The Weight of a Few Words

It was right after Park Jihun finished speaking. The other side of the Discord call fell silent for a moment. Solarbeam seemed to be moving around with his phone connected. Heavy breathing, hurried footsteps, and the sound of something dragging came closer and then faded repeatedly.

"Phew, phew... the kids... I'm moving them first."

Solarbeam's voice was trembling violently. He gasped for air after every word. The sound of lifting something heavy. Feet dragging on the floor. A dull thud as if bumping into something followed.

The viewers seemed just as tense, as the chat crawled up much slower than usual.

Park Jihun listened closely to the sounds over Discord. Heavy, ragged breathing. Occasional sounds of someone leaning against a wall. After a moment, Solarbeam panted out.

"The kids... are outside... pant... for now."

He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Now... I'll get my wife."

A moment later, the sound of a door opening echoed. Solarbeam's heavy breathing grew closer.

"Honey. Honey, are you okay?"

A faint, brief groan from his wife filtered through the call.

"My wife... keeps collapsing."

Park Jihun immediately barked.

"Don't try to stand her up."

"What?"

"I told you to drag her with the blanket. Don't stay in that room for long."

"Y-yes, sir..."

The sound of fabric scraping against the floor dragged on. The dragging sound stopped and started several times, and with each pause, Solarbeam's breathing grew rougher. He seemed to want to say something but could only swallow his breath.

Soon, the sharp howling of the wind came through the speaker. Solarbeam had finally made it outside.

"We're... we're out. I got the kids out... and my wife..."

His voice cracked. He did nothing but pant heavily for a while.

"Ah... my head... I'm so dizzy."

Park Jihun didn't hesitate.

"Call 911."

"Yes. Yes, calling now."

Even as he dialed, Solarbeam gasped for breath.

"Here... it's a pension. I think... it's carbon monoxide poisoning."

Solarbeam choked back a gasp.

"My family... won't wake up. I got the kids and my wife outside... they seem to be breathing... please, hurry."

A brief silence fell.

"My head hurts so much too... and I feel nauseous. The address? Just a moment."

Only then did the chat start moving again.

A short while later, sirens wailed over the Discord call. The screech of tires and the hurried footsteps of multiple people scrambled together.

"Over here! Over here!" Solarbeam's voice cracked. "The kids, please check the kids first."

A brief commotion ensued. Unfamiliar voices mixed in.

"Put the oxygen mask on them first."

"Check the children's breathing."

"Sir, please sit down. We'll put a mask on you too."

The sound of plastic packaging tearing and equipment being set down echoed over the call. Amidst the chaotic voices and footsteps, Solarbeam's ragged breathing was heard occasionally.

It was a bit later when Solarbeam's voice came through again.

"Fortunately... they've regained consciousness, but they said we all have to go to the hospital."

Park Jihun said briefly.

"Good. Go to the hospital first."

Then, Solarbeam struggled to add.

"And... the firefighter just went into the room with a detector and came back out..."

He swallowed hard.

"He said the carbon monoxide levels were insanely high..."

The chat exploded.

Solarbeam was at a loss for words.

"He said the boiler exhaust pipe connection had slipped off... and the leak must have seeped inside. He said if we were even a little later, it would have been a disaster..."

Park Jihun looked at the screen and said briefly.

"Go take care of your family now."

"Thank you... thank you so much."

With those words, the Discord connection cut off. Meanwhile, the chat was still flying by at a breakneck pace.

Park Jihun glanced at the chat, then spoke. There were still people waiting for the next reading.

"Next."

The roulette spun again. The subsequent questions were relatively light. Someone had lost their couple ring, someone had lost touch with a friend, someone asked about the best time to change jobs. Park Jihun simply answered based on what he saw.

Only after he finished all the readings did his Shinan slowly close.

Park Jihun spoke.

"I'll end the stream here for today."

As soon as he turned off the stream, Park Jihun slumped back into his chair. Cold sweat drenched his back. Just as someone had said, it was a legendary day.

Although the stream had ended, Kim Taehun did not close his laptop immediately. In the chat, the remaining viewers were still discussing today's broadcast.

Yoon Ji-yeon couldn't take her eyes off the screen either.

"Getting picked is no easy feat."

Kim Taehun stared at the donation ranking displayed at the bottom of the screen. His username was pinned right at the top.

[TheFirst]

He had spent the money. But the amount didn't matter. To Kim Taehun, that kind of money was merely a tool to sway the board. Yet, it hadn't worked on Park Jihun.

Yoon Ji-yeon spoke again.

"I wanted to get a reading from him too."

Only then did Kim Taehun reply briefly.

"Try applying again next time."

"Will you too?"

"If I have time."

He spoke calmly, but his gaze remained fixed on the screen. Kim Taejun had already connected with that man three times. Yet, he hadn't managed to even once. It would be a lie to say he wasn't conscious of that difference.

Just then, a few new chat messages popped up.

Kim Taehun watched the chat in silence. It wasn't because he was offended. He wasn't so petty as to be shaken by such comments. However, the way those words connected bothered him.

A stream where money can't buy your way to the front.

A stream where even a chairman has to wait in line.

A medium who pulls out endangered people for free to save them.

There were too many narratives that the public would love.

Without taking his eyes off the chat, Kim Taehun said.

"It's going to get bigger."

Yoon Ji-yeon looked at him.

"That stream?"

"Yes."

"It already seems quite big."

"It will get even bigger."

Kim Taehun lightly tapped his fingers on the desk as he continued.

"He doesn't move for money, even when offered. He doesn't change the rules for anyone, and he saves those in danger for free."

Yoon Ji-yeon looked back at the screen.

"Now that you mention it, it's definitely something people would admire."

"Indeed."

"Then isn't that a good thing?"

Kim Taehun didn't answer immediately. Accustomed to his silence, Yoon Ji-yeon didn't press him. Instead, she quietly watched the remaining chat on the laptop screen.

After a moment, Kim Taehun spoke.

"It feels more like a nuisance than a good thing."

Kim Taehun slowly closed the laptop. Judging by how Park Jihun had rejected him citing the rules, he didn't seem to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Kim Taejun's man. Yet, the results said otherwise. Three times, the tide had turned in Kim Taejun's favor. That was why it was so irritating.

Yoon Ji-yeon asked quietly.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll keep an eye on him for now."

"The stream?"

"No. Park Jihun."

Yoon Ji-yeon didn't ask further. Kim Taehun placed his hand on the closed laptop. It would have been easier if he could just ignore him. But Park Jihun was no longer someone who could be ignored.

The next morning, Park Jihun woke up around his usual time. He habitually picked up his phone from the bedside table. He noticed several missed calls. All of them were from Lee Minhyeok.

Park Jihun called back immediately. The call connected before it could even ring twice.

"Are you just waking up?"

Lee Minhyeok's voice was buzzing with excitement even though it was early morning. Park Jihun asked.

"Did something happen?"

"We've met the requirements for the Silver Play Button!"

Park Jihun paused for a moment before asking.

"Already?"

"Yes, 'already' is right! It's insanely fast. Yesterday's stream clip blew up. The Solarbeam shorts are spreading everywhere. The college entrance exam counseling clip is also going viral."

Park Jihun got out of bed and drank some water as he replied.

"To that extent?"

"Yes! The comments are going crazy. People are saying things like 'the free readings turn death flags into survival flags,' 'even chairmen have to wait in line,' and 'I'm checking for carbon monoxide detectors next time I go to a pension.'"

Lee Minhyeok couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Oh, and there's one more piece of news."

"What is it?"

"The fan cafe."

Park Jihun hesitated before asking.

"A fan cafe? My fan cafe?"

"Yes. A fan cafe for Perpetual Job Seeker has already been created."

"Who made it?"

"The viewers. I found out after receiving an email yesterday evening. They said they made it, but if it causes any issues, they'll shut it down."

Park Jihun set his cup down and asked.

"How many members does it have?"

"When I checked last night, it was a little over three thousand... hold on."

The sound of clicking mouse buttons echoed.

"It's over four thousand now."

Park Jihun was speechless. It had grown by a thousand overnight.

"Can you send me the link?"

"Yes, I'll send it right away. Also, we should think about whether we want to make this official."

"I'll take a look first."

A message arrived on his phone immediately. Park Jihun turned on his computer and clicked the link Lee Minhyeok had sent.

Park Jihun scanned the list. He clicked on the Free Board first. Various posts were up. As he scanned the list again, his eyes stopped on a specific section.

[Reading Reviews / Verification]

He clicked on the section. There weren't many posts—fewer than ten. But none of the titles were light.

Park Jihun moved his mouse. He clicked the first post and read through it.

Park Jihun stared at the screen for a long time. Back then, he had simply spoken what he saw.

It was just a few short words. Yet, because of those words, someone had stopped. And they hadn't broken down.

Scrolling down, he saw quite a few comments.

Reading the comments, Park Jihun took his hand off the mouse. He had thought these were people he would never cross paths with again. But that wasn't the end. In their respective places, they were continuing their lives.

Park Jihun returned to the fan cafe's main page. The member count had increased again. New posts were constantly being uploaded to both the Free Board and the Clips Board. Even though he wasn't streaming, people were still talking about his broadcast.

Park Jihun recalled the last sentence BonelessRamen had left.

Thank you for stopping me that day.

A small smile tugged at the corner of Park Jihun's mouth. He felt good. Much better than he had expected.