The Promotion and the New Editor

After spending the night at a hotel, Kim Taejun headed straight to the office. He had missed Park Jihun’s stream the night before because it was too late, and that fact bothered him more than he had expected. As he swiped his employee ID and entered the Taesung Bio building, the hallway felt strangely noisy for a morning. Even though it was almost time to start work, the employees weren't scattering to their desks; instead, they were gathered in front of the bulletin board, buzzing with excitement.

“Wait, Kim Taejun?”

“Whoa, he’s a Division Head now?”

“Well, he’s definitely earned it.”

Taejun stopped behind them. An A4 sheet of paper was posted on the board. The words [Personnel Appointment] were printed clearly at the top. The content below it caught his eye instantly.

For a moment, his mind went blank. ‘...Division Head.’ Taejun scanned the notice again. He hadn't misread it. His own name was clearly printed there. Just then, an employee standing next to him smiled and said, “Congratulations, Team Leader. Oh, wait—I mean, Division Head.”

Soon, congratulations poured in from all sides. “Congratulations.” “Congratulations on your promotion.”

Taejun bowed his head, feeling bewildered. “Thank you.” He said the words, but it still didn't feel real. Just a short while ago, he had been someone who had to walk on eggshells around his uncle within this company. But today, even the way people looked at him had changed. Taejun slipped through the crowd and got into the elevator. He had to get to the conference room first.

He was walking down the hallway after getting off the elevator when he saw a familiar face approaching. It was his uncle. He must have seen the notice, too. The moment he recognized Taejun, his uncle’s footsteps faltered for a split second. The smile on his lips stiffened awkwardly. It was clearly not a look of genuine pleasure. However, his uncle quickly regained his composure. He forced the corners of his mouth upward and stopped in front of Taejun.

“...Congratulations, Divi...sion Head.”

Taejun could clearly hear the slight choke in his uncle’s breath at the word "Divi." Taejun looked at his uncle’s face for a moment. This was a man who, just a few days ago, had called him "Taejun-ah" in a casual, informal tone and issued orders as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Now, it seemed he couldn't even bring himself to say the title comfortably. Taejun replied in a calm tone.

“Thank you, Uncle.”

The corners of his uncle’s eyes twitched slightly. Taejun didn't say anything more and brushed past his shoulder. He could feel a heavy gaze piercing his back. Ignoring it, he walked toward the conference room. A laugh escaped him before he could stop it. Only a single title had changed, yet the way people looked at him was entirely different. In the end, it wasn't words that made people look different; it was the seat they occupied.

Four days had passed since he posted the notice looking for an editor. Park Jihun sat at his desk and opened his inbox. Today was the deadline for editor applications. As he scanned the screen, he frowned.

“...There are this many?”

The inbox was packed with emails all bearing the exact same subject line, stretching all the way to the seventh page. Park Jihun opened the first application at the top. Self-introduction, career summary, portfolio links—everything was there. After reading a few more, he shook his head.

“I have to get through all of these today, but I can’t do it alone.”

Jihun immediately called Usik. “Are you free?”

“What’s up?”

“You know I’m hiring an editor? I just checked the emails, and there are way too many applicants.”

“How many are there?”

“You’ll see when you get here.”

“Alright. I’m on my way.”

About thirty minutes later, the doorbell rang. Ding-dong. When he opened the door, Kim Usik was standing there. After entering the room and checking the inbox, he let out a dry laugh.

“Wow, you really got a lot of applicants.”

Usik pulled up a chair and sat down. As he scanned a few portfolio links, his expression changed. “Oh? I’ve seen this person’s work before. They’re a good editor.”

“Really?”

The two of them began sorting through the applications. “This person is no good.” “This one is decent.” “But this person’s style doesn't seem to match yours. Let’s just toss it.” With Usik helping, the process sped up significantly. After a long time of filtering, only three remained. Usik compared the resumes and said, “The first one is safe. But the second one is a bit surprising.”

“Why?”

“Their career is impressive, and their portfolio is the best of the bunch. It’s almost strange that they’d apply to a streamer who just started their YouTube channel.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. In my eyes, the second one is the best.”

“What about the third?”

“Not as good as the second, but better than the first?”

Park Jihun silently scanned the second applicant’s resume again. The names listed under their career experience weren't unfamiliar. They were channels he had heard of at least once. “...Oh.” A short exclamation escaped him. Usik muttered to himself, “Why would this person apply to your channel?”

“Who knows? I am pretty popular these days, after all.” Usik chuckled at Jihun’s cheeky reply. “Honestly, if we’re just looking at specs, this person should be the one to get the job, but... we have to do a Shamanic Reading, right?”

Park Jihun nodded. “Of course. Let’s post the notice that we’ll be holding interviews.”

“Should I post it?”

“I’ll do it. You send the emails. Tell them the interviews are today.”

A short while later, Jihun posted the notice about the public interviews for the final three candidates on the broadcast board. Not long after, comments began to pour in.

Park Jihun scanned the comment section and closed the window. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The filtering process via resumes was over. Now, it was time to look into them directly.

Park Jihun started his broadcast earlier than usual.

As if they had been waiting, the chat window began to scroll rapidly.

Park Jihun scanned the chat and said, “Today, I have a guest. This is my friend Usik, who came over this morning to help me look through the applications.” Kim Usik waved as he entered the frame. “Nice to meet you all. The chat is already going crazy asking what I did. I’ve looked through all the resumes and portfolios. We filtered them very thoroughly.”

Park Jihun immediately followed up. “However, I will be evaluating the people through Shamanic Readings.” The chat went into an uproar.

Park Jihun added briefly, “Today, for these three, I won’t look at their personal lives, only the parts relevant to the interview.”

Park Jihun called the first applicant. “Please come in.” A moment later, the Discord connection sound chimed. Ding. “Ah, hello.” It was a man’s voice, sounding a bit nervous. Park Jihun replied immediately, “Yes, I can hear you well.” At the same time, his gaze slowly darkened. Hands frozen over multiple open work windows. Unorganized files. An endless pile of unread messenger windows.

Only messages left waiting for a reply filled the screen. Park Jihun sighed. Things that weren't visible on the resume were appearing in the Shamanic Reading. “You’ve been doing this for quite a while, haven't you?” The applicant replied, sounding relieved. “Yes, I have quite a bit of editing experience.”

Park Jihun shook his head slightly. “But I don’t think you’ll last long.” The other side of the Discord call went silent for a moment. “...Excuse me?”

“You’ll work hard at first. But in the end, you’ll ghost us again.” The applicant said urgently, “I’ve never worked like that. When I take on a job, I see it through to the end.”

“I doubt it.” Park Jihun cut him off. “You’ve ghosted people and cut off contact more than once, haven't you?”

“M-me?”

“Yes. You won’t work out. You’re out.” Park Jihun rejected the first applicant on the spot. The chat window instantly heated up.

Usik gave a bitter smile. “Today’s interviews are going to be tougher than I thought.”

Park Jihun scanned the second applicant’s resume. Usik whispered from the side, “I liked this person the best.” Park Jihun narrowed his eyes. If he only looked at their skill, that might be true, but what would the Shamanic Reading reveal? “Second one.” A voice was heard immediately. “Hello.” It was a calm man’s voice. Just hearing it gave a sense of order. Park Jihun asked, “What is your motivation for applying?”

The second applicant answered without hesitation. “Because the broadcast is fun. To be precise, I saw potential for it to grow even larger. I thought that if the editing was good, the YouTube channel would grow much faster.”

At that moment, a vision flashed by. Neatly organized work windows. Orderly file names. Clips being cut and uploaded rapidly. Flawless subtitles. Eyes that understood the flow of the broadcast. ‘This is good.’ Park Jihun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠asked, “Have you always been a freelancer?”

“Yes. I mostly worked on a contract basis.”

“That must have suited you well.”

“It was comfortable. I just had to finish the part I was assigned.” The applicant organized his thoughts for a moment and continued. “But since I only ever touched channels that were already running, I’ve never had the experience of growing a channel from start to finish.”

“So?”

“This time, I wanted to grow one together from the beginning.”

Usik was also impressed. “Wow, this is it. A broadcast that grows together!” Park Jihun also drew a slight smile on his lips. He wondered if it would be okay to pass him. That was the moment. Suddenly, a different scene cut in. The broadcast grew larger than before. Receiving a Silver Button on YouTube. Shorts views approaching tens of millions. Success was right before his eyes. But in the next moment, an unfamiliar screen overlapped.

A message window that looked like it had been exchanging conversations with someone. Deposit history. Protests from victims followed one after another. Then, a community post flashed by.

The last thing that flashed by was his own name, tarnished. “Your skill is good, at least.”

“Thank you. Did I pass?”

However, Park Jihun cut him off immediately. “But you won’t work out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠either.” The male applicant asked back, flustered. “Why, why is that?”

“You’re the type to sell my name out.”

Then, the chat window was covered in question marks.

Park Jihun ignored the chat and opened his mouth. “Rejected. Next, third one.”

The third applicant entered the Discord. Ding. “Hello.” Were they in their early twenties? It was a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lively-sounding man’s voice. Park Jihun asked briefly, “What did you mostly edit?”

“I mostly did game broadcasts and talk broadcasts. I’ve made a lot of Shorts, too.”

“Can you meet the schedule?”

“I can.”

“You’re doing this full-time, right?”

“Yes.”

A short, concise answer. It was safe. Park Jihun closed his eyes for a moment and unfolded his Divine Eye. A moderately cluttered work window. Folders organized by date. Cut editing that was neither excessive nor lacking. There was nothing flashy. Instead, it was closer to someone who would stick with it until the end.

The image of them checking the video several times even after finishing it overlapped. Park Jihun asked, “You keep watching it even after you’re done?” The applicant was momentarily flustered, then answered cautiously, “If I see something that’s lacking, I just can’t finish it. So I tend to check it a few more times.”

Park Jihun nodded at those words and said, “Good. You’re hired. I look forward to working with you.”

“Excuse me? R-really? Thank you. I’ll work hard.”

“People like you last longer.”

After finishing the interview, Park Jihun continued to chat on the broadcast for a while. A few hours later, after finishing the broadcast, he worked with the newly hired editor for the first time. “I’ll send you the raw footage from the first day’s broadcast, so please work on that first.”

“Yes, I’ll make sure not to make it too excessive and focus on bringing out the broadcast’s atmosphere.”

“Let’s do that.” After a short conversation, he sent the raw file. The newly hired editor was faster than he thought. It wasn't long before the finished product arrived. “This is pretty good, isn't it?” Park Jihun checked the video. It was cut well without any unnecessary parts. Since the broadcast itself was already strong, there was no need to force any embellishments. It was an easy environment for the editor to work in, too.

“Not bad, right?”

“It’s perfect. Hurry up and create the channel.”

Park Jihun immediately opened the YouTube channel. The channel name, profile, and banner were all set up smoothly. Finally, Jihun uploaded the first completed video to the upload window. Usik muttered from the side, “Now it’s really starting.”

Park Jihun replied briefly, “It’s going to go well.”

“...Did you see that with a Shamanic Reading?”

Park Jihun pressed the upload button instead of answering. With that, his first Shamanic Reading video was uploaded to his YouTube channel.