Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Doctor's Reality Check
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That evening.
On my way home from work, I bought some pig's feet and paired it with beer while scrolling through Shorts.
The taste of this 500cc canned beer after sweating it out at the logistics center.
It brought a rare, genuine happiness that was hard to find in my life.
'Ah... I feel alive.'
As the cool beer slid down my throat, my fatigue melted away completely.
To get even happier than this, I'd probably need to marry someone pretty and have kids.
Or snag a rare item while bossing in an RPG game.
Unless something like that happened, surpassing this level of happiness would be tough.
By the way, I never play games when drinking or right after.
That's my ironclad rule.
Drinking and gaming always leads to disasters.
I get cocky and blow cash on gambling items, or try reinforcing a +22 item to +23.
I couldn't afford to lose my rice-bowl assets on such insanity.
'Side gigs are still work.'
So instead, I behaved myself, sipping beer while flipping through Shorts.
That's when a familiar-looking video popped up.
It was some cheap knockoff who'd stolen my AI-generated Short and slapped their reaction on top.
"Huh, pretty famous guy."
The thief had over a million subscribers—a well-known science YouTuber.
I'd watched his stuff a few times, so I recognized him.
It was him reacting to my Short.
- Don't ever drink water heated in a microwave?
- Uh... denatured water? Pipe bonding angle messed up?
- What the hell does this even mean? Some new science I don't know about?
- Oh, a new science YouTuber? But the content isn't science?
- This isn't even pseudoscience, just straight-up bullshit. And it's over 10 million views now.
- Jealous.
- Should I pull some aggro like this too, guys?
The comments on that video were wild too.
Stuff like "This is insane" or laughing at it as a deliberate concept Short.
lololol so shameless channel owner.
Denatured water lolol I'm only drinking that from now on.
Go check that channel, guys. They even have a fan video lolol
Looks like a channel made on purpose for the concept.
Even blatantly doing this and people believe it. Legendary.
My mom... believes it... ㅠㅠ
Chewing on pig's feet, I seized the moment and left a comment.
[As fellow science YouTubers, let's get along from now on.]
About five minutes after posting that...
Suddenly, a notification rang out.
I'd turned off all alerts for my channel, so this was from an external one.
[You have been pinned.]
My comment got pinned on the million-sub YouTuber's video.
It shot up with massive recommendations, right at the top.
And then replies exploded.
Do you have a conscience?
lolololol 'fellow' science YouTuber bullshit lololol
Crazy bastard lololol
This is the owner showing up?
Look at the shamelessness lololol where's your conscience?
This guy's a real legend.
You're not a science YouTuber. You're 'pseudo' science.
'Pseudo' is too generous. Straight-up comedian.
Is this a pinned trophy or a token of friendship? lol
Damn... gotta learn this level of shamelessness.
This guy's mentality is titanium lol
And the 1M sub pinner it too, hilarious lolol
Win-win for both lolol
Subbed to your channel lololol
Guys like this need to succeed lolol
Feeling pleased, I took another swig of beer.
'Yeah. Hate away. It's all money.'
I opened the Shorts auto-generator app.
Time for a new topic.
'What to do this time.'
Something viewers suggested in comments, like [Instant noodles on the market are coated in wax!]?
Definite aggro bait.
'Hmm... might be crossing a line...'
I worried it'd cause another uproar for noodle companies, like that wax scandal.
Heard stock prices tanked hard back then.
'Fines or lawsuits would be a headache.'
So I switched to something harmless.
No messing with corporations.
This time: Germanium bracelets.
[The Miracle of Germanium Bracelets You Don't Know About]
'No victims here.'
Claims it emits negative ions and far-infrared rays for amazing blood circulation and health benefits.
Pure nonsense, of course.
Only scammers get hurt.
AI spat out a convincing video in three minutes.
Uploaded immediately.
Soon, comments exploded.
lololol finally part 3 lolol
Worried this guy's running out of material.
Germanium lolol my grandma wears one.
One pseudoscience a day lolol this is nuts
Watched this and immediately chewed raw germanium ore.
Proof pls.
Damn... this one's gonna fool a lot of people.
My parents wanted me to buy this.
It's on home shopping all the time lolol
Why does the voice sound so trustworthy lolol
Voice is hard-carrying.
What TTS is this? First time hearing it.
Maybe not TTS? lol
Hmm.
Not many comments yet since it's fresh.
Scrolled down further.
Then one caught my eye.
Hello. I'm a practicing doctor.
The health benefits of germanium bracelets are pseudoscience with zero scientific proof.
Negative ions and far-infrared effects are just marketing terms.
Of course, nobody these days sees that and thinks, "Oh, the doctor's right."
Too many fake experts on YouTube.
Never seen a real one start with "Practicing OO."
I pinned the self-proclaimed doctor's comment.
As expected, mocking replies poured in.
lololol pinned trophy lololol
Practicing doctor lololol why so many doctors on YT.
Doctor? Verify. Show license.
Owner pinned to snipe the fake expert lololol
Doctor sir... don't do this here... see patients.
Doctor (Unemployed)
Nick shows a channel? 12 subs lolol
lololol 12? lololol
Doctor dropping facts even after showing up...
Facts or not, nobody here believes the germanium shit lolol
How do you know she's a doctor?
lololol 99% of online "practicing" peeps are unemployed.
Laughing my head off, I downed four cans before I knew it.
After uploading, I kept drinking, got wasted, and passed out.
Morning came.
"Ugh... my head..."
The alarm hit like a sledgehammer through my hangover.
Downed some water and checked my phone...
"What the."
Sleep vanished instantly.
The pinned "practicing doctor" comment had over 1,000 replies.
Scrolling slowly, amid the mockery, the commenter left a link.
It stood out boldly.
[Uploaded verification video to my channel. Check it out.]
Verification?
Oh
Clicked the link? Wow...
She's insanely pretty.
Smooch huge.
She's legit.
Go to her channel quick lolol real doctor lololol
12 subs (X) -> 8K (O)
lololol skyrocketed overnight lolol
Should thank the aggro channel owner lolol
Owner pinned and got reverse-touristed lolol
Entranced, I clicked the channel link.
Aggro had flooded in—subs were skyrocketing.
'Comments said 12 subs... now 8K overnight?'
Even I didn't grow that fast in a day.
Now over 50K.
Hmm, no mercy.
I played the video titled [To the Pseudoscience Channel Owner].
- Hello.
- I'm Lee Soo-yeon from Seoul Haneulhaneul Clinic, the doctor who commented on the germanium bracelet video.
...What, she's insanely pretty for real?
A big nameplate read "Director Lee Soo-yeon."
Opened her own clinic at that age?
She filmed in her director's office/clinic room.
Behind her: doctor's license, awards, etc.
'She's... actually a doctor?'
Worlds apart from me.
Pyramid top-tier.
- The channel owner pinned my comment. Felt like fake expert treatment, so I verified.
She panned the camera over her doctor's coat and clinic interior.
- This enough? And channel owner. Let's meet and talk.
She smiled slyly.
- No big reason. Your videos worry me about your mental health.
She pulled something from her desk drawer.
A germanium bracelet.
- So I prepared this. Never imagined buying one myself.
- Want to gift you this germanium bracelet.
That's when I got it.
She planned to meet and grill me for pinning her as a fake expert.
'Did I mess up? What now?'
Go meet her, and boom—big camera, mic, identity exposed to the world?
Too self-conscious?
Hmm... rethink.
Would meeting actually be a problem?
I'm not doing anything wrong.
Meeting a huge, gorgeous doctor...
Could spark a YouTube ecosystem situation where we steal each other's spotlight?
Opportunity?
Now or never?
"..."
[Private Reply]
[Please contact me here, Doctor.]
[(Email address)]
Just before clocking out.
Lee Soo-yeon checked her YouTube studio with a satisfied smile.
[Private Reply]
[Please contact me here, Doctor.]
[(Email address)]
'He bit. Perfect.'
Lee Soo-yeon couldn't help but be thrilled.
Worried he'd tuck tail and run, but he left contact info.
Truth was, she'd been hunting bait to boost her doctor-YouTuber fame.
Just "doctor" title wasn't enough anymore.
Needed stimulating content, something attention-grabbing.
While poking around, she found this bullshit YouTuber exploding fast.
'Perfect prey.'
Subs were low.
Under 10K yesterday.
But insane growth: over 30K in two days since launch, all three vids over 10M views.
'Aggro rules YouTube ecosystem.'
If she, real doctor, tangled with this clown...?
Inevitable exposure everywhere.
Prime fame booster.
And sure enough, Shorts YouTubers smelled blood, spreading like wildfire.
[Pseudoscience YouTuber VS Practicing Doctor, Pinning Battle?]
[Controversial Germanium Bracelet, What's the End?]
[Denatured Water YouTuber Getting Schooled?]
[12-Sub Real Doctor Declares War on 30K Aggro YouTuber]
Over 20 Shorts based on her comment, million+ views each.
Her channel gained thousands of subs.
From one comment.
One verification vid.
And this much? Couldn't miss it.
'Met the Aggro Shorts YouTuber and Gifted Him a Germanium Bracelet.'
What would that vid do?
Of course, mosaic for safety.
Wonder what the guy behind that "denatured water" and "fan death" voice looks like.
Sounds like a middle-aged dude...
What if he's big and scary?
'Nah, probably a total nerd.'
Definitely TTS.
Couldn't ID the company though.
Lee Soo-yeon laughed hard thinking about it.
"Director?"
The nurses, done cleaning, entered her office.
"Why the big smile? Good news?"
"Oh... no. Just. All done?"
"Yes. Time for you to head out too."
"Right. Let's go home."
Lee Soo-yeon hung up her coat, grabbed her handbag.
A smile lingered on her lips.