The Price of Poking a Hornet's Nest
Tae-hyun's prediction was almost entirely correct. The only minor difference was that Chairman Yoo was far more furious than he had anticipated.
"Haha. Our Yuseong Gaming's captain, the hope of Yuseong Gaming, the rank one Pan-On Mage, the North American Pan-On popularity poll winner..."
"Ch-Chairman. This is embarrassing, so you can stop there."
"But there's still so much left to say! Right. What brings our Lee Se-yeon here today?"
Chairman Yoo spoke in a voice far sweeter than the one he ever used with his own son. If President Yoo had heard it, he would have choked up and cried, "Father... isn't this a bit too much...?" But Chairman Yoo's warm attitude was only natural. Lee Se-yeon had brilliantly revived Yuseong Gaming from the absolute bottom, and now she led it so successfully that it was a major topic of discussion even within the parent conglomerate.
The employees of the conglomerate were secretly praising the Chairman's leadership and foresight. They thought he recognized the value of Pan-On before anyone else and invested! ...Of course, no one suspected that the Chairman had invested purely to enjoy Pan-On himself. In the dedicated warehouse district of Yuseong Gaming, there was a separate warehouse used solely to store fishing items. A facility built using the Chairman's private funds! To avoid embarrassment, it was officially registered as the gaming team's property.
"Wow. Yuseong Gaming has incredible facilities, but they also buy a ton of in-game items. They're sweeping up all kinds of consumables."
"They say if you just supply goods to Yuseong Gaming, you can live comfortably in Pan-On."
"A conglomerate is a conglomerate, even in a game. Wait, but why are they buying fishing items?"
"Who knows. Maybe the players need them."
In any case, Chairman Yoo trusted Lee Se-yeon so much that even if she said, "Chairman, please fire the entire Yuseong Gaming front office and paint the Yuseong Electronics headquarters blue," he would only ask, "Why blue?" before doing it.
"I recently had a meeting with the Korean Pantheon Association because they requested one..."
"Ah. I see. Why did you go there in person? You barely have enough time to focus on Pan-On. Next time, just let me know. I'll send someone from our side."
"Kim Tae-hyun was going too, so I just went with him. Anyway..."
At the mention of Tae-hyun, Chairman Yoo's expression turned incredibly complex. A mixture of fondness and annoyance!
"...And that's what happened..."
After hearing Lee Se-yeon's explanation, Chairman Yoo trembled with rage. Are these bastards...?
"Have they lost their minds?!"
"Chairman, please calm down..."
"Do I look like I can calm down right now?!"
Chairman Yoo brushed off the Secretary Chief, who was trying to soothe him, and roared savagely.
"Who do these people think Yuseong Gaming is? What do they think the Yuseong Group is, to pull a stunt like this?"
"W-Well, since the group headquarters rarely takes a direct interest in the gaming team, they probably thought they could negotiate with the front office to secure a mutually beneficial deal..."
The Secretary Chief hurriedly explained. He felt like the Chairman might strike him if he didn't. In truth, he was right. While the public cheered for the gaming team, from the perspective of the massive conglomerate, the team was just a tiny promotional subsidiary. That was why so many parachute appointments—people with no real interest in gaming—occupied the front office. The team just had to advertise well. If it cost too much or caused trouble, it could easily be cut.
Because these indifferent parachute executives held key positions, it was easy for the Association to make backroom deals.
As long as both sides got their cut, they didn't care if the players were overworked. Chairman Yoo understood this after hearing the explanation. In short...
They had treated Yuseong Gaming like a pushover!
"Bring me the Association President."
"T-The one who brought this up was the Secretary General, so perhaps we should start by sending a formal letter of protest to him..."
"No. Bring me the Association President. What kind of bastard is he anyway?"
"He's a former executive director of service at ST Group... Ch-Chairman. It's highly likely the Association President didn't even know about this. He's not someone who understands these matters well, and isn't this kind of work usually handled by veterans who have grown old in the field?"
"If a president doesn't know what's happening under his own nose, he should drag his head on the ground... Ah. Player Lee Se-yeon. You may leave now. Haha. I really enjoyed your last match. Keep up the good work!"
Realizing Lee Se-yeon was still in the room, Chairman Yoo quickly changed his tone. Lee Se-yeon slowly backed away.
"Th-Thank you?"
"Player Lee Se-yeon! Please don't misunderstand!"
"Why are you suddenly using honorifics... Well, see you next time!"
Watching Lee Se-yeon leave, the Secretary Chief suddenly snapped to attention. Ah...! He should have stopped her! Now that she was gone, only the furious Chairman Yoo and the two of them remained in the room.
"Call him!"
"Yes... I will call him..."
The Secretary Chief sincerely pitied the Association President. He had taken the association presidency as a comfortable honorary post after retiring from the conglomerate, only for some lunatic subordinate to poke a hornet's nest, leaving him to take the fall. But what could he do? As Chairman Yoo said, the leader of an organization must bear its responsibilities! If a subordinate went around using his name, the superior had to pay the price.
"My goodness. What is going on?"
"What is it, sir?"
"The Chairman wants to see me."
"From ST Group?"
"No. Much higher than that."
"??"
"Yuseong Group."
"!"
The Association President was beaming. He didn't know why, but it was an absolute honor. He had retired after bouncing around minor posts at ST Group. Though he had landed this honorary position as the Association President, it was a title in name only with little real benefit.
"I think... the Chairman might be planning to make me an offer."
"Oh..."
"Heavens. When I first took over this association, I thought it was just child's play... but to think it would turn into such a blessing in disguise. I hear Pan-On is incredibly popular these days?"
"Ah, yes."
The Secretary General wiped away his cold sweat. Something... something felt ominous. Why on earth was the Chairman of Yuseong Group calling him?
Surely... it can't be. It must be for some other reason. The Chairman is calling him personally. Why would a chairman care about a single gaming team?
Just as the Association President said, with Pan-On's popularity soaring, perhaps his career was being recognized. Maybe they wanted to scout him for a key position since Yuseong Gaming was doing so well...
Filled with anticipation, the Association President looked incredibly happy and excited.
"Oh dear. What should I do if I get such an offer? I'd hate to leave the association and all of you behind."
"Not at all, President. If a great opportunity comes, you must seize it."
"Haha. There is no loyal subordinate quite like you."
The Association President patted the Secretary General's shoulder, his eyes full of affection. The Secretary General was someone who flattered him at drinking parties to keep him happy and handled all the tedious work perfectly without bothering him.
As expected of someone who has worked in esports for a long time!
"If I do step down from the presidency... I will recommend you."
"!!!"
The Secretary General's eyes widened. Was this his chance?
"N-No, sir. I am still lacking..."
"Nonsense! You are more than qualified. If you aren't, who is? You must fill the void I leave behind."
"...President!"
"Indeed!"
The two shared a passionate handshake. For a moment, a deep, genuine connection seemed to pass between them.
"Seriously, Father. Why did you bring me along instead of going alone..."
"Getting out and moving around once in a while is good for the body."
"I work out every single day. I'm in better shape than you."
"......"
Kim Tae-san wanted to smack him but held back. He was the one asking for a favor, after all.
"Here. Hold this."
"???"
Tae-hyun looked bewildered as Kim Tae-san handed him a massive cooler.
"What is this?"
"A monster catch caught by a friend of a friend."
"Did you start fishing?"
"No. Fishing isn't really my thing..."
Though Chairman Yoo had constantly urged him to fish, Kim Tae-san was too restless for it. He figured he could try fishing later in life!
"Then why do you have this?"
"I'm giving it to the Elder. It wouldn't look right if I carried it."
"...Ah. So you dragged your busy son out just to be your pack mule?"
"Hey. Is that any way for a son to talk to his father? Just get in."
Kim Tae-san shoved Tae-hyun into the car.
"Did you feed that stupid friend of yours today?"
"He got criticized so much lately that he cooks for himself now."
"Really?"
"Well, I make the side dishes, so he really only cooks the rice... but even that is a massive improvement. By the way, where are we going?"
"I told you, to see the Elder."
"Ah. Chairman Yoo?"
"Yeah. He'll love this."
"Can't he just... buy raw fish if he wants to eat it...?"
Kim Tae-san clicked his tongue at Tae-hyun's question.
"It's not about eating raw fish, you punk! Do you know how happy he'll be to receive this? It's about a fisherman's pride."
"Uh... shouldn't a fisherman catch it himself to feel pride?"
"Sometimes, a man has to lie to show off..."
"Ah."
Tae-hyun understood. So the Chairman wanted to receive this giant fish so he could pretend he caught it himself?
How pathetic...
Of course, pity was pity, but teasing was teasing. He would definitely tease him the next time they met in the game!
When they arrived at the estate's entrance, the staff recognized Kim Tae-san and opened the gate. It seemed he had visited quite often while Tae-hyun was away.
"How often have you been coming here?"
"I thought the Elder might be lonely, so I'd drop by whenever I was out for a walk. Hey, hold that straight. Don't let it spoil. It's a really big one."
Tae-hyun grumbled as he carried the load. Honestly, looking at his build, Kim Tae-san could easily carry it himself...
"Don't you feel your Strength stat rising?"
"Father... reality isn't a game..."
"Quiet."
The father and son walked inside. In front of them stood a guest they had never seen before.
"Huh? He looks familiar."
"If he's a guest here, isn't he some famous president in the business world?"
"No... it's not that. I feel like I've seen him somewhere else..."
Kim Tae-san frowned. The man was the President of the Korean Pantheon Association, but Tae-san couldn't quite place him.
"Oh dear. If he already had a guest, I should have asked before coming."
"In the civilized world, we call that basic manners..."
"Quiet."
A staff member who recognized Kim Tae-san greeted him warmly.
"Ah, please come in. The Chairman has been waiting for you."
"Oh? Didn't that gentleman arrive first?"
"The Chairman instructed us to always let you in first whenever you arrive, sir. We'll get scolded if we keep you waiting."
Hearing the staff member's words, Kim Tae-san turned his head away, deeply moved. It was to hide his tears.
"Father. You're not crying, are you?"
"I just got some dust in my eye, you punk..."