Moderately Fast (4)
"That's all for Dawn's Music Radio tonight."
Ending the stream on a good note, he also sent a message to Choi Seola thanking her for her hard work.
"Ugh... my throat is definitely weak."
He wanted to sing all the requested songs, but it was a good thing he listened to Choi Seola.
If he kept pushing himself, he'd burn out in no time.
The stream must have taken a lot out of him because exhaustion hit him all at once.
"Ugh... I need to wash up."
Unable to resist the temptation of the bed, he soon drifted off into dreamland.
While Saebyeok slept.
Choi Seola stayed behind in the stream channel, observing the viewers who were still lingering out of lingering affection.
Since quite a few viewers already had fan tags, weeding out the gems was pretty easy.
That one is a regular in Hyeonsu's chat, and that one is always in Malang's chat. I should lure them over to the fan cafe later.
The viewers, currently suffering from "Dawn sickness," chatted for a while before logging out one by one.
"Should I upload a clip to the fan cafe?"
Of course, no fan surpassed Choi Seola, who was more dedicated than anyone.
"For the cafe banner..."
As a design major, she drew a crescent moon and wrote "Dawn ❤️ Moon Children" in large letters.
"I even said I'd handle Nutube for him..."
She firmly believed that the pinnacle of being a fan was standing right by their side.
Just looking at Airbeer's success story proved it, didn't it?
It was only natural, as there wasn't a woman in the world who didn't dream of marrying the man she admired.
Choi Seola possessed both excellent drawing skills and video editing skills.
She developed a conviction that as his number one fan, she ought to devote herself to him.
But a demon whispered in a corner of her mind.
"...Is it because I'm a burden?"
Memories of her traumatic, grueling study abroad days resurfaced, and she shook her head violently.
Back then, it was hard to meet people, and she was constantly terrified of being abandoned.
Paradoxically, her loneliness only grew.
After barely graduating and returning to Korea, she lived like a madwoman, doing nothing but watching internet streams.
To think there was such a wonderful outlet!
Loneliness.
She realized it could be solved with just a little bit of money.
She had even played the role of a "chairman" and met up with streamers offline.
"It was all makeup and filters. And they were all money-grubbing gold diggers."
She had approached them out of loneliness, but her sincerity was misunderstood.
She hadn't wanted that kind of blatant physical relationship.
There were plenty of male gigolos who shamelessly demanded car keys or volunteered to be her "office man."
Disgusted by them, she now found fulfillment in personally scouting out "niche" streamers who still had a shred of innocence left and giving them a chance.
That was how she had met Saebyeok.
However, Saebyeok's walls were higher than she expected. She had sweated bullets trying to reject his offer of payment for being a manager.
When she brought up editing his Nutube videos, his firm refusal had left her slightly disgruntled.
His reasoning was that he had to pay her a proper commission and share the revenue per view.
When she eagerly agreed, what he said next was even more absurd.
'I can't ask you to be both my manager and editor. What about your own life, Seola?'
Her discontent vanished instantly, completely won over by his thoughtfulness.
"Ah. I'm unemployed! I don't even have to worry about money... Argh! Maybe I should have just pushed through anyway."
Having moved out to a penthouse in Cheongdam-dong, she was a certified diamond spoon.
It hadn't been long since she escaped her family's watchful eyes, so she had time to burn.
Although born into a family that ranked near the top of the business world, she was far removed from management rights.
"Thank goodness I have so many older sisters. Management... just thinking about it gives me the chills."
With four older sisters above her, and her family's conglomerate famous for having unusually good relations for a chaebol, she readily admitted she was a very lucky woman.
"I'm going to spend my whole life being a fangirl!"
Reigniting her resolve, she uploaded the clip to the fan cafe.
"What does Saebyeok look like...? Ah, no! It's not like I'm going to eat his face for dinner. Yes, yes! I'm fine, Saebyeok!"
At this point, her self-rationalization was practically a chronic illness.
"Wow... I'm literally passing out every night."
It seemed it would take a long time for him to reach the physical stamina of an average man.
Passing out every time just because his day had two or three hours of streaming added to it was a bit much...
"Should I increase my workouts?"
He hadn't even gone jogging today, so that was an overambitious thought.
He bought plenty of vitamins, his workouts were at their limit, and his food intake had increased significantly.
What more could he possibly do?
It was a total dilemma.
"Whew... I guess time is the only answer."
Soothing his disappointment, he ate brunch.
By now, he didn't burn his toast, and he was getting pretty good at making scrambled eggs.
Otherwise, he got by on delivery food or meal kits.
What a wonderful world we live in.
Muttering to himself like an old man, he finished the dishes and sat in front of the computer.
A red notification light was blinking on JustCode.
He only had two friends on his list, though?
"Uh... she's working way too hard."
Looking at the chat logs, did she stay up all night?
He became a little curious about what she did for a living.
Ah.
He forgot to contact her.
A reply came immediately after he sent the message.
"Testing, testing—Saebyeok-nim, a mic is easier than typing, right?"
"Yes, Harang-nim. Speaking is definitely easier than typing."
"Right? We're streamers, after all!"
"Indeed. Having done only two broadcasts, I've developed a natural respect for streamers."
"Ah... streaming! It's much tougher than it looks. I used to pass out every day at first too."
Oh...
So everyone went through a similar experience.
It was a relief to know it wasn't just because of his cursed stamina.
"How did you know? I actually passed out last night, haha..."
"That's just the life of a streamer."
The two chatted about trivial things for a while before diving into the discussion about the collaboration stream.
"Using ThinkRoom is pretty intuitive, so I don't think there will be any issues, but how should we handle the content?"
"Well, since my channel has a bit more recognition at the moment, would it be alright if we host it on my channel?"
"Ah, of course. I should be the one thanking you."
"That's a relief. Some streamers get quite sensitive even when I suggest a 50-50 revenue split, so I was a bit cautious."
Business is business, after all.
Besides, her viewer count was about twenty times his.
Offering a 50-50 split was incredibly generous of her.
"Then, as for the specific details..."
"I have a rough script for this kind of content, so it won't be too difficult. I'll send you a file right now!"
"Sure. Let's look at it together while we talk."
As expected, one doesn't become a top-tier streamer for nothing.
It was a talk-show-like format that followed a strict timeline, and the structure was solid.
Reading through it, the main idea was for her to warm up the stream first, and then Saebyeok would join.
They would do a Q&A and some light banter, perform about three pre-selected songs, and then take song requests.
"Saebyeok-nim, you can play live and sing at the same time, right?"
"As long as it's a song I know, it shouldn't be a problem."
"Wow... I struggle with just the piano, so that's amazing. Did you major in music?"
"Yes, well... my major was composition, but my credentials aren't as impressive as yours, Harang-nim."
"Oh, please... I barely make a living playing piano after majoring in instrumental music. Being multi-talented like you is much harder! But this makes me happy, hehe."
After showering each other with compliments, they settled on three songs.
She was even more passionate than he expected, and seeing how much she truly loved streaming made him smile warmly.
"It's been so long since I've had such an easy coordination. Should we just do a surprise stream today?"
She wasn't just passionate; she was stepping on the gas.
There was no reason not to, as long as he informed his manager beforehand and posted an announcement.
It seemed she prioritized having a fun stream even if it meant fewer viewers.
"Sure, I'm fine with that. What time were you thinking for today?"
"How about around 8:00 PM? It's the golden hour after people get off work."
The class of a top streamer. She had the guts to clash head-on with the golden hour!
"But we do need to sync up a bit beforehand... Shall we meet up again after lunch?"
"I don't have any other plans today, so let's do that!"
"Yes! It's 10:30 AM right now... so let's meet again at 2:00 PM. Let me know if anything changes! I might not check JustCode, so you can reach me at 010-3xxx-9xxx!"
They exchanged numbers in the blink of an eye.
Well, it didn't really matter, did it?
"Sure. Mine is 010-9xxx-9xxx. You can reach me there as well."
"Mission accomplished!"
"Pardon?"
"Hehe, just kidding. See you in a bit!"
"Yes. Have a nice lunch."
"You too, Saebyeok-nim~"
Although it was a business call, it was the first time he had spoken to a woman for this long since his psychiatrist.
He tilted his head, lost in thought.
"Didn't they say this is a gender-reversed world? I don't really feel any difference."
Was it because they were both professionals?
The women in the videos he saw were the definition of alpha females, so maybe it was a relief that she wasn't like that.
Either way, he would have to wait and see.
"I should leave a message for my manager... post the announcement, and study up in the meantime."
Meanwhile, Choi Seola, who had just woken up, gasped when she saw the messages on JustCode.
A collaboration with Harang!
Harang was one of the top streamers in Korea when it came to instrumental performances.
She had a prestigious academic background, great looks, and a fantastic body, and she was known to occasionally do collaboration streams.
"Is Saebyeok already at that level? No, wait! Saebyeok is way better, obviously! Yes, yes!"
Choi Seola didn't stop there; she immediately searched for Harang's channel on Nutube.
"530,000 subscribers? That's insane..."
After watching several of Harang's popular videos in a row, she unconsciously pouted.
"She is pretty... Hmph! But I'm no pushover either!"
Jumping up, she stood in front of the full-length mirror and cupped her breasts with both hands.
Her size, which couldn't be held in a single hand, felt particularly satisfying today.
She struck a pose to emphasize her S-line and practiced her expressions, boosting her self-esteem.
"Saebyeok won't fall for Harang-nim, right...?"
Her delusions eventually spiraled into ugly jealousy.
"...This won't do. I need to get closer to him."
Though she burned with competitive spirit on her own, she didn't forget her duty as his number one viewer who wished for his success.
She left a post on the fan cafe, which had already grown to 200 members overnight thanks to her promotional efforts.
Saebyeok was gradually becoming more famous.