Outpost
Tuesday.
Today was supposed to be the second day of broadcasting for Sapung Murim, but before that, Myeong-yun and Sang-hyun were waiting for someone in front of Jamsil Station near their house.
“Ugh~ I’m starving.”
“Well, you didn’t eat lunch.”
Since they had come straight here after morning classes ended, Sang-hyun clutched his empty stomach.
“Are you okay?”
“This seat can go a week without eating and be fine.”
“You’re joking.”
It wasn’t really a joke, but Myeong-yun didn’t bother correcting him.
The reason the two of them had come to Jamsil Station today was for their second meeting with Yeonamdang.
They had only signed a preliminary contract so far. This pre-meeting was meant to sort out details so they could immediately begin executing their plans once the official contract was finalized.
“Wow, but that thing at school was insane. I never expected the teacher to actually play your video.”
“Thanks to that, it got noisy.”
For the third-year students who had finished their college entrance exams, teachers were either assigning self-study or showing videos instead of regular classes.
The students who wanted to study had all gone to the designated self-study rooms, so those who had completed their exams mainly spent their time watching whatever videos the teachers put on.
With winter setting in, even indoor physical education classes were replaced with watching videos in the classroom.
One PE teacher, saying it was something fun he’d been watching lately, played a certain VTuber’s stream.
And of course, it just had to be Myeong-yun’s video.
It was the edited play footage of Narak that Myeong-yun had played and Sang-hyun had edited.
The deliciously cinematic camera angles and polished editing.
On top of that, Myeong-yun’s physical prowess shone brilliantly.
The sight of him single-handedly cutting down waves of black-clad enemies, befitting the majesty of the Heavenly Demon, completely captivated the students.
Even students who had no interest in VTubers were shocked, asking if that was really a human’s physical ability, and they marveled at the video’s quality.
Some even joked that since the name was the same as Myeong-yun’s, it must be him.
Thanks to that, Myeong-yun had broken out in a cold sweat trying to awkwardly deny it.
He once again realized just how massively the influence of ‘Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun’ was growing.
“Looks like that’s her coming.”
“Is that the person?”
Myeong-yun, who had been looking at his smartphone while chatting with Sang-hyun, lifted his head. A woman in a coat and business suit was walking toward them.
The short-haired woman, who perfectly embodied the term “career woman,” smiled as she approached them and spoke.
“I’m sorry. I’m a little late. Just as Team Leader Ji-eon described.”
“We arrived early. What exactly did she say?”
“She said there would be two tall, handsome students. Do you get street-cast a lot?”
At the woman’s words, Sang-hyun laughed awkwardly.
But she wasn’t exactly wrong.
Whenever the two of them went out to busy areas, there were always one or two people who approached them.
The woman took two business cards from her card holder and handed them over.
“I am Cheon Seo-hyeon, who has joined as the team leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Korea Branch Team to support you both from now on. Please take good care of me.”
“I am Grand Tactician Lee Sang-hyun.”
“This seat is Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun.”
Upon hearing their introductions in return, Seo-hyeon couldn’t hold back a small laugh.
She covered her mouth, laughed out loud, then spoke.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t expect you to introduce yourselves so openly. It feels awkward to talk here, so shall we move somewhere else? Have you had lunch yet?”
“No, not yet.”
“Then let’s go. I’ll lead the way.”
Seo-hyeon took the two of them to an Italian restaurant near Jamsil Station.
After securing a quiet private room and finishing their orders, she looked at them with a serious expression.
Just as Sang-hyun swallowed nervously, she opened her mouth.
“By any chance, do I not have a title?”
“Pardon?”
“I’ve been appointed as the team leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Korea Branch. I was wondering if I could also claim a proper position like the two of you.”
At Seo-hyeon’s words, the quiet Myeong-yun let out a small laugh.
So that’s what she was after.
“Since I will likely be representing the two of you at official events from now on, simply calling myself the Korea Branch Team Leader feels rather bland.”
Not style, but flavor. From her choice of words, Sang-hyun realized she was the same type as him, while Myeong-yun simply found it amusing. The world really was full of all kinds of people.
“…What should we call her?”
Sang-hyun looked at Myeong-yun.
Although he called himself the Grand Tactician, he didn’t know the detailed structure of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Myeong-yun had never explained it to him.
Meeting Seo-hyeon’s expectant gaze for a grand title, Myeong-yun spoke.
“Lotus Court Master.”
“Lotus Court Master?”
“Lotus Court. It uses the character for ‘connect’ and the character for ‘flower.’ It was the department in charge of various supplies and communications between branches. Since it handled everything necessary for daily life, it could also be seen as the housewife of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”
“Lotus Court Master…!”
Seo-hyeon repeated the title several times before clasping her hands together in a martial salute and speaking.
“I greet you once more. I am Cheon Seo-hyeon, Lotus Court Master of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Heavenly Demon, Grand Tactician. I shall serve you both without any shortcomings from now on.”
“Very well.”
“We’ll be counting on you, Lotus Court… Master.”
The three of them burst into laughter at the same time.
Who wouldn’t laugh in this situation?
A business meeting where they introduced themselves as members of the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Watching the brightly smiling Cheon Seo-hyeon, Myeong-yun reminisced about his previous life.
The previous life’s Lotus Court Master was also from the Cheon clan.
This may be some form of fateful connection.
And so, the third meeting of the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Korea Branch began in a warm and harmonious atmosphere.
“You two eat incredibly well.”
The two healthy high school seniors devoured a 900-gram steak, three plates of pasta, two whole pizzas, and two plates of pilaf.
Compared to them, what Seo-hyeon ate was practically nothing.
No wonder the bill came out to three hundred thousand won when Team Leader Ji-eon took them to that meat restaurant last time.
Impressed by their enormous appetites, Seo-hyeon ordered a mountain of desserts and moved on to the main topic.
The goal of today’s preliminary meeting was to coordinate various matters before signing the official contract.
After taking a sip of coffee, Seo-hyeon supplemented her self-introduction.
“I originally belonged to Yeonamdang’s marketing department. But when I heard about the new department being established, I was transferred to the Virtual Specialist Team under Team Leader Ji-eon’s orders.”
“Hmm, so what you’re saying is that you didn’t exactly volunteer for this, right?”
“Correct. At first I didn’t understand why I was chosen, but the moment I heard Team Leader Ji-eon mention the ‘Heavenly Demon Cult Korea Branch,’ it all made sense. She said there was no one more suited for this job than me.”
As she spoke, Seo-hyeon pulled several sheets of paper from the document bag she had brought.
Wondering what she was about to explain, Myeong-yun and Sang-hyun each took one. The papers were completely blank.
Moreover, they were made of strangely sturdy material that didn’t bend easily.
Just as Myeong-yun and Sang-hyun were wondering what they were supposed to do with them, Seo-hyeon handed each of them a pen.
It wasn’t an ordinary pen, but a rather thick brush pen.
“Could I please have your autographs?”
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m personally a huge fan of yours, Heavenly Demon. I’m subscribed, I send support every time, and when will you open memberships? Are there no plans for merchandise?”
The way Sang-hyun and Myeong-yun looked at Seo-hyeon changed slightly.
They had thought she was just a regular office worker, but apparently not.
“W-we should run.”
“Sit down.”
Myeong-yun grabbed the fleeing Sang-hyun and forced him back into his seat. Then he uncapped the brush pen and, with a single fluid stroke, wrote his signature in Chinese characters.
Heavenly Demon Myeong-yun
After finishing the elegant signature in an instant, Myeong-yun handed the paper back to Seo-hyeon. She hugged it tightly to her chest.
“I will treasure it as a family heirloom. The Heavenly Demon’s autograph…”
“Shall I do yours as well?”
Myeong-yun nudged Sang-hyun to hurry up.
Sang-hyun, who had never expected to be asked for an autograph, completed his signature in fairly decent handwriting, though not quite as impressive as Myeong-yun’s.
Grand Tactician of the Heavenly Demon Cult
Having obtained both of their signatures, Seo-hyeon carefully sealed them in plastic sleeves, placed them reverently in her bag, and spoke.
“Thank you. I must have talked about the Heavenly Demon so much in the marketing team that they transferred me. Some people probably thought it was a demotion, but for me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“The saying ‘crisis is opportunity’ fits this moment perfectly.”
“Yes, Heavenly Demon. I truly feel honored to be able to walk together with you on the path toward ten million subscribers—no, one hundred million subscribers!”
Seo-hyeon’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.
At first glance, she might seem overly enthusiastic, but both Myeong-yun and Sang-hyun knew the truth.
Yeonamdang was not a company one could join without exceptional talent and skill.
It was no exaggeration to call it an elite group where the world’s geniuses gathered.
Moreover, since Ji-eon had personally selected her, Seo-hyeon’s abilities must have already been proven within the company.
Given that person’s personality, she wouldn’t have placed someone just because they liked VTubers.
Myeong-yun took a sip of his green tea milk tea and expressed his gratitude toward Ji-eon.
She found us a good person.
Loyalty was not something that could easily be bought with money.
Nor was it easy to find someone who burned with such passion from the very beginning.
Ji-eon’s personnel choice had been spot on.
“Right now, the Heavenly Demon Cult’s Korea Branch Team consists only of me, but the number of members will gradually increase. And every single one will be someone who has fallen for the Heavenly Demon’s charisma and the Grand Tactician’s brilliant strategies!”
“Y-you’re praising us too much.”
Sang-hyun reacted with embarrassment, but Myeong-yun remained calm no matter what was said.
His expression suggested that this was only natural.
“Praising you? This is simply the truth. At your age, people called me the Tteokbokki Vacuum Cleaner. You two are amazing. Truly.”
After showing a bit more respect to Sang-hyun and Myeong-yun, Seo-hyeon finally moved on to the real main topic.
The reason she had come to meet them today was regarding the ‘studio.’
“It would be best if the studio is close to your home, right? I heard you’re both still attending school. So somewhere convenient to both school and home.”
“Since our school is in this area, somewhere near Jamsil Station would be good.”
“Then shall we get going?”
Seo-hyeon stood up and picked up her document bag.
Since they had finished eating, it was time to walk a bit.
She smiled brightly as she casually dropped something terrifying.
“I’ve pulled up a full list of buildings owned by Yeonamdang in the area. You can take a look and decide for yourselves!”
The true tyranny of a megacorporation was just beginning.