MEP Funding Frenzy

“Hyungnims, this is really not fair. Please help us out!”

It was the moment Seong Jinwoo said those words that Shin Jaewoo topped up again. Another 5,000 star balloons. At first, that had definitely been the plan.

Huh?

But it was blocked. The system said there was a daily limit of 10,000 star balloons.

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen people blow past 10,000 multiple times... Were those from stockpiling over several days and unleashing all at once?

He’d learned something new. But now it was done.

While Shin Jaewoo was learning these new facts, a fresh donor appeared.

This was from one of his manager fans. For reference, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠“Angry” was a play on Seong Jinwoo’s fan panic vibes.

“Aigoo, Mantis, you’re seriously too much. Hyungnims, Mantis is squeezing this out for us—please chip in even a little. Anyone wanna add just 50 more to fill it up?”

Once they hit 1,500, they could spin the roulette. That was Seong Jinwoo’s desperate hope. And the savior he was pleading for? He was already in the room.

“Huh? Wait, Jaewoos, is this okay? I mean, seriously grateful, but...”

Seong Jinwoo remembered that Jaewoos’s usual donations weren’t this big.

“What’ve you been up to while staying invisible? Did you win the lottery or something?”

Lottery, huh. He’d scored something way bigger. As if a measly 10 billion won lottery could compare.

US Powerball? That wouldn’t even cut it for me anymore.

Whatever. Now they were at 1,650.

They’d escaped room loser status.

“Then the bottom three spin the roulette... Anyone else wanna jump in?”

Kim Inseong chimed in. Meanwhile, Kim Jingyu, who’d been watching quietly, spoke up right away.

“Add 100 to our room.”

“Lee Mingi room, add 300 please.”

“Oh? 300? Let’s see—Jingyu adds 100 first. Then Mingi...”

“This resets the timer! 30 seconds! If Lee Jihan doesn’t show, he’s room loser!”

He’d occasionally watched MEP before but forgotten how tense it was.

“This is the thrill...”

Shin Jaewoo muttered. It was nail-biting. The constant risk of dropping back down. Seong Jinwoo echoed the sentiment.

“Hyungnims, it’s shaky—anyone wanna add a bit more?”

“Whoa! BonerZaJi hyung!”

A weirdly pronounced nickname. Probably intentional.

“Heh.”

Shin Jaewoo let out a quiet chuckle at the name. The moment it hit the notepad,

“Phew. We’re safe for now. This should hold.”

Seong Jinwoo started relaxing a bit. You could hear the relief in his voice.

1,850.

That could push them right under Choi Taehong. Seong Jinwoo’s tension eased. But no one knew that yet.

“Lee Jihan, add 200!”

“Okay, Jihan adds 200. Timer reset. Man9kBread. Room loser’s now Kim Jingyu. Jingyu, you coming?”

Seong Jinwoo still hadn’t reported it. He tilted his head slightly, then spoke.

“BonerZaJi hyung. Could you maybe add ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a little more? I’m still nervous.”

The situation felt off. Did even BonerZaJi sense it?

“Woooah! As expected, I can’t survive without our BonerZaJi hyung.”

For reference, RagingBonerZaJi had a pink “Loyal” mark by his name. Unlike Shin Jaewoo’s green “Fan” mark. Loyal Fan soon. Meaning his total star balloons donated to Seong Jinwoo’s streams ranked in the top 20.

His own name popping up in chat. Meanwhile, the ground shook again.

“Add 200 to Jingyu room please.”

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

“Okay, Jingyu room adds 200.”

“Add 400 to Jinwoo room please.”

“Huh? 400 add?”

Right on cue, Seong Jinwoo reported it. A whopping 400 extra.

“So Seong Jinwoo, with RagingBonerZaJi adding 400...! Straight to 3rd place! Wow. But what’s up with Seong Jinwoo today? Which hyung is dropping all this? Anyway, room loser’s now Jihan or Kwon General.”

“Kwon Yul add 100 please.”

“Okay, Kwon Yul adds 100. 30 seconds—if Jihan doesn’t show, he’s today’s room loser.”

“Ah...”

A sigh escaped Lee Jihan. And with that, the battle shifted elsewhere.

“Choi Taehong add 200 please.”

“Ooo? Taehong 200? Then Taehong passes Jinwoo and snags OBS spot.”

“Now Jinwoo can OBS too. Jeong Seungwoo, Go Seongmin...”

OBS (observer). During matches, other members join to spectate, and OBS lets you see resources, population, etc.—way better than blind watching. With two-player games, usually 5th~6th got OBS per match. Especially with funding at 19,950.

“Jeong Seungwoo room add 100 please.”

“Okay. Now we hit 20k per match. OBS for me, Jo Suhyuk, Choi Taehong, Jeong Seungwoo...”

Watching this, Seong Jinwoo looked regretful.

“Ah... Holding 5th would be nice at least.”

5th usually got OBS. As he muttered that, Shin Jaewoo finished charging.

“Huh?”

A quiet bomb of star balloons. That erased Seong Jinwoo’s regret.

The board flipped hard.

Seong Jinwoo updated the notepad. 2,650. Even top dog Kim Inseong was at 2,500.

“Is the day I take 1st finally here?”

Seong Jinwoo held back, saving it for the final moments. Last-hit timing. That’s how you lock OBS for sure.

“Whoa. Seong Jinwoo in 1st? What big whale showed up today?”