Are They Laughing?
"Wow, what is this game?"
The siblings, who had been wandering around the jjimjilbang, stepped into the arcade and stopped in front of a game cabinet.
It was a shooting game where a spaceship smaller than a fingernail fought against UFOs in the empty void of space.
"It's not pretty..."
Hui-su shook her head as she looked at the gameplay screen.
It was only natural.
Unlike modern games with flashy graphics and all sorts of features, the game they were looking at was an old-fashioned one from decades ago.
Finding their reaction amusing, a familiar voice spoke from behind the camera.
[Want to give it a try?]
At the sudden suggestion, the siblings had different reactions.
"Huh? Really?"
"This?"
Chang-su, the older brother, had sparkling eyes, but Hui-su, the younger sister, glared past the camera with a face that clearly said she wasn't interested.
At her resentful gaze, which seemed to ask, 'Why are you making us do that?' the voice quickly added:
[Ah, no! You don't have to do it if you don't want to.]
But as soon as the voice spoke, Chang-su raised his hand high.
"I want to! I'll do it!"
"..."
Hui-su, who had been glaring past the camera, now turned her gaze to her brother.
But Chang-su, already used to this kind of situation, took his seat in front of the arcade machine without being bothered at all.
Seeing that, Hui-su had no choice but to quietly slide in next to her brother.
"How do you play this?"
[Ah, just press the button in the middle. Normally you have to put money in, but they set it up so you can play for free while you're staying here.]
At the explanation, Chang-su and Hui-su each pressed the middle button.
Soon, the screen changed, and two spaceships controlled by them appeared against the black backdrop of space.
"It's starting!"
Watching the enemies appear at regular intervals, Chang-su excitedly mashed the buttons.
Pew!
Pew, pew!
With every press of the button, missiles flew out accompanied by cute sound effects.
However, contrary to his enthusiasm, Chang-su's score didn't budge at all.
The missiles he shot so diligently hadn't hit a single enemy.
Pewww!
Pewww! Pewww!
In contrast, Hui-su's shooting skills were 100% accurate.
Even though she pressed the buttons half-heartedly as if it were a chore, she shot down the enemies with uncanny precision.
Pewwww!
"...This is no fun. I'm stopping."
When Hui-su shot down even the Stage 1 boss without any difficulty, Chang-su finally couldn't take it anymore. He jumped up from his seat and headed outside.
"Huh? Uh?"
Flustered by his sudden departure, Hui-su looked back and forth between the machine and her brother.
Unlike Chang-su, she was just starting to find it fun.
"W-Wait for me!"
After a brief look of disappointment, Hui-su had no choice but to follow after Chang-su.
But despite Hui-su's calls, Chang-su didn't stop.
It was because he was still sulking at his sister.
"Oppa~ Wait up!"
"..."
Patter, patter.
In the end, an untimely chase unfolded inside the jjimjilbang.
Hui-su ran to catch her brother, and Chang-su ran to escape from her.
However, the viewers couldn't see the end of this chase.
The cameraman's stamina was far too pathetic to keep up with children whose energy levels recharged in real-time.
[Pant, pant, pant! Ugh! I'm gonna die... pant, pant...]
With breathing sounds that made him sound like he was truly on the verge of death, the video abruptly ended as the camera, fixed on the floor, faded out.
"He really went through a lot."
Dojin, who had watched the video to the end, turned his gaze.
The person who had filmed and edited it himself was currently busy making something in the lounge cafeteria.
Is it a snack for the kids?
If the Bandit King's main content had been meat dishes, the Meat Uncle's main content was childcare and making snacks.
For reference, "Meat Uncle" was Jung-wang's new YouTuber name.
It turned out to be a better name than I expected, Dojin thought.
Dojin personally liked Jung-wang's new name.
It was because the name allowed him to carry over his previous "Bandit King" image while also reflecting his current status as the guardian of the Chang-su siblings.
Jung-wang must have shared the same sentiment, as he had changed his channel name to Meat Uncle without a second thought.
As expected, collective intelligence is quite impressive, Dojin mused.
Naturally, Dojin hadn't come up with such a great name himself.
He had simply chosen the one that received the best response among the suggestions posted on the channel.
Just then, Dojin's eyes fell on the channel's subscriber count.
"The subscriber count is growing incredibly fast. I guess that's the power of the President of Kids."
Even though the video he just watched was their only content, they had already secured a Silver Play Button.
And it had only been two days since they created the new channel.
"How does everyone find their way here?"
Even though they hadn't promoted it, subscribers were skyrocketing in real-time.
This alone made him realize just how influential the channel Harmonious Chang-Hui's House had been.
Even now, endless comments were being posted on their single video.
"Oppa, it's about to start."
"Huh? Ah, right."
Dojin, who had been checking the comments on his laptop for a while, packed up his laptop at Do-hui's words and went out to the lobby.
It was to watch the episode of Unanswered Questions they had filmed recently.
But for some reason, the seats in front of the TV were already completely packed.
"...Why is everyone here?"
"We heard you're going to be on the broadcast, Representative. Of course we have to watch it together."
"...No, you really don't have to do that."
Dojin, who had expected only a few people like Do-hui and Seung-won to watch it with him, found the situation quite overwhelming.
There are so many other things to do, why bother...
Inside the jjimjilbang, there was a sauna, a gym, a billiard room, a mini-theater, and even an internet cafe.
With so many things to see and do, he hadn't expected them to crowd around just to watch TV.
But they weren't the only ones watching the TV.
"Everyone on the other floors is watching this too."
"We need to boost the viewership ratings for your sake, Representative."
"...No, it's not like us watching here will affect the ratings that much..."
Dojin, who had reflexively started to reply, quickly shut his mouth.
Judging by the atmosphere, he realized that whatever he said wouldn't make a difference.
In times like this, it was best to just keep quiet and stay still.
"It's starting. Oppa, sit down quickly."
"O-Okay."
At Do-hui's urging, Dojin quietly took a seat.
Since they had saved the best spot for him as the main subject, he had a clear view of the screen.
The problem started halfway through the broadcast.
The host, who had been explaining in detail how Kwon Chang-hwan exploited the children and committed corruption, suddenly shifted the topic.
"But here is the thing. Our production team received new information while investigating this case."
"The information claimed that the adults taking care of Chang-su and Hui-su are actually restricting the children's freedom for their own pockets."
"Our production team went to find the two YouTubers in question to verify this."
Dojin's brow twitched.
At the host's words, Dojin's forehead creased.
He had felt something was off since the interview, and indeed, the narrative was taking a strange turn.
And Dojin wasn't the only one who felt this way.
"What?"
"What did he just say? Did I hear that right?"
"Ha, are they crazy? What the hell are they talking about?"
Harsh curses erupted from the security team members who had been quietly focusing on the broadcast next to him.
Since they shared Dojin's daily life, they knew exactly how absurd those claims were.
But the absurdity didn't end there.
"Having received reports that the children are not being cared for, but are actually being confined in a massive facility, our production team headed to the location where the YouTuber resides to uncover the truth."
"Right now, there is no one here except for our security team."
The scene shown along with the narration was all too familiar to the people here.
It was the path leading from Boseok-ri to Sekki House.
However, the camera crew, who had been advancing without hindrance, soon had to step on the brakes.
This was because they were blocked from entering at the main gate of Sekki House.
"I'm sorry. We are currently undergoing internal construction, so you cannot enter."
A voice familiar to Dojin played on the screen.
Although his face wasn't shown in the frame, it was definitely the leader of one of the security shifts.
"Ah, we are a broadcasting station crew. Can we not go in?"
"Because of the large-scale construction, entry is restricted to authorized personnel only."
"Oh, really? But that's strange. As far as we know, ** lives here."
At the words of the woman who appeared to be a writer, curses erupted once again from all over the lobby.
Although the name was censored with asterisks in the subtitles, anyone listening closely could tell the writer had said "The Baek."
Moreover, the tone of the writer's words was subtle but loaded.
She wasn't openly accusing him, but it was a question that left a bad taste in anyone's mouth.
Just then, someone nearby vented their frustration.
"Sigh, I knew something was off! Showing up out of nowhere the day before our scheduled appointment and demanding to be let in was suspicious from the start!"
Dojin turned his head toward the commotion and nodded.
The person who had just spoken was the shift leader shown on the screen.
Still fuming with anger, he continued to speak.
"The editing is absolutely filthy. They cut out everything I said in between."
"What did you say to them, Leader?"
"What else would I say? I asked them why they came so early when they said they'd come tomorrow, told them the Representative would come right away if I contacted him, and even offered to guide them to where the Representative was. But no matter how many times I said it, they just kept pretending they couldn't hear me."
"..."
At the shift leader's words, the lobby instantly fell into a stir.
Quite a few people could be seen rushing down from other floors, suggesting similar reactions were happening there too.
Yet Dojin, the actual victim of this situation, had remained silent the entire time.
"..."
"Representative?"
When Eun-seop, unable to hold back, called out to him gently, Dojin looked at Seung-wan and spoke.
"I expected it, but this is quite malicious."
"Yes. I'm glad we prepared in advance."
At Dojin and Seung-wan's exchange, everyone's eyes gathered on the two of them.
Then, Do-hui, who had been quiet, explained the situation.
"To put it simply, there's no need to worry. We prepared something just in case they pulled a stunt like this. Right, Seung-wan?"
"Yeah. I just uploaded the video, so everyone check the channel."
At Seung-wan's words, everyone in the lobby pulled out their phones at once.
Just as she said, a new video had been uploaded to the Sekki House channel just a few seconds ago.
"Hello."
"Yes, hello. It must have been a long journey for you."
Dojin returned the greeting.
But he soon asked cautiously,
"But are you really planning to do the interview here? It's not exactly a great environment for an interview..."
Dojin looked around.
They were in the yard of Sekki House, which was cluttered due to the ongoing construction.
The reason they were filming here, bypassing so many better locations, was because the broadcasting station had requested it.
"Not at all. This is wonderful. Besides, the viewers will want to see where The Baek lives."
"..."
Dojin stared silently at the woman as she sat down at the makeshift table they had hastily brought out.
He had thought nothing of it when she introduced herself as a writer,
but her gaze was strangely unsettling.
The way she scanned the interior of Sekki House resembled a predator eyeing its prey, rather than simple curiosity or interest.
Hwindung-i's eyes look exactly like that, Dojin thought.
The instincts he had developed while raising his pets warned him to be wary of the person in front of him.
Once she finished looking around, the writer turned to Dojin and asked,
"Now, for the first question. How did you acquire this place?"
"Pardon?"
"I thought the viewers would be very curious. How a young person like you came to own such a large property and building."
Her words were polite, but her expression was not.
An expression that practically screamed, 'How could someone like you?' was blatantly visible on her face.
Dojin, forcing his stiffening expression to relax, replied as calmly as possible.
"...I don't believe that has anything to do with this interview."
"Are you refusing to answer?"
"There's just no need to repeat myself. The answers to that are already all over the videos on my channel, so I doubt anyone is actually curious."
"..."
At Dojin's nonchalant reply, the writer's face contorted slightly.
It was obvious to anyone that she didn't like him, but Dojin was no longer swayed by her attitude.
He simply puffed out his chest, where his action cam was attached, a bit more.
"...Then I will skip the personal questions. The viewers will be disappointed, but I suppose it can't be helped."
"..."
Dojin didn't respond to the subtle threat.
He knew that reacting in any way in this situation would bring no benefit.
Seeing this, the writer began flipping through her questionnaire irritably.
"Then how about this? Why did you bring the children here?"
"? I don't quite understand the intent of your question. What do you mean, 'why'?"
"Think about it. There are plenty of better facilities and more professional institutions out there, so why did it have to be here of all places?"
"..."
The writer was now asking questions with overt hostility.
An ordinary person might have cut the interview short right then or given an emotional response.
Fortunately, Dojin had good allies by his side.
Bark, bark!
As if sensing the writer's hostility, Ttorang-i, who had been lying beside Dojin, sprang to her feet and began to bark.
Meow!
"W-What are these things?"
When Samsaek-i, who had been sitting on Dojin's lap, hopped onto the table and bristled his fur, the writer, who had been badgering Dojin, hastily backed away.
It looked as if the two animals were about to pounce on her at any moment.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened.
"It's okay, it's okay."
...Snort!
Meow...
At Dojin's touch, the fierce beasts instantly turned into gentle lambs.
While the writer was left flustered by the sight, Dojin's answer followed.
"By 'better and more professional facilities,' do you mean an orphanage? Is sending them back to their original facility with the stigma of being abandoned again really the better choice?"
"I-I didn't necessarily mean that. If Representative Kwon is proven innocent, they could go back to live with him, and a professional facility would protect them from the people around them..."
The writer poured out a passionate speech after that, but Dojin didn't pay attention to her words.
Every single word was pure sophistry.
If such an ideal outcome were possible, those crimes wouldn't have happened in the first place, Dojin thought.
In the end, the writer's point boiled down to: why did he take children who were doing just fine away from a criminal and cause all this trouble?
But it seemed Dojin wasn't the only one who found her words preposterous.
Heh-heh, heh!
Meow~ meow!
The animals, who had been quietly enjoying Dojin's petting, suddenly opened their mouths and began making strange noises.
Wary of the sounds, the writer asked Dojin,
"...W-What is it now? Are they threatening me again?"
Perhaps due to her earlier experience, the writer had backed away by nearly two steps.
She looked ready to turn and run at a moment's notice.
"...No, they're laughing."
"What?"
Looking at the writer, who was dumbfounded by the unexpected response, Dojin said with a cold smile,
"I said they're laughing. I guess even these guys find your words absurd."