Editor Indulgences and Maru's Harsh Reality Check
Is the editor being considerate of me or what? There were tons of examples. But it was too much to read today, so I picked the one that looked easiest.
The third one: think once before you speak... I'd gone through that chat log before, and they said my heart skips a beat sometimes because I blurt out stuff that could spark controversy without hesitation.
They said my chats are fun, but the intensity level is too high.
For example, mentioning politics... They advised avoiding references to specific parties as much as possible. I already know that, so I never talk about it.
Also, "ah" is different from "eo." Even if you say something nicely, it can get twisted into controversy...
The prime example is the military. Best to steer clear as much as possible. And obviously, no politics, no other streamers, and these days, even asking innocent questions can be a landmine because there are too many people itching to step on you. Just avoid anything remotely controversial.
There were tons of examples. This must be their know-how. Stuff I'd never even thought of was everywhere.
Is this the difference between indie VTubers and big corps? I'd never streamed while thinking about any of this. You have to sweat these details to break into the big leagues.
I read diligently, over and over. Just in case it got deleted, I even took screenshots.
After ten minutes, my brain felt full... so I stopped reading.
Questions? Uh... not really... wait, actually, yeah, now I do. Why am I suddenly so smart?
I uploaded a screenshot of my chat with the editor.
I asked as politely as possible. Super formal, logical... a masterpiece message I pondered over multiple times.
Then.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling. Ding-a-ling-a-ling.
My Discord call rings. It's Maru calling. I jolt in surprise, trembling as I pick up.
"H-hello...?"
The sudden call scared me a bit. From my years of experience, this never means good news. Mom always said so.
"Seon-ah, you already sent them 250,000 won?"
I could sense slight panic in her tone. Oh no... did I mess up?
"Why? What's the basis? The reason for 250,000 won. Can you explain?"
"Uh... well, you have to take care of good connections, right? So I did. Since we're working together!"
"You need to think deeper about that. How do you know that editor won't quit after a day? Then you've just thrown away cash."
"Er... they just seemed nice..."
"How do you know?"
Maru starts grilling me. Totally like Mom. She does this all the time.
"Well, we'll find out now!"
We'll figure out their vibe while working together. No prejudging before we start.
To avoid bias, I judge with my own eyes and ears. Time will tell what the editor's like. No need to overthink now.
"That can't... happen. The start matters most. If you pay 250,000 won upfront, that becomes the baseline. People get sly—grateful at first, but later? 'You're skimping,' 'lost your touch,' 'this is abuse of power.'"
Maru's voice rises.
"Being generous is fine, but look to the future. Nice now? What if they suddenly demand more later? Business has no feelings. Do it on sentiment, and you'll just get hurt."
Sadness tinged her voice.
"Then what do I do?"
A brief silence, then Maru speaks.
"Per-video is way better, but the rate's too high. We'd need to cut it a lot. At this rate, you can't afford it."
Eh?! A brilliant idea flashes. A game-changer that's great for me and the editor.
"How about... Maru? Salary instead? I pay the editor a monthly salary! Then I'm a real boss!"
Boss? Sounds awesome just hearing it. Boss Seon-ah. Feels good imagining it.
"Aigoo..."
Sometimes I impress myself with my genius ideas. This was one. Too brilliant—I got excited without realizing.
I eagerly pushed to validate my genius.
"What do you think? Genius, right? Total game-changer?"
But Maru went silent. Why? Mic cut out?
"Can you hear me? Maru?"
"Ah, yeah, I hear you. Yep~"
"Mic okay? Anyway."
I asked again. Having someone judge my idea was thrilling and nerve-wracking.
"So? Good, right?"
No reply again. What's going on? Did I screw up? In these situations, it's always my fault. Another mistake? What did I do wrong? I replayed it mentally.
250,000 won's a burden. Solution? Hire as employee! Doesn't that logic hold?
Should I explain more? Can't keep up with my tempo? Hmm. Thought it'd be obvious. Maru's smarter than she seems? Nah... gotta explain. But explaining's tough—it's like rat poison, overwhelming.
Hard to organize my thoughts neatly. Can't say too much or too little... gotta hit the sweet spot. Impossible.
I always miss the middle. Sometimes overshare, sometimes undershare—problems either way.
"That's a really dangerous idea, Seon-ah."
"Huh...? Why?"
Maru's words were a shock. Why? Where?
"Hiring employees requires extreme caution. I only have 4 staff. The rest are all freelancers. Expenses demand careful thought. MCN's different. For independents... thinking of employees already is way too risky."
"Then what?"
"What? Outsource everything till you grow. Cut costs max. Most do editing themselves anyway. For streamers at your level, uh, well. Hiring a dedicated editor isn't common."
Spot on. Dead accurate. Most indie VTubers follow one of two paths. From what I've seen and heard—never misses.
First: stream and edit yourself. But it ends with abandoning YouTube. Balancing live streams drains you. Doing both solo is insane. After 5-8 hour streams, editing right away? Needs insane diligence. And editing's no joke. I was shocked by Editor-nim's speed—unreal.
Indies say it takes 5 days to a month. I tried once—interface made me dizzy from frame one. Gave up.
In indie Discord, tons quit YouTube to focus on live after trying both.
Second: hire an editor. But doesn't last. Revenue issues. Indies don't make bank. YouTube's for drawing viewers, but no influx, cash flows out. Quietly abandon it.
I'd already abandoned once. This time, serious—hired a pro editor.
"Hmm... true, but..."
"At least thumbnails—you'll do those yourself, right?"
Thumbnails? I don't... Editor just slaps subtitles on my raw footage and uploads.
"I... don't do that."
"Huh? Why?"
"They take my raw stream, add subs, and post."
"Oh, right. Right. Thumbnails cost too, but... okay, got it. Moving on... Argh. Can't organize my thoughts. Too much to say."
Hmm... yeah. She has a lot on her mind. I get it—I'm a big thinker too. If I want, I can waste a day daydreaming.
Once I start fantasizing, it's addictive. Rich imagination's great, but overwhelming sometimes. Staring at the ceiling sparks fun thoughts, and poof—day gone, nothing done.
"I'll sort it all and tell you. Wait. Talk to the editor—actually, no need. Just don't spend money. Hold off sending any."
"Got it! I'll tell Editor-nim too!"
Follow the senior's lead. She's walked this road. Trust her.
So freeing. Having someone stamp and take responsibility? Perfect. That's what I wanted.
I prefer no choices: not "A or B?" but "Do A. Do B." Firm decisions.
How comfy? If A flops, not my fault—the one who chose it. Ego stays intact.
To shake inferiority, no choice. My picks fail? I'm the inferior one. If only I were smarter... regret, self-blame, depression. Always been like this. Petty, but hey, lifelong habit.
"Also, when assigning edits... you seem hands-off. Check it, okay?"
"Mm... I watch, and it's fun, so good."
"Not that... never mind. You watched and liked it?"
"Yes!"
"Okay then. Got it. Nothing more. Satisfied? Fine. Next time, think more objectively."
I hate "objective." Nothing's truly objective—it's all subjective. Right? Hate "facts" too. People obsess less over facts. To do what you want, ignore "objective facts" sometimes.
My plan: edits every 3 days = 10/month = 2.5 million won. Covered by stream revenue. Editor's videos got good reactions—wanted to lock them in long-term. But Maru's points made sense. So what?
"But... Maru... I have faith. Editor-nim's different. They'll stick with me!! Trust me!!"
I trust Editor-nim. Super talented. But my response was the worst play.
My 2 PM stream got pushed to 5 PM. First person wordier than Mom.