Chapter 42

"No, why am I...?"

I was so flustered I couldn’t even get the words out.

And no wonder, because the person in the YouTube video was me.

Well, if I think about how many cameras were rolling back then...

The people in the crowd had their phones out, too, but that busker in his fifties, the one who’d set his instruments down and performed anyway, had also installed his own camera and filmed the whole thing. It would have been stranger if the video hadn’t gone up.

What mattered was the view count.

Fortunately, it had only just crossed 4,000.

How long has it been up?

When I checked the details, I saw it had already been uploaded five days ago.

At this point, I guess it didn’t get picked up by the algorithm?

Just to be sure, I refreshed it for about ten minutes, but the view count had only gone up by two.

"Huuuuuah."

I finally let out a breath of relief.

My face was visible, so if it had ever caught the algorithm’s eye, things could have become a real pain if people around me started recognizing me.

When I looked at the channel itself, the subscriber count was still only around 600, so that was a relief too.

It seemed they were uploading busking videos from Central Park and various other places in New York about four times a week, but overall the numbers weren’t that high.

Should I ask them to take the video down...?

But that would be rude, too.

The fact that I borrowed the instruments and played there basically meant I had implicitly agreed to being filmed.

Right. The algorithm didn’t even bite, so what’s the problem?

It was just the kind of memory you left lying around from a trip to New York.

Four days later.

On the off chance, I’d saved the video and checked it again, but.

In four days, it had climbed by only about a hundred.

Yeah, I can relax now.

Unless you were talking about an extremely rare case, once things stayed like this, the odds of the algorithm suddenly deciding to bless it later were practically zero.

I’d been on edge for days, so that was a huge relief.

"Huuah. Then I guess I can get back to work with a clear head."

This week I’d taken a break from the workshop, so after work I headed straight there.

The moment I opened the door, a rich, sweet, nutty scent hit me in the face.

I really love the smell of walnut wood.

I’d chosen walnut for this dining table, and its lingering fragrance had filled the whole room.

What I’d worked on last weekend was cutting the wood to match the plans.

Right now, it was in the full drying stage.

I walked over to the stacked walnut boards and picked up the cut piece.

Up close, I could smell the earthiness mixed with a faint trace of chocolate.

This feels dry enough, doesn’t it?

Until yesterday it still had that smoky scent, so the fact that it had faded meant the moisture had finally come out of it completely.

Following my usual routine, I set up the camera, put on the bear costume, and started working.

In woodworking, there are basically two ways to join pieces of wood.

The traditional method, where you cut mortises and tenons into the wood so the parts fit together.

And the modern method, which uses metal angles and joints.

Factories usually preferred the modern approach, but I’d chosen the traditional one.

If I was working with solid wood anyway, I wanted the finish to be clean and the warmth of it to come through properly.

Especially since any metal or iron would kill that feeling the moment your hand brushed against it and caught that cold touch.

Besides, I’d already been paid for the commission, so even if it took more effort, that was the right way to do it.

Whiiiiir-!

For the precise work, I alternated between a handheld electric saw and a hand saw, cutting grooves into the leg joints.

This wasn’t just a matter of something sticking out and something fitting in. It had to lock together perfectly.

Only when it was tight enough that no amount of force could pull it apart would the dining table be safe to use.

After finishing the joints exactly according to the plans.

After checking that the legs and tabletop fit together perfectly.

And after repeating the same work several more times, the assembly prep was done.

Then I joined and secured the top and frame.

One more round of drying, and that would be it.

As much as I’d like to show it to Choi Kang-san...

Since I’d done extra work today, it might have picked up more moisture, so I needed to dry it once more.

I’ll come back and check it tomorrow.

Crack- CRAAACK!

The beautifully finished dining table split in half and shattered.

And the criminal who destroyed it was.

"Damn it..."

Me.

I had broken the table with my own hands.

"Why won’t it stay level...?"

Up until the moment I finished it, everything had been perfectly aligned.

But once you worked with solid wood, all kinds of unexpected problems showed up.

No matter that it was indoors, the humidity and temperature inside still changed depending on the weather outside.

Of all days, it had to rain yesterday...

Because I’d left it by the window, one side must have absorbed more moisture than the other, and the tabletop had ended up slightly uneven.

Honestly, it wasn’t even a problem for actual use...

But that damned craftsman’s pride was the issue.

Even though I’d been paid a huge commission fee and the piece was good enough to use in my own workshop, if not as a gift,

any handcrafted piece that fell short of perfection had to be destroyed without hesitation.

"Haaah."

There was nothing to be done.

I’d have to start over.

The second attempt began.

Damn it, now the tabletop’s warped.

When I took it apart, I found that the inside of one plank was defective.

There was no choice but to break it, get a refund from the supplier, and have them send it again.

The third.

I thought I might finally get to the finish line, but during the oiling process at the end, the finish layer was too thin and the color had changed.

Destroyed again.

The fourth.

The glue I’d applied to the grooves leaked out and caused a problem with the curing, so that failed too.

The dining table was smashed once more that day.

Then came the fifth, the sixth, the seventh.

How many times had I repeated it?

Two weeks.

Only after a full two weeks of breaking nine more tables did I finally.

"At last..."

Complete the radiant dining table.

Just in case, I’d been so careful while sanding the surface that even my hands had started trembling.

But this time I’d succeeded in making it perfectly, without even the smallest flaw.

"Just the cost of the pieces I destroyed comes to how much...?"

Since Choi Kang-san had paid me well, I’d deliberately used only the highest-grade wood.

Thanks to that, just the raw materials alone had come to nearly 10 million won.

My head’s spinning.

But what could I do?

It was precisely because I had that craftsman’s mentality that I’d been able to make a table this perfect.

If Choi Kang-san hadn’t paid so generously, I probably would’ve taken a loss.

It made me newly grateful that he’d gone so far out of his way to cover everything.

Handicrafts are great, but this is exactly the kind of thing that makes them so risky.

Even if you took on a huge commission, one wrong move and you could end up in the red.

Anyway, it’s done, so I should let the client judge it, right?

I called him right away.

“Hey, Kang-san. The table’s finished. Want to come take a look?”

“Oh, this is it?”

Choi Kang-san’s eyes went wide as he let out a cry of admiration.

“It’s so pretty!”

His praise came out in a rush.

When he rested his hand on the smoothly polished surface, the grain of the solid wood flowed beneath his fingertips in elegant, rippling lines.

And when you got close, there was that soft blend of nutty and chocolatey fragrance, warm and welcoming.

Since I’d made it in the traditional way without using a single piece of hardware or any screws, you could tell at a glance that it had been made with care and stubbornness alike.

“I really love it. The grain is beautiful, and... it’s incredibly sturdy, too.”

He even hopped up and sat on top of the table, then gave me a thumbs-up.

“It’s better than I imagined.”

“That much?”

“Yeah. It’s prettier and I like it even more than the one I ordered in Italy.”

His eyes shining, he pointed at the table.

“Can I take it home today?”

“No. There’s still one thing left.”

“Huh, really?”

“I haven’t painted it yet.”

Of course I’d been thinking white to match the marble tones in his house,

but I’d left it for now because I thought it would be better to confirm the color with him first.

“I was planning to do it in white. What do you think?”

“Hyung-nim, I don’t think you need to paint it at all.”

“...Really?”

“Yeah. I already love it this much.”

He stroked one of the wooden legs as he spoke.

“I really like the soft chocolate color it has.”

“Still, won’t solid wood clash with marble?”

“Nah, it’s fine. The other furniture is all black anyway, so we can just make it black and white.”

“Then that works.”

The table was done as it was, so what remained were the chairs.

“You only need six chairs, right?”

“Yes, that’s right. If you’re busy, I can order the chairs separately. I’m already completely satisfied with just the table.”

“No, this is my housewarming gift. I should do it.”

Even if he said he didn’t want them, I was planning to leave them at his front door anyway.

“I sketched out a few designs. Want to choose?”

“Oh, nice.”

I showed him the drafts ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I’d drawn in advance.

“A, B, and C. Three options total. Personally, if you’re keeping this color, I think A looks best.”

“I like all three... but can I mix them? If that’s annoying, I’ll just keep them all the same.”

“No, that’s fine. Since they’re handmade, it doesn’t matter if they’re different.”

“Then could you make two of each?”

“Okay. I’ll do that.”

“Thanks, Hyung.”

“I should be the one thanking you.”

I laughed and kneaded his shoulder.

“Once the chairs are done, I’ll send them together.”

“Yes, sir. Thanks!”

I’d finished the most important part, the table, so making the chairs went smoothly.

As long as I designed them to bear the weight properly, they were smaller objects, which meant there was less room for failure.

All that was left was time.

Of course, while my side job had cleared up a little, work at the company had gotten busy again.

“Assistant Manager Kang, shall we meet?”

“Yes. I’m coming in.”

Along with Han Su-a, I began preparing for the pop-up store in earnest.

“Manager. From the proposal, this is unexpectedly in the entertainment industry?”

“That’s right.”

“Normally, aren’t pop-up stores for celebrities handled entirely by the agency from start to finish?”

“Usually, yes. But this entertainment company is really tiny. It seems they don’t have the staff to handle everything in-house.”

“Ah... that makes sense.”

“So it looks like they’re handling the overall planning for the pop-up themselves, but outsourcing each individual area.”

“And we’ve been assigned advertising?”

“Correct.”

“That’s a headache.”

Honestly, it’s no exaggeration to say that the success of a pop-up store basically depends on the advertising.

After all, the important thing isn’t just how much sales happen inside, but how much buzz it creates. That’s what really decides whether it succeeds or fails.

In other words, the ultimate goal is to get as many people talking about it as possible.

Unfortunately, the fact that Manager Han and I were the ones handling that part was the troublesome bit.

“It’s called advertising, but it sounds like we’ll almost be involved in planning the thing itself.”

“Exactly. Pop-ups are usually like that.”

My head was already starting to spin.

No wonder people kept trying to dodge pop-up store work.

“The proposal says our pop-up target is confidential.”

“I was actually going to tell you today. Have you heard of FineStar?”

“...FineStar? That girl group people call the miracle of the small agency idol world?”

“Yes, that’s right. You know them?”

Manager Han tilted her head, curious.

“Are you a fan?”

“That’s a little hard to say... but I have heard of them once or twice.”

Not long ago, the group that singer Song Ji-na belonged to, the one who’d commissioned that custom bag through Lim Yu-jin, had been FineStar.

The company was small, but the members were beautiful and overflowing with charm, and lately they’d even taken first place on a music show.

This pop-up store was apparently being held to sell merchandise in celebration of that.

“But the company president made a direct request... and this one looks pretty difficult.”

“What sort of request...?”

“Basically, with celebrity pop-ups, the die-hard fans are obviously going to come, right?”

“Right. Whether interested fans go or not depends on time and convenience, not on advertising.”

“But SYK Entertainment wants something bigger.”

Manager Han drew in a breath and explained.

“The biggest request was that they wanted a pop-up regular people could visit, too.”

“Good grief...”

The second I heard that, all I could do was let out a hollow laugh.

“That’s really hard.”

Even a normal pop-up store isn’t easy to pull regular people in.

If it’s related to a celebrity, it’s even harder.

“On top of that, they don’t necessarily expect ordinary visitors to turn into merchandise buyers either. They just want even people who happen to stop by to leave with a good impression of FineStar.”

“So not only do we have to get people to visit, we have to imprint the image, too... I still don’t even have a feel for how to do that.”

“I’ve been racking my brain since yesterday’s meeting, but nothing’s really coming to mind either.”

She shrugged and added,

“They probably thought it was difficult themselves, which is why they handed it over to us, right?”

“I guess so.”

If there had been a simple, obvious answer, they wouldn’t have come to us in the first place.

In the end, we’d have to grind our brains down until something came out.

“Let’s think it over slowly.”

“Understood. When did you say the next meeting was?”

“Next Friday. I think it’d be best if you came with me then.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

I really have no clue.

I’d been thinking about the pop-up store for ages, but nothing came to me.

This advertising work was such an awkward thing. Once the idea or concept was set, you could charge ahead like a bulldozer, but the problem was that nobody knew how long it would take before that “concept” was actually decided.

Still, there was one good thing.

“Everyone, it’s 6 o’clock. Let’s get off work.”

Since advertising was a proper day job with fixed hours for coming in and leaving, I could just shut it out of my head when ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠quitting time arrived.

“You worked hard today.”

“Nice work.”

I said my goodbyes to the team and left the company.

The moment I stepped out of the office building, my brain got swapped out entirely.

My head filled with side work instead of advertising.

The chairs just need to be made once I get there.

The YouTube channel was still in the stage of filming and editing videos.

I uploaded them one by one whenever a new edit was finished, but so far there hadn’t been much of a reaction.

I’d only just filled one hand.

They say the hardest part is getting to the first thousand, so until then, there was nothing to do but keep making videos without expecting too much.

Once the chairs are done, this commission will be wrapped up too...

And now I was starting to get interested in a new area.

In that sense,

I think it might be time to decide on one auxiliary talent, too.

I’d spent several days thinking about it.

All five have clear pros and cons.

If there was one thing they all shared that felt burdensome, it was this.

They all cost 25 million won.

25 million won for one talent.

It would be a lie to say that wasn’t a serious burden.

Still, the good thing is that it doesn’t end with just one.

Even if I learned one, the price didn’t increase when I learned another auxiliary talent.

And there was no time limit, so whenever I had another 25 million won, I could learn a different one.

The problem was that the total was so huge I couldn’t just learn them all at random.

Anyway, it’s clear I should test at least one of the auxiliary talents.

Unlike main talents, I had no way of knowing what level auxiliary talents were really at.

Even if it was expensive, I needed to learn one at least once to get a sense of how much it could affect my life.

Let’s keep it simple for now.

First, coffee and cocktail.

In the workshop, I already had the coffee machine and beer dispenser I’d recently been given as gifts.

And lately I’d been so absorbed in woodworking that I still hadn’t even gotten around to using them.

Before I could properly enjoy the machines, I’d end up gaining a talent for coffee and alcohol?

If anything, that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would probably just make me even busier, so I passed.

The next thing that caught my eye the most was deep-frying, but...

I’ve been putting on too much weight lately.

Between year-end parties, New Year gatherings, and all the drinking I’d been doing, my stomach had already started to puff out.

If I learned deep-frying, I’d have to keep eating as part of the experimentation, and I honestly might not be able to handle that.

So that was a pass, too.

Fermentation looks really good, though...

There was a saying that fermentation enriches life, and it was true that it had so many uses.

Not just for kimchi, but also for alcohol.

But I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠still have to keep making chairs in the workshop for a while, so the environment isn’t good for food fermentation.

That left only one.

Should I try fragrance?

Unlike the other talents related to taste, this was the only auxiliary talent connected to smell.

I’ve heard scent is the kind of thing that can shake a person’s mind around like crazy.

Even if it turned out to be disappointing, I could always pay extra and learn another talent, so there was no need to feel too much pressure.

Right. Let’s not think about it too long. I’ll go with this.