Chapter 458
Chapter 458
[…The System entered your company, Hyung!?]
[?? And you can even cancel it??]
Yeah.
I watched Keun-dal’s pop-ups, which were filled with blood-spitting horror, and looked back at the company’s status window.
Everything from brand recognition to the roster of artists was neatly organized, and there was even a general evaluation of the company. It looked exactly like a demo version of a business management game.
What am I supposed to do with this?
Just in case, I tried clicking on it.
[※ This feature is not yet available.]
Reason: Before the start of the mission.
“…….”
So it does provide some kind of functionality.
But it was refusing to show me yet because I hadn't started that damn ‘mission.’
It’s probably… because of this pop-up.
[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Would you like to cancel its use?]
It seemed like the process would only officially begin if I chose not to cancel.
[Phew, I guess since it’s your item, you can do whatever you want with it…. Sniffle, what a relief…….]
Right. It meant the choice was mine.
[Uh… but why are you hesitating instead of canceling it right away?]
That was because….
I think Gold… no, Kwon Hee-seung has a System Fragment.
[!!]
A pop-up like ‘Confirming the owner of the Fragment of ■■■’ had definitely appeared. It happened the moment Kwon Hee-seung mentioned the wish.
[Ahhhhh, the System reacted to that and moved! Because Hee-seung-nim has a fragment!]
Exactly.
I don’t know if I have to go through with this to pull it out of him.
The fact that it reacted meant it was showing movement, so if I used it, a way might present itself.
No matter how I thought about it, it was dangerous for someone without a status window to suddenly handle a mission failure penalty like they were slamming their head against the ground.
And as for leaving Gold 2 to get screwed over… I did owe him enough to give him a wish in the first place.
…And one more thing.
If one of the remaining System Fragments was with Kwon Hee-seung, the pattern became quite obvious.
There were four fragments in total.
And if the ones revealed so far were me, Keun-dal, and Kwon Hee-seung, then the next person was highly likely to be….
…Cheong-ryeo.
The line-up of people experienced with this godforsaken System.
If it comes down to it, should I tell him to try making a wish too?
I’d have to coordinate my words carefully.
But for now, I shook my head and returned to the immediate, urgent topic.
So, what was I going to do with this System?
If I were just unilaterally shouldering Gold 2’s mission failure, I’m sorry, but that would be an excessive loss.
Regardless of the wish or whatever, realistically, I probably would have cut ties….
“To be honest.”
[…To be honest?]
I rubbed my chin.
“I think I’ll come out ahead.”
[?!]
Think about it.
From drawing traits to leveling up and checking status windows—I had used the System to its absolute marrow.
The only problem was that it suddenly told me to become an idol in someone else’s body and threatened to kill me if I failed.
In reality, this is a cheat key.
[Hyung?]
But look at it now.
Growing a company? That aligned perfectly with my goals.
Failure penalty? If I couldn't grow the company properly anyway, I’d be ruined regardless.
Besides, based on my experience so far, missions—unlike status effects—had relatively weak penalties. It probably wouldn't be at the level of dying if I didn't debut.
And….
“No matter how much I think about it, I don’t feel like I’ll fail.”
It was just one mission, after all.
[Gasp.]
Well, good. It’s decided.
I was already worried about how long it would take to grow this new company to a size that matched TeSTAR’s level.
I nodded.
Judging from multiple angles, there was no reason to refuse a shortcut.
Still, let’s do one last check.
I asked Keun-dal.
Does this look dangerous to you?
[……I don’t feel like the item itself is threatening, but this whole situation is just scary! It’s so scary!]
[I feel like you’re sacrificing yourself for Hee-seung-nim?!]
If that was all, then it was fine. Just his imagination.
[!?]
The System is my item now?
Fine. I had collected the fragments while escaping collapsing buildings and going through the hell of swapping bodies, so I might as well put them to good use.
I immediately summoned the pop-up again.
[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Would you like to cancel its use?]
No.
At that moment.
Holographic fireworks exploded.
Beyond the pop-up where Keun-dal was screaming, light burst forth.
[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’ Use Confirmed!]
—‘■■■’ has become Company Use!
The translucent hologram began to take shape.
Borders appeared, colors were filled in….
What was completed looked like a fairly decent mobile game window.
At the end of that spectacle, which looked like some kind of evolution, a pop-up flashed at the top.
[Mission Created (NEW!)]
Mission: Achieve B- Rank for <Stars Orbit Entertainment>
—Let’s raise the target’s rank to recover the ‘Fragment of ■■■.’
Hmm?
Just as I was wondering what growing the company rank had to do with absorbing the fragment, a help menu appeared at the bottom.
[Help: As the rank of <Stars Orbit Entertainment> rises, the owner’s dominance will strengthen.]
[Use your strong dominance to control the ‘Fragment of ■■■’!]
Oh.
So… since I used the System on the company, the more I grew the company, the greater my dominance over the System would become. And that would allow me to bring in other fragments as well.
Kwon Hee-seung’s ‘wish’ and my goal blended well together. Not bad.
However….
[Remaining Period: D-100]
—Upon failure, ownership of ■■■ will be revoked.
“…….”
The time limit was damn unscrupulous.
I also didn't like the vague explanation of the failure penalty. I couldn't tell exactly what would happen.
[Then!! Try canceling it now, Hyung!]
Well, should I give it a try?
[※ Cancellation is not possible during a mission!]
Apparently so.
[Uwaaaaaah….]
Leaving Keun-dal’s pop-up aside, I now pulled up the status window.
[Company Name: Stars Orbit]
Recognition: C+
Performance: (-)
Profit: (-)
Artists: TeSTAR (★★★★★), Mirinae (★★★★), Spacer (★★★) ….
General Evaluation: D+
Now I could click on things.
The click led to… <View Details>.
[General Evaluation Details: A rookie agency with promising artists! However, there are no results yet….
Let’s generate profit through artist activities!]
[‘Feature: Album’ Unlocked!]
[‘Feature: Acting’ Unlocked!]
[‘Feature: Variety’ Unlocked!]
Holograms popped everywhere as new buttons flickered into existence.
It’s a mess.
There was quite a lot I could check.
I smirked and scanned the list.
Acting and Variety can wait for now.
The most urgent thing was only one.
Official album activities.
I had to push for what everyone universally thought of as a standard group promotion period.
The first strike has to be perfect.
We had to make a comeback quickly and accurately to make a powerful declaration of our survival.
And to grow the company, in terms of priority… the most impactful group had to be the one to leave an impression. Who else could it be?
TeSTAR, obviously.
Start with the top tier.
I cracked my shoulders and spoke.
“To the Album feature.”
The window changed immediately. It was a clean input field.
[Album]
Manpower: (-)
Capital: (-)
Period: (-)
*Start Production ← Click!
[Help: The higher the star rating of the manpower invested, the higher the probability of positive effects occurring during production!]
What was this now?
Does it automatically make the album for me?
That would be a total scam, so probably not, but it would be a huge benefit if it even just assisted.
I first clicked the Manpower tab. A list of company employees appeared.
In the form of cards.
“…!”
[Kim Na-jin (★★★) - AR Team]
[Kim Seo-won (★★★★) - AR Team]
[Na Se-jung (★★★★) - AR Team]
[Park Jin-woong (★★) - AR Team]
….
What a sight.
It seemed like clicking a card would allow me to check their speed, individuality, strong and weak genres, etc., but I skipped that for now and looked for high ratings.
But there weren't many. Naturally, they were concentrated in the AR team, but there weren't many people in the AR team to begin with.
Well, if someone were truly outstanding, they’d likely have started their own team.
They’d make more money that way.
There was an ‘Outsource External Manpower’ button at the very bottom. I was about to click that when….
Oh, look at that.
[Kim Rae-bin (★★★★★) - TeSTAR]
“…….”
Kim Rae-bin… I’m keeping him forever.
This guy was someone I wouldn't mind feeding six meals a day.
Anyway, one way or another, I set the manpower, capital, and period to appropriate levels.
Of course, this was just a trial run.
It’s not like I have to release the album even if I make it for a trial.
Besides, the UI of this System was practically groveling, so I figured a confirmation button like ‘Are you sure you want to start?’ would surely pop up.
So, the moment I clicked ‘Start Production.’
Beep—!
The button bounced back, and a pop-up appeared.
“…?”
[※ This feature is not yet available.]
Reason: Insufficient Company Dominance level.
—Current Dominance: C
“…….”
What now?
And how do I increase it?
A pop-up kindly appeared again.
[Investment required to reach Dominance (B): \10,000,000,000]
I almost rubbed my eyes.
I read the units again.
But they didn't change no matter how many times I re-read them.
10 billion won.
“…….”
Does this bastard think 10 billion won is pocket change…?
[Sh-sh-should I chip in, Hyung??]
Are you crazy?
I stared blankly at the status window.
It was then.
Vrrr—
“…….”
A KakaoTalk message came from Kwon Hee-seung.
“…….”
Too late.
[Help: ‘Company Dominance’ refers to direct influence over the company. The higher the Dominance rank, the more features are unlocked.]
[Ranks can be raised in various ways, but the fastest is investment!]
And it was a crazy, money-eating hippo that demanded 10 billion won to go from C to B.
Fuck….
I staggered out of the restroom.
Yes, I had been doing all of this while holed up in the restroom alone.
“Is it settled?”
“More or less.”
Just a moment ago, in the meeting room, I had been shouting for a cancellation while staring into thin air.
But when the actual cancellation option appeared, I had slumped back into my seat with a drained face.
Realizing it wasn't a disaster situation, the members had quite calmly given me some space.
Though they did stand guard in front of the restroom.
“What happened?”
I thought I had bought a rapid company growth package, but a more vicious prompt for microtransactions was waiting for me. That’s how I could summarize it.
After holding back a sigh, I spoke.
“Does this company need another 10 billion won right now?”
“…??”
“No, well… for now. I’ve obtained something that might help our activities.”
I roughly explained the System applied to the company. The conversation flowed between those who were fascinated and those who were wary, but in the end, they all agreed when I said, ‘We should be able to make use of it.’
However, after the conversation ended, Seon A-hyun suddenly grabbed my arm with a determined look.
“M-Moon-dae. About that… 10 billion… earlier.”
Yeah.
“If Moon-dae needs money, I can give it to you…!”
“Thanks, but that wasn't what I meant.”
Don't forget that you and I receive roughly the same amount in our settlements.
But perhaps because it was such an out-of-the-blue statement, everyone started chiming in.
“Then… is the company in a situation where it needs that much more money?”
“That’s what I was asking.”
“Ah! R-right.”
Bae Se-jin’s face turned red. The others tilted their heads and whispered.
“I don’t think we need that much.”
“Our company has a lot of money. I saw the numbers.”
“Hmm~ Did they spend a lot while buying T1 Stars? No, our Moon-dae bought that at a total steal.”
As expected. It seemed like it wasn't really a necessary situation.
“But why are you curious about that, Moon-dae Moon-dae?”
“…Because the company would run better if I put in 10 billion won.”
“…??”
A rare question mark appeared on Keun Se-jin’s face, meaning ‘What kind of nonsense is that?’ I didn't know how to explain this pay-to-win situation. I suppressed a groan.
Cha Yu-jin raised his hand high.
“That’s what scammers say!”
No. It’s not that.
“It’s not a scammer; I’m saying I will invest in the company.”
…Wait.
I realized it as I spoke.
That’s right.
I’m not throwing 10 billion won into the System; I’m investing it in the company.
Then… the 10 billion won isn't just evaporating.
I can make it spit back as much as I invested.
If the album turns out well, and if we just tour properly.
It could grow even more than that.
My head cleared.
“……Anyway, I was just debating whether to invest in our company or not, so you don't have to worry.”
I smirked.
“I think I can multiply it several times over if we do well.”
“OK!”
The conversation ended on a refreshing note.
…But putting in 10 billion won would mean scraping together almost all of my remaining money.
That’s a bit much.
It was then.
Kim Rae-bin approached cautiously and whispered.
“Hyung. If it’s an emergency, I’ll try to find a way to help…!”
“…Uh, thanks.”
It seemed he had missed the part about the investment while he was lost in thought.
He was probably the one with the most money here, but for some reason, taking money from him felt like I’d be swindling him the most.
Anyway… it is reassuring.
Even in the worst-case scenario, I wouldn't starve.
In the end, I made my choice.
Let’s go.
Since I can recover it, let’s try.
10 billion won investment.
“Hello. Yes, I’m calling because I have something to discuss….”
…….
And immediately after the consultation with the company ended.
A pop-up really appeared.
[Investment remaining to reach Dominance (B): \0]
[Dominance Rank Up!]
Whew.
The 10 billion won had gone in.
I feel like I’m breaking out in a cold sweat.
I reflexively pressed my brow.
But… that wasn't the end of the pop-ups.
[Dominance (C) → Dominance (B)]
—Reward: Hint Ticket (x5)
Hmm?
[Help: A ‘Hint’ is various information that helps the company grow or assists during a company crisis.]
[Use Hint Tickets to obtain great hints and secure high star-rated manpower, capital, and time!]