chapter_0096

96 – There Are No Eternal Allies, No Eternal Enemies (1)

96 – There Are No Eternal Allies, No Eternal Enemies (1)

Before leaving the boss’s office that day, I ended up signing something called an auxiliary contract after being persuaded by the boss.

What it entailed was a contract that stipulated how the donations I would receive during my broadcasts would be divided and settled according to a predetermined ratio.

The problem was that this income couldn’t be combined with my salary, so I would have to report it separately when filing my comprehensive income tax in May.

As soon as I heard that, I said I wouldn’t do it because it gave me a headache, but then the accounting director suddenly appeared and said something, so I had no choice but to accept.

What did he say?

He mentioned that if bonuses were excessively distributed, the labor costs would stand out too much, and something about adjusting the categories.

He said he would help me with the comprehensive income tax filing, and since it was a language from another world that I didn’t understand well, I had no choice but to go along with it.

However, what was concerning was the distribution ratio.

─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

Article 7 [Distribution and Settlement of Income]

(1) “Party A” shall pay 60% of the special income stated in Article 6, Paragraph 8 to “Party B” (“Party B” Special Distribution).

─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─

The boss said.

Originally, for the first generation, I should have received 70%, but since I insisted on not taking it, they only gave me 20% as a bonus.

A 60:40 split is the industry standard.

When I asked if they could just not give me anything at all, the accounting director chimed in again.

There might be others like me who work at the company and occasionally appear on broadcasts, and when that happens, they would have to draft auxiliary contracts based on mine…

If I received too little, they would have no choice but to apply an exploitative rate to others.

The accounting director’s job is to minimize unnecessary expenses, so my opinion as a founding member of the company would be reflected very importantly, he said.

I wondered if such a situation would arise again.

But considering that Gong Seung-yeon resembles me, I didn’t think it was entirely impossible, so I reluctantly accepted.

It was cumbersome to pour the money I earned back into the company, but I thought it wouldn’t be right for someone else to suffer financially because of me.

The problem was that as soon as I mentioned that, the accounting director and the boss giggled and told me to look forward to next year’s salary.

I was already worried about how much more they were planning to raise it.

Still, the boss set a condition that if there were no incidents, they would deduct 10% every month, ensuring at least a 10% reduction next year, which gave me a clear motivation.

It wasn’t just a condition for reduction; if there were incidents, it would increase by 10% up to a maximum of 90%, which I was somewhat dissatisfied with, but I figured it would be okay.

After all, I had seen hundreds of virtual YouTubers so far. I knew almost all their mishaps and incidents, so it didn’t make sense for me to make a mistake.

So, the rate for next year would be 10%. Dreams do come true.

* * *

The next day.

Young-gun’s team had a Teddy Bear League collaboration.

The game supports a maximum of 2:2:2:2, but since there were six of us, we decided to split into three teams of two.

– Moo Team –

{Young-gun, Kamik}

– Meow Team –

{KraeMang, Bajubi}

– Woof Team –

{Majiya, Serena}

Of course, just determining the winner and loser seemed a bit dull.

One of the easiest ways to showcase camaraderie between teams is through penalties.

Naturally, what the last place team would have to do was the most important aspect of this broadcast.

[So, the teams have been decided. What penalty should we set for the losing team? KraeMang, do you have any thoughts?]

[How about singing for the first round? It’s easy and simple.]

[Oh, sounds good. So, the losing team will sing a song together?]

[Exactly, isn’t that perfect?]

[Sounds good. Then let’s set the first round to singing and get started!]

So, what kind of game is the Teddy Bear League?

To put it simply, it’s a stuffed animal brawl.

However, this brawl isn’t like a typical fighting game with huge hit effects that knock opponents away and break walls and floors.

You grab your opponent’s hair, trip them, lift them, and throw them.

In a way, you fight with very trivial skills.

There are also basic moves like dash punches and guard dodges.

Usually, you endure by cleverly navigating the map’s special gimmicks, waiting for your opponent to fall, and then throwing them out of the map for the best chance of winning.

In fact, you could just swing wildly from the start and hit everyone.

If an opponent gets hit in the head by a flailing punch, they get stunned and fall, making it easier to throw them.

But as you know, I’m a newbie at all games. (I have a lot of viewing experience)

I do have some gaming talent, so I adapt quickly, but I still need a bit of time.

So, my starting strategy was to run away and then throw.

[Ahhh! Jia! Help! Help! I’m falling!!]

“I’m sorry.”

— Don’t just say sorry, help me out! lol

— lolololol

— I’m sorry! (abandoning my teammate)

So, when Serena got punched in the head and was thrown out, I just stood by and watched.

I didn’t want to go rescue her and end up falling too.

It may seem selfish, but what can I do?

I didn’t want to get penalized from the start.

Not that I couldn’t sing, but I just don’t have much confidence in singing or entertainment.

If it were something the boss ordered, like during “Find Rain,” I would have practiced thoroughly, but it wasn’t that either.

Anyway, I ran away, avoiding confrontation.

The route I took to escape was set up to make the other teams collide, so naturally, the remaining two teams ended up clashing, and I ended up winning by fluke.

{ Round Victory! – Woof Team }

The game is won by the first team to win four rounds, and from that point on, I won three sets in the same way.

I guess I’m just good at slipping away without getting caught.

As long as it’s not a game where a single hit can knock you out, surviving isn’t that difficult.

– Final Rankings –

–
Woof Team

–
Moo Team

–
Meow Team

[KraeMang and Bajubi are in last place!]

[Sing! Sing! Sing!]

The atmosphere of the late broadcast felt very similar to when we met separately for dinner two days ago.

Back then, we were playing drinking games while eating (I don’t like getting drunk, so I refused), and everyone was excited and running around, while Bajubi and I were just confused.

Today felt exactly like that.

[…I’ll sing. …I will.]

[Okay, okay. I just need to sing hard. Bajubi, you add some interjections, okay?]

[…I’ll sing!]

[No, no. Alright, here we go!]

The two of them sang a trot song.

It was quite a bizarre sight.

Usually, the main singer would belt it out while the company would help a little from the side.

Maybe it’s because KraeMang’s personality is as vast as the ocean.

Or maybe he’s just a nice guy who enjoys playing.

[The flower-like person who is pitiful, who would say it’s futile?]

[…Life! …Is it?]

It was KraeMang’s solo trot performance.

Bajubi added interjections from the side, which was surprisingly cute and fun.

After one song ended, applause and cheers erupted, starting with Young-gun and Serena.

However, the cheers didn’t last long.

KraeMang, who had to sing because of the loss, shouted.

[This won’t do. Let’s make the next penalty singing too. This uncle thinks that if we’re going to play, we should play together.]

Since the penalty was to be decided by the team that performed it, it was fair.

The teams also decided to switch players each round, so we proceeded with a lottery to determine the teams.

So, which teams were decided?

– Moo Team –

{Young-gun, KraeMang}

– Meow Team –

{Kamik, Serena}

– Woof Team –

{Majiya, Bajubi}

As seen with the KraeMang-Bajubi team, it was a given that the moment I lost, I would have to sing.

But I just had to not lose.

I had managed to escape and survive until the end in the last round.

I didn’t think I would struggle this time either.

Everyone was getting used to the game, but I was sure they wouldn’t catch me.

However, there was one fact I had overlooked.

Unlike the members who always let me off the hook when I insisted on not doing something, this was a ‘wild’ situation, even though we were teammates who had shared hardships.

The team members remembered that when we went to karaoke during the company dinner, I had only played the tambourine without singing.

Bajubi was the worst player among the six of us playing today.

“Hmm. This is a bit…”

So, the other four members surrounded me.

They completely blocked my way and started throwing punches from all sides, throwing me out.

How long had it been since the first round started, and I was already submerged in water, with Bajubi not lasting long either.

[Haha. Jia! I was waiting for this moment.]

[Young-gun too? Me too.]

[Oh, so we all had the same thought?]

The funny thing was that Bajubi, who had been shy about singing just moments ago, was thinking the same thing.

[I… want to!]

Because she had sung two songs during the dinner.

It wasn’t that she was forced to sing.

She was just more embarrassed on the broadcast, but when it was just the six of us, that embarrassment was less.

So, somehow, the situation turned into a 5:1.

Not only were my teammates supposed to help me, but they were trying to take me down.

— Are we finally going to hear Majiya sing?

— No way, is it really happening? lol

The viewers must have been baffled.

Just a while ago, during Wicker Town, there had been donations of a million won to the official channel, not just from Pino, but twice.

I had conveyed my gratitude in a considerably lengthy message compared to other donations.

But I hadn’t sung back then.

That was because I was boycotting reactions as permitted by the boss.

I’m someone who usually doesn’t do anything unless the boss tells me to.

‘Should I sing this time?’

When I was preparing for the collaboration, the boss had said on the way home.

There might be more collaborations like this in the future, and it wouldn’t be easy for him to give instructions every time.

He believed I would navigate things well enough, so from now on, as long as I was acting as a “broadcaster,” I could make my own judgments.

But if I really didn’t know, I could contact him.

He would reply anytime he was awake.

And he also told me to just go for it if I really couldn’t.

Almost no one goes through a broadcast without causing some kind of incident, and after a few years, controversies are bound to accumulate.

He thought I wouldn’t cause any major incidents.

… Well, in the end, it was probably because the income distribution rate was at stake.

It seemed the boss was trying to let me go a bit.

“Do well. If you make a mistake, I’ll cover for you, you know? The rate goes up? Up to 90%?”

Judging for myself, in this situation, it would be right to sing even if I wasn’t prepared.

If I kept refusing or backing out?

Well, that could happen when it’s just us.

Because we know each other.

But right now, it’s a broadcast, and if I insist on backing out, it would ruin the atmosphere.

It would be hard to restore the cold atmosphere, and people’s perception of the Parallel would worsen.

“Oh, that person keeps backing out without any awareness.”

Yeah. I’m not a virtual YouTuber, idol, or entertainer in the first place.

Even if I make a few mistakes in singing, it gives a human touch and feels good.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I would accept defeat easily.

In the end, this Teddy Bear League game is about how well you can land punches on an opponent without a guard and how well you can trip them.

You might think that if four people surround you, it becomes a one-sided game, but…

You can trip them.

Then, while avoiding the punches from the people surrounding me, I would have a chance to escape.

[Haha. Surround her!]

[Jia’s going to sing!]

[…Right!]

As the game started, seeing the people rushing to surround me, I threw a punch at Bajubi’s head first.

Bam!

Bajubi’s body fell over, thrown into the icy cold seawater filled with glaciers.

[…Ugh!]

Splash!

Soon, Bajubi’s body, filled with cotton, got soaked and sank.

— Crazy lololol

— Betrayed and thrown away lol

— This is how you signal flare lol

Of course, from the perspective of the two teams facing me, there wasn’t much to regret.

It wasn’t like Bajubi had played the last round just to hear my song.

I was merely eliminating a potential betrayer, so now the real game begins.

I looked at the four people rushing towards me and said.

“If I come in last, let’s decide on a spicy penalty for the next round.”

A flustered Serena paused and asked.

[W-What will you make us do…?]

I grinned and said.

“How about the person chosen by the spinning wheel has to say ‘Honey, I love you’?”

The male broadcasters, excluding KraeMang, were just thrilled.

Of course, how could they let such a fun penalty pass?

[Let’s do it. Let’s make Majiya come in last.]

[Whoa, I can’t resist! Everyone move aside, I’m going to make Serena come in last and hear it!!]

But Serena wasn’t having it.

Considering the simp-like donations she had received so far, the moment she threw that line at the male broadcasters, especially Young-gun, her unicorn horn would surely break off.

— Ouch, my horn hurts

— Ouch, my horn is going to turn black

— Ouch…

Seeing the number of jokesters in our chat who were not Serena increasing, it was clear this would definitely work.

[Everyone, I’m sorry.]

Sure enough.

Serena’s dash punch landed perfectly on Young-gun’s back of the head.

[Wait, what? Ugh. What are you doing?!]

[Please die!]

Splash.

As Young-gun fell into the water for the second time, there were four people left.

Serena and I were hoping I wouldn’t lose, while KraeMang and Kamik wanted to hear my song.

What to do now?

It had turned into a 2:2.