Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 137

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At the time, the circle members were divided into two groups and often clashed. One side was pragmatic and opposed establishing a broadcasting station, while the other, having invested so much effort, wanted to at least launch a business. These disagreements created deep rifts, leading some members to leave, unwilling to waste their time on a venture they saw as hopeless.

Despite losing nearly half their members, the remaining core established LKS Broadcasting Station. The money and resources they had gathered proved sufficient to launch an internet broadcasting station.

Natalie and her friends, still clinging to their dreams, were shocked by the service’s launch. After a promising first day with thousands of connections, the numbers steadily declined, settling in the hundreds. The real problem was that most of this traffic came from the members themselves; external connections rarely exceeded a few dozen.

Then, one friend, the very one who had initially proposed LKS Broadcasting and led the circle three years prior, landed an internship at a local broadcasting station. This news was a blow to the remaining friends. However, only Natalie tried to dissuade her from leaving. The others were painfully aware of the recklessness of their plan. They knew from experience that surviving in the fiercely competitive broadcasting market with just one hour of video and some text data per day was virtually impossible.

After some time, the members gathered to discuss their options. They talked about dismantling LKS Broadcasting and going their separate ways. Their efforts hadn’t been entirely wasted; the experience of establishing and operating LKS Broadcasting proved valuable, helping many of them pass the local broadcasting station’s entrance exams around graduation. The members already viewed LKS Broadcasting as a thing of the past.

Natalie vehemently opposed this. She couldn’t bear the thought of her cherished dream, nurtured for over three years, collapsing. However, she couldn’t single-handedly defy the majority. Eventually, her friends sold her all the equipment and shares at a low price and went their separate ways.

‘She’s a stubborn idealist living in a fairy tale. Recruiting her won’t be easy,’ Beomseok thought, sighing with concern. He admired her dedication to single-handedly protecting the broadcasting station after her friends abandoned it, but he doubted she would accept his offer, clinging to LKS Broadcasting as she was, especially after experiencing the harsh realities of the world, even on a small scale. Moreover, she was smiling brightly and claiming to be happy despite running the site alone and facing numerous hardships.

‘I’ll have to work on this gradually. Today, I need to focus on laying the groundwork.’

Beomseok decided to avoid a direct recruitment pitch for now and take a more indirect approach. He believed it would be better to win her over first. If he could gain her trust and favor, recruitment would become much easier.

“Really? That’s amazing. Your friends all gave up, but you’re running the broadcasting station alone. Isn’t it tough?”

Natalie looked at him with a curious gaze, sensing something unexpected. She found his sudden kindness odd. Still, she couldn’t deny that she enjoyed the praise.

“Ah, yes. It’s a bit challenging, but it’s not a big deal. Because I enjoy the work.”

“Well, if you’re having fun, that’s all that matters. They say you should embrace hardship when you’re young. So, how’s the broadcasting income looking?”

“There’s almost no income from the broadcasting itself. I mostly sell the accessories I make online and get a small boost by posting promotional links.”

Beomseok stared at her.

“Are you in debt? The line costs and server room rental must be expensive, right?”

“No, I’m not in debt. I can’t afford to pay it back, so I try to avoid debt whenever possible. I’ve reduced the server line capacity and I’m running the server from my studio apartment.”

Beomseok shook his head. Electronic equipment is highly susceptible to environmental conditions, especially servers, where stability is crucial. Ideally, they should be housed in a professional facility with proper heating and cooling.

“Hmm. That could easily lead to breakdowns. Wouldn’t it be a major problem if the server went down? Repairs or a new server would cost a fortune, right?”

“Well, yes, but I can’t do anything about it for now. It would be great to have a proper server room, but I can’t afford to rent one right now.”

Beomseok’s eyes lit up. The God Knights’ team site had a server room, and it was mostly empty. Adding another server wouldn’t be an issue. Moreover, the line capacity was more than sufficient for their current traffic, so adding a few hundred connections a day wouldn’t make a difference. He saw this as an opportunity to build a connection with her.

However, he decided to postpone the offer until he had a definite condition that she couldn’t refuse.

“Natalie, you mentioned selling accessories, right?”

“Yes. I sell them at a street stall on Romeo Street here.”

“How much do you earn a day, enough to keep LKS Broadcasting afloat?”

She hesitated, finding the question intrusive. Revealing her income to someone she barely knew felt uncomfortable.

“Why are you asking?”

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking of introducing you to another job if the pay is right.”

Natalie immediately waved her hands in refusal. If she took another job, LKS Broadcasting’s license would be jeopardized.

“No, thank you, but I’ll have to decline. If I get another job, the license required to maintain LKS Broadcasting will become invalid.”

“Ah. Don’t worry about that. It would just be a part-time job.”

That made it worth considering. A part-time job wouldn’t require her to join a company, so the license wouldn’t be affected. Frankly, her current accessory business could also be considered a part-time job.

“What kind of part-time job is it?”

“Just helping with miscellaneous tasks for the God Knights team. In return, I’ll pay you 100 krang [currency] per hour. Weekends off, 8 hours a day. How does that sound? Good, right?”

Natalie looked intrigued. 100 krang per hour was a very good rate for a part-time job. Considering she currently earned less than 800 krang a day selling accessories, it was almost the same level of income. Moreover, Beomseok’s part-time job offered weekends off and only 8 hours of work a day. With more focused site management during that time, she could provide more content to her viewers.

“Really?”

“Yeah. On top of that, I’ll let you use the server room for free and share the line for free as long as there’s no traffic overload. And if you want, there’s a team dormitory, so all your food, clothing, and shelter are taken care of, and you can rent a team-owned flying car after work and on weekends.”

It was an incredibly generous offer. The salary was good, and it would solve several of her current problems. The biggest expenses were the line cost and basic necessities, but if she could eliminate those, she could invest more money into LKS Broadcasting. Plus, she could even borrow a car, giving her mobility to cover stories.

However, a part of her felt uneasy. She had never heard of such a good part-time job. If Beomseok weren’t a famous pro gladiator and chairman, she might have suspected him of being a scammer.

“I really like it. But why are you being so nice to me? We just met today.”

Beomseok was taken aback by Natalie’s wary gaze. He had tried to make the offer so appealing that she would be easily tempted, but he had gone too far and aroused her suspicion. He couldn’t retract his words now. He could coldly withdraw the offer, but that would sever his connection with Natalie. He needed to come up with another reason to reassure her. Conditions that require something in return couldn’t be called simple kindness.

Beomseok thought of Inspector Lexter. He had been planning a strategy to bring Natalie in with a plausible excuse, and now he needed to involve Lexter. It was a bit of a shame, but Lexter owed him a few favors, so he wouldn’t feel too guilty about using him.

“You should hear the whole story first. Actually, I have another motive. The part-time job offer was just to gain your favor and achieve my real goal.”

As expected, Natalie’s expression softened. She had suspected that the offer was too good to be true. It was unlikely that someone would offer such a generous part-time job to a complete stranger.

“What is your motive?”

“I’m part of an investment club. It’s relatively new, and we’ve only invested in one entertainment management company so far, but we plan to continue finding promising companies to invest in. After hearing your story today, I thought expanding into the broadcasting field would be a good idea. It could create synergy with the entertainment management company we’ve already invested in. In return, you’d have to give up a significant number of shares.”

She looked nervous. Giving up shares wasn’t a problem if it meant securing an investment. With money, she could buy programs from outside production companies and improve the broadcast quality. That would naturally increase viewership and attract advertisers. Of course, it could fail, but she wouldn’t know without trying.

“A-Are you perhaps trying to invest in LKS Broadcasting?”

“Yes. I’m very interested. Judging by your passion for LKS, I don’t think you’ll run off with the investment money, and your dedication suggests a good chance of success.”

“Really? As you know, LKS Broadcasting is barely more than a simple website. There’s a high chance you’ll lose all your investment.”

That was exactly what Beomseok wanted. His current strategy was to elevate Natalie and then let her fall, hoping to bring her into his arms. If he could make her experience the bitterness of failure and despair, she would be more likely to give up everything and join the God Knights. Of course, the investment money would be lost, but if she came under his command, it would more than compensate for the loss. The team’s annual sales would likely increase by about 20% the moment Natalie joined the God Knights.

“It doesn’t matter. My investment strategy is to take risks but maximize potential returns. With a small broadcasting station like LKS Broadcasting, I can acquire a significant number of shares with a relatively small investment, allowing for huge profits if it succeeds.”

“Still, isn’t it too risky?”

“That’s why I invest with members of the investment club to spread the risk. The amount I have to invest is reduced, minimizing potential losses, and the company has a higher chance of growth due to the combined investment.”

Natalie nodded, finding his explanation plausible. Multiple investors would reduce individual profits, but also reduce the potential losses compared to the initial investment.

She seemed convinced and began to show genuine interest.

“What kind of investment club is it?”

“Well, it’s just a social gathering, so it doesn’t have a formal name. The members are just me, Blue Bird’s Lexter, and Rainbow’s Gloria.”

Natalie’s eyes widened. She didn’t know Lexter well, but she knew Gloria of Rainbow. Gloria, who had built a massive real estate company from scratch, was a role model for many female entrepreneurs in the Avon region. Natalie had even bought and read an e-book about her success story.

“So, does that mean Gloria is going to invest in LKS Broadcasting?”

Beomseok looked somewhat embarrassed. He had no intention of involving Gloria. He was certain that the investment would fail, and he couldn’t let his girlfriend lose her money. While her involvement might increase viewership by about 20% due to her public image, it wouldn’t be enough to survive the cutthroat broadcasting industry.

“Well, I’ll talk to her, but I can’t guarantee she’ll invest.”

“I… I want to get an investment from her. Please introduce me.”

Beomseok, wiping his face as if embarrassed, nodded reluctantly. He would inquire about the investment, hoping she would refuse. If not, he would repay the favor in the future. Besides, she had plenty of money; losing a few million krang wouldn’t matter much.

“Alright. I’ll do that. I’ll hold a simple investment briefing in a few days. Prepare thoroughly.”

“Okay. I’ll prepare diligently.”

Beomseok, having established a foothold for Natalie’s courtship and recruitment, returned to the main topic and started Esther’s celebration dinner for becoming the leader. Despite the presence of one uninvited guest, Susan and Esther treated Natalie warmly, enjoying the dinner. Since she would be living in the God Knights’ dormitory in a few days, she was practically a neighbor. They quickly bonded and showed affection, calling each other sisters.

They finished their meal with teppanyaki and then went to a nearby entertainment district bar for the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounds, drinking and having fun until they passed out.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Oh. Samsung’s pitchers are amazing today. A 2-point lead is a pretty unstable score, but they’re holding it down. It seems like this Korean Series will be a pitching battle, since Samsung and SK, both with strong pitching staffs, are facing off. Hahaha.

Have a good day, everyone. See you tomorrow.