Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Taming Ye-rin and Cashback Deals
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Waking up late from back-to-back nights of total exhaustion, Lee Hyunwoo finished his workout and returned to the hotel instead of heading home.
The reason was...
"Whyyyyy! Why won't you tell meeee!"
It was all because of Lee Ye-rin, the biggest obstacle standing in the way of Lee Hyunwoo's otherwise perfect future filled with nothing but happiness.
She had announced an indefinite hiatus from streaming.
She'd come back once the drama died down a bit.
That part was fine.
But what came after was the problem.
As far as Lee Hyunwoo could figure, Ye-rin would definitely track him down during her break.
And he'd end up stressed out mentally and physically trying to manage her.
So he'd wisely evacuated beforehand.
Staying at the hotel until he found a new place didn't sound half bad, so he'd booked an extended stay.
Monthly rates made it dirt cheap.
"I told you, right? Turn on your stream, give a proper explanation, and then I'll tell you."
"But that's..."
"Noona. No, Ye-rin. Do I have to make it an order before you get it? This isn't a request—I'm the top dog here, and you're not. Got it?"
"...Fine. I'll stream. That'll get you to come watch, right?"
"Sure. I'll drop in around the end of your explanation and shower you with coins."
"And then you'll tell me which hotel?"
"I said I would. I'm not your noona—I'm not gonna lie, so relax."
"Tch. Okay. Gotta prep my stream, so I'm hanging up. See you later."
For the first time, Ye-rin hung up first.
Proof that the taming was working.
The old Ye-rin would've screamed and clung until she got what she wanted.
Good sign.
Lee Hyunwoo had made Ye-rin obey him.
He could control her!
"Next up..."
Finishing the call, Lee Hyunwoo fiddled with his smartphone.
A bunch of messages had piled up while he was at the gym.
Next on the list: SpringSummer, Yiuna.
-Hello. Unemployed King.
-Good morning.
-Reporting back on the quests you gave me yesterday. Here's what I cleared.
-Cleared list: Streaming PC, DSLR camera, lighting, mic, streaming outfits, room cleanup, broadcast schedule announcement, broadcast macro setup, reaction practice.
-(Streaming PC proof pic)
-(DSLR proof pic)
-(Lighting proof pic)
-(Mic proof pic)
...
-Cleared a total of nine missions!
-And as you said, I'll start streaming six days a week from today.
-Thank you always!
Had she sent this long KakaoTalk because she'd called yesterday only for Ye-rin drama to derail things?
It totally matched her personality.
Definitely an E and J in her MBTI.
Lee Hyunwoo scrolled through the messages slowly before calling her.
"Yes! Hello?"
"Hey, it's me. Good time to talk?"
"Yes! Totally."
"Saw your report. But that pic with the outfit—did you Photoshop it or use any filters?"
"No, just snapped it raw and sent."
Raw shot and she looked that good?
Lee Hyunwoo didn't show it, but he was a little surprised.
Even through crappy video quality, her beauty shone through—he'd thought.
Nope.
She was a straight-up goddess whose looks pierced any resolution.
Hard to confirm without seeing her in person, but she was Darling-level for sure.
"Was something off? Should I edit them from now on?"
"Nah, you were prettier than I expected. Caught me off guard."
"Ahaha... Thank you."
"Anyway, love the reports. But say it again when I drop into your stream. Need it for Newtube edits—keep it casual, not too stiff."
"Oh, got it! Yes."
"Found an editor yet?"
"Yes! I checked out some freelance sites. Messaged a few people and posted a hiring ad just in case."
"Good work. Don't sweat the editor's pay. Keep this up, and money worries will be ancient history."
"Yes! Thank you!"
Lee Hyunwoo chatted with Yiuna about how to run her streams going forward.
Felt like a real-life BJ training simulator—way too fun.
"Oh, what'd you set your stream times to? Can't check the announcement."
"Thinking six PM to midnight."
Overlaps a bit with Yeoujjing.
Not bad, though.
Watch Yeoujjing? Skip Yiuna.
Watch Yiuna? Skip Yeoujjing.
Still, he'd tune in daily for a while.
Until Yiuna's channel stabilized.
"Cool. See you tonight. Prep some content ideas."
"Yes! Already planned! Don't worry!"
The bubbly high-schooler energy wrapped up the call.
And onto the next.
BJ Jeong So-rim, using her real name straight-up.
-Hello, Unemployed King. You said you'd contact me yesterday, but nothing came, so I'm reaching out first. Hope I'm not being a bother. You mentioned a proposal—what is it? ^^
He'd promised to hit her up yesterday, but the sweet night with Choi Soo-hyun made him forget.
Why did her chat messages feel so mature, though?
She looked barely out of her teens.
Barely any rapport with Jeong So-rim, so he'd tread carefully.
-Hello. Hope you're having a great day. Sorry for the late reply.
-Got tied up yesterday.
-Free to call now?
Reply came quick. He fired off a voice talk.
No number shared, so voice chat it was.
"Hello?"
"Hello? Hi, Unemployed King. Ahem, first time talking to a viewer—kinda nervous."
"Haha, yeah? Anyway, sorry about yesterday. My bad for dragging you into nonsense."
"No, no. Thanks to you, viewers spiked, and I got more fan subs. I see it as a real opportunity."
Start with light small talk to warm things up.
Jeong So-rim's maturity wasn't just in chat—her speech and thoughts screamed it.
Despite that twenty-something look.
Traditional music training?
"So, how old are you? Looked early-to-mid twenties on stream yesterday. Twenty-something tops. You're so composed."
"Haha, yeah, I hear that a lot. 'Old soul.' I'm twenty-eight."
"Whoa, really? Thought you were younger than me."
"Thanks for the kind words."
Lee Hyunwoo liked her looks and gayageum skills; she liked his money.
Conversation flowed easy.
Once comfy, he got to the point.
"Cashback? Is that... common on Koreatv? I've been streaming a year, but niche content means I don't know the platform well."
"Not super common, from what I know. But like I said, it's not illegal."
"Oh, okay... So why does Unemployed King want cashback specifically?"
This question again.
Every time he pitched to a female broadcaster.
Answer rolled off the tongue now.
"My streaming budget's fixed. Cashback lets me spend more."
"Ah! Makes sense. Sorry, dumb question."
"No need to apologize. So, you in?"
"One last question before I answer?"
"Sure."
"All the female broadcasters you support do the same deal, right?"
"Yep."
"Hmm... Okay. I'm in. Cashback."
Long talk, quick decision.
Composed and mature, but money tempts everyone.
Lee Hyunwoo smirked like he'd known all along.
"Congrats. You're in the one-million club."
"Ahaha, that's how it works? Thanks for the congrats. Oh, should I start cashback deposits this week?"
"Timing's off—next week. And I'll pop into your stream every two or three days, so keep that in mind."
"Got it. Anything else?"
"That's it for now. We'll fill in the rest as we go."
"Fill in the rest... Love that. Looking forward to working with you, Unemployed King."
"Call me that on stream, but off? Feels weird. Use my name—Lee Hyunwoo."
"Oh, sure. Hyunwoo."
Hyunwoo felt a tad distant.
He almost said to drop the honorifics, but held back.
Better let her type loosen up naturally.
Back-to-back calls with three women left him happy but drained.
How'd Casanova juggle over a hundred?
No smartphones back then?
Luckily, no calls needed for the last two: Ppangit and Yeoujjing.
Soo-hyun till morning, Hana with a wake-up call and check-ins.
"Alright, time to kick off the day with some energy!"
Lee Hyunwoo shouted to hype himself up.
He unpacked the laptop he'd bought outright on his way back to the hotel and set it on the desk.
Ppangit's stream was hours away; Darling was prepping hers.
Time to scout female broadcasters for the last two spots.
"What the—why so many messages?"
Logging into Koreatv, Lee Hyunwoo spotted over fifty unread DMs.
He wasn't even a broadcaster.
This many people messaging?
Probably trolls baited by the drama.
He clicked the icon lightly to clear them out before scouting.
Sure enough, most were assholes asking what went down with Darling.
But one from a female broadcaster.
*Park Haneul* Hello Unemployed King I have something to say to you... 1 day ago Unread
Park Haneul?
Who?