Chapter 28
Lee Gun-young woke up groggily. It was noon.
He drew back the curtains, letting the bright sunlight flood into the dark room.
Habitually, he picked up his phone, which had no messages, and went to YouTube.
He scrolled down but turned it off when there was nothing interesting.
He reopened YouTube and scrolled again.
Seeing no engaging thumbnails, he turned it off once more.
“Hmm.”
He fiddled with his phone on the bed for about ten minutes before going to his desk. He turned on his computer, which was in sleep mode, and opened the browser.
His ID was “Public Restroom Brick Thief King.”
He always turned on the stream of a familiar streamer around this time and went to get some water.
Gulp gulp.
“Hmm. I’ll skip lunch…”
Lee Gun-young decided not to eat lunch, which was essentially breakfast at this time.
He had no appetite. Cooking was too much of a hassle.
He washed up, tidied the house a bit, then returned to his room and closed the door.
He sat down at his computer.
‘I can’t keep living like this.’
It had already been two years since he started this reclusive life.
He was originally somewhat extroverted, had good social skills, and many friends.
But he lost his confidence after being bullied at the academy he attended for art college entrance exams during his second year of high school. He gave up on the college entrance exams and fled.
After that, he started to dislike meeting friends.
He felt too insignificant, and he didn’t want anyone to see him like this.
Being in his room was comforting.
Maybe it suited him better than he expected.
As he watched streams and browsed the internet, the day quickly passed, and the sky darkened.
Since he woke up late, it was inevitable, but the night sky, devoid of sunlight, made him feel even more depressed.
Lee Gun-young prepared dinner.
He simply took out a few frozen dumplings and put them in the air fryer.
‘Good thing I have no appetite. Hehe.’
Tomorrow would likely be the same as today.
He felt sorry for his parents who sent him living expenses.
They silently supported him even though he failed the entrance exams and reattempts.
But he hadn’t truly failed.
He hadn’t even attempted.
He was afraid of failure.
“Haaah.”
Lee Gun-young sighed deeply.
“I’m worthless.”
He hadn’t wasted money.
Since he stayed cooped up in his room, he hadn’t spent much beyond minimal living expenses for several months.
But he was wasting even more important time.
He knew that.
“I want to change…”
Really.
He felt like he would die from his own patheticness.
But he had no strength to change.
At that moment, a streamer’s voice came from the computer.
[I’m looking for an editor. If any of the viewers are interested in editing my videos…]
The streamer’s name was Jin Seojun.
A streamer who had started less than a week ago.
Some thought it was strange or enviable that someone could start a channel and succeed so quickly.
The streamer was the exact opposite of him.
With exceptional talent and a bit of annoying confidence.
‘I used to be like that.’
But the talent he had as a child vanished as he grew up, leaving only a failure and a reclusive hermit.
[So, let’s go for it!]
The stream ended.
The beginner streamer had set a dark end screen, showing his face reflected on the monitor.
He stared blankly at his reflection in the monitor and muttered.
“Editor. Maybe… I’ll give it a try?”
Perhaps he needed something to challenge himself.
He began to search the internet for information on video editing, almost as if possessed.
A typical person would have spent this time browsing other streams.
* * *
The next day, he edited videos.
“I’ll do this like this, and the shortcut keys are…”
A sense of improvement and learning something new.
It was a feeling he hadn’t had in a long time.
His mouth curved into a smile.
He felt useful. Like he had found a purpose.
“I’ll do this here. …Is there another way to add effects? I should look it up.”
He spent the entire day editing.
Time seemed to pass faster than before, but today the passage of time didn’t feel meaningless.
And he seemed to have some talent for it.
Lee Gun-young wanted to escape from his miserable self and do something worthwhile.
Editing work even seemed to suit him.
‘Now that the video is done, if I send the email…’
It should work.
His hand, which had been on the mouse, pulled away.
Lee Gun-young’s eyes wavered for a moment.
Then he closed the email window, grabbed his phone, jumped into bed, and opened YouTube.
‘I did a lot today, so I’ll do it tomorrow.’
He hummed a tune and returned to his usual routine.
And the next day, he postponed sending the email.
And the next day too.
The same happened the following day.
Before he knew it, five days had passed since he last thought about video editing.
He deleted the editing program and thought.
‘It probably wouldn’t have worked anyway…’
Negative thoughts rationalized his avoidance.
Would a video made just after learning for a day pass?
No.
So why send it if it’s not going to work?
It’s pointless.
Giving up is easier.
* * *
[Today, I’m going to catch the Queen.]
The stream started.
“Hello, everyone.”
– LOL it’s 100% true
– Seoha
– Seoha
Over the past week, the number of viewers had not increased and had actually decreased.
Taewoo, Movie Soft, and Seojun all anticipated this outcome.
Some viewers joined to watch Seojun, but many were also there to see his skills.
Nonetheless, Seojun had accepted Movie Soft’s offer for a reason.
‘Concrete layer.’
It refers to a loyal viewership that continues to watch a streamer regardless of the content.
Seojun had managed to build a shallow concrete layer over the past week.
He couldn’t always dominate the game.
And he hadn’t lost as much as he expected.
‘When catching the Matapju, there were 3,000 viewers.’
The previous day’s broadcast had 2,300 viewers.
A much higher number than anticipated.
-Queen is trash lol
-The original of the invincible is different
-How is the broadcaster the original? The Dawn of the Assassins wasn’t only in this series
-If you do well, you’re the original lol. If the guksu restaurant is good, it’s the original
-LOL
[‘Fraud Dice’ donated 10,000 won!]
[Seoha! I’m thinking of starting Dawn of the Assassins after watching Seojun. What do you think?]
“Ah, thank you for the 10,000 won donation. This game is fun. And it’s really easy. You just need to follow my lead.”
Although the payment hadn’t come through yet, Movie Soft was an advertiser.
So, he said some flattering words.
-LOL Don’t listen to that
-If you buy it to play invincible, you’ll definitely regret it lol But I recommend buying it.
-The broadcaster is a devil
-Please buy Dawn of the Assassins
-Remember when he pretended to be an expert and deceived everyone a few days ago
Is that not it?
Whatever it is, it’s fine.
“Well, that’s it.”
Seojun was in the lobby.
“Before we start the game, I have something to say.”
Seojun found out through a search that Brick Thief King was watching.
-What’s this?
-Major announcement?
-I hope he’s not revealing he has a girlfriend or something ㄷㄷ
-If he’s going to donate all the money he’s earned, we respect that decision and support him.
Seojun ignored the chat scrolling by and opened the video.
It was Brick Thief King’s application video posted on YouTube!
“Brick Thief King, who’s watching the stream right now? Is this you?”
-How did he get the ID Public Restroom Brick Thief King?
-LOL
-I wonder if there are really two people with such a nickname in the world
-Why are all the nicknames like that?
“I left a comment on the video and tried to contact you through the travel ID, but you didn’t respond. I have something to discuss, so please check your contact.”
The quality of the video Seojun saw the previous day was to his liking.
It didn’t have any special effects or editing techniques.
The reason was its sense and neatness.
As expected of a viewer who watched all the live streams, Brick Thief King had captured the interesting points of the video and neatly refined them.
“I don’t know why you didn’t send the email, but I’d like to have a serious discussion.”
-Oh! Is he looking for an editor?
-Play the video
-But why did he post it publicly instead of privately lol
-I want to see it.
“The video? You can watch it yourself.”
Seojun said that to increase the video’s views.
-Introduction is hilarious
-LOL
-I’m going to check it out now
[Streamer Seojun’s editor application video.
Hello! I haven’t formally learned editing, but I’m confident I can work hard!
I only have time left. ㅎㅎ I’m unemployed.
Also, since this is my first video, I can improve over time!
A growth-type editor. Isn’t that awesome?
If you need verification, please contact me! I’ll edit other things as well.]
-TMI overload lol
-He’s unemployed, huh, Brick Thief King!
-If he wasn’t unemployed, why would he steal bricks from public restrooms lol
-That’s not something even an unemployed person would do. I know because I’m unemployed lol
* * *
“Ah, damn it. How embarrassing!”
Lee Gun-young messed up his hair with both hands and hit his thighs with his fists.
“Why did I make it public!”
The introduction text he had roughly written.
And the embarrassing ID he couldn’t proudly mention anywhere.
Plus, it was the first editing attempt.
A triple set of embarrassment.
“How did he find it? The views were low.”
He hurriedly went to YouTube and set the video to private.
-LOL The video came down in an instant lol
-LOL
-Did Brick Thief King watch it lol
-LOL Forced shameful display
-It’s obvious he didn’t upload it correctly
[Oh. Was it a mistake? I didn’t know… Anyway, please check the comments and contact me.]
-You’re the one who killed Brick Thief King, Seojun! You killed Brick Thief King, Seojun! You killed Brick Thief King, Seojun!
-Shameful death
-It’s the uploader’s fault lol
-LOL Unemployed jerk
Lee Gun-young closed the travel comment window.
But he couldn’t close it on the streaming screen.
He just closed the broadcast screen.
“Ugh! So embarrassing.”
Calming his startled heart, Lee Gun-young carefully played the video he had set to private.
Even though he was scared and embarrassed that many people could see it, he thought there must be a reason why Seojun mentioned it on the broadcast.
“Okay, since it’s been discovered, let’s see what he said…”
Lee Gun-young’s muttering stopped.
[Seojun][20 hours ago]
[Wow, was this video made just one day after learning? Your talent is amazing. I don’t know why you didn’t send the email, but I’d like to work with you. If you’re interested, please definitely leave a message.]
He stared at the screen—or rather, the comment—with a complicated expression.
His eyes reddened.
A long silence followed.
Finally, he murmured in a slightly trembling voice.
“I was kinda expecting something like this…”
Haaah.
He sighed deeply and looked up at the ceiling.
The ceiling of his cozy prison, which he occasionally looked up at while lying in bed and using his phone, looked different now.
His eyes were definitely not wet.
“…”
He replayed the edited video he made several times.
“Even though it’s a mess to me on the first day of learning, what talent…”
He was self-deprecating.
But at the same time, he was smiling more brightly than anyone.
A sense of liberation.
It felt like finding an escape route from a maze.
“Okay, let’s give it a try.”
Talent.
The most outstanding streamer said he saw talent in him and wanted to work together.
“If. If it’s just to exploit me with passion and pay, you said that to get me to work, I’m really not going to let it go. If there’s controversy, only you will suffer.”
With trembling hands, he began to write the email.
