So I Wouldn't Regret It Anyway - 2
Wasn't life, after all, a matter of rise and fall?
What people did could flourish, and what they did could collapse. The capitalist market was no different. Sometimes everyone had a hard time; sometimes everyone had it a little less hard. And every once in a very great while...
there were times when everyone flourished together.
A season when you could say, those were the days.
A season you wished would last forever, and one you would someday miss.
The domestic VTuber industry was now in the middle of exactly that kind of boom. It existed only because of one man's money.
In the Romantic Drive fan community, photos of real-world events were springing up everywhere. Beneath each tent or display used for the events, the words with Big Plan had been printed in small type.
People saw that little line and burst out laughing.
RD fans already knew that Romantic Drive was under Bigman's wing, but they had never imagined he would promise support and budget on this kind of scale.
Every day felt like a festival. That was why they were so ecstatic.
Title: Seriously, could you have sex with Bigman?
I'm absolutely capable lol. If Bigman-nim so much as waved at me, I could drop to my knees right away and go, "Yes, sir!" That's what I learned after touring every RD event today lol. And lately, wherever they're getting the money from, the broadcast quality is absurdly good, damn it—life is worth living lol.
RD fans already knew that Romantic Drive was under Bigman's wing, but they had never imagined he would promise support and budget on this kind of scale.
Prepared routes. Perfect facilities. Events so lavish you couldn't find even the faintest trace of cost-cutting no matter how hard you rubbed your eyes.
That glittering festival put smiles on countless weekends. And the people smiling were not only former big-company VTubers.
Live: [Flower Spirit Rolpi] “Sunday mornings are for duels, after all...!”
Concurrent viewers: 311
Against a desert backdrop, a girl with green hair smiled brightly. It was a dazzling grin, like a cactus flower in full bloom.
“The hidden world tree in the desert! A baby cactus born from the power of the giant majestic cactus! I’m Rolpi, the flower spirit, and I’m here to bring you the beautiful energy of an oasis! Good morning, everyone!”
“Magical Girl Cutie Brave Moon? I watched that a lot when I was little too. It was really fun. Back then I asked Mom... asked the World-Tree Cactus Lord to buy it for me. But now—”
Bigman donated 1,000,000-pajik!
You have my support.
“...Bigman has arrived?! Wow! Thank you so much again today! All the way from the Sahara, to the Mojave, and on to the Arabian Desert! Thank you!”
...
Rolpi smiled and went on, “The magical-girl set is stuffed into only the adult sizes now, so... how about we have some fun pulling cards and kick off Sunday morning together instead?”
Solo VTubers, too, were continuing their broadcasts actively under Bigman's ongoing support. That indiscriminate backing became a topic of conversation all across the communities, and naturally it led to more viewers showing up.
Some came simply because they wanted to see Bigman.
That alone was enough reason for quite a few of them to join.
Unconditional support.
Viewers pouring in.
Was this really the right path?
Those who had once hesitated over that thought slowly regained their confidence and kept broadcasting. And Bigman, in return, only ever left them with one line of encouragement.
You have my support.
I won't forget it.
I will be the one who remembers.
I support this road.
It was one simple sentence, packed with all of that heart.
That one sentence was becoming hope for countless people.
Ah... if only this moment could go on forever.
With that thought in mind, the dreamlike days continued.
And among them, there were also those preparing for a challenge.
Sunday morning.
It was a rare weekend, but for someone running a company, even weekends were a luxury. Not every owner felt that way, but at least President Baek Su-cheol and I did.
We were at the Hannam-dong mansion we had rented long-term for the previous investment presentation. In the end, it had become the official venue for Monday's Big Plan regular meeting.
But Su-cheol seemed to have a lot he wanted to ask before that meeting, because he requested a private conversation with me first thing on Sunday morning. Of course, I agreed.
We sat side by side, and he was across from me on the sofa, smiling.
“Heh heh...”
“...”
For a moment, the conversation stalled. Su-cheol sipped from the coffee cup in his hand, then set it back down on the table and opened his mouth again.
“Heh heh, well now... I know you're busy, and I feel bad for stealing your time on a weekend morning like this, Manager Seonwoo.”
“Not at all. Since you're moving forward with a project in a different direction from RD, I imagine you have a lot you want to ask.”
“That's right. A 'weekly 1-billion-won project' is unprecedented, after all... Manager Seonwoo's advice was a huge help.”
“It's only my opinion. Please just treat it as reference material. If you, the company, and the creators have a different view, then... you should prioritize that instead.”
“...”
Su-cheol fell silent for a moment. Then he asked in a worried voice, “Do you know what Bigman wants, Manager Seonwoo? For someone to pull off something this huge, he must be an unimaginable heavyweight... I'm afraid we might accidentally go against his wishes.”
“...”
“If it were only me getting buried in debt and kicked out, maybe that would be one thing... but I have the rest of the company behind me, so, well... heh.”
“...”
I nodded.
“I understand. But you don't need to worry.”
“You mean... I don't need to worry?”
“I can't tell you everything about him, but there is one thing I can say for certain.”
“What is it?”
“Bigman only supports people.”
“...?”
Su-cheol tilted his head.
“Supports... whom?”
“...”
I answered, “VTubers. And more broadly, people who work in similar spaces. He's the kind of person who just throws money around in order to support them. That's all. So you don't need to worry. That's how Bigman introduced himself to me.”
“...”
Then I turned my head and looked around.
A luxurious mansion in Hannam-dong. A space built simply to show respect to the company representatives and the VTubers supported by Big Plan.
Only to show respect.
Only to offer support.
...Maybe that’s the only meaning left in my regression. So all I can do is support them sincerely.
Just that.
That was the reason.
So I said, “So please don't worry. All of you can just keep doing the work you believe is right. Bigman is simply someone who guarantees that. As for taking on debt or absorbing losses, he handles that himself.”
“...”
Su-cheol nodded heavily. Then, looking at me, he said with great seriousness, “Thank you for telling me. I'll trust what you said, Manager Seonwoo.”
“Not Manager Seonwoo.”
“Pardon?”
“My family name is Seonwoo, and my given name is Taek. Just Taek.”
“?!“
He jumped in surprise. Then he bowed his head, breaking into a cold sweat.
“Oh dear, I'm sorry! I kept calling you 'Manager' in my head... That’s Business 101, and I must have become completely obsolete. I'm truly sorry!”
“It's fine. A lot of people get it mixed up—well, they used to get it mixed up.”
“Heh heh, well now...”
Su-cheol wiped his forehead with a handkerchief and said, “There's nothing more awkward in business than talking about age, but I feel embarrassed to be making a scene in front of someone as young as Taek.”
“When a person carries responsibility, every step they take gets heavier. And because it's heavy, it's easier to slip. I can understand that well enough.”
We stood up and shook hands.
“As always, thank you for your wise words, Manager.”
“And thank you for approaching this with such passion, CEO Baek.”
“Haha! You're handing out the budget unconditionally. If I don't show passion, then I'd be disqualified from this industry.”
“Surprisingly few people think that way.”
“Really? Haha...!”
Su-cheol and I wrapped up our meeting.
Then we headed for the parking area where our vehicles had been left. An employee there brought our cars forward for us.
Su-cheol got into his sedan and flinched.
“Uh, Manager Taek?”
“Yes, Mr. Baek.”
“You're really going to ride that?”
“Yes. I rode it here too.”
As I answered, I climbed onto the unicycle the parking attendant had rolled out for me. Then I bowed my head to Su-cheol.
“Then I'll see you again at tomorrow's regular meeting.”
“Ah... yes. Right. Let's do that.”
“Until then.”
Creak, creak.
As I pedaled the unicycle away, I was already thinking about the meat party I'd be having at the convenience store in a little while.
A-yeong and Do-dam said they wanted to have a company dinner before Monday got busy...
I ought to buy some meat on the way. The double-asset bonus event was over, too, so I could celebrate a little.
Balance: 87.6 billion won
I checked my phone.
Not only the coins that had been my original target, but also the credit that had been unlocked early in the cycle—I’d leveraged the 2 billion won I already had on hand, and in the end I’d blown past my original target of 80 billion won by a wide margin.
...
Somehow... money was turning over especially well this cycle. It was hard to dismiss it as nothing more than good credit and lucky accounts.
It felt like returns were gathering speed.
On top of that, the people around me were seeing extra profits as well.
Do-dam threw in 500 million following my lead, so he must have gotten 1 billion this time. And A-yeong's going to earn some rights to goods distribution through project management, so she'll probably start seeing profits before long.
Was this also the influence of fate?
...
That... I still couldn't be sure about.
If something good happens, I guess the only thing to do is treat it as good.
With that thought in mind,
I pushed down harder on the pedals.
“Hup, hup...”
While driving, Su-cheol gave a snort of laughter.
“Kukuk...!”
A luxury suit and a unicycle.
It was an utterly bizarre sight, but somehow it couldn't hide that calm dignity of his. If anything, the fact that he was doing something so absurd made him feel more human, and Su-cheol liked that.
He lifted the corners of his mouth and imagined it again—Seonwoo Taek riding a unicycle.
Every time he moved his arms, the expensive watch on his wrist and the tie pin on his chest flashed in the light.
Then, with a strange little creak, he rolled forward. Amazingly, his speed was enough to rival a bicycle with two wheels.
Hup, hup.
In the end, Su-cheol found himself alone in the car, snickering like a fool.
“Kukuk...! Hahaha! Puhahaha!”
Ah...
He looks so stupid, but damn if he isn't cool.
Lost in that ridiculous, happy thought, he was almost floating on delight.
But the happiness shattered quickly.
Because he got a completely unexpected phone call.
“Hello? The missing-children center?”
- Yes... a woman named Baek Hyang says she still can't find her brother's house after two days now. And she says she forgot her phone number, so there's no way to contact him. We only knew the company name, so we've been searching for him this whole time.
“...”
No.
Big sister.
A missing-children center at forty-nine is a bit much...
In the end, Su-cheol sighed and headed off to pick up his older sister, who had come up to Seoul out of nowhere, and not even at the right time.