Chapter 349 ·I'll Just Pay for It (2)?

I'll 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󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Just Pay for It (2)

Early in the afternoon, a Team Perfect meeting was underway. Park Juho delivered the news with a subtle smile.

"It seems like the emotes are getting a better response in Japan than expected. We got an additional proposal."

He projected the email he received from the Logline team as a hologram.

"A set sale?"

"The previous proposal was a promotion in the new release and MD recommendation sections after converting to a paid model, but that would place us alongside other emotes. This one's different."

"Oh? What, it's an exclusive promotion?"

As Park Juho explained, Choi Byeonghun's eyes lit up. Even without reading the email, it was easy to understand thanks to the attached image examples.

"Wow! This is a really great opportunity, CEO!"

Everyone was pleased by the word "exclusive," but Jo Daehan was especially delighted.

"You know, my relatives on my mother's side are Japanese. So, I use Logline from time to time."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Yes, yes. Last time, the editing team leader said this market is a red ocean, but honestly, that's just from our country's perspective. It's even more extreme in Japan."

Everyone's eyes widened at Jo Daehan's words.

"More than what I said?"

"Yes, back then I thought adding more would just be pouring cold water on things, so I didn't say anything."

"What you said was already pretty intense, though, right?"

At Madman's question, Jo Daehan rolled his eyes briefly in thought.

"Mm, it's just that the situation in our country and Japan is a bit different. Here, emote photographers still rank high in popularity, you know? But in Japan, emotes using established IPs dominate rather than those made by individual creators."

"Oh, right. They have manga and anime."

When Choi Byeonghun nodded as if he understood, Jo Daehan gained more confidence.

"Exactly. Japan is the homeland of manga and anime, after all. There's a flood of related emotes. So, unless pure original creator emotes get a promotion, they don't just sink to the bottom—they almost hit the abyss."

"I think I get it. Before I made MadGunner Q-tube, my gun introduction Q-tube had its view count way down at the bottom."

Madman shook his head as if recalling unpleasant memories, and Jo Daehan cleared his throat to shift the mood.

"Ahem, of course I'm not saying that will happen to us. We've already got a promotion lined up. But if we get this exclusive promotion, at least we'll be able to breathe easy above water."

"Daehan's right, but regardless, we should think about designing a new emote. Time to add a fresh subscriber perk too."

Park Juho agreed and spoke to Lee Gyeongbok.

"Ah, I think the same. Lately, if you look at the chat, viewers don't use emotes so much."

"You saw during the goods meeting, we've got a lot more memes about you. Things have changed a lot since the initial emote additions."

Hearing Madman and Park Juho's words, Choi Byeonghun gave a wry laugh.

"There's no need to rush, really. It's just the end of Q1, right? For most streamers, this wouldn't even be something they could think about, but you've already shown a lot. It's no bad thing to act when the opportunity comes."

Lee Gyeongbok listened quietly, arms folded, and after rolling his eyes in thought, spoke up.

"These are all good points, but..."

He glanced over the team members and continued.

"The most important thing is probably the emote photographer's opinion, isn't it?"

Everyone gathered was highly skilled in their own field, but only in their area of expertise. The quality of emotes depended entirely on the photographer's abilities.

"And we already sent over the contract, and the photographer said they're working on the emote renewal, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

As Park Juho replied, he brought up a new image. It was a sample the photographer sent upon starting the renewal.

The original emotes had used a character that personified a "Trooper" viewer.

For the renewal version, the photographer wanted to change the character design to better show the identity of a fan of Lee Gyeongbok.

"Yeah, the Perfect hoodie looks great no matter how you look at it."

And the very goods item that had become symbolic in this platform battle was the answer the photographer chose.

"They said since it's not a complete redraw, it won't take much time."

"Okay, let's do it like this."

Lee Gyeongbok clapped his hands lightly to gather attention.

"I understand that work isn't always fun, right? But even so, I think we're all making this broadcast together. That includes everyone here, and the emote photographer too."

Broadcasting is meant to be fun. That was Lee Gyeongbok's unshakable principle.

"That Kemalcon emote—honestly, the photographer just wanted to make it, right? I don't want our work to be something we suffer through just for money."

He hoped the "fun" would exist behind the scenes and in the creative and planning stages, just like what viewers saw.

"So I'll let the photographer know and leave the decision to them. They'll let us know after estimating the schedule. Juho, please make sure you explain it in a way that doesn't put pressure on the photographer."

"Okay, got it."

Park Juho nodded obediently. The others did the same.

"Now that you mention it, the CEO is right. I do this because I enjoy it..."

"It wouldn't feel right if only we were having fun."

Choi Byeonghun smiled at Jo Daehan and Madman's words.

"The viewers always tease us for being a Black Company, but how is this anything like a Black Company?"

At that, laughter filled the meeting room. Then Jo Daehan's eyes opened wide.

"Ah, since Black Company came up—wouldn't it be fine to make a Black Company-themed emote?"

"Black Company emote?"

"Yeah. The term Black Company even originated in Japan, right? People use it here now, but I think it'd be a theme that works especially well in Japan."

"Oh..."

Lee Gyeongbok nodded in agreement. He closed his eyes, gauging the vibe, then broke into a gentle smile.

"Mention this idea briefly in the email to the photographer. Having a theme might make it easier for them to design."

"Good idea."

"Thanks for the idea, daehan."

"Ah, not at all!"

Jo Daehan couldn't hide his delight at his idea being accepted.

'Yes, this is a truly horizontal company culture.'

He felt sure that Lee Gyeongbok would genuinely consider any opinions he raised. In a regular workplace, he wouldn't even dream of it.

'I'll lay my bones to rest here!'

Feelings can't be had just because you try. Loyalty was also a feeling.

* * *

After the meeting, Lee Gyeongbok got into Park Juho's car.

"I could've just taken the subway."

"It's not that far, anyway."

"If that's the case, you should join us for dinner. Adding one more is fine, right?"

Lee Gyeongbok wasn't just someone who talked the talk. After the previous call with Yang Gyuri, he contacted her again to make dinner plans.

"Business comes first. And I don't think Auntie would want that either."

"Hmm? Why not?"

Lee Gyeongbok looked puzzled at what he said. Why would Yang Gyuri be uncomfortable around Park Juho? Park Juho hesitated before opening his mouth.

"... Auntie gives me the same feeling as my adoptive father."

"Huh?"

At the unexpected comment, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened, and Park Juho shook his head.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't mean anything bad, of course."

"Of course not. So what do you mean?"

"It's like...not being blood-related but wanting to be accepted as family, yet at the same time, afraid of becoming more distant."

"Ah..."

Lee Gyeongbok let out a faint grown. If he thought about it, his relationship with Yang Gyuri was indeed similar to that between Park Juho and his adoptive father.

"The difference is, I'm not ready yet, while you're already pretty open."

"Auntie's definitely more comfortable around me now than before."

"Yeah. But I'm still a little different."

Park Juho let out a short sigh.

"Of course, I know in my head. My adoptive father is a good man, and my mother saw that and decided to remarry. Both of them are waiting for me to accept things without forcing it."

He paused. Lee Gyeongbok remained calm, sensing intuitively that his friend wasn't finished speaking.

"So sometimes I imagine it. If I were to accept my adoptive father as family, both of them would be so happy."

"... They really would be."

"Right? They'd treasure every moment with me even more. That's why I don't want to take time away from you and your aunt."

A gentle smile appeared on Park Juho's face.

"Normally, the parent-child relationship is set at birth. But our situation is different."

"Different how?"

Lee Gyeongbok asked, and Park Juho turned his eyes.

"This is a relationship we choose."

At that answer, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes grew large. Stroking his chin, he finally muttered,

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"No, I just never thought of it that way. Thanks to you, I can consider things from Auntie's perspective too."

Feeling embarrassed, Lee Gyeongbok smiled even more shyly.

"Auntie will love you for that even more."

"Huh?"

"She'd rather you accept things naturally than overthink it, like I do."

Soon, the car pulled over to the side of the road.

"This is it?"

"Ah, we're here already. Thanks for the ride!"

"See you on the broadcast."

At his friend's farewell, Lee Gyeongbok put on his sunglasses, smiling. Beyond the tinted lenses, a large department store came into view.

As he approached the entrance, he lowered his sunglasses slightly.

"... What's this?"

Something was strange. A notice said the department store was closed today.

'I even made a reservation?'

Even though it was a weekday, he'd made a restaurant reservation just in case it was crowded. He checked the reservation date and the location, but everything matched.

'But... it really is a closed day?'

The problem was that the "closed" sign was correct.

As he stood there in confusion, his phone vibrated.

"Oh, yes! Auntie."

〈Hey, Gyeongbok, where are you?〉

"I'm at the entrance. But the department store..."

It was Yang Gyuri. As he hesitated, wondering how to explain, her cheerful voice came over the phone:

〈Wow, you're early. Come to the driveway, then. We can go in together.〉

"Huh? Um, but Auntie, the department store is closed today..."

〈I know. Just come over.〉

She knew it was closed? Lee Gyeongbok was even more confused, but made his way to the driveway as instructed.

〈Hey, stay right there. Can you see me waving?〉

"Waving? Ah."

He turned his head. A black imported car was slowly approaching, a hand sticking out the window.

The call suddenly ended, and the car stopped right in front of him.

"Hey there, did you wait long? Get in."

Inside the backseat window was Yang Gyuri's bright smile. Lee Gyeongbok took a seat beside her.

"This person is...?"

"Ah, my driver. I thought about sending one for you too, but you said you were coming with Juho. But where's Juho?"

"He said he had a lot of work."

"Busy, huh? I hope I didn't take up your time for nothing."

"No, I'm the one who asked first."

Lee Gyeongbok said, smiling, then shook his head at a sudden thought.

"Ah, but that's not the point—I think there was a mix-up. I definitely made a reservation, but since it's the department store's closed day, maybe we should go somewhere else..."

Just then, he blinked. The car was heading down into the department store's underground parking lot.

'Huh? Why are there employees if it's closed?'

A valet parking attendant was bowing politely as he guided the car.

Yang Gyuri clapped her hands and chuckled.

"I was going to surprise you, but I can't go through with it now. Seeing your face makes me feel guilty."

"A surprise?"

"Yes, the department store is closed today, but at the same time, it's not."

What kind of contradiction was that? Still bewildered, Lee Gyeongbok watched Yang Gyuri pull out an envelope from her handbag.

"Gyeongbok, have you heard of private shopping?"

It was an invitation given to department store VIPs—something Lee Gyeongbok had never seen before.

"It's one of the VIP services. There are certain days when only VIPs are invited to shop comfortably on closed days."

"Ah... I see!"

Lee Gyeongbok quickly grasped the situation.

"No wonder the number Auntie gave me was different from the one on the website for the restaurant."

"That's right. That's the direct number to the VIP service center. I arranged it all in advance."

The contradiction was resolved, but questions remained. Lee Gyeongbok asked directly.

"But why the sudden private shopping? Do you need something?"

"Come on, did you really think I called you to shop for myself?"

Yang Gyuri watched him with a bittersweet smile, observing his reaction.

"There's always been something on my mind—how you've been alone since you were young, Gyeongbok."

His parents and grandmother had passed away too soon, leaving Lee Gyeongbok to be responsible for himself.

"Normally, a family would take pictures together at graduation, or buy a suit for job interviews..."

All these small memories that ordinary families enjoy—the little chances for nostalgia that Lee Gyeongbok never even had the opportunity to experience.

"I always tried to be careful, but now that I think back, it was no different from neglect."

Yang Gyuri had found it hard to get close to Lee Gyeongbok easily. The burdens in her heart only grew heavier with time.

"But now I feel it's time for things to change, even if it's just my own selfish wish. There are many things I want to do for you, even now."

Luckily, things were different now. The chance had come to put down those old burdens.

"And isn't it true you just won that big competition? It was such a huge event with so many people—how could I just say congratulations with words?"

Wearing a warm smile, Yang Gyuri looked at Lee Gyeongbok. The car slowed and stopped at the underground entrance. As the door opened, vivid red carpet and neatly dressed staff came into view, all bowing politely to welcome their VIP guest.

"Today, I'm going to—"

Family elders often say: When an adult gives something, you should just accept it gratefully.

"Try acting like an adult for once."

Today was that day for Lee Gyeongbok.

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