The Birth of an Icon

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"What do you think you're doing?!" the Woodstock Guild Leader protested, but the deed was already done.

"What do you mean? Can't we take a photo to commemorate our new partnership?" Tae-hyun asked innocently.

"You definitely have an ulterior motive!" the Woodstock Guild Leader spat, gritting his teeth.

He wasn't stupid. There was a glaringly obvious reason Tae-hyun wanted this photo. If the other guild leaders in the alliance saw a picture of him and Tae-hyun standing side by side like old friends, what would they think? They would immediately assume he had betrayed them. To make matters worse, the context made it highly believable. After all, the other guild leaders had all refused to send him reinforcements...

"An ulterior motive? Good grief. I just took it because I was happy to see you. Now my feelings are hurt."

"Please, calm down, Tae-hyun. A generous soul like you must be the bigger person here, shouldn't you?" one of the Power Warrior guild members chimed in.

Watching the pathetic acting of Tae-hyun and the Power Warrior guild members only made the Woodstock Guild Leader's blood boil. Swallowing his irritation, he muttered, "Do not release that photo under any circumstances."

"Well, since my feelings are hurt, I might just end up posting it."

"...I was wrong, okay? Just don't post it!"

"Alright, alright. Come on, everyone, let's make a pinky promise."

"Pinky promised!"

"See? Everyone made the promise. You can trust us."

"..."

Every single member of Tae-hyun's party waved their pinkies in the air. To the Woodstock Guild Leader, it looked like nothing but pure mockery. Yet, he couldn't say another word. He knew that speaking up would only dig his own grave deeper.

"Fine. What's the plan now?"

"Hmm, first, why don't we finish clearing this dungeon?"

"???"

The Woodstock Guild Leader doubted his own ears. What did he just say?

"What?"

"I said, let's finish clearing the sixth floor. Didn't you say this is an uncleared underground dungeon? The rewards must be pretty sweet."

"N-No... but the situation upstairs right now..."

Pat.

Tae-hyun placed a heavy hand on the Woodstock Guild Leader's shoulder and spoke with gravity. "The more urgent the situation, the more calmly you must think."

"You bastard... Just because it's not your guild on the line..."

"I speak in gold, and you hear in garbage. Look, even if I safely smuggle you guys out of here right now, do you think you'll ever be able to come back to this dungeon? From now on, the Choigang Jizon Mussang Guild will be guarding this place."

Tae-hyun's words were undeniably true. If they successfully escaped now, it would be incredibly difficult to raid this dungeon again until they reclaimed the fortress. In other words, if they wanted to clear it, now was their only chance! It was hard to swallow, but thinking rationally, they had to push forward.

"The situation upstairs is already over anyway. Those who could run have run, and those who had to die are dead. Rushing up there won't change a thing."

"Ugh, ugh..."

It was the whisper of a devil! Listening from the side, Cain grew curious and whispered to Tae-hyun.

—Hey, why are you doing them a favor?

—What are you talking about? I'm doing this so we can split the dungeon rewards.

—...

Cain was struck with awe. Tae-hyun truly squeezed his targets dry to the absolute bone, no matter the situation! If a guild of Woodstock's caliber was putting this much effort into clearing a dungeon, the rewards were bound to be extraordinary. And here Tae-hyun was, plotting to snatch a piece of that pie!

"But won't the guys upstairs come down while we're clearing the dungeon?"

"If they do, that actually makes things easier for us. It'll take them time to get down here, meaning the monsters will have respawned. Plus, this terrain is perfect for ambush tactics, and the dungeon isn't even fully cleared yet. If they come down, we can easily wipe them out."

"Mmm, hmmm..."

"Besides, having a high-ranking player of my caliber help you clear a dungeon isn't an opportunity that comes around every day, is it?"

"...Fine! Let's clear the dungeon!"

"Excellent choice!" Tae-hyun slapped the guild leader's back.

Lee Da-bi felt as if she could see invisible strings attached to the Woodstock Guild Leader. He was a puppet dancing to Tae-hyun's tune!

"Oh, right. Before we clear the dungeon, do you mind if I talk to your blacksmith?" Tae-hyun brought it up casually. He fully intended to achieve his true goal without lifting a finger!

The Woodstock Guild Leader hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Sure, go ahead."

Foolish bastard. He clearly doesn't know Gonrdo's personality yet.

There was a reason the Woodstock Guild Leader had conceded so easily. The blacksmith NPC they employed, Gonrdo, possessed an incredibly prickly and eccentric temperament. Though his skills were magnificent befitting a former royal blacksmith, the Woodstock Guild had to complete countless quests just to stay on his good side. If a player meeting him for the first time like Tae-hyun walked up and asked for a favor, the old man would undoubtedly start cursing him out!

Hehe. Kim Tae-hyun. I heard you dabble in engineering and blacksmithing. Prepare to be humiliated.

The Woodstock Guild Leader watched Tae-hyun walk away with an expectant gleam in his eyes.

Tae-hyun approached Gonrdo.

A cascade of system messages filled his vision. The result...

"It is an absolute honor to meet you, Count Kim Tae-hyun!"

Grab!

Gonrdo dropped straight to his knees and clasped Tae-hyun's hand.

"!?!?!?!?!?"

The Woodstock Guild Leader and his members stared with eyes wide enough to pop out of their sockets.

Is this old man seriously playing favorites right now?!

Bae Jang-wook sat with a tense expression. It was all because of the man sitting across from him.

"Director, you've arrived!"

"Yes. How have you been?"

A middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair opened the meeting room door and walked in. It was Bureau Director Lee Jong-guk. He was a towering senior figure at MBS who had taught Jang-wook almost everything he knew.

"I hear the arena tournament you planned this time is doing exceptionally well?"

"Haha..."

Jang-wook scratched the back of his head sheepishly. In truth, the arena tournament was currently drawing an immense amount of attention. However...

"I also heard rumors that you, Jang-wook, are quite dissatisfied with the members of the MBS team."

"T-That's..."

"What? Did I hear wrong?"

"No, sir. This roster is... a bit unstable. Of course, buzz and popularity are paramount, but this is a game where five people must fight together. I don't think blindly throwing them together without considering their synergy is the right way to go."

"Yes, you're absolutely right."

"...!"

Hearing his towering senior agree with him filled Jang-wook with immense relief.

"Even though we are a gaming-specialized network, there are surprisingly many people in high places who don't actually care about games. This decision was made by those very people. They think just throwing big names together is enough... So, is the problem that severe? What do you think, Jang-wook? Do you think they'll get eliminated in the first round?"

"No, sir, absolutely not," Jang-wook replied firmly.

No matter how unstable the team seemed, he could never imagine a roster featuring both Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon getting knocked out in the very first round.

"Well, that's a relief. Even though we're the organizers, it would be quite embarrassing if the team carrying our name got eliminated in the first round, wouldn't it?"

"Indeed, sir."

"I'm glad you're confident. Tell me, Jang-wook."

"Yes?"

"In my eyes, this tournament is going to be a massive success."

"Th-Thank you, sir?"

"Which means things are about to get a bit troublesome for you."

"...?"

"You can't stay a PD forever. You need to start looking upward."

"...!"

Jang-wook stared at Lee Jong-guk with wide eyes. Jong-guk was talking about a promotion.

"With the number of hit programs you've produced so far, you would have climbed the ladder long ago if you just had a bit more of a network. Once this tournament succeeds, you'll be pushed up even if you protest. At least to General Manager..."

"I prefer being on the field, sir."

"My dear fellow, even if you want to stay, the company won't let you. The executives have to save face, too. Besides, there are already plenty of people who envy you."

There were indeed quite a few who envied Jang-wook for demonstrating such exceptional skill and capability at a relatively young age.

"They're narrow-minded fools who think, 'Let's see this young punk mess up just once so he can ruin himself.' The ones who interfered with the team roster this time are from that faction. They're just trying to piggyback on your hard work."

"To think they would..."

"Jang-wook, you need to aim higher."

"...?"

"This tournament will undoubtedly yield satisfying results, but it won't last long."

"Why... is that, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sir?"

"Because it's too successful. Do you know how many behind-the-scenes proposals I've received? We even got an offer from the Yusung Group. They said they're willing to provide full, unconditional support if we form a professional esports team."

"Didn't the Yusung Group completely wash their hands of esports due to that past incident?"

"I have no idea what wind blew them back in, but they were dead serious, so you can believe it."

"Unbelievable..."

To think even the Yusung Group, who had sworn off esports, was making proposals again.

"But isn't that a good thing?"

"No. If it grows to this scale, we won't be able to host the next tournament. The developers of Pan-On will likely host it directly. On a global scale."

"Ah...!"

Because it was too successful, MBS would no longer be able to hold the hosting rights for future iterations. Jang-wook understood instantly.

"Of course, even if that happens, your achievements will remain on your record... but you must think about what comes after."

"I will do my best, sir."

"Actually, the reason I called you here today is because I have a proposal."

"What kind of... proposal, sir?"

"What do you think about putting that Kim Tae-hyun fellow on television?"

"??"

Jang-wook tilted his head in confusion. "But isn't Kim Tae-hyun already appearing on our broadcasts?"

"That's just a gaming broadcast. And strictly speaking, it's not even a proper television show. It's just edited gameplay footage being aired."

"Ah..."

"Do you know why Lee Se-yeon is considered special among the countless gamers in this country?"

"Is it because she broke into mainstream broadcasting?"

"Exactly. Other gamers can't do that. They might talk fine when they're playing games or hosting their personal streams, but the moment they step onto public television—or even cable—they stutter and freeze up."

"Well, they are gamers, not professional entertainers, after all..."

"Excuses don't work in this business. Granted, Pan-On is an overwhelmingly dominant game compared to anything that came before. Anyone who plays games knows it. If you ask a gamer about 'Kim Tae-hyun' or 'Lee Se-yeon', they'll know exactly who they are. But what if you ask someone who doesn't know anything about Pan-On?"

"They would know Lee Se-yeon, but they wouldn't know Kim Tae-hyun."

Lee Se-yeon was a celebrity who had consistently built her public recognition since the days of Pan-On 1, even appearing on major public networks. For the general public who didn't play games, the difference in recognition between the two was bound to be night and day!

"I want this Kim Tae-hyun fellow to reach that level as well."

"Is there a reason we need to push him that far?"

"Of course there is. MBS might be doing well right now, but at the end of the day, we are a gaming-specialized network. In comparison, giants like SBC are massive beasts."

MBS had successfully produced almost all of its Pan-On-related broadcasts through sheer ingenuity. However, the sheer scale of traditional broadcasting giants like SBC could not be ignored.

"Even if we're thriving now, we never know what tomorrow brings. We shouldn't just defend our gaming territory; we need to actively expand. We need to make broadcasts that appeal to the general public, not just gamers."

"And how do we do that?"

"An icon. We need an icon. Someone whom even ordinary people will recognize instantly and say, 'Ah, that person!' If we have an icon like that, wouldn't it give us a fighting chance even if we venture into non-gaming broadcasts?"

"That sounds... a bit too far-fetched for now, sir."

"Of course, right now it sounds like a pipe dream. But imagine this: what if Kim Tae-hyun becomes a star as popular as Lee Se-yeon—no, even more popular than her? If we have ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a Kim Tae-hyun like that, what kind of projects do you think we could pull off?"

Gulp.

Jang-wook swallowed hard. As an experienced PD, a flurry of brilliant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ideas flashed through his mind in an instant.

Lee Jong-guk smiled warmly and asked, "Well? Is your appetite whetted now?"