The Pied Piper of Pandemonium
While Tae-hyun was speaking, Da-bi's younger sisters mercilessly nudged her in the ribs. Just wear it already!
"I-I'll wear it. Thank you," Da-bi stammered.
Wait. If the two of them wear this, won't they look like they're wearing couple's tees?
Shh! Keep it down so Sis doesn't notice!
The sisters quickly exchanged glances. There was no way they were going to ruin this by being tactless!
"Are you taking a taxi to the venue?" Da-bi asked.
"No."
"Oh? Is someone coming to pick you up?"
"I asked someone who had some free time on their hands."
"?"
Lee Da-bi tilted her head. Was he carpooling with another player participating in the charity tournament?
It was not.
"..."
Da-bi stared in sheer shock at Kim Tae-san, who was sitting in the driver's seat of a Maserati with a grumpy expression.
"T-T-Tae-hyun...! Who on earth did you ask?!"
"My dad said he just got a new car, so I asked him. It's fine. You don't have to feel pressured."
"Even if you tell me not to, how can I not?! I'm not Cain!"
Tae-san rolled down the window and spoke.
"You're going to do a good deed, so there's no need to feel pressured. Hurry up and get in."
"See? He said it's fine."
"Maybe I should just take a taxi..."
"Just get in."
Tae-hyun opened the door, ushered Da-bi inside, and slid in next to her. Tae-san watched them and asked,
"Are those couple's tees?"
"No, they're uniforms."
"But they look different from what you usually wear."
"They're a new model."
"Why didn't you give them to the other teammates?"
"Because if they wear them, they'll probably go out and do something stupid."
"Ugh. What a boring punk."
"?"
Tae-san clicked his tongue. He had expected Tae-hyun to hesitate or stammer, but the answers shot out without a single second of hesitation. He didn't know whose son this was, but he had grown up to be incredibly boring!
"I-I'm so sorry," Da-bi said in an embarrassed voice.
Tae-san shook his head.
"No, it's fine. I really didn't have anything to do anyway... It's my fault for bragging about buying a new car. And it's my fault for having such a passionately filial son."
A passionately filial son indeed! When his father bragged about his new car and wondered where to drive it, the son immediately replied, "I'm going to a charity tournament, so why don't you drop me off?" Since it was for a good cause, Tae-san couldn't even argue, which made his stomach twist with a petty ache.
"Wait, Dad, didn't you say you weren't spending money on anything else because you were pouring it all into Pan-On?" Besides, shouldn't he have spent a fortune buying up territory?
"Huhuhu. I made some decent money in Pan-On."
"?"
"You have no idea how good business is these days. Son, you're always running around fighting, so you wouldn't know, but the true power of Pan-On actually lies in commerce."
Tae-san shrugged. Now was the perfect time to assert his dignity and experience as a father! He couldn't beat Tae-hyun in a one-on-one fight due to his lacking physical reflexes, but this was a different story. If Tae-hyun saw his father grasping and manipulating the massive economic currents of Pan-On, he would have no choice but to look up to him.
"Oh. What are you doing?"
"Lately, territories everywhere are buying up war supplies for territory wars. Plus, because of the Curse of the Volcano, cold-resistance items are selling like crazy... Ah, I'm so glad I prepared in advance. Do you have any idea how hard my Orc NPCs work? They do a better job than those Chinese gold farms."
The strength of Tae-san and his guild came from the countless Orc tribes scattered across the Uruk Region. In terms of sheer numbers, they were the strongest in Pan-On!
"What gold farms? How do you even run a gold farm in Pan-On?" Since players had to physically log in and move, was a gold farm even possible?
"Literally, people physically log in and do it. Tae-hyun, did you know that Chinese prisoners are forced to do manual labor in Pan-On?"
"...What?!" Tae-hyun was flabbergasted. What kind of crazy madness was that?
"I didn't know either, but some places are actually running real gold farms like that. They're swinging pickaxes like crazy in the mines. They can't do it openly, but there are probably more places doing it in secret."
"..." For the first time in a long while, Tae-hyun felt a chill run down his spine. No matter how much of an extreme pragmatist he was, that was just going too far.
"So, to compete with them, I've been training my Orc tribes diligently. Their crafting skills have leveled up now, so they're quite useful."
"Da-bi. Come to think of it, didn't the Power Warrior guild members buy Orc-made weapons in bulk and sell them recently?"
"Yes. That's probably what it was. The market price for war supplies over there is on the cheaper side, so if we buy them up and control the supply, it's easy to turn a profit."
"..."
Tae-san's beaming grin froze, and his face fell. He had been gloating about hitting the jackpot in a field Tae-hyun would never touch, only to realize he was dancing right in the palm of their hands. Ugh, those damn Power Warrior bastards! They're so annoying!
"...Well, at least the Silver Wyverns are only sold by our guild," Tae-san muttered, clinging to his last shred of pride.
Unlike ordinary wyverns, the Silver Wyvern possessed a highly powerful advantage. And that was...
The fact that it was silver.
How much trial and error, and how many hardships, had the Orc Ahjussis gone through just to obtain this rare wyvern!
"Ah. Those Silver Wyverns were really popular, weren't they?" When Da-bi acknowledged it, Tae-san's face instantly brightened up.
"Exactly!"
"And it must be tough because their hatching rate is so low."
"Yes! It's quite a headache. Haha."
"The wyvern-exclusive feed currently being sold in the Uruk Region seems to have its limits. I'll try to look into finding higher-quality feed."
"...Was that also being sold by the Power Warrior kids?"
"Pardon? Yes."
"..."
Tae-san slumped back into his seat. Before he knew it, the Power Warrior guild had burrowed deep into the operations of his territory! They were like some kind of persistent mold...
"Hey, kids. Look at the Han River. The view of the Han River is beautiful. Look at it."
"Dad. It might just be my imagination, but it feels like you're trying to change the subject."
"I'm not."
"Since you seem to want me to let it slide, I'll let it—"
"Son. I'd appreciate it if you didn't forget the fact that you are currently suspended over the Han River."
"Wow. The Han River is gorgeous. Right, Da-bi?"
"Whoa. Who's arriving in a car like that?"
"They must have made a fortune. Who is it? Kim Chul-soo?"
"...Gasp. It's Kim Tae-hyun?!"
The charity tournament hosted by the LK Group was an event attended not only by professional Pan-On players and rankers, but also by famous players. Being a famous player didn't necessarily require a high level. In Pan-On, one could achieve fame in various ways.
The problem was that normally, to meet Tae-hyun, one had to be a professional player competing in tournaments or at least a high-level ranker. Ordinary players rarely had a chance to see him in person. As a result...
"Line up! Get in line! Hey, you over there! No cutting!"
"What is this line for?"
"It's the line to meet Kim Tae-hyun and shake his hand."
"Oh, wow! I'm getting in line too."
An impromptu fan meeting had erupted before the tournament could even begin!
"Everyone, please. You cannot do this here. You must head inside."
"The tournament is about to start. Please make your way inside."
Flustered event organizers rushed out to stop them. It was a completely unexpected situation! The managers broke into a cold sweat as they urged their staff.
"Hey! What are you doing? Get them seated immediately! The President is arriving soon to give the opening address. If the seats are empty and everyone is lined up at the entrance like this, what do you think he'll say?"
President Yoon of LK Electronics, the host of the charity tournament, loved showing off on occasions like this. While it was certainly a good deed, humans naturally wanted to brag when doing good. If the President arrived to find empty seats while a chaotic mob swarmed the entrance as if the building were on fire...
Heads would roll!
"It's not just the participants! Fans from nearby have gathered too, so we can't control them right away!"
"Is that an excuse?! Figure something out! Seriously, is Kim Tae-hyun the Pied Piper or something...?"
The department manager muttered, rubbing his temples. He knew Kim Tae-hyun was incredibly popular, but he had never imagined the man's mere arrival would instantly draw a massive crowd and paralyze the entire area. To make matters worse, the crowd was growing larger by the second. His popularity was truly astronomical!
"If we can just get Kim Tae-hyun inside, won't the people waiting outside follow him in?"
"We tried... but it seems Player Kim Tae-hyun is trapped by the crowd and can't even make it inside himself."
It was true. Tae-hyun and Da-bi were currently blocked at the entrance, unable to even step foot into the venue! Watching blankly from the parking lot, Tae-san thought to himself,
I'm both jealous and not jealous at the same time...
This was what happened when someone's popularity transcended imagination! Security guards scrambled back and forth, but the sheer volume of people flocking to Tae-hyun made it impossible to maintain order.
"Hmm. I shouldn't just push my way through with brute force, right?"
When Tae-hyun muttered this, Da-bi gasped in horror and stopped him.
"Absolutely not!"
Player killing was perfectly fine in Pan-On, but not in real life!
"But we can't get inside."
"The organizers are working on it, so surely they'll clear a path soon."
As they spoke, Tae-hyun and Da-bi shook hands and signed autographs for the fans crowding around them. Yet, the crowd only continued to swell! Tae-hyun frowned and said,
"Da-bi. You should get behind me. There are too many people; you're going to get crushed."
"Uh, but isn't that the same for you, Tae-hyun?"
"Well, I'm a bit different."
Tae-hyun gestured to the people trying to crowd him from the sides and back. He was signaling them to stop pushing forward and line up. Of course, in situations like this, there were always people who refused to wait in line!
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! I'm a huge fan!!!"
"The line is over there."
"Please give me an autograph!"
"Haha."
Tae-hyun stopped smiling and glared at the unruly crowd. He unleashed his killing intent! Instantly, the approaching fans froze in sheer terror.
"I-I should go line up."
"The line is that way, right?"
"...You didn't bring your Pan-On skills into the real world, did you?" Da-bi asked, utterly dumbfounded by how he had subdued the crowd with a single look. Is he playing Pan-On in real life?!
Meanwhile, the security guards watching from afar marveled at his knack for firmly but smoothly repelling the unruly crowd. He's good enough to work security with us!
"The President has arrived... But what on earth is all this commotion?"
"W-Well, you see... Player Kim Tae-hyun is far more popular than we anticipated, so..."
The staff stammered incoherently. Honestly, they didn't understand what was happening either. Who could have predicted this!
"The President is about to enter! What are you going to do?"
"Ugh, well, that is, I mean... ah, uh..."
"Wait. Where did the President go? He was right behind us a second ago."
"??"
"What is this line for?"
"It's the line for Player Kim Tae-hyun's autograph signing."
"Oh... We had an event like that? As expected, the young folks have great ideas! I must praise the PR team."
President Yoon of the LK Group was deeply impressed. Hosting a charity event—which could easily become dry and boring—in the format of a gaming tournament was already brilliant, but to include an impromptu event like this!
Of course, in the past, he would have scoffed, What nonsense is this? A game? It's just child's play! However, President Yoon's perspective had done a complete 180-degree turn. He was currently in the honeymoon phase of his obsession with Pan-On. Just seeing the faces of the players filled him with joy and excitement!
"I should get in line too."
Normally, he could have used his authority as president to meet Kim Tae-hyun privately and get a fancy autograph. But for some reason, he didn't want to do that today. He wanted to preserve the pure, untainted heart of a newly minted Pan-On fan!
...Unfortunately, President Yoon's wish was not to be.
"Clear this up, quickly! If the President sees this, we're dead!"
"Run, run! Call in the teams stationed elsewhere too!"
As additional security guards rushed in from all directions, the commotion rapidly began to settle down.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! Please follow us! We will escort you inside!"
"Boooo!" "Boooom!"
The fans gathered from all over jeered in disappointment, but the security guards paid them no mind. If they left things like this, the event wouldn't even be able to start!
"Can't we just start a little late?! Why are they so rigid?!"
The fans standing next to President Yoon readily agreed with his frustration.
"Exactly! I wonder what idiot is rushing them!"
"Yeah, what kind of idiot... Wait."
That's me!