Chapter 50

I decided to hire one editor.

Jeong Sang-heon. He was the operator of FanTube and had incredible skills.

I’m not talking about editing skills. Sure, his editing skills were great, but on MTube, that’s like the second—no, third most important thing.

What I liked about Sang-heon was his sense of humor.

His ability to pinpoint the funniest moments during live broadcasts and compress them into edited videos was, I guarantee, top-tier in the industry.

Plus, he was fast.

He’d upload videos just three hours after a broadcast ended. I almost suspected he had some cheat ability.

A talent like this? You gotta hold onto them for life.

I’d have to increase his base salary. Throw in some hefty incentives too.

The only downside is that he seems weak on subculture topics and avoids them, but with his talent, he’d catch on quickly with a little guidance.

Well, even if he doesn’t, it’s fine. I’ve already got a backup plan.

9 AM. I left three hours early for the meeting and headed to a nearby movie theater.

Since I was out, I figured I’d kill time by watching a movie.

The movie I chose was a space adventure based on a popular novel, where the protagonist, a female android, gets trapped and embarks on an adventure.

About two hours later, I stood up and gave a standing ovation.

The essence of space opera was born here.

The original novel was so good that the movie was absolutely mind-blowing.

It was a satisfying movie for the first time in a while. To celebrate, I went to the snack corner and ordered a hot dog with handmade ham.

Yum. I happily devoured the hot dog and headed to the café, the meeting spot.

“Welcome.”

“A hot chocolate for the drink. For dessert, cheesecake, croffle, caramel pudding, whipped cream waffle, blueberry muffin, strawberry croffle.”

“Are you here with another guest?”

“I’ll be alone for now.”

“…I’ll confirm your order.”

I sat at a seat with a view outside and fumbled through the contract to review it.

It was a contract I had made after consulting a lawyer.

Now, all I needed was my new…employee to show up.

Perfect.

Satisfied with the situation, I smiled contentedly.

“Excuse me.”

Then, someone spoke to me.

I looked up and saw a tall man in a suit.

“If you have time, I’d like to have a conversation. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

At my response, the man nodded and sat down across from me.

“You probably find it suspicious that I suddenly approached you. This isn’t some pickup attempt. I’m—”

“From an entertainment agency, right?”

From his attire and tone, I could roughly guess.

“…Yes, that’s correct.”

The man handed me his business card.

I took it and confirmed it was, as expected, from an entertainment agency.

[Prime Entertainment]

[Management Team 1 Manager]

[Na Su-han]

Prime Entertainment.

They’d lost their top spot to another entertainment company, but as they say, old masters never fade. They were still a powerhouse.

At my calm reaction, Na Su-han asked in a slightly disappointed tone,

“Do you already belong to an agency?”

“Yes.”

What goes around comes around.

With a pounding heart, I pulled out my business card.

I hadn’t expected to show this to someone so soon.

[Yoorim Company]

[CEO Han Yoorim]

Na Su-han, who took the card, paused for a moment.

“…I’m sorry. My knowledge is limited. What does your company do?”

“We develop games and produce videos.”

I created it on Mos’s recommendation. With the current profits, setting up a corporation seemed beneficial in many ways.

At my answer, Na Su-han let out a sigh of relief for some reason and continued,

“So, it’s a one-person company?”

“I just started it recently.”

“It’s a shame you’re already signed, but I’ll still make an offer. Would you like to conquer the entertainment industry with me?”

Celebrities. They’re people who work hard to entertain others.

In a way, they’re similar to game developers. It wasn’t a completely unrelated field.

“What about me caught your eye?”

“To be completely honest, your looks.”

“Hmm.”

I stared at Na Su-han intently.

With a look that said, “Just that?”

Na Su-han opened his mouth.

“If my offer makes you uncomfortable, please let me know anytime.”

“I value sustainability very highly.”

“Sustainability?”

“Looks? They’re important in the entertainment industry, but relying on just that will make you shine briefly and fade away.”

Back in the day, celebrities were called “talents.”

It’s a term derived from the Christian word “talent,” meaning ability and skill.

In other words, a celebrity is someone who possesses a sparkling talent.

If you jump in with mediocre talent, you risk a big fall—

“With your looks, Han Yoorim, you can already make it just with that.”

Na Su-han answered firmly.

So firmly it felt like it could cut my hand. Ouch.

Curious about his confidence, I asked,

“If I were to become a celebrity, what would I do?”

“Modeling or acting would be great.”

“I’ve never taken acting lessons, though.”

“You can start learning now.”

People with this kind of baseless confidence usually lack substance, but for some reason, I trusted Na Su-han.

Is this the power of a scout?

How many people has he lured into the entertainment industry like this?

Just as I was inwardly admiring Na Su-han,

“Your hot chocolate is here.”

“Wow.”

My drink arrived.

“And your cheesecake, croffle, caramel pudding, waffle, blueberry muffin, and strawberry croffle are here too.”

I’m gonna pass out.

First, I took a sip of the hot chocolate the part-timer placed on the table. Sweet.

I put the cup down on the table and parted my lips.

“Can I think about it and get back to you?”

“Of course, anytime.”

There’s no particular reason I didn’t flat-out reject Nasuhan’s proposal.

You never know how things will turn out, right?

I won’t become a celebrity, but if I ever need help later, the business card I received now will come in handy.

What kind of help, you ask?

Uh… When I feel like covering the entertainment industry?

Thinking about it again, it probably won’t be much help.

But gamers are the type to hoard items and not use them until the moment they defeat the final boss.

Please understand.

Nasuhan left immediately. Left alone, I picked up the piled-up desserts with a fork.

“Hey.”

Then someone spoke to me.

Another scout? It’s because of the Super Developer’s aura, but seriously. I hope they don’t bother me too much.

“Excuse me… Are you… Han Yoorim?”

“Have a seat.”

It wasn’t a scout, but my first employee I had been waiting for.

Just by the tone, I knew who it was.

Jeong Sang-heon, who sat down, wiped the sweat from his hands on his pants several times. He must be nervous.

After hesitating for a while, Jeong-heon finally spoke to me.

“…So, why exactly?”

“Hold on.”

“Huh?”

I stopped him right away.

It must be confusing, but there was no other way.

I calmly explained.

“Asking why a VTuber’s avatar looks similar to their real appearance and suggesting it’s better to just turn on the camera is already a cliché. If you’re my employee, it’s better not to say such predictable things.”

“Uh…”

“Go ahead.”

“I was just wondering why there’s so much food…”

Can’t a person pile up some food and eat?

Is that important?

“Why is that?”

“I thought more people were coming…”

“Just me. Now with Jeong Sang-heon, two people.”

Silence fell.

Weird.

Aren’t you surprised that the VTuber’s avatar looks so similar to their real appearance?

Is it amazing that I eat a lot of food?

How can that be?

I handed Jeong Sang-heon the contract and a pen. Such an insolent person deserves the punishment of making videos forever.

“As you’ll see when you read it, the base salary is 4 million won.”

“Wasn’t it 3 million won?”

“I raised it because I liked Jeong-heon’s skills.”

“Thank you!”

We haven’t even started yet, and you’re already thanking me.

“Incentives will be proportional to views. Every quarter based on performance.”

“Wow.”

“Videos need to be made 5 days a week. You can make more if you want, but take care of your health.”

“Got it.”

“And you can take days off on the dates you want. I’ll give you 2 days a month. You can carry them over, and they’re paid, so use them freely.”

“So, there must be a few more editors besides me. I guess I’ll have to collaborate with them, right?”

“Huh? The editor is just you, Jeong Sang-heon.”

At my words, Jeong-heon made the face of someone who dropped their wireless earbuds in the elevator gap.

He was very flustered.

“Just… me?”

“Yes.”

“Then the video uploaded to MTube the other day, ah. Did you have a freelance editor do it temporarily?”

“I made it.”

“Huh?”

I explained in more detail.

“On days Jeong Sang-heon doesn’t make videos, I’ll make them. So, feel free to use your paid leave.”

“No. That.”

It was supposed to be a great benefit, but Jeong Sang-heon had a strange reaction.

“It’s okay.”

I tried to reassure him as much as possible, but Jeong-heon still seemed confused.

“Aren’t you overworking yourself, Han Yoorim? Maybe it’s better to cut my base salary and hire a sub-editor.”

“It’s okay. I’m fast. I made the last video in just one day.”

“…You made that in one day?”

Anyway, the editing is done by a new unreleased game called <Mr. Android Who Loves Editing Too Much>. I don’t have to suffer.

…It’s a game. Really.

But! Even if it weren’t, running MTube is necessary for game development.

It’s okay to do this much.

Jeong-heon asked in a doubtful voice.

“Then wouldn’t it be better if you did all the editing instead of hiring an editor? You’re really good at it.”

“When else would I get called ‘boss’ if not now? So, from now on, call me boss.”

Miss Android doesn’t have the feature to call me boss.

Even if I added it, it wouldn’t feel the same.

This reason alone was enough to hire someone.

When else would I get to experience being a boss?

When I want to make a game with a boss character, it’ll be too late.

I should experience it in advance.

“Sign quickly. I’ll treat you to something delicious for lunch today.”

“Are you going to eat and then go back in?”

I will.

Don’t talk if you haven’t tried it.