Chapter 61
JGN!
Along with SBC Games, it was called one of the two major cable game broadcasting stations!
While SBC Games was a latecomer, JGN was a historic broadcasting station that opened the world’s first, not just Korea’s, game-specialized broadcasting channel and led the popularity of e-sports.
Although its influence weakened with the emergence of new media such as Ard Live, it was only reduced, not completely gone. Above all, it was still alive and well thanks to the strong parent company, Jeil E&M, behind it.
Arriving in Ilsan, Gyeonggi-do, I got out of the black sedan and looked at the building where JGN broadcasting station was located, and smirked.
‘It’s been a while.’
Although their logo designs were different from those of the past, both SBC Games and JGN were broadcasting stations that I used to frequent.
Six years ago, when I was playing the game, there was no such thing as Ard Live, and internet broadcasting was unfamiliar, so game-specialized channels had an absolute influence. So I, too, used to sell my quest videos and war videos to them for money. It’s a memory now.
Just as I was reminiscing about old memories.
“Drakan-nim, shall we go in?”
A soft voice was heard next to me.
It was Shin Ha-yeon.
Even though she was a third-generation chaebol and must have been quite busy, she not only made time for me on the day of the interview, but also mobilized her luxury sedan to bring me here.
Was it a reward for successfully completing the naval battle?
Thinking so, I shook my head.
Anyway, there was no reason for me to refuse her favor.
As usual, she was smiling and looking at me, and I nodded at her words.
“Let’s go.”
Turning my gaze away from Shin Ha-yeon, who smiled at my words, I looked at the JGN broadcasting station building once again and smiled.
JGN!
At this broadcasting station, where memories of my days as a top ranker remain, I will once again announce to the world that the Steel Monarch Drakan has been resurrected.
▄ ▄ ▄
As soon as I entered the JGN building, I met a middle-aged man, Kim In-seong, the president of JGN, who was bowing repeatedly while smiling at me.
A former game broadcasting commentator, he was a living legend who had been part of the history of e-sports since its birth at the turn of the century until now, past 2020.
“Oh my. Thank you for taking the time to come here despite your busy schedule.”
“The pleasure is all mine.”
I shook hands with President Kim.
In fact, it was ridiculous for the president of a broadcasting station to come out to greet a mere user’s interview, unless it was the famous Eugene.
No matter how much the influence of existing media is declining these days due to new media such as internet broadcasting and SNS, a president of a broadcasting station still holds considerable power.
There was only one reason why President Kim came out to greet me barefoot.
“Long time no see.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Director Shin.”
It was because of Shin Ha-yeon behind me.
The existence of Shin Ha-yeon, the absolute authority of the Jeil Group and the one who commands numerous affiliates, would feel like an emperor to President Kim.
President Kim bowed repeatedly to Shin Ha-yeon, who was about the age of his niece.
Then Shin Ha-yeon spoke to President Kim in a cold voice.
“Are the preparations for the broadcast finished?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Good.”
President Kim’s face brightened slightly at Shin Ha-yeon’s words, but at her following words, his face hardened slightly, which was hard to notice, but then relaxed immediately.
“I believe President Kim would have taken care of everything, but I still need to see our Drakan-nim’s first broadcast debut myself, right?”
“Of course. Director Shin’s observation is always welcome.”
“Since that’s the case, it’s okay if I go with you, right, Drakan-nim?”
Shin Ha-yeon looked at me again and smiled as if asking for permission.
I smiled back and answered.
“Of course.”
At my words, Shin Ha-yeon’s smile brightened even more.
Just like that, she and I were guided by President Kim to the studio where the filming would take place.
After arriving at the studio, I buttoned up the suit I was wearing for the first time in a long time and sat in the studio, and soon the broadcast began.
The MC in charge of my interview today was Yoo Hye-kyung, who had been active as a caster in various e-sports leagues in the past.
She was one of the famous casters at JGN and even had her own fandom, and above all, I had met her a few times when I was hosting a few broadcasting programs at JGN six years ago, so I knew her.
As expected of a veteran, Yoo Hye-kyung threw various questions at me, mixing in wit from time to time, and I answered her questions skillfully with a smile.
Forget internet broadcasting, I was familiar with cable broadcasting since I had appeared on it a few times when I was a top ranker.
Anyway, during the interview, I revealed quite a lot about my life story, especially when I talked about having to work on a deep-sea fishing vessel because I couldn’t pay off my debt, Yoo Hye-kyung showed a genuinely surprised expression, not just for the broadcast concept.
“Then, I think we should call in a secret guest.”
“A secret guest?”
I pretended to be surprised and asked back at Yoo Hye-kyung’s words.
A secret guest!
It was a concept where an unexpected guest was invited during the interview to have a conversation together, but despite the modifier ‘secret’, I already knew who the secret guest was.
But precisely because of that, my heart was pounding.
“Don’t be surprised. It’s Eugene-nim!”
That’s right.
The ‘secret guest’ of my interview was Eugene.
His handsome face appeared on the screen in the studio.
I looked at his face, so handsome that it seemed to be glossy, and smiled.
Eugene!
It was my idea to invite him to my interview.
The public attention and buzz focused on me right now were clearly benefiting me.
But I knew.
The fact that issues are highly volatile in this day and age!
Therefore, in order to keep the attention focused on me and to make people support me, I needed to use Eugene, who was already at the top.
Coincidentally, he had donated 10 million won to my broadcast for some reason, so I could plausibly make an excuse to invite him to my interview by asking him the reason.
Yes, that was the reason. The reason why I invited Eugene to this studio.
He was the final boss I had to defeat someday in order to seize hegemony of the Ard World, the enemy who sent me to the deep-sea fishing vessel, and the target that made my desire for revenge boil like magma in a volcano just by looking at him.
However, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t use him.
In order to defeat him, I was willing to use any means necessary and use anything.
Even if it was the target of my revenge itself.
For revenge, it was necessary to distinguish between public and private matters and put aside personal feelings for a while, and that was now.
I took a deep breath inside, calming my heart pounding with boiling revenge.
Finally, Eugene opened his lips and spoke to me.
▄ ▄ ▄
“Nice to meet you, Drakan-nim.”
Eugene reached out his hand first and looked at Drakan.
When he first received an offer from JGN to be the ‘secret guest’ for Drakan’s interview, Eugene’s colleagues were subtly trying to dissuade him. But after much deliberation, Eugene decided to participate in the interview as a secret guest.
There was only one reason why he donated 10 million won to Drakan’s broadcast and decided to participate in the interview as a guest.
It was to determine whether Drakan’s change was real.
Drakan!
His actions after returning after six years were completely different from the past.
The Drakan of the past, who would stop at nothing for his own benefit, was completely different from the Drakan after his return.
Drakan sharing his quest with ordinary users!
Drakan, who was concerned about the damage to users and destroyed the city at his own expense!
Who would have imagined that?
The culmination of it all was when Drakan himself insisted in the behind-the-scenes video he uploaded, ‘A city reduced to ashes can be restored with money. But what about the hearts of the users? It’s hard to move them even with billions of won.’
Eugene was shocked to see that video.
Of course, his colleagues, including Verda, who saw the video, argued that the remark was a highly calculated political statement made by Drakan to gain public opinion, but Eugene was skeptical.
Drakan!
He was the one who knew him best in the world.
Eugene was confident about that.
For Eugene, Drakan was the greatest enemy he had ever faced in the game.
The Wyvern, too dangerous to be sealed and then released, the Demon King, who descended with the ambition of invading the ground, and Apocalypse, the leader of the apocalypse who was the final boss of the previous game!
Eugene had repeatedly said, both externally through interviews and internally to his guild members, that Drakan was the most difficult enemy to deal with among any other strong enemies.
Drakan, the Steel Overlord who ruled the continent!
A top ranker who reached the peak among Ard World users with his individual prowess!
On the other hand, at the time Eugene received the rebellion quest and faced Drakan, he was just a user who had just emerged from being a promising player and entered the ranks of rankers.
In terms of objective power comparison, it was like hitting a rock with an egg.
In such a situation, Eugene had to analyze Drakan from head to toe in order to defeat him, and through that process, he got to know Drakan better than anyone else.
Drakan!
He was never a man who cared about the eyes or reputation of others except himself.
And the method he preferred was to take over the organization through overwhelming power and the authority derived from it, and to crush the enemy with overwhelming power.
That’s why Drakan was able to control hunting grounds and mines and impose heavy taxes to squeeze out war funds for his goal of unifying the continent.
But such a Drakan sharing quests with others for no reward, and even caring about the circumstances of others?
‘It’s ridiculous.’
Eugene thought.
He didn’t know what had happened in the past six years, but it was ridiculous!
But that was it.
It was ridiculous, but Eugene couldn’t yet judge whether his heart had truly changed.
Above all, it was because he thought that the opinion of Verda, the brain of the Lightwing Guild, who was always smart and guided him to the right thing, ‘Drakan made a highly political statement to gain public opinion,’ made sense.
After that, when the Infinite Eugene Church scandal broke out and he went to apologize to Drakan according to his principles.
Eugene was surprised once again.
Drakan!
Surprisingly, he apologized first.
It was the first time he had ever seen the word ‘apology’ come out of Drakan’s mouth, and it was a major event that Eugene had never imagined.
This was because he was not the kind of person to apologize, especially for something that was not his fault, like the Infinite Eugene Church scandal.
From then on, Eugene thought.
Perhaps, Drakan might have really changed his mind.
Eugene donated 10 million won to Drakan’s broadcast to confirm that, and finally accepted the invitation to be an interview guest and came here.
Eugene thought as he reached out his hand first.
‘I thought we were at least on good enough terms to shake hands.’
At that moment, he remembered what Drakan had said when they first met in reality.
Drakan took Eugene’s hand.
“The pleasure is all mine.”
Grin.
Drakan smiled.
Eugene!
Drakan was excited at the thought of using him to the bone.
It felt like he could already see the storm of people’s reactions pouring in.
He would use Eugene to completely solidify his position, which had just entered the ranks of star users, shedding the shell of a promising player, like a solid rock!
Drakan made that determination as he looked at Eugene.
Thus, the two men with different thoughts exchanged formal greetings, greeted the MC Yoo Hye-kyung, and took their seats, and the interview continued from there.
“Drakan-nim.”
It was Eugene who spoke first as soon as he sat down.
Eugene met Drakan’s gaze head-on.
Whether it was in the past or now, he couldn’t read any emotion from Drakan’s eyes or expression.
“I have a question.”
“Speak.”
Drakan smiled generously and focused on Eugene’s mouth at his words.
Eugene.
He was the one who called him, but he didn’t know what kind of question would come out of his mouth.
Since he knew him best, he had prepared a list of expected questions that he might ask, but even that wasn’t entirely accurate.
Of course, he had called Eugene here because he had judged that it was worth taking such a risk.
Therefore, Drakan focused all his attention on Eugene to give an appropriate answer, and finally, Eugene slowly asked him a question.
“What do you think about the evil deeds you committed in the past?”
And when Drakan received Eugene’s question, he smiled inwardly.
This was because the first question on the list of expected questions from Eugene had popped up.
