A Father's Counterattack

"I'm not telling you to take your entire guild and join their alliance... I'm saying you must have a few trustworthy guild members. Pick them and slip them into that guild alliance."

"Ah. As spies?"

"Tut, tut. Spies? Someone might misunderstand if they heard you."

"But they are spies... Mmph!"

"Anyway, I'm counting on you."

Thwack! Thwack!

Arrows rained down from below. These were no ordinary arrows. Infused with a shimmering purple aura, they had clearly been shot by high-level archers.

Kim Tae-san swung his massive hammer at the incoming projectiles. A broad, sweeping wave of red aura erupted from his weapon!

"Now!"

"Uwooo!"

At Kim Tae-san's command, the guild members who had been taking cover behind the ramparts stood up in unison and unleashed a barrage of magic. It was a devastating burst of magic damage, utilizing a skill that allowed them to store several spells beforehand and release them all in a single, explosive instant!

Caught completely off guard, the enemy soldiers screamed and began to flee.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

"You cursed Orcs! How dare you illegally occupy a castle of the Auston Kingdom! You won't get away with this!"

"They're running!"

"Ugh, I'm exhausted... Is it finally over?"

"Looks like it, for now."

The Orc uncles slumped against the ramparts, letting out deep, weary sighs. It was a sudden, unexpected quest that had triggered ever since the Auston Kingdom was abruptly unified!

The soldiers of the Auston Kingdom, who had previously remained quiet in their respective fortresses, castles, and cities, had suddenly mobilized.

For players who had rushed in thinking, 'Let's grab ourselves a territory!' relying on the chaotic state of the kingdom, this was a living nightmare. Several weaker players had already abandoned their occupied fortresses or villages with tears in their eyes and fled. Only those with the strength to hold out remained!

"Why on earth did a kingdom that looked like it would fight a civil war forever suddenly unify?"

"According to the players who were in the capital, Tae-hyun was running around with the First Prince. Apparently, they were super close."

"I heard he was hanging out with the Second Prince too. No matter how you look at it, that punk definitely had a hand in this."

"Right? It's way too suspicious that both princes suddenly burned to death in Sadik's Flame."

They knew him too well!

The middle-aged uncles weren't the only ones guessing that Tae-hyun was the cause of this sudden turn of events. No matter how secretly Tae-hyun tried to play, he had caused such a massive ruckus in the castles of both the First and Second Princes that he couldn't completely escape the eyes of other players. There was no way smoke would suddenly rise from an unlit chimney. If there was smoke, there had to be a reason!

"Don't you think the boss looks really regretful right now?"

"He's probably thinking he shouldn't have saved Tae-hyun from the Orc Great Chieftain back then. Tsk, tsk. I'd be bitter too. That damn fatherly affection..."

"There's no point in raising kids. Having no children is the greatest blessing."

"Hey, you punk, get married first before you say stuff like that."

"Shh, he's coming. He's probably feeling sore, so let's drop it."

But Kim Tae-san's face was perfectly serene.

"Is everyone recovered?"

"Huh? Ah, yes."

"When will the reinforcement of the castle walls be finished?"

"It should take about two days."

"Get it done in one."

"Isn't that impossible? We already pushed the schedule forward..."

Kim Tae-san replied flatly.

"Tell them I'll pay Double."

"...And if they still say no?"

"Quadruple!"

And thus, Kim Tae-san successfully shortened the schedule.

"Hmm. This looks decent enough, right?"

"Hyung-nim..."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that!"

When Yang Sung-gyu looked at him with pity, Kim Tae-san snapped irritably.

"If you wanted to look cool in the first place, you shouldn't have chosen an Orc as your race..."

"What? What's wrong with Orcs?"

"They aren't exactly a handsome race."

"Aren't they manly and cool??" Kim Tae-san asked back in earnest.

Yang Sung-gyu merely shrugged instead of answering.

There was only one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reason Kim Tae-san was checking his appearance right now. He had joined hands with Bae Mi-na of SBC.

"I didn't expect you to go on TV, Hyung-nim. You usually hate that kind of stuff."

"I'm doing it to torment Tae-hyun."

"..."

If anyone else had heard it, they would have thought it was a joke, but Yang Sung-gyu knew it was the absolute truth. One hundred percent sincere!

"When I talked to the PD, she seemed absolutely thrilled."

"Of course she would be. You've got the character and the hype all in one package..."

Kim Tae-hyun was currently one of the hottest players in the game. And here was a player directly related to him! Besides, few people knew more embarrassing secrets than family. While it was usually hard to convince a family member to badmouth another on air, Kim Tae-san had been determined from the very start.

"On the first broadcast, I'm thinking of revealing what age he was when he finally stopped wetting the bed."

"Hyung-nim... that's a bit..."

"What! I have to pay him back for what he did to me!"

How did they end up bickering so childishly? Yang Sung-gyu wanted to say it out loud but held back. When Kim Tae-san decided to act childish, he could be infinitely petty.

"Hyung-nim. You should keep one thing in mind, though."

"What's that?"

"If you start this, Tae-hyun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is going to strike back..."

"..."

Suddenly, Kim Tae-san felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

"I-I have nothing to hide."

"Well, the broadcasting station will certainly love it."

And indeed they did. Bae Mi-na was harboring immense expectations for Kim Tae-san's appearance.

It's the perfect opportunity!

She didn't even need to instigate a fight between the father and son; the fire was already raging!

And the fact that they actually get along surprisingly well makes it even more perfect.

It wasn't a messy, depressing feud over inheritance or anything like that. It was a wholesome, friendly rivalry within a game. Of course, neither of them would ever admit to it...

Though they promised a mudslinging expose on broadcast, it was highly likely to turn into a childish, endearing bickering match rather than a dirty smear campaign. A dirty expose would only drag both of their reputations through the mud, leaving nothing behind. But if things went this way, they could elevate Kim Tae-san's profile without damaging the highly popular Kim Tae-hyun's image. A win-win strategy!

Kim Tae-san would appear, reveal his relationship with Kim Tae-hyun, vent his love-hate complaints, and launch cute attacks at Tae-hyun... Through this, Kim Tae-san's own character would naturally be established. There wouldn't even be a need to introduce him from scratch or explain his gameplay.

Shows featuring the families of celebrities always do incredibly well. This will be the same.

A father and son who care for each other but can't stop bickering! This was the concept Bae Mi-na was aiming for.

Of course, MBS, which was currently dominating the ratings on its own, wouldn't have any intention of yielding. Why would they do a favor for a rival station?

That's why we'll put Kim Tae-san out there and force them to compromise!

If Kim Tae-san generated massive buzz and popularity, MBS would have no choice but to admit that joining hands was mutually beneficial. Bae Mi-na was burning with ambition.

Unaware that Bae Mi-na had absolutely no intention of ruining Tae-hyun's image, Kim Tae-san logged out of the game and stepped outside.

Now that I think about it, I've been playing Fantasy Online 2 way too much lately. Once you start, it's really hard to stop.

People who met Kim Tae-san in person often made a common mistake, but he was actually a multi-billionaire with assets worth hundreds of billions of won. He owned multiple buildings in prime locations like XX-gu and YY-gu in Seoul! If you added his land holdings...

Even if he did absolutely nothing, his monthly rental income from real estate amounted to billions of won.

When he was young, he had worked his fingers to the bone without a single moment of rest. But once he established himself, Kim Tae-san lived a life of leisure. There was a reason Tae-hyun always dissed him, saying, "Dad, all you ever do is play golf!"

When he woke up in the morning, he would have a leisurely breakfast and watch the news. Then, he would head to the golf course to take a leisurely lesson and play a leisurely round with the other members. By the time that was over, it was lunchtime! For lunch, he would head to a luxury hotel, take a leisurely bath, have a meal, and then return home. His entire schedule for the day was finished before evening.

On days when he didn't have any plans, Kim Tae-san would simply spend his time relaxing in his spacious mansion. He was the very definition of a winner in life!

Starting Fantasy Online 2 hadn't changed much. He simply spent his usual golf hours inside his capsule playing the game, and played it again in the evening. He had indeed become quite obsessed with leveling up a character after so long and exploring a fantasy world with his old comrades.

Still, a man had to show his face once or twice so people wouldn't forget him! With that thought, Kim Tae-san headed to the golf course.

"Well, look who it is. I haven't seen you in so long, I thought you'd kicked the bucket."

"Elder, it has been a while."

Though he was old and his hair had turned snow-white, there was no hint of weakness in the elderly man. His back was perfectly straight, and his eyes were sharp! One look was enough to tell he was no ordinary old man.

This golf course was a place only the VIP of VIPs could enter. Gaining entry in the first place meant one possessed a certain level of social status. In fact, Kim Tae-san had exchanged business cards with several people here before.

However, Kim Tae-san did not know the identity of the old man before him. The reason was simple. The old man had never asked for Kim Tae-san's status. Therefore, Kim Tae-san hadn't bothered to ask for the old man's identity either. They merely greeted each other whenever they crossed paths.

"I'm joking. Actually, I haven't been coming out lately either. I only heard from the staff here that you were visiting today after a long absence."

"Pardon? I hope it wasn't due to poor health..."

"My health? Nonsense. My health is perfectly fine. I've just been obsessed with fishing lately."

"Fishing?"

"Why, do you like fishing too?"

"I know how to do it. Though my son is much better at it than I am."

"Ho, you have a son? Since he's your son, he must be quite an extraordinary fellow."

"He's a twisted punk."

"Hahaha... Raising children never goes the way we want, does it? My own children have given me plenty of headaches over the years."

The old man chuckled and looked at Kim Tae-san.

"Do you know ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why I came here today when I should be out fishing?"

"I have no idea."

"I came because of you. I told the staff to contact me the moment you showed up."

"...?"

Kim Tae-san tilted his head. Why would he do that?

"It's a hard world to find true friends in. I took a liking to you."

"..."

"You look like you want to know why. Just look at the fellows who come here. Aren't they all dripping with greed? If they came to play golf, they should just play golf. Why are they constantly exchanging business cards and showing off to one another?"

The old man pointed at the people entering. Kim Tae-san waved his hand in embarrassment.

"That's just their way of trying to get closer."

"Ridiculous. It's because they're full of greed. You, on the other hand, never asked who I was. Those bastards wag their tails and shove their business cards in my face the moment they see me. They do it because they already know who I am. But you don't know who I am, do you?"

"No..."

"Tsk, tsk. I don't show my face in public too often, but I'm not completely invisible either. You need to watch the news more often."

"I watch it every single day..."

"Then you must be terrible with faces. Work on your memory."

He had been poked right in his sore spot. Kim Tae-san grumbled inwardly.

"At any rate, you never asked who I was. Since I didn't ask, you showed me the courtesy of not asking either. Even though you must have been curious."

"I wouldn't really call it courtesy..."

"Moreover, when I started badmouthing those fellows just now, you tried to make excuses for them. Even though you aren't even close with them. Keeping your mouth shut, being considerate, and staying humble—those are the marks of a good man. Don't you agree?"

Kim Tae-san felt a sudden surge of emotion.