Chapter 95
Do-Jin was swamped. Even just gaming kept his life busy enough, but now real-world obligations had piled up too, leaving him with barely any breathing room. Right now was no different. The moment he logged out, Chun Ji-Hyun had him cornered with work.
On the table were two T-shirts, each stamped with a sleek logo that said JIN in a design that managed to look both clean and meticulously detailed. They were the latest collaboration between Do-Jin’s channel and Rael Fashion.
They came in black and white, priced at 189,000 won each. Taking into account today’s prices, the premium fabric, and the fact that Rael Fashion was clearly going for a high-end strategy, it still felt expensive.
Didn’t they say they were printing 2,500 pieces per color? They kept calling it a limited edition, but if they churned out that many and they didn’t sell, it would just be embarrassing.
Though he was still a bit worried, Do-Jin gave a nod. It was his way of telling her to handle it as she saw fit. Reading between the lines, Chun Ji-Hyun started packing up the samples.
“This one’s next,” she announced, sliding something else onto the table.
“Another one?” Do-Jin asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I told you before. We’re not just doing T-shirts. Rings and necklaces were part of the plan too. The samples are ready, so I brought them,” Chun Ji-Hyun reminded him.
She placed a ring and a necklace in front of him. Like the shirts, the design was simple, engraved with the ‘J’ logo tied to his name.
Do-Jin picked one up, turned it in his hand, and asked, “How much are these?”
“Uh... the ring is 389,000 won, and the necklace is 489,000 won,” she admitted carefully.
“What?” Do-Jin snapped, whipping his head up in disbelief.
He had only been giving the ring a lazy glance, but the price made his eyes shake like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
Chun Ji-Hyun laughed at his expression. “You spend millions on game items without blinking, and you’re shocked by this? The price is basically in line with Rael’s usual line.”
When she compared it to game items, he had no comeback.
“How many are they making?” he asked flatly.
“About 1,000 rings and 500 necklaces,” Chun Ji-Hyun replied without hesitation.
No fucking way those will sell. What gamer is lining up to buy a gold ring or a gold necklace? For that money, they’d be better off saving a little more and upgrading their gear in-game.
“Fine. Tell them to handle it however they want,” Do-Jin muttered, waving her off.
“Sure, sure,” she said lightly.
And if they don’t sell, they’ll just melt them down and recycle the gold somewhere else. With that thought, Do-Jin started to push his chair back.
“No, don’t leave yet. Stay put.” Chun Ji-Hyun cut in quickly, pressing down on his shoulder.
“What now?” Do-Jin asked with a groan.
“This time we need to check the soundtrack. You know, the song they’re putting in the special episode,” she explained.
Do-Jin wasn’t even sure how things had gotten this out of hand. It was all because the Forest That Sings of Eternity series had turned into a runaway success. Episodes one through six alone had already drawn an overwhelming response. After that, they pushed out an extra series titled “Anemone’s Point of View,” a follow-up practically rebuilt from the ground up as if it were a whole new production, dropping onto the audience like a second detonation.
There were six full episodes told through Do-Jin’s eyes, and then another six that replayed the story through Anemone’s perspective. Together, the twelve episodes were still tearing through the charts, with total views climbing like crazy and already sprinting toward 100 million.
With the numbers exploding like that, Rael Entertainment, or more precisely Ju Kang-Hee, was not just rowing while the tide was in her favor. She had strapped a nitro engine onto the boat and was blasting forward at full throttle like she planned to burn the entire sea down.
After Do-Jin finished reviewing “Forest,” the soundtrack they had purchased for the second series, he collapsed back into his chair and let his body sink into it.
“Grinding is way easier than this...” he muttered.
“Of course it is,” Chun Ji-Hyun said with a shrug. “You’re done for today, though.”
“And what about after this?”
“How should I know? At first, only the T-shirts were confirmed. Then it suddenly turned into rings, necklaces, and even a soundtrack. There’s no way I could predict what might come next.”
Fair enough. I never thought I’d end up like this either, Do-Jin thought.
He had not been back for long, but during that time he had lived each day fully and pushed himself into every single thing that had come at him.
A satisfied, cocky smile tugged at his lips. Still, there’s no way in hell this crap sells.
However, that prediction turned out to be completely wrong. Do-Jin’s merchandise, from the overpriced T-shirts to the gaudy rings and ridiculous necklaces, sold out within five minutes of going on sale.
***
Ju Kang-Hee entered headquarters for the first time in ages, having been summoned by Kim Hyang-Gi. At this moment, she wasn’t sitting across from her aunt, but the chairwoman of the organization. Somehow, she felt more comfortable than ever before.
Kim Hyang-Gi looked up from the monitor and turned to her. “This collaboration may not have brought in huge revenue, but it has been incredibly effective in making Rael’s name known. More than anything, I am pleased that foreign buyers outnumbered domestic ones and that the percentage of male customers went up.”
Her move to expand Rael Group into the entertainment business had never been about profit. It was about expanding into something greater, building up the company’s image into something more positive, even if only little by little.
From that perspective, this collaboration hit exactly the right mark. The fact that buyers were no longer limited to their core demographic of domestic women meant that Rael’s name was spreading to people who had never cared about the brand before.
“Well done,” the chairwoman said.
At the plain but direct praise, Ju Kang-Hee tightened her lips to keep the corners from twitching up into a smile. “Thank you.”
Her fists clenched at her sides. This was it. This was what she had been working for. Every hour, every drop of effort had been for a day like this. It was to repay the kindness of her Aunt Kim Hyang-Gi and to earn the recognition of the chairwoman herself.
If not for Do-Jin, I’d probably still be scared stiff every time I had to come here.
Every summons to this office had once been a heavy, nerve-wracking march. For helping her overcome that, Ju Kang-Hee felt a deep, almost tearful gratitude toward him.
Hold on a minute. Now that I come to think of it, I wonder how long it’s been since he told me to ask what kind of gift he wanted... She let out a quiet sigh in her head.
He was someone she respected and someone she owed, but he was also someone uniquely strange. Even when Chun Ji-Hyun pressed him to tell her what he wanted, his answer was always nothing. Even when she offered to move him into a better place, he turned it down, saying it was too much trouble to relocate.
There’s no way he’s keeping his distance because he’s planning not to renew his contract... is he? That thought alone made her expression tighten with resolve. Even if he says he doesn’t want anything, I’ll make sure he gets it. I’ll give it to him whether he likes it or not.
Rael Entertainment needed a creator like Do-Jin.
***
It had been a while since Do-Jin last went outside. The moment he finished his game, Chun Ji-Hyun dragged him out. The excuse this time was a health checkup.
“I told you, I’m perfectly fine,” he protested from the backseat of the van with his tone full of resentment.
Chun Ji-Hyun narrowed her eyes at him through the rearview mirror, clearly unimpressed. “It was the company that booked this, and honestly, you have plenty of reasons to get checked.”
“What reasons? I eat clean, I keep up with exercise, and I even take my supplements religiously,” he shot back.
At that, Chun Ji-Hyun gave a quick, sarcastic chuckle. “I’ll give you that. But there’s a bigger problem. You stay locked in that capsule for two, sometimes three days at a time. You know what kind of damage that could do to your back and neck?”
Do-Jin clenched his jaw and stayed quiet. He had no comeback, not with the memory of his past life when herniated discs had wrecked both his neck and spine.
“And another thing. Eating right and exercising is great. I actually respect how disciplined you are with all that while living such a packed schedule. But then you follow it up by never going out and getting any sun. I looked it up. No matter how many supplements you take, if you never get natural light, it causes problems, especially for your eyes,” she added.
He had nothing to say to that either. He could not even remember the last time he had stepped outside, so what excuse could he possibly come up with? With a defeated sigh, he sank deeper into the seat and accepted his fate.
Not long after, they arrived at the hospital, and Do-Jin was hauled around by Chun Ji-Hyun from one exam room to another until the full checkup was done.
“Ugh... I feel like I’m dying,” he groaned as he woke from the last exam, a sedated endoscopy.
He grumbled inwardly, Don’t you usually have to fast for this kind of thing?
Then again, with the way he had been living off nothing but energy packs while glued to his capsule, his stomach had probably been empty anyway.
Lost in thought, he staggered to his feet and wandered until he found himself back at the van. The moment his body touched the soft seat, the exhaustion washed over him, and he drifted off without even realizing it.
“Do-Jin, wake up. We’re here,” Chun Ji-Hyun said while shaking him lightly.
“Already?” he muttered, blinking himself awake.
He stepped out of the van quickly, eager to get home. However, the place looked completely unfamiliar. It was an underground parking lot, sure, but not one he recognized. The rows of parked luxury cars and the sheer polish of the building made it scream money.
“Where the hell is this?” Do-Jin asked, scowling.
Chun Ji-Hyun gave him a push between the shoulders.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Before he knew it, she had herded him into an elevator, taken him up, and marched him straight to the door of a condo he had never been to before. She swiped a card key, and the door opened into an entryway so luxurious it made his current company-provided place look like a shoebox.
Do-Jin froze on the threshold, caught completely off guard. By now he could guess what was going on, but the way it had all been sprung on him left his head spinning.
“You kept refusing to move, saying it was too much of a hassle. So I had the place fully set up and finished, and now all I had to do was bring you here,” she said while forcing out a chuckle.
Chun Ji-Hyun then pulled out two pairs of indoor slippers and set them down. It was obvious she was even more excited than Do-Jin.
“Come on, go in and take a look,” she urged brightly.
“Why are you this happy about it?” Do-Jin asked, narrowing his eyes.
There was no way she was this thrilled just because Do-Jin was getting a new place to live.
“Well... it just feels good, that’s all. Think about it. Technically, it’s your house, but I’ll probably spend more time here than you. You’re always locked away in virtual reality anyway,” Chun Ji-Hyun said with a grin.
Well, when he thought about it, she had a point. Whatever the reason, seeing someone close to him in such high spirits was enough to lift his own mood. With a faint smile, Do-Jin followed behind Chun Ji-Hyun and stepped into his new home. Since he was already here, what else could he do but make the best of it?
I might as well enjoy checking out the new place too.
“It’s much bigger than the other one. Your workout room and bedroom are both way more spacious. Over here is my lounge, and that’s the gaming room. The capsule is top-of-the-line, the latest and best model,” Chun Ji-Hyun said proudly.
It was a high-end condo with four rooms, far too large for one person to live in. Everything inside it was premium, including the workout equipment, the bed, and even the electronics he would probably never use, like the giant television.
This is basically coercion dressed up as hospitality...
Time passed, and before he knew it, half of his one-year contract had already gone by. There were still six months left, but since the agreement had been intentionally set short from the start, it was about time for talk of renewal to surface. It was only natural for the company to start paying attention given what he had achieved, not to mention the level of success he had brought them since signing.
It’s not too bad.
From a cramped rental room to a tidy studio apartment, and from there to a luxury condo. To Do-Jin, everything he saw now felt like proof of what he had achieved.
Here’s to living a good life. He made the vow once more as his hand brushed the capsule.
Suddenly, Chun Ji-Hyun’s flustered voice came from outside. “M-Ms. Ju!”
“I came because I heard he’d arrived. Where’s Do-Jin?” came Ju Kang-Hee’s voice.
Curious, Do-Jin stepped out to see what was going on.
“Director?” he asked.
Ju Kang-Hee stood there in a hoodie and jeans, dressed casually for once. Maybe what surprised Chun Ji-Hyun was just how different she looked from usual. Do-Jin found himself wondering what had brought her over so suddenly.