Hiring My First Editors
The day after the interviews, I woke up slowly, basking in the fresh sunlight.
"What time is it...?"
[11:21 AM]
Without my usual morning call from Bambie, I could definitely sleep in later than normal.
"Urgh...!"
I stretched refreshingly and opened the door I'd kept locked for the night, only to find Bambie slumped over, curled up asleep right in front of it.
"..."
The sight was so pitiful that I started wondering if I'd gone too far.
"Sigh..."
Carefully picking up Bambie, I carried her to the living room and settled on the sofa. Roll roll roll...
I spent the morning gently petting her soft fur.
I finally started reviewing the last batch of editor applications.
"Well, no more standout candidates here..."
After checking another 50, none met my pre-set criteria, so I planned to interview the 10 finalists about pay and other demands.
I'd already reached out via the Incode IDs from their emails, intending to start with whoever replied first. Quick responses would earn bonus points—after all, instant communication is key between boss and employee.
Just two minutes after messaging the 10, one replied.
"So many typos?"
Yoo Seo-hyun. 22 years old. A woman who'd gotten into the media communications department at the prestigious S University but was currently on leave. She brushed back her messy bangs in her room, editing as usual—clipping highlights from Noel's recent radio broadcast, adding subtitles, sound effects, the works. Her hands flew through it all.
But inwardly, she was a bundle of nerves. She had no idea if she was actually a finalist for the editor position she'd desperately wanted.
The soft, gentle voice from her screen soothed her anxiety.
"Haa... Noel-nim..."
She'd always been a big Noel fan, but learning Noel was a woman had only deepened her obsession, leading her to start and run a clip channel.
Then, an Incode notification pinged.
"...? No one's supposed to message me..."
Opening it, she saw a completely unexpected name.
Seo-hyun rubbed her eyes, wondering if it was real.
"Wh-what do I do...? P-pay... I didn't even think about that...?"
Reality sinking in triggered her hikikomori instincts.
"F-first... reply..."
Steadying her trembling hands, she typed letter by letter.
"Ahh!"
Her trembling hands couldn't help but make a typo, and as a result, this is what was sent:
[Yes. Um... I'm rweady.]
"...Ah... Should I just die..."
Before she even had time to fully process that thought, the great ordeal of a call from Noel struck.
[Noel has started a call.]
"Okay, okay... F-first, calm down... Let's just start by apologizing... Yoo Seo-hyun, you can do this..."
Unable to hide her trembling heart, Seo-hyun pressed the accept button.
"Hello—"
"NoelImsosorryIwasreallyflusteredandsentatypoIreallywatchyourstreamseverydayanddiligentlyrunaclipchannelsoifyoucouldjustforgivemethisonce..." . . "..."
I was on a call with a candidate who was rambling on and on right in front of me.
"I'mreallyahugefanofyoursNoelwhichiswhyIsetmyusernametothissomaybeIruinedyourmoodImsosorry..."
Already, my evaluation of 'Noel's Doormat' was gradually dropping in my mind.
"Now, now, please calm down. I get it."
"Y-yes... okay..."
It took barely 30 seconds into the call to figure out exactly what kind of person she was.
‘Either a gloomy loner hikikomori girl, or she just likes me way too much. It’s gotta be one of the two...’
Ju-won didn't know. Seo-hyun actually fell into both categories.
To lighten the mood, Ju-won started with some light conversation.
"So, did our Seo-hyun have breakfast?"
"O-our...? N-no. I haven't eaten..!"
"Hmm... Is that so? You need to eat breakfast to stay healthy."
"S-should I go make something right now?!"
"N-no... You don't have to go that far..."
The longer the conversation went on, the more Ju-won began to doubt whether this person could handle the job of an editor.
"Um... Do you have anything you're currently editing?"
"Y-yes... I do..."
"Oh, could you show it to me?"
"It's still a bit unfinished... but I'll show it to you..!"
What Seo-hyun showed him was an edited cut of a radio broadcast. It featured clean scene transitions, easy-to-read subtitles, and even fun sound effects.
‘Her editing is truly flawless. Personally, out of all the candidates, her editing style is my favorite too...’
"...It's good. Do you have a specific pay rate in mind?"
"I don't have to get pa— Ah, um... well..."
As expected, perhaps a fan's devotion alone wasn't enough to overcome one's financial reality. Listening to Seo-hyun agonizing over it, I chuckled.
"12,000 won per minute of NewTube video. How does that sound?"
The industry average for editors was known to be around 10,000 won per minute. If you were a highly skilled editor, it could go up to 20,000 won.
Since my own financial situation wasn't exactly overflowing with cash yet, I planned to raise it gradually over time.
"Gasp... I-I love it..! Th-that's too good of a condition..."
Hearing her surprise through the audio, I thought she might work out better than I expected. Despite how she acted, her editing skills were definitely trustworthy, so I basically had one person confirmed.
"Hehehe..." . . . While I was on the phone with Seo-hyun, I had received replies from two other people.
After talking to those two, one demanded a pay rate that was way too high, and I could tell from the call that the other's attitude wasn't very good, so I secretly crossed them both off the list.
While talking to three more people, I eliminated the 4th and 5th candidates for the same reasons as before, and finally, reached the 6th.
[Ah, hello. Can you hear me well?]
"Yes. I hear you clearly."
The very polite voice of a man entered my ears. Getting a good feeling about him for some reason, I reread his application.
Name: Lee Hoon (Single-syllable first name.) Age: 26 (Completed military service) . . Experience: I previously worked at Company B, where I was in charge of cinematic editing and directing. Additional Comments: Just as I handled cinematics before, I can edit your Roworld videos to give them a movie-like feel. If you hire me, I will work hard.
I remembered being deeply impressed by the video he had sent. He had edited my boss battle in the Trabel Kingdom so stylishly that I couldn't help but marvel while watching it.
"Um. Yes. Hoon? Is it okay if I call you that?"
"Ahaha. Yes. Please call me whatever makes you comfortable."
If I had to describe what I felt while talking to him, it was that politeness was ingrained in his very bones. Was it because he had experience working in a corporate environment?
"But Company B is a major corporation. Why did you quit and apply here...?"
"Ahaha, well... I had a huge clash with my boss once, and I just said everything I wanted to say and stormed out."
"Pfft. Ah, I'm sorry. I've heard people like that actually existed, but it's my first time talking to one in real life..."
The more we talked, the more I liked him. His editing skills were outstanding, his experience was solid, and above all, he accepted the exact same pay as Seo-hyun: 12,000 won per minute.
"I'll let you know once the final results are out."
"Understood. Have a good afternoon."
Watching Hoon give a crisp, polite farewell right up to the end, I smiled and finalized my decision on the two candidates I was going to hire.
As for the remaining four candidates, they hadn't replied even after three hours since I sent the message, so I decided to automatically disqualify them. . . . [Noel: Congratulations. You have passed the final selection for the video editor position. Please leave your phone number, and I'll contact you via messenger.]
Seo-hyun rubbed her eyes, checking if what she was seeing was real.
[Noel: What are you going to do with your existing channel? I was thinking it might be a good idea to repurpose it into a channel for uploading full-length VODs...]
Only then did Seo-hyun realize this was reality and began typing a rapid reply.
[Yoo Seo-hyun: Thank you... I agree with that idea too! It would be a bit of a waste to lose the subscribers I've built up...]
[Noel: Let's do that then. I've hired one other person besides you, Seo-hyun, so I'll make a group chat.]
Not long after, her messenger notifications started going off. It had been so long since Seo-hyun had received a message notification that she actually had to update the app first.
[Noel's Department (3)]
Kim Ju-won: Hello. I am Noel, who has become your boss as of today. I look forward to working with you.
Lee Hoon: I look forward to working with you too! And you too, Seo-hyun.
Yoo Seo-hyun: I look forward to working with you as well..! . . . For a while, the three of them passionately discussed the launch plan for the NewTube channel. . . . In conclusion, they decided to launch the NewTube channel as soon as the edited video of the Trabel Kingdom was completed.
Since some parts were already done in advance, it wouldn't take too long, but the two editors still needed to coordinate their editing styles to some extent to create a natural-flowing video.
"Come to think of it, I wonder how many subscribers I have right now..."
Since it crossed my mind, I opened NewTube and checked my channel.
[Noel - 68.8k subscribers]
"I'm not even uploading any videos, so why are my subscribers going up so fast...?"
...My journey as a NewTuber had only just taken its first step.