Chapter 29
Chapter 29
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Feedback (1)
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[Nobel Airlines Flight 113 is now heading to Incheon. Ladies and gentlemen...]
The plane returning to Korea took off. With this, their 3-night, 4-day trip to Japan came to an end. It was just a flight he'd taken dozens of times before, but today it felt especially regrettable.
"I wish we could have stayed one more day."
"The hot springs yesterday were really amazing, right?"
"They were."
The chill of winter sprinkling down in the open-air bath. Soaking in the warm tub made the fatigue of the day melt away completely.
The trip had been satisfying overall, not just the hot springs.
Thanks to his sister’s thorough research, the accommodations, restaurants, and attractions had all been perfect. There were a few unexpected hiccups along the way, but they just laughed them off as part of the fun.
"How are the YouTube videos doing?"
"Good. I've uploaded the recipe videos and the vlog ones, and I'm editing the footage we shot today."
His sister pulled up their YouTube account on her phone. Before the Japan trip, their channel had around 130,000 subscribers. Now, it had grown to a whopping 170,000.
They'd only uploaded three videos, but the buzz from previous content kept the subscribers rolling in.
"The views are better than I expected."
"Yeah. I thought the vlog wouldn't do well, but since it had steady cooking content, it must have clicked."
The view counts were higher than usual. The convenience store recipe video could be chalked up to the novelty of it being their first vlog shoot, but the second one performed well too.
His sister showed him the reactions she'd gathered.
"There really are a lot of Japanese viewers."
"Yeah. The subscriber breakdown even shows them now."
A small slice for Japan had appeared on the subscriber countries graph. The convenience store recipe contest had more ripple effect than expected.
His sister beamed with pride at the steadily climbing subscribers and views.
Truth be told, even before the trip—and while editing during it—his sister had been worried.
The channel was growing so well; what if the Japan trip stalled the momentum? What if this choice became a major turning point for the worse?
It hurt to see her checking YouTube reactions even in her sleep.
"Should we look into getting a manager?"
"A manager? Like one of those MCN agencies?"
"Yeah. They're pros at running YouTube channels, so they'd handle it better than us."
He was perfect on the cooking side, but he still didn't fully grasp the YouTube ecosystem. His sister was studying it alone, but there were limits. That's why handing it off to a professional agency made sense.
It might ease some of her worries, at least.
"Let's think about that later. More importantly, what should our next content be?"
Unlike his impulsive style, his sister preferred planning everything out. The topic shifted as they agreed to research agencies once they got home.
Next content.
They'd shot the third festival video, so no need to film for the next four days.
But as a cooking channel, ingredients might not be available same-day. Some required overseas shipping or reservations with wait times.
So even if filming was in four days, prep needed to wrap up beforehand.
"We've been doing nothing but meat dishes lately, so maybe desserts or pasta. Or Japanese food since we just came back from there. Convenience store bento reviews are trending too. Anything you want to do?"
As usual, she suggested options, and he picked from them.
But he had one idea he'd been mulling over lately, and her suggestions didn't quite appeal. She noticed and asked.
"You have something in mind? What is it?"
"Remember that thing we talked about before? Feedback content. Let's do that."
"Feedback?"
Her expression darkened.
"We beat Oh Jun-seo, but will people really accept your skills just from beating one chef?"
"Hard to silence the doubters. But we can prove it."
-Turn a failing restaurant around with my feedback, making it a hit spot.
Nothing proved results like that. And if it went well, it could become a main channel staple.
Like popular food reviews or cooking tutorials.
"Don't worry. If I folded to hate comments, I never would've started YouTube."
"Still."
"If you're that concerned, we have today's video. Let's upload it with a notice. Something like, 'Trying a mix of variety show and documentary—looking for volunteers.'"
He wanted content with subscribers, ideally something helpful. Framing it like the idea sparked from those thoughts would keep the video lighthearted.
She pondered for a moment, then nodded.
"We can't just stall forever. But if results are bad, it's one-and-done. Otherwise, you'll get too much hate."
He shrugged it off, telling her not to worry.
Hate? He'd eaten truckloads in his past life. Trolls hated even good deeds.
Donations got comments like 'Chump change. Why brag?' How much worse for his old rude self?
One troll knew he was an orphan and invented dead parents to insult him. It was so novel he laughed for ages before suing.
Kim Haeyeon, who ran a pizza shop, sat in the empty dining hall munching a sandwich. She habitually opened YouTube and focused on her meal.
"Nothing to watch, huh."
Running the place solo, she preferred noise over silence. But she couldn't abandon the shop, so mukbangs and cooking channels were her go-tos.
She checked her subscriptions for anything good.
Ding.
"Sky and Kite should upload today. Not yet?"
She opened the Sky and Kite channel. A cooking channel with 170,000 subscribers, growing fast. She'd been a fan since the very first video.
It started with Kim Haneul's looks in the Shorts, but soon she was hooked and trying the recipes herself.
[Reviving a Japanese Festival.]
"Right, the Japan video wraps up today."
She'd enjoyed the convenience store and vlog videos, so she looked forward to this one.
From a chance encounter where a subscriber asked for help, to restoring the dish. Short runtime, but the staff reactions made it fun.
At first, she suspected it was staged. Who begs a festival visitor to fix their failed food?
But the comments proved it real.
"Wish someone would save my shop like that."
She clicked her tongue bitterly and glanced around.
It was dinner peak, yet empty. Good location, plenty of promo. But half a year in, no customers.
She knew why.
The pizza tasted bad. She'd tried improving it, but couldn't top average.
And with the bad rep, average wouldn't shake the stigma.
"Sigh."
For a mood boost, she opened Shorts. Nothing chased gloom like them.
Just watching made time vanish like cotton candy in water. She'd kill time hoping for more customers tomorrow.
Then a notification from Sky and Kite.
"What? Algorithm glitches after a few closure videos? Ease up on those. Huh? A post?"
Irritated at the busted algorithm, she checked the Sky and Kite community post.
"Bad recipes? Restaurants?"
Kim Haeyeon's eyes trembled side to side as she read carefully. The criteria and goal—it screamed "made for me."
Even if the recipe help was minimal.
Average 200k views per video? Prime promo for her shop. And Kim Haneul seemed like he'd deliver.
"I should apply."
Kim Haeyeon folded the closure application she'd left on the counter and tucked it in a drawer.