A Bitter Taste of Defeat

Early in the morning, Kim Taehun sat at his desk, several reports spread out before him. On one side of his monitor, the Ocean streaming platform was open. He narrowed his eyes as he reviewed the VODs and clips one by one. Perpetual Job Seeker. Park Jihun. Taehun burned the name into his memory before shifting his gaze back to the reports.

The news had already broken. Although the company name had been kept anonymous, rumors were spreading rapidly among industry insiders that it was Taesung Bio.

Taehun tapped his chin thoughtfully. The timing was far too perfect to be a mere coincidence. Immediately after Kim Taejun delayed the final approval, Park Sangheon's entire line collapsed, and the researcher trying to smuggle the core data was caught on the spot. And before and after all of these events, the same name kept appearing.

Perpetual Job Seeker. Park Jihun.

Taehun looked back at the monitor. In the VOD from last night, Park Jihun was warning someone with an indifferent expression. Immediately after, he spun the roulette to select the next person.

"Normally, a streamer would read for the highest donors first," Taehun muttered to himself.

There was a bizarre rule to Park Jihun's stream. Money couldn't buy your turn. Proxy applications didn't work. Yet, if someone was in urgent, life-threatening danger, he would give them a reading even if they hadn't paid a single cent. And Jihun had never broken those rules.

"Which makes him all the more annoying."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in."

A secretary from the executive office entered, bowing respectfully as he placed a tablet on the desk.

"I have compiled the data you requested, sir."

Taehun turned on the tablet. The first page briefly summarized the operational structure of Jihun's stream. It was mostly information he had already skimmed through before joining the stream last night, but experiencing it firsthand felt entirely different from reading it on a screen. He swiped to the next page.

Below that were screenshots of several viewer reactions.

Taehun's eyes narrowed. Chairman. He knew it was just a nickname given to him because of his massive donations, but seeing it in writing left a bitter taste in his mouth, like chewing on sand. He set the tablet down and asked, "How do we increase our success rate with the priority system?"

The secretary answered immediately. "We've determined that accessing the stream via PC is highly likely to be more advantageous than mobile. We are currently preparing measures to minimize network latency. Any other methods, such as using automated scripts, are highly likely to be flagged by their macro detection system."

"Proxy applications are out... What about using multiple accounts?"

"We can attempt it, but there is a risk of detection. If caught, it could result in a permanent ban, so we do not recommend it."

Taehun smirked. Here he was, the prominent heir to Taesung Group, debating the application mechanics of a mere internet stream. It was degrading, but he couldn't afford to ignore it. Taejun's sudden change, Sangheon's downfall, the blocked leak—all of it was connected to this man.

"You said we can minimize network latency? Have everything set up today."

"Yes, sir."

He had to prepare in case today's stream used the priority system. He wanted to eliminate as many variables as possible. As the secretary turned to leave, Taehun added, "Oh, and you're keeping an eye on Taejun's account, right?"

"Executive Director Kim Tae-jun, sir?"

"Yes. That 'Neyton' account."

The secretary bowed. "We are recording everything from his login times to his chat history."

"Good."

The secretary left, closing the office door behind him. Taehun resumed the video. On the screen, Park Jihun still wore that same indifferent expression. Staring at his face, Taehun muttered, "Today, I will definitely get in."

It was just past noon when Jihun returned home after running some errands. He sat down in his chair and turned on his computer, immediately browsing the popular posts on the online community. A post related to his stream caught his eye.

Jihun let out a dry chuckle. But the post wasn't wrong. Most of the people who had received free readings had been entangled in terrible, life-threatening incidents. As Jihun browsed further, his eyes stopped on a headline.

The company and individual names were kept anonymous, but the comments section was already buzzing with speculation.

Jihun closed the article. "Looks like he stopped it."

At that moment, a brief, cool sensation washed over his eyes. Jihun rubbed them, puzzled. It wasn't the hot, throbbing pain he felt when his Shinan opened. In fact, it was the exact opposite. The heavy fatigue that had been lingering deep in his body completely vanished. The weight on his shoulders lifted, and his vision became remarkably clear.

"My body definitely feels lighter."

Jihun smiled, closed the community tab, and opened YouTube. Comments were piling up rapidly on his recently uploaded clips.

Scrolling down, Jihun tilted his head. "What's with all the fried dumplings?"

As he scrolled further, he saw even more comments of a similar nature.

Jihun burst into laughter, completely baffled. "What fried dumplings? I don't even like them that much in the first place."

Just then, a messenger notification popped up. It was Lee Minhyeok.

Jihun closed the messenger and checked the time. He had been surfing the web for longer than he realized, and it was already close to streaming time. He washed his face, sat back down in his chair, and prepared to start. It was time to get to work.

At exactly 8:00 PM, Jihun turned on his stream as usual.

The chat window immediately began scrolling at a breakneck speed.

Jihun briefly scanned the chat and spoke. "Before we start, let's take a look at the community posts and comments."

Lately, instead of diving straight into the readings as soon as he went live, he spent a few minutes reviewing recent clips and community reactions. It helped ease into the stream, and the time flew by. In the meantime, the chat was a chaotic mix of fried dumpling jokes and discussions about the free readings. Some viewers asked if Dyudiyu's father, who had been the subject of last night's emergency reading, was doing alright. However, there was no update from Dyudiyu yet.

Whenever newcomers asked about the stream's rules, veteran viewers eagerly explained them in the chat. About thirty minutes into the stream, Jihun took a sip of water and leaned slightly toward the microphone.

"Alright, let's begin today's shamanic readings."

At his words, the chat accelerated once more.

Jihun checked his screen and announced, "Today, we will be using the priority system."

The moment the words left his mouth, the chat erupted in a frenzy.

Jihun watched the chat and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠continued, "Today, I will take six paid readings. I will also do one free reading in the middle. I'll keep things flexible like this for the time being."

The news of an extra paid slot sent another wave of excitement through the chat.

Five minutes later, Jihun spoke. "Alright, opening the priority system now."

Instantly, a barrage of donation alerts flooded the screen.

The slots were filled in the blink of an eye.

But when the final list of applicants was displayed, the chat went absolutely wild.

Jihun checked the list and spoke. "TenTen, please join the Discord channel."

Even after Jihun's announcement, Kim Taehun couldn't tear his eyes away from his monitor. A short message was displayed on his screen.

Taehun was speechless. He couldn't believe he had failed despite all his meticulous preparations. He had accessed the stream using a PC connected to a dedicated high-speed line, with every possible measure taken to minimize network latency. He had clicked the button the exact millisecond the application window opened. Yet, the result was failure.

Meanwhile, a very familiar username occupied the sixth slot of the successful applicants.

Neyton.

His younger brother, Kim Tae-jun.

Taehun's eyes narrowed. The chat was buzzing with excitement over the name.

"Neyton?" "The Chairman is insane." "The Chairman has entered lol." "He's a big hand, and his hands are fast too."

The title "Chairman" caught his eye once again. He knew it was just a nickname given to him because of his massive donations, but it grated on his nerves. The issue wasn't just the nickname. Once again, he had failed, and Kim Tae-jun had succeeded.

Taehun slammed his fist onto the desk, a dull thud echoing through the quiet office. He stared at the screen with a rigid expression, muttering coldly, "Why does he succeed, and I don't?"

Jihun invited TenTen to the Discord call. A moment later, the connection tone chimed.

A female voice came through, trembling slightly as if she were nervous. Jihun asked, "What is your concern?"

TenTen hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Well... I have a worry."

"What is it?"

"Lately, my packages keep disappearing."

The chat immediately reacted.

TenTen let out a sigh and continued. "At first, I thought it was a delivery error. I thought the driver had left it at the wrong place. But this is already the fifth time."

"Is there no CCTV?"

"No. It's an old villa."

"Is there anyone you suspect?"

"Well, a woman lives alone next door in room 202... Could she have taken them?"

The chat flared up instantly.

Jihun stared silently at the screen. In that instant, a cold chill brushed the back of his neck.

An old staircase. A dim, flickering sensor light. A package envelope left in front of a door. A moment later, a woman dragging her slippers stops at the end of the hallway. She glances at the shipping label. The recipient's name is TenTen. Despite knowing this, the woman picks up the envelope as if it were her own and walks up the stairs to the upper floor.

As the vision faded, Jihun spoke flatly, his voice dropping into a cold, authoritative tone.

"No."

Silence fell over the Discord call, and the chat froze.

"The culprit is someone else."