.
Jin-seong smiled again and said.
"Of course. I have big expectations for you. I heard from my acquaintance you're exceptionally skilled, so this level of support is the baseline to secure you."
Jin-seong's words warmed Young-jin's heart.
Just having someone recognize him like this felt great.
Receiving so much support and trust from a stranger made him feel secure rather than anxious.
Young-jin mustered courage and said to Jin-seong.
"Please take care of me from now on."
Jin-seong smiled sincerely in response.
"Sure, let's work hard together and make a ton of money."
In truth, Jin-seong had set aggressive terms from the start to lock Young-jin in.
If he could reliably handle database sourcing, this investment would pay off long-term.
Above all, to make Young-jin truly his own, 10 million won a month wasn't much.
A few days later, Jin-seong set up Young-jin's home-office apartment in the same building as his own for easy access.
He covered everything: high-spec computers and gear Young-jin wanted, software, furniture, and daily necessities—perfectly equipped.
Young-jin was deeply moved by Jin-seong's support.
He had no regrets about meeting someone who recognized and invested in him like this.
On the contrary, he felt that with this person, nothing would be scary anymore.
Thus, their relationship began anew on a foundation of trust.
Young-jin's job was very straightforward.
He mainly handled requests from Jin-seong or sub-master agents via Telegram.
The work wasn't even that hard.
Most of it was at the level of hacking or simple DDoS attacks he'd done as a hobby before.
Soon after starting, Jin-seong tasked Young-jin with a full security audit of all offices.
Young-jin overhauled every office computer's settings from scratch, building robust firewalls to block external attacks completely.
He also set up complex routing through multiple overseas IPs to evade any potential tracing.
For Jin-seong's main office, he rented a dedicated overseas computer and linked it up.
This made tracing from within the country utterly impossible, with thorough countermeasures in place.
Jin-seong was greatly satisfied with the flawless work and handed Young-jin some cash as pocket money.
"Young-jin, you really worked hard. This is from your hyung—spend it freely."
Every time he received cash from Jin-seong, Young-jin felt a strange thrill of novelty.
It was the taste of money he'd never experienced before.
Afterward, whenever Jin-seong went out for fun, he always brought Young-jin along.
Jin-seong's goal was clear.
He wanted to hook Young-jin on the thrill of money and lavish living, making it hard for him to ever leave.
Jin-seong deliberately took him to high-end restaurants, pricey bars, and flashy room salons, fueling his craving for bigger cash.
To Young-jin, who had spent his life staring at a computer in his room, this glamorous lifestyle was irresistibly sweet.
Having never even dated, he quickly adapted to the nightlife Jin-seong introduced him to.
Jin-seong footed every bill.
As they spent time together, Young-jin transformed from a quiet, timid nerd into someone addicted to extravagance and indulgence.
The more this repeated, the closer they grew—like brothers—and Young-jin felt gratitude and trust toward Jin-seong for leading him into this world.
To repay the favors, he was ready to tackle anything Jin-seong asked.
Thus, Young-jin slowly but surely plunged deep into the glittering, dark underworld.
Among master agent lines, Jin-seong's had become unrivaled.
Competitors were still recruiting sub-master agents like he had early on, running small ops on Naland, or operating tiny TM teams.
But Jin-seong had built an organization on another level.
His line alone had 150 sub-master agents and teams—purely sales-focused manpower.
The internal structure was tightly divided by specialization.
A professional TM team re-engaging dormant members to boost site usage; Young-jin's hacking team launching instant DDoS retaliation to cripple rivals at any sign of trouble.
Moreover, for field conflicts or violence with rival lines, Jin-seong had backups ready.
Local thugs he kept friendly with pocket money and drinks, plus Busan crews connected through HQ friends—all under management.
These violent groups formed a perfect shield against external threats to his line.
Thanks to such rigorous prep and fierce responses, rival master agents couldn't touch Jin-seong's line recklessly anymore.
After several who foolishly attacked had their sites crippled and got chewed out plus penalties from their own HQs, others steered clear of any clashes.
Jin-seong's line was no longer just a master agent outfit.
It was a massive corporation with thorough division of labor.
Systematic, professional task allocation inside; in the master agent world, his name commanded absolute power, trust, and fear.
Unbeknownst to himself, Jin-seong had evolved from a mere master agent into the architect of a perfect organization—one wielding immense influence over the scene.