Chapter 86: Flex (1)

Among the countless things needed to live, there is one element in the modern era that cannot be excluded.

Money.

To be honest, money is the best.

Of course, it doesn’t always come first, but in most cases, it does.

And I desired money more than anyone else.

Because money was needed to treat Jin-hyuk.

Now that Jin-hyuk’s illness was cured, money wasn’t as urgent as before.

However, no one could deny that the more money you have, the better.

“Hyung, why are you so happy this morning?”

Jin-hyuk looked at me while munching on cereal.

Why did this kid wake up so early today?

Moreover, he looked well-rested, with bright eyes.

That couldn’t be right.

I definitely bombarded his stream with the Evil Gang yesterday…

“Oh, I felt a bit off yesterday, so I ended it early, hyung.”

So he passed the bomb.

Alright, let’s hear who he hosted.

“I hosted it to Kkomuljwi-nim, and he was really happy. The Evil Gang seemed to enjoy it too.”

“Good job. But hey… you should’ve hosted it to someone more modest. Let them taste the Evil Gang.”

“Are you badmouthing because it wasn’t your stream?”

“What’s wrong with the Evil Gang? They’re so cute.”

If he had hosted it to a modest and clean stream… honestly, I didn’t even want to think about it.

Since Kkomuljwi-nim’s viewer pool was similar to mine, it wasn’t a bad choice.

“What? Did you buy new clothes, hyung?”

Jin-hyuk asked while looking at the shirt I was wearing.

“Oh, this? Na-young bought it for me as a gift for helping her with her stream.”

“Na-young noona?”

“She must’ve earned a lot. Probably more than me.”

It was a fact that, on average, female streamers earned more than male streamers.

I only made significant earnings recently because I completed some major missions.

I couldn’t keep up with female streamers in general.

Especially a rapidly growing female streamer like Na-young…

“She probably made more than me.”

“It’s upsetting. She bought for you but not for me…”

“If you’re jealous, why didn’t you help with her stream?”

“I’ve got my hands full.”

It was cute seeing him get jealous over something like this.

I chuckled and gave Jin-hyuk the finger.

When I glanced at the clock, it was already 10 o’clock.

Since the appointment was at 11, I wasn’t in a rush.

“Take care of your own breakfast.”

“Can’t you bring something tasty when you come back?”

“Hmm… I’ll think about it?”

I looked forward to the ‘good thing’ waiting for me at the company today.

I heard that I’d join up with Sung-jae and then move to another location.

The final destination was Gangnam.

There was supposed to be quite a big event today in Gangnam.

A financially significant event.

After leaving the house, I took a taxi straight to the ChickenBox office.

There, Sung-jae was already waiting for me with the car.

“Sung-jae.”

“You’re early?”

“But this car… is it a gift by any chance?”

A sedan from a well-known foreign brand.

It was a Benz series sedan, a dream car for many men, that greeted me there.

Sung-jae chuckled at my joke, nodded, and said,

“If Chan-sik would sign a 10-year lifetime contract, it could be a gift.”

“10 years?”

“Yes, staying with us till the end.”

“I’d sign a 100-year lifetime contract if you could get me a house in Gangnam.”

Real estate was the best, they say.

Sung-jae looked troubled by my words, then slowly said,

“I’d have to discuss that with the CEO…”

Come to think of it, I’ve never met the CEO.

Is it because he doesn’t usually come to the office?

Anyway, I comfortably settled into the passenger seat.

As expected of an expensive car, the ride felt great.

Vroom.

After a soft start, there was no noise.

I understood why people rode expensive cars.

“You look very pleased.”

Sung-jae glanced at me and said.

“Of course. It feels great to get rid of all my worries.”

“You’ve overcome a difficult hurdle. Sweet rewards always follow after tough times. According to our research, public opinion about you isn’t negative. In fact, sympathy is dominant.” ȑÁ

The scenery outside the window passed by quickly.

Maybe because I felt good, even the ordinary landscape looked delightful.

How happy it was to make money while doing what you love.

Compared to when was my only source of income, I was much happier.

At least I wasn’t making money under stress.

As I became more relaxed, various trivial thoughts crossed my mind.

Among those thoughts, Sung-jae’s gentle voice flowed in.

“One of our main tasks is to gauge public opinion about our streamers. If Chan-sik had disclosed this later, it wouldn’t have ended like this.”

“I guess so?”

“Oh, and recently, we received a contact from a Korean company in charge of Gaia Online Classic.”

Were they going to hold me accountable?

However, what Sung-jae said was different from what I expected.

“They want Chan-sik and Dong-su as promotional models. We haven’t had in-depth discussions yet, but it seems to be heading in that direction. You’ve heard about this, right?”

“Hmmm.”

A major company was a major company.

They seemed to want to create the most efficient and stimulating advertisement.

Well, it was good for me.

If they came forward first.

And since they would provide ample money, there was no reason to refuse.

“And we’ve received a proposal for the Korea-China platform competition. The request came from China’s Hiya TV…”

A story I heard from Husu.

After giving me brief but essential information, Sung-jae smiled and concluded.

“We’ll discuss the details after today’s contract. We have plenty of time.”

While chatting about various topics, we arrived at our destination.

As I got out of the car, a forest of giant buildings unfolded before me.

Gangnam, Yeoksam-dong.

“It’s been a while, Chan-sik!”

As soon as I got out, I heard a familiar voice.

Looking towards the source of the voice, a rather unexpected person was waiting there.

“How come you’re here, hyung…”

A man who had undone two buttons of his luxury shirt waved at me.

He approached me and shook my hand with a smile.

“Why? I’m not here as a viewer today.”

“Oh, CEO.”

“Sung-jae, welcome.”

“Oh, you two know each other? Great! I thought you might.”

It was Gukppong Mission Man, Seong-su hyung’s appearance.

I could only nod at Seong-su hyung who suddenly showed up.

While I was expressing my curiosity…

Sung-jae whispered carefully in my ear.

“It’s CEO Kang Sung-su of SD Corporation, who now holds the rights to .”

An unexpected twist unfolded.

—

### 2.

Sung-su hyung—no, CEO Kang Sung-su of SD Corporation—showed a completely different side compared to what I was used to.

The building Sung-jae and I arrived at was the headquarters of SD Corporation.

A grand company occupying an entire magnificent building.

According to what Sung-jae had told me, this company was a subsidiary of a famous conglomerate group.

One of the conglomerates that participated in the so-called .

In simple terms, Sung-su hyung was a third-generation chaebol.

No wonder.

There were rumors that he donated 100 million won a month, which seemed to be true.

What an amazing person he was.

“Please, take a seat.”

Sung-su hyung guided us to a meeting room.

Along with him were a male and a female employee who exuded a professional atmosphere. They handed me their business cards and said,

“Hello, I’m Lee Sun-hee, head of the PR team at SD Corporation.”

“I’m Na Seok-won, deputy manager of the PR team.”

While Team Leader Lee had a relaxed expression, Deputy Manager Na’s face was tense.

Was it because the CEO was present?

This kind of formal atmosphere definitely didn’t suit me.

Noticing my awkward expression, Sung-su hyung smiled and asked,

“Oh, is it uncomfortable because the company’s CEO is here?”

“Uh… you mentioned it was a venture company when we met back then…”

“It’s still a venture company in its own way.”

“Oh…”

I see.

Thanks to Sung-su hyung’s gentle approach, the atmosphere soon became warm and pleasant.

Honestly, I couldn’t quite understand what was being discussed.

There were too many technical terms being thrown around.

I quietly listened to the meeting and then asked cautiously,

“Excuse me.”

Both sides, who were deep in conversation, looked at me simultaneously.

It felt awkward all of a sudden.

“Is it normal for these promotional model meetings to proceed in such a surprise manner?”

Sung-jae widened his eyes and said to me,

“We sent you an email last time. We also left a message on KakaoTalk.”

“What?”

“When I called you that morning, you confirmed it. So, I went ahead with the arrangements…”

…I didn’t remember.

Oh, right.

I received a call when I was half asleep. It wasn’t that long ago—last week, when I was resting.

I vaguely replied that I understood and didn’t check the email…

I see.

Well, what’s the point in dwelling on the past?

I nodded, smiling awkwardly.

The meeting resumed, and soon we reached the most crucial part.

The formal negotiation for the advertising contract.

Finally, a part I could understand began.

Sung-su hyung just watched me with a smile, and Sung-jae handed me the documents.

“Sung-jae.”

“Yes.”

“You know I don’t understand these even if you show them to me.”

“But you still need to review them.”

“Well, if you say so.”

Sung-jae kindly pointed out the parts I needed to check.

Was this the kind of contract only celebrities would see?

Honestly, I didn’t think I was at that level.

“The status of player Shia in was truly remarkable. You must be aware of it, Shia-nim.”

Remarkable status, more like infamous.

Anyway, the PR team leader started speaking slowly with a smile.

She was so beautiful she could be called the epitome of the ‘intelligent and beautiful career woman’ from dramas.

I listened quietly to her eloquent speech.

“SD Corporation wants to borrow that image for a fair price.”

She only said sweet things to me.

Though she talked about my infamy, she skillfully avoided mentioning the rumors about my dealings with .

It seemed to imply that was a completely different company.

Her eloquence was impressive, and she explained why they chose me as their promotional model.

After listening to her, I cautiously brought my mouth close to Sung-jae’s ear.

“Doesn’t it feel like they’re selling something?”

“…Really?”

“That’s how it feels. Is this how they usually work?”

That was my honest impression.

Sung-jae coughed a few times and looked at me.

Hey, I was just being honest. Why look at me like that?

Team Leader Lee observed my expression and concluded while maintaining her poker face.

“Would you like to check the contract terms? We have prepared conditions that we believe will satisfy Shia-nim.”

Her confident words.

And Sung-jae, next to me, skillfully flipped the contract to the part detailing the financial terms.

Since it was a big company, they must have prepared generously.

I didn’t even need to check to know.

Alright, let’s see the contract terms.

“Huh?”

Five seconds after checking the contract.

I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

“Oh…”

I was at a loss for words.

To be precise, I ‘had to’ be at a loss for words.

I rubbed my eyes several times and rechecked the contract terms, then looked at Sung-su hyung in front of me.

But Sung-su hyung just gave me a thumbs-up and nodded.

“Are you not satisfied?”

“Well…”

“This is only the first draft of the contract terms. We can adjust it as much as you want. Feel free to speak.”

There was a reason for her confidence.

“Sung-jae.”

“Yes.”

“Pinch my cheek.”

“Suddenly?”

I was in a daze for quite a while because of the amount stated in the contract.

Damn.

They say every dog has its day.

Patience pays off.