The Art of Overthinking
Inside the car, Bae Jang-wook anxiously puffed on his cigarette. What if it's already too late?
"What does Kim Tae-hyun like?"
"Doesn't he like games, sir?"
"..."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Forget it. It's my fault for keeping a guy like you around."
At Jang-wook's words, his subordinate shrank back, not knowing what to do with himself.
"Um... how about a gift set? The ones our broadcasting station distributes..."
"That's way too ordinary and common! Ah, seriously. I was too complacent. I always talk big about how 'people are everything,' but I should have managed him properly. I didn't even figure out what Kim Tae-hyun likes. Am I right?"
"W-well... it should be fine, Director. It's not even certain that Kim Tae-hyun signed a contract with another station."
"No! He must have! I'm sure of it!"
His initial suspicion was rapidly morphing into absolute certainty. Bae Jang-wook was putting on a one-man show, jumping to conclusions and counting his chickens before they hatched!
"What does Kim Tae-hyun like..."
"Um, Director. Wouldn't cold, hard cash be the best after all?"
"Huh? You want me to give him a bribe?"
"A-ah, no. Not like that. I just meant that instead of a gift, if we improve the terms of his current contract..."
"Kim Tae-hyun's current terms are already top-tier among the players contracted with us. The only people with better terms are those under exclusive contracts... No, wait. I'm talking nonsense."
Bae Jang-wook shook his head and praised his subordinate. Now was not the time to be stingy. If they lost Tae-hyun, every single program associated with him would go down the drain.
"You're right. A half-hearted gift set is meaningless. Kim Tae-hyun wouldn't even care for something like that."
"True. He never seemed particularly greedy."
"Why is a young guy so devoid of greed?"
The answer: because he already had everything he needed!
"The moment we arrive, I'll offer him the absolute maximum. Every single perk we can possibly provide."
"Um, Director. I know I suggested it, but... are you sure it's okay? If other players find out, they might complain."
"We'll just ask him to keep it a secret. Kim Tae-hyun isn't the type to go around blabbing about this."
"Is Kim Tae-hyun at home right now?"
"We'll call him when we arrive. If he's not there, we'll wait."
Bae Jang-wook was doing everything he could to show how sincere he was. Of course, Tae-hyun's personality was such that he wouldn't even notice those efforts...
"The address was around here... We've arrived. Whoa, this house is incredible."
"I knew his family was well-off, but this is a bit..."
Bae Jang-wook's jaw dropped in shock. The neighborhood itself was known for being wealthy, but even here, this mansion was a rare sight.
Just how rich is he?
Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion at the sudden phone call.
"How have you been! I came to see you because I missed you."
"Oh, really? Where would you like to meet?"
"I'm right outside your house."
"?!"
Tae-hyun headed to the front gate with a bewildered expression. What on earth brought Bae Jang-wook here?
As the gate opened, Bae Jang-wook and his subordinate walked in with grim, determined faces.
"First, I must apologize."
"...?"
"I always go around saying 'people are everything,' but it seems I became a bit arrogant."
"??"
"Knowing that my position could be shaken at any moment, yet acting so complacently... I am truly ashamed. But Tae-hyun! Please give me just one more chance! Give me a chance to correct my mistake!"
At Bae Jang-wook's passionate plea, his subordinate chimed in as well.
"That's right! SBC might be a massive broadcasting station, but we won't back down. We've never disappointed you with our broadcasts, have we? We'll show you what we're capable of!"
"????"
Tae-hyun wondered if these middle-aged men had been drinking. Why were they suddenly showing up and making such a fuss?
"No, what..."
Even though he only heard "No, what...", warning bells rang in Bae Jang-wook's head. This was definitely a negative reaction!
"This is the new contract we've prepared. Please take a look. I can guarantee you one thing: this contract offers the absolute highest treatment among all the players signed with us."
[Contract Terms]
• Guaranteed top-tier treatment among all contracted players.
• Maximum profit share and broadcast priority rights.
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
There was no real emotion in Tae-hyun's voice. He was simply thinking, What is wrong with these guys? but to Bae Jang-wook, it sounded entirely different. It sounded like despair itself!
Ah, is it already too late!
Bae Jang-wook prepared to stand up, nursing his bitter heart. It was too late. There was nothing more he could do. At the very least, he shouldn't leave a bad impression!
Just you wait, Bae Mi-na. The moment you let your guard down and make a mistake, I'll launch a counterattack!
At that moment, a voice echoed from the stairs. It was Kim Tae-san, coming down from the study.
"Hmm? Who might this be?"
"!"
"By the look of it... are you from a broadcasting station? Am I right? Your expression says yes. Tae-hyun, you punk. You didn't feel a sense of crisis after watching my broadcast, did you? Hahaha!"
"Father, what are you talking about?"
"??"
Seeing Tae-hyun's completely clueless reaction, Kim Tae-san wondered. No way, could it be...
"Did you not watch the broadcast I was on?!"
"You were on a broadcast?"
"This brat... why are you so indifferent!"
"You didn't even tell me, so what are you complaining about! I don't even watch the broadcasts I'm in!"
The father and son bickered, completely forgetting Bae Jang-wook was even there!
Listening to their conversation, Bae Jang-wook suddenly felt a wave of confusion wash over him.
—Bae Mi-na recruited Kim Tae-san.
—Bae Mi-na coaxed Kim Tae-san to recruit Kim Tae-hyun as well.
That was what he had assumed...
Was that not how it went? Why doesn't Kim Tae-hyun know anything about this?
A chilling realization suddenly struck Bae Jang-wook. No way, could it be...
"By any chance... were you not planning to move to SBC, Mr. Kim Tae-hyun? Along with Mr. Kim Tae-san..."
"What kind of absolute nonsense is that?"
Kim Tae-san looked at Tae-hyun with an incredulous expression. Hearing this, Tae-hyun chuckled.
"Ah. So that's why you came all this way..."
Bae Jang-wook's face flushed bright red in an instant!
I want to die of embarrassment!
Tae-hyun hadn't done a single thing, yet Jang-wook had misunderstood everything and made a fool of himself. Bae Jang-wook hung his head low. Meanwhile, Tae-hyun grinned broadly as he picked up the contract.
"If I had any complaints with MBS, I would have spoken up. In any case, thank you for being so considerate."
"Ugh... Tae-hyun. Please make sure those terms don't leak out."
"Of course, that goes without saying."
Listening to their exchange, Kim Tae-san spoke up, completely dumbfounded.
"What? Did you seriously think I would coax Tae-hyun into jumping ship to SBC? What kind of person do you take me for?"
"I-I'm sorry."
"Why do you think I accepted SBC's offer in the first place... tsk."
While Kim Tae-san grumbled, Tae-hyun turned to Bae Jang-wook.
"But why were you so worried? Was it really just because of my father appearing on their broadcast?"
"Ah, no. That was part of it, but... you didn't give us the footage for the last broadcast, and instead handled the Auston Kingdom quest through your guild's personal stream..."
"I figured that part would require a ton of editing, so I just released it myself. I didn't want to make the broadcasting station staff work unnecessarily hard."
We don't need that kind of consideration!!!
Bae Jang-wook screamed internally. If you had just given it to us, even if we had to pull all-nighters, we would have edited it perfectly, cut out the sensitive parts, and made it incredibly entertaining!
Beside them, Kim Tae-san chuckled.
"That's just the kind of guy he is. Well, since you've come all this way, have a good chat before you go."
"Ah, Father. Since they're here, let's watch it together."
"Watch what together?"
"The broadcast you were on."
"I-I'm fine. I already watched it."
"Come on, there's a special charm to the whole family gathering to watch it."
"Since when did you care so much about family gatherings!"
"Ayy, come on now. Come on."
Tae-hyun grabbed Kim Tae-san and dragged him onto the sofa! He quickly turned on the TV and found the broadcast featuring his father. Soon, the show began to play!
"……."
And the content of the broadcast was, to anyone's eyes, a doting father grumbling while desperately boasting about his son!
"Let go! You punk! Let go!"
"Father... did you really want to praise me that much..."
"I told you, that's not it! They edited and cut it weirdly right there!"
Flustered and annoyed, Kim Tae-san pushed Tae-hyun away and stood up. He had come downstairs for nothing, only to lose face!
"Ah. Right. Tae-hyun, clear some time in your schedule."
"Huh? Why?"
"I want you to come with me to a friend's birthday party."
"If it's your friend... Uncle Sung-gyu? Wait, his birthday is still a long way off."
"No."
"Uncle Won-jun?"
"No."
"Uncle Cheong-sik? Uncle Yeon-hwan?"
"It's a friend you don't know."
"You actually have a friend I don't know?"
Having few friends was truly a hereditary trait!
Kim Tae-san did his best to maintain his composure. After all, weren't there two strangers in the house right now? He couldn't afford to lose face in front of them!
"It's not like... you know all of my friends, do you...?"
"That's strange. Your circle of friends isn't exactly large enough for me to not know them."
Bae Jang-wook awkwardly looked away. Kim Tae-san felt a surge of irritation but had to hold it in. If he wanted to bring Tae-hyun to Yu Seong-su's birthday party, he couldn't afford to pick a fight right now.
"He's a new friend! Happy now, you punk!"
"Ah. Well, that makes sense. But why do I have to go?"
"He said he wanted to meet you, so I'm bringing you along."
"And here I thought you were dragging me along just to brag about your son again."
"You arrogant brat... there are plenty of kids out there who are just as successful as you!"
"Hmm. I still vividly remember how, after I got into college, you took me on a grand tour to all your friends just to brag about me..."
"T-that was then, and this is now! Where we're going this time, your specs are just the bare minimum! The absolute baseline!"
"Just where on earth are you taking me?"
Oops! Kim Tae-san realized his mistake. Knowing Tae-hyun's twisted personality, if he revealed the destination now, the boy would likely dig his heels in and refuse to go.
"I... I'm just telling you to be humble."
"I'm plenty humble... but anyway, fine."
Tae-hyun stood up and walked out with Bae Jang-wook to see him off.
"By the way, Tae-hyun, where are you in the game right now?"
"The Demon Realm."
"Pardon?"
"I fell into the Demon Realm."
Grab!
Bae Jang-wook suddenly grabbed Tae-hyun's hand tightly. Seeing this, Tae-hyun was reminded of the "water ghost" drag-down tactics in Pan-On.
Is hand-holding a trend now?
"...Please, this time, just give us the footage directly! We'll do all the editing and send you the broadcast version. You can watch it, tell us what to cut, and we'll re-edit it from scratch! Please! I beg of you!"
Desperation practically radiated from Bae Jang-wook. Tae-hyun was suddenly reminded of Gu Seong-uk. Seong-uk had looked exactly like this when begging for the Cold Cry's Sword.
"Sure, let's do that."
Yes!! Bae Jang-wook cheered inwardly.
Back in the car, Bae Jang-wook let out a deep sigh of relief.
"I panicked and made a fool of myself, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise."
"You're absolutely right, sir."
"More importantly, the Demon Realm... Kim Tae-hyun really defies all imagination. How many players have actually been to the Demon Realm so far?"
"There are players who ended up there by accident and died immediately, but I don't think anyone has consistently survived there."
"Yes. Excellent!"
Bae Jang-wook pumped his fist. It was confirmed that Bae Mi-na's evil clutches hadn't reached him, and Tae-hyun had promised to deliver the footage...
Vrrr— Vrrr—
"You have a call, sir."
"Who is it?"