“[...Hyung, the system’s in the company!?!]”
“[?? And you can cancel it??]”
Yes.
I stared at Keun Sejin’s popup of horrified disbelief and looked back at the company status window.
It listed everything from reputation to signed artists, even a company grade. It looked exactly like a demo version of a company-simulation game.
‘What am I supposed to do with this?’
I clicked it, just in case.
“[※Function not yet available.]
Reason: Before mission start”
“.......”
So it does plan to offer some function. But since I haven’t started the ‘mission,’ it won’t show me anything yet.
‘It must be because of this popup.’
“[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Do you wish to cancel its use?]”
I guess I have to refuse cancellation to proceed.
“[Phew, since it’s your item, you can do whatever you want with it.... Eheheh, thank goodness......]”
Right. I get to choose.
“[Uh... why aren’t you canceling right away? Why are you hesitating?]”
Well....
‘Gold rank... no, Spacer must have a system shard.’
“[!!]”
A popup saying “Shard possession confirmed” had appeared when Spacer mentioned the wish ticket.
“[Ahhh, the system reacted because Spacer has the shard!]”
Exactly.
‘Maybe to take that shard from him, I need to do this.’
A reaction means movement—if I keep using it, I might discover a way.
No one without a status window would survive random mission-failure penalties out of nowhere.
And whether Spacer dies or not, I owed him at least enough to give him a wish ticket.
‘...And one more thing.’
If one shard is with Spacer, the pattern becomes predictable.
There are four shards total.
We’ve discovered me, Keun Sejin, and Spacer—next is almost certainly....
‘...Cheongryeo.’
The system-experience trio.
‘Maybe I should have him speak a wish, too.’
I’ll have to prepare what to say.
But first, I shook my head and returned to pressing matters.
What should I do with this system?
If I simply bear Spacer’s mission-failure penalty, it would be too big a loss.
I’d probably cut him off in reality—wish ticket or not....
“Honestly.”
“[...Honestly?]”
I rubbed my chin.
“I think I can profit from this.”
“[?!]”
Think about it.
Attribute rolls, level-ups, status window access—I’ve wrung the system dry to maximum benefit.
Suddenly being forced to debut in someone else’s body and dying on failure was the only real risk.
‘This is basically a cheat code.’
“[Hyung?]”
But now look.
Growing a company? That aligns perfectly with my goals.
Failure penalty? If the company fails anyway, it’s the same as failing # Nоvеlight # a mission.
And from experience, mission penalties have been minor—not death-level.
And....
“No matter what, I don’t think I’ll fail.”
A single mission is nothing.
“[Huuah.]”
Alright. Decided.
I already wondered when I’d have to mold this fledgling company into Testa’s caliber.
I nodded.
Judging all factors, there’s no need to avoid a shortcut.
But let’s confirm one last time.
I asked Keun Sejin.
‘Does this look dangerous to you?’
“[...This item doesn’t feel threatening, but this whole situation is terrifying! So terrifying!]”
“[Feels like you’re sacrificing yourself for Spacer, hyung?!]”
That’s all I needed. Just nerves.
“[!?]”
‘The system is my item now?’
Good. After escaping a collapsing building, body-swap hell, and gathering shards, I’ll use it well.
I summoned the popup again.
“[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’
Do you wish to cancel its use?]”
‘No.’
At once,
crackle of holographic fireworks
Beyond Keun Sejin’s exclamation popup, light burst forth.
“[‘Item: ■■■ (ver. Beta)’ Use confirmed!]”
“-‘■■■’ has become company-use!”
A translucent hologram began to take shape.
Borders formed, color filled in....
The completed interface looked like a slick mobile-game window. As if it were evolving, a popup flashed at the top.
“[Mission Created (NEW!)]
Mission: Achieve B-Rank for
– To reclaim the ‘■■■ shard,’ raise the target’s rank.”
Huh?
Just as I wondered how company rank related to shard absorption, a help tooltip appeared below.
“[Help: Raising ’s rank increases the owner’s control power.]
[Use strong control power to dominate the ‘■■■ shard’!]”
Oh.
So... because I used the system on the company, the more I grow the company, the stronger my control over the system becomes—and I can claim other shards that way.
Spacer’s “wish” and my goal fit together nicely. Not bad.
However....
“[Remaining time: D-100]
– Failure: ■■■ shard ownership revoked”
“.......”
That deadline is shameless.
And the penalty description is vague—I have no idea what precisely happens on failure.
“[Then!! Try canceling it now, hyung!]”
Should I try?
“[※Cannot cancel during a mission!]”
‘So it says.’
“[Uhhhhh....]”
I left Keun Sejin’s popup and called up the status window again.
“[Company: Stars Orbit Entertainment]
Reputation: C+
Performance: (-)
Profit: (-)
Artists: Testa(★★★★★), Miryuna(★★★★), Spacer(★★★) ....
Overall Grade: D+”
Now it’s clickable.
The click was for “.”
“[Overall Grade Details: A promising new agency with talented artists! But no actual track record....
Let’s generate revenue through artist activities!]
[Function Unlocked: Album!]
[Function Unlocked: Acting!]
[Function Unlocked: Variety Show!]”
Holographic sparks flew as new buttons shimmered.
‘It’s chaos.’
A lot became visible.
I smirked and scanned the list.
‘Acting, variety can wait.’
Right now the urgent need is one thing.
‘Official album activities.’
For a standard group-activity cycle, push the most obvious—debut album.
‘Need a strong first strike.’
A quick, precise comeback for a powerful survival announcement.
And to grow the company, priority goes to the most impactful group. Who else?
‘Obviously, Testa.’
Tier one.
I cracked my shoulder and said:
“Use the Album function.”
Immediately the interface changed. A clean input screen.
“[Album]
Manpower: (-)
Capital: (-)
Duration: (-)
*Start Production ← Click!
[Help: The higher the star rating you invest, the better effects you’re likely to get during production!]”
What now?
‘Does it auto-create the album for me?’
That would be absurd—but even support would be huge.
I tapped the manpower tab. Company staff appeared in cards.
“...!”
“[Kim Najin(★★★) – AR Team]
[Kim Seowon(★★★★) – AR Team]
[Na Sejung(★★★★) – AR Team]
[Park Jinwoong(★★) – AR Team]
....”
A sight to behold.
Clicking a card probably shows speed, style, strong/weak genres—but I scrolled down for higher ratings.
There weren’t many. They were clustered in AR, but the AR team itself was small.
‘Of course—truly top talent would have their own separate unit.’
They’d earn more money that way.
At the bottom was an “Outsource External Manpower” button. I clicked it...
There.
“[Kim Rae bin(★★★★★) – Testa]”
“.......”
‘Kim Rae bin is staying forever.’
He’s worth feeding six meals a day.
I set manpower, capital, and duration to reasonable demo levels.
‘Demo album—if we never release it, no harm done.’
Besides, this UI is so obsequious, I expect a “Are you sure you want to start?” confirmation.
So as soon as I clicked “Start Production,”
beep!
The button bounced and a popup appeared.
“[※Function not yet available.]
Reason: Company control power insufficient
– Current control power: C”
“.......”
Again?
‘How do I raise it?’
Another popup appeared.
“[Investment needed to reach control B: ₩10,000,000,000]”
I nearly rubbed my eyes.
I reread the unit.
But it stayed the same.
‘Ten billion won.’
“.......”
This thing thinks ten billion is a small dog’s name....
“[J-J-J shall I chip in, hyung??]”
Crazy.
I stared at the status window in dismay.
Then:
vzzzz—
“.......”
Spacer messaged me.
“-Hyung!
-Should I cancel the wish ticket?ㅠㅠ Did I go too far!?”
“.......”
Too late.
“[Help: ‘Company Control Power’ indicates your direct influence over the company. The higher the rank, the more functions unlock.
Ranks can be raised in various ways, but the fastest is investment!]”
And a money-guzzling hippo demanding ten billion to go from C to B.
‘Fuuuck....’
I staggered out of the bathroom.
Yes. I’d been hiding in the bathroom doing all this.
“Fixed?”
“So-so.”
I had just cried “Cancel!” into thin air in the conference room.
But when the real cancellation didn’t happen, I collapsed back into my seat.
“-...?”
The members, realizing there was no emergency, calmly made space—though they did stand guard outside the bathroom.
“What happened?”
They’d thought I’d thrown money at a growth package, but instead I’d been lured into an even worse pay-to-win scheme. That about sums it up.
I swallowed a sigh and said:
“Does this company really need ten billion won right now?”
“...??”
“Well, I mean... at least we got something that could help our activities.”
I briefly explained the system applied to the company. Some were intrigued, some wary, but everyone agreed “we could use it.”
Then Seon Ah hyun, with a sudden resolute look, grabbed my arm.
“M-Mundae. About that ten... if you need money, I can give it...!”
“Thanks, but that’s not what I meant.”
Don’t forget our settlements are roughly equal.
But since it was out of nowhere, mouths babbled:
“So... the company really needs that much?”
“That’s what I asked.”
“Oh! Right.”
Bae Sejin’s face turned bright red. The others tilted their heads, whispering.
“I don’t think we need that much.”
“Our company has tons of money—we saw that number.”
“Hmm~ Did buying T1 Stars cost a lot? But Mundae got a steal, didn’t you?”
Exactly. We probably don’t need it.
“Then... why are you curious, Mundae?”
“...If we put in ten billion, the company will run better.”
“...??”
Big Sejin’s rare question-mark face said “What the hell are you talking about?” I stifled a laugh.
Cha Yoo jin shot up his hand.
“That’s a scammer’s line!”
No. It’s not.
“I mean I’d invest in the company.”
...Wait.
As I spoke, I realized.
‘Right.’
I’m not dumping ten billion into the system—it’s an investment in the company.
Then... the money doesn’t vanish.
‘I can make them pay back what I put in.’
If the album is good, and the tour makes money...
It could multiply beyond that.
My mind cleared.
“...Anyway, I was just deciding whether to invest, so don’t worry.”
I grinned.
“If we succeed, I think it could multiply many times.”
“OK!”
The conversation ended on a high note.
...But pouring in ten billion nearly clears out my own funds.
‘That’s rough.’
At that moment, Kim Rae bin approached quietly.
“Hyung. If you’re in a pinch, I can float you a loan...!”
“...Ah, thanks.”
He must have missed the investment part while worrying.
He’s probably the richest here—but somehow borrowing from him feels like the biggest scam.
‘Still... reassuring to have the option.’
In the worst case, I’ll eat meals.
I made my choice.
‘Let’s go for it.’
Since I can reclaim it, why not try?
Ten billion invested.
“Hello. Yes, I’m calling because I have something to discuss....”
......
And immediately after negotiations with the company finished,
The popup appeared.
“[Investment needed to reach control B: ₩0]
[Control Power Up!]”
‘Phew.’
Ten billion gone in an instant.
‘I almost broke into a cold sweat.’
I unconsciously creased my brow.
But the popup wasn’t done.
“[Control Power (C) → Control Power (B)]
– Reward: Hint Ticket (x5)”
Hm?
“[Help: ‘Hints’ are various pieces of information that help the company grow or overcome crises.
Use Hint Tickets to gain valuable hints, securing high-level manpower, capital, and time!]”
