Season 3: Chapter 270. Attack On Walnut (3)
"Is this for real?"
Ju-Hyeok decided to verify the facts. He didn't trust the exaggerated videos on this channel nor did he find it plausible that someone who made such harsh comments about Japan could be popular there. He logged into the most popular Japanese social media platform, searched for Almond, and translated the results.
— Trying to feed almonds to my hamster today. Quite interesting www
— Blue Diamond Almond products co-buying, a famous Korean actor's favorite
— Always dieting, just a bite.
"..."
Most of the results were about edible almond products. Ju-Hyeok tried searching for “Civil Empire Almond” or “Streamer Almond.” This time, he found some relevant results.
— Almond is so cute.
— Actually, he's right. Japanese women are tired of their height. It's true that even in the mushroom village of The Lord of the Rings, they wouldn't have trouble entering wwwww
— Comparing Almond's face with those of certain people from our team shows that our ancestors made mistakes naturally.
— Almond fan page open
— Yu-san? Can someone be this cool?
— To see Almond up close, watch Fake National Team
"There are actually quite a few reactions."
The posts, along with numerous Fake National Team links, continued spreading. Many Japanese even knew he used to be an archer and they discussed his story. They also shared highlights of Almond's plays in the national competition.
— Insane face with insane talent
— How is that even possible?
— Amazing. He's been playing for about a month.
His looks drew them in, but his skills astonished them.
"Let's look at the numbers..."
Ju-Hyeok believed in numbers. A few loud voices could create an illusion of popularity, but statistics couldn't be faked.
"..."
He reviewed the numbers and realized two things. First, Almond's popularity in Japan was real. His comment about short Japanese people went viral, exposing his face even more and boosting his fame. Second, Yu Sang-Hyeon had inherited far more from his parents than Ju-Hyeok. This guy was a true silver spoon.
"Sigh."
It was true. Almond was gaining significant attention in Japan. Ju-Hyeok felt both exasperation and excitement.
"He was born with it."
Some people tried hard to gain attention abroad, even learning foreign languages. However, this guy just made a blunt comment in Korean about Japanese people being short and became famous from it. This was Yu Sang-Hyeon's real talent.
"Well, we might as well row the boat since the tide is in our favor."
Ju-Hyeok glanced at Sang-Hyeon's picture with a hint of dissatisfaction, but swiftly moved on to the next step. It was time to use his skills as he typed away on his keyboard.
***
[Almond's popularity skyrocketing in Japan, lol]
[Is this the life of a true alpha male? Almond's Japanese fanbase]
[National traitor Almond, omg]
[Yu Sang-Hyeon was born and the nurse cried out loudly.]
Suddenly, posts about Almond's growing popularity in Japan flooded domestic communities.
— This is crazy, lol.
— When Almond goes to Japan, the population increases, omg.
— What kind of fanatic are you?
— Ridiculous.
Although some users reacted negatively, the posts continued to be shared.
[Almond seems to be really gaining popularity in Japan???]
[Stories about Almond from Japanese SNS, amazing, lol]
[Someone gaining popularity in Japan through trash-talking during the Korea-Japan match??]
[Long live Almond independence!!!]
This was Ju-Hyeok's strategy. He couldn't expand the business to Japan immediately, so he planned to boost Almond's domestic standing by leveraging Almond’s rising popularity in Japan. He intended to capitalize on any immediate benefits.
Meanwhile, he contacted the Fake National Team crew. With the next video set to upload in two days, he anticipated significant interest from the Japanese audience.
"Ah, yes. Producer, I was wondering about the Japanese subtitles. Are they auto-generated now?"
Currently, except for English subtitles, AI handled everything else. It was somewhat understandable, but of lower quality and affected accessibility.
"Could we hire a translator for the Japanese subtitles?"
“What? The video goes up the day after tomorrow. I've never hired someone for that before.”
Indeed, it would be hard for the producer to suddenly find someone.
"If I find a translator, can you apply the subtitles immediately?"
“That's not hard. The English subtitles are already in place, so we can easily add more.”
"Alright. Please wait a moment."
“Wait, what?”
Ju-Hyeok hung up and called Civil Empire Korea.
“Hello, Civil Empire Korea...”
When Ju-Hyeok introduced himself, the ordinary employee on the other end felt startled.
“Ah! Mr. CEO, what can I do for you? I'll connect you to the executive vice president.”
Ju-Hyeok felt even more surprised by their response.
'Huh?'
Why would they suddenly connect him to the executive vice president? He intended to speak with the marketing manager handling the Fake National Team.
“Ah, Mr. Kim. It's been a while. This is Lee Ji-Sung, executive vice president of the Korea branch.
A distinguished middle-aged voice greeted him.
"Ah, yes. Hello, sir..."
The executive vice president was practically the head of the Korean branch. The real CEO was at the US headquarters, so the executive vice president was the highest ranking person in Korea. Ju-Hyeok felt a bit flustered.
“Feel free to ask for anything you need. I'll handle it personally.”
Ju-Hyeok recalled the state of Civil Empire before the national competition.
'Their sales must have skyrocketed.'
He saw articles about it even though he hadn't paid much attention. He had been focused on Almond and the national competition team. He knew from his stock investments that the recent Korea-Japan match had peaked their stock. Given that information, he felt comfortable making his request.
"Well, I think we need professional Japanese subtitles for the Fake National Team. Considering the interest from Japan..."
He intended to explain why they needed Japanese subtitles. Convincing people and negotiating had always been part of business, but something unexpected happened.
“Sure. Is it just Japanese subtitles you need?”
‘What?’
Without hearing the full explanation, the executive vice president agreed immediately with no mention of any costs or feasibility.
"Uh... Yes, for now."
“I'll take care of it. When you return to Korea, let's have a meal with our partners. I'll treat you.”
The smooth handling of the request left Ju-Hyeok trembling slightly. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.
'Don't show you're nervous.'
He needed to get used to this level of treatment. Clearing his throat, he accepted confidently.
"Ahem. That sounds good."
The call ended after exchanging brief thanks and they fulfilled the request almost immediately. Ju-Hyeok stared blankly at his monitor until a call came from the producer.
“Mr. CEO, what kind of magic did you use? Civil Empire Korea just offered to cover all translation costs. They'll have the Japanese subtitles ready by tomorrow morning.”
Everything had already been arranged. Ju-Hyeok looked at his phone in bewilderment as if it were a magic wand.
'What is this?'
Receiving such treatment felt surprising. Even with increased sales, this seemed excessive. Ju-Hyeok thought for a moment. He habitually scrutinized his surroundings when receiving unexpected privileges, usually suspecting a scam or hidden agenda. However, it was neither this time. He realized it after thinking it over.
'This is just our position now.'
The national competition team, Almond, and their management had won within the game and in the broader social game. As a reward, they now held this position. Mistaking oneself as lower than one's actual standing could hinder progress. Recognizing this new status, Ju-Hyeok had a sudden thought.
'Wait. Then...'
He began typing furiously on YouTube's community page.
[Management Job Posting]
His company now needed more staff.
***
Tension among the players grew as the match against China approached. The practice schedule became more rigorous and Sang-Hyeon was no exception despite his frequent public appearances.
"Yawn."
Sang-Hyeon checked his phone notifications after waking up.
[Morning - Scrim]
[Afternoon - Scrim]
[Evening - Scrim]
"..."
It made him wonder why they even sent a schedule, but something noteworthy did catch his eye.
[Scrim with Rome scheduled!]
Rome had agreed to scrim with them. Chi-Seung had been pushing for this because Rome and China's civilization factions had similar traits. Conversely, Joseon's factions were similar to Mongolia’s, so China would also likely scrimmage against Mongolia. Sang-Hyeon stared at the lengthy text.
'At least I have some time in the morning.'
Despite the tight schedule, he found a gap with eagle-eyed precision. He had honed this skill during his time at Ah-Sung. Although he had developed it to cope with the tough work environment, he wasn't using it to avoid practice now.
[Live]
He planned to do a live broadcast even if it was just briefly. Viewers came pouring in after the notification. Messages flooded the chat since it had been a while.
— ?
— Oh
— It's been ages, Boss Almond!
— A streamer returns after a millennium, omg.
— World-class streamer.
— Wow, a live stream.
— Bong Joon-ho, BTS, Son Heung-min, and Almond, let's go.
— When Almond was born, there was light.
— The only streamer to shake hands with the Ah-Sung vice president, lol.
— Tell us about meeting the Ah-Sung vice president.
'Hmm?'
Something felt different. The viewers reacted differently to Almond than before.
[Current Viewers: 159k]
After a long break, the live broadcast reached 160,000 viewers. This matched his all-time high during peak streaming periods.