Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Clip-Kidnapping VTuber
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🔴 LIVE CHAT - Padak's recruiting the motherless lolololol - Padak conscription ON. - Seeking unpaid slaves @@@@@@ - Worship Hall owner kidnapping declaration lololol - You, become my comrade! You, become my comrade! You, become my comrade! Two months after debuting, she was finally looking to hire an official editor, and her devotees were buzzing with excitement.
Apparently, these folks had been eagerly waiting for me to start a channel of my own.
[Anon donated 1,000 won.] But why announce it publicly on stream...? Can't she just post a notice and let applicants come to her?
The reason I declared I'd hire an editor on stream instead of a notice was to kidnap the owner of "Lee Jia's Worship Hall."
Of course, even if I posted a hiring notice, the owner of "Lee Jia's Worship Hall" might send me an application email.
But other aspiring editors would send theirs too.
My top priority was the Worship Hall owner anyway—no need to waste time or effort on anyone else.
To avoid aspiring editors wasting their time from the start, I planned to kidnap the Worship Hall owner right away.
With that in mind...
I cast the bait.
"A new revelation has come from Reflecting Myriad Stars! A divine command to judge the sinner who dared mock my stream without fear! As a Fervent Devotee, I must wield the god's iron fist!"
- Here we go again - Ugh, that damn divine revelation lololol - Myriad Stars getting framed again, huh? - Myriad Godshield ON. - Poor Myriad Stars getting blamed for Lee Jia lol - Revelations like that too? - WWE starting. - Not RP~ Not RP~ Not RP~ Not RP~ - So who's the sinner? - Guess who and upvote lol "The sinner's name is the channel 'Lee Jia's Worship Hall.' The crime of mocking me with videos without permission! This sin is grave... Owner of Lee Jia's Worship Hall, raise your hand and reveal yourself at once. I'll judge them first, then hire an editor."
- Knew it lolololol - Sudden high confession vibe - Translation: Just wants to kidnap the editor. - Turning editor hiring into content lololol - Worship Hall owner, your life's over now. [LeeJiasWorshipHall donated 1,000 won.] Hand - Oh? - For real? - Owner entered the chat lololol - No way, really? - It's legit, post it up - Post what where lolololol - Is the chat turning into YouTube comments or what She took the bait.
Luckily, they were watching the stream live.
Stream platforms don't allow duplicate nicknames, so this has to be the real owner.
I asked the Worship Hall owner,
"Will you confess in chat, or via voice token?"
[LeeJiasWorshipHall donated 1,000 won.] Uh, whatever works. But what did I even do wrong... "Quiet. Enter the confession voice token room."
And so, I started a 1-on-1 voice token with the Worship Hall owner.
[Ah, hello, Jia!] The Worship Hall owner was a guy.
His voice sounded young—barely an adult, maybe still in high school.
He spoke innocently enough.
[Whoa... This is super nerve-wracking. How was that netkama so good at talking last time...] "Hey!!! What's with that attitude, sinner? You're the sinner here!"
Can't lose the intimidation game.
I listed his sins.
"You've committed two sins. First, clipping and uploading videos without my permission! Second, editing them lewdly and damaging my image severely!"
- It's just kirinuki lololol kirinuki gets this strict too? - No misunderstanding, this is RP and WWE. - Kidnapping buildup, shh. "If you've sinned... you must be punished, right?"
[...] "Answer."
[I-I'm really sorry! Uploading without permission was definitely my fault. Uh, but the second sin...] "Quiet."
[...] "Fortunately, Reflecting Myriad Stars is a merciful god. Even a grave sinner like you can receive forgiveness."
[That's why I don't think the second sin is really a...] "Quiet."
[...] "Before the main forgiveness... No! Wrong word. Before proper forgiveness, one question: Do you work at a company or have a part-time job...? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."
[No, I don't.] "Anything besides kirinuki...?"
[Nope. Unemployed, actually prepping for a job.] "Thank you so much for telling me!"
- Why'd her tone suddenly get so soft? - Cult leader, RP broke? - Sin?ner? - Sinner (actually not) Perfect.
Conditions are ideal.
I was a bit worried there might be folks doing kirinuki as a hobby alongside a full-time job, but...
A job prepper? No need to hesitate.
I gave him two choices.
Ahem.
Strike a serious tone first.
"Choose: Take down all videos and retire! Or join the family-like company, Omnia Archive, as my official editor!"
[Hmm.] An offer he couldn't refuse.
- There it is lololololol - This is Padak conscription lololol - Die or soothe Padak - Die VS Slave. - Welcome to the family-like company, Omnia Archive - But he seems uninterested? - Uh oh, owner's reaction is weird - We're screwed - Kidnapping failed...? Huh...?
Why the dry reaction?
Oh, right.
I haven't mentioned pay yet.
"P-Padak usually means unpaid slavery by tradition, but this time, a special revelation from Reflecting Myriad Stars demands top industry pay! Forgive your sins and land a job—the chance of a lifetime! Join the family-like company, Omnia Archive..."
[Yes, I've decided. Take down all videos and retire, right?] "...Pardon?"
[Thanks for the official editor offer. But... I think our editing styles won't match. Yep. Call ending, taking down videos now.] "W-Wait, stop!"
This...
Was completely outside my expectations.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The owners of kirinuki channels don't just edit VTuber clips for profit.
Most do it for fun.
Essentially, a hobby.
After all, clipping and sharing fun moments from a favorite VTuber is common fan behavior in communities.
Kirinuki channels just scale it up with more effort and polish—still firmly in hobby territory.
Sure, some monetize it.
But "Lee Jia's Worship Hall" owner hadn't monetized at all.
Kirinuki channel name: "Lee Jia's Worship Hall." Owner: Ahn Do-hun.
He's your typical early-20s Korean guy.
He'd disabled monetization for two main reasons.
First.
Pure fandom—he clipped and uploaded for fun, not cash.
Second.
Even if enabled, it'd get no ad revenue.
Due to "no ads"—a label YouTube slaps on videos deemed unsuitable for ads, like due to suggestive content.
YouTube's main revenue is ad views, but "no ads" kills that completely.
"Lee Jia's Worship Hall" already had it on over half its videos.
...The thumbnails blatantly zoomed on certain body parts, so no surprise.
In a way, ignoring ad-friendliness and editing thumbnails for pure thirst appeal is why the channel blew up.
Popularity at the cost of revenue.
But it didn't matter.
As said, Ahn Do-hun did it purely as a hobby.
However.
Lately, one real-world worry had crept in.
Job hunting.
No academic drive, no dream job—he skipped college.
Now 21, time for productive pursuits.
Kirinuki was the opposite of productive.
Sure, as a devout fan since debut, clipping was fun, but it was a massive time sink.
To snag good clips, watch every stream from start to finish.
Editing a 2-3 minute video took at least 3 hours.
Why so long? Ahn Do-hun obsessed over quality.
Indeed, "Lee Jia's Worship Hall" videos were too polished for "just a hobby."
No wonder Lee Jia wanted to kidnap its owner.
Conclusion: He poured 8+ hours daily into kirinuki.
To survive adulthood, he had to quit, like it or not.
Ahn Do-hun was pondering: quit entirely or hand off to a new co-owner.
Then, a glorious chance to die honorably arrived.
Lee Jia said:
Quit kirinuki, or become her official editor.
Pick one.
Surprisingly, Ahn Do-hun chose the former.
Why?
Not because he hated being her official editor.
...Far from it.
Desperate unemployed guy, loves editing, has talent—perfect opportunity.
Clip editing and long-form are different, but he was confident in both.
Yet he chose to quit.
Because of his feelings for Lee Jia—pure fandom.
From her words, their editing visions clashed completely.
He tailored to viewer thirst, super stimulating.
She called it "sin."
Probably wants "mild" over "spicy."
He lacked confidence in mild edits for her.
He thought:
Mismatched editor-streamer visions = bad videos.
Not good for her future YouTube channel.
He's not the right fit.
'...But mild edits would tank her YouTube anyway.'
Besides.
Why watch mild Lee Jia when perfect superior Ayase exists?
He considered advising her as a devotee, but deemed it overstepping, so he continued.
"Thanks for the offer, but I politely decline! Hope you find a great editor and blow up on YouTube, I sincerely..."
That's when.
[Please!] Lee Jia.
[Be my editor, please! Without you, my YouTube's doomed!] Began begging him.