Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: I'm Not a Gangster
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A few days later.
"Are you uncomfortable at all, Jae-ho?"
"No, it's super comfortable. Dambi."
I was riding in a car.
Of course, it wasn't my car—it was the car of Dambi, my new editor.
'That big lug driving is kinda cute in his own way.'
I'd originally planned to just take a taxi. But Dambi insisted on giving me a ride. So I had no choice but to hop in with him.
"Th-thank you. But aren't you nervous? It's a collab with that Dokgo Hwa-yeon."
"Hmm, not nervous at all. Just think it'll be fun."
"A-as expected of Jae-ho!"
I was currently heading to Dokgo Hwa-yeon's streaming room. Today marked the first day of Streamer Training.
Each team would gather to train in martial arts. Which meant today, I'd be learning martial arts from Dokgo Hwa-yeon herself. There was zero reason to feel nervous. If anything, I was excited.
"By the way, how are the Newtube reactions?"
"Ah! Way better than expected!"
"Really?"
"Yes! Views are even higher than Tangeri's first video. More recommendations too. You can look forward to it."
"Good to hear."
As expected, Newtube was cruising along smoothly.
Of course, views and subscribers were still pretty low. It was just getting started, so that was unavoidable. But the reactions were solid. If it kept going like this, Newtube had real growth potential.
"It's all because you stream so entertainingly, Jae-ho. There was just so much good footage to work with in editing..."
"Nah, it's because you edit so well, Dambi."
We traded compliments, warming up to each other. There was still a bit of awkwardness, but overall, it felt pretty good.
Just then, a familiar sight passed by the window. It resembled the view from when I'd first dropped into this world.
'Back then, there were tons of buildings packed right up against the mountain too.'
I stared out the window, lost in thought for a moment. Seeing that, Dambi drove on silently.
'I wonder what happened to my original world?'
I thought about the Earth I'd come from. It had been a while since I'd dwelled on it.
'Well, one guy vanishing wouldn't change much anyway.'
Come to think of it, how I'd ended up in this world was pretty ridiculous.
I'd been hiking alone when I twisted my ankle and tumbled down the mountainside.
It should've been a nasty fall—one that left me seriously hurt.
But my body had barely a scratch. No real pain either. When I came to, I was in this world.
'Yeah, I panicked hard back then.'
Dropped into an unfamiliar world with nothing to my name. Anyone would've freaked out.
'I hope my parents are doing okay.'
Things hadn't been great between us. We'd had a huge fight, and I'd stormed out to live on my own.
Then poof—I was gone. They were probably worried sick.
'Sigh, whatever.'
I shook my head side to side.
A while back, I'd desperately wanted to return to my old world.
But not anymore.
I was satisfied with life here now. My job was awesome. Thanks to it, I had tons of fans. Plus, I had real talent for martial arts.
Somehow, I was thriving way more than back on Earth.
It was only natural for doubts to creep in.
'Not like brooding on it will send me back anyway.'
This was a world of martial arts and magic, but I'd never heard tales of dimension-hopping. Returning might straight-up be impossible.
That's when, as I gazed out the window reminiscing—
Screech.
"We're here, Jae-ho."
"Ah, right. Thanks."
Dambi had already parked in the lot. He hopped out quick and opened my door for me.
Click.
"You don't have to do that..."
"I do it because I want to."
I made a helpless face.
Then I stepped out through the open door. The weather was nice, thankfully. I glanced up at the sun with a slightly brighter expression.
That's when murmurs started up around us.
"G-gangster!"
"No way—is he a Black Dao martial artist?"
"Could be. Look at that build."
I gave a bemused look. People were clearly misunderstanding.
'Never thought I'd get pegged as a gangster.'
It was understandable, though.
The car I'd ridden in was a black sedan. And Dambi was decked out in a black suit "for propriety," even opening the door for me.
Even I'd suspect something.
I turned to the murmurers to clear it up—just say it was a misunderstanding.
But I never got the words out.
"Eek!"
"S-sorry!"
"L-let's go!"
They bolted in fright. Talk about unjust.
I shot Dambi a glance. He looked awkward too.
"S-sorry. I get misunderstandings like this a lot..."
"Sigh, no big deal. Happens. Let's head in."
"Yup!"
I led Dambi toward Dokgo Hwa-yeon's streaming room.
It was the same room from the audition.
A manager stood at the entrance, same as before.
But he flinched when we approached—specifically at Dambi trailing behind me.
"Th-this is protected by the Dokgo Clan! If you attack here, the Dokgo Clan won't let it slide—"
"Ah, I'm streamer Park Jae-ho. This is my editor."
"Pardon?"
He looked utterly confused. Then he spotted me and his eyes went wide.
"Ah! Jae-ho! N-nice to meet you."
"Yeah. Mind if we go in?"
"Yes? Oh, sure... B-but your editor's something else..."
"I get that a lot."
Looks like I'd be dealing with these mix-ups from now on. No helping it—I was the one who'd hired the hulking editor.
'But damn, he edits like a pro.'
Anyway, I made it into Dokgo Hwa-yeon's streaming room without issue. Dambi poked around a bit before heading out. No real reason for him to stick around anyway.
I watched him go, then opened the streaming room door. It was the same space from the audition.
Screech.
As the door swung open, familiar faces came into view.
"Jae-ho! Glad you weren't late."
"Yeah, couldn't be late today."
"I-I came early too...!"
I nodded to the two who'd arrived ahead of time.
As I mentioned, today was the kickoff for the major content Streamer Training. Being late was not an option.
And two others had thought the same. Impressive.
"B-but this place has changed a ton, hasn't it?"
"Yeah... It's wild."
"Well, it's Dokgo Hwa-yeon."
Nod.
Nod.
They both nodded at my words.
I was definitely in the same streaming room from the audition. Back then, it was just a blank white backdrop.
Not anymore.
The floor had fresh mats laid down, the walls repapered. Swords, spears, all sorts of weapons hung on display.
It felt just like stepping into a major sect's training hall.
'Impressive. Gotta learn from this.'
She'd revamped the whole room to fit the content. It showed how much effort Dokgo Hwa-yeon was putting in.
Speaking of which, I glanced over at the cameras.
Several cameras dotted the room, capturing our every move.
We were live right now.
And the chat was flying by.
- Jae-ho! - Jaeha! - Jae-ho came? - Jae-ho handsome today too - Tiger Squad assemble! - Rawr! Lots of my fans in the chat. Looked like I was inching toward big-league status.
'Tiger Squad's out in force too.'
Then the door to the streaming room creaked open.
And Dokgo Hwa-yeon stepped out.
'Hm?'
But she looked different from usual.
Her black hair was tied back tight. Makeup lighter than normal.
She wore a black martial robe—the kind worn by Dokgo Clan warriors.
She really looked the part of a true martial artist now.
I felt a twinge of tension. This was a far cry from the Dokgo Hwa-yeon I'd chatted with in the car.
"Everyone here?"
"Ah, Harin's not yet."
"Hah! Late on day one?"
Her face was icy. Nothing like the bright smile from the cafe.
We three tensed up.
Felt like that was the vibe right now.
Then the door flew open, and the 4D streamer Harin burst in.
"S-sorry!"
She panted out an apology mid-sprint. At least she knew she was sorry.
Dokgo Hwa-yeon wore a conflicted look, debating whether to let it slide.
'No way she's actually gonna smack her, right?'
Thankfully, no.
But it wasn't a slap-on-the-wrist penalty either.
"Sigh. Late on day one?"
"S-sorry."
"Penalty: 100 sit-ups. Now."
"O-one hundred?"
"Yes. Right now."
"Okay..."
Soon Harin was off to the side, grunting through sit-ups. She pouted but kept at Dokgo Hwa-yeon's orders. Good on her for reading the room.
The 100th rep wrapped up soon enough.
"Be careful next time. This is your last warning."
"Y-yes!"
Harin hobbled over to us, clutching her shaky legs. Now all five of us were assembled.
Unlike usual, we stayed dead silent.
Gulp.
We just stared at Dokgo Hwa-yeon. The display with Harin had us even more on edge.
Finally, Dokgo Hwa-yeon spoke.
"From today, your instructor will teach you martial arts."
"Yes!"
"Yup!"
"Good, loud voices."
This really felt like joining a sect.
In fact, the four of us would live and train here, learning martial arts from Dokgo Hwa-yeon. We'd do various content along the way, culminating in a final showdown against the other teams.
That was the core of Streamer Training.
Put simply, we were in the middle of a two-week-long skit.
But we couldn't half-ass it.
The quality of our immersion would make or break viewer engagement.
'Okay to break character now and then for laughs, but otherwise, stay deep in it.'
Naturally, I'd treat Dokgo Hwa-yeon with full respect. For the next two weeks, at least.
"Over the next two weeks, you'll learn the Dokgo Clan's Iron Thorn Swordsmanship and Iron Wall Steps."
"Yes!"
"You've probably heard of them. They're quite famous. But that means they're tough. So make the most of these two weeks I'm teaching you."
"Yes!"