Chapter 50
I’m translating the chapter now and formatting the system-style talent unlock as a styled block, while keeping the rest as novel-style paragraphs with clean dialogue breaks.CHAPTER_TITLE: Should I Quit YouTube?
When I started, I’d approached it with a light heart.
If I could use my talent here too, that would be the best possible outcome.
“But for some reason, compared to my other talents, the results are kind of thin... It’s a little ambiguous.”
The base rank was low to begin with, but even so, compared to my blog, which had taken off from the start at the same rank, the pace here was painfully slow.
I’ve been uploading videos for a month now, and I still don’t even have a hundred subscribers.
That much, at least, I could live with.
If I thought of it as keeping a personal record, it wasn’t entirely bad.
But the comments were a burden.
Unlike the blog, it wasn’t full of kind remarks. It was closer to the wild.
Honestly, I’m not the type to get shaken by insults from people whose faces I’ve never even seen...
What bothered me was seeing the people who supported me getting flamed, like last time. It left a bad taste in my mouth.
No. If I quit here, then what would all the people who supported me even think?
Besides, the people leaving hateful comments clearly wanted me to take a dive.
I had no intention of giving them what they wanted.
And, frankly, it’d be a waste.
When I thought about how much work I’d put into those videos, quitting felt too wasteful.
Not only had I worn a dust mask that squeezed my nose and mouth shut while doing the woodworking, I’d also had to wear that bear costume on top of it. It had been unbelievably stifling.
It wasn’t just once or twice that I’d ended up drenched in sweat even in winter.
Let’s just keep going a little longer.
It was true it wasn’t easy, but it still wasn’t at the level where it felt unbearable or stressful.
Dopamine was supposed to come from the process of overcoming stress, after all.
Let’s give it one more month. If it still feels wrong after that, I’ll quit. Simple as that.
That much, I figured, I could keep doing while still enjoying it.
And if I get stressed out and really can’t take it anymore, I can always let it go then.
That was the beauty of a side hustle, wasn’t it?
I’ve got a main job as insurance. What’s there to worry about?
***
“Good morning!”
“Oh, Kang Seo-jun. You’re in a bright mood.”
“Yes. I wrapped up one project, so I feel a lot lighter.”
“You worked hard. The results were really good this time, too.”
“The popup event made me nervous, so I’m glad it turned out well.”
“That’s because Kang Seo-jun’s good at what he does.”
“Not at all. I just supported Han Manager from the side.”
“You’re good at office politics too. Hahaha.”
I set my bag down and got started on my work prep.
The project was over, but I still needed to put together the report and leave behind the basic records.
It wasn’t a full manual, but if I handled it this way, future requests for similar work would be much easier to deal with.
Until the next project came in, I could spend my time in relative peace while getting this ready.
It was like the slack period after developers came out of crunch mode.
This project brought in a lot of harvest.
I was proud that I’d succeeded with the popup, which I’d personally thought would be difficult.
And because I’d even stamped my seal on the perfume contract, it felt like I’d received my own little bonus as well.
A cheerful voice sounded from the office entrance.
“Oh, really? That sounds great.”
“That’s why I’m thinking of pushing it through once.”
“Wow, that’s fantastic!”
Kwak Assistant Manager and Park Associate Manager came into the office, deep in enthusiastic conversation.
“I’ll report it to the boss later.”
“Yes, sounds good.”
Park Associate Manager even clenched his fist, fixed on a polished work smile, and took his seat.
“Assistant Manager, fighting!”
The moment he sat down and his expression disappeared behind the partition, he let out a long breath.
“Haaa—”
Then he lowered his voice and whispered,
“Kang Seo-jun.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re screwed...”
“Why all of a sudden? You seemed happy a second ago.”
“I rode the elevator with Kwak Assistant Manager and talked to him. He said he went camping last weekend.”
“Camping...?”
“Yeah. But apparently he liked it way too much.”
I had a bad feeling about this.
“So now he wants to push for our upcoming workshop to be camping...”
“Hah.”
The moment I heard that, my head went dizzy.
A company workshop as a camping trip.
Just recently, the auxiliary talent lottery gave me camping... and now this?
That was definitely not a talent meant for a company retreat.
“Boss, good morning!”
Just then, Kim Bu-jang arrived at work.
“Oh, good morning, everyone.”
“Boss!”
Kwak Assistant Manager dashed over as if he’d been waiting for the chance.
“I’ve come up with a really good idea. How about we make this workshop a camping trip?”
“Camping?”
“Yes. It’s wonderful. Get some fresh air in the mountains, grill delicious barbecue... It’s healing at a glance, isn’t it?”
“No can do.”
Kim Bu-jang shook his head without even taking time to think.
“B-boss, don’t you like the mountains?”
Kwak Assistant Manager, who’d been rejected in one stroke, looked genuinely surprised.
“You and I used to go hiking a lot before.”
“I do like camping. I like the mountains better than the sea. But who’s supposed to pitch the tents and grill the barbecue?”
“...”
“The younger employees already have a rough time on workshop trips, and you want to send them off to do manual labor too? No way.”
Kim Bu-jang added casually,
“Let’s just do what we always do and go somewhere like a pension, relax, and heal.”
“Still...”
“If you really want to go that badly, should I go camping with just you after the workshop? Or maybe the two of us, plus the directors?”
“No, sir...”
Kwak Assistant Manager slunk back to his seat, shoulders sagging.
Sure enough, the junior-staff chat room, which had been holding its breath and watching the scene, immediately exploded.
They all think the same way, huh?
Seeing everyone unite like this at times like these made it clear that Planning Team 3 was really solid when it came to teamwork.
Still, now that it’s actually happened, it’s a little disappointing.
I wanted to pass on the company camping trip, of course, but now that I’d even gotten a talent for it and had no chance to use it, the wind had gone out of me a bit.
Since it’s come to this, should I just go camping on my own once?
I’d heard that the most romantic, atmospheric form of camping was solo camping, after all.
“Associate Park.”
I slid my chair over and approached him.
“Weren’t you interested in camping back then?”
“I was, once.”
He gave a hollow laugh.
“Just the gear I bought after blowing my bonus wasn’t cheap. But I haven’t been going lately, so now it’s all just sitting around like dead weight.”
“Why not sell it on Carrot Market?”
“Hey, camping gear gets used outdoors. The moment you use it, the secondhand value drops like a rock.”
“Oh, is that how it goes?”
“Yeah. So I checked the market price, and... I just couldn’t bring myself to sell it for that. So now it’s stuffed in my house, collecting dust. It’s a complete waste, I’m telling you.”
He looked pained.
“Anyway, why camping all of a sudden? You going with the assistant manager?”
“No, absolutely not. I was thinking of going alone.”
“Oh, then do you want to borrow my gear? Might as well let somebody use it instead of rotting in my room.”
“Sure. I’ll buy you a meal in exchange.”
“Deal. When should I give it to you?”
“Hmm. I haven’t really thought about the schedule yet...”
“You’ve gotta go as soon as you think of it. Just go this week.”
“You think so?”
“Then I’ll have to bring the gear over...”
“Wait a second.”
Park Associate Manager’s eyes lit up.
“Can’t you just take it and store the camping gear at the workshop?”
“Huh...?”
“You’ve been to my place, so you know how cramped it is. The gear takes up a ton of space. But I checked out your workshop, and it’s got loads of room.”
“That’s true.”
“Instead of you storing it for me, think of it as paying storage fees by using it however you want.”
“...That’s not bad.”
He’d get the benefit of freeing up space at home.
And I’d get to use camping gear without worrying about what anyone thought.
“I’ll bring it over this Saturday. While I’m there, I can take the gear out and explain how to use everything.”
“Perfect. Then let’s have a drink at the workshop that day.”
“Sounds good.”
***
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Tak, tak, tak-!
The sound of a keyboard echoed softly through the workshop.
I was working on the novel that had won first prize in the contest.
It had even gone paid recently, and now it was actually generating revenue.
According to the publisher, the numbers were pretty good.
I didn’t ask for details on purpose, afraid it might shake me up for no reason.
Since I’d still need to finish out the advance before any money really came in, I didn’t want excitement or disappointment messing with my writing.
Just as I was wrapping up this week’s chapter count.
Ding-dong-!
The doorbell rang.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Wow, this workshop is still nice.”
Park Associate Manager greeted me with a laugh.
“Should we move the luggage first?”
“Let’s.”
We went down to the first floor together.
“There’s going to be more stuff than you expect.”
“Really?”
I opened the trunk, expecting how much could it possibly be?
...
“This is all camping gear?”
“Yep.”
“That’s way too much.”
“This isn’t even all of it.”
“...?”
Following his gesture, I turned my head and saw the back seat packed to the brim too.
“This is no joke...”
“Got a cart or something?”
“Oh, right. I should go get one.”
***
Thud-!
Only after we’d set down the last piece of gear in the corner of the workshop did I finally catch my breath.
Thirty minutes.
It had taken more than thirty minutes just to carry everything up from the parking lot to the third floor.
“I had no idea there were this many kinds of camping gear.”
“Heh heh. You thought camping was easy?”
“How did you even store all this at home?”
“Stuffed it into the boiler room, shoved the rest under the bed... it was absolute hell, but now that it’s out, I feel so much better.”
Park Associate Manager chuckled.
“No take-backs, okay? You’re storing this for me.”
“Yeah, don’t worry.”
Even if I wasn’t especially interested in camping, this much was fine to keep around.
“Want to have a draft beer?”
After sweating buckets, I was thirsty first and foremost.
“Definitely. I came today fully prepared to have a drink and drag you out later.”
“Haha, let’s drink.”
We took our draft beers and sat on the sofa.
“When are you thinking of going camping?”
“Hard to say. I don’t have a plan yet, but I’m thinking of going sometime soon.”
“Why not just go next week?”
“Wouldn’t winter be inconvenient?”
“Honestly, the ground freezes and it’s definitely inconvenient, but camping is something you’re supposed to do when it’s cold if you want the mood to really hit. A campfire and a steaming cup of cocoa? That’s the good stuff.”
A romantic winter landscape, huh...
Now that he mentioned it, that was pretty tempting.
“I’ll let you know before I go.”
“Okay. First I’ll explain the gear. These tents are basically two types. There are pop-up ones, and then there are the ones where you drive stakes in one by one and assemble them...”
By the time I’d listened to all sorts of explanations, my stomach had started to growl.
“Should we go out for dinner? Or get delivery?”
“Let’s get delivery. Eating out is expensive these days. There are places charging six thousand won for soju now. The prices are insane.”
“That is a bit much. How about gopchang hot pot, then?”
“Sounds good.”
As the conversation about camping started to run dry, another topic came to mind.
“Hey, Park Associate Manager. I’ve got something I’m curious about.”
“What?”
“What happened to your side hustle?”
I’d been worried ever since I first heard about it, and because he kept putting off the answer, I finally had a chance to ask seriously.
“You’re not one of those people who promotes side gigs on social media, are you? A Ponzi scheme or something...”
“Hey, I’m not that stupid.”
“I’m asking because I’m worried. I can’t think of any side hustle that makes that much money that fast.”
“Ahaha, well, it’s not exactly a normal kind of work.”
He gave a dry laugh.
“But it’s a little embarrassing to tell other people about, so... there’s no way I could say it at the office.”
“So what is it?”
“You promise you’ll keep it secret?”
“Of course.”
“Actually...”
Park Associate Manager scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, and said shyly,
“I sell my body.”
“...Huh?”
My brain stalled for a second.
Was this guy working at a host bar or something?
No, no way.
“I’m a model. A model.”
“...What kind of model are you?”
It felt rude to say it, but Park Associate Manager had a bit of a belly, and he was only around 170 centimeters tall.
He was pretty far from the image I had of a model.
“Alright, I’ll say it straight.”
Only then did he confess.
“I’m a nude model.”
“...?!“
“I searched through the part-time job sites, and that paid the highest. It’s when you pose for croquis work at art academies, you know? You know what I mean, right?”
“Ah, of course I know that.”
Hearing that, I actually felt relieved.
I’d been worried he was doing some common online scam where they say you have to complete missions to get paid.
Or some job where they make you manipulate comments, and then, to withdraw your earnings, you have to deposit money first.
Or maybe even drawing and selling explicit pictures online.
That sort of thing had me worried, but in fact he was more decent than I’d expected.
“How much do they pay?”
“Seventy thousand won an hour.”
“...That’s pretty good.”
“Right? Each session lasts three hours. Do that and it’s two hundred thousand won in a snap.”
“That’s definitely solid.”
At that rate, it surpassed most ordinary side hustles.
Just by hourly wage alone, it wouldn’t be embarrassing even compared with big corporations.
“But the work isn’t there every day. They call me, and I go around to different academies and do it now and then.”
He shrugged and added,
“It doesn’t require any special skill, and it’s not hard, so it suits me perfectly.”
“Nice.”
“If you’re interested, do you want to try it too?”
“No, that’s a little...”
“Ahahahaha. But there are more interesting things about it than you’d think. To give you an example, because it’s an art academy, the gender balance tends to...”
***
A week later.
“Shall we head out?”
I left the house early on Saturday morning.
It was my first camping trip in my life.
I worried whether I’d do well, but the excitement was bigger than the anxiety.
With the trunk and back seat of my ten-year-old clunker loaded to the brim, and the music blasting loud, I set off toward Gyeonggi Province.
Staying home and resting was nice enough.
But there was something special about getting some fresh air like this, setting aside my usual work, and stepping out with nothing on my mind. That was the weekend privilege only office workers could truly feel, wasn’t it?
The moment I left the traffic-clogged stretches behind the suburbs, I was already starting to feel excited.
Me, alone in the mountains, warming myself by a campfire and healing my soul.
Just thinking about it made me feel good.
Besides, there was one more reason to look forward to it.
Frying
- Rank: Auxiliary
- Passive Effect: Your sense for fried foods is dramatically heightened.
- Active Effect: For any ingredient, when it comes to frying, you can learn a method that draws out its unique flavor to the absolute limit. (However, limits still exist depending on your existing cooking skill.)
“I spent a fortune on it.”
After thinking about it for days, I’d finally given in and bought one more auxiliary talent instead of waiting for a main talent unlock.
Barbecue is nice when you eat out, but there’s a real joy in cooking, too, isn’t there?
The truth was, fried food was easy enough to order at a restaurant with one quick request.
But when you tried to eat it at home, it became a headache.
For one thing, frying used a ridiculous amount of oil. Even if I only made enough for one person to eat until full, I’d still end up with a lot of cooking oil left over that I couldn’t use up.
It was too wasteful to throw away, and dealing with it was a hassle.
But even more serious than that was...
If I fry something once, the house turns into a disaster zone.
The smell of oil would fill every corner of the place, for starters.
And oil would splatter all over the kitchen.
No matter how much I wiped it down, the floor would feel greasy for days.
It was bad enough that even doing it in the workshop felt a little burdensome.
But outdoors is different.
There was no need to worry about splatter or smell out there.
That was why I’d even bought a whole canister of cooking oil.
A pleasantly chilly winter.
A solo camping trip in nature.
And, on top of that, a chance to test out a brand-new talent.
Just how enjoyable is this camping trip going to be?
I hadn’t even arrived yet, and I was already buzzing with anticipation, anticipation!