Receiving a Shoutout

"Hold that tight over there."

"Hey, what are you doing? Not like that."

"No, I told you it'll echo if you do it that way. The space is already too wide, so the sound won't record properly."

"Thank you for your hard work. I brought some coffee, so please have some while you work."

"Oh! Thank you, boss!"

"Hey, come get some!"

At Dojin's call, the workers gathered around.

They had been parched anyway.

With late spring setting in, the daytime temperature was gradually rising, and because there were no convenience stores nearby, they hadn't been able to buy any drinks.

"Phew, this is a lifesaver."

"Tell me about it. It was cool before we started, so I didn't think we'd sweat this much."

"Ah, that's probably because all the windows in the building are closed except for this one. The frames and windows were so old that we replaced them all yesterday, and they told us to keep them closed until tomorrow if possible."

The workers nodded as they looked at the windows.

They had been too busy with their own work to notice, but unlike the building's exterior, the window frames and glass were state-of-the-art.

"Ah, no wonder."

"True. Without ventilation, there's a limit to how cool a building can stay, no matter how low the temperature is."

"If you're done drinking, let's get back to it. We need to finish up."

"I bought more ice and drinks, so please help yourselves while you work."

"Oh, thank you so much."

Handing over the bag he brought, Dojin stepped out into the hallway.

Staying inside would only get in the way of their work.

Seung-wan approached him and spoke.

"Are you here?"

"Ah, Seung-wan. I came to bring them some drinks and check on the progress."

Looking at the classroom where the work was underway, she spoke.

"The work is moving faster than I expected. I was worried because the classroom is so large."

"It's all thanks to you introducing such a great construction team, Seung-wan."

"I only made the recommendation. Still, out of everyone I know, that boss does the cleanest work."

Seung-wan spoke in her usual calm, detached tone.

Dojin felt relieved seeing her like this.

Compared to just a few weeks ago, when she was in a frenzy after being fired as an editor and talking about returning to farming, she looked much more stable now.

I guess people regain their sanity once they have a stable job.

This was all the result of the video she edited hitting the jackpot.

Thanks to that, the subscriber count of Dojin's newly renamed YouTube channel, Three Meals Life in a Closed School, was exploding.

That was also why he had rushed to set up the streaming room, which he had originally planned to postpone.

No matter how much I think about it, hiring Seung-wan as the editor was a stroke of genius.

Memories of when he first entrusted her with the editing flashed through Dojin's mind.

"A freelancer? Ah, are you by any chance asking me to edit the video you shot today?"

"Yes. First, I'd like to request editing for today's footage, and also the footage from when I came to inspect the place last time."

Seung-wan's expression grew incredibly serious.

Though she had lost her job, she was a professional by trade.

She couldn't afford to treat work lightly.

"I'll tell you upfront. I appreciate you offering me freelance work, but if the terms aren't right, I can't do it. I have my career to think about."

"Don't worry about that. I intend to pay a proper fee. That way, I can comfortably request revisions or make demands."

"Hmm... In that case..."

Hearing Dojin's words, Seung-wan pulled a planner out of her bag and began discussing business in earnest.

After checking the desired video length, angles, key points to highlight, and the deadline in detail, the next thing she did was check the raw footage.

"...You're saying this is everything you shot today?"

Looking at the pile of cameras and smartphones accumulating in front of her, Seung-wan spoke in disbelief.

The professional aura she had exuded just moments ago was gone; now, she looked like a freelance contractor who had just been hit by a work bomb.

"Just add the footage from the cameras Do-hee and I were wearing, and that's it."

"Ah... There's more..."

"Hahaha..."

Dojin laughed awkwardly at Seung-wan's reaction.

He could see her aging in real-time.

She hadn't even started working yet, but looking at her face, she seemed like someone dragged out in the middle of an all-nighter.

"The inspection video isn't much. It was just one camera."

"That's a relief..."

"Oh, and it'll be more fun than today's video. Some kittens show up in the middle."

"!!"

At Dojin's words, Seung-wan's drooping face instantly snapped back to normal.

Her eyes burned hotter than the flames that had consumed the weeds.

"K-Kittens? There's a cat video? And baby kittens at that?"

"Yes. They came out of the field over there. I think that's their home."

"H-How many were there? Two? Three?"

"I saw five, but there might be more..."

"Kyaah!"

"Ugh!"

Pointing toward where he had met the kittens, Dojin shrieked in surprise at the sudden scream beside him.

Startled, Dojin turned his head to see Seung-wan covering her mouth with both hands.

She seemed surprised by her own outburst.

"..."

"..."

"Pfft!"

While an awkward silence hung between the flustered Dojin and Seung-wan, Do-hee, who had been watching the whole scene, burst into laughter.

"Please understand, Oppa. Our Seung-wan absolutely loves cats. She's been begging to raise one for ages, but her family is against it, so she can't."

"Ah..."

"Seung-wan's nickname is even 'Cyber Butler'. She named it that because she doesn't have a cat of her own, so she decided to be an internet butler instead. Isn't our Seung-wan cute?"

Does she really need to go that far?

It was a passing thought, but fortunately, Dojin didn't make the mistake of saying it out loud.

Instead, he began describing the kittens he had seen to Seung-wan, who was cautiously watching his reaction.

"As you'll see in the video, all five of them have different patterns and colors. There was one particularly active fellow..."

"Oh..."

"And that little guy, of all things, came out first and approached me..."

"Ah...!"

"I backed away in case my scent rubbed off on him..."

"Good!"

"Fortunately, I had a Churu treat, so I gave it to him and quickly ran away."

As Dojin's story went on, Seung-wan's reactions grew louder.

She wanted to watch the video right then and there, especially when he described the cats, but unfortunately, Dojin didn't have the footage with him.

The laptop he had transferred the video to was back at the dormitory.

Ultimately, agreeing to receive the inspection video the next day, Seung-wan began saving the footage shot today onto her laptop.

"Since there's so much footage, I don't think I can finish editing it in just a couple of days. We'll need to review it a few times before it's complete, especially for the subtitles, so I'll send you a rough cut by the day after tomorrow."

"Yes, please do."

And with that, the day's campfire came to an end.

After burning all the remaining weeds, Dojin cleared the embers and left the closed school.

The equipment was all stored in the classroom, so there were no issues.

And one week later.

Another blessing befell Dojin after he uploaded the final edited video to his channel.

The blessing known as the choice of the algorithm.

"The views are climbing like crazy."

Looking at the views of the inspection video uploaded a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠few days ago, Dojin clicked his tongue in disbelief.

While it might seem cute to major YouTubers, Dojin's channel rarely had videos with this many views.

It was high enough to rank 5th and 2nd in views among all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the videos on his channel.

Even though the pace had slowed down slightly, the views were still rising rapidly.

"We got lucky with the algorithm's choice. Thanks to that, many people who didn't know about the channel have visited."

"Hmm, but the difference in views is huge. The algorithm chose the first video, but why are the views for the second video higher? It's almost 70 to 80% higher."

"The kittens appear in the second video."

"Ah... That's why..."

"Yes. Because cats are love."

"..."

But the quality of the two videos is completely different...

Seeing Seung-wan speak so calmly as if stating an obvious fact, Dojin ultimately swallowed the words that were about to come out.

She had split the entire one-hour inspection video into 45-minute and 15-minute segments, editing the latter to focus strictly on the cats.

Thanks to that, the first video had become a mystery exploration piece, like a paranormal investigator exploring a closed school, while the second video had become a healing piece that looked like it belonged on a TV animal show.

Is this right?

It was a question Dojin asked himself every time he looked at the channel.

Of course, he didn't make an issue out of it.

Aside from the extreme difference in tone, the views were great, and above all, the comments were highly positive.

She definitely understands the viewers' needs. Her editing is clean, too. Why on earth did that BJ fire someone like her?

It wasn't for nothing that the BJ's career had gone down the drain.

Seeing how he failed to recognize such a talented person right next to him and kicked her out himself.

Thanks to that, I found a great editor.

The day he saw the edited version of the inspection video.

Dojin officially signed an editor contract with Seung-wan.

Even before the video was uploaded, he had no choice but to hire her after seeing the results.

"What time did we decide to upload the video?"

Today was the day they were uploading the video they had worked on together.

Although editing had been tough due to the many cameras involved, Dojin expected the viewers' response to be good this time as well.

Perhaps because it was her first project as a full-time employee, Seung-wan had poured her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠very soul into this edit.

Perhaps that was why confidence radiated from her face as she answered.

"At 4:00 PM. Just like the last video, I split it into two parts. Part 1 is the weeding, and Part 2 is the painting and dinner."

"For dinner, does it show us grilling meat and burning the weeds?"

"Yes. Staring at fires is a big trend these days, and the fire burned so cleanly that it surprisingly catches your eye."

"Hmm... You made sure to cover Seung-wan's and Do-hee's faces, right?"

Dojin asked seriously.

He had resolved to live as a YouTuber, so he had no choice, but he didn't want to expose the faces of the other two, especially Do-hee.

Fortunately, Seung-wan had met Dojin's request perfectly.

"Yes. You emphasized it several times before. I thoroughly covered any scenes where faces or personal information might be leaked."

Relief washed over Dojin's face at Seung-wan's confirmation.

Although he had checked the edited version, nothing was more reassuring than the editor's own word.

"We're all finished. It takes about a day for the paint to dry, so please don't use it until then. If you absolutely must use it, make sure to ventilate it well."

"Yes, thank you."

With the construction finishing faster than expected, Dojin quietly slipped an envelope to the boss.

Realizing it was a bonus, smiles bloomed on the faces of several workers.

"Huh?"

The boss, who had initially expressed light gratitude for Dojin's gesture, was shocked when he checked the amount from behind.

Contrary to his expectation of at most 100,000 won, there was an extra zero attached.

And the first digit was a two.

A bonus of 2 million won in total was bound to surprise even him, the boss.

His gaze naturally drifted toward Dojin.

"Excuse me, boss. Could the amount here be a mistake...?"

"No, it's correct, so you can take it. It's a reward for working hard in the heat and wrapping things up quickly."

"Thank you! If you ever need construction work again, just call us and we'll run right over!"

At Dojin's confirmation, a greeting akin to a shout of joy burst from the boss's mouth.

The dignified boss who had been maintaining his composure just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

"Guys, tonight is beef! It's all thanks to the boss giving us a generous bonus, so everyone say thank you!"

"Thank you!"

"Wow! You're awesome, boss!"

"Hahaha."

It was just as Dojin was receiving their gratitude and seeing the construction team off.

An unusual sign was appearing on his channel, Three Meals Life in a Closed School.

The views of the video uploaded at the scheduled time began to climb like crazy.

The rapidly rising views began to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reshuffle the top-viewed rankings on the channel in an instant.

There was a specific reason why the views of a video uploaded only an hour ago were exploding.

Three famous YouTubers had promoted Dojin's channel and videos.