Season 5: Chapter 164. Not Yet Time (3)

The morning of the long-awaited Platform War, every competing streamer probably woke up with a pounding heart. This was somewhat true for Sang-Hyeon too. If there was a difference, he was more accustomed to this feeling.

'Just follow the routine.'

Having spent his youth as an athlete, he knew how to cope with this anxiety. He just had to keep his physical routine going.

'Let's go for a run.'

***

Sunlight bathed the running course. Various people jogged back and forth. Sang-Hyeon ran alongside them.

"Heh... hah..."

This wasn't Sang-Hyeon breathing, but Ju-Hyeok.

"D-don't mind me. Just go... hah... heh..."

Ju-Hyeok had followed Sang-Hyeon. Despite his build, he was far removed from exercise. Cardiovascular endurance, rather than strength training, was his complete opposite.

"Sure. I don’t care~."

Sang-Hyeon genuinely didn't mind Ju-Hyeok. He just ran at his normal pace. When he came back after one lap, Ju-Hyeok's face had gone nearly tomato-red as he slumped onto a bench.

"Ugh, ughhh...!"

He was making sounds like a dying person.

Sang-Hyeon sat beside him and handed over a drink he'd bought at a nearby convenience store.

Ju-Hyeok couldn't even say thank you and gulped it down.

"Ahhhh!Ha... th-thanks."

"Why did you suddenly follow me?"

Sang-Hyeon also opened his own sports drink and gulped it down. The label on the drink had the word “Monster” on it.

"Hm...? W-wait, this was Monster? AHHHH!"

Ju-Hyeok glossed over Sang-Hyeon's question and raised both arms, making monster sounds. "RAAAAAH~!"

Paying proper respects to Monster, Sang-Hyeon also gave a “Raaaah' in return.

"So, why did you follow me?"

He didn't forget the question.

Ju-Hyeok dropped his head and sighed. "Haah..."

"Well... I thought running might clear my head a bit."

"My head isn't that empty."

"No, that's not what I..."

"Are you anxious about something?" Sang-Hyeon seemed to already know why Ju-Hyeok had come.

"Haah..." Ju-Hyeok thought for a moment and then carefully brought something up. "Did you see that?"

"What?"

"That video of Sweet Potato coming into our company and getting excited. Mixed Nuts got my back or whatever thing."

"Yeah." Sang-Hyeon nodded while sipping his drink.

"Seeing that made me feel good, but at the same time, I felt something heavy. That it's not me trusting a streamer and going forward... It's them trusting me. It's different from you."

Before, all he had to do was trust Almond and move forward. Ju-Hyeok could just be faithful to his own work, and it was enough. Now, two new family members had joined and trusted his management.

"Those two believe in me completely. Honestly, I'm just someone whose greatest output was working with you." Ju-Hyeok gulped his ion drink like alcohol and sighed. "Whether what I'm thinking and planning is actually any good, or whether it just works because you're good..."

Did the company only succeed because of Almond? Could they truly function as a company? This was honestly an eternally unsolvable proposition. The cause and effect were too entangled to unravel.

"Ju-Hyeok, that's..."

"I know what you're going to say."

Ju-Hyeok had mentioned similar worries before about managing a streamer like Almond. He still recalled Sang-Hyeon's answer from that time somewhere in his heart.

'The best partner.'

A faint smile crossed Ju-Hyeok's lips.

"Like you said... we work well together."

"Right."

"That's the problem. Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato aren't going to work well with me. They can't mesh with me as well as you do."

"Is that all?"

"Yeah. Well... that's it."

Sang-Hyeon was puzzled. Was this Ju-Hyeok's anxiety? Sweet Potato and Sweet Radish not meshing with him?

'Really?'

Sweet Potato and Sweet Radish didn't need to mesh well with Kim Ju-Hyeok. Would the Ah-Sung CEO mesh well with Kim Ju-Hyeok? He didn't even need to go to the CEO. What about a department manager or section chief? There was no need to even think about it.

In business, compatibility was beyond just people. Systems created it. Nobody knew that better than Kim Ju-Hyeok. Then, what was it?

'What... is he worried about?'

Ju-Hyeok wasn't properly articulating the deep fear inside himself right now. Something floated dimly like a cloud. He couldn’t grasp it with his hands.

Sang-Hyeon suddenly thought of something. "By the way, when does our promotional video go up?"

"That... It’s not yet time." Ju-Hyeok subtly averted his eyes.

He looked anxious with sweat dropping from the tip of his chin.

"Every other team has already posted. They've started promoting the Platform War... If we're the only ones not doing it, isn't that kind of a free ride?"

Each streamer was attracting attention and promoting their characters. Ultimately, the effect of promoting the Platform War itself was significant. This was especially true for the bigger streamers.

"Mmm. I know. I know. You think I wouldn't know that? Look at this."

Ju-Hyeok showed his phone.

[Missed Calls x17]

==== ====

CEO Chae Dahee

CEO Chae Dahee

Manager Teu

Manager Teu

CEO Chae Dahee

...

==== ====

"That person is a bit frightening."

"The CEO herself?"

"Yeah." Ju-Hyeok trembled as he nodded. "Because we're the only ones not posting promos, she's been hounding me like crazy."

"Why not post it?"

"Because it's not time yet."

"Hmm..." Sang-Hyeon crumpled his finished can and shot it toward the trash can.

Thunk!

The can went into the trash.

"Are you scared?"

Ju-Hyeok flinched.

"This is your chance to prove it. That it's real management, not just riding Almond."

"I know. The video just isn't perfectly..."

"But that's actually what you're scared of. Proving the opposite."

Ju-Hyeok suddenly shouted, "That's not it! I'm just saying the video isn't properly ready yet!?"

Sang-Hyeon blinked. "That can't be."

"What?"

"There's no way you'd miss a deadline for something like this? PD Jang, too, it's been a while since filming finished."

"I'm watching for the right timing."

"The tournament starts today?"

"Haah." Ju-Hyeok growled angrily. "You're uselessly smart only at times like this."

Thunk!

Ju-Hyeok threw his can at the trash. It hit around the opening and bounced back out.

Clatter...

The rolling can came back to his feet. Sang-Hyeon picked up that can and placed it in Ju-Hyeok's hand.

"Do you know who trusts Kim Ju-Hyeok the least in this world?"

"My father?"

"Kim Ju-Hyeok."

A brief silence followed.

"Everyone around you, even Sweet Potato and Sweet Radish who don't know you well, they all trust you. Only Kim Ju-Hyeok doesn't trust Kim Ju-Hyeok."

Ju-Hyeok bowed his head. "Because I know best."

His voice trembled.

"Know what?"

"I know best that I've been riding on your coattails! You don't know that, do you!? Even at the contract signing, I used you as the selling point!"

Crunch.

Ju-Hyeok crushed the can Sang-Hyeon had given him.

"Without you! The contract wouldn't have closed! No matter how nicely I frame it, how is this not an Almond company!? How is what I've been doing my own achievement! What kind of best partner is this!? This is..."

Ju-Hyeok's pent-up feelings seemed deeper than expected.

Sang-Hyeon lived in the same house and had actually already known. His time of pure happiness since Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato joined had not been very long.

"This is just an Almond company, and that's correct! That's how I sold it! And it worked!"

"I think so too."

Sometimes it was good to change tactics.

"What?"

"Mixed Nuts, I think it rides on Almond."

Sang-Hyeon took Ju-Hyeok's can and threw it outright. Was he a little annoyed too?

"It’s 100% riding on Almond, I think."

Bang!

The can didn't go into the trash. It bounced back hard. Surprisingly, it rolled back to Ju-Hyeok's feet again.

Ju-Hyeok let out a deep sigh. "Haah... r-right. Even you know."

'Oddly, I wanted to hear this.'

Rather than empty words about being best partners and all that, he just wanted to confirm the truth.

'Being best partners, that was a lie.'

Even though a tremendous light had clearly reached his dark heart at the time, he denied it. A shadow was encroaching. The words pricked painfully.

"So, Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato will think the same thing eventually."

"What?"

Once again, a light was shot. As always, with precise aim.

"Oh, Mixed Nuts is 100% riding on Sweet Radish and Sweet Potato too." Sang-Hyeon picked up the can again and threw it outright. "You'll make it that way."

The little drink remaining scattered in a trail. Sunlight refracted and sparkled. A faint rainbow formed. Would it have been a deeper rainbow if the sunlight were stronger? If there were more water? That was unknown because the can had already gone perfectly into the trash.

Thunk!

"See. I was right. Even the trash can agrees."

Sang-Hyeon smiled with the sunlight at his back.

Ju-Hyeok, maybe because of the glare, unnecessarily took off his glasses and rubbed them. "That's just because you have good motor skills... you..."

***

Roaaaaaaar...!

A massive cheer spread through the virtual stadium.

"Yeeess! It’s been a long wait, everyone! Cheese vs Paprika! Paprika vs Cheese! The long-awaited Platform War! I'm caster Kim Sang-Hoon! And on the right!"

"Hello! I’m the analysis commentator, Orange King here!"

"And on my left!"

"Senior analyst Red Glasses, here!"

After all three took turns introducing themselves, the full broadcast began.

"Oh, in addition to viewers who purchased stadium tickets, live streaming viewers are entering now too."

— What!!

— OMG OMG OMG OMG

— Let's kill the Lord~

— Finally!

— Wow

— Let's gooooo

— Wow I'm so nervous

— Can't Can't Can't fighting!!

— Hack all the swordfish~

— Bubblegum fighting~ (note: I'm actually rooting for Paprika lol)

— OMG OMG OMG

— Let's gooooo

The moment it started, viewers stacked up instantly and soon reached a certain number.

[Current Viewers: 519,000]

At this point, Orange King said, "They're pouring in like a storm. At this moment, we have something to reveal, right?"

The analyst nodded. "Oh, yes. That's right." Adjusting his red glasses, he calmly announced, "The players will go out and claim victory on the battlefield to prove themselves. We can't fight directly, so we prepared this."

Ding.

[Points Betting]

This notification appeared above ticket buyers and viewers.

— lmaooo

— Wow lmaooo

— This combined???

— What

The caster called out, "Cheese? Paprika? Who will it be today! Code name: Chee.Pa.O!"

[CheePaO]

====

Paprika

Cheese

====

Red represented Paprika, and yellow was Cheese.

— CheePaO lmaooooooo

— Old-school naming lmaooo

— Oh lmaooooooooo

— Doing this every day apparently

"You use points accumulated from watching to bet on who will win!"

This system featured betting with points earned from watching. It was a common enough system, but having Paprika's currency and Cheese's currency integrated was unprecedented. Excited viewers started pressing the team they were rooting for to win.

Hummmmm!

— Hm?

— Wait wait wait?

— What?

— Wow lmaooo

— This isn't a secret ballot lmaooo

Shockingly, the colors of the stadium audience's clothes were changing.