Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Episode 31: New Field (4)
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Kang Han-do was attempting to become a one-man creator for the first time.
Before his regression, he had heard plenty about it here and there. Things like how one-man creators were making good money these days, rivaling even mid-tier celebrities' incomes.
And yet, there was a reason Kang Han-do had never tried it himself.
'It was a saturated market.'
Of course, it was still a red ocean now.
But it was still earlier in the timeline than before his regression. The odds of success were much higher than back then.
On top of that, Kang Han-do had a huge advantage over other one-man creators.
He was a TV celebrity.
If he leveraged that recognition into the one-man creator space...
'I can make money hand over fist and boost my fame at the same time. Perfect.'
Plus, doing mobile game reviews would naturally lead to connections with game companies.
That might land him another promotional modeling gig like Raysive.
'Let's shoot a few more ads with this!'
His ambitious one-man creator project was underway.
But the first step wasn't easy.
Recording was one thing, but video editing was another hurdle.
Whenever he had time, Kang Han-do had been watching other personal broadcasters' videos on the side.
To see how they edited, how they directed. That sort of thing.
'Definitely... totally different from TV shows.'
The difference was night and day.
He wasn't completely clueless, but actually diving in made it hit home.
He decided to learn video editing himself.
'Just think of it as picking up another hobby.'
For the first time in a while, Kang Han-do felt the thrill of learning something new.
* * *
After wrapping up the Pobokjeoldo recording shoot.
Kang Han-do pored over a book on video editing techniques.
Oh Min-tae tapped him on the shoulder.
"How long are you gonna stare at that book?"
"All set?"
"Finished ages ago."
Today was the after-party for the Driving License Academy tips segment.
A celebration for safely completing ten episodes.
With no incidents or accidents through two full digits of shoots, Kang Han-do planned to treat his team members, Oh Min-tae and Hwang Yeon-ji, to a big meal as thanks.
But with the man himself lost in his book trance, Oh Min-tae couldn't help but poke.
"What's that? Fantasy novel?"
"Nah. Video editing book."
"What? You trying to become a PD or something?"
"No. Studying to be a one-man creator."
"Out of nowhere? Why?"
"It's the internet age now. To survive long-term in showbiz, you gotta adapt to the changes. You should study up too. See what's trending online, what videos kids in their teens and twenties are into."
"Hmm... yeah?"
Oh Min-tae wasn't the type with much talent for learning new things.
That might explain the initial flicker of resistance to Kang Han-do's suggestion.
But for survival's sake, it was worth a shot. That thought swayed him.
"Alright. I'll check it out at least."
"Watch my stream later. Subscribe if you can."
"Subscribe? What's that?"
"You go to Acatube... I'll explain at the after-party. Let's head out. Yeon-ji's been waiting too long."
"Oh crap! Yeon-ji!"
They nearly became the bad brothers making their little sister wait forever.
* * *
Compared to Oh Min-tae, Hwang Yeon-ji knew a fair bit about one-man creators.
"I watch Acatube a lot when I'm bored. Especially beauty creators. They show makeup tips I didn't know about. Super informative. The world's gotten so much better these days."
She tilted her glass, showing interest in Kang Han-do's project.
"But oppa, what's your personal channel link?"
"I'll text it. Just click the link."
"Wow! I'll subscribe!"
"Thanks. You'd be my first subscriber."
"Eh? You made a channel and no one's subscribed?"
"Haven't uploaded anything yet."
"Ah."
He'd set up the channel but hadn't posted videos.
"Gonna finish editing tonight and upload tomorrow. Two ten-minute videos. One's a self-introduction, the other's a Raysive playthrough guide."
"You do guide videos too, oppa?"
"I'm a ranker."
Kang Han-do's Raysive ranker pride was well-known among comedians.
Especially Kim Sang-heon, Lee Yo-su, and Jang Seok-du from his Game World team—they'd heard it nonstop while shooting the Raysive ad, to the point their ears blistered.
"Wonder how many subscribers I'll get."
Venturing into new territory was always exciting. And scary.
But.
'I have to do it!'
No choice if he wanted to boost his fame further.
On off days from shows, he'd film for his channel to build recognition.
Kang Han-do couldn't afford downtime.
The fate of humanity rested on his shoulders, after all.
"Min-tae, you hear Yeon-ji? Subscribe too."
"I'll try."
Oh Min-tae still looked clueless.
* * *
The next day.
Kang Han-do uploaded the videos.
As promised: one self-introduction with channel plans, and one Raysive guide.
He didn't forget to post promo tweets on SNS.
Channel open day one.
Kang Han-do TV, which had exactly two subscribers—Hwang Yeon-ji and Oh Min-tae—hit 12,000 in five hours.
Views surpassed 10,000 easily.
"Fast. SNS promo power is no joke."
Not just Kang Han-do—Hwang Yeon-ji, Oh Min-tae, and fellow celebs who knew him and were active on SNS shared his posts, spreading word of Kang Han-do TV's launch.
That helped a ton.
Support from Jeong Jun-tae and Kim Dong-woo was huge too.
Kang Han-do checked the comments.
-wnghk482: Whoa, never thought I'd see Kang Han-do here, epic!
-Harutbam: Total blast! ^^ Loved it, oppa, fighting!
-Yeongyanggansik: Just game videos? Wanna see Pobokjeoldo backstage stuff...
Plenty wanted daily life content beyond games.
Kang Han-do was already planning to expand anyway.
'Starting as a celeb definitely gives a better launch than most.'
Should've tried personal broadcasting pre-regression.
Late regret washed over him.
But Kang Han-do shook it off.
'Just do well from now on.'
No dwelling on the past.
He had to look straight ahead.
* * *
He aimed for at least twice-weekly uploads.
Even fun channels lose steam without regular posts.
On rest days, Kang Han-do worked nonstop on content.
His initially clumsy edits were now second nature.
He could hire pros, but he insisted on doing it himself.
Editing taught him plenty.
Thanks to his efforts, Kang Han-do TV steadily climbed.
Sometimes mobile game intros and play reviews.
Then, per comment requests, Pobokjeoldo backstage glimpses or Star House set sneak peeks.
Celeb-exclusive content offered subscribers a fresh taste no other Acatuber could match.
Subscribers grew fast as a result.
Finally, Kang Han-do TV hit 100,000.
It happened on a Pobokjeoldo recording day.
Jeong Jun-tae sought him out.
"Han-do! Congrats! You hit 100k already?"
"Thanks. All thanks to you, sunbae-nim."
"I didn't do much. But 100k means you got it, right?"
"Got what?"
"What else? The silver button. They send one at 100k. Didn't know?"
"Heard of it, but no idea what it looks like."
"Figures. I'll show you."
Jeong Jun-tae hummed as he opened his gallery app.
He pulled up a photo of himself with the silver-painted Acatube icon plaque.
"This is the silver button."
"Whoa... pretty big?"
"Right? Gold at 500k, platinum at 1 mil. Diamond at 10 mil. Fun collecting 'em."
"Who sends it?"
"Acatube directly."
Looked addictive.
Kang Han-do wasn't much for collecting, but this tempted him.
High-tier Acatube buttons proved massive subscriber counts.
* * *
Back home, Kang Han-do spotted a package at the door.
Sender.
"Acatube?"
Pretty heavy.
"No way, the thing Jeong Jun-tae sunbae mentioned?"
He rushed inside and tore it open.
Spot on.
"Whoa...!"
His first-ever silver button.
Maybe a small gift, but meaningful to him.
"Not the time to gawk."
He'd planned a 100k thank-you video anyway.
With the button here, perfect to feature it.
He'd turned one room into a full one-man studio.
Kang Han-do was a proper Acatuber now.
He hit record, struck a pose—not as celeb Kang Han-do, but creator Kang Han-do.
"Hey everyone, Kang Han-do of Kang Han-do TV here. We finally hit 100,000 subscribers! Should've uploaded this thank-you sooner, but... I held off to show you this."
He pulled out the silver button, explaining the delay.
White lie, really. No time to wait.
But packaged nicely, it looked legit.
"Kang Han-do TV will charge toward 1 mil, 10 mil. Hit subscribe and like!"
He hoped his uploads brought everyone a bit of joy, however briefly.
Kang Han-do meant it.