Chapter 93: Deal (3)

Chapter 93: Deal (3)

When Kai sent an email expressing his desire to meet, a meeting was immediately scheduled. Pegasus wanted to meet as soon as possible, and Kai had no reason to delay either.

Do we really have to meet here, though?

With a puzzled expression, Kai checked the email again.

Pegasus had requested to meet at the Plaza of Aquaria.

Sure, city plazas are perfect as meeting places, but...

Now that he was at the plaza, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Soon, a man approached him.

“Hello! I'm Kim Jun-Pyo, your guide for today. It’s a shame I can’t give you my business card since we’re in game. Haha!”

“Ah, hello...”

The talkative man led Kai to the outskirts of the city, making various small talk along the way.

“I really enjoy watching your videos. When will you upload again?”

“Well, I don’t have anything planned yet.”

“That’s a shame. As I mentioned in the email, I’m a huge fan.”

So you were the one who sent the email.

As Kai nodded along to his chatter, Kim Jun-Pyo stopped in front of a small two-story house.

“Please, come in.”

“Yes. Thank you... huh?!”

Expecting a narrow, old interior like Crawford’s house from before, Kai was stunned by the sight before him.

Ring, ring, ring!

“Mr. Park! Please answer the phone!”

“Rewrite these documents. Do you think this will get approval from the higher-ups?”

“Is the bug report not done yet?!”

“It is eighty percent complete!”

“Ahem. Mr. Park, should we take a lap around the hunting ground nearby during lunch? I’m not trying to get boosted or anything, so feel free to say no if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, why would I refuse? I’d be happy to accompany you, sir.”

The vast space didn’t match the exterior of the house.

People in suits sat in partitioned spaces, typing away on keyboards.

No matter how one looked at it, it was definitely a corporate office.

“Kai?” Assistant Manager Kim Jun-Pyo loudly clasped his hands and smiled at Kai, who looked dumbfounded. “Oh, my apologies. I forgot to explain on the way here.”

Frustrated, Kai glared at him. “What do you mean...?”

Despite talking so much on the way, he still somehow failed to mention something so important.

Assistant Manager Kim Jun-Pyo repeatedly bowed his head in apology.

“I’m really sorry. Truly, I am. I’ll explain as we go. This way, please.”

Assistant Manager Kim Jun-Pyo walked down the corridor to their left and gestured to their surroundings. “Our employees jokingly call this place the Room of Spirit and Time.”

“Don’t tell me a year here is...?”

“Oh, no, that’s too far-fetched.” Visibly horrified, Assistant Manager Kim Jun-Pyo shivered. “Time here flows at the same speed as it does for other players, which is three times faster than reality.”

“So this place used to boost work efficiency, then?”

Kai was the one who looked horrified now. This exact issue had recently become a social problem.

With the same salary, they can make their employees work thrice as much... I thought only trashy small companies did that.

He couldn’t believe something like this was happening at Pegasus.

Noticing Kai’s uncomfortable expression, Assistant Manager Kim Jun-Pyo hurriedly waved his hands. “Wait, stop! I know what you’re thinking, but it’s really not like that. We’re a major corporation, you know. We’re one of the top five in the world.”

What he said was true. According to the rankings published by Forbes, Pegasus Corporation had secured fourth place in the world's corporate rankings, outranking numerous companies and banks.

“As you know, this is illegal if enforced coercively, but it's not a problem if done voluntarily. We even sign a contract for this upon employment and get paid three times the normal salary. Of course, we can choose to work at the office anytime we want, but...”

“Currently, many players are asking if it’s a bug. We feel obligated to promptly respond to their inquiries.”

Obligated, my butt. You’re probably doing this because of the shareholders.

Kai decided to play along with the obvious act. “I see. So you want my personal gameplay videos, right?”

“Yes. Of course, your demands will be positively considered in return.”

“Hmm...”

After pondering for a moment, Kai prepared to leave. “I’m calling this deal off, then.”

“What? Wait, what do you mean...?”

Kang Min-Gu’s mask shattered, revealing a bewildered expression. He hurriedly stood up and followed Kai, who had declined the deal before they could even discuss the specifics.

Kai sighed quietly. “I’m not here for you to positively consider my demands. I want you to absolutely meet them. You know what skills like Undying Will mean to us players. This is a rightful demand, not greed.”

“But our position—”

“Just as you prioritize Pegasus’ stance, I’m prioritizing mine. If our interests don’t align, I’m backing out of this deal.”

“Hmm...”

Frustration enveloped Kang Min-Gu’s face. Although he had already known that Han Jung-Woo was exceptional for his age, a part of him still underestimated the twenty-two-year-old.

I thought he’d just nod along if I sweet-talked him...

However, upon meeting him in person, he quickly learned that Kai should not be taken lightly.

Now aware that he wasn't just dealing with some ordinary kid, he bowed ninety degrees.

“I apologize for our inadequate preparation. I swear on my name that your reasonable demands will be absolutely met. Can we continue our discussion?”

Reasonable demands, huh?

Although Kai didn’t get exactly what he wanted, he did reaffirm to himself and his opponent that he held the upper hand in this negotiation.

Eventually, Kai reluctantly nodded and sat down.

“It’s disconcerting to see you bowing like that, Branch Manager. Please, take a seat.”

Kai treated Kang Min-Gu, the owner of the room, as if he were the guest!

Suppressing a bitter laugh, Kang Min-Gu quietly sat down.

“How about we start with what Pegasus has prepared in exchange for my videos?” Kai asked.

“As you wish. Initially, we prepared monetary compensation...” Reading the disinterest in Kai's eyes, Kang Min-Gu quickly changed direction. “... but we decided it would be better to provide information only our developers would know.”

“That sounds good.” Kai slightly leaned forward and smiled broadly. “Whether our deal succeeds or not will depend on the value of that information.”

“... I hope it meets your expectations.”

Kai was clearly trying to get the most out of this opportunity!

Facing Kai, who openly displayed such a predatory look, Kang Min-Gu forced a smile. “We are planning an event.”

“What kind of event?”

“MID Online has about seventy million concurrent users right now, and our total player count will soon exceed seven hundred million. We plan to hold an event to celebrate reaching seven hundred seventy-seven million seven hundred thousand users.”

“... And the information you’re giving me is about this event?”

“Yes. Depending on how you utilize this information, you can obtain items, levels, fame, and whatever else you desire to your satisfaction.”

“Hmm.”

It wasn't a bad offer. Having exclusive access to information unknown to seven hundred million users and using it to gain additional benefits was as easy as pie.

But it’s not enough. It would be too disappointing if that information was all I could get from this deal.

After all, this would likely be the last time he’d get to be in such an advantageous position against Pegasus Corporation.

Phew... this is driving me crazy. I want to get more out of this, but if I push too hard, I might antagonize Pegasus.... Should I push further or pull back?

While Kai was deep in contemplation, struggling with a once-in-a-lifetime dilemma, something happened that neither he nor Kang Min-Gu expected.

[“Bargaining” skill activated. You can now partially identify the other party’s feelings.]

[Kang Min-Gu: Restless, Anxious. ???, ???.]

At the same time, Kai made the dumbest expression he had made since entering Kang Min-Gu’s office.

“... Huh?”