Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Food Court (1)
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The effects of the MCN were incredible.
They quickly sorted out the tax issues and ad inquiries that had been giving us headaches. Emails were filtered to highlight important business matters, and even the nasty YouTube comments were deleted in real time.
Finally, we could focus entirely on filming.
"What's the text from Su-han?"
"Oh, right. I forgot about it."
I showed her the message from Park Su-han.
It was a message from this morning. Nothing that really caught my interest, so I'd vaguely replied that I'd think about it.
Sister read the text and then checked Park Su-han's channel. There was a detailed announcement in the community tab.
"A food court?"
"Sister, is charity events a big trend lately?"
"Yeah. It started popping up about a month ago."
Sister showed me a file she'd compiled on YouTube trends. Small-scale charity streams had blown up in views, so everyone jumped on the bandwagon.
Most seemed aimed at views and exposure, but since the donations actually went through, it wasn't a bad idea.
"You're turning it down, right?"
"Yeah. No real reason to go."
"Why not give it a shot? As the channel grows, networking could be useful. Like with Ocean."
"Hm..."
"If you're not feeling it, skip it. Plenty of chances to build connections."
"I'll go. Might as well drop by for a drink."
I texted Park Su-han right away.
Like Sister said, as the channel grows, I'll need all sorts of connections. Collabs, info that internet searches can't dig up—there's a limit to what you can find online.
Even the MCN deal would've been a headache for Sister without his help. Insider info doesn't make it to the web.
Above all, I've never regretted following Sister's advice.
Park Su-han replied instantly, like he'd been waiting.
"Sister's coming too, right?"
"Huh? No. I have a meeting with my contact today. We're discussing editing plans going forward."
"Oh... right. That's tonight."
I'd assumed she'd come and said yes.
If I'd remembered her meeting was today, I'd have turned it down politely and aimed for next time.
Couldn't back out now, so I sighed deeply and threw on an outer jacket.
My motivation plummeted.
I arrived at the barbecue spot near Ocean. Peering inside, I spotted Park Su-han coming back from the bathroom.
"Long time no see, Haneul."
"Yeah. Good to see you."
"Come on in. Everyone's waiting."
Two guys were seated in the back room. One ran a channel big enough that even I recognized him.
"Whoa, you look way better in person. I'm Jin Jun-hyuk, running the mukbang channel Tonight's Dinner."
"I'm Kim Haneul from Sky and Kite."
I shook hands with the big, hearty-looking guy. Hearing "mukbang YouTuber" jogged my memory of a file Sister had shown me ages ago—this was the dude.
Average views over 300K, daily mukbangs with all sorts of concepts.
"Hey there. Love your videos. I'm Kim Su-il from my cooking channel. I'm older, so feel free to be casual. Right, Haneul?"
I knew this middle-aged guy too.
Over a million subs, average 700K views. Retired chef with killer cooking skills and great banter—huge following.
We'd even considered benchmarking him when starting our channel. Top-tier cooking YouTuber right now.
"Su-il does cooking, Jun-hyuk mukbang, makes sense. But Su-han, how'd you end up here?"
"Truth is, I set this up. A gaming buddy picked me next, and an idea hit while I was brainstorming. So I reached out."
"Ah."
As I settled in and set up my utensils, Park Su-han brought over a plate of perfectly grilled meat.
"Heard that ad you shot recently killed it, Haneul."
"Not that big a deal. Just sold a bit better than expected."
"Nah, word's out. I've done a few Oju Foods ads myself—the rep said you got him promoted."
"Whoa, promoted? How huge was it?"
"Know the top two most-viewed vids on your channel? Both Oju Foods ads."
"Hyung, no fibbing. Ads don't rack up views like that."
Jin Jun-hyuk laughed, pulled up YouTube, and checked our channel. He confirmed the Stam and Shine Muscat ads topping the view-sorted list.
His face changed.
"No way. For real? Hyung—er, Haneul. How'd you pull that off?"
Jin Jun-hyuk leaned in seriously.
Most YouTube ad videos tank on views. Forced plugs kill the fun, and viewers bail.
As I started to answer, Kim Su-il cut in.
"That's..."
"Long videos, minimal ads. Plus some luck. Jun-hyuk, you could hit it too with long vids and few plugs. Right, Haneul?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
"More importantly, Su-han. This time..."
We chatted over the meal. Just four YouTubers, so talk stayed on YouTube.
Trends, awards predictions, handling haters—insider tips flowed freely, stuff you can't Google.
I munched meat and listened.
Nom nom.
Solid, tasty stuff. But getting greasy now; the fattiness was wearing thin.
I scanned the table, whipped up a quick sauce.
Into the sesame oil dish: garlic, ssamjang, chili. Set it on the grill edge. Fish sauce would've boosted umami, but none around.
Bubble bubble.
Sesame oil bubbled, garlic softened. I dunked meat and ate.
Nutty sesame, roasted garlic savoriness. Chili cut the grease, ssamjang flavor popped.
Not bad for a rush job.
"Mind if I try?"
"Go ahead."
Jin Jun-hyuk dunked and ate.
"Damn, this is good. Sesame oil but not greasy? Hyungs, you gotta try."
Park Su-han and Kim Su-il dipped in. Su-han nodded knowingly; Su-il tilted his head, meh.
"This is good, but wait."
Kim Su-il tossed in whatever. Not making his own—just wrecked mine into something new.
"Here, try this."
He tasted, grinned satisfied, and pushed it over. Eyebrow wiggle: your turn, react.
"..."
Something'd been bugging me. Found it.
I eyed Kim Su-il's upturned lip.
That type exists. Must be center of attention anywhere, pulls any stunt—even crossing lines—for spotlight.
Kim Su-il was exactly that.
Too tiring for a pissing contest; I let it slide.
Park Su-han sensed the vibe and jumped in.
"Oh, right. Haneul, ever thought about collab content?"
"Content? The food court?"
"Not running it yourself. Format's each handling one court. Jun-hyuk and Su-il cook well. Me? You know."
I was gonna decline. Busy lately, no dates, little time with Sister—planned to take it easy.
But picturing Park Su-han's cooking? Couldn't say no.
I watch his cookbangs sometimes for inspo—every time, facepalm and sigh.
Sell that to subs? Might spark a wiki controversy page.
"Sure. I'll help."
He'd helped with MCN selection; quid pro quo.
Plus, broadcast potential. Our chem always draws views.
And just like that, I dipped a toe into the charity food court event.