Brother, Am I Cute? [EN]: Chapter 87

Hyung, Am I Cute? 87

-After the meal.

-Smoking room.

CEO KI and Section Chief Hong Jin-soo are smoking in the smoking room.

Currently, Lee Si-hyuk is keeping Jang Wei company.

He was planning to stay here for a while before going back to slowly start discussing the contract in earnest.

Originally, he had no intention of even going to the smoking room.

If it hadn’t been for the KakaoTalk message Lee Si-hyuk sent.

Hong Jin-soo said,

“Are you going to proceed with the contract as is?”

The CEO furrowed his brow.

It was his habit when he was in serious thought.

The deeply inhaled cigarette smoke swirled through his lungs once before being exhaled as a sigh.

“Well?”

“We don’t have much time, do we?”

“That’s right. It’s making me think a lot. Jin-soo, what do you think I should do?”

“It’s been a while since you called me by my name. Only at times like this.”

“Honestly, I’m not confident.”

“About what? Keeping him?”

The CEO nodded.

“I can see what he’s aiming for. Wasn’t he the one who landed the Armorzon contract? Former Assistant Manager Jeon.”

“Yes.”

“His parents are all working overseas.”

“That’s right.”

“Honestly, I can’t give him more money. No, I could, but I’m not confident I can give him as much as that UX [User Experience company]. If he goes over there, what can we use to bring him back?”

“Aren’t you being too unsure of yourself today, CEO? Where’s the ambition you promised me back then?”

The two of them had a dream.

Not limiting the market to just Korea.

They needed a backup plan to avoid being too swayed by the large platforms in Korea.

To that end, they were trying to build close ties with overseas platforms.

Former Assistant Manager Jeon joining was KI Media’s good fortune.

A win-win for writers and publishers.

And even merits that other publishers didn’t have.

A publisher that could earn foreign currency.

“We’re still growing, right? And we need talented people for that.”

“Just trust me! I’ll take care of everything!”

The CEO chuckled at the unfounded confidence.

He knew.

It was with that kind of confidence that he had successfully persuaded Teacher Song Taek-soo to write a new book.

Not only that, but Hong Jin-soo was also competent enough.

He had good relationships with people thanks to his unique sociability.

If Hong Jin-soo hadn’t caught Lee Si-hyuk, would this information have come in?

Of course, he had approved the payment, but Hong Jin-soo’s eye for talent was always amazing.

‘He seems a bit clueless and frivolous, but… he’s unique.’

The burning cigarette was signaling that it was time to make a decision.

“Honestly, I want to keep at least one connection. Even if it’s faint.”

“Then let’s do that. If it doesn’t work out, so be it.”

“Right. If it doesn’t work out, so be it. I can say that, but I’m afraid of losing both birds while trying to catch this one [a Korean idiom meaning to risk losing everything by trying to gain too much].”

Hong Jin-soo smiled softly.

“Don’t worry about Former Assistant Manager Jeon. And I’ll try to create one separately. That connection you’re talking about.”

“Are you serious?”

“There’s still plenty of time. Enough. Do you think I’ve just been standing by and doing nothing?”

CEO KI’s eyes widened.

Thump.

He threw the cigarette into the trash can.

The extinguished cigarette solidified his decision.

“We need to negotiate the copyright issues well. Bring over any good works. We need to have a win-win situation.”

“That’s right.”

The two looked at each other and chuckled.

It reminded them of the time when they worked hard together.

***

Wuxia [a genre of Chinese fiction featuring martial arts heroes] writers moved to another room to talk separately.

Those who remained in the room discussed the contract.

The current state of the Chinese and Korean markets.

What the trends are and what stories they are currently incorporating.

They said that Xianxia [a subgenre of Chinese fantasy wuxia featuring immortals and cultivation] is still consistently popular in Chinese wuxia, so Teacher Song Taek-soo’s work would likely be successful in the Chinese wuxia market.

And they moved on to the issue of copyright in earnest.

‘The situation is definitely different.’

In some ways, it was a blatant act of power.

To tie up the copyright on the site for 20 years.

20 years is enough time for even the landscape to change twice.

No, with the rapid trend changes these days, it seems to change once every 3 years.

‘But the CEO is speaking better than I thought.’

I nodded while doing simultaneous interpretation.

He was emphasizing copyright protection while talking about the Korean copyright situation and contract.

It seems that he is seeing the turning point of UX change as 2-3 years from now.

Well, they won’t implement it right away.

So, they are saying that they should clearly leave a contract and trade.

‘Only the top writers will get the opportunity.’

There weren’t many works that could be launched.

Of course, the cost of translation is also money, but since this is an investment, they want to create less risk.

If it doesn’t sell, it’s all for nothing.

And one more thing.

‘It feels like they’re just connecting a string.’

So they can cut it off at any time if it’s dangerous.

What the Chinese side was requesting was the translation part.

Although it is a long series, they wanted to connect with a proper translator who could do it well.

‘Ugh……’

I was honestly a little disgusted.

Because it seemed too long.

In my opinion, we should bring in short novels.

Well, even if it’s short, it’s short based on Chinese web novels, so it might be very long in Korean terms.

That’s how they coordinated, and everyone quenched their thirst.

Next to me, I could hear the sound of a laptop being modified.

Jang Wei said,

「It seems like we’ve roughly coordinated, let’s take a break. Where is the smoking room?」

I conveyed those words to the CEO and guided him to the smoking room.

Perhaps the revised contract will be printed out and brought in right away.

During this short break.

「This is the smoking room.」

「Korea has smoking rooms like this.」

「Is it not like this in China?」

「Ashtrays are placed on the table.」

「Ah, I see.」

I was amazed by the slightly different culture here as well.

Did Korea also have ashtrays on the table in the 80s?

I think I heard it somewhere.

「Then I’ll be on my way.」

「Wait a minute. Can we talk here for a bit?」

「Pardon?」

「Do you perhaps dislike the smell of cigarettes? I wanted to talk separately……」

I wondered if I should refuse, but I recalled the atmosphere of KI Media and decided to listen for now.

Of course, I was also curious about Jang Wei here.

「I’m very curious about what you’re going to say.」

「Haha. Good suggestion. Seeing you translate, your skills seem very good. And you’re good at interpreting too.」

「Thank you.」

「I think you would have done well even if you had translated for the writers.」

「I regret that too. I wanted to talk to them.」

「There will be another opportunity.」

Jang Wei looked at me with shining eyes.

Why is he looking at me so 부담스럽게 [burdensomely/uncomfortably]?

「I think capable people should be compensated accordingly. And if there’s an opportunity, they should play in bigger waters.」

「I agree. You see things differently, right?」

「Yes. It’s definitely different in terms of perspective.」

Jang Wei gently put a cigarette in his mouth.

He lit it and lightly exhaled.

「If you come to UX, I’ll give you an annual salary of 12 million [Korean Won].」

What does this mean?

An annual salary of 12 million won?

Jang Wei continued as if his offer wasn’t over.

「I’ll give you 120 million won in bonuses that decrease every year, if you do translation and interpretation work.」

A total of 132 million won.

It was a huge amount.

Honestly, I didn’t expect to receive such an offer.

No, I knew the offer would come, but I didn’t expect such salary conditions.

「That’s amazing.」

「I’ll give it to you in Chinese currency. China reduces taxes this way. Don’t think the annual salary is low. Instead, they give a lot of extras.」

「Ah, so that’s why they give a low annual salary.」

「Are you interested? If so, I’ll even provide you with a house in China.」

Jang Wei smiled deeply.

I hesitated slightly and opened my mouth.

「I’m sorry, but I’ll decline.」

***

Jang Wei’s cigarette ash fell to the floor.

He didn’t expect to be rejected here.

But why?

I want the young man in front of me.

I want to bet money on him.

That’s what I thought.

「May I ask why?」

Si-hyuk smiled softly and started saying something else.

「Do you perhaps like games?」

「I like them.」

Jang Wei was always a gambler.

He filled his satisfaction by growing in management.

He was always from a sufficiently wealthy family, so he wasn’t interested in how much UX would fill his pockets.

Just achievements and honor.

Pride and experience in raising them.

He just wanted to package the goods well and throw them to the buyers.

I wanted to show that I am such a capable person.

Management was just entertainment for him.

That’s why he makes such bold investment decisions and exerts the driving force to push forward.

That’s how he’s grown so far.

Jang Wei said,

「Is that important?」

「Yes. It’s important. The first thought I had when I saw the CEO was that he was someone who liked games more than novels.」

Jang Wei narrowed his eyes.

Could it be that he’s not only good at translation and interpretation but also at seeing people?

The nuance that he somehow knows something strongly aroused the desire to bet.

It felt like this game had become a game.

Si-hyuk said,

「It’s like being good at magic? Deceiving people with sleight of hand. But there’s a fierce calculation behind it.」

「So?」

「So, you see a board that others can’t see.」

「Are you saying that Si-hyuk saw it?」

「I don’t know. Ah, are you perhaps investing in or exerting influence on Korean companies?」

Jang Wei groaned inwardly.

‘Does he really know something?’

The moment that question came in, it started to mix with the previous question.

Games, magic, Korean companies.

There is a company that is scheduled to extend its management to China.

It’s a Chinese game company called ‘Teijin’.

They are currently outsourcing game development in Korea.

But they haven’t gone yet.

Jang Wei’s father told him to build his career until he arranges a position.

‘Hoo. He didn’t ask knowing, did he?’

The fact that he is a hidden child was unknown to the world.

But the questions were very strange.

If it’s magic, there was ‘Wizard Drug’ among the games that ‘Teijin’ boasts.

‘Is it a pointless thought?’

Jang Wei stared at Si-hyuk.

I asked for the reason, but I never thought these questions would come out.

「For now, in terms of investment, I’m exerting it to some extent.」

「Ah, a private equity fund?」

「…….」

Si-hyuk smiled and said,

「Then how about giving an emoticon gift along with the investment?」

「Excuse me?」

「These Pepe-ticons [a type of emoticon featuring a cartoon frog] are popular these days.」

Si-hyuk showed his phone and showed a cute penguin emoticon.

「I heard that China accesses YouTube and SNS with a VPN [Virtual Private Network]. So, I thought it would be nice to give it as a gift with the feeling that you are interested in Korea…….」

Jang Wei was confused.

Because I was wondering, ‘What are you aiming for?’

In fact, Si-hyuk purely wanted to advertise the emoticon naturally.

Sell it if it sells, if not, that’s it.

Originally, sales must be a bit brazen.

Si-hyuk shamelessly showed off the Pepe-ticons.

「This is really popular these days. Wouldn’t it be fun to give such a small gift when you come? Haha.」

「Yes. It’s cute for now…….」

「Right? This, this, don’t tell others, this writer might become huge later.」

「Is that so?」

「Yes. You never know. Who knows if you’ll get a game illustration job?」

「Do you know him?」

「Yes. I know him very well. Should I say we’re very close?」

「He’s a really cute picture.」

Jang Wei nodded.

Seeing the game story coming out again, he must know something.

No, he didn’t know originally, but he might have noticed his appearance.

Honestly, I don’t know what’s inside.

There is nothing you want.

But one thing is certain.

‘I lost this game.’

Honestly, it was a bit pleasant.

I’m not the kind of person who gets caught up in the game like this.

I was caught off guard by the sudden emoticon.

Anyone here would have been caught off guard by the emoticon story.

‘Maybe this emoticon artist is his girlfriend. Because she drew such a cute picture. The drawing style has a feminine line. Soft.’

Si-hyuk said,

「Then I’ll be on my way. Feel free to smoke and come.」

In that way, Lee Si-hyuk left only a mystery.

Jang Wei turned off the cigarette that he couldn’t even burn halfway and put it in the trash can.

It was a declaration that he had lost this game.

And he picked up his phone and saved what Si-hyuk said.

[Pepe-ticon]

‘I want it.’

Jang Wei decided to get some points from Si-hyuk.