After that day’s broadcast, I became very close with Director Lee Tae-ho.
During the drinking broadcast content that followed the solo queue, we talked about various things, but we had a more detailed conversation after the broadcast ended.
Thanks to that, I was able to get a lot of information.
What kind of team Unicorn was, how things had been progressing, and why he got kicked out of the team.
Perhaps because he had Hyung Dong-su with him, Tae-ho hyung talked to us without holding anything back about what he had been hiding.
Normally, you need to hear both sides of a story, but even with just the fragmented information, I could get a good understanding of the Unicorn team.
At first, I wondered if things had really gone that far, but the call I received the next day made me fully believe Tae-ho hyung’s words.
As usual, I got up, exercised, and was pondering over the broadcast content when my phone rang with an unknown number.
I answered it, thinking it might be someone from the Evil Gang who knew my number.
“Is this Streamer Shia’s phone?”There were times when the Evil Gang got hold of my number.
With a sigh, I answered.
“No, it’s not…”
“This is Lee Sung-man, the representative of Team Unicorn. Do you have a moment to talk?”
I was taken aback by hearing from someone I hadn’t expected.
Alright.
I started recording immediately.
“How do you know my number…”
“I have quite a wide network in this area. I called because I was concerned about you, Shia.”
Lee Sung-man subtly boasted about his connections.
Since I had heard some things from Tae-ho hyung yesterday, I couldn’t just take it positively.
“I heard you broadcast with that friend yesterday. I called just in case.”
The Unicorn situation was spreading rapidly. It was even starting to catch fire overseas, making it a tough situation to handle immediately.
Given that he called me…
It didn’t seem like he was just saying nice things.
I scratched my head and replied.
“What are you worried about?”
“Shia, I know it couldn’t be helped yesterday, but don’t get too close with Director Lee Tae-ho. He’s quite a troublesome person and will hurt those around him.”
Calling me out of the blue to say I shouldn’t associate with someone?
This was the first time I had experienced something like this.
I was so flustered I could hardly speak.
Oh, this is perfect.
I might as well ask about what Tae-ho hyung told me yesterday.
“Representative Lee Sung-man?”
“Yes.”
“I heard some things about Seongshin. It’s a coincidence you called now. Is what I heard true?”
As soon as the word ‘Seongshin’ came up, Representative Lee Sung-man coughed a few times.
Then he spoke to me in a slightly subdued voice.
“Ha, did that young friend leak the contract details again? This is why young people… I don’t know what you heard from him, but he said he would take responsibility himself. You shouldn’t talk about things you don’t fully understand…”
“Tae-ho hyung told me.”
“Shia, I don’t usually watch internet broadcasts, but I know a lot of people in that field. I’ve been active in this scene since the PC game days. Broadcasters create a lot of different content, right? I can help you with that…”
This person was terrible.
It wasn’t enough to subtly flaunt his connections; he even blatantly made such obvious statements.
Thinking my silence meant his words were working, Lee Sung-man spoke more forcefully than before.
“As you know, Unicorn’s sponsor, S&N, is the best foothold for entering China. If you want, I can connect you. You must know the Chinese streaming market is lucrative.”
His words made me even more certain.
This person.
“You don’t know me, do you?”
“Isn’t this Shia?”
“No, I mean, you don’t know what kind of person I am.”
I realized this person was even more uncommunicative than I had thought.
He was a stereotypical character you’d only see in dramas or movies. This was the first time since the military that I had encountered someone like him.
A person who relied on his power and connections for everything.
His call to me was likely a form of intimidation.
Just like he had done with Seongshin.
I was now certain of the type of person I was talking to.
This was a matter of courtesy, regardless of age.
Since his call had such intentions, should I consider his position?
No matter how I thought about it, there was no need to.
“I know how to handle my broadcast. No need to worry.”
“Young people these days don’t understand their position. This industry is small. Think carefully.”
“What industry? The pro league? Mister, I’m not a pro gamer, I’m a streamer.”
“Do you think your popularity will last forever?”
He seemed quite angry now.
He wasn’t even speaking formally anymore. How long had it been since I’d heard a voice that sounded so ‘authoritative’?
It would have been better if he had spoken like this from the start.
With a smirk, I prepared to end the call.
“You’re just as I heard. Thank you, Representative Lee Sung-man, for your concern. Oh, by the way, if you don’t watch internet broadcasts, you might not know about the current trending memes?”
There were a few new memes that had come about because of people like him.
They were quite malicious, but ones I usually refrained from using.
After taking a deep breath, I spoke to him in the most serious voice I could muster.
“You’re seized.”
“…What?”
“Look it up yourself. Anyway, you’re seized. Don’t call me again. Oh, and if you want to ruin my broadcast, go ahead and try.”
If I were a powerless, small-time streamer, how would things have turned out?
The situation would have been completely different.
I wouldn’t have been able to help Seongshin, and I would have been frightened by his words.
But fortunately, I had many good people around me.
There was no need to be swayed by such childish threats.
Before hanging up, I sneered at him.
“Do you know what happens when you mess with a madman?”
“This bastard…”
“You get bitten to death by a madman.”
You messed with the wrong person, you bastard.
#### 4.
Despite the controversy, time passed quickly, and the day to shoot the first commercial for <Gaia Online Classic> approached.
Arriving at the shooting location early in the morning with Hyung Dong-su, we were greeted by President Sung-soo, the representative of SD Corporation and our national pride mission man, smiling as he waited for us.
“Wow, you guys are really early.”
“President, why are you at the commercial shoot? Don’t you see your subordinates shaking in their boots?”
Dong-su hyung greeted Sung-soo with a hearty handshake, and Sung-soo responded with amazement.
“Oh, no wonder. I heard some staff cursing earlier. How have you been, Chan-sik?”
Smiling, I shook hands with Sung-soo.
No matter when you saw him, he was always a pleasant person.
Why did two representatives in the same position give off such different vibes?
Naturally, I compared him to Representative Lee Sung-man.
It was clear I was lucky with people.
“Even though it’s a commercial shoot, it’s just our company building studio. We don’t need a grand set since we’re just filming your gameplay footage.”
That made sense.
We didn’t need a huge set like in the old days, and since it was a game background, complicated facilities weren’t necessary.
“I didn’t expect you to come 30 minutes early. Shall we have some tea and chat? I heard you had something to talk about, Chan-sik.”
Actually, that’s why we arrived early on purpose.
With a wide grin, Sung-soo hyung led us to the reception room prepared for guests.
The company even had such a reception room.
What a nice company.
As we entered the reception room, the staff automatically served us tea.
“You guys drink a lot of coffee, so have some tea today. This is ginseng tea, which is good for your health.”
“Ginseng tea. Sounds great.”
“Oh, Dong-su, do you like ginseng tea? I’ll pack some for you when you go home later.”
“Hyung, pack some for me too.”
“Of course. You’re our company’s exclusive models after all… Man, if this classic fails, I might really get kicked out of my house.”
He was rich, handsome, tall, and had a good sense of humor.
Truly an ideal rich kid.
On top of that, he was someone who frequently supported my broadcast, making him more dependable than anyone else to me.
He was as solid as a bowl of soup, or maybe even more.
I took a sip of the ginseng tea in front of me and glanced at Sung-soo hyung.
“Hyung, I asked you about Seong-shin and Unicorn last time.”
Always keeping up with my broadcasts, Sung-soo hyung nodded and replied.
“You’re talking about Representative Lee Sung-man, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s been quite noisy because of that lately, so I looked into it separately. Did he really say that to you over the phone?”
“Would you like to hear the recording?”
I didn’t record it from the beginning, but I did record it properly from the middle part.
As I played the recording on my phone, Sung-soo hyung laughed, shaking his shoulders.
“Wow, this guy is really something. I haven’t laughed like this in a while. At this point, you might as well invite him as a guest on your show. And what’s with the ‘seized’ joke in the middle?”
“It just came out reflexively.”
Dong-su hyung, who had been quietly listening to the recording, looked at me and said.
“This guy called me too last time, telling me not to hang out with Tae-ho.”
“What did you do, hyung?”
As if it were the most natural thing, Dong-su hyung replied.
“I told him how long I’ve known Tae-ho and asked who he thought I’d trust. Wow, he’s even worse than I had heard.”
It was the first time I heard Dong-su hyung talk badly about someone.
He sometimes spoke harshly, but he was not the type to badmouth someone behind their back.
Listening to our conversation, Sung-soo hyung slowly nodded and said.
“Isn’t Seong-shin the son raised by the Evil Gang?”
Seong-shin’s nickname.
The son of the Evil Gang.
Whenever Seong-shin participated, the Evil Gang would flood the internet communities with bragging posts about him.
That’s how significant Seong-shin’s presence was in my broadcast.
When I first met Na-young, it was also with Seong-shin when we ate together and went to the capsule room.
Even after becoming a trainee, we played duo games together quite often.
Nodding, Sung-soo hyung said.
“As the leader of the Evil Gang, it’s not something I can just sit back and watch. That guy was quite famous back in the League of Storm PC League days.”
According to Sung-soo hyung, Representative Lee Sung-man was quite a famous director during the PC era.
He stepped down due to an unfortunate incident, but he was quite recognized as a director at that time.
Having a lot of acquaintances in the industry was already a proven fact.
“So there were quite a few rumors. He took great care of the main players, but the trainees had to deal with leftovers and practice on bad computers…”
“Wow, hyung, where do you get all this information?”
“I asked some journalist friends I’m close with.”
At his level, he must have a lot of sources.
After casually sharing his stories, Sung-soo hyung finished his ginseng tea and looked at me.
Then, shifting his gaze, he looked at Dong-su hyung.
“Dong-su, you know that the issue with Director Lee Tae-ho is something he has to solve himself, right?”
“Of course. Tae-ho will handle it.”
Director Lee Tae-ho is an adult.
As an adult, he has to bear the consequences of his own choices.
“The issue with Seong-shin is a bit different. I heard there’s some talk about tampering, and that needs to be investigated.”
At Sung-soo hyung’s words, I hardened my expression a bit and said.
“He says he knows a lot of people in the industry. Would that be easy?”
With a smirk, Sung-soo hyung patted my shoulder a few times and said.
“Do you know why I like you and Dong-su?”
“Suddenly, hyung?”
“You guys care a lot about your people. And you always try to maintain a certain boundary. It’s natural for a person to take care of their people, but there’s a line to be kept.”
There was a lot of meaning in those words.
In that moment, the usual ‘easy-going hyung’ image shifted, making me see him more as a ‘representative’ of a company.
Nodding slightly, Sung-soo hyung said.
“You guys are going to be our company’s exclusive models, so we need to take care of you. It’s not even a bad thing.”
Then, Sung-soo hyung made a phone call somewhere.
The conversation was in English.
Since I wasn’t good at English conversation, I couldn’t understand, but Dong-su hyung, who was next to me, widened his eyes, staring at Sung-soo hyung.
After a brief phone call, Dong-su hyung spoke to Sung-soo hyung with a trembling voice.
“Sung-soo hyung, you didn’t just…”
“Dong-su, have you been studying conversation hard these days?”
“No, seriously?”
“Yeah, seriously. Chan-sik, you don’t have to worry.”
…What was that phone call about just now?
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