Chapter 16 : The Saint is worried (2)

“Um… an editor?”

This steak was delicious.

“Yes. You’ll be starting your streaming career soon, right?”

Unlike her earlier hesitant demeanor, Seoyeon spoke confidently, like a soldier resolved to die in battle.

“…Streaming?”
“Ah, sorry, so…”

In short, she had stumbled upon my videos, edited them a few times, and seen my gameplay broadcast in the Capsule Room. That was the gist of it.

“I know I’m not as skilled as you, Hayun. That’s a fact. And I’m sure you have plenty of other editor applicants. But I can work really hard. If you hire me, I’ll definitely meet your expectations. And if there are no results, you don’t have to pay me anything. The VR market is booming, but there aren’t many streamers as skilled as you. Compared to that, editors are…”

“Hold on.”

I raised a hand to stop Seoyeon, who seemed about to dig herself into a hole.

I wondered what this was all about.

She seemed more desperate than someone at a job interview.

She even showed me her resume and college transcripts. She also showed me some of her edited videos, which was why I took so long to respond.

Click.

She clicked the mouse, and the laptop screen changed. It was a video of me defeating the bosses in Demon King.

All in first-person view, so the player was barely visible. But I could infer the situation from the occasional glimpses of body parts and the rapidly changing screen.

It wasn’t particularly entertaining.

But with some clever editing, combining the gameplay footage with the clip of me talking in the Capsule Room, it looked like I was narrating my own boss fights.

‘This is after I defeated Night King.’

It was practically a demon edit.

But it was entertaining.

The bland gameplay footage was transformed with the editing.

Even to a novice like me, Seoyeon’s editing skills were impressive.

She had straight A’s in college too.

I felt a pang of bitterness. A graduate from a good university with a perfect GPA, working as a part-timer at a Capsule Room.

I wanted to tell her, “You’re hired,” right then and there.

But there was one big problem.

“I never said I was going to stream.”
“…Huh?”

Seoyeon’s jaw dropped.

Slowly rubbing her chin, she continued.

“I’m sorry. I was presumptuous… I’m sure you have much better editors applying… I’m really sorry for bothering you.”

She looked like a dejected little animal.

I had received such emails, but I had dismissed them as spam, wondering why anyone would send them to someone who hadn’t even streamed yet. Seeing Seoyeon’s reaction, it seemed they were genuine.

“It’s not that. I just haven’t decided if I’m going to stream or not.”
“…Huh?”

Seoyeon blinked, as if asking, “Are you joking?” Then, realizing I was serious, she lowered her voice.

“Why not? You could easily earn over 3 million won a month just by starting.”
“Hmm.”

Well, that made sense, from a normal perspective.

“If you’re unsure, I won’t accept any payment until you’re established.”
“No, if I start, I’ll pay you what you deserve.”

She had put more thought into this than I expected.

I had just come for a meal.

‘Streaming, huh…’

I seriously considered it.

The brief interaction with the viewers wasn’t bad.

Compared to the trolls on the forum, they were practically angels.

It was nice having them react and agree with everything I said.

But still…

There was a reason why it was called a “professional streamer.” If I started streaming, it wouldn’t be a hobby anymore; it would be a job.

I liked gaming. But would I still enjoy it if it became work?

Many people lost interest in their hobbies after they turned into jobs.

And if I hired an editor, it would become a serious business, with me paying someone a salary. I couldn’t just quit if I got tired of it.

I didn’t want to force myself anymore.

I liked my leisurely, unemployed life.

That was the main reason.

I told Seoyeon what I was thinking, and she listened intently before speaking.

“It’s okay, Hayun. If you want to quit, you can quit anytime. You can stream whenever you want, for as long as you want!”

Was this just sweet talk to persuade me?

No.

She was being sincere.

“Is it okay if I only stream once a week?”
“Of course.”

That was tempting.

I might stream more often once I started, but…

“Of course, the more you stream, the better. But even if you only stream for two hours once a week, it’s fine. Because…”

She paused and showed me her laptop.

“See?”

[Viewers: 2] [Stream Time: 18:57:24]

A man was talking to himself on stream. Two viewers. Excluding Seoyeon…

‘Hmm.’

I was speechless.

“That’s Lara. He’s playing ‘Last Ragnarok,’ the current #1 VR game. But…”

I understood what she was trying to say.

Playing a popular game didn’t guarantee popularity.

The important thing wasn’t the streaming time, but the content.

Quality over quantity.

Well, if working hard guaranteed fame, everyone would be famous.

“So, if you were to stream, Hayun…”

She really liked streaming and editing.

‘It’s her major, after all.’

I took a sip of my iced coffee.

Sweet.

Latte was the best.

“The atmosphere and flow are very important, especially in the beginning. Some call it ‘cultivating simps’ or ‘establishing dominance,’ but…”

She was really talkative.

She looked like a cool beauty on the outside, but…

‘Why doesn’t she just stream herself?’

I learned the reason as I listened. She was a great editor, but her gaming skills were terrible.

‘Hmm. Let me think about it.’

Even if I liked being unemployed, I couldn’t stay unemployed forever… could I?

I had been spending freely on whatever I wanted, but… the money in my account was only increasing.

So it wouldn’t matter if I continued like this.

I wondered what Seoyeon’s expression would be if I told her that.

‘Hmm.’

That wouldn’t be right.

Besides, when introducing myself, “streamer” or “content creator” sounded cooler than “unemployed.” And if I only streamed once a week, it would still be a pretty sweet deal.

‘Wow…’

Joo Seoyeon. A formidable woman.

I almost fell for it.

I felt like saying, “Let’s do it,” right then and there.

But if I started streaming, I didn’t even know what game to play. I was already tired of Demon King.

There wasn’t anything else I wanted to do in that game.

Seoyeon said I could just chat, but…

I wasn’t a great conversationalist.

I wasn’t a complete social outcast, but I wasn’t exactly talkative either.

‘Wait.’

I had talked quite a bit with the viewers the other day.

‘Hmm.’

I probably talked more in that short time than I had in the past three days.

Was that the power of streaming?

I was getting sidetracked.

Anyway, the bosses in Demon King were instanced, so they respawned endlessly. The main content was farming the same bosses repeatedly for better items.

‘Honestly, it’s boring.’

Even in the original game, the endgame content was PVP…

‘The skill level of the players is too low…’

I couldn’t believe Night King was considered a top 1% player.

‘How lacking in talent is this world…?’

He was at the level of a neighborhood thug.

The videos of other games were different, though.

‘I guess I’ll have to try it to know…’

Huh?

Did I finish everything?

Ah, there’s a little left.

Slurp, slurp.

The sound of ice clinking against the glass through a straw.

“Ah… did I talk too much?”

Seoyeon asked cautiously, realizing she had been rambling.

‘You were such a good listener… I got carried away.’

What if Hayun thought she was a weirdo?

“A little.”

Hayun nodded.

‘Well, thanks to her, I have a general idea about streaming now.’

If I hadn’t liked Seoyeon, I would have left without hesitation.

Even if you talked to yourself, if the viewers liked you, they would stay.

‘Right?’

If not, I could just quit.

“Should I get you more?”
“More what?”

Hayun tilted her head at Seoyeon’s question.

“Coffee.”
“It’s okay.”

She was so eager to please.

It seemed like she would give her heart and soul to any man she dated.

“Seoyeon.”
“Yes?!”

Hayun looked into Seoyeon’s eyes.

“If I start a YouTube channel… I’ll tell you first. Be my editor then.”