Friday 5 March 2001 Seoul Korea.
Zaboru was now inside ZAGE Hub Korea, the main Korean office of ZAGE, standing on the highest floor where his personal office had been prepared for him. From that floor, Seoul looked alive beneath the glass windows, full of movement, lights, and ambition, but Zaboru's attention was not on the city. Right now, he was checking the progress of Team Dynasty Korea, and honestly, the team was cooking with their online games. Ragnarok Online, Gunbound Online, Audition Online, and even the upcoming Ran Online were beginning to show exactly the kind of potential he had expected from the start.
Of course, Zaboru already understood this result better than anyone else in the room. From his previous life, he knew very well that online games and live service games could become absurdly profitable if handled properly. Monthly subscriptions, cosmetic items, long-term updates, community events, and player attachment could turn a single game into a machine that generated revenue for years. In some cases, these games could even earn more than traditional boxed games, because they did not end after one purchase. They kept living, growing, and pulling players back again and again.
But just because Zaboru knew how much money these games could make, it did not mean he wanted to squeeze every coin out of the players. He knew his boundaries. He would not increase prices just because some management or marketing team in ZAGE Korea told him to do it. He would not make items more expensive just because the numbers on a graph looked beautiful. He would not raise subscription prices just because the players were loyal. To Zaboru, that kind of thinking was dangerous.
Players were not stupid. That was something he had learned clearly from his previous life. They might love a game, support a company, and forgive some mistakes, but they could still feel when they were being used. Greed had destroyed the reputation of many video game companies before, slowly at first, then all at once. It always began with small excuses. A little price increase here. A slightly more expensive item there. A premium tier that sounded harmless. A limited item that pressured players to pay quickly. Then, before anyone realized it, the game stopped feeling like a game and started feeling like a shop with gameplay attached to it.
That was why Zaboru had restrained ZAGE from crossing that line. He wanted ZAGE's online games to earn money, of course, but he wanted them to earn money because players were happy to support them, not because they felt trapped. He wanted the games to be fair, long-lasting, and respected. However, right now, some of the Korean executives did not seem to think the same way.
Now Zaboru was inside one of the large meeting rooms of ZAGE Hub Korea. The room itself looked modern and expensive, with a long black table in the center, a large screen on the wall, and the cold view of Seoul visible through the glass windows. Several Korean executives were already seated inside, each of them carrying thick folders, reports, and projected numbers prepared for the discussion. This was not a casual visit anymore. This was an official internal meeting about the current condition of ZAGE's online games.
All of Team Dynasty's team leads were also present. Seth Kang sat among them as the super development lead, his expression calm but sharp, clearly paying attention to every small detail in the room. Beside him were Tomohiro Kata, Hyun Woo, and Ji Hye, each representing different parts of Team Dynasty's growing online game projects. They were not ordinary developers anymore. After Ragnarok Online, Gunbound Online, and Audition Online began showing explosive results, Team Dynasty had slowly become one of the most important groups inside ZAGE.
There was also Young Rang, the man responsible for ZAGE Hub Korea's operations. He was still in his late thirties, but his resume was already impressive He had experience in technology management, online infrastructure, Korean business networks, and digital service operations. More importantly, he genuinely loved video games, which was one of the main reasons ZAGE had chosen him to become the CTO of ZAGE Hub Korea. He was talented, ambitious, and usually reliable.
Shinsuke was also there, sitting quietly with his usual composed expression. As the head of ZAGE's marketing division, he understood the value of online games from a completely different angle. He knew how strong community loyalty could become, how dangerous public anger could be, and how one bad pricing decision could turn a beloved brand into a hated one overnight. That was why, even before the meeting truly began, Shinsuke already had a slightly complicated look on his face.
Zaboru sat at the head of the table, calm as always, but the atmosphere around him was not light. Everyone in the room knew that this meeting was important. ZAGE Korea's online games were growing faster than expected, the revenue charts were beautiful, and the number of players continued to rise across Steam and ZAGE's online network. For some executives, that meant opportunity. For Zaboru, however, it also meant danger.
But right now, the meeting room felt tense because Young Rang had somehow started raising his voice during the discussion. The meeting itself was supposed to be about the current condition of ZAGE Dynasty's online games, especially Ragnarok Online, Gunbound Online, Audition Online, and the upcoming Ran Online that would release later this month. However, the atmosphere slowly shifted the longer Young Rang spoke.
Young Rang stood near the large screen while presenting the graphs showing ZAGE Online's worldwide player numbers across Steam and ZAGE's own online network. The charts were beautiful. Every quarter showed aggressive growth, and the revenue projections were even more insane.
"Boss, these are the graphs as you can see..." Young Rang said while confidently changing the slides one by one. "The player increase is almost happening every quarter, and this only means one thing."
He began pacing around the room with visible confidence, almost too confident. His voice carried a certain sharpness now, like someone who already believed he had the correct answer before the discussion even started. There was even a slight smugness in the way he smiled whenever the graphs displayed another upward trend.
To Young Rang, this success was proof that his management direction was working perfectly.
"Honestly, boss, I think Korea understands online games better than anyone right now," he continued with a small grin. "The numbers don't lie. Ragnarok alone already changed the market, and now Gunbound and Audition are following the same path. Ran Online will only push this even further."
Several developers inside the room quietly exchanged glances after hearing that tone. Even Seth Kang slightly narrowed his eyes. Young Rang was talented, everyone knew that, but right now he sounded dangerously proud.
Meanwhile, Zaboru simply sat calmly in his chair while watching him. His expression barely changed at all. However, the other developers around the room were already beginning to feel tense because they understood something Young Rang currently did not.
The developers inside the room knew very well that all of this success existed because of Zaboru's ideas and vision. He was the one who had guided them toward online games long before the market fully exploded. He was the one who pushed Team Dynasty to focus on long-term online communities, live service structures, social systems, and player retention. Even the business models themselves had originally come from Zaboru.
Young Rang? In the end, he was mostly handling management and operations.
However, right now, Young Rang seemed to be forgetting that.
He smiled proudly while looking at the graphs behind him, almost like he was admiring his own achievement.
"Then we should maximize this, boss," Young Rang said confidently. "We should increase the prices."
Several people inside the room immediately became quieter.
"Right now, our subscription services are too cheap. Around three dollars per month while players can enjoy three high-quality games at the same time. Audition, Ragnarok, and Gunbound." He pointed toward the screen behind him before continuing. "And this month we will add Ran Online, with many more games coming in the future as well."
Young Rang slowly turned toward Zaboru with visible confidence still on his face.
"So honestly, it makes sense if we charge them more. Players will not get angry. They love our games too much to leave."
Then his smile widened slightly.
"We should increase the subscription price to five dollars per month, boss... or maybe even six."
Then the screen behind him changed again, showing the first point of his proposal in large bold letters.
"1. Charge More."
Young Rang smiled as if the answer was already obvious. Then he moved to the next section, where another line appeared beneath it.
"Increase item prices or add more 'Super Premium' options."
The moment those words appeared on the screen, the atmosphere inside the room became even colder. Seth Kang's fingers stopped moving above his notebook. Ji Hye slowly raised her eyes toward the screen. Hyun Woo quietly pressed his lips together, while Tomohiro Kata looked down as if he already knew this discussion was heading somewhere dangerous.
Young Rang, however, continued without noticing the change in the room.
"Next, we should charge more for in-game items," he said with growing confidence. "Especially in a game like Audition, where cosmetics are extremely important to the player experience. Clothes, accessories, hairstyles, special effects, couple items, dance effects, rare looks, limited outfits... these things are not just decorations anymore. They are part of how players express themselves inside the game."
He tapped the remote in his hand, and more numbers appeared on the screen. Revenue projections. Purchase conversion rates. Estimated spending per player. Premium item growth. The numbers all looked tempting, almost dangerously so.
"If we create a higher tier, something above normal premium, players will buy it. We can call it Super Premium or something similar. It will elevate our economy more, and honestly, it will not damage the core gameplay too much if we design it carefully." Young Rang smiled again, but this time his smile looked slightly sharper. "Players who want to look better will pay. Players who want status will pay. Players who want to stand out will pay. That is simply how online communities work."
A few executives nodded faintly, tempted by the figures on the screen, but the developers did not look comfortable at all. They were the ones who dealt with the games directly. They knew players were not numbers on a graph. They were communities, guilds, couples, friends, rivals, and people who spent hours inside the worlds Team Dynasty had built.
Then the screen shifted to the third point.
"3. ZAGE Korea Revenue."
Young Rang's grin became more obvious.
"And boss, we are not trying to brag too much, but our live service system is showing huge improvement," he said. "If we count total game sales and recurring revenue, ZAGE Korea's online division is already generating money at a level that can compete with, or even surpass, many projects from ZAGE Japan."
The sentence landed heavily in the room.
It was not exactly wrong, but the way he said it made several people stiffen.
Young Rang continued, still grinning. "This proves that online games are the future. It proves that ZAGE Korea is not just a branch following orders from Japan. We are creating a new model for the company."
His eyes moved toward Zaboru.
"So I think you should hear what I have to say, boss."
Young Rang looked directly into Zaboru's eyes, clearly challenging him now, and the other developers inside the room immediately became tense. However, Zaboru simply looked back at him with lazy eyes while saying absolutely nothing.
Five seconds passed.
Then ten.
Then almost an entire minute.
The silence inside the meeting room became horrifying.
Nobody dared to speak.
Even the sound of the air conditioner suddenly felt loud.
Seth Kang quietly swallowed. Ji Hye lowered her eyes. Hyun Woo's fingers stiffened slightly against the table. The pressure inside the room felt so heavy that even breathing became uncomfortable.
Because everyone there could feel it.
Zaboru was angry.
Not normal anger.
The terrifying kind.
The kind where someone became completely calm.
Zaboru continued staring at Young Rang without blinking once. His eyes no longer looked warm or relaxed like usual.
They looked empty.
Cold.
Like a black abyss swallowing everything around it.
Young Rang slowly started sweating.
This was the first time he had experienced Zaboru's true pressure directly.
Usually, Zaboru's presence felt inspiring or overwhelming in a good way. Employees admired him. Developers respected him. Even executives often felt motivated around him because of his Aura of Influence.
But right now?
That aura felt completely different.
It felt oppressive.
Predatory.
Young Rang suddenly realized something terrifying.
The man sitting in front of him was not just a company founder.
This was the monster who built ZAGE from almost nothing.
The same man who acquired many companies before even reaching thirty years old.
The same man who controlled industries across the world.
The same genius who somehow always saw the future before everyone else.
And right now, that monster was staring directly at him.
Young Rang's confidence started collapsing rapidly.
Sweat rolled down the side of his face.
"U-Uh..." Young Rang forced a laugh, but it sounded dry and weak now. "B-Boss... did I say something wrong...?"
Nobody helped him.
Nobody dared interrupt.
Then after almost a full minute, Zaboru finally moved.
Slowly.
He stood up from his chair.
The moment he rose to his feet, the pressure inside the room somehow became even heavier.
Zaboru was naturally tall already, but with the black formal shoes he wore today, he looked enormous compared to Young Rang. Young Rang himself was around 172 centimeters tall, while Zaboru stood at nearly 187 centimeters.
And unlike Young Rang's slimmer body, Zaboru's frame looked broad and heavy, strengthened by years of training and his Enlightenment Body ability.
Young Rang suddenly felt like a child standing in front of an adult.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Zaboru slowly approached him without breaking eye contact even once.
Each footstep echoed heavily across the meeting room.
Young Rang could literally hear his own heartbeat now.
Then Zaboru finally spoke.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"I usually don't react like this when someone proposes an idea to me..."
Young Rang unconsciously stepped backward.
Then Zaboru stopped directly in front of him.
Towering over him.
The difference in presence between them felt absurd.
Young Rand doesn't expect this at all , Zaboru are always calm and approachable but now..? He felt less like a businessman and more like a predator.
Then Zaboru casually said a single sentence that instantly shook everyone inside the room.
"Am I the boss... or you..?"
To be continue
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