SSG 258
by Cristae-Nonsense-
-Do you have noodles in your head instead of a brain? You believe this?-
That’s how people reacted when they first heard the rumor that Yuseong was the CEO of Gospel.
If someone had at least said Yuseong was the third-generation heir of a conglomerate, maybe some would have believed it. But CEO?
Even for a small business, the CEO is certainly busy. And the CEO of Gospel? It’s obvious how busy that must be.
Of course, you could play games here and there as a hobby. If you have talent, you might develop decent skills for the time you invest.
But reaching the highest level like Yuseong? Impossible. Especially in Ark, a game so popular that half the world’s population plays it. Climbing to the very top while also holding down another serious job? No way.
That was public perception.
But the rumor didn’t die. It was as if someone was purposely spreading it.
Just when people thought, “What a persistent rumor,” a photo was published prominently in both online and print newspapers.
It was a picture of someone, accompanied by security, entering Gospel’s headquarters.
It was obvious to anyone that this was a person of significant status. The person in the photo instantly drew public attention.
-This is supposed to be Yuseong?-
-Looks similar, but hard to see clearly-
-These fools jumping all over the rumors look like bouncing rugby balls-
-Use your brains, people. Someone running a company that big can’t be a ranking gamer-
The skepticism remained, but it was enough to spark curiosity.
Naturally, the media picked up on the scent of a scoop and went into action.
Whether Gospel’s CEO or Ark’s top ranker, both are hard to approach, but no journalist would back down just because of titles.
Major and tabloid outlets alike scrambled for the story.
While these reporters were ready to commit privacy violations like tailing and secret photography, surprisingly, it was incredibly easy to get the information they wanted.
“There’s a rumor going around that your CEO is Yuseong, the Ark ranker and Jemotdaero guild member—is that true?”
“It is.”
“……!”
The reporter, expecting denial and prepared with a list of tough questions crafted through a sleepless night, dropped their list in shock at the answer.
Every daily paper covered the massive scoop.
–Ark’s Top Ranker Revealed as Owner of Major Corporation–
–Owner of Gospel, Yuseong from Jemotdaero?–
–The Owner of the Sensational New Corporation Turns Out to Be the Sensational New Ark Ranker–
People were, naturally, in an uproar after reading the news.
-How did this happen?-
-All those people who insisted it was impossible, hang your heads in shame-
-Is this even physically possible?-
-Impossible. But if it’s Yuseong, maybe it is-
-Doesn’t he have to work? Isn’t this embezzlement?-
-Company kept growing, what embezzlement lol-
-The reptilians are here-
A massive shock swept the world.
Unlike before, this time it wasn’t limited to people who enjoyed Ark.
Even though Ark had swallowed most of global culture, plenty of people still enjoyed old-fashioned pastimes, and many didn’t care about culture at all.
But this announcement was shocking even to those people.
“Amazing.”
Yuseong checked his attention score and was surprised. The attention level had shot up—to the point that smashing C.O.T.S into the mud last time felt like nothing.
[It worked.]
“Yeah. Luckily. It’s almost anti-climactic.”
[Even people who didn’t care about Ark and barely affected your attention score became interested in you. They were even more hyped to find out that you were also a famous figure in Ark. That helped a lot. Of course, there’s also the boost from the people who knew you to begin with.]
“At this rate, I’ll be able to collect what I need much faster than I expected.”
Yuseong stood up.
[Where are you going?]
“To eat.”
[The world is in an uproar, and you’re so calm.]
“Why should I make a fuss? Whether I’m famous or not isn’t what I want.”
He only did what was necessary for his goals.
“I just want to eat decent meals and live without worries. That’s all I want. Just because the media makes a fuss, do you think I should give up eating?”
[That’s true. Enjoy your meal.]
Yuseong, having left home, went—as always—to Haewon’s grandma’s place.
“Come on in.”
Grandma treated Yuseong exactly the same as before. The meal set on the table was neither less abundant nor more extravagant than before. Just good, warm, homemade food.
She surely knew Yuseong’s “true identity.” In fact, Haewon, sitting at the table, kept glancing at Yuseong, her eyes full of awkwardness.
But her grandma didn’t change her attitude no matter who Yuseong was.
Yuseong found this comforting. If Grandma had treated him differently, he might have felt a little sad.
“Thank you for the meal.”
As usual, he took a big spoonful of the huge mound of rice and ate a side dish, followed by another spoonful of soup.
The taste was unchanged.
As before, Yuseong ate with single-minded focus.
Haewon, too, gradually relaxed in the unchanged presence of Yuseong and her grandma.
Soon, as she began to say a few words like before, Yuseong responded in kind.
When the meal ended, the atmosphere at the table was just as usual.
Yuseong and Haewon cleared the table and finished the dishes. Haewon watched in amazement as Yuseong did the washing up.
When the cleanup was done, the two left Grandma’s house. After waving to Grandma as she saw them out, the two found themselves on the roadside.
“So, what happened?”
After hesitating a moment, Haewon spoke up.
“What do you mean?”
“The Gospel thing.”
“I’m not sure what you’re asking.”
Yuseong tilted his head.
“Are you really the CEO of Gospel?”
“Yes.”
Haewon lost her words at how easily Yuseong answered. It was an event that had turned the world upside down, but Yuseong remained completely unfazed.
A lot of questions whirled in her mind, but she soon realized it was pointless. Since he didn’t seem to care himself, what use was it for her to interrogate him?
She just asked one thing.
“Do you remember the promise you made before?”
“If you mean going to the movies the week after next, yes, I remember.”
Yuseong took out his phone and checked his schedule.
“Are you sure you have time? You’re pretty busy, aren’t you?”
“I am, but I can certainly spare that much time.”
“Okay, I’m looking forward to it.”
Haewon answered with a bright smile.
Strike while the iron’s hot, as they say. With Messiah’s encouragement, Yuseong started a broadcast not long after his story spread worldwide.
Usually, viewers would come in with the usual greetings like “hello” or “Yoo-ha.” But today was different.
-Wow, it’s the Chairman!-
-Chairman! Chairman!-
-Chair-ha!-
-LOL, is the Chairman really here?-
-So funny, LOL-
The live chat scrolled rapidly—at a level never seen before. Fans of Ark, of course, poured in, but even those who were never interested had joined after hearing the rumors about Yuseong.
Viewer numbers hit an all-time high, and they kept climbing. Just thinking that all this translated to attention score, Yuseong felt very pleased.
“Hello.”
As always, Yuseong greeted the viewers. Then he took a bite of black bread. As usual.
-LOL-
-LOL-
-The CEO eating black bread-
-I got used to it, but thinking that a mega-wealthy guy does this is hilarious LOL-
People who knew Yuseong’s love for black bread burst out laughing. But the new viewers were different.
-Black bread? That?-
-He eats that like it’s delicious?-
People familiar with Ark were appalled.
-What is that?-
-Looks good-
-Was there such food in Ark? Maybe I’ll try it-
-Eating in-game food like that must be good for dieting-
People who didn’t care about Ark—rare even in this world—gave opinions that had the veterans in stitches.
“This is delicious. I recommend it.”
-Breaking! Famous company CEO deceives the public!-
-That’s a prison sentence, right there-
-It’s legendary that he’s actually serious LOL-
-True evil is always purest-
-Don’t believe him, folks! He’d say even dirt from the ground was tasty!-
The chat grew rowdier and rowdier. After leaving things for a moment, Yuseong calmed them down.
“The chat’s too chaotic, so I’m going to add some restrictions now.”
As soon as he finished, a notice appeared in chat. Messiah was stepping in.
Like the AI that rules the world from the shadows, he quickly cleaned up the chat. It soon became hard to believe that this many people were watching.
Usually by now, Yuseong would go out hunting, but today there was no sign of that.
“Since so many of you are curious, I’ll answer some quick questions before I head out to hunt.”
The chat, newly settled, exploded again. But soon, thanks to management, it calmed down once more.
-The manager here is amazing-
-Yuseong’s channel manager has always been rumored to be top-tier-
Tons of questions poured in. Messiah organized them, and Yuseong began to answer.
“‘Are you really the CEO of Gospel?’ Yes. ‘Why did you hide it until now?’ I never hid it. I just didn’t announce it. When you play a game, you don’t brag about your job, do you? ‘How did you level up with so little time?’ I had plenty of time. With talented and capable employees, CEOs aren’t as busy as people think. You just have to steer the company. ‘Are you a rich kid?’ I’m an orphan. Can’t be a rich kid. ‘Then how did you start the company?’ I’m good at investments. I grew the money from government support and part-time jobs by investing in stocks and crypto.”
Yuseong answered questions without hesitation.
As the explanations continued, people were stunned.
Yuseong’s story was a true rise-from-nothing legend.
Even for a rags-to-riches tale, this was hard to believe.
Naturally, it was all lies.
Messiah had created a fabricated background for Yuseong that pushed limits just to boost his attention score.
But no one would suspect anything.
Gospel was already an incredible company visible to all. And with Messiah’s ability, Yuseong’s backstory was so perfect that even the deepest investigation would turn up nothing questionable.
-Is that even possible?-
-Aren’t you exaggerating?-
Yuseong read these skeptical chats aloud.
“You might not believe it. But the media will verify what I said, won’t they? It shouldn’t take long, so if you’re doubtful, just wait a bit.”
The viewers accepted that.
“If that’s most of the big questions, I’ll get back to hunting. How about taking on a bonus boss for a change?”
His attention level had soared, but it still wasn’t enough. To raise it even higher, Yuseong set off to hunt.