Season 3: Chapter 269. Attack On Walnut (2)

Today, Ah-Sung's marketing department employees were all on high alert. The chairman's eldest son, who was practically confirmed to be his successor, was about to meet directly with the vice president.

Assistant Manager Koo Jin-Mo had never seen the chairman or the vice president in person. He saw the usually intimidating marketing manager trembling with nerves for the first time. Despite being excellent at berating his subordinates, he clearly feared his superiors.

Koo Jin-Mo suddenly realized a simple truth. The manager, who was always a source of fear and difficulty, seemed entirely different in the presence of higher-ups. This transformation made Koo Jin-Mo reflect on human nature.

People were like animals, shedding their ego and personality when facing a superior. They reacted purely on instinct. And as a subordinate, he could never predict this side of his superior as it was invisible in his everyday reality.

"He, he's coming!"

With that, the highest ranking individual in the organization appeared. The impact of his footsteps as he got out of the car almost felt real. The vice president wasn't a giant or particularly large, but he seemed imposing. Koo Jin-Mo couldn't even bring himself to look at his face. The manager dashed forward, leaving Koo Jin-Mo behind.

"What are you doing? Follow me!"

"Y-Yes, sir."

Surprisingly, he made this visit to meet a former employee who had left the company. He came all this way to take a photo with him. In front of an Ah-Sung Foundation building, a photo zone adorned with flowers had been set up. As the first flash went off, other cameras began to click.

Click! Click!

A group of executives followed him and security guards formed a protective line outside. They fervently guarded it even though no one dared to cross the line. The vice president walked confidently toward his destination, receiving cheers and protection along the way. At the destination stood a former Ah-Sung employee. Koo Jin-Mo witnessed something astonishing.

"..."

The vice president smiled and greeted him as soon as he saw him. Not a wave, but a slight bow like a colleague acknowledging one another. The former employee felt surprised and bowed deeply. The cameras didn't miss this and flashed repeatedly. Koo Jin-Mo didn't need photos to remember this scene. He felt that he would remember for a lifetime.

"Sigh."

The vice president extended his hand for a handshake. Then, he put an arm around the former employee's shoulder and smiled genuinely. Koo Jin-Mo, skilled at reading expressions due to his years of reading subtle cues, could understand the vice president's expression clearly.

'Amazing.'

Koo Jin-Mo was simply fascinated. The person before him was no longer just a former Ah-Sung employee, but the head of a company managing a national competition team that had captured public attention. The fact that he was a former Ah-Sung employee was neither a label nor a boast. It was just an interesting fact. Koo Jin-Mo turned to look at the manager beside him.

"..."

He had a similar expression to Koo Jin-Mo's. Watching someone who had been in a similar, if not lower position, rise to a completely different world was painful, especially for someone of the manager's age. To protect themselves, they downplayed the situation.

"Well, rich kids are different no matter what they do. The world is something."

"... Haha."

Koo Jin-Mo forced a laugh, devoid of any real meaning. Despite wanting to say more, an indescribable emotion kept his mouth shut. Just then, someone joined them. It was Deputy Manager Park from the trade team.

"Indeed, rich kids have it easy. They can study English and everything comfortably overseas. The vice president too, you know."

Smack.

Deputy Manager Park trailed off, hesitant to criticize the vice president further. Even in this situation, maintaining the hierarchy showed commendable restraint. Koo Jin-Mo thought so, but the two managers' expressions contorted further when the vice president gestured somewhere.

"Come over. Let's take a picture together."

"M-Me too?"

"Yes, quickly."

The vice president pointed at Sang-Hyeon, who had been taking pictures of Ju-Hyeok. Although now a significant public figure, Sang-Hyeon hadn't been scheduled to take photos with the vice president. He was just one of the national competition team players with Kim Ju-Hyeok's management representing the entire team.

The vice president, seeing Almond, thought it would look better to take a picture with him. Sang-Hyeon awkwardly shook hands after being called, followed his lead, and put an arm around his shoulder.

"I enjoyed the game."

"Th-Thank you."

"Beat China, too."

"... Yes!"

Sang-Hyeon nodded emphatically, looking deeply moved.

Click!

This moment was captured among the countless camera flashes. The flashes and cheers directed at Almond, the vice president's broad smile... All of this left the two managers feeling indescribable emotions as they watched from a distance. Even so, they couldn't stay quiet and muttered.

"Is being good at games a big deal now? Seriously."

"The world's going downhill."

The numerous journalists present meticulously recorded all these events.

[Ah-Sung Becomes Main Sponsor for Civil Empire National Competition, Pro League Plans in Progress]

[Two Former Ah-Sung Employees Rejoin the Company to Pursue Their Dreams]

[Esports Stocks Stirring. Is a New Boom on the Horizon?]

Despite the many articles from numerous journalists, no one mentioned Koo Jin-Mo or the two managers. The stories all talked about the two young dreamers returning in glory, Ah-Sung re-entering esports to redeem itself after losing to China in the LIL World Cup, predictions about the national competition against China, and more. The content varied based on the personality of the journalist and the platform's tone, but none of it included their stories. Of course...

— The hell, gamers making it big, lol.

└ Right, lol. In a country where being good at games gets you a military exemption, what do you expect?

— Kim Ju-Hyeok is supposedly rich. Acting like he's self-made is a bit...

└ Really??

└ Anyone from Ah-Sung knows. His dad runs a highly successful mid-sized company.

— Being successful is fine, but this is a bit much.

— So they change when they get big, huh? Ah-Sung too, sigh...

└ What's wrong with Ah-Sung?

└ What are you talking about? lol

└ Talking about the dirty money of big companies, don't you get it?

└ Wow, you're nuts.

In the comment sections, the stories of the two managers were abundant. Such stories didn't appear in the main text, weren't mentioned anywhere, nor were they proven true. However, they were the gospel truth in these comment sections.

***

Immediately after the photo shoot with the vice president...

"Wow. Did you see that? Huh?"

Sang-Hyeon, still excited, kept talking to Ju-Hyeok. Ju-Hyeok hadn't realized he could be so talkative.

"I wasn't going to go, but then he just... like this..."

His point was that he hadn't intended to take a picture, but the vice president personally invited him. It was like a contestant on a dating show boasting about catching the attention of a popular guy.

"Yes, I saw. I was right next to you, remember? The vice president knows you. He's your fan. He might even buy Almond merchandise. Satisfied?"

"Wow..."

Hearing what he wanted, Sang-Hyeon excitedly headed toward the Fake National Team crew and kept repeating, "Did you see that? Just now..."

"That guy. No wonder he endured five years at Ah-Sung."

It seemed like his affection for Ah-Sung's executives helped him endure the hardships of corporate life. Meanwhile, the Fake National Team crew kept their cameras close to the excited Almond, capturing every moment and possibly encouraging him further. This would make them good content as Ju-Hyeok was about to leave the scene.

'Huh.'

He noticed familiar faces. His eyes instinctively turned to Sang-Hyeon, who was still engrossed in talking with the crew, completely unaware. Why? Normally, Ju-Hyeok would have greeted them but the atmosphere didn't allow for it. It seemed better not to let Sang-Hyeon know. The others seemed to think the same, barely acknowledging him before quickly leaving.

"..."

Ju-Hyeok paused, watching the three white shirts walk away. It somehow reminded him of that time in the long corridors of the company, hearing about how losers had to accept everything. Back then, he resisted the idea. Now, he nodded knowing he would probably not say that if their roles were reversed.

"Yeah. We just won."

***

The good news for MixedNuts didn't end there. As the match against China approached, discussions about the national competition grew. People talked about it at work, school, and even at home with their families.

"Can we really beat China?"

"Honestly, it's tough. Our advantage might be having two commanders."

"China's top 200 are all first string players."

"We can't win if it goes to five matches. Look at the power ranking difference between Japan and China. And the player pool too."

"Still, Joseon might pull it off somehow."

Such offline conversations meant nonstop online discussions about the Korea vs. China match. The most noticeable change occurred on YouTube. Previously, aside from the Fake National Team content and related game channels, there hadn't been much about the national competition. Now, several nationalist channels have posted about it.

[Three Reasons Why Joseon Will Defeat China]

[200 More Pieces to be Added to the Human Body Exhibition Next Month]

[Did Joseon Really Lose to China in the Past? Let's Find Out the Facts]

[Why Japan is Enthusiastic and Europe Applauds the National Competition Team's Progress]

These posts, while somewhat fact-based, were largely optimistic to suit the channels' themes.

— This is the first sensible person to speak up.

— Right? There's no way Joseon would lose to China, lol.

— 200 more pieces, lol.

— Exactly. If it's 200 vs. 200, how could we lose?

These posts helped somewhat alleviate the people's anxieties. Ju-Hyeok sighed as he scrolled through the posts.

"Hmm... Not quite."

He found most of it unconvincing as someone managing the national competition team. However—

'Hmm?'

One post caught his eye. It was a tangent about the national competition.

— Japan isn't panicking, but Almond's reaction there is huge, lol.

— Almond might really make it big in Japan.

— His face is the nation, lol. Despite the portrayal, he has a Japanese fanbase.

They talked about Almond's rising popularity in Japan. It was just a few comments, but...

'This... might be real.'

Ju-Hyeok’s business instinct was now finely tuned to see opportunities and his heart raced.