Checkmate

"So, what happened?"

It was the morning after the collaboration with the Bandit King.

Dojin, who had come to the cafeteria for breakfast as usual, still hadn't been able to eat a proper meal.

This was because his girlfriend had been holding him back, pestering him about yesterday's events for a while now.

"What do you think? I had to coax and soothe her with other special cuts."

"Special cuts? Like what?"

"Hanger steak and neck chain? Oh, and we had chuck flap tail too. Apparently, you don't get much of those cuts from a single cow. Once we told her it was the most delicious meat, Sun-jam calmed down."

Slurp.

Answering his girlfriend's question, Dojin quickly moved his spoon, scooping up a few mouthfuls of soup.

It was bean sprout soup, and it had taken him ten minutes since getting his tray to finally put a spoonful into his mouth.

"Phew."

As the perfect bean sprout soup went down, Dojin finally felt the blood circulating in his veins.

Aside from the fact that it had cooled down to lukewarm, it was truly the best soup.

While Dojin was savoring the taste of the bean sprout soup, Do-hee spoke with a look of relief.

"Oh, really? That's a relief. At least she filled her stomach with that."

"She didn't."

"Huh?"

"I said she didn't. The staff members nibbled away at those cuts too. The portions were already small, and with people eating from them here and there, how much could have been left?"

"Oh... then? Did she eat other cuts?"

"No. Because the cuts kept changing, Sun-jam got upset and refused to eat any more."

Yesterday, Dojin had realized once again.

A quiet child is much scarier when they get upset.

"..."

No matter how the Bandit King tried to coax her, the sulking Sun-jam refused to look back.

She simply put down her fork and stared at the camera with a pouty face.

To be precise, she was looking at me behind the camera, but the viewers wouldn't think that.

One could tell just by looking at the atmosphere of the chat window at the time.

The viewers were clamoring for him to buy more meat immediately.

However, this was an impossible demand.

Since the Bandit King's house was located at the foot of a mountain, going out to the city to buy meat now would mean the broadcast would be over by the time he returned.

In other words, those donations were just extra income going straight into the Bandit King's pocket.

The Bandit King knew this too and was desperately trying to control his facial expressions.

He knew that the moment he smiled and said thank you in this situation, he would immediately fall into the abyss of public criticism.

Ultimately, it was Dojin who cleaned up the situation.

"It looks like Sun-jam is getting full. When she gets full, she tends to get in a bad mood, so could we wrap up her appearance for today here?"

Dojin, who had approached Sun-jam at an angle invisible to the camera, asked the Bandit King for his understanding.

He didn't really need permission, but since it was a live broadcast on the Bandit King's channel, he said it out of politeness.

Fortunately, the Bandit King also realized Dojin's intention and nodded.

"Ah, is that so? Well... Sun-jam did eat a lot. But wow, she really eats a lot for her size. Look here, everyone. This is roughly how much Sun-jam ate. Whoa, the plates are completely clean, right?"

As the Bandit King moved the camera, pretending to communicate with the viewers, Dojin didn't miss the opportunity. He picked up Sun-jam and returned to his spot.

"..."

Having retreated completely behind the camera, Dojin set Sun-jam down.

However, even after he set her down, Sun-jam's hand gripping Dojin's clothes wouldn't let go.

Observing her closely, Dojin let out a chuckle and asked, "Are you mad? Because the cuts of meat kept changing?"

"..."

She nodded.

She must have been quite upset, as her speech, which had opened up to Dojin right before the shoot, was blocked once again.

Smiling helplessly at the sight, Dojin said to Sun-jam, "Wait here for just a moment. I'll go tell the staff here that we're leaving first. In return, let's eat something delicious at a rest stop on the way back."

"...Okay."

As if her mood had finally softened at Dojin's words, Sun-jam's speech opened up again.

That was how Sun-jam's external collaboration came to an end.

The five servings of tteokgalbi they ate at the rest stop on the way back served as the final palate cleanser of the day.

"Five servings of tteokgalbi?"

Surprised by Dojin's words, Do-hee looked over at Sun-jam, who was eating with her family a short distance away.

She had always known that Sun-jam ate a lot for her age, but she had never imagined she would eat that much.

Until now, she had assumed that the meat Chanarshanhu's family ate was mostly consumed by the adults.

But looking at it now, Sun-jam seemed to have an appetite no smaller than an adult's.

"And that was only because she had already eaten some meat beforehand. If she had started on an empty stomach, she probably could have easily eaten twenty servings."

"..."

Was it true that once something crossed a certain threshold, it commanded reverence?

A look of respect washed over Do-hee's face as she stared at Sun-jam.

For Do-hee, who struggled to finish even a single patty of tteokgalbi by herself, Sun-jam's appetite was nothing short of miraculous.

Ding.

"Huh?"

While his girlfriend was distracted by Sun-jam, Dojin, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, stopped his spoon.

It was because he had just checked an unexpected message.

"What is this?"

How many people wouldn't react to a deposit notification of over three million won?

Even though he had billions of won in his accounts, old habits died hard, prompting Dojin to check his mobile banking app.

"Oh, the Bandit King's side sent some money."

Dojin informed the two of them about the unexpected news.

At that, Seung-wan, who had been eating quietly, stopped in her tracks and turned her head toward Dojin.

"From the Bandit King's side? Why?"

"It just says 'Donation Split.' The deposit memo is short, so they probably just wrote that. Should I contact them?" Dojin asked, seeing Seung-wan's interest.

He had been feeling a bit concerned since they left so abruptly yesterday. Even if leaving a message with the manager was fine because they were broadcasting live, he should have contacted them after the broadcast, but he hadn't been able to.

However, Seung-wan's reaction was different from what Dojin had expected.

"Ha! This guy is no good."

"Huh?"

"Seung-wan? What's wrong?"

Seung-wan's scoffing and look of utter disbelief flustered not only Dojin but Do-hee as well.

It was a side of her they had never seen before.

Then Seung-wan asked Dojin once more, "How much did he send?"

"Uh... a little over three million won. ...Is something wrong?" Dojin asked Seung-wan immediately.

The moment he mentioned the amount, her face had contorted.

It was only after Seung-wan calmed down a bit that she answered Dojin's question.

"...Normally, the implicit rule in this industry is that all donations received for a guest during a collaboration are given to the guest, minus the platform fees. If the guest is a small-time creator and the host is unilaterally helping them out, the host might take about half, but three million is just too much."

As she spoke, Seung-wan opened the memo app on her phone.

While Dojin had taken Sun-jam home yesterday, she had been monitoring the broadcast from the office.

The memo she was looking at now contained a record of the donations that had poured in for Sun-jam at the time.

And the details were quite shocking.

"...Forty-seven. There were forty-seven donations specifically for Sun-jam. The total amount was a little over twenty million won. Even after deducting all the platform fees and taxes, they should have sent at least fifteen million won."

"..."

"Fi-fifteen million? It was that much?"

"And that's a conservative estimate. I stopped watching the broadcast after Sun-jam left. But given the atmosphere, there were probably more donations for Sun-jam after that. If so, even at the bare minimum, it should be twenty million. But a measly three million? No, the amount is one thing, but to just send it like this without any discussion? This is practically what a thug would do."

As Seung-wan continued to speak, Dojin understood why she was so angry.

Even to him, who didn't know much about the industry, this situation made no sense.

But the more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

That's odd... The Bandit King never had any money-related issues until his channel eventually went under.

As his channel grew, the Bandit King had associated with famous celebrities and influencers.

And when one gains that much fame, the illegal deeds they committed in the past naturally come to light.

Indeed, many YouTubers and famous influencers who fell into the abyss one after another had met their downfall that way.

However, the Bandit King had always been clean when it came to money.

He had done countless collaborations, but not a single guest had ever claimed there was a financial issue.

Rather, there were many testimonies that he was cleaner and more considerate than anyone else.

I should look into this situation a bit.

While it was possible that the Bandit King had gotten greedy for money, just as Seung-wan said, there could also be a mistake, or a third party might have intercepted it in the middle.

Instead of acting rashly when things were still uncertain, it was wiser to wait until the situation became clear.

It's a good thing I have plenty of financial leeway.

If Dojin were in a position where he lived paycheck to paycheck, he wouldn't have been able to remain this calm.

According to Seung-wan, at least twenty million won should have come in.

But if the actual money received was only three million won?

It wouldn't have been strange if he had gone to them immediately and demanded, "What is this donation money? Did you calculate this properly?"

The only reason Dojin could maintain his composure right now was that he had enough money that he wouldn't be in trouble even without it.

"Whatever happens later, we should give the money that came in to Chanarshanhu first."

At Dojin's words, Seung-wan, who had been unable to hide her excitement, and Do-hee, who had been worrying about Seung-wan, both nodded.

Somehow, Seung-wan had ended up playing the role of the agency and Dojin the role of the manager, but strictly speaking, this money wasn't theirs.

Since they were holding onto it on behalf of Chanarshanhu, who didn't have a Korean bank account yet, it was only natural to return it.

Then Seung-wan asked cautiously, "How much are you going to give him?"

"Hmm..."

A groan escaped Dojin's lips at Seung-wan's question.

He had already been thinking about that, and the dilemma had only deepened.

Of course, the reason Dojin was hesitating was not to withhold the money or give less.

"It's a dilemma. It's too small compared to the amount he was originally supposed to receive. I'm wondering how much more I should supplement..."

Since Dojin and his group had managed the appearance, they had to take responsibility.

It was their fault that they hadn't received the full amount, not Chanarshanhu's or Sun-jam's.

Therefore, Dojin intended to make up for the shortfall with his own money first.

I can just make up for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the money I spend once I get the missing donation funds.

He had no doubt that he would get that money.

In the worst-case scenario, he could just expose this incident.

These weren't just random donations; they were donations sent by viewers specifically to be delivered to Sun-jam.

If it became known that the Bandit King had pocketed that money, he would immediately fall into ruin.

If the Bandit King had even a shred of common sense, he would send the donation money just to avoid such a fate.

If it comes to that, we'll end up as enemies, though.

In any case, if it turned out the Bandit King was that kind of person, Dojin had no intention of associating with him anymore.

"Let's pay him the proper amount first. Did you say it was around fifteen million won earlier?"

"Yes. Considering various incidental expenses, platform fees, and taxes, it should be around that much."

Nodding at Seung-wan's words, Dojin headed straight to Chanarshanhu's family.

At first, Chanarshanhu couldn't understand how Sun-jam had earned fifteen million won from a single broadcast appearance.

His daughter wasn't a famous celebrity, so how could she have earned such a fortune just by eating some meat?

He even suspected that Dojin had been scammed.

Ultimately, it was only after hearing explanations from Do-hee and Seung-wan that Chanarshanhu finally understood the situation. That day, he went out to the city with Dojin to open a bank account.

After all, they couldn't just hand over the donation money in cash.

"Phew, that was exhausting. Explaining this to Chanarshanhu is harder than doing a broadcast or a meeting."

"Haha, it can't be helped. He said he's not familiar with this kind of culture."

"Still, it's a relief. Even when he gets paid, he seems to send most of it to Mongolia. Now he has some spare cash."

Since getting hired at Sekki House, Chanarshanhu and his family had been receiving a steady salary.

And thanks to Dojin's consideration, it was a fairly high amount.

However, for some reason, Chanarshanhu had never opened a bank account.

He remitted most of the money he received to Mongolia and kept only a minimal amount of cash.

Because of this, Dojin had to receive Sun-jam's donation money on his behalf.

But now, there was no need for that.

Chanarshanhu finally had his own bank account.

Not only that, but since the entire family had opened accounts this time, there was no longer any need to go withdraw cash on payday.

To be honest, it was quite a hassle until now.

It wasn't just a hassle; every payday, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bank would look at Dojin with suspicious eyes, wondering if he was a voice phishing scammer or a victim.

But now, he didn't have to face such suspicion anymore.

Just that alone made him feel as if a nagging toothache had finally been cured.

That was, until he received a request from Chanarshanhu the next day.

"...What?"

"Please buy sheep with this money."

"...Sheep? Why?"

Dojin replied with an uneasy look as Chanarshanhu held out the bankbook he had made yesterday.

For some reason, he felt like he shouldn't listen to whatever came next.

And as expected, Dojin's intuition was spot on once again.

"This money. Sun-jam didn't earn it. She didn't earn it by working; Boss, Madam, and Seung-wan ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠earned it for her. So we must spend it together."

"No, what do you mean by that?"

For the first time since meeting Chanarshanhu, Dojin raised his voice.

He knew Chanarshanhu was kind and pure, but this was going too far.

To put it bluntly, it was at a level where he wouldn't be able to complain even if people treated him like a fool.

Seeing Chanarshanhu, who should be protecting his family more rationally than anyone, acting so naive made it hard for Dojin to hold back any longer.

Yet, in the face of Dojin's reaction, Chanarshanhu simply smiled and said, "In our village, when a child earns money for the first time, we all eat together with it. It is the price for the village helping the child grow. Sun-jam is still young. This money is not something Sun-jam earned by working alone. Still, I want to share it with everyone in the family."

"..."

Dojin couldn't bring himself to speak at Chanarshanhu's words.

He realized that Chanarshanhu's decision didn't stem from naivety, but from gratitude toward them—and furthermore, that he regarded them as family.

In the end, after mouthing a few words silently, Dojin managed to speak with difficulty.

"...Why sheep?"

"We will make traditional Mongolian food. It uses sheep. A lot. Khorkhog, buuz, they all use sheep. We need a lot of sheep. Whole ones."

"..."

"Please buy them all with this. The security team must eat too. Because we are family."

"Sigh..."

Taking the bankbook that was pushed toward him once again along with those words, Dojin let out a deep sigh.

He had no excuse to refuse anymore.

No, this was a situation where he shouldn't refuse even if he could.

Literally...

It's a checkmate.

That day, an unexpected Mongolian feast took place at Sekki House.

It was a day less than a week after the meat party had ended.