The Sponsorship Gambit
The useless third-generation chaebol heir? To the core of Ido Electronics' advertising division?
At Vice Chairman Lee Young-bin's lukewarm reaction, Yoon Philip, his closest confidant and the head of the Strategic Planning Office, stepped forward.
“Let’s hear the full story first.”
Though nominally a meeting to discuss next quarter’s schedule, it was in reality a gathering to share the future plans of the ‘Vice Chairman’ faction.
Given the weight of the occasion, Yoon Philip shed his casual demeanor. True to his nickname as Lee Young-bin’s firefighter, he conducted the meeting with cold precision.
“Our Wireless Business Division has evaluated the future value of the Mir Guild.”
The lights dimmed, and a PPT appeared on the beam projector.
Season ticket holder statistics, viewership numbers, social network search volume, age-group interest surveys, and more.
Though each topic and target differed, they all shared one common trait: every single graph was shooting sharply upward.
The presentation began by stating that this was no longer at the level of League 3. At first, Lee Young-bin had dismissed it as mere loyalty competition, but even he couldn’t hide his surprise at the numbers. The sour look on his face vanished as he examined the graphs with genuine seriousness.
That worthless punk was this good?
He had known the boy was doing fairly well.
Even setting aside the reports from the child he had planted, anyone in Lee Young-bin’s position would inevitably hear things whether he wanted to or not.
He knew the results were decent. He also knew that the League Bureau viewed his worthless son and the Mir Guild as potential future cash cows.
But hearing about it secondhand and seeing the hard data with his own eyes were two entirely different things.
A faint spark of interest appeared on Lee Young-bin’s face.
“These indicators are surprising, but what our division has focused on most is Representative Lee Shin’s genius.”
Photographs of a youthful boy and girl appeared on screen.
They were the two hunters now known to the public as Lee Shin’s Children: Park Su-bin and Yu Ri-ra.
“In the guild industry, discovering a true prospect is considered harder than winning the lottery.”
Guilds fundamentally did not expect much from prospects.
Every year in Korea alone, thousands of hunters debuted with the ‘prospect’ label attached.
More than half of them failed to even make a proper debut. Of those, more than half never even reached the outskirts of the Rift of Confrontation. Half of the remainder couldn’t play ten games, and half of those couldn’t reach twenty.
Following this brutal filtering process, the number who could actually earn their keep across the entire guild industry numbered at most in the dozens. Or, to be generous, maybe ten.
“The reality of prospects is that simply performing their role for a full season is considered a blessing. Yet according to our comprehensive evaluation, both Park Su-bin and Yu Ri-ra are at minimum A-rank, and with good development could reach A+ rank. The Mir Guild’s recruitment of them must already be considered a resounding success.”
“……”
A success, huh…
Lee Young-bin looked at Yoon Philip with a questioning gaze.
Is this for real? The Strategic Planning Office, composed entirely of major-grade Awakeners, nodded in firm agreement.
“It has been two years since Representative Lee Shin took over as leader of the Mir Guild. In that time, he has unearthed one A-rank talent per year without a single failure. This has already crossed the line of what can be dismissed as mere luck.”
He was not simply a media darling. Representative Lee Shin was truly writing a legend. Even if that luck ran out tomorrow, the legend would remain.
“…It is an undeniable fact that he is writing a page in history.”
Lee Young-bin let out a long sigh and answered in a slightly weary voice.
“So, is that why you want to give him the electronics advertising slot? Our current flagship campaign is for the Royal 13.”
The Royal series.
The next-generation smartphone that would shoulder the future of Ido Electronics—no, the entire Ido Group.
The Wireless Business Division believed the new Royal 13 required a grand, mythical branding.
“Not to mention, our competitor Shinseong Electronics’ ‘Dea’ is scheduled to launch with a similar concept around the same time. In that regard, the Mir Guild, which is currently writing legends, would make an excellent partner. That is the judgment of our Wireless Business Division.”
This was no longer in the realm of luck. They had an eye for value. It was certain.
That was why they were moving quickly.
If he wrote another legend in League 3, promoted to League 2, and recruited yet another A-rank talent, he would become a true giant.
Someone even the Vice Chairman before him could no longer control at will…
However.
After deep consideration, Lee Young-bin delivered his verdict.
“Go with clothing or food instead. No matter how I look at it, electronics is too much.”
“Vice Chairman, sir.”
“Look, it’s not about the amount of money. Ido Electronics is the symbol and flagship of the Ido Group. If we give him the ad and that kid goes back to his old ways and causes trouble? Then we’ll have no choice but to bathe in filth right alongside him.”
“……”
“…Understood.”
“Then let’s discuss the contract terms. Make the contract period as long as possible…”
The people discussing contract conditions as if it were the most natural thing in the world did not need Lee Shin’s opinion. As the parent company, they assumed the Mir Guild would simply do as instructed. That was Lee Young-bin’s belief.
Of course, that was a massive misunderstanding.
“Advertising? What kind of ad are we talking about? Ah! Well, I’ll think about it and get back to you. Actually, I’m already in talks with Shinseong Electronics. I’ll call you later.”
Beep— beep— beep—
Hahaha. What did he just say? Shinseong?
The same Shinseong belonging to Chairman Kang Do-kyung, the man Chairman Lee Sang-byuk always looked ready to devour whenever they met at gatherings?
“…Drag that bastard here. Right now!”
* * *
“I’m sorry. My father—ah, right, we must separate public and private matters. Vice Chairman Lee Young-bin is that desperate to work with us. Isn’t that right, hyung?”
“Of course. The entire group is in an uproar over talks about you and the Mir Guild. They say we absolutely must secure you.”
“This is exactly why people talk about chaebol management and family-run businesses. It makes things so uncomfortable.”
“Isn’t it all because you’re so exceptionally capable, Representative?”
This was the headquarters of Shinseong Electronics.
The Shinseong Group, known as the pride of Korean white goods.
Ranked a staggering fourth in the business world, and here this husband-and-wife—no, brother-and-brother con artist duo was running a massive bluff.
Lee Shin was always like this, but as the saying went, even a dog from a temple could recite poetry after three years. Chae Dong-ha was no ordinary man either.
And astonishingly, it was working.
“Gulp. I-it’s fine. Haha…”
The Head of Marketing, who had rushed from Busan to Seoul within three hours of receiving the advertising proposal and was already overwhelmed just hosting Lee Shin, suddenly found himself facing Korea’s real royal family. His long career suddenly felt meaningless as his mind went blank.
Of course, Lee Shin’s maxed-out Charm of 101 combined with his steadily rising Dominance of 65 created a powerful synergy…
“Haha, ah! I’m sorry. I’ve been talking too much about personal matters.”
Lee Shin smiled brightly.
It was a perfect setup. With just one phone call from his father, Vice Chairman Lee Young-bin, he had completely seized control of the conversation.
From here, the rest was easy. He leaned back lazily, becoming the master of this meeting.
“Then shall we talk about the advertisement?”
“Ah! My apologies. I wasn’t thinking straight.”
The department head snapped back to attention.
The way he looked at Lee Shin grew noticeably deeper.
He had instinctively realized his counterpart was no ordinary man.
“Then allow me to explain. The advertisement we wish to offer the Mir Guild is for our new smartphone model, the ‘Dea 10’.”
The pride of Shinseong smartphones, the Dea series.
Named after the Latin word Dea, meaning goddess, this smartphone competed through elegant curves and refined design—beauty befitting its name.
In a smartphone market dominated by minimalism, Dea maintained its own firm identity of ‘elegance.’
“What our customers want from our ‘Dea’ is twofold: beauty and dignity. We believe Representative Lee Shin perfectly matches what Dea seeks to embody.”
In truth, this had not been the case until recently.
His beauty was undeniable. Simply placing Lee Shin in front of a camera created beauty and charisma.
But dignity was another matter. Even if only half the scandals floating around were true, he had been vulgar, not someone qualified to speak of dignity.
But now it was different. He had conquered League 4 and proven his ability to the entire world in League 3.
As evidence, words like ‘good-for-nothing’ and ‘troublemaker’ had long disappeared from traffic related to Lee Shin. Instead, terms like ‘genius representative,’ ‘legend maker,’ and ‘Lee Shin’s Children’ were now attached to his name.
“The same applies to the Mir Guild. A dragon awakening from slumber and once again writing legends aligns significantly with Dea’s pursuit of eternal beauty and a mythical worldview.”
“A dragon and a goddess. A goddess and a dragon. How thrilling is that?”
They had wrapped it up nicely, but when the wrapping paper was torn off, it simply meant the Mir Guild’s momentum was extraordinary. So they were asking if they could get a piece of the pie too.
Chae Dong-ha, who understood the physiology of this industry all too well, smiled bitterly.
Just as the Representative said. So this is why guilds fight so desperately to climb higher.
There was no need to criticize hunters for losing their romance or only caring about money.
Once you rose higher, the treatment you received changed this dramatically. Of course people would claw their way upward with everything they had.
Lee Shin, who had rushed to Seoul for an advertising offer only to now sit there with the solemn dignity of a chairman, seemed to prove that producing results by any means necessary was the correct path.
“Very well.”
“I’m glad. If the conditions are to your liking…”
“Ah, you should listen until the end. It’s good. This is good, but I think it could be even better with just a few small additions.”
“…?!”
The department head tilted his head in confusion.
But at Lee Shin’s next words, his head nearly snapped sideways.
“Instead of a one-time advertisement, how would you feel about signing a sponsorship contract with us?”
“Excuse me?!”
The sudden counter-proposal left the department head stunned.
Sponsorship.
If advertising was a simple transaction, sponsorship implied broader support and patronage.
It allowed for more communication and greater flexibility. Not only could they utilize the guild’s image, they could form a closer connection, gaining more rights in the process.
However, the price tag for those numerous advantages was on an entirely different scale from regular advertising.
“Um, thank you for the generous offer, but… doing something like this so suddenly…”
“Come now, just hear me out.”
The department head tried to organize his thoughts after the abrupt proposal, but the devil who held the initiative refused to let go.
“When your company first proposed the advertisement, I thought about it seriously. Why would the Shinseong Group offer an ad to a mere third-division team? It couldn’t be just because we’re doing well. So why?”
There had been many who dominated the lower leagues, even if they never reached the level of being called legends. But the difference between them and the Mir Guild was clear.
It was him.
Lee Shin pointed at himself with an open palm.
“It’s because of me.”
What Lee Shin wanted to say was not about his personal marketability as a human being. It was about his value as Lee Shin, the Representative.
“I took over a guild on the verge of dissolution and transformed it into a prestigious organization in just two years, proving my management ability. I unexpectedly recruited the Mountain King and earned recognition for my sales capabilities. The discovery of Park Su-bin and Yu Ri-ra is the same. I have proven my talent development and insight through them.”
Beyond that, there was the showcase incident, the supply corruption case, various business deals, and more.
Lee Shin had already proven every ability a representative needed: management, sales, development, and insight.
“To put it in elegant corporate terms, it’s ‘investing in future value.’ In that case, choosing me was an excellent decision. I can say this with absolute certainty.”
There is no one who understands this industry better than I do.
There is no one who knows hunters as perfectly as I do.
“One year from now, we will promote to League 2.”
“One year after that, we will promote to League 1.”
“And one year after that.”
Lee Shin pointed his finger at the ceiling.
“We will go even higher.”
Who? Me.
Lee Shin pointed at himself.
“I, Lee Shin, will send us there. To the dream league—the Champions League.”
The named veteran GM known as Teacher Lee.
When it came to guilds, Lee Shin was the one and only truth.
Therefore, he was the only person who could make such an insane proposal.
That was why he went all in!
“If we fail to promote this year, the contract can be terminated without penalty.”
“…!”
“If we fail to reach League 1, the contract can be terminated without penalty.”
“…?!”
“No, in fact, we will pay the penalty fee instead.”
“…!!”
“Ah, if you’re still unsure, feel free to check with someone higher up. That’s right. I mean your Chairman. You know him, right? Chairman Shin is friends with my grandfather. He wouldn’t want to miss this opportunity, if only to avoid giving my grandfather something to hold over him, wouldn’t you agree?”
“R-Representative…”
The proposal was so terrifying that even Chae Dong-ha, who had known Lee Shin would go this far, was left stunned.
Honestly, refusing this offer would disqualify someone as a businessman. Still, the department head clung to his fading reason and exercised extreme caution.
But Lee Shin’s next words pulled out the final safety pin.
“Ah, just so you know, this offer is only valid here in this meeting today. You saw it earlier, right? How desperate our Vice Chairman is. If this contract falls through, I will immediately go to Ido Electronics.”
“Here’s the question: do you think they will reject this proposal, or not?”
I take responsibility for my words.
If I am wrong, I will bear it all.
That was why Lee Shin could ask so boldly.
“So, will you accept my deal?”
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