Chapter 21: Contract Dilemmas and Strategic Choices

“You came here to propose a rematch, huh? What’s with this confidence? I thought the skill gap had already been proven. Or is it because you think you lost last time because of an unexpected strategy while being careless? Either way, it seems like you’re incapable of viewing your own skills objectively.”

[Jihye, did your team agree to this?]

[Yes. They said we absolutely have to win this game.]

[Alright, then we’ll do as you wish. Honestly, I think Yuseong is bound to win, but I don’t understand why they’d propose such a thing.]

Yoonkyung accepted the proposal without hesitation, answering immediately.

She must have judged it to be an advantage since she can’t guarantee victory against Heejin.

To her, it’s a no-lose situation.

[Yuseong, you can do this, right?]

“Yes, I’ll prepare for the game.”

I agreed with Yoonkyung’s decision as well.

Why would we refuse such a foolish proposal from the opposing team?

Still, we need to be cautious.

They’ll definitely try something in the early game.

They know they can’t win if the match proceeds in a standard pattern.

Even if it costs resources, we have to play it safe at all costs.

“I’ll freeze the chat.”

The ace match began.

My starting position was at 7 o’clock, and my race was Terran.

Not bad.

I had already shown Protoss in the last game, and Zerg mirror matches are less exciting.

What kind of strategy should I showcase this time?

While pondering, I began producing SCVs.

[Stars_Jihye: Aren’t you playing way too well?]

Jihye sent a message in the chat.

I couldn’t help but smile—it was so obvious.

Should I play along for entertainment?

After all, it’s important to keep the viewers engaged.

[The_YuSeong: Not really. I was just lucky in the last match. TT]

[Stars_Jihye: What’s your race?]

[The_YuSeong: Zerg. It’s a mirror match, so it might be boring.]

[Stars_Jihye: Oh no! I went for a 12-drone expansion build. TT Looks like I’m going to lose again.]

How cute. She’s awkwardly trying to play psychological games through chat.

Does she want to win that badly?

[The_YuSeong: Your scouting is pretty fast.]

Before my barracks could even finish, her drone had already reached my main base.

It started attacking my SCVs while darting around.

Jihye didn’t send any more messages after that.

[Jihye-noona, isn’t this too much? Who does a 4-drone rush in a competition?]

“She must want to win that badly. Honestly, it’s her only option. The skill gap is clear.”

[Dirty play. LOL]

[But can he block this? The rush distance is so short because it’s a cross map.]

[Her luck is insane. She scouted him on the first try.]

[So boring.]

[The Zerglings have already arrived. GG.]

Jihye launched a 4-drone Zergling rush—an all-in strategy with no fallback.

If she breaks through, she wins; if it’s blocked, she loses.

With both a bold decision and some luck, she gained the upper hand momentarily.

But did Yuseong really fail to consider that Jihye might use an early aggressive strategy?

No way.

This is a high-risk, high-reward tactic with many variables, so it’s nerve-wracking.

Still, I trust Yuseong’s skills.

He’s the real deal.

I kept my eyes glued to the game screen.

“This Zergling rush? It’s nothing. Too easy, really.”

Because he had anticipated it, he was fully prepared to counter.

Could she possibly beat him in micro-control combat? Absolutely not.

Yuseong used a group of SCVs to chase away six Zerglings, buying enough time to produce a Marine.

Finally, the first Marine was ready.

The Zerglings, in their desperation, charged at the Marine, only to be killed by the SCVs stationed upfront as a defensive wall.

The formation was solid: SCVs as tanks up front, Marines dealing damage from the back—a setup reminiscent of a League of Legends team fight composition.

Reinforcements for the Zerglings gradually lost their impact.

[GG.]

The worker count difference was too significant.

With the all-in rush failing, the game was already over.

After hesitating for a while, Jihye finally surrendered, and our team secured the final victory.

“Ah, I wish the game had lasted a bit longer. What a shame.”

[If the Zergling rush fails, you have to GG. What’s the point of dragging it out? LOL.]

[What were you planning to do, humiliate her more? LOL.]

[Two consecutive wins! GG.]

[Victory secured! LOL.]

[Prize money, let’s go!]

[His control is on another level. The Zerglings couldn’t even attack properly. LOL.]

I wanted to pull off everything Terran could do—Battlecruisers, nukes—but it ended too quickly.

Well, there’s always a next time.

[[God] RecklessOfficeWorker donated 2,000,000 KRW.]

[You’re really good at StarCraft. I enjoyed the show.]

“Moonhwa, thank you for the 2 million won! I could’ve shown you more if the game had lasted longer, but I appreciate it!”

[[God] YuseongFan donated 400,000 KRW.]

[From today, I’m officially a fan.]

[[God] YuseongAngel1 donated 300,000 KRW.]

[You’re amazing at StarCraft. I’ve been a silent viewer until now, but here’s my first donation. I look forward to more.]

The donation dynamics seem to be changing.

Previously, Moonhwa’s donations made up the majority, but now, there are mid-tier donors contributing hundreds of thousands of won.

The current viewer count is 160,000.

Since revealing my face, the number has skyrocketed.

A massive influx of new viewers also seems to include some wealthy supporters.

Moonhwa still reigns as the top donor, but her percentage share of the total donations is gradually decreasing.

“Today’s donations are crazy. I don’t even know how much I’ve received. Thank you so much for supporting me. I’ll work even harder to make sure I don’t disappoint you.”

I can’t be complacent.

With the conditions I have in this world, this level of performance is only natural.

I need to study more, hone my skills, and grow tenfold from where I am now.

Only then will I feel truly satisfied.

[Yuseong-oppa! Aren’t you just too good? You felt like an impenetrable wall to me.]

[Viewers, I apologize. Yes, this was an unbalanced match. Yuseong is OP. LOL!]

[Bro, thanks for carrying today. I’ll treat you next time.]

“Good job, everyone. It’s been a while since I played such an intense game. I’ll visit your streams later to deliver the prize money.”

We shared our joy and wrapped up the tournament.

It had been so much fun—a thrilling comeback after two losses to win three consecutive games.

Loss, loss, win, win, win.

It reminded me of the exhilarating moments from my pro gamer days.

“Starting with Yoonkyung.”

[Shin Yuseong donated 250,000 KRW.]

[Thank you for inviting me to the tournament. You were amazing today, sis.]

“Yuseong, no! I should be thanking you for participating. I’ll visit your stream later to deliver your prize money.”

I made rounds to all the participants, donating the prize money—250,000 KRW each—to Yoonkyung, Kim Dumin, Choo Dahye, and more.

Even the opposing team leader, Heejin, and the other participants received their share.

Surprisingly, I felt a wave of camaraderie, even with the enemy team.

Even Jihye, whom I played two consecutive matches against, joined in.

[Bual Jihye donated 150,000 KRW.]

[You play such annoying games. I learned a lot.]

“Thank you for the high praise. If you’re upset, just get better.”

Well, I think we ended things on a pretty good note.

I couldn’t quite bring myself to say, “Good job” with a smile—it felt like it might come across as condescending.

Poor thing, she just ran into the wrong opponent.

Hopefully, next time, she faces someone with a more similar skill level and enjoys a happier game of StarCraft.

Yuseong, what should we do now?

[GG] League of Legends

[If I catch you offline, I’ll curse you!]

[Ah! At least leave the stream on, even if it’s a casual one!]

The tournament went well, and I should end the stream soon.

I was preparing to wrap it up, but the viewers caught on.

There’s intense resistance, even threats now.

But I’ve already finished the content I planned for today.

I have no intention of continuing the stream because of viewer pressure.

“Thank you so much for the support today.

You sent a lot of donations.

I’ll do a reaction and then end the stream.”

[Don’t end the stream!]

[Stop whining lol]

[Oh! Reactions are so sweet lol]

[Why are the viewers in this room so kind? They’re not even asking for reactions lol]

[Ah! There was a reaction, right? lol]

I went on YouCube and played a karaoke instrumental.

No need to worry about soundproofing now, so I picked a rock ballad that I like.

The viewers love the songs I sing, even if they’re not perfect, like male songs that are not very high quality.

I should get ready.

There’s a reason I reactivated the phone I used in the previous world.

I need to keep impressing my viewers with new looks, going beyond their expectations.

Phew, today’s stream went well.

What should I do tomorrow?

Tomorrow’s Friday, and the day after is the housewarming.

I want to record some fun content the day before the break.

Let’s think about it slowly while drinking coffee.

First, I’ll do what I need to.

I went into the kitchen and made some instant coffee, then sat back at my computer desk to organize some notes.

“Yun Kyung sent a message?”

[Yuseong, I need to talk to you. Is it possible now?]

[Yes. I’m available to talk.]

What could Yun Kyung want? Maybe thanking me again for participating in the tournament? But that doesn’t seem likely.

A tournament invitation?

That seems to be the case.

The stream today was huge thanks to my performance.

[Do you know about my company? Titanium TV, it’s the largest MCN company in the industry. Of course, Sarah and Jihye are also part of it. The CEO wants to meet you tomorrow, can you make time?]

Wow, it wasn’t a tournament invitation.

It’s a contract offer from an MCN company.

I don’t know much about Titanium TV, but the streamers they represent have big names.

Stars like Choi Yoonkyung, radio host Kim Sara, and battle royale player Hwang Jihye.

These top streamers in every genre are known as the best in the business, so I trust they’ll offer great terms.

[Sorry, Yoonkyung. I’m in a tough spot. I’ve already received an offer from another MCN company. Before meeting, I’d prefer it if you could send the contract terms in writing.]

Before the contract, I’m in a position to negotiate.

I don’t have to just follow their lead.

A hasty decision is dangerous.

Another similar offer will likely come in, so I need to compare carefully.

There’s no rush.

[Okay, I’ll pass that along to the CEO. Thanks for your hard work today.]

[You too, Yoonkyung.]

I checked the message again.

This repetitive task had become one of my most important daily duties.

These messages hold significant matters, so I can’t afford to overlook them.

I reviewed it carefully.

[We are Bigstars Entertainment, and we’re launching a new MCN company, Bigstars TV, to align with the current trends in the streaming industry. We’d like to make you our first signed streamer. The detailed contract terms have been sent to your email, please review them and get back to us.]

I know Bigstars Entertainment well; it’s one of the top three entertainment companies in the country.

They’re strong in the movie and drama industries, and they have many top actors.

Still, I’m not keen on signing with an entertainment agency.

But as I was about to reject the offer, the next sentence caught my eye.

They’re launching a new MCN company?

Maybe I should take a look at the terms.

“This could be interesting.”

It’s bold. They promise full support with content, viewer promotion, digital rights management, and revenue generation.

What surprised me was that during the first year of a 3-year contract, the revenue split is 100% in my favor.

I get all the income.

Moreover, if I’m not interested in entering the entertainment industry, they won’t force me into it.

This shows how thoroughly they’ve prepared.

They’re desperate to sign me to help build their new MCN company.

I’m torn. Titanium TV or Bigstars TV?

For now, I’ll hold off. I haven’t seen Titanium TV’s terms yet, and other good offers might come in.

Once I sign a contract, there’s no turning back. I need to be cautious.

“Thank you, Dajang, for your help today.”

[Yes, good work.]

I called Dajang. Now that the move is done and I’ve found an editor, I need to focus on YouCube.

Every minute counts. I need to act quickly.

“About today’s stream edit, could you mix the footage of me playing with Yun Kyung’s reactions? Something like ‘Yuseong’s star skills stunned the TSL winner,’ that sort of theme.”

[Yes, that sounds good. We’re doing that now. I’ll send it once it’s done. What about the previous videos?]
“I’ll upload them all, of course.”

I’m really satisfied with the videos Dajang sent.

I’m planning to upload all seven of them.

If the quality had been poor, it would’ve been a different story, but these were great.

I’m sure my subscribers will love them.

[You might want to take a more high-end approach with YouCube, though. Maybe keep the videos rarer to maintain their exclusivity.]

“No, if I diversify the content, the issue you’re worried about won’t happen. Just trust me and follow my lead.”

[Yes, I’ll follow your policy.]

I understand why they’re worried; I’ve been through it before.

Back when I was a pro gamer and uploaded team videos to YouCube, they’d get millions of views in the beginning.

But as the same patterns repeated, the views started to drop.

Eventually, I couldn’t even maintain half of the views I once had.

But this world is different.

I can keep bringing fresh content.

The more videos I upload, the more the views will grow exponentially.

[New Male Gamer Plays League of Legends Well]

The video upload is complete.

I uploaded all seven YouCube videos at once.

This is what you call a “bomb drop” in Star terms.

I’m excited to see the reaction when I wake up tomorrow.