Chapter 47: A Super Rookie from the Start (Part 2)

“[Just a moment. I’ll turn on donations.]”

Click

With that line, the broadcast displayed on the large screen in the middle of the conference room abruptly cut off.

The sudden, absurd technical difficulty left everyone in the room speechless. A brief silence filled the air. Then, the middle-aged man sitting at the head of the table burst into laughter.

“Bwahahaha!”

He slapped the table, seemingly amused to death. The other people in the room exchanged glances. Finally, the man, still chuckling, said, “She’s a gem. A real gem.”

“Is…that so, sir?”

A gem?

One of the employees muttered doubtfully. The man, addressed as “sir,” smiled and tapped a document on the table with his finger.

The document was filled with information about Shihyun, her picture, and her recent activities. The name “Five Star” was printed on it.

Park Gitae, CEO of Five Star Creative, pointed to the viewer count written on the document.

Peak viewers: 81,473.

Average viewers: 80,000.

“Look at this. She ended the stream like that with 80,000 viewers. Didn’t something like this happen before?”

“Yes, sir. She abruptly ended the stream when Euning first announced the explanatory broadcast on her channel.”

“See? She doesn’t care about the viewer count. She’s not phased by the pressure. Perfectly suited for streaming.”

That was one way to look at it.

But another interpretation was that she wasn’t taking the technical difficulties seriously.

“However, I believe this is cause for concern. If this continues…”

“Then it’ll become a meme.”

CEO Park Gitae interrupted the employee.

The employee fell silent at his positive reaction.

This attitude meant that CEO Park had made up his mind. He was going to recruit Shihyun as a streamer for Five Star Creative.

“I mean, it would be strange not to recruit her. She’s a streamer who can attract 80,000 viewers. And it’s not by luck. She earned those numbers with her skill. Plus, she has a strong mentality that doesn’t crumble under pressure.”

CEO Park looked around.

Then, he smiled.

“And she has a connection with one of our streamers. We have to recruit her. It would be negligence not to.”

“But Euning told Kim Kuma that she wouldn’t help us…”

“That’s because we approached it as a favor, relying on connections.”

CEO Park drew a line with a benevolent expression.

“But after seeing this level of talent…”

…it was time to change their approach.

At his murmur, an employee cautiously asked, “How would you change our approach, sir?”

“We offer her the best treatment.”

CEO Park placed his hands on the table and rested his chin on them. He thought for a moment, then asked the man sitting next to him, “Manager Kim, what’s the best contract we’ve offered a completely new creator?”

“60 million won, with an 8:2 split.”

“Hmm…”

CEO Park hummed, considering the terms.

The employees held their breath, watching him. He tapped the table a few more times, then turned to Manager Kim.

“How about 100 million won, with an 8:2 split?”

“Sir?”

Manager Kim’s eyes widened at the mention of 100 million won. He hurriedly tried to dissuade CEO Park.

“Sir, please reconsider. 100 million won… There’s no precedent for such a large contract with a rookie streamer.”

“That’s because no rookie has shown this much potential.”

“Potential…?”

CEO Park narrowed his eyes.

“How many companies besides Five Star will be vying for Shihyun? I’ve heard of at least three companies that have scheduled meetings with her after this broadcast.”

“…”

“Of course, 100 million won is a lot of money. It goes against industry norms. But what’s wrong with breaking the mold? It’s not like it’s a bad investment.”

CEO Park tapped Shihyun’s picture.

“With a face like that, she’s better than an actress. She has the look that big companies love. We’ll recoup the cost with advertising deals alone, not to mention the revenue share.”

Manager Kim calculated briefly, then nodded.

“You’re right, sir.”

“Of course, other companies will call it a waste of money, but if they’re jealous, they can spend their own money. They’ve made enough by exploiting creators; it’s time to reinvest. This industry is full of leeches…”

CEO Park clicked his tongue and looked around at the employees. He then smiled brightly.

“Alright, let’s go with this. Agreed?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Manager Kim, please talk to Euning and tell her our offer. This is a race against time. Honestly, I’m a little nervous. We have to move quickly to reap the rewards. Right?”

“Understood. I’ll get on it right away.”

Manager Kim nodded.

CEO Park smiled contentedly.

Thus, Five Star Creative set its gears in motion to secure Shihyun.

And they weren’t the only ones.

“Ha…”

Shihyun exited the VR device after the broadcast.

“Good work.”

Assistant Manager Kim greeted her with a smile and handed her a glass of orange juice. Parched, she drank it in one gulp. It was surprisingly good. Freshly squeezed, perhaps?

As she drank, Ji-eun approached. She sighed deeply as soon as she saw Shihyun’s face and shook her head.

“Shihyun, you can’t just end a broadcast like that.”

“Sorry, I don’t know how to use the interface… It was a mistake.”

Ji-eun rubbed her forehead and lamented, “Sigh, no, honestly, I should have anticipated this after the last broadcast. It’s my fault for not teaching you properly.”

Then, she looked up, her eyes sparkling.

“But thankfully, the response wasn’t bad. Actually, it’s quite good.”

“Really?”

A good response even after she abruptly ended the stream?

How was that possible?

Ji-eun nodded at her puzzled expression.

“Yes, thankfully, your performance was so amazing that everyone is focused on your test scores.”

That was a relief. Shihyun smiled, and Ji-eun warned, “But you can’t do that again. No, we’re having special training when we get home. I’ll drill the use of the broadcast interface into your head.”

“Ugh, I hate studying…”

“If you hated studying, you shouldn’t have caused trouble!”

Ji-eun snapped. She had a point. This wouldn’t have happened if Shihyun had studied the interface beforehand. Shihyun nodded.

“Alright, alright. I’ll study.”

“Sigh.”

Ji-eun sighed again, then her expression changed. She smiled, rushed over, and hugged Shihyun. Her voice was filled with joy.

“But you did great! You’ve officially made your streaming debut!”

“Yes. Thankfully.”

Shihyun scratched her cheek.

Yes, she had made her debut as a streamer.

She had taken a step closer to the life she had dreamed of before being transported to ‘that world’. A sense of accomplishment filled her. She smiled awkwardly and said, “So, what should I do now?”

“Huh?”

Ji-eun tilted her head.

Shihyun clicked her tongue.

“I don’t know much about streaming. I have a lot to learn.”

To her, streaming had only been something she watched.

While she remembered some aspects, much must have changed with the advent of virtual reality gaming.

Back then, AOS and battle royale games were popular.

But now, it was the era of Arfellium Saga.

An era where Arfellium Saga dominated the gaming industry. She couldn’t just stream various games like before. Besides that, the shift to virtual reality must have changed the content landscape drastically.

“So, I think I need to study.”

“You do need to learn a few things, Shihyun.”

“…That sounds strangely insulting.”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

Hitting her with the truth! That hurt.

“But don’t worry. I’ll help you.”

Ji-eun said with a smile.

A faint smile touched Shihyun’s lips.

That’s right. She had Ji-eun.

With her help, establishing herself in the streaming industry wouldn’t be impossible. After all, Ji-eun was a veteran who had survived in this tough industry for years.

“Then, let’s start with the most important thing.”

Ji-eun’s smile disappeared as she said, “Shihyun, your streaming concept. We need to decide on that first.”