Chapter 58

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 58

Chapter Title: Provocation

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Choi Hyo-seong, who went by the nickname "I Am The Boss,"

had built quite a reputation as a big spender on AmericaTV for a long time.

In fact, Choi Hyo-seong was involved in handling illicit funds.

Typically, this included laundering money for toto sites based overseas

and anything else that turned a profit.

The truth was, he couldn't freely spend money in Korea without worry.

Funds without income documentation couldn't be used at will.

Even after setting up a few ghost companies in Korea for laundering,

the amount he could actually clean was less than expected.

And then taxes ate into it even more.

So he only frequented rooms with girls who accepted cash,

and living month-to-month in rentals had started to feel dull.

He couldn't go out often because he was stuck handling business every day in his Korean office.

With so much work came a flood of incoming funds.

He earned hundreds of billions every year, but when it came to buying anything in Korea,

he couldn't even spend tens of millions.

All he could do was splurge on rent-a-wrecks that left no paper trail.

But AmericaTV was different.

Transfer the illicit funds, and he could spend them freely.

He'd considered using it for laundering, but the yield was too low.

So he decided to enjoy it instead.

If the cops nabbed him anyway, might as well blow it all.

But he'd stashed away about 20 billion in cash secretly for his old age.

That should be enough to live worry-free until death, even after prison.

That's how he'd saved from his twenties into his forties.

Being in the illicit business, Choi Hyo-seong trusted no one.

He always worked alone in his office, just giving orders.

In the midst of that, he discovered AmericaTV and got hooked on the big spender treatment

and the power trips.

He also grew addicted to ordinary viewers deifying him.

He'd never once lost the title of AmericaTV's top big spender.

Then Excel came along, this weird cyber room thing.

Spending just tens of millions there let him meet cam girls other guys could only dream of,

spend the night with them, always in the dominant position.

The power of money.

Gwan-woo, whom he'd grown close to, was like a pimp supplying him with cam girls.

A while back, over drinks, Gwan-woo had asked him for a favor,

so he'd come to Yeji's room intending to grant it.

He was confident he could push out this rising big spender called Coin King.

At best, she was a newbie cam girl, and since he'd already dropped 600,000 recently,

another splurge like that would be a stretch, he figured.

So he'd topped up 300 million.

With that, he'd flood the room for three days, snag chairman,

tell her to come to Excel on his recommendation, let her taste the money,

and hook her so she couldn't escape him.

With that light plan, he entered casually.

I leisurely clicked the mouse and fired off 10,000 star balloons.

Yeji's expression changed in an instant.

Her surprised face came through the broadcast screen, vivid as life.

The chat exploded in a flash.

Countless viewers recognized me and flooded the chat with worshipful messages.

A smile crept across my lips.

Yeah, this is the thrill.

This is why I drop thousands, tens of millions on AmericaTV.

You guys can only watch those girls through the screen,

but I get to meet them in person, enjoy them freely—that sense of superiority,

that's what makes me open my wallet.

Yeji opened her mouth on screen, her face tense.

"Ah... I Am The Boss... thank you so much for the 10,000 fan join gifts!"

I decided to lightly provoke the chairman, Coin King.

Testing the other guy's spending power wouldn't hurt.

I tapped out a chat.

Yeji looked flustered for a moment.

"Ah... the chairman cut... I can't say, but
keep gifting and you'll hit it someday~"

She answered with an ambiguous smile.

The viewers cheered, chat going wild.

But strangely, the guy called Coin King showed no reaction.

I waited leisurely, but nothing came.

Suddenly, the tension deflated.

"What...? That's it?"

I muttered to myself.

This big spender Coin King—did he get scared just seeing my name?

Maybe as a named big spender, he came in intimidated from the start,
lost his fight.

If it ended this easily, it felt a bit anticlimactic,
but things got simpler, so I felt good.

Gwan-woo worried for nothing.

This way, I could snag Yeji easily per plan.

I could end this fight faster than expected.

AmericaTV was too easy for me with money.

Despite I Am The Boss's provocative balloon barrage,

Jin-seong stayed silent, showing no particular reaction.

Sensing the sudden arrival of big spenders and the brewing gift war,

viewers filled the chat with buzz.

Some Excel refugees among them even provoked Coin King.

But Jin-seong's thoughts were entirely different.

He had already seen through I Am The Boss's intentions and strategy.

I Am The Boss had come to Yeji's room prepared to push Jin-seong out from the start.

Jin-seong estimated the amount he'd brought at under 300 million.

Jin-seong slowly pondered, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

'Fine. Since it's come to this, I'll drain every last bit he brought.'

In truth, there was an unspoken rule among AmericaTV big spenders.

Once you claimed a streamer as your main turf and invested in her,

other big spenders didn't touch her—that was the code.

It was a rule born long ago from realizing gift wars only hurt both sides.

But I Am The Boss had blatantly broken it with his provocation.

Since the opponent broke the rule first, Jin-seong had no reason to follow it anymore.

Of course, responding too aggressively from the start might scare him off quick.

Better to play it smart: pretend to yield a bit, draw out maximum spending,

then crush with overwhelming force at the end.

The loser of a big spender gift war usually just quietly vanished from the room.

Jin-seong needed to etch into every viewer's mind that the opponent had broken the rule.

His current ID had over 1 billion in star balloons loaded.

That much would refill in 10 days lounging at home.

A top cash-rich player in Korea, yet Jin-seong spent modestly.

So he was actually enjoying this situation.

He pictured it: acting strained on purpose, luring the opponent to burn all his funds,

then slamming down with superior gifts at the last moment.

Seeing Yeji flustered by I Am The Boss's gifts on screen, Jin-seong smiled faintly.

"Alright, let's see how much you brought, nice and slow."

Jin-seong's eyes brimmed with the leisure of anticipated victory.

After I Am The Boss's full-on gift provocation,

the AmericaTV community lit up with excitement.

Rare big spender gift war event had viewers' dopamine exploding,

posting eagerly in a frenzy.

Comments piled up fast under the quickly popular post.

I Am The Boss's longtime fans and long-time watchers of his AmericaTV antics

naturally predicted his victory.

He'd never lost a gift war even in the gift-heavy Excel scene,

so no way this rising Coin King could hold out.

But some randos had different takes.

Viewers questioned I Am The Boss's actions,

growing curious why he'd storm a plain cam girl's room with such aggressive gifts.

This rational guess gained traction in the community,

drawing crowds intrigued by big spenders clashing pride over one regular cam girl.

The AmericaTV community split into camps, heating up.

Yet some viewers stayed cautious amid the hype.

The community's vibe heated rapidly, drawing more inflows.

I Am The Boss vs Coin King gift war quickly became AmericaTV's hottest issue,

commanding scorching attention from viewers.

Then a new post went up.

Steal chairman first if you wanna talk smack
One-liner savage lololololol

Coin King's single chat set the community ablaze again.

Randos, hooked on the escalating drama, rushed into Yeji's room.