Chapter 86
Boss, Gambling Should Only Be for Fun (3)**
4.
Early dinner time.
I headed to the address Daeho sent me.
A bar located in Cheongdam-dong.
In my entire life, I’d never gone somewhere this luxurious before.
At best, I’d have a drink at a local gopchang place with friends.
I debated bringing Inseop with me, but…
this felt like something I should handle alone.
And honestly, I was curious what this guy wanted to talk about.
As I walked down the dimly lit stairs into the basement, a man in a suit appeared from the inside.
He bowed politely.
“Sorry, sir, but we’re not open for business yet.”
“Someone told me to meet them here. Is Mr. Daeho inside?”
“Ah, you’re the CEO’s guest. Please follow me.”
CEO, huh.
If he owns a fancy place in this neighborhood, he must make a lot of money.
Following him inside, I immediately noticed the expensive lights and furniture.
Then, after a moment, a confident-looking man walked out from a back room while clapping.
Clap clap clap!
“A VIP has arrived. Manager? Go step out and get some dinner.”
“Yes, sir.”
The middle-aged employee who led me here cautiously left.
The confident man extended his hand toward me.
“I’m Oh Daeho. I go by Daeho on MiTube. You look even more handsome in person.”
“I’m Yoo Sungwoo.”
“Nice place, right? Sounds like bragging, but this bar is pretty famous on social media these days. If you come with your girlfriend next time, I’ll make sure you’re treated well.”
His overflowing confidence didn’t feel like empty bluster.
Real confidence settles into your body naturally.
Confidence without skill is just bluffing—
but the ability I sensed from Daeho…
‘Slightly below Doyoon.’
So he really is a 6th-floor Player.
In Korea, 6th floor is top tier, right?
Most guild leaders are 6th-floor Players.
Though, that doesn’t mean he’s intimidating.
He’s still 6th floor.
“Do you like alcohol?”
“Love it. I only don’t drink when I can’t get any.”
“I’ve got something good here. This way.”
This was different from what I expected.
I thought he would act hostile right from the start.
Maybe he’s the type who hides his true feelings well.
Makes sense.
You don’t reach #1 by luck alone.
Even if he acts like this, he’s a guy with nine million subscribers.
I followed him into the private room and leaned back in a plush chair. Then I glanced at him.
“You said you had something to talk about.”
He shrugged and poured amber liquid into my glass.
Clink-clink-clink.
The whiskey filled the cup.
“First, let me apologize. Thinking back on all the things I’ve said about you on stream…
it must’ve offended you.”
“I have a bad memory. What exactly did you say about me? I’m curious.”
He glanced at me—smiling.
“I’ll repay my past mistakes, one by one. Today’s a good day, so why don’t we focus on the future instead?”
He filled his own glass.
“Let’s cheers, at least.”
“Shall we?”
Clink!
We knocked glasses and downed them in one go.
The oak aroma typical of whiskey filled my nose, and the liquid flowed gently down my throat.
I’m not a whiskey enthusiast, but I know what good whiskey tastes like.
Once, when I stormed a kingdom with the Hero, we drank the king’s hidden stash.
That whiskey was unbelievable.
This one wasn’t quite at that level—but it was still pretty good.
“Does it suit your taste?”
“Not bad.”
“Stop by often and have a drink with me.”
“I’m more of a soju-with-soup kind of guy.”
Stop beating around the bush.
I’m not here to socialize.
Thankfully, he seemed to get the message.
“You stirred things up nicely through Ggukjeong. He was a loyal dog… How’d you do it? Pay him more than I did?”
“Just so you know, I really didn’t do anything. Maybe the guilty dog barked first?”
“No way that money-grubber would switch sides for no reason. Do you know how much allowance I gave him all these years?”
“How much?”
“Why are you curious?”
“To see if you’d give me the same allowance.”
His relaxed smile finally twisted a little.
“Are you joking with me right now?”
“Cut the crap. I don’t have time for your theatrics. I came all the way to Gangnam instead of playing with my nephew. And I still have to take the hell-train home.”
I scratched him a bit—just his pride.
Daeho exhaled quietly, annoyed.
“What I want to say is this: there’s no reason for us to fight. We could both benefit. I’m offering a win-win.”
“Together?”
“I don’t know if Inseop told you, but I run a pretty big MCN. Not only top Abyss influencers, but influencers from other fields as well. If you join my company, I’m certain we’ll create huge synergy.”
“…Is this a scouting offer?”
“That’s right.”
That I did not expect.
Trying to act like a big-hearted gentleman?
“I already have a company.”
“The MCN Inseop founded, right? If you want, I’ll pay the penalty fee, or I’ll buy them out entirely. Give Inseop and the CEO a good offer, and they’ll be satisfied.”
On the surface, he sounded like a reasonable guy.
But before anything else, there was something I needed to address.
I set my glass down and smirked.
“And if I say no?”
“…What?”
“I mean, how could a human crawl under a dog? I have my pride. That’s not happening.”
“…Did you just call me a dog?”
I wondered how long he’d keep wearing that mask.
So I poked him a little.
And boom—there it was.
Gulp!
He chugged a full glass of whiskey and finally revealed his true colors.
“…So talking nicely doesn’t work on you. Get a little popular and suddenly you’re fearless, huh?”
“Oh, I get scared. Of my brother. Other than him? Not so much.”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“You tried to take my little brother first. What other reason do you need?”
“Brother? Ah—Shin Taeo? You’re picking a fight with me over that socially clueless brat? You’re insane.”
Good.
This was the attitude I was expecting.
5.
Now that our #1 Abyss MiTuber has shown his real face, the talking went much smoother.
Yawning, I said,
“What do you even think you are?”
“What?”
“I asked what you think you are. A 6th-floor bottom-feeder acting like a king? I thought you had something impressive hidden up your sleeve.”
There is nothing more disgusting in this world than someone messing with your family.
My MiTube channel exploded thanks to Taeo.
He edits tirelessly day and night, cutting into his own sleep.
This bastard is the one who made that good kid stay locked up in the house.
There’s no way I’d feel anything but hatred.
“And now you’re trying to take Taeo again? Are you out of your damn mind?”
He still didn’t understand his place.
#1 Abyss MiTuber.
Years sitting on a throne that came with money and fame must’ve dulled his sense of reality.
Everything probably went his way until now.
A top-ranking Player with successful streams.
But his past actions told me exactly what kind of scum he was.
“I only came here for one reason. Touch my people again, and I’ll kill you. I came here to deliver that message.”
Everything he’s done proves how he lives.
He buys people with money.
He crushes others with status.
But then again, humans are like that.
We divide ourselves endlessly, pushing down anyone we think is beneath us.
And I can’t say I’m completely different—
which is exactly why I came here.
“Live like the bug you are.”
“You little—”
“Some people spent years hiding in their homes because of scum like you. Too scared to show their faces. Inseop told me you even ruined a bunch of MiTubers the same way, right?”
He’s truly rotten.
If someone refused his scouting offer, he’d destroy them using scandal-mongering channels.
He’d create fake news out of thin air and bury people.
In a world where a few lines can ruin a life,
content creators are extra vulnerable.
“But honestly, I think this:
you just haven’t met the right teacher.”
So that’s why I came today.
To teach him.
I got up and subtly looked around.
Where were the CCTVs… ah, there they are.
“Congrats. You met the right teacher today.
Oh—by the way, I’ve been filming with a drone this whole time. Audio muted, but video’s perfect.”
“What the hell are you talking ab—”
“Psychokinesis.”
[Unique Trait <Skill Archive – Mad Tower Lord Belua>]
[Skill: Psychokinesis (3rd Circle)]
[The target’s magic resistance is low! Spell successfully cast!]
Telekinesis.
For about five minutes, he’ll move exactly how I want.
Ahh, life is hard.
If this were Avalon, I’d just break his neck openly.
But Earth isn’t that kind of barbaric place.
Laws exist here.
So it’s annoying, but this is necessary.
The moment I cast the spell, Daeho froze and glared.
“What the hell is this?!”
“My name is Meteor.
I belong to the staged self-injury ring.”
“What!?”
“Come on, isn’t this fun?”
With a flick of my finger, Daeho stood up and punched me full force.
And what did I do?
BOOOOM!
“Grk—!”
I didn’t dodge.
I took the punch head-on and threw myself toward the wall.
My body slammed into it, the impact cracking the wall.
Daeho panicked.
“W-What the—what the hell are you doing!? Turn this off right now!”
“Kh…!”
Acting like you’re hurt is key.
Good thing I brought ketchup.
I splattered it on my lips midair.
When staging a self-injury scam, details matter.
“You… swung first?”
“You psycho! This is all your doing!”
“Sigh… what a troublesome brat. You attacked first. I think you just broke my ribs.”
“What bullshit is that!?”
What bullshit?
The kind that means—
you messed with the wrong person.
I guess beating someone requires this much detail on Earth.
“From here on out, this is self-defense.”
Ahh, I can finally beat someone up again.
This is fun!
