Chapter 1

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: I Got My Hands on a Shorts Auto-Generation AI

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"Ha... I'm exhausted. Just kill me..."

He muttered curses under his breath as he pushed through the subway turnstile.

If he didn't let off some steam with a bit of swearing, it was hard to keep going these days. Seemed like he was cussing more often lately.

Working at a logistics center in this summer heat...

That impulsive decision back in his fiery youth to jump into a job for the decent hourly wage? Total misstep.

"My shoulders are killing me..."

Hauling heavy boxes nonstop for hours had wrecked his body.

His legs were shaking like crazy too.

He staggered toward the rundown apartment building where his one-room rental waited.

He made it inside just before his battery hit zero.

He flung his bag aside and crashed face-first onto the bed.

"Ah... I'm dying."

He lay there staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

28 years old, Kim Min-jae.

He called himself a freelancer, but in reality, he was a half-unemployed guy scraping by on gig jobs like this one.

'Ah... Got to take down that boss today.'

As he buried his face in the bed, his schedule popped into his head.

His main gig was this brutal part-time warehouse work, but he had a side hustle too.

Selling in-game items from an RPG to make ends meet.

It looked pathetic on paper, and he was too embarrassed to tell his friends...

But combining it with his wage job, he was pulling in about 4 million won a month.

More than most guys at small companies. Not too shabby.

But today? No way he had the energy to sit at the computer.

Couldn't even twitch a finger.

"Resting today. No question."

He groaned and rolled onto his side.

He fished his phone out of his sweat-damp pants pocket.

Decided to zone out and recharge for a bit.

The app he opened was the world's biggest video platform.

You know the one.

His one guilty pleasure, his other hobby: scrolling through those short clips called Shorts.

Lots of people probably had the same habit these days.

Just flick your thumb, and dopamine floods your brain.

Before you knew it, videos with 10 million views were a dime a dozen—hell, even 100 million wasn't rare.

And not just overseas stuff; plenty made right here in Korea.

Hit home how many people were just like him.

'How much cash do these creators rake in?'

Every time he saw videos bragging about monthly Shorts earnings or buying houses off them, envy hit hard.

Of course, he wasn't above trying it himself.

He used to spend hours editing RPG strategy guide videos back in the day..

Stayed up all night slapping on subtitles and sound effects.

Even trimmed key bits into Shorts format.

Results? Dismal.

1,000 views.

That was it.

A whole month's effort glanced past by a thousand people.

Probably the algorithm pity-pushing it.

But the video sliding past his screen right now?

Clickbait title screaming AI-generated script: a string of sensational, predictable lines.

Read aloud by some cheap TTS voice from a 9,900-won monthly sub site.

Paired with random free stock images that had zero relevance.

And this garbage? Hundreds of millions of views. Hundreds. Of. Millions.

'What the fuck? Why?'

His boss raid guides were way more useful and entertaining, right?

If crap like this made bank, he'd ditch the warehouse in a heartbeat.

Dead serious.

He'd swap lives right then and there.

'Sigh. Must take luck and skill I don't have.'

Something he didn't know about.

No point trash-talking what he couldn't grasp—it'd just make him look smaller.

He swiped down to the next video.

That's when it happened.

Ding.

A notification popped up at the top, overlaying the video.

He checked it out: a single text message.

[Web Sender]

[Unregistered Number]

[Try AI Auto-Generated Shorts! Check It Out Now!]

He frowned.

Suspicious shortened URL attached.

"..."

He sighed deeply.

"Now they're pushing Shorts scams from Cambodia? Fucking lunatics."

Voice phishing and course-selling hustlers kept up with trends like pros.

Or maybe their brains got hacked?

He'd literally just been thinking about making money off Shorts.

"Delete and block."

His thumb hovered over delete.

Then it froze.

A thought struck him.

'But... what if this is a real shot? Isn't that how everyone starts?'

Look at his situation.

Wishing for a lottery jackpot without even buying a ticket?

That was him right now.

'Wishing won't cut it. Time to act.'

Even sketchy stuff deserved a shot.

Otherwise, what right did he have to bitch about failing?

'Fine. Worst case, I get scammed.'

Phone hack? Nothing worth stealing.

Eh, delete the banking app just in case.

He tapped the link.

Screen shifted. An app started downloading.

Hit install from recent downloads...

"Huh?"

He blinked.

Weird.

He never hit install.

Were Android phones' security this lax?

"Hm."

Unease crept in.

He long-pressed the mystery icon on his home screen.

Black square with "AI" in white. Barebones.

But no delete prompt.

[App Info]

[Add to Home Screen]

That was it.

Like a system app from the carrier or settings—no delete option.

'Hacked the OS? Crazy. Whatever.'

No banking info to lose anyway.

"..."

He launched the app. No loading screen—just bam, a familiar interface.

That chat-style AI everyone used these days.

'Wait, wasn't this for Shorts?'

He scowled.

Downloaded for Shorts, got a chat AI instead...

"...!"

Then it hit him.

'No way... Does this app generate info for Shorts?'

Like scripts?

That'd be pretty legit.

He typed into the chat.

Logo spinner kicked off.

He stared holes into it.

Took forever.

"Oh."

No clue what.

1 minute. 2 minutes.

About 3 minutes later.

A downloadable video file dropped into the chat.

Tap. Downloaded.

"Wait... it made a full video?"

Not a script?

He opened his gallery, found it.

Tap. Play.

"Whoa..."

Astonishment escaped him.

This was...

A pro-level Shorts video. Top-tier polish that screamed hours of editing.

Flashy subtitles that popped, perfectly timed sound effects.

Leagues beyond his all-nighters.

Only issue...

'Why's the content so dumb?'

Straight-up insane.

He'd asked for science-related Shorts.

AI delivered pseudo-science trash.

The script was gold-tier lunacy.

"...What the actual fuck."

Pure bullshit, obviously.

He was a lit major, but even he knew this was nonsense.

Twisted hydrogen bonds? That's not water anymore.

Yet the AI packaged it into a slick Shorts video.

High production value.

Voice? Trustworthy middle-aged guy tone.

'What do I do with this?'

Delete?

Eh, scammed app anyway.

'If it pulls views on ragebait, that's a win, right?'

Curiosity piqued.

New burner account—not his main channel.

No loss if it tanks.

Uploaded as-is.

Title straight from AI.

[Warning! Never Drink Water Heated in a Microwave!]

Done. Phone tossed on the bed, ignored.

"Back to work. Gotta eat."

Dragged his sore ass up, booted the PC.

Logged into the RPG.

One by one...

Homework done, time flew.

Five hours in, clock read 2 a.m.

"Ugh... beat."

Shut down the PC, ready for bed.

Grabbed his phone, flopped back down.

Before sleep, remembered the uploaded Short.

'How'd it do? Over 1,000 views? Or zero?'

Maybe some roast comments.

Opened the video app, studio...

Dashboard.

Then...

He doubted his eyes.

"What... the hell."

"...?"

He froze, phone in hand.

Uploaded just 5 hours ago.

2.5 million views.

'This real...?'

Hands shaking.

2.5 million.

25,000 times his best-edited boss guide.

Nope. Had to be wrong.

Snapped back, checked again.

"Not a dream."

Trembling fingers tapped comments.

3.4K of them.

What the hell were they saying?

Scrolled. Rage greeted him.

'Yup. All hate, as expected.'

He knew it was crap.

But scrolling further, weird ones appeared.

"No way... people believe this?"

He rubbed his eyes.

For real?

More believers down the scroll.

Haters.

Believers.

Hater-haters.

And folks like him, geeking over production value regardless.

Total chaos.

'This is it.'

He bolted upright in bed.

Fatigue? Gone.

'This is how you make real money.'

Truth didn't matter to people.

They craved stimulation, plausibility, someone to rage at.

Hate or hype—all converted to views, to cash.

Monetization not unlocked yet, but long-term...

'112K likes... 3.4K comments... 2.5M views.'

Shorts paid about 0.1 won per view, rough estimate.

'250K won?'

In 5 hours?

Way more than busting ass hauling boxes at the warehouse.