Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Precious Baby Care Expert
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A streamer's primary source of income is, naturally, the donations received during live broadcasts.
Therefore, if the goal is simply profit, attracting a few big spenders is enough.
They hold the overwhelming majority of those massive donations.
However, many broadcasters obsess over their visible viewer counts.
Even viewers who don't donate a single penny are precious, one and all.
The reason was simple.
Image value.
Focusing solely on immediate profits by catering to donating fans might be effective short-term, but they aimed further ahead.
By elevating their image, they could generate additional value.
This opens doors to sponsorships or event invitations.
It creates a "tier" that's hard to achieve through raw earnings alone.
Broadcasters placed the utmost importance on this tier.
Where is this tier most profoundly felt?
The place where subscriber counts represent personal power levels, and views generate further revenue.
That place is none other than Nutube.
"Nutube?"
[Yes. Don't you think it's about time to start a Nutube channel alongside your streams?]
I got a message from Mr. Park like that.
Now's the time for me to give Nutube a try.
[We originally planned to set it up sometime next month, but your channel's growth has been so explosive lately. With the momentum building this fast, who has time to debate the best hull or sturdiest oar?]
Mr. Park's explanation continued.
[But rushing preparations now, we've overlooked the most crucial element: an editor.]
[I've been diligently searching, but unfortunately, no suitable editor yet.]
Nutube is a platform for edited videos.
Its specialty is condensing the most entertaining parts of a four-hour full stream into a 20-minute highlight reel.
His analogy: If live streaming is like eating sashimi straight from the freshly caught fish, Nutube is an omakase of carefully selected, exquisitely prepared ingredients.
That's how Mr. Park put it.
As long as I keep streaming, fresh ingredients arrive daily. The problem? No chef to cook them deliciously.
"Do we really need to rush? As you said, the original plan was next month anyway."
[Timing is everything in broadcasting. Based on your growth data, yes. Right now is the perfect window.]
"Hmm... Editors don't just pop out of thin air because we're in a hurry. No choice then, right?"
[That's why I'm saying... We actually have an idle editor at our agency.]
An editor? Then what's the issue?
A hesitant silence, like he was holding something back.
I waited for another reason, but Mr. Park stayed quiet.
He was hemming and hawing so much that I took the initiative.
"If it's a skill issue, I don't mind."
I'd gauged Mr. Park's personality over the past days.
Like a father wanting to give more.
Genuinely caring for his streamers, he probably wanted to present a five-star hotel chef equivalent, but honestly, a neighborhood Chinese restaurant head cook would satisfy me just fine.
[No, her skills are exceptional. I can vouch for that.]
"Then why...?"
[She's very shy. I'm worried she might not mesh well with people, so it's hard to introduce her right away.]
"Does editing require mingling with people?"
[Not exactly, but... well. Her family situation was rough growing up. That's why she's a bit... No, forget it. You should meet her and talk directly. When are you free?]
Maybe he felt awkward sharing her backstory.
Instead, he suggested meeting her in person to chat.
We agreed to meet at the same coffee shop where I'd gone for the collab with I Daram before.
I arrived early, but as usual, Mr. Park was already waiting.
At a four-seater in the corner. Next to him sat a quite pretty girl fresh out of student life, dressed neatly in a black shirt and jeans, but radiating a sharp, prickly aura overall.
She looked up as I approached.
Her cold eyes scanned me up and down before she bluntly spoke.
"Face: pass. Fashion: fail."
"...What?"
"Hmm. Voice: pass."
A helpless laugh escaped at her appraising me like a judge at a cattle show, right in front of her.
Mr. Park mentioned a tough family background, so I'd assumed some timid personality.
Who knew it meant self-taught etiquette schooling?
"Mr. Park? This is your editor, right?"
Just to confirm, but...
"Intelligence: fail."
"Huh...?"
Watching her tilt her chin like I'd asked the obvious, a sigh slipped out naturally.
A total smartass, bright yellow and brazen, just like a blackened Ye-eun mon.
If Ye-eun had gone astray, she'd look exactly like that.
Poor thing never had a handsome, kind big brother like me to straighten her out.
But who am I?
Gentle with my own kids, ice-cold to others.
Time to fire back equally.
"Attitude: fail."
"?"
She looked puzzled.
"Social skills: fail."
Her eyebrow twitched.
"Character: fail."
I turned to Mr. Park.
"Mr. Park. Does she have something wrong with her?"
Put yourself in my shoes.
Only by flipping the script does one recognize their faults—an ancient proverb.
But she showed zero self-awareness, so she was still half-baked as a person.
"Humanity: fail."
Her expression turned murderous.
She glared with razor-sharp eyes, like she'd tear me apart any second.
I just snorted in response.
What're you gonna do, glare?
Having weathered every battlefield under the sun, I wasn't fazed by some green kid's venom.
I could brush it off without batting an eye.
Middle-school Ye-eun in her rage was a hundred times scarier.
Back then, she'd actually tear people apart.
Compared to that, this girl was just cute territorial posturing.
"Now, now, Hyo-jeong, calm down. Hayan, what's with the rudeness to a stranger?"
Mr. Park sighed and intervened.
Then he began explaining this prickly editor.
Her name: Baek Hayan.
A name in stark contrast to her pitch-black personality.
Age around 21, looking even younger.
Doesn't mix with people, rarely leaves home.
Personality? As you see.
They'd initially recruited her for her cynical gimmick in streams, but it flopped hard. She quit streaming fast, saying it didn't suit her.
Yet she showed real talent in editing, so they rehired her for the team.
The issue: Every time assigned to a streamer, trouble ensued. Now on forced break.
In short: a shut-in hikikomori with shattered social skills.
I figured her prickliness came from inexperience talking to people.
No one in Korea could mesh with someone who bluntly critiques faces and personalities on sight.
"Haha..."
Mr. Park laughed awkwardly.
"Before bad blood builds, should we call it here?"
I shook my head.
I'd already made up my mind while listening.
"Mr. Park. Can I take her with me today?"
"Pardon? You sure?"
"Yes. I want to work with her."
I'm pretty confident in precious baby care.
From kids' cafe gigs, I'm experienced.
Above all, a veteran among veterans, having conquered the ultimate difficulty: Ye-eun.
"I'll train her well."
"'Train' might be too strong a word..."
"Then call it a date."
I got Mr. Park's okay and headed out with Baek Hayan alone.
A thrilling date with a three-years-younger girl... wasn't as sweet as imagined.
"This mental stuff? All from holing up at home too much. Get out, breathe fresh air! Hang with friends! Boom, all those knots untie."
I energetically preached to her half-listening self.
"Trust this oppa. I'll show you a blast."
"Psycho confirmed."
She was uncooperative about everything.
What to eat, what to do.
Even light small talk like hobbies got rejected. Full-blown terminal Ye-eun syndrome.
"Wanna go home."
Baek Hayan unleashed her ultimate move.
But I was prepared.
Counter ultimates with ultimates.
"Then Uncle Park'll get mad, like 'This punk~'."
"Your problem?"
"Might even kick you outta the agency."
She halted abruptly.
"Threatening me?"
"Nah, not a threat. Hang with me today, and I'll put in a good word with Mr. Park. Say our Hayan needs more time to prepare, so Nutube later."
"..."
She pondered, calculating.
Finally, a small sigh.
"Keep your promise."
My not-quite-persuasion worked, quelling her complaints.
But dragged out unwillingly, she looked sour.
Even winning her an arm-sized bunny from a claw machine barely moved her.
"Ah... 30,000 won down the drain."
"Total idiot. They weaken the claw on purpose—pure scam. That doll's 5,000 won online. You're such a sucker."
This kid. Peak cynicism.
If cynicism took human form, it'd be this.
Already aching over the lost 30k, her vibe threatened to infect me with T-psychopath gloom.
So I forced cheer.
"Bad mood? Nothing beats cool ice cream!"
"You're the one in a bad mood."
"Strawberry or chocolate?"
"You don't listen at all."
I handed her strawberry.
Chocolate's too dark—would blacken her further.
"Hayan's a licker? Lickers got soft, delicate hearts deep down."
Instantly, she crunched a big bite.
"...Urk."
"Pfft! Brain freeze, duh. Aww, so cute~"
"You got real mental issues."
"Yeah, reflexes."
"And childish."
"Yeah, I'm older."
"..."
Beep.
Venom gauge rising.
I quickly diverted before her patience maxed.
"Whoa! Look! Hello Kitty!"
My finger pointed to the hottest character lately, Hello Kitty posing for photos with people.
"C'mon, let's go! That cute rascal face... No one cares if the sweat-drenched mascot suit kid inside is grimacing in the heat. Snap pics with the adorable plush!"
But Baek Hayan's gaze fixed on me, not the mascot.
A profoundly dumbfounded look aimed my way.
"Don't like Hello Kitty?"
Weird. Ye-eun loved it.