NOVEL NEXT Chapter 349
No one’s life always goes according to plan.
Even the great figures that made history and today’s famous celebrities have had their share of tumbles during their childhood or youth.
The CEO sleeping in the stairwell of a building without heating due to a lack of money. The restaurant representative digging through garbage cans to figure out the secret of delicious flavors.
It must have been dark and gloomy days, but they didn’t stop there; they didn’t let despair hold them back.
It is said that frustration builds character, and it was precisely those experiences that allowed them to become great.
Nourished by such experiences, they gained strong roots that would not be swept away by future storms.
That’s why the biographies of great figures and the self-help books mostly align.
There’s no one who hasn’t experienced hardships and adversity in their youth. Life graphs can’t just consistently trend upward and walk the smooth path.
“…So, what we’re doing right now is one of those hardships and adversities, right?”
“Right.”
I explained this to An-sae, who looked somewhat unwilling beside me.
“Life is full of good days and bad days. You can’t get discouraged every time something happens.”
“Yee…”
Despite the explanation, An-sae seemed hesitant. Seriously, the youth these days just can’t cut it. No grit at all!
“Kaya, you’re the same age as me, yet…”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing…”
An-sae showed signs of hesitance yet complied with what I said—that’s her characteristic.
Is she just indecisive or genuinely kind? Since both options are ambiguous, let’s go with both.
[Just now you made me do something embarrassing, and now you’re making me beg. LOL!]
[Is this big company bullying?]
[Ah, LOL, they said they’d boost the broadcast. Just follow my lead.]
[But the broadcast is genuinely growing, so I got nothing to say. LOL!]
[This might stir some controversy…!]
[What’s the problem when money’s rolling in and the broadcast is doing well?]
[The issue is that human dignity is being crushed. LOL!]
[It’s okay, it’s okay. I have the multi-view on and I’m watching An-sae’s stream too, and Kayak is popular. LOL!]
[Why is the popularity so good?]
[Even though it’s a big corporation, they treat us casually and are surprisingly considerate. That’s what I’ve heard.]
[I just came from An-sae’s stream, and Kayak is letting the host have her way, which I like.]
[Did they… show consideration…?]
[The fact is, An-sae pretends to dislike it but is actually enjoying it. Yup.]
[That’s true LOL! Where else can you experience begging?]
[Nothing beats this from an experiential standpoint.]
[SamseongGalaxy donated 10,000 won!]
“10,000 won donated!”
“Wait, but why is the money coming in so well?”
“I know right? Why is the income so good?”
“…? Didn’t you expect that?”
“I kind of did, but…”
It’s just that the income is so sweet that it goes beyond expectations.
When I was doing both fishing and begging, I thought it would be lucky if I could even get as efficient as fishing. But it turns out people’s wallets open pretty easily.
“I guess we have a knack for begging, An-sae.”
“Umm… is that a good thing…?”
“[Beggar King Kayak ㄷㄷㄷ]”
“[Look at An-sae’s not-so-enthusiastic reaction]”
“[Open-minded Archmage Kayak, Open-minded Elder An-sae]”
“[It seems that person doesn’t really like this, Kayak.]”
“It’s good! It means we’re making money!”
“I’m happy, but I don’t feel right… it feels weird…”
Tsk, you’re already full, aren’t you? It’s because you don’t really need it. When you’re warm and full, you forget the value of money.
“[-Boomer-]”
“[Old-fashioned Kayak ㄷㄷ]”
“[How old is this person to be saying things like this?]”
“[If you’re going to have a concept, at least show an example.]”
“[Is this supposed to look like a concept? LMAO I’m like this even during streams.]”
“[So why is begging so effective?]”
“[Seriously, why is begging so effective!]”
Really, what’s the deal with the significant income from begging?
Well, when a business succeeds, you need to figure out why. It’s not something to just laugh off and move on.
You need to know the reason so you can invest time into it or not.
I was even thinking of giving up fishing to go all in on begging if it came down to it.
After all, whether it’s fishing or begging, it was all to gather resources to catch a dragon.
“[Professional Beggar Streamer ㄷㄷㄷ]”
“[Seriously, no pride or anything?]”
“[Does pride feed you? LMAO]”
“[This is right; today’s youth lack this kind of guts, right?]”
“[That young lady reminds me of my younger days @@,]”
“[Employee, you gotta act like that to feed your family, right?]”
“[;; Why are there so many girls in this room?]”
“[I feel like half of them are fashion girls.]”
While I was pondering, one of the viewers sent a donation.
“[Info Agent A donated 10,000 won!]”
“I checked out other streams and snooped around the community, but this place feels like a tourist spot you drop by occasionally when you log in.”
“This place?”
A tourist spot, huh? It really was.
This place was one of the fishing hotspots chosen by An-sae, with a wide river in front and lush mountains behind.
Behind it, there stood a lush green mountain.
Still, it’s just a pixelated graphic, but the scenery is nice enough and the fishing is good, so it’s a spot worth visiting for any fisherman.
Begging is best done in places with a decent flow of people.
After being chased out of the central square for begging, I’ve set up shop here, and looking back, I can say I chose a great spot.
[Are we seriously talking about feng shui now?]
[Yeah, this is Baesan-Imsu.]
[What the hell is Baesan-Imsu, you nerd?]
[It means there’s a mountain behind and water in front.]
[Houses over 1 billion won by the Han Kang are Baesan-Imsu.]
[What a prime location, haha!]
“All thanks to you, An-sae!”
“Me?”
“Because you chose this spot.”
“…Hehe…”
An-sae’s character is bouncing around in place. The sudden compliment seems to have caught her off guard.
They say compliments can make even whales dance, so I need to keep showering her with praise whenever I can.
It might just be a few words, but the difference in efficiency when you hear compliments versus when you don’t is huge.
It’s not forced praise; she actually did well enough to deserve it. The fact that our income is doing well is all thanks to An-sae picking such a good spot.
“According to our viewer’s comments, Kayak, the big company owner, begging is a rare sight, making this place a unique attraction…”
“Yeah, well. Good things are good, so let’s keep this going!”
*
After that, I worked hard to earn money with An-sae.
I still didn’t want to become a full-time beggar, so I didn’t focus solely on begging.
Fishing provided stable and regular income, but begging varied wildly depending on the day, so I didn’t want to rely on it completely.
That’s why I decided to fish during normal times and subtly beg when people came around.
“They say Kayak begs here…”
“But she’s fishing right now!”
“Hey, could you spare a penny?”
Still, thanks to the rumors, things have become much more comfortable than before. More visitors come knowing of my presence in advance.
Doing hawking on someone who has no idea about me is way more stressful than doing it with someone who expects to see me, and the results are much better, too.
It was comfortable, and the results were good.
From the very beginning, people were often aware of my existence, coming prepared with money, saying, “Oh, that Kayak is begging.”
You could say it was a kind of admission fee. When I put on my little show, those watching would cheer and give me money.
Looking at it this way, it seems more like a clown than a beggar.
But it didn’t really matter. In fact, it was a good thing. A clown is a bit better than a beggar, right?
“Is it possible to offer a service where I bark like a dog?”
“Dahee, you’re in trouble.”
“You’re nice to other people, huh?”
Sure, there were some pesky customers here and there, but it wasn’t a big problem. My dedication to service was just too strong.
How many more days had I been fishing and begging?
“Boss, we’re rich now.”
“Indeed.”
Before I knew it, my business was on track. The warehouse was overflowing with gold, and every day, more people began to wait for my show.
An-sae had started calling me by titles like Commander and Boss instead of Kayak.
Money has a way of creating loyalty, and the swelled bank account seemed to shift her mood.
I could keep going with just the fishing and performances, but I had no intention of stopping there.
“I’m still hungry.”
“…? You haven’t eaten?”
“I’M STILL HUNGRY.”
“Um…”
An-sae turned to focus on fishing, as if used to my antics, while I continued my thoughts.
What was the reason behind all of this? Why was I going so far as to lose a bit of my dignity to carry out this begging show?
It was all for the money. More money, that was the goal.
Now that I had some capital, I decided to launch another venture to earn even more.
It was a new business idea I had been planning for a while—a project that would bring me even greater wealth. Now that I had some money, it was the perfect time to execute that plan.
“Kehehe, we’re going to be rich, An-sae.”
“…Hehe…”
Following my shady, villainous laughter from behind the curtain, An-sae awkwardly chuckled along.
“But, Boss.”
“Yes?”
She looked at me and began to speak.
“Is it just me, or does it feel like I’m drifting further away from my original dream of being a dragon slayer…?”
“Ah.”
“Somehow, it feels more like I’m becoming a businessman than a fighter.”
Caught off guard by An-sae’s spot-on comment, I found myself momentarily speechless.