Get in Line

Park Jihun kept his Discord window open but focused entirely on the chat. Not everyone had believed him from the start. When he suddenly claimed the taxi driver was dangerous, many had reacted with skepticism. Some urged others to report it immediately, while others mocked him, calling it a cheap stunt.

But now, the atmosphere had completely shifted.

Jihun tapped his fingers against the desk.

"Quiet."

The chat paused for a brief second before surging even faster.

Right then, a Discord connection notification popped up. Jihun's gaze instantly shifted to it.

A moment later, the video feed flickered to life.

The camera shook violently. Red and blue lights flashed alternately across the screen. The frantic footsteps of people rushing back and forth, the crackle of a police radio in the distance, and the sound of heavy, ragged breathing filled the audio.

When the camera finally stabilized, Han Yu-na's face came into view.

She looked completely dazed. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her eyes were red and swollen. Off-camera, the faint voices of paramedics checking her condition could be heard.

For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a long moment, Yu-na couldn't say a word. Only the soft, trembling sound of her catching her breath filled the stream.

The chat went absolutely wild.

Yu-na parted her lips with great effort.

"I..." Her voice trembled. "Thank you so much. If it weren't for you, Perpetual Job Seeker, I really..."

Her voice trailed off.

Jihun watched her silently. The visions were gone. The chilling sensation that had clung to the back of his neck had vanished without a trace.

Yu-na hesitated before adding softly, "I'd really like to treat you to a meal sometime to show my gratitude."

The chat erupted.

Jihun replied curtly.

"Forget it. Just go home."

Yu-na blinked in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected him to reject her offer so bluntly.

Just then, a voice called out from off-camera.

"Ms. Han Yu-na, could we speak for a moment? We have some questions regarding the incident."

"Ah, yes. Just a moment."

She stared at Jihun for a second, let out a quiet sigh, and spoke one last time.

"Thank you so much."

Jihun didn't offer a reply. The video call disconnected.

With the video call over, the chaotic background noise that had filled his room vanished.

However, the chat was far from quiet. Donation alerts were popping up in a relentless frenzy.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Donations of all sizes flooded in without a pause.

Jihun stared down at the screen. The chilling sensation that had gripped his neck was completely gone, replaced by a dull throb behind his temples.

"You guys are exceptionally noisy today."

At those words, the chat flared up again.

Jihun shook his head slightly. He had noticed the chat was moving unusually fast, and he quickly found the reason why.

Jihun's brow furrowed.

When did it grow this much?

Just an hour ago, it hadn't been anywhere near this number. In the meantime, his viewership had nearly doubled.

Ding!

Ding!

The donations were still piling up. Resting his chin on his hand, Jihun scanned the chat.

Jihun clicked the link.

It was a media outlet he had never heard of before. Still, the headline alone was more than enough to grab people's attention.

"Sigh, I hate noisy things."

Just as he frowned, a massive donation alert flashed.

Ding!

Jihun's eyebrow twitched slightly.

Kim Tae-jun leaned back on the sofa, looking down at his phone screen.

Booming music vibrated through the room. It was a club VIP room filled with clinking glasses, the sharp scent of strong alcohol, and bursts of laughter. The women sitting across from him tried to strike up a conversation, but he merely brushed them off.

He had always grown bored of these gatherings quickly, but tonight was exceptionally tedious. Unable to shake his boredom, he was mindlessly swiping through Shorts when his finger suddenly stopped.

A dark, empty building. A broken door. The beam of a police flashlight. A rookie actress found tied up. And an internet stream that had predicted it all in real-time.

"Is this for real?"

At first, he scoffed, ready to swipe past.

"It's obviously staged."

But as he watched the video to the end, his thoughts began to shift.

Tae-jun let out a dry laugh.

"...It was real."

There was no room for fabrication. The entire event had unfolded live, from start to finish.

The comment section below the video was already a chaotic mess.

Tae-jun tapped the link in the comments. It redirected him to a platform called Ocean. Without much hesitation, he installed the app, quickly completed a basic sign-up, and entered the stream.

The chat was moving so fast his eyes could barely keep up.

Tae-jun casually typed a message.

It was buried. In the blink of an eye, it was pushed up by other messages and vanished without a trace.

Tae-jun's brow furrowed. He typed again.

A viewer replied.

Tae-jun let out a dry laugh.

"What? How much is 500?"

He opened the donation page and saw that 500 Water Droplets cost 50,000 won. Compared to the price of the alcohol currently sitting on his table, it was a joke.

"That's pocket change."

A smirk played on his lips. After charging his account, he immediately hit the donation button.

Ding!

Instantly, the chat began to buzz.

Tae-jun smirked as he watched the screen. He figured this would be more than enough to get his reading immediately.

But then, Park Jihun spoke from the screen.

"Get in line."

Tae-jun's expression froze.

A short, low command. That was it.

The chat flipped upside down once more.

Tae-jun stared intently at the screen. His competitive streak flared up.

He charged his account once more and opened the donation window.

Ding!

This time, the chat completely exploded.

Tae-jun leaned back against the sofa, a smug grin spreading across his face.

There was nothing in this world that money couldn't solve. At least, that had been the case for his entire life.

However, Park Jihun didn't even bat an eye.

"Stay in line. I'm doing these in order."

At that moment, the smile slowly vanished from Tae-jun's face.