Chapter 87: Crossroads-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Crossroads-1
At 7:00 AM, Mr. C, an office worker on his way to work, was browsing OceaniaTV.
His commute to Seoul took an hour and twenty minutes by bus. It was too uncomfortable to sleep, but he needed something to occupy his eyes.
As he scrolled through the list, his thumb faltered. A thumbnail of a woman wearing skin-tight leggings and a baggy T-shirt caught his eye.
<[Live][Lonely Trainer] Morning Routine>
Drawn in by the title, he tapped the thumbnail as if possessed.
After an ad played, he saw a woman performing squats. There was an ironic quality to her—she possessed a certain sex appeal, yet the atmosphere was remarkably wholesome.
A few people were already in the chat, trying to grab the BJ’s attention, but the woman remained unmoved. She simply continued her squats in silence.
At first, Mr. C only noticed the woman herself, but then his eyes drifted to the weight of the barbell on her shoulders.
How many kilograms is that?
A chat message asking the same question popped up, but the woman on the screen remained silent. She simply repeated the vertical motion, lifting a hunk of iron that looked heavy even at a glance.
Normally, one might leave a stream with dead air and no reactions, but Mr. C couldn't bring himself to switch channels because of the sheer feat she was performing.
Whether the people in the chat were reeling in shock or not, her workout continued. Squats were followed by leg curls, leg presses, and finally, a finishing run.
About an hour later, she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead with a towel and looked at the camera for the first time.
She had a ponytail with a slight curl and a physique that radiated health. Though she hadn't said a word, she had used her charms to the fullest to leave an impression on the viewers.
Looking at the chat with indifferent eyes, she finally spoke.
"Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell. This has been the Lonely Trainer."
And with that, the stream ended.
A flood of question marks filled the chat, and Mr. C was among those posting them. What did I just watch? he wondered. But that question soon turned into an exclamation mark.
That was actually pretty cool.
That was the common sentiment among those who had tuned into the Lonely Trainer’s broadcast.
*
After confirming the stream had definitely ended, I walked over to Garam.
"You did great."
"Ugh... I was so nervous. I think the tension got to me because I couldn't even lift as much as I usually do... This isn't good..."
You call that 'not lifting much'?
She’s insane.
"Just get a bit more used to the camera. It’s not like you’re doing variety content anyway."
"I guess. But I don't know if I'm doing a good job."
"The reaction wasn't bad. I think about fifteen people watched, and there were even donations."
"Huh? Donations?"
"Yeah. You got about 2,000 coins."
"Uh... 2,000 coins is..."
She started counting on her fingers. She probably wasn't used to the conversion rate yet.
"After the platform takes its cut, it’s about 20,000 won."
"Wow... 20,000 won..."
She looked visibly disappointed. This girl is disappointed with that as a total beginner?
"Get it together, Garam. You earned 20,000 won just by doing your normal routine. If we upload today’s video to YouTube, you’ll get additional income from that later."
When I spoke a bit firmly, she shrank back.
"Ah! Sorry. I guess I expected too much."
"Today was your first broadcast. Don't expect to hit the jackpot on your first try."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind. I think my expectations got warped because the streams you showed me were making 100,000 coins at a time."
"Those are... the top-tier successful streams. Anyway, you’re just starting out. In fitness terms, you’re a gym newbie. You can't expect to squat 60kg right from the start."
"Huh? I did 60kg on my first day, though?"
She tilted her head and asked back.
I hate you.
We had done a test broadcast on Monday using the equipment Ho-cheol prepared. Then, Tuesday was her first official stream.
Fifteen viewers for a first stream is a good indicator.
To be honest, there was an easy way. I could have logged in with my account and donated a massive amount of coins to boost her up the real-time rankings and get her noticed.
But doing that creates enemies instantly.
When I, a former "Big Hand," stopped donating, Hana—who used to hold the number one spot—plummeted. I believe she’s hovering around tenth place now.
With the overwhelming number one gone, the streamers ranked second through fifth were now locked in a bloody battle for the top spot.
If it were just a matter of donating coins, it would be a clean fight, but it never is. They tear into each other's fandoms and try to ruin the BJ’s reputation. There are constant attempts to break their spirit by posting malicious threads online.
I didn't want Garam to jump into that war zone.
I hadn't realized it because she always acted bright while exercising, but through the incident at Han River Park and our conversation at the hair salon, I had caught a glimpse of a different side of her.
Garam lacks confidence to an extreme degree. Because her environment hasn't been kind to her, she has a "glass mental"—a psyche so fragile it might shatter at the slightest tap. She gets hurt by the small things and feels despair over the trivial.
Exercise is what protects her. According to Garam, she doesn't have bad thoughts when she works out. It’s likely because she’s so focused.
Regardless, for these reasons, she needs to stay out of the spotlight for now. Since she’s started internet streaming, it’s something she’ll have to face eventually, but it’s still too early.
"Ah, come to think of it, I've been a bit lax with my check-ups lately. Sir, shall we do an InBody test?"
Ah, she’s calling me "Sir" now...
And so, I took the InBody test.
Compared to when I first started, the change was noticeable, but compared to the last measurement, there wasn't much significant growth.
"It's a plateau. We might need to change up your workout pattern."
Seeing me look a bit dejected, Garam offered some comfort.
"President In-ho helps me with my stream, and I help President In-ho with his workout. It’s mutually beneficial."
She continued talking while scribbling something in her notebook. Her bright voice made me chuckle despite myself.
"I suppose so. Mutually beneficial."
"Well then. We keep helping each other until we both succeed, okay? Promise~"
She held out her pinky, and I played along, hooking mine with hers.
"Stamp it, and copy it."
After pressing our thumbs together and sliding our palms against each other to seal the deal, she cracked her neck from side to side.
"Alright then. Today, let's increase the weight a bit."
"Huh?"
"You break through a plateau with more intense exercise."
Shit.