Chapter 2

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 2

Chapter Title: Monetization Application

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"Ughhhh..."

My eyes burned so bad I let out a scream.

In the end, I hadn't slept a wink until morning.

I just couldn't.

How could I sleep when I couldn't tear my eyes away from my phone screen?

"...How much monthly revenue do I need to go full-time YouTuber...?"

I muttered that all-too-real question and bolted upright in bed.

I headed to the bathroom for a thorough shower, changed clothes, and stepped outside.

The subway commute was still pure hell.

If I had a car, at least I could dodge the misery of this hellish train.

'Maybe I should get a compact car.'

Eh, car stuff could wait.

I grabbed the subway strap and pulled out my phone again.

My finger trembled slightly as I opened the dashboard.

[Views: 6,891,003]

I'd woken up—no, I hadn't slept—but in just a few hours, it had jumped by nearly 4 million.

Watching it climb by hundreds of thousands in real time? No sane person could sleep through that.

'Haa. BMW? Audi? Benz? What should I get?'

I'd gone from pondering a compact to eyeing the German Big Three.

Who's to say I couldn't splurge on an imported luxury ride?

Lost in those thoughts, I arrived at the logistics center before I knew it.

I changed into my work uniform and was yawning when the Team Leader approached.

She scanned my face and looked worried.

"Min-jae, you sick? Your face looks even more hollow than yesterday."

Genuine concern filled her eyes.

But right now, my mind was buzzing like I'd chewed on decade-old ginseng root.

I flashed an even brighter smile than usual.

"No, I'm good. Just... something good happened yesterday, so I had a restless night."

"Something good? Well, don't push yourself too hard. We've got a ton of volume today. Hang in there."

She patted my shoulder and headed back to her spot.

Right before diving into work, I checked the views one last time.

Exactly 14 hours ago.

That ridiculous [Microwave Water] Short I'd uploaded last night.

[Views: 7,034,119]

Over 7 million views in just 14 hours.

'Insane...'

What about subscribers?

[Subscribers: 5,124]

Shorts must convert to subs at a lower rate or something?

Only about 5,000.

But who cares?

In a single day.

With one video.

I never dreamed I'd hit 5,000 subscribers.

After a year of game guide uploads, I had a measly 32.

But this...

'This is it.'

I was certain.

This was the one.

I could make enough money to live off forever.

Way better than slaving at ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the logistics center.

I uploaded the video I'd made on the bus.

The topic the comments had strongly recommended for next time.

'Thanks. Good idea.'

[Why Sleeping with a Fan On Will Kill You]

Back in the day, with scarce info, people bought into the BS.

Now even elementary kids scoff at it.

A string of nonsense.

But so what?

AI whipped up a convincing high-quality video in 3 minutes flat.

[In a sealed space, prolonged fan operation drastically lowers oxygen levels, while the motor produces carbon dioxide...]

'Perfect BS.'

I hit [Upload] without hesitation.

Then pocketed my phone.

'I'll check during lunch.'

Whistling, I headed to the sweaty workshop floor.

Today's stack of boxes in front of me looked downright pathetic.

Bring it on, logistics.

"Hoo... ha...!!"

I shoved the last pallet with the jack and slumped into a chair.

My whole body was soaked in sweat.

Glancing at the clock, it was already time to clock out.

Today the volume was insane—we hadn't even taken a proper lunch break.

So no chance to check that morning Short either.

'Just a bit longer... let it marinate.'

Checking it all at once later would hit like a rush of euphoria.

Like saving the strawberry for last on cake.

The other guys were at the vending machine, sipping coffee and chatting.

I felt low blood sugar coming on—wanted something sweet.

But I didn't even have the energy for that.

As I caught my breath, the Team Leader came over and handed me a canned drink.

The cold hit my palm instantly.

"Good work, Min-jae. Have this at least."

"Ah, thanks."

A cheap vending machine can—400 won a pop.

But right now, it felt better than iced Americano.

I cracked it open and chugged.

The burning thirst in my throat eased a bit.

"By the way, Min-jae. You mentioned something good this morning, right?"

"Yeah? Oh, right."

"What was it? You've been grinning ear to ear all day."

I touched my face.

Had I been smiling that much?

The Team Leader gave me a playful side-eye.

"Nah. Just... feels like something good's about to happen."

"What? Don't tell me... you bought this week's lotto?"

Lotto?

'Bigger than lotto, Team Leader.'

But I couldn't exactly say, 'Might hit it big with aggro Shorts and live off rice.'

So I brushed it off vaguely.

"Something like that."

"For real? I bought some too!"

She pulled her wallet from her pocket and flashed her lotto ticket.

The gesture was kinda cute.

"If I win this, I can feed you forever, so marry me. Got it?"

She grinned.

We're both pushing thirty soon.

We're both pretty laid-back, and after all this time, we've grown fond of each other.

Honestly, I like her plenty.

That's why we toss around marriage jokes like this—half kidding, half not.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if it was serious.

Great personality, pretty face.

Setting that aside, since it was her usual teasing, I played along with a laugh.

"Deal. You better take responsibility."

"Eh."

Her face flushed bright red in an instant.

She flapped her hands and covered her cheeks, flustered.

"What's up?"

"...No, you just agreed so fast, now I'm embarrassed for no reason."

She started it, and now she's shy?

What a fun person.

"I dunno! I'm heading to change first!"

She bolted to the locker room like she was fleeing.

Watching her back, I couldn't help but chuckle.

I drained the rest of the can.

Then fished my phone from my pocket and turned it on.

Finally, time to check.

I opened the video ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠platform dashboard.

And... saw the numbers.

"Pff... hehehe..."

I couldn't stifle the laugh.

Luckily, no one around.

Yesterday's upload.

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

[Views: 11,214,039]

Ten million.

Overnight.

'Monetization threshold was 10M Shorts views, right?'

And the one from this morning, uploaded on the commute.

[Why Sleeping with a Fan On Will Kill You]

[Views: 7,810,992]

Under 10 hours, closing in on 8 million.

'Faster than yesterday.'

I scrolled the comments, unable to hold back the grin.

Spicier hate than yesterday, piled high.

The hate comments were oddly enjoyable.

'More... hate me more.'

The more hate they spewed, the more they fought in the replies, the more views piled up—and the algorithm went wild spreading the video.

The algo just checks for engagement, that's it.

Hit "not interested" all you want; Shorts keep coming.

Thanks to that, my videos scattered to even more people.

And...

I headed to channel settings.

[Monetization]

The blue button that wasn't there yesterday was now active.

[Congratulations! Your channel meets the requirements.]

[Surpassed 10,000,000 Shorts views in the last 90 days]

[Apply for monetization now!]

"..."

I swallowed hard.

My finger shook.

I pressed and held [Apply].

[Application submitted. Review may take several days.]

Review takes a while, but that didn't matter anymore.

I already felt like I was sitting on a pile of cash.