Chaebol

When I suggested that my grandfather try the game, my brother took it a step further and asked him to play it.

'Haha.'

Even I wouldn't have dared to say something like that.

My brother must have taken the brief silence as agreement.

Or perhaps he thought that, having come this far, there was no point in hesitating.

Right after my brother pressed the enter button,

[A prompt appeared in the middle of the screen: How many party members would you like to have?]

"Ji-hoon, you'll play too, right?"

"Huh? Oh, sure."

No sooner had I replied than my brother entered the number 3.

[You awaken in a pitch-dark cave.]

[There are three of you in total.]

[What are your professions?]

My brother typed in "warrior."

[You are a warrior, a bearer of great courage.]

[In the face of enemies, you will be the first to bravely charge forward.]

Then, he turned to me.

"What do you want to be, Ji-hoon?"

"Um, let's see…"

I had seen it in the notebook earlier.

"Can I be a bard?"

"Of course."

[You are a bard, a lover of freedom, and a singer of heroic deeds. You will be the most beneficial ally to your party.]

The message on the screen seemed to fit me in real life.

But, beyond that…

Did my brother create all this?

"What profession would you like, Grandfather?"

"What?"

Grandfather's reaction must have been too intimidating.

"Th-there are various professions…"

My brother stuttered for a moment.

The courage he had summoned seemed to waver under Grandfather's piercing gaze.

This was my cue to step in.

"Grandfather, we're asking about your profession. In the game, I mean. Which one would you like to choose?"

Grandfather turned his head away from the screen in disbelief.

He looked around the room at the game posters on the walls.

The gaming console connected to the TV.

And even at Martin, who was sitting by the bed like a sack of rice.

No matter how you look at it, it must have seemed like a bizarre scene.

Still, what could he do?

Since the game was created and presented before him, it was only in his nature to check it out.

"Which profession makes the most money here?"

"Wouldn't that be a merchant? I noticed earlier that a merchant can advance to become a wealthy tycoon in the second job upgrade."

"Then choose that one."

The moment Grandfather spoke, my brother started typing.

[You are a merchant, a collector of desires. There will be no village beyond your influence.]

After we finished selecting our professions,

[In the dark cave.]

[You start to adapt to the darkness.]

[But peace is short-lived as you hear footsteps in the distance.]

[What will you do?]

My brother had created a kind of MUD (Multi-User Dungeon) game.

You respond to pre-recorded questions, and the next scenario unfolds.

Most kids his age would prefer games with at least some pixel graphics.

Probably my brother too.

'But creating such games isn't easy for an amateur.'

So he must have opted for a text-based format, similar to a TRPG (Tabletop Role-Playing Game).

But who would have thought?

For Grandfather's generation, text games like this might resonate more than pixelated ones.

'Maybe it feels more like reading a novel?'

[You have defeated a goblin.]

[Each of you gains 3 experience points.]

[Each of you gains 1 gold.]

Only a few minutes had passed since we started playing.

"Why do you all earn the same amount of money?"

"…?"

"Shouldn't the merchant collect all the money first and then distribute it? Why split the earnings so evenly?"

Grandfather was quickly becoming immersed in the game.

'Hmm.'

I wasn't sure if he was focusing on the game itself or just habitually responding to anything involving money.

In any case, this was a good sign.

About 30 minutes passed.

Grandfather even started giving feedback on the game.

"Why is it so easy to make money!"

"Well, it's just a game…"

"Even so, in a game, if you earn money every time you kill something, who would understand the value of money?"

That's a very chairman-like response.

Grandfather's feedback didn't end there.

"Even if I concede and say you earned it, why is there no change when you keep accumulating money?"

"Well, we haven't visited a shop yet. If we go to a nearby village and buy something first…"

"Who said anything about spending money?"

"…Pardon?"

"Money is like a bright flower; it always attracts pests."

While still seated, Grandfather proposed several settings:

1. As money accumulates, charisma points should increase, attracting followers, but the risk of being scammed should also rise.

2. You should develop control over money through trading, and if you have a lot of money but low control, your character should face problems.

3. When the scale of money becomes large enough to require a second job change, it shouldn't simply end with becoming a "tycoon." The nature of the second job should change based on whether you operate aboveboard or under the table.

My brother was busily writing down Grandfather's suggestions on the last page of his notebook.

"It's not about adding more professions. Even if you focus on just one, you need to understand the world deeply and extract the real fun within it."

If you just listened to the words, it could sound like he was getting scolded.

"Thank you, Grandfather."

My brother's face was full of vigor.

Telling him to revise it meant he was allowed to keep doing it.

Sure enough, Grandfather added another remark.

"Do you have anything else?"

"Pardon?"

"Any other games?"

"…This is the only one for now."

Grandfather clicked his tongue in disappointment.

"I have no interest in slaying dragons. The most fun thing in the world is making money, so why would I go out to some remote area…"

"Should I make a game about making money?"

"Can you make something like that?"

"We could. Just like you said, without including various professions… we could make a game focused solely on running a company."

"Who would play that?"

"…?"

"You're making it to sell, aren't you?"

"Well, yes."

"People are exhausted from commuting and work. Why on earth would they want to sit in front of a computer and play a game about running a company?"

"That's… true."

"If you're going to make a game, it should be something completely different from reality."

Grandfather quickly came up with a solution.

"How about using the Age of Exploration as the background?"

The Age of Exploration?

In other words, the Great Age of Sailing!

"It would be fun to steer ships from one country to another, making profits along the way. Running a company doesn't sound exciting at all."

Anyone who likes games would know that the game Grandfather mentioned would later be released and become a massive hit.

I knew he had a knack for making money.

'Now he's even coming up with game plans on the spot.'

Just as I was getting over my surprise, Grandfather spoke to my brother.

"So, you want to keep making games?"

"Yes. I'll study hard and… use it to relieve stress from time to time…"

"Do you think you'll get results that way?"

"Pardon?"

"If you try to juggle both, you might end up catching neither rabbit."

"I…"

"If you face it head-on and produce results, then keep going. If not, quit cleanly. How about that?"

"Results?"

Grandfather's proposal was simple.

Release a game within a year and make 100 billion won in sales.

"If you do that, I'll think about it."

It wasn't a definite permission, just that he would think about it.

Even so,

"Thank you, Grandfather!"

My brother bowed his head, looking elated.

"I will… really give it my all."

"You don't have to give it your all; just bring me the results."

"Pardon? Oh, yes, Grandfather."

"And."

"...?"

"Of course, you must maintain your first-place ranking in school. If your rank drops, the game gets axed. Understood?"

"Absolutely. That won't be a problem."

Huh? Where's this confidence coming from?

In any case.

Grandfather turned his gaze to me.

"Just because I said 100 billion won in sales, don't think you can just buy it all, Ji-hoon. I won't let that slide."

Ahem.

When I reluctantly nodded, Grandfather added one more thing.

"And about what we talked about today."

Supporting my brother instead of taking over the management.

"Let's revisit that after we see how Yoo-geon's project turns out. Got it?"

"Thank you."

Delaying the decision was almost as good as getting half-approval.

I bowed my head, following my brother's example.

***

After Grandfather left.

Park Yoo-geon felt his whole body heat up.

His breathing quickened, and goosebumps spread across his skin.

And that wasn't all.

Grandfather's words echoed in his ears like tinnitus.

"You don't have to give it your all; just bring me the results."

Gulp.

Park Yoo-geon had long envied his younger brother.

Unfortunately, envy often comes with a side of misery.

Half-baked talent and unripe ambition.

Whenever the mockery and ridicule directed at him went too far, Park Yoo-geon would always rush to his desk.

Just make something.

That's how he started filling these five notebooks.

Escaping into a world he created.

But to think it would earn him his grandfather's acknowledgment.

Still, the joy was short-lived, as the weight of responsibility quickly settled on his shoulders.

He had to meet his grandfather's expectations.

'Can I really do it?'

The mere thought left his chest feeling tight.

Suddenly, Ji-hoon's face flashed in his mind.

Had his younger brother been bearing this kind of pressure alone for years?

Not knowing this, had he been merely envying Ji-hoon like a child?

'Oh no.'

An unbearable sense of shame and guilt washed over him.

But the surprising part was,

"..."

The more his guilt grew, the calmer his mind became.

'Guilt alone won't bring about any change.'

Right, if he felt ashamed, he needed to change first.

Gulp.

Until now, Park Yoo-geon believed he could yield a lot to his younger brother.

He even considered it a virtue.

But at this moment.

Park Yoo-geon decided to change his thinking.

'Concession is just a cover for incompetence.'

If Park Yoo-geon gave up Hyungang completely, would that really make his brother happy?

No matter how extraordinary Ji-hoon was, handling this vast empire alone was too burdensome.

In other words.

If he truly wanted to help his younger brother?

'I need to take full responsibility for my own share.'

Instead of hiding behind the guise of concession and dumping everything on his younger brother.

'I need to find what I'm good at and take full responsibility in that area.'

His first step would be through game development!

At that moment of determination.

"...!"

Park Yoo-geon sensed that something inside him was changing.

It felt like the shell surrounding him was cracking.

As his heartbeat, which had been pounding with excitement, began to calm, Park Yoo-geon turned to his younger brother.

"Ji-hoon, can we talk for a minute?"

"Talk?"

He had no intention of delivering a long-winded speech about how he used to feel about his brother.

That was just his personal sentiment.

What he wanted to discuss with his younger brother was something else.

"I want to talk about business."

Strangely, at the mention of business, his younger brother's eyes changed.

"You heard Grandfather, right? He told me to make 100 billion won in sales."

Nod, nod.

"It's absolutely impossible for me to do it without capital. So, I was thinking."

"…?"

"I want to go into business with you."

TL/n - 

By supporting me at [email protected]/inkbound

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You can read 

Chaebol ( upto chapter 150+)

Golden Spoon Investor (upto chapter 115+)

An Investor Who Sees Future (upto chapter 220+)

Deadline Investor (upto chapter 20+)

Vultures of Capitalism (upto chapter 34+)

Wizard with a System (upto chapter 384+)