The Price of Fate
Once the broadcast ended, the room suddenly fell silent. Park Jihun leaned back in his chair and caught his breath. "......That was truly exhilarating today."
The end, in particular, had been something else. Room 312 of the motel. The look on the man's face the moment the door opened. The silence that froze the air afterward. And the highlight of it all was the woman who slapped him right there on the spot. Park Jihun curled the corners of his lips upward.
"That man's expression was really something to see." He muttered to himself before letting out a soft chuckle.
He could still vividly remember what SunsalRamen had said to the man: "I'm his girlfriend. ......No, I'm his ex-girlfriend."
It was clean. And that made it satisfying to watch. Park Jihun steadied his breathing. During the broadcast, he had been too busy spitting out whatever he saw before him to think, but now that it was over, the reality of it was finally sinking in. He had exposed someone’s cheating in front of everyone. And he hadn't just talked about it—he had dragged it out into the light right there on the scene.
"This is absolutely insane." He shook his head. The adrenaline still hadn't faded.
Park Jihun grabbed some water from the fridge and turned his gaze back to the monitor. Then, something suddenly occurred to him: the donation amount. After the midway point, the notifications had been popping off so fast he hadn't had the mental capacity to check them properly. He had no real sense of how much had come in. He grabbed his mouse and clicked on the donation history tab on the Ocean homepage.
"How much did I get?"
The moment he saw the number, his hand froze.
"......Huh?"
Park Jihun looked at the screen again.
Total Donation Amount: 1,513,000 KRW (15,130 Water Droplets)
"Wait a minute." He leaned forward. Below the initial one-thousand and two-thousand won donations, there was a long, continuous stream of massive donations. Especially after he had brought up the concept of Bokchae at the end, dozens of 500-droplet donations had poured in.
Park Jihun couldn't collect his thoughts for a long time. "......Over 1.5 million won?"
He had to account for the platform's cut, but still—this was for a single day? "If it's like this for a month......"
Of course, it wouldn't happen every day, but it still didn't feel real. Until a moment ago, it had just been a strange, thrilling experience. But seeing it written out in numbers made it different. Even after the fees, I'm clearing over a million.
Park Jihun scanned his room. The crumpled resume on his desk. The dress pants he’d carelessly kicked off next to the bed. The box of instant ramen he’d bought at the mart a few days ago. In the middle of that familiar, cramped studio apartment, the number on the monitor felt like it belonged to a different world.
"Crazy." Park Jihun let out a hollow laugh. He used to agonize over the transportation costs every time he went to an interview, and now he had earned over a million won just by sitting in his chair. And all he did was listen to a few people's worries and point them in the right direction. This wasn't just some ordinary skill. It was a power that truly generated money.
That was when it happened. Vrrr-vrrr. His phone rang. Park Jihun smirked when he saw the name on the screen.
"Knew it would be this guy." He pressed the call button. "Why?"
Kim Usik’s voice poured out the moment he answered. "Hey, where are you right now?"
"At home, obviously. Where else? Did you watch my stream?"
"I did. You crazy bastard. There hasn't been a stream that exploded with viewers like yours on its second day."
Park Jihun leaned back in his chair and asked softly, "How was it?"
"Are you kidding? What the hell are you? Did you get possessed by a spirit or something?" Usik's voice was a tone higher than usual.
"Who knows."
"If not that, how did you get everything right?"
"I didn't 'get it right.' I just saw it."
After he said it, Park Jihun hesitated for a second. It had come out so naturally. "Wow, damn. Listen to you. 'Saw it,' he says."
"Why? It's not like I'm wrong."
"You're not wrong, sure. But still......" A short sigh came through the receiver. "Whew, fine. That definitely wasn't a scene that could be faked."
Park Jihun smiled silently. The more he thought about it, the better the optics were. If the stream spread further, the scale would clearly grow. Kim Usik continued.
"And that Bokchae thing you brought up at the end."
"Yeah? Was it bad?"
"No, you played it well."
Park Jihun narrowed his eyes. "Played it well?"
"Yeah. Human psychology works like that. If you just give out free readings, they look down on you. They think it's their right. But once you charge money, it changes."
"I guess that's true."
Kim Usik went on, "500 droplets is the same amount you'd pay for a fortune-telling session at a real shaman's place. That's just the right amount."
Park Jihun smiled, feeling satisfied. "And the one free reading?"
"Why that?"
"That was a smart move, too."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Because you offered one free reading, people started getting their hopes up. They thought, 'Maybe it'll be me.'"
Park Jihun laughed awkwardly. "Does it really work like that?" It was just something he’d blurted out on the fly. But Usik seemed to think otherwise.
"What? You mean you didn't plan that?"
"How would I have known?"
"Bullshit. You sounded like a completely different person on the stream."
Park Jihun didn't respond to that. He knew his tone changed the moment he turned on the stream. "Anyway, don't talk on the phone—let's meet up. You free?"
"Yeah, I'm free. Where should we meet?"
"The street bar in front of my place. You're buying today, right? You saw how much I got in donations."
"Deal. I'll buy."
"Alright. See you in a bit."
Park Jihun hung up. He threw on a jacket and headed out. On his phone, he had a screenshot of the donation amount he’d captured earlier.
Total Donation Amount: 1,513,000 KRW (15,130 Water Droplets)
He laughed again just looking at it. "This is truly insane." Even though the money wasn't in his bank account yet, it felt like the world had already changed.
The street bar in front of his house was a bit quiet, being late on a weekday. As he entered under the transparent plastic tent, the smell of hot broth and alcohol hit him all at once. As soon as Jihun sat down, Kim Usik pushed a glass of soju toward him.
"You're really buying, right?"
"I told you I would."
"Look at you, acting all big just because you got a few donations."
"I think I'm allowed to treat myself today." Park Jihun chuckled and raised his soju glass. They clinked glasses and he downed the drink. The soju, which usually tasted bitter, was exceptionally sweet today.
"Damn, that's good."
"Coming from the guy who used to cry his eyes out."
Park Jihun laughed awkwardly. It wasn't a lie. Every time he swallowed the bitter pill of rejection, his mood would hit rock bottom. But today was different. Employment and all that didn't seem very important right now. The broadcast screen was still vivid in his mind. Above all, the moment the truth was revealed had been incredibly thrilling.
Kim Usik picked at the side dish and asked, "So. What are you going to do now?"
"About what?"
"The stream."
"I have to keep doing it."
"Right. That's a given. The problem is how you're going to run it. More people are going to flock to you, so you need your own set of rules."
Park Jihun replied, "I'm planning to keep doing it like I did today. Taking Bokchae and taking reservations."
"Not bad. So, how many people are you going to see a day?"
Jihun thought for a moment. "Since they paid, shouldn't I see all of them?"
Kim Usik shook his head. "So you're going to see ten, twenty people a day? Is that even possible?"
"Now that I think about it, that would be tough. Six people a day would probably be the limit."
"Yeah. That's right. Honestly, you don't need to see more than that right now. Scarcity is more important."
Jihun nodded slowly. Now that he heard it, it made sense. Everyone had gone crazy and rushed in because it was the first time, but the moment it became a regular occurrence, the value would drop.
"Then how many?"
"Like you said, six. One free, five paid. That's the sweet spot." Kim Usik continued, "Don't do more than that, even if you can handle it. It's better to keep it limited for now. You can increase it later when you can handle more."
Park Jihun pondered this. One free, five paid. That seemed like a good length for a stream, and he could maintain the weight of each individual reading.
"And you pick the one free person yourself."
"That was my plan anyway."
Kim Usik changed the subject. "Make it clear from the start that just because they paid doesn't mean you'll see them. That way, they won't just rush in recklessly."
Park Jihun thought for a moment before asking, "What about reservations?"
"Pick five people from those who donated droplets today for tomorrow, and put the rest on a waiting list. Oh, and post an announcement before the stream starts."
"What kind of announcement?"
"Say that paid readings are done in order of reservation, but they can be adjusted depending on the broadcast situation."
"'Broadcast situation'?" When he asked with a puzzled look, Kim Usik smiled.
"Yeah. Your body might not be up for it, or the stories might overlap. You need to have an excuse ready."
"I guess that's true."
"More than that, it looks like it's going to get even bigger from the next stream."
"If that happens, I'm all for it."
After clinking glasses for a while, Usik rolled his soju glass and said, "But you know, you were like a completely different person when you were streaming."
Park Jihun looked up. "You're not like that usually. The bluntness, the way you treat people so coldly. It's like it wasn't even you."
Park Jihun didn't reply. But Usik wasn't entirely wrong. Whenever he turned on the stream, the words would spill out before he even had a chance to think.
"So...... is it a bit off-putting?"
"No. Just fascinating." Usik shrugged. "Like you were actually possessed by something." He immediately changed the subject. "See me sometime later, too."
Park Jihun asked with a laugh, "You want me to read your fortune? You got some worries?"
"No, not really, just...... I'm curious."
Park Jihun laughed and nodded. "Sure, I'll read it for you later."
Kim Usik smiled back. "Yeah, thanks for saying so. Get some rest."
"You worry about yourself and get some sleep."
On his way home after sending Usik off, his steps felt strangely light.
Back in his studio, Jihun threw himself onto his bed. He had a bit of a buzz from the alcohol, but his mind was clear. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep even if he closed his eyes. Park Jihun pulled his phone out of his pocket. Usually, he would have been scouring job-hunting cafes or interview reviews, but today, he didn't hesitate to go straight to the Internet Broadcasting Gallery.
Familiar titles were already visible.
Park Jihun narrowed his eyes. "All about me."
It was much faster than he’d expected. The stream hadn't ended long ago, but there were already several posts and clips uploaded. He clicked on the top post.
-He saved a guy going to an interview last time, and this time he caught a cheating boyfriend lololol.
Comments were piling up fast.
Park Jihun read a few more comments and laughed awkwardly. There were insults, and there were people calling it a scam. But he didn't feel bad. As they keep watching my stream, those comments will decrease.
Everyone is suspicious at first. But if he gets it right two or three more times, the atmosphere will change. "Tomorrow is going to be even more interesting."
It was certain that tomorrow's stream would draw even more people. That wasn't a prediction anymore—it was a certainty.