Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Coming Out as a Streamer
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My resolve was set.
A true resolve to push forward properly.
It had taken a ton of agonizing to get here, but the impact from last stream was huge.
Back when I first became an aspiring internet streamer...
All I could think about was my family.
I needed a job. I needed to work. I had to ditch my unemployed bum life and ease their worries.
I'd never once thought about the viewers.
There are actual people on the other side of the monitor!
It's so obvious if you just give it a moment's thought, but I'd never really considered it deeply.
I might've even seen them as little more than NPCs who spat out praise whenever I played well—reaction bots, basically.
But that last stream changed something in me.
They come watch even when I'm not gaming.
They worry when I'm not feeling well.
These guys... they're real people too.
That super obvious realization hit me right in the chest.
Guess I was feeling a little lonely.
Of course I was—suddenly living apart from my whole family.
Seol-yoon drops by every week, but otherwise, it's always just me.
They'd been soothing that ache in my heart.
That's why I'd decided to go all in for real this time.
Make a proper splash.
Me, who'd always been ready to bolt at a moment's notice—this time, I was drawing my sword.
With my resolve hardened like that,
"Dad. I'm actually doing streams."
I decided to play the Dad card.
I headed back to the family home while Mom was out, and met with Dad alone.
I still didn't have the guts to tell her yet.
Just Dad, on the down-low.
"Internet streaming?"
"Yeah."
"You're not, like, dancing or anything weird like that, right?"
I never knew Dad's eyes could get that wide.
Learned something new today.
His eyeballs were practically popping out—might wanna close 'em a bit.
"It's just gaming streams. Nobody knows what I look like."
"Ahem."
Dad looked visibly relieved.
"I need some folks to work with me, and handle taxes and stuff. But if I register as a sole proprietor, my name and address go public."
"Absolutely not."
"Yeah, so I'm thinking corporation instead. Rent an office, get someone else as the rep."
"You're going that far? Sounds like the streams are pretty big already."
"Yeah. Last one had eight thousand viewers."
Better not mention the ninety thousand on Lunar New Year.
That was just holiday hype plus the Challenger one-king boost.
"What!? Eight thousand? You haven't even been independent a full month!"
"I happen to be pretty good at games."
"That's my girl!"
"Friends helped out a bit too."
"Is this friend a guy?"
"They don't know my face either, so try not to worry."
Internet friends, after all.
"They?"
"Yeah, two of 'em."
"Both guys?"
"Heh, they're on their best behavior. No need to fret."
"R-right."
Dad said it, but he still looked uneasy.
Can't blame him—overprotective after that shooting incident.
I'd been scared out of my wits too.
But this time, I was stepping out into the world.
The real world felt too scary, so... the internet world it was.
"So, could you help with setting up the corporation, the office lease, hiring?"
"Got it. Leave it all to your old man."
Drawing swords and all that talk, then hitting up Dad for help—isn't that overkill?
I'd mulled it over for ages to land on this.
Did my homework too.
MCNs—Multi-Channel Networks.
Companies that bundle and manage multiple streamer channels.
Kinda like an agency for internet broadcasters, but they don't actually handle much.
Not a one-to-one match for entertainment agencies.
Finding editors or managers yourself is the norm. What they mainly do is broker ad deals.
You get some tax and legal help, but is it a game-changer? Eh, not really.
Digging into their big selling points? Sense of community among streamers, networking, collab stream setups.
Total non-starters for me.
If I showed up, every guy there would fall head over heels.
Confession bombardment incoming—I'd nuke the whole MCN!
No more Witch of Ruin arc.
So, yeah—starting my own company it was.
And getting pro Dad's help? Pure win.
Dad's the prez of a self-started SME pulling over ten billion in annual sales.
Corp setup and ops? He's the expert.
Why shop around for advice with a guy like that right here?
Things moved like clockwork after that.
Pro prez life.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The 26-year-old Kim Young-sang was buzzing with excitement.
He was starting work today with Jeon Jeonseol—the hottest game streamer right now, total mystery woman shrouded in secrecy.
When the job ad hit the sites, communities blew up.
Work there and you might see the real Jeon Jeonseol!
Hordes applied for editor. Young-sang beat the insane competition.
Heart pounding: with hands just 13cm long, how tiny was she!?
First day on the job. He rang the office bell, expectations at max.
And when that door finally swung open...
'Gah!?'
A tall beauty around 175cm stepped out.
"Kim Young-sang?"
"Y-yes."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Jung Min-hee—manager, accountant, and CEO all in one."
It took the full intro for Young-sang to clock it.
This isn't Jeon Jeonseol's voice!
"That's a lot of hats."
"I'm bored out of my mind right now. Our streamer's not firing up any broadcasts."
"Jeonseol's not in the office?"
"Remote work, she says."
No way!
No shot at seeing her face!?
What, is she a unicorn from some fantasy?
Why's it so damn hard to meet people?
"But hey, Young-sang—you a noob virgin too?"
"P-pardon!?"
"You looked so blatantly disappointed when you saw me."
Young-sang panicked hard.
Never expected that term from a beauty like her.
'She's the manager too.'
Streamers' managers gotta know internet culture inside out.
But he'd figured women hated memes like that.
"Loosen up. Treat me like one of the guys. Our main viewers are gonna be teen and twenty-something dudes, so the chairman picked someone fluent in that scene."
This dinky little—no, compact company even has a chairman?
In a 7-pyeong office!?
Shadier by the second.
Still, Young-sang signed the contract proper.
Great pay, remote options, and—above all—Min-hee was gorgeous.
Just the two of them in the office? Sweet gig.
Not that he had the guts to make a move.
Just... nice having a pretty face around. Lifts the mood.
Remote was fine, but he'd come to the office as much as possible.
What he didn't know?
Even if he showed up, no Min-hee meant no company.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ah, thanks to all your support, we've successfully assembled a Labor Department."
<What kinda ordeal turns the streamer who was gonna make an email and board into someone starting a whole company?>
<What scale lolololol>
<Jeon Jeonseol's real name Min-hee?>
- Deleted message.
"Chat window's got a manager now too. We've got rules—give 'em a read. Doxxing questions get you banned. That one guy just got the axe, right?"
<Sliced his neck what do>
<Dox ban is just common sense lol>
<Deserved it for trying>
<Wow, really going pro with this stream huh>
<So daily streams from today?>
<No more habitual ghosting?>
💰 Superchat
— Congrats~ (10,000 KRW donated)
"Looks like your condition's improved a ton—congrats! Looking forward to more great streams."
"I've never been sick, I told you."
<Sickly beauty Jeon Jeonseol ㄷㄷ>
<She's like... a lone flower on a cliff...>
<Cut the crap>
<What's 'sickly beauty'?>
<Abbrev for sickly-frail-pitiable-pure>
<Yup fits the streamer perfect>
"I'm telling you, I've never been sick, you idiots!"
What the hell was this misunderstanding from?
My height's just... small, that's all.
Thinking about it now, suddenly pissed.
"Aoooh!"
<Why's she mad? (Genuine)>
<No idea (Same)>
<She said she's not sick, just listen>
<Ghosting habitually when not even sick? That's worse>
"Look, I've never promised regular streams before, okay? It was always just a hobby. Not my job."
<Not a job!?>
<Chills>
<Hobby streams (90k viewers)>
"Ninety kay was just a Lunar New Year spike."
<13k watching right now tho>
<Big corp energy ㄷㄷ>
<fact: Jeon Jeonseol total stream days under 10, total newbie>
<No way>
<Growth curve insane>
<Month in and under 10 days streamed? Straight-up bandit>
<Give me back my stream!>
<Jeon Jeonseol awaken! Awaken!>
<Stream more often!>
"Anyway, snagged an editor, gonna make a Nutyube channel, Labor Department. Labor Department. That about do it? Did a little studying."
<Jeonseol extra cute today somehow>
<Rice-sub Tenryeon reformed into diligent Jeonseol>
<Praise the hardworking Jeon Jeonseol!>
<Daily streams confirmed?>
"So the schedule: Wednesday through Sunday. 4 PM to 8 PM. Trial run for now, tweak as we go."
<Only 4 hours???>
<She'd always run 10-hour marathons when she went live!>
<20 hrs/week is still more—calm down>
<Wah 4hrs too short let's do 6>
<Sickly Jeonseol can't handle long streams ㅠㅠ>
<10hrs once/week vs 4hrs x5/week>
<What even fits in 4hrs... hmm...>
<Labor hours too low—awaken!>
"One more super important announcement. To the folks posting sexual harassment crap online."
<Big one incoming>
<Lawsuit~ Lawsuit~ Lawsuit~>
<As long as it's not me!!!>
<lolololololol>
<Hands starting to shake rn, trsu +1>
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