novelraw Chapter 126 : Generosity Comes from a Full Storehouse (1)
Chapter 126 : Generosity Comes from a Full Storehouse (1)
Generosity Comes from a Full Storehouse (1)
The mirror had fogged up in the thick steam. As water poured over its surface, the steam cleared, and a man's face appeared.
"Hmmm..."
That man was Lee Gyeongbok.
As usual, after finishing his morning workout and taking a shower, he was inspecting his body.
'If I slack off even a little, my muscles will decrease, so I have to be careful.'
To others, his body looked enviable, but his gaze was strict.
Intense movements in virtual reality didn't stimulate the actual body. Rather, lying in the capsule for extended periods meant his muscle mass was likely decreasing.
After finishing up, he stepped out of the shower, immediately started preparing a protein shake, and simultaneously checked the Tnight fan page using his Smart Link.
[〈Notice〉 There'll be no broadcast today.]
Despite being early morning, many comments had already been left on the notice.
[-No way! What a cruel act is this?!]
[-5252, is the Black Company era coming back again, lol!]
[-I can't accept this reality!]
[-Suddenly, what's with the Purple withdrawal, aaack!]
Most of the comments were lamenting their disappointment. But not all lacked understanding.
[-C'mon, lol. They're resting because of the staff, how's this a Black Company?]
[-Honestly, if you look at Purple channel upload speed, it's been pretty grueling, lol.]
[-For real, lol. As soon as Time Warfare ended, the highlight video went up.]
[-Manager even checked all the making film interviews, didn't he!]
[-If Godple writes a notice himself, that says it all.]
[-You two, get some real rest!]
This time, it wasn't Choi Byeonghun, editor and channel manager, who wrote the notice, but Lee Gyeongbok himself.
'Even if I tell them to rest, these guys never listen.'
Last night, after finishing the interview for the making film, Lee Gyeongbok took a breather. But Choi Byeonghun and Park Juho kept working late, collaborating with GGG.
'Byeonghun's always been a night owl, but it must have been rough for Juho.'
So, while his friends slept, he took it upon himself to declare a rest day. His friends probably wouldn't take it positively.
'Well, I'm the boss, aren't I?'
At the end of the day, he was the core of 'Team Perfect.' Smiling, he replenished his protein.
Just then, his Smart Link vibrated violently.
"... It's an unknown number."
It was a call from a number he'd never seen before. Usually, he'd think it was spam and ignore it.
'If it was spam, the app would've given a warning.'
If the number had been reported as spam, his built-in app would have flagged it. Lee Gyeongbok tapped his Smart Link to check the report history.
[99% of respondents answered 'ML Bank'.]
He blinked at the hologram message that had appeared. Why would the bank suddenly call him?
It wasn't spam, so he decided to answer.
"Yes, hello?"
〈Hello. This is Lee Miyeong from Make Lich, mL Bank. May I ask if this is Lee Gyeongbok's number?〉
The voice was gentle but polite.
"Yes, that's correct. Is there a problem?"
〈Ah, there's no issue. May I ask if you are broadcasting through Q-tube and Tri channels?〉
At the bank worker's words, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened. How would the bank know he streamed?
He was momentarily flustered, unsure how to respond.
'I haven't committed any crimes.'
There was no reason to lie. When Gyeongbok answered simply, the employee continued.
〈Thank you for confirming. The reason I called is that both Q-tube and Tri have deposited your earnings into your account. Both companies are based overseas, so the payments were made in dollars. If you want to exchange them, the exchange rate applies.〉
"My earnings?"
〈Yes. Also, our bank offers specialized accounts for creators like you. One of their features is preferential exchange rates, so I wanted to inform you before you convert your money.〉
"Ah..."
At her explanation, Lee Gyeongbok recalled what his friends had told him. Didn't both Q-tube and Tri settle the previous month's earnings around mid-month?
'Is it that time already?'
He rolled his eyes for a moment, then replied.
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll think it over and get back to you."
There was no rush. Maybe other banks offered better services.
Ending the call, Lee Gyeongbok immediately opened his banking app to check his account.
When his eyes found the deposited figures, his mouth fell open involuntarily.
'This is my first month's earnings?'
He blinked, counting the digits.
[QOOGLE ASIA PACIFIC]
[Deposit – 16,791.9$]
[Exchanged amount – 20,303,239 KRW]
[TRY INTERNATIONAL]
[Deposit – 24,886.7$]
[Exchanged amount – 30,090,736 KRW]
Lee Gyeongbok gasped.
Q-tube was about 20 million won, tri about 30 million.
'That's roughly 50 million won total.'
Staring at the screen, he was momentarily stunned by the surreal number.
Maybe that's why.
He felt more confusion than joy.
'Did this really come in properly? Byeonghun said Q-tube earnings are normally higher, didn't he?'
For most streamers, q-tube revenue is higher.
Q-tube calculates income by views, while Tri breaks it down into viewer donations, mid-roll advertisements, and viewer subscription fees.
Unlike Q-tube, which shows advertisements from the start of videos, tri required keeping viewers engaged for a set time.
'Ah, for the first month, tri would be higher.'
Looking back, Lee Gyeongbok found his answer. The settled money was just for his first month as a streamer.
'Qdari and NewtonLord donated a lot, didn't they...'
Early on, qdari's quest donations amounted to over a million won, and NewtonLord made significant contributions for skill assessment and tutelage.
'Wait... That's not all I made my first month, is it?'
Retracing his first month's activities, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened.
'I did a few ad contracts too, right? How much have I made anyway?'
Images of the first month's work flashed through his mind like a panorama.
For his debut game, bio Crisis, he got 3 million won from 'Cap Company,' 20 million won for a data contract with GGG, 15 million won for capsule unboxing with Reality, and a custom capsule worth about 30 million won.
"Wow..."
His head filled with numbers. In the end, he could only blurt out the results.
"100 million in a month?"
He was dumbfounded.
Combining the streaming settlement and external ad contracts, he hit nine digits.
Plenty of people dream of an annual salary of 100 million won, but a monthly 100 million?
'No, wait. This isn't all net profit.'
But he quickly composed himself. What he calculated was strictly the gross revenue.
The actual amount he'd keep would only be clear after 'expenses' were taken out.
'I have to pay the two guys salaries and incentives. And there's MadGunner who helped as an assistant editor, and the accountant fees that Genome hyung introduced me to. Oh, there was the emoticon outsourcing too, right? Come to think of it, juho said drinks and meals count as expenses as well...'
The list of expenses and the taxes that would be added floated through his head.
Lee Gyeongbok wrinkled his nose.
"Geez!"
There was no way this could be solved with mental math or a calculator.
'Juho will organize it all nicely for me later.'
And there was someone assigned to that job anyway.
'Still, I should get to keep about half.'
Even after the expenses, at least half should end up in his own pocket.
'Even if it's 50 million a month, that's amazing.'
That'd be about 50 million won left. On an annual basis, that's 600 million won.
Lee Gyeongbok realized anew how big his success was. But as he was feeling satisfied, his expression changed.
'... But what am I supposed to do with all this money?'
Getting a bundle of cash was nice.
But earning is one thing, spending it is more important.
He hesitated for a moment, then decided.
'I'll use it to thank the people I'm grateful to first.'
Turning off his banking app, Lee Gyeongbok pressed the call button.
* * *
A luxury hotel in the heart of the city.
A French fine-dining restaurant on the 36th floor.
Lee Gyeongbok had secured a table there, waiting for someone.
'Even on a weekday, this isn't the kind of place you can book on the day, is it?'
Looking it up before coming, he saw the restaurant held a prestigious 'Wishllin' 2-star gourmet rating.
"Aigoo, our Gyeongbok! You're already here!"
A cheerful voice rang from behind him, making him rise and bow slightly.
"Hello, aunt Yang Gyuri."
"Aigo, don't be so formal with me. I wanted to arrive first, but you beat me to it."
"No, not at all. I contacted you out of the blue, didn't I?"
The first person Lee Gyeongbok wanted to thank.
That was Aunt Yang Gyuri.
"It's fine, really. Funny, I had a good dream last night and felt today I should take it easy. It must've been because of this meeting."
She sat down cheerily. Lee Gyeongbok also sat with a light smile.
"I had reservations because you asked for a good place. Do you like it here?"
"Yes, the view's great and the food looks delicious."
"Is that so? I worried you might not like it, but it's definitely a place worth its cost."
Lee Gyeongbok waved a hand lightly at that.
"Oh, no need to worry about money. I told you on the phone. What you told me before was a huge help."
"Really? Still, it seems you really hit it big."
"Funny thing is, even after the money comes in, it's hard to figure out how to spend it. I wanted to thank you properly and learn a thing or two about money from you."
"Aigoo, our Gyeongbok talks so prettily. You grew up well, very well."
"No, not really..."
Lee Gyeongbok laughed awkwardly.
Yang Gyuri kept nodding with a warm expression. Then, with a gentle smile, she continued.
"To be honest, I was a little worried. I thought I only said things from my perspective and maybe gave you unnecessary pressure."
She probably meant what she said about treating him like family.
"But now, having Gyeongbok reach out first like this, it really touches me."
"It didn't weigh on me at all. I'll call you more often."
"Really? Good, good. If you ever have a problem, call any time. Ah, here comes the food."
While they chatted, the ordered course meal began to arrive.
'I've at least heard of lobster and foie gras, but I've never even seen a dish called quenelle before.'
A parade of fine dishes, starting with the appetizers.
'So this is what wealthy people eat...'
Lee Gyeongbok marveled at the unfamiliar food and rich flavors. In between bites and light conversation, Yang Gyuri asked,
"So, do you have any other worries?"
"Ah, not exactly a worry..."
Lee Gyeongbok hesitated slightly.
It wasn't a concern, but there was something on his mind.
"It's not really a concern, but..."
He brought up the topic of the PerG-Day team's after-party. Of course, he didn't reveal NewtonLord's identity.
"What? There are situations like that? You mean he has to completely hide his identity?"
"Yes, it's a bit unusual. I told the other three to go without him, but it'd be better if everyone could enjoy it together."
Yang Gyuri chuckled at that.
"Our Gyeongbok might seem all grown up, but you're still a kid, a real kid at heart."
"Huh?"
"That's nothing to fret about—there's always a way."
"A way?"
When Lee Gyeongbok's eyes widened, she laughed again.
"You think there's only a handful of people in the world who care about privacy like that? There are clients who absolutely want their readings but can't come to see me because of image concerns. But I always find a way to read for them."
"How?"
"When there's demand, supply arises. There are more private venues than you'd think. To give those high-and-mighty folks a reading, I had to go on business trips so many times."
Yang Gyuri spoke with confidence.
"Gyeongbok, just talk to those friends of yours, decide on the date and preferences, and I'll prepare everything from the venue to the chef."
"You, auntie?"
"Why? Don't you trust me?"
Lee Gyeongbok shook his head.
"No, I trust you."
Sometimes, the solution isn't an action, but a person.
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