Chapter 51: A Super Rookie from the Start (Part 6)

After the meeting with CEO Park, Shihyun learned why he had offered 500 million won within a few days.

“We, at Seowon Management…”

“This is Team Leader Jeong from Open Network. If you haven’t signed with an agency yet…”

“Join us, Ms. Shihyun. We promise the best treatment.”

Countless companies contacted her through Ji-eun, as if they had coordinated their efforts. Too many to count. And they all seemed desperate to sign her, as if it were a now-or-never opportunity.

When Shihyun told Ji-eun about the companies’ reactions, Ji-eun replied nonchalantly, “That’s because you’re at your cheapest right now.”

“Is that so?”

But she had been offered 300 million, no, 500 million won.

“Shihyun, you only did an explanatory broadcast. You haven’t officially started streaming yet. You still have a lot of growth potential.”

“It could go the other way, too.”

She could fail to live up to the initial hype and fall from grace.

Shihyun had seen it happen often in ‘that world’.

Promising rookies losing their edge after being thrust into the spotlight, becoming insignificant.

But Ji-eun scoffed at her reply.

“Shihyun, too much modesty is arrogance.”

“…”

“Even if you completely flop, now wouldn’t be your peak. And you’re not going to flop.”

“Is that so?”

“You’re like an uncut diamond. Not a polished gem yet, but anyone can see how brilliant and beautiful it will become, just from its size and quality.”

Ji-eun puffed out her chest, seemingly satisfied with her analogy.

“Anyway, meet with all of them.”

“All of them? Didn’t we decide on that company? Seven…something.”

“Five Star Creative.”

“Right, Five Star Creative.”

They had offered 500 million, 200 million more than their initial offer. Wouldn’t it make sense to sign with them?

Ji-eun smacked her forehead.

“You have to compare, compare!”

“Compare?”

Ji-eun gripped Shihyun’s shoulders.

“Five Star offered 500 million, right? I think that’s the highest offer you’ll get. But you never know.”

True. There might be a company willing to offer more. The world was vast, and there were plenty of wealthy companies.

“What if you sign with Five Star, and another company was willing to offer 1 billion? You’d lose out on 500 million.”

“I don’t think anyone would offer 1 billion…”

“What if, what if!”

Ji-eun strongly advised, “So, meet with every company that contacts you. Listen to their offers. But don’t accept anything on the spot.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll be signing the actual contract with a lawyer, so they’ll catch any shady clauses. And if the offer isn’t great, mention Five Star. Tell them Five Star offered 500 million, and ask what they’re willing to do.”

“Is that okay?”

“If a company can match the 300 million, they’ll seriously consider 500 million if you counter-offer. If they can’t even match 300 million, they’re just being unreasonable.”

So, Shihyun ended up meeting with every company that contacted her.

Twelve companies in total. She enjoyed a series of fancy, expensive meals.

Since they were visiting so many high-end restaurants, Shihyun asked Ji-eun to join her, but Ji-eun declined, saying that Five Star was a special case and it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to attend meetings with other companies.

After the twelve meetings…

Shihyun and Ji-eun reviewed the offers.

“First, let’s eliminate any offers below 100 million. If they offered less than that even after you mentioned the possibility of going pro, they’re not being serious.”

That eliminated seven companies, leaving six, including Five Star.

The remaining offers were as follows:

Five Star: 500 million signing bonus, 8:2 revenue split

Seowon: 390 million signing bonus, 8:2 revenue split

J&K: 360 million signing bonus, 8.5:1.5 revenue split

Lobelpia: 600 million signing bonus, 7:3 revenue split

And…

ML Masterpiece: 2.5 billion won annual salary as a pro player

“2.5 b-billion won?”

“Yes. But that’s to join them as a pro gamer, not a streamer.”

“Wow…that’s a big offer… 2.5 billion with no trainee period? They must really want you.”

“Is that so?”

“Whew, 2.5 billion… whew. Shihyun, you showed great restraint. I would have…signed right then and there.”

That was true.

Shihyun’s heart had pounded when she received the 2.5 billion offer. But remembering Ji-eun’s advice, she didn’t accept immediately.

They were the ones who were desperate, not her.

“And the last one was Seoseong Entertainment.”

“…Seoseong? As in, Seoseong Electronics?”

“Yes.”

Seoseong Entertainment’s offer was different. They weren’t asking her to join their company.

“An investment offer? What does that mean?”

Ji-eun frowned as Shihyun explained.

“I…I’m not sure, but from what I understand, they want to create a new company with you.”

“Huh?”

Seoseong Entertainment proposed creating a new MCN.

Seoseong Entertainment didn’t usually manage streamers; their focus was on the entertainment industry. But they seemed impressed by Shihyun’s performance (probably more by her appearance than her gaming skills), enough to suggest creating an entire company around her.

Of course, Seoseong would manage the company, not Shihyun.

She would receive a portion of the shares and a signing bonus.

“…Seoseong’s offer is the craziest.”

Seoseong Entertainment’s initial investment was at least 15 billion won.

They offered Shihyun approximately 1% of the shares, which would be around 150 million won. Plus a separate signing bonus of 200 million. A total of 350 million.

It was less than ML Masterpiece’s offer upfront.

Less than most offers, actually.

But the value of her shares would increase as Seoseong MCN grew, making it potentially the most lucrative offer in the long run.

“…Seoseong, Seoseong…”

“Since they called it an initial investment, they’ll probably invest more.”

Financially, Seoseong’s offer was the best.

But…

“Let’s put Seoseong on hold for now.”

Ji-eun decided it was best to hold off on Seoseong’s offer.

“Why?”

“Even if it’s Seoseong, they’re new to this. Unless they’re willing to burn through cash, they’ll lack industry know-how.”

Of course, if they poured money into it, Seoseong MCN would grow rapidly, increasing the value of Shihyun’s shares. In the long term, Seoseong might be the best choice. But in the short term, it would be a struggle.

“And other companies will likely try to sabotage them in the beginning. Considering Seoseong Group’s power, they’ll want to eliminate the competition before it becomes too big.”

If Seoseong gained a foothold and started spending money, many small and medium-sized MCNs would be in trouble. They would retaliate fiercely.

“There’s a high chance of problems with collaborations and networking.”

“Ah…”

“If you only consider the money, Seoseong is the best. You could stream casually, sell your shares, and retire with billions.”

Ji-eun looked directly at Shihyun.

“But if you want to be a streamer…”

Then Seoseong’s offer was poison.

“Becoming Seoseong’s first streamer means you’ll be their spearhead, fighting on the front lines.”

“That’s a bit…”

“And as for ML Masterpiece…”

ML Masterpiece.

They had offered her a spot on the main roster.

It was the best offer if she wanted to be a pro gamer.

“You’d be able to stream, and going pro would make things easier in that regard. But you wouldn’t be a true streamer until you retired from professional gaming.”

“That’s true.”

From what Shihyun had learned, the world of professional gaming was extremely demanding.

Preparing for tournaments, scrimmages, endless practice, and a packed schedule. Streaming would become a mere hobby.

“And you wouldn’t be able to stream freely. You would have to maintain the dignity of a professional. That clause is probably in the contract.”

“Hmm.”

That wasn’t ideal.

Shihyun wanted to be a streamer, not a pro gamer. While playing in the pro league would be an honor, it wasn’t what she wanted.

“And there’s one more important thing.”

Ji-eun said with a serious expression.

“If you go pro, it’ll be quite bothersome.”

“Bothersome?”

“Because of the separate men’s and women’s teams.”

“Ah.”

Right.

The Arfellium pro scene treated men and women differently. There was a regular league and a separate women’s league.

“Of course, there’s no rule against women competing in the regular league. It’s allowed. ML Masterpiece’s offer was probably for the regular team.”

They wouldn’t have offered that much money for the women’s league. Ji-eun continued, “But if you join the regular team, you’ll have to live with the other players. Can you handle that? They’ll try to accommodate you, of course. ML Masterpiece knows about…your situation.”

But she would have to endure a lot of inconveniences.

Ji-eun also brought up other concerns. Dealing with obsessive fans, potential malicious rumors, discomfort from teammates about her presence, and so on.

“That does sound…difficult.”

Shihyun agreed.

“Then, among the remaining offers…Five Star is the best. A decent revenue split and a good signing bonus.”

Ji-eun grinned.

“And I’m there too!”

“Right, you’re with Five Star.”

Streamers usually collaborated with others in the same MCN. While Ji-eun wouldn’t abandon Shihyun if she joined another agency, it would be less convenient.

‘There’s no place better than Five Star anyway.’

The decision she made during their sushi dinner was the right one.

Shihyun made up her mind. She would join Five Star.

“Then shall we begin?”

Ji-eun urged, now that Shihyun had made her decision.

Shihyun smiled and nodded.

She opened the broadcast interface.

As Shihyun did so, Ji-eun muttered, “Two days until your first stream.”

She had to master the broadcast interface within two days.

So she wouldn’t accidentally end the stream again while trying to enable donations.

And so…

After two days of intense training…

The time for her proud ‘first stream’ finally arrived.