The Heavenly Demon's MyTube Debut

Baek In-wook let out a sigh as he once again read the reply from Hwaryeong that had arrived in his inbox. As usual, he had been checking his emails when the familiar rejection message appeared. He promptly deleted it. Truthfully, he had expected to be turned down this time. Being someone in the industry, he knew all too well that the pool of applicants for Hwaryeong's editor position was both vast and highly skilled. Even as a mid-level editor, his chances of surviving that brutal competition were slim to none. Knowing this didn't make the sting of the rejection any less painful, though. After all, he was also one of Hwaryeong's most devoted viewers. It had seemed like it would be genuinely fun to craft videos from the various eccentric antics that the extraordinary human named Hwaryeong put on display.

On the first day, the disappointment had been so great that In-wook had broken his long-standing habit and had a drink. But now, two or three days after receiving the rejection email, his thoughts had shifted. Well, let's just see how incredible these videos turn out to be.

After closing the empty inbox, he was browsing the usual communities when a headline caught his eye.

Following the link left in the comments, In-wook arrived at a MyTube channel titled Hwaryeong's Martial Arts Channel. A martial arts channel? Adding that subtitle probably meant she was planning to expand the channel later. Made sense—someone as controversial as Hwaryeong would draw massive attention. Even fan-made MyTube channels were pulling in solid views, so her official channel would be on another level entirely. She could easily split content across multiple channels and still succeed.

While he waited with these thoughts, the video finally uploaded. In-wook clicked on it without high expectations.

The video opened on a barren plain where not a single blade of grass grew. Two women stood there. At first glance, they looked identical—same face, same appearance. But upon closer inspection, differences emerged. The most striking was their hairstyles. Hwaryeong's hair was neatly arranged with a hairpin, while the Heavenly Demon's looked like an old, worn-out broom.

The two exchanged words, then assumed their stances. The Heavenly Demon took the initiative. From the very start, she prepared a strike meant to shatter her opponent. The menacing aura swirling around her surged forward to erase everything in its path. Hwaryeong's response was one of softness. Even if a storm raged, the grass rooted in the earth would simply bend and let it pass. Amid the onslaught, Hwaryeong remained utterly calm.

"Insane."

Perhaps because they knew each other so well, their exchange looked like a perfectly choreographed dance. Like actors performing on a stage. The desolate land swept by death became their stage, and the lead performers were Hwaryeong and the Heavenly Demon. Their dance was so mesmerizing that even In-wook, who knew little of martial arts, found himself entranced.

Then the Heavenly Demon created distance and, with a laugh, pressed her inner energy down upon the earth. The sheer weight of that energy alone created a massive crater. An ordinary person would have been crushed to death, yet Hwaryeong remained unfazed. No—she smiled as if enjoying herself and struck her own pressure points. Having watched Hwaryeong's streams many times, In-wook recognized what she was doing. Amplifying her inner energy through pressure points.

That was it. Everything before had merely been the prelude. In-wook let out a hollow laugh and leaned closer to the monitor. Their true struggle began. Every time fist met fist, shockwaves erupted, whipping their hair about. Hwaryeong's long locks and the Heavenly Demon's short hair flew in opposite directions before settling as the fists dropped. A battle between superhumans. A bloody struggle to determine whose martial prowess was superior. Neither retreated. It would only end when one of them broke. As In-wook gaped at the spectacle, the Heavenly Demon stomped the ground. The earth trembled, and the inner energy that had been swirling around her gathered beneath her fist. It was clearly a finishing blow.

Hwaryeong did not stand idle. She too stomped the ground. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠finishing technique that had made her famous—the strike that had shown the world that a human could surpass even divine might. When their ultimate techniques collided, the resulting stalemate seemed endless. In the end, the one who remained standing on the earth was Hwaryeong.

"Insane..."

She really fought the Heavenly Demon and won?!

Still dazed by the aftertaste of what felt like a short film, In-wook stared at the now-black screen before pressing the replay button as if possessed. Having experienced the wonder once, he now noticed countless finer details. As someone with decent editing skills himself, In-wook could sense the near-maniacal obsession of the editor embedded in every frame. Not a single part had been left untouched. How could this video be made even more spectacular? How could the martial arts displayed within be conveyed to the audience? How could an already beautiful gem be turned into a treasure of the century? That obsession, born from such deliberation, had transformed what might have been an overwhelming video into a true work of art.

Even if work had started early, there had only been two or three days at most. And yet they produced something of this caliber? What kind of person was this editor? A machine? An AI? Or did they somehow live forty-eight hours in a single day?

The moment the video ended again, In-wook let out a laugh tinged with despair. If someone with this level of skill existed, of course he hadn't been chosen. Ah, the world was vast, and talented people were disgustingly numerous. How were people like him supposed to make a living?

"The trending rankings already?! This is crazy!"

"The video turned out amazing, but I didn't expect this kind of reaction."

"It's not just MyTube that's reacting well. The community responses are all positive too!"

"Harin's daily life video is getting good feedback as well."

"Probably thanks to Hansik giving her solid advice!"

"Wouldn't Seol-ah deserve more credit?"

"...Seol-ah too!"

Ever since the videos went up, Hansik and Harin's excitement showed no signs of stopping. The view count was exploding. It was trending on the communities. The launch had been an overwhelming success. Yet the person at the very center of all this reaction felt strangely detached. It simply didn't feel real.

She wasn't unaware that the view counts were skyrocketing. Whenever she had spare time, she watched MyTube videos herself, and Enry had filled her in on some things too. She knew what counted as a successful start. But still. She had only just created the channel and uploaded her first video—why were over a hundred thousand people already watching? Of course, the fight between herself and Baek Hwaryeong had plenty of elements that even a casual viewer would find impressive, but she hadn't expected this level of popularity.

Hmm. It must be because Seol-ah and the others did such excellent editing. Even to her own eyes, the effort put into that video was obvious. It was a shame that Seol-ah, who should have been the happiest about this situation, wasn't here right now. She had apparently passed out after finishing the final touches. When she woke up, she would probably be overjoyed. Regardless of what kind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of person that fellow was, the fact remained that she had worked hard. She would need to praise her later.

"You look pleased."

Baru, sprawled across her lap in fox form, lifted her head and asked.

"Things are going better than expected."

"Then that's good."

When she gave Baru's head a few pats, the fox smiled with her eyes and stretched before standing up.

"Shall we start the Taoist magic lesson?"

"Sounds good."

Just as they were discussing this, a massive presence that made no attempt to conceal itself appeared at the base of the mountain. Its identity was all too obvious. Why did that fellow Baek Hwaryeong have so much free time? This was hardly the position to be acting so leisurely.

"We'll have to postpone the lesson."

"Indeed."

Taking Baru, whose irritation was written all over her face, they headed down the mountain. There, they found Han Seo-woo and Baek Hwaryeong bickering. From the looks of it, Baek Hwaryeong was being stubborn while Han Seo-woo struggled to rein her in.

"What is going on here?"

When she asked, Baek Hwaryeong—who had clearly sensed her approach—replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"I came to eat something delicious!"

Ah. Is that so?

...Does she think of me as some kind of restaurant guidebook?