The Proposal

"What is this?"

It was the day after the video was uploaded that Dojin realized the state of his channel.

Dojin, who had been wondering about the sudden surge in views, was left utterly bewildered once he found the cause.

"George Gardner? Farming Dreamer? Wait, why did these people share my video?"

Coincidentally, both YouTubers were creators Dojin knew well.

George Gardner was already incredibly famous in his own right.

As for Farming Dreamer, Dojin had looked him up before because he had reviewed agricultural machinery manufactured by Dojin's former employer.

The issue was that both of them had given his channel a shout-out at the same time.

The two YouTubers were starkly different in their fields of interest, regions of activity, broadcasting styles, and even their subscriber counts.

Why would such different people promote him at the exact same time?

But it wasn't these two who surprised Dojin the most.

"Sushi Ramen too? He doesn't think I copied his content by buying a closed school, does he?"

In truth, the reason Dojin had bought the closed school in the first place was because Dohee had watched Sushi Ramen's videos and felt envious.

But when he thought about it, there was no reason for him to worry.

"Wait, aren't I the original one right now?"

Sushi Ramen wouldn't buy his closed school until 2024, which was four years into the future.

In other words, the title of the YouTuber who bought a closed school to make content belonged to Dojin, not Sushi Ramen.

"He seemed so thrilled to see me that I got confused. But why is he so excited anyway?"

To an outsider, they might have looked like old friends.

However, as Dojin read through what Sushi Ramen had written, he began to understand the source of the excitement.

"Does this guy think I'm an experimental YouTuber too?"

The chat messages Sushi Ramen had posted on his fan cafe came into Dojin's view.

Anyone could see he was running wild, unable to contain his excitement.

However...

"Unfortunately, you've got the wrong guy. I'm not an experiment geek."

If someone asked what his specialty was, he wouldn't have a clear answer, but it definitely wasn't conducting wild experiments.

"By the way, fireworks... That's the very first thing you did after buying your closed school, Sushi Ramen. The school rooftop, the bazooka firework... Were you planning all of this even back then?"

In fact, most of the things Sushi Ramen mentioned were things he actually did after buying his own closed school in Dojin's past life.

Generating electricity with a bicycle in a school with no power...

Or making crop circles with a lawnmower.

"Unfortunately, I can't do any of those."

Weeding had already become the channel's first video.

And the electricity and water were already connected.

"Without water and electricity, there's no point in having a broadcasting room."

At least fireworks were still a possibility, but...

"Things are too tense with the North lately, so that's probably out of the question too."

The fat pig up north, who threw tantrums whenever he wanted attention, had just launched a missile into the East Sea a few days ago.

With the military on high alert, setting off fireworks right now would likely turn the school's playground into a military division's outpost overnight.

Thus, all of Sushi Ramen's suggestions were promptly dismissed.

"At this rate, it might even hit a million views. The influence of major YouTubers is truly terrifying."

George Gardner and Sushi Ramen went without saying.

But Farming Dreamer was also a highly influential YouTuber in the field of agricultural machinery reviews.

With all three of them promoting his video at the same time, the view count was bound to explode.

After checking the views on his newly uploaded video for a moment, Dojin grew curious about the current state of his channel.

While his recent videos were performing well, that didn't necessarily mean his subscriber count was growing at the same rate.

"Even when the video of the cat we raised at the factory surpassed a hundred thousand views, the channel only gained about four thousand subscribers."

Expecting a similar result this time, Dojin checked his channel information page without much hope, only to freeze instantly.

"...My subscribers passed two hundred thousand?"

It was bizarre.

As far as Dojin could remember, his subscriber count yesterday had been hovering around eighty thousand.

Even that was after gaining about ten thousand subscribers thanks to the exploration video chosen by the algorithm.

"...When I tried so hard to gain subscribers back then, it barely budged..."

Before his regression, Dojin's channel hadn't even reached a hundred thousand subscribers.

The only regret Dojin had when he gave up YouTube was that he had never received a Silver Play Button...

"Was it always this easy to cross? It used to look like an insurmountable wall."

Having traveled back in time and reunited with his wife, Dojin had been grateful and happy for everything. This was the first time since his regression that he felt a twinge of bitterness.

"Hello."

"Huh? Ah, Seungwan, you're here... What on earth is all that?"

Turning his head at the sound of Seungwan's voice as she entered the main building, Dojin was momentarily taken aback by her unusual appearance.

Standing in the mid-160s in centimeters, she was carrying a bundle so massive it made her body sway.

Is she Santa Claus? It's summer, though.

Chuckling at the fleeting thought, Dojin quickly walked over to take the bundle from her.

At this rate, either Seungwan or the luggage was going to end up slammed onto the floor.

"Ugh! What is all this?"

A startled grunt escaped Dojin's lips as he lifted the bundle.

It wasn't just large; it was incredibly heavy.

It felt like it weighed about thirty kilograms.

He couldn't help but wonder how Seungwan had managed to carry it at all.

"Did you carry this all by yourself? All the way from the parking lot?"

"No. I thought that would be too hard, so I drove the car right up to the front entrance."

"Ah..."

Dojin's expression softened into one of understanding.

Indeed, it would have been stranger if she had carried a load of this weight all the way from the parking lot.

Still, it was impressive.

Even for Dojin, whose physical strength had been honed by working in a factory, the load was heavy. Yet she had managed to bring it inside.

"I told you, you can just work from home," Dojin said, adjusting his grip on the bundle to make it easier to carry as they walked.

"Doesn't your commute take almost three hours round trip? Since this place is on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, it must take at least that long."

The distance between Mapo District in Seoul, where she lived, and this place was considerable.

Furthermore, since there was barely any infrastructure around the closed school, Dojin had suggested working from home so she could work comfortably.

Yet, Seungwan insisted on commuting to the office.

"It does take about that long, but it's fine. The route doesn't get congested, so it's not very tiring. I just think of it as going for a drive."

"Well, if you're really going to keep commuting here, I'll cover your fuel costs."

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes. Gas prices are no joke. If you bring me your receipts... Actually, never mind. Let's just make it a flat two hundred thousand won a month."

Dojin, who had initially thought of handling it the way his old factory did, quickly corrected himself.

At his former job, an accountant handled the receipts, but they didn't have such staff here.

Since he would be the one checking the receipts and transferring the money anyway, there was no need to make things complicated.

"Thank you. I won't turn that down!"

Although she hadn't said it, Seungwan must have found the fuel costs burdensome, as she readily accepted Dojin's offer.

Does she really like cats that much?

Dojin knew the reason why she was pushing herself so hard to commute.

It was the kittens captured in the video.

Specifically, she was commuting in hopes of seeing the kitten with the beautiful black, white, and gray calico pattern that had approached Dojin.

Dohee had mentioned several times that Seungwan had fallen head over heels for that kitten after watching the video.

With such a passionate fan waiting, you could at least show your face.

Unfortunately for Seungwan, the kittens hadn't been seen since the initial exploration.

Perhaps they had caught Dojin's scent around the school...

Or maybe they had run away during the weeding work.

Even though Dojin and Seungwan had passed by the official residence several times, the kittens hadn't shown so much as a whisker.

Well, as long as they haven't left for somewhere else, we'll see them eventually.

Just in case, the weeds in front of the residence had been left untouched.

Leaving the plot of land idle was a bit of a waste...

But if that place really was the kittens' home, clearing it would be akin to demolishing their house.

I can always clear it once I'm sure the cats are gone.

He wasn't planning on farming right away anyway, so he could afford to wait.

It was also for the sake of Seungwan, who snooped around the residence every day hoping to catch a glimpse of the cats.

"Oof! We're here."

He set the bundle down in the room labeled "Staff Room 2," right next to the broadcasting room.

This was the space Seungwan used as her office and workshop.

Although the main staff room on the first floor was much larger, she had insisted she didn't need that much space for herself, so they settled on this room.

The space was reasonably sized, and most importantly, being right next to Dojin's broadcasting room, it allowed her to feel a sense of human presence.

"By the way, what is all this?" Dojin asked, massaging his shoulders.

Carrying the heavy load had left his shoulders feeling a bit stiff.

Seeing Dojin like that, Seungwan replied nonchalantly.

"Party supplies."

"Pardon? A party? Why would we...?"

Dojin's voice trailed off as he questioned her.

The look Seungwan was giving him had turned into one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of utter disbelief.

Even without knowing what it was, he could tell from her face that he had messed up.

"...Are you seriously asking because you don't know?"

"...Yes."

"Sigh..."

As a deep sigh escaped Seungwan's lips, Dojin's brain kicked into overdrive.

The problem was, no matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't figure out why she was reacting this way.

Realizing Dojin was genuinely clueless, Seungwan spelled it out for him.

"Aren't you proposing to Dohee today? Didn't you ask me to help you?"

"Huh?"

Seungwan's words hit Dojin like a physical blow.

He opened the bundle he had just set down, revealing a heap of various party decorations and supplies.

"Ah... I-I'm sorry. Or should I say thank you?"

Dojin stumbled over his words.

His conscience stung sharply at the realization that Seungwan had gone to all this trouble for his sake, while he himself hadn't prepared nearly as much.

You idiot, how could you be so thoughtless? This isn't your past life.

In the past, Dojin had indeed proposed to Dohee.

The problem was that the proposal had consisted of nothing more than handing her a ring over dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

I should never have asked the older guys at the factory for advice.

Since Dohee was his first girlfriend, what could he possibly know about proposals?

The internet was full of vague, unrealistic ideas, so he had sought advice from the older workers at the factory.

It was Dojin's mistake for not considering the age gap between himself and the older men at the factory.

The most decent proposal method among their suggestions had been "asking her to marry you while eating at a family restaurant."

Fortunately, Dohee had been incredibly happy even with that simple proposal back then.

Because of that, he must have taken it too lightly this time as well.

"Seungwan, it might be a bit late, but... could I get some advice on the proposal?"

Having realized his mistake, Dojin wanted to get proper advice, even if it was last minute.

And fortunately, unlike before, he had a proper advisor standing right in front of him.

"Oppa~ Seungwan? Where are you guys?"

Entering the main building, Dohee called out with a puzzled expression.

She had rushed over excitedly right after work because Dojin had promised to take her out for a nice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dinner, but neither her boyfriend nor her best friend was anywhere to be seen.

"Can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠they not hear me?"

It was a bit strange, but she figured it made sense.

Since there were only two people in this massive building, it was entirely possible her voice hadn't reached them.

Growl~

"Ah, my battery is running low! I need to grab Oppa and Seungwan and go eat quickly, hehe!"

Her spirits lifted by the thought of dinner, Dohee quickly bounded up the stairs.

Knowing that the two of them worked on the second floor, she walked up without hesitation.

However, the moment she reached the second floor, her light, airy steps ground to a sudden halt.

"Huh...?"

A bewildered sound escaped Dohee's lips.

The moment she stepped onto the second floor, a massive heart came into view.

The giant heart made of flower petals was positioned perfectly to look its most beautiful from exactly where she stood.

"N-No way..."

Though she was still young, she was still a woman.

She knew exactly what this kind of atmosphere and preparation meant.

Just then, a sweet melody drifted into her ears.

"Aloha?"

Hearing her favorite song, her eyes closed reflexively.

It was a habit of hers whenever she heard this song.

Just then, the voice of her beloved boyfriend reached her ears.

"Dohee, my girlfriend whom I love more than anyone else in the world."

"Oppa?"

Turning around at the sound of the voice behind her, Dohee saw Dojin slowly walking down the stairs from the third floor.

Dressed in a suit, a stark contrast to his usual attire, her boyfriend was slowly making his way toward her.

"Even though we haven't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been together for that long, I've always been certain of this moment."

"I'm still lacking in so many ways, and we might not be able to start our life together right this second, but... will you believe in me and wait for me?"

"If you can just believe in me, Dohee, I promise you. One year from today..."

"Let's get married."

"Sob..."

The tears that had been welling up since he first started walking down the stairs finally spilled over.

But these tears were different from the countless ones she had shed throughout her life.

They were tears of happiness, the kind that seemed to exist only in dramas.

Feeling that overwhelming joy, Dohee nodded at Dojin's words.

60 days since Dojin's regression.

20 days since he bought the closed school.

And 1,911 days since Dohee had asked Dojin for a divorce...

The two of them promised to marry once again.