Chapter 28: Dullahan Advancement Proposal

“You’ve been watching since my first broadcast? There weren’t many viewers back then.”

“Yes.”

“And now you’re managing as well as editing? That must keep you busy, haha…”

“It’s fine.”

I always thought I wasn’t good at talking.

What does it mean to be good at talking? It’s being eloquent, humorous, and able to guide a conversation with wit.

There are those people who make you want to keep talking, whose words flow naturally, drawing you into their stories.

Those are the gifted ones.

I wasn’t born that way, and I assumed I never would be.

But now, here I am, having to lead this conversation.

“Ahem. Uh, Si-young?”

“Yes.”

“Could you say something?”

Her gaze drilling into me feels overwhelming.

Stop staring like that—you’re going to burn a hole through me.

The woman who had approached me with such confidence turned out to be the editor, as I expected.

Contrary to my assumptions, she was a woman, tall, and incredibly quiet.

Very quiet.

Han Si-young, twenty-six years old, younger than my original self but older than Ji-eun.

Since her initial introduction, she’s been in this state—simply staring at me.

Getting her to speak has been a monumental task.

She rarely speaks first, only answering questions I pose, and always with brief responses.

And all the while, her gaze stays locked on me.

Sure, it’s polite to make eye contact while someone is talking.

But too much of anything can be overwhelming.

Hey, your coffee’s getting cold right there.

Why not stop staring and take a sip?

The unspoken pressure for me to keep talking had me grasping for any questions I could think of.

“So, uh, what made you apply to be an editor?”

Her eyes softened into a gentle curve.

Unlike her earlier blank expression, she now seemed genuinely pleased.

“Because I wanted to see it first.”

It was the first time she gave a long answer.

Though her response was vague, I followed up.

“Oh, you mean you wanted to be the first to see my videos? Like, by making them yourself?”

“Yes. I don’t like the idea of someone else handling it.”

“My broadcasts, right. Got it.”

Something felt slightly off about her phrasing, but I could piece it together.

She must mean that she wants to watch my streams first and turn them into videos herself.

Her mention of disliking others handling the work shows she likely has her own philosophy about editing.

That’s not bad at all.

But we’ll need to have a bit more of a conversation.

As I said before, when it comes to a professional relationship, I value a person’s character.

That’s why I insisted on meeting her in person to understand what kind of person she is.

But if she won’t open her mouth, well…

“Your editing skills are impressive. When did you start editing?”

“I dabbled in it as a student and started seriously after I became an adult.”

Maybe it’s the passage of time, but her answers were starting to grow longer.

A good sign.

Now, why not take a sip of coffee while we chat?

“Are you working on anything else at the moment, or are you focusing solely on editing?”

I hesitated briefly, wondering if I was prying too much, but there was no other way.

She wasn’t saying anything, so I had to keep the conversation going.

Fortunately, Si-young didn’t seem annoyed by my questions.

In fact, she almost looked… pleased?

Maybe I was imagining it.

“I don’t have any other jobs. I’ve just been working on a few editing projects from home.”

“Hmm, so you’re a professional editor. Is there a particular reason you chose this career?”

“I don’t like going out much. I’m not fond of people either.”

“Ah.”

Oh no. It felt like I had just stepped on a landmine.

Maybe I was prying too deeply this time.

“Uh, I’m sorry for dragging you out here…”

“It’s fine. It’s been a while since I went outside. It’s nice to get some fresh air for a change.”

She was probably just saying that to make me feel less awkward.

This seemed like a good opportunity to find some common ground.

“To be honest, I don’t like going out much either. Next time, maybe we could just communicate through text or Discord—”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sometimes it’s good to meet like this. And when editing, there are times when we need to have meetings.”

“Couldn’t we just do that over a call? I mean, there’s no need to meet in person—”

“It’s easier to communicate face-to-face, especially when there’s something specific to discuss.”

Si-young suddenly became more talkative.

It seemed like she had strong opinions when it came to her work.

Meeting in person occasionally wasn’t a big deal, and if she preferred it, I could adjust.

“Alright, let’s agree to meet occasionally for discussions.

But, since it’s still early days, I’m not sure how much revenue the channel will generate.

And honestly, there’s no guarantee that the subscriber count will grow significantly.”

I spoke with a heavy heart.

“On top of that, there’s the issue of pay… For now, I can’t afford to offer much.”

I wanted to work with her, but I didn’t have the financial means to pay her what she deserved.

As a skilled professional, she should be compensated adequately.

While I was mulling over how much I could offer, Si-young spoke up.

“Instead of a fixed salary, I’ll just take a share of the YouTube revenue.”

She suggested splitting the revenue generated from the channel instead of a monthly salary.

I’d heard of similar arrangements, but usually only for well-established channels.

“Wouldn’t that be a huge loss for you?”

Si-young was proposing to take a percentage of YouTube earnings.

But that depended on the channel’s success—if it didn’t take off, the earnings might barely cover pocket money.

Especially in the early stages, when YouTube channels hardly generate any income.

Even so, Si-young didn’t hesitate.

“It’s fine.”

Her confidence made me even more anxious.

What if the channel fails? Would she resent me for wasting her time?

I couldn’t exactly try to dissuade her by putting myself down, saying I wasn’t a great streamer.

What if she decided to leave?

She was a talented person I had carefully chosen.

Sensing my unease, Si-young continued.

“Why would money matter when I’m working with you, Molu-nim?”

“And I trust my instincts. If I polish your content just right, you’re going to be a big hit.”

She spoke with such certainty, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

For someone who had seemed so reserved, she sure had a knack for making me feel flustered with her bold words.

It wouldn’t be polite to decline after such a sincere offer.

I expressed my gratitude and extended my hand for a handshake.

Si-young clasped my outstretched right hand with both of hers and held on for a very long time.

Why was she doing that?

With our mutual intentions confirmed, there wasn’t much left to do.

We had settled the revenue sharing, and all that remained was drafting the contract.

I considered preparing an electronic contract, worried that Si-young might be reluctant to come out again.

But she shook her head firmly, as if to say there was no need.

In fact, she insisted on meeting in person this week to finalize things, emphasizing the importance of being thorough with such agreements.

In this area, her meticulousness seemed like a perfect complement to my indecisiveness.

We agreed to co-manage the YouTube account.

After editing the videos, she would send them to me for review, and either she or I would upload them.

When the channel grew larger, we could hire additional editors and adopt this approach on a broader scale.

But that was something for the future.

“Yesterday, I had a meeting with my new editor to discuss my YouTube channel. And today, the channel is officially live! Let’s have a round of applause~!”

[Clap clap clap]

[Meeting? Meeting? Meeting?]

[I want to get good at editing so I can meet Molu one-on-one.]

[Jealous of the editor LOL]

[Let’s make this channel a hit!!]

These people…

Even when I announce the creation of a YouTube channel, this is their response.

I needed to redirect their focus.

“Everyone, please subscribe and look forward to the videos. They’ll be uploaded soon, so make sure to watch them all the way through!”

[Got it.]

[Why don’t you upload a video first and then ask?]

“Subscribers, hmm… If we reach 10,000 or even 100,000, maybe I’ll do a small event to celebrate.”

The audience’s reaction was enthusiastic, but I was lukewarm about it.

As if hitting 10,000 subscribers would happen so easily.

10,000 isn’t a pet’s name, after all.

After introducing the channel to the audience, I was about to proceed with the stream when—

[Excuse me, do you have a moment?]

Among the chat messages, a different nickname stood out.

It had a distinct marker, practically screaming, “I’m someone official.”

When I said it was okay, they sent me a Discord ID in a private message.

Were they asking for a call?

I excused myself to the viewers, muted the mic, and made the call.

A man with a business-like tone spoke.

“Hello, this is Kang Jin-su from Switch operations. We’ve received your email, Molu-nim. Upon checking your account, there were no issues with duplicate accounts, so you’re eligible to participate.”

Good. Everything was proceeding as expected.

“To ensure fairness in the competition, participants must set up a camera that at least shows their upper body. Would that be possible?”

“Would a hand cam suffice?”

“Unfortunately, no. Due to our joint collaboration with WatchLove, we need stricter measures this time. While you don’t need to show your face, your upper body must be visible.”

So essentially, they were asking me to do a partial face cam.