Chapter 49

I spread my arms wide at the end of the ship, feeling like the heroine of <Titanic>.

“What are you doing, unnie?”

Bunny Run, who was feeding shrimp snacks to seagulls, looked flustered.

I lowered my arms and said, “I’m gathering materials for game development.”

“Game? Is it already out?”

“Not yet. It’s still a long way off.”

“Figures.”

I crossed my arms and sank into thought.

“Bunny Run-nim.”

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“How did you find your MTube editor?”

“Unnie, are you finally making MTube?”

“The fans have been demanding it.”

“That’s a relief!”

Why is Bunny Run so happy about this?

Did you need a side dish for your rice too?

“MTube editor? Hmm. Right now, we’re recruiting separately, but at first, we kidnapped one of the fan tube operators.”

“Really?”

“If you want to capture the fun and flow in videos, it has to be a fan. Otherwise, who’d watch the whole livestream?”

It made sense, just like my dad.

In the end, making what you love works out best.

“But unnie, if you’re going to hire someone from fan tubes, you have to choose carefully. Fan tube operators have big egos and edit in their own style, which might not align with what you want. It’ll be tough if it doesn’t match.”

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

“There’s a reason I don’t hire from fan tubes anymore.”

Everything has its pros and cons.

In short, if you’re aiming for the highs, go for fan tube operators. If you want to raise the lows, hire experienced editors.

“That was really helpful.”

“Glad to hear it. But unnie, how long are you staying in Donghae?”

“I should head back soon.”

I couldn’t use up more of my part-time vacation days, so it was time to go home.

If I stayed in Donghae any longer, the response wouldn’t be good.

The viewers’ response, that is.

Really.

After getting off the cruise, I looked back at Bunny Run.

“Can I stop by my alma mater one last time?”

“Your alma mater?”

“Yeah.”

“Is this about the game again?”

“Yep.”

This is why I like Bunny Run. They just get it.

Bunny Run and I headed to my alma mater, the elementary school.

In an era where all the dangerous playground equipment has disappeared.

Seeing the old equipment still disguised as play structures made my heart swell.

This is Donghae.

The weaklings in Seoul wouldn’t understand the thrill of breaking teeth.

It’s a premium kind of fun you can only experience as a kid.

I climbed to the top of the jungle gym.

The view was great.

“Unnie, you’re such a kid sometimes.”

“I always have the heart of a boy or a girl.”

The jungle gym is great. Climbing up here makes you feel like you own the world.

Hup! I climbed down from the jungle gym and walked through the neighborhood, stopping in front of an empty lot.

“Where is this?”

“It used to be my secret base.”

Back then, this place was filled with construction materials, creating a special space cut off from the outside.

Thinking about it now, it was pretty dangerous, but reading comics there was fun.

“Did you play here with friends?”

“Comics are for reading alone.”

If you shared comics, you’d have to wait to read the next volume, and that would be a disaster.

Being alone was always better.

“Unnie, you’re the best.”

“I’m always the best.”

I closed my eyes and tried to recall as many memories as I could from playing at the secret base.

Inspiration was flooding in.

The lightbulb in my head was flickering on and off.

“That’s enough. Let’s head back to Seoul—”

“Huh? Han Yoorim?”

I stopped mid-sentence. A man’s voice came from behind.

I turned around and saw a face that wasn’t entirely unfamiliar.

The man approached and spoke.

“Hey. Long time no see.”

“It really has been a while.”

“How long has it been? Almost 10 years? How have you been?”

“I’m always doing well.”

The man, chatting with a friendly expression, glanced at my side.

I looked too.

Bunny Run was standing there with a blank expression.

I pointed at Bunny Run with my palm and introduced them.

“This is my close dongsaeng.”

“Close dongsaeng. Nice to meet you. I’m Yoorim’s elementary school classmate.”

“…Hello.”

“Wow. Seeing you reminds me of when you drew on the school playground.”

“Anyone who’s deeply moved by <Suzumiya Haruhi> would do that.”

“And also—”

The man kept talking. I nodded and answered sincerely.

After pouring out all his memories, the man suddenly asked, as if he just remembered.

“We’re having a class reunion soon. You’re coming, right?”

“Of course.”

“This is fate. Want to exchange contacts?”

“Sure.”

After exchanging contacts, the man went home.

We went home too.

Bunny Run muttered as they followed beside me.

“Were you close with that guy?”

“Honestly, I don’t even know who he is. I didn’t go to school much.”

“…You don’t know him at all? Then why did you act like you did?”

“I have a strong aversion to rejection.”

It was a reasonable answer, but Bunny Run sounded incredulous.

“What if he bothers you with messages? Be careful.”

I wiggled my finger at Bunny Run’s words.

Whoosh. Bunny Run grabbed my finger.

“Bunny Run-nim?”

“You made me so annoyed I just did it without thinking.”

Without thinking? What are you, a cat? If you wave something in front of them, they’ll grab it.

I pulled my finger back and explained.

“Super developers like me have separate business and personal contacts.”

“You have two numbers?”

“No. I have one number.”

“…Then what’s the business one for?”

“Voice messengers are like SNS for people like us.”

Regular messengers are for once a week…

It was something you see a lot if you watch it often.

I even gave Kim In-ho my voice messenger ID recently, so maybe he won’t see me at all now?

Except when he needs to ask about part-time jobs.

As I explained, Bunny Run stared at me and then blurted out.

“Unnie.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just go home.”

Got it.

*

MTube has videos from all over the world.

Games, songs, short films, comedy, animation, documentaries, entertainment, etc. It didn’t discriminate by genre.

That’s why on MTube, people who wouldn’t normally mix end up mixing.

Cyber stalkers chasing issues, movie stars, university professors, kids just starting elementary school, MS (a cool life) who dedicated their lives to games, insiders, outsiders—all gathered on one screen. It felt like witnessing the final golden age of the internet.

On such MTube, Jeong Sang-heon, who runs the fan channel [Thierry is Not], was filled with anticipation after seeing Han Yoorim’s community notice.

<Looking for an Editor>

Number of positions: 0

Requirements: Someone who can make videos daily

Compensation: Base salary of 3 million won plus additional incentives (both negotiable and subject to increase)

If interested, please send your resume with an edited video attached.

We will announce again once the recruitment is over.

It was a fantastic offer.

A base salary of 3 million won was something only top-tier MTube companies could offer.

And Han Yoorim’s main game was <Eternal World>.

This <Eternal World> was a goldmine in the MTube editing world.

There wasn’t much to edit, but it got a lot of views.

One video a day?

Even now, without pay, I make one video a day.

If paid, I could make two videos a day.

‘But I don’t know much about VTubers, what should I do?’

You might have guessed from the fan channel’s name [Thierry is Not], but Jeong Sang-heon was a hardcore <Eternal World> fan.

He loved <Eternal World> to death, and all the broadcasters he watched were mainly focused on <Eternal World>.

He was completely opposite to VTubers.

Of course, Han Yoorim was quite different from typical VTubers, but she didn’t completely avoid VTuber actions.

Sometimes she did crazy things (like the Gothloli ‘Han Yoorim’ avatar), which didn’t need to be edited in fan channels since they were amateur.

But as a professional editor, it’s different. You have to edit everything, even the parts you don’t want to.

Can I do it?

After a moment of hesitation, Jeong Sang-heon closed his eyes and submitted his resume.

Nothing to lose by trying.

Lying on his bed, Jeong Sang-heon looked at the ceiling, filled with anticipation.

Among fan channel operators, no one was as good as him.

Whether it was the flow of the game, editing, or fun points.

No matter how he thought about it, he was the best.

Could I really get picked?

With that thought, Jeong Sang-heon closed his eyes.

And the next day. He woke up and sighed.

He had drunk too much kimchi soup.

Filled with disappointment, Jeong Sang-heon checked Han Yoorim’s YouTube.

Several videos had been uploaded in just one day.

‘They must have already found an editor.’

Uploading videos all at once like this probably wasn’t good for the algorithm, but Han Yoorim wasn’t the type to care about that. She probably just uploaded them for those who wanted to watch.

Whoever it was, they were smart. Attaching a video to be uploaded on MTube with the application. Even Jeong Sang-heon would have picked that person.

And their skills were good. The editing style was different from his, but their ability to pinpoint fun points was similar or even better.

Total defeat.

“Should I just delete the fan channel now?”

Just as Jeong Sang-heon was feeling a bit down and played his most viewed video on his fan channel, [Thierry MAD Movie NO.3], his smartphone rang.

Ding-ding. It was an unknown number.

Who could it be? If it’s a survey, I’m blocking it right away.

Annoyed, Jeong Sang-heon answered the phone curtly.

“Hello?”

[Is this Jeong Sang-heon?]

A pleasant voice. It was different from what he heard on broadcasts and calls, so he almost didn’t recognize it.

It was Han Yoorim’s voice.

“Y-yes, it is.”

He stuttered like a fool, but Han Yoorim got straight to the point.

[I wanted to contact you about hiring you as an editor.]

“An editor?”

[Yes. Have you already found a place to work?]

“No, not yet.”

They hadn’t already picked someone?

Thinking about it, the recruitment notice said 0 positions.

It was up to Han Yoorim to hire more people.

[I’ll come to you once I know your schedule. We can discuss the contract details when we meet.]

“Got it!”

For whatever reason, being chosen as Han Yoorim’s editor was good enough for Jeong Sang-heon to answer quickly.

The gloom had long disappeared.