Chapter 18: First Broadcast, And

EP.

“2020…”

Min Hayoon, checking the calendar, recalled the major issues that arose around this time.

“Around February, COVID explodes, and everything gets wrecked…”

And around March, the US stock market crashes.

This historical low point is the perfect opportunity to pour in a large sum of money and enjoy the sweet gains a few years later.

“I should ask Dad to open a brokerage account for me.”

However, Min Hayoon is currently only seventeen.

She is a fragile minor who can’t even open a bank account on her own.

She needs to talk to Min Jungyun about this…

“Didn’t crypto start to boom this year? Didn’t it skyrocket by tens or hundreds of times?”

However, Min Hayoon doesn’t know much about crypto.

Honestly, she doesn’t even understand how the market structure works, and since she thinks the returns from the US stock market are sufficient, she has no reason to dabble in crypto.

It might be old-fashioned, but her basic mindset is, ‘I can make enough money with my own abilities.’

“Ah, mining.”

She remembers that the graphics card market started to go crazy around this time.

Since people were stuck at home, those who knew a bit about computers started mining with graphics cards…

Because of that, demand outpaced supply, and graphics card prices skyrocketed.

“I bought a fcking 3060 for 1.2 million won, fck…”

Although it wasn’t in 2020, Min Hayoon remembers buying a computer during the COVID season at an absurdly inflated price due to bad timing with graphics cards.

Looking back, she used that computer until she was twenty-two because it was so expensive, and then she suddenly returned to 2019…

“I should just go all out and get a high-end setup this time. 2080 base, with a solid CPU, RAM, motherboard…”

Later, when the 4000 or 5000 series graphics cards come out, she can just spend a million won and cleanly replace the graphics card.

This seems like the right plan in the long run.

“Should I… look into webcams?”

Min Hayoon is now seriously considering streaming online.

During the COVID season, the most peculiar streams Min Hayoon remembers were the ones where people studied for the college entrance exam.

Most were just fakers wearing low-cut tops, occasionally winking at the camera to milk their viewers!

In the pandemic era, where it was difficult to even meet people properly.

How many men’s wallets were emptied due to these vulgar tactics targeting their suppressed desires?

Min Hayoon was planning to guide those men to the 2D world.

She would use a webcam to show just her hands, use a microphone for her voice, take requests for drawings, draw them suggestively, and upload them to Pixiv.

That way…

“I can naturally attract traffic to Pixiv, increase Patreon supporters, and conversely, increase viewers through Pixiv traffic in a virtuous cycle…”

Of course, some might criticize that this is still just a way to take advantage of men…

But Min Hayoon’s case is a bit different.

Unlike professional streamers who constantly manipulate their viewers by saying things like “You’re the only one for me,” Min Hayoon is more like a zookeeper who throws food to satisfy the viewers’ desires.

At the very least, Min Hayoon will ‘keep’ her viewers, but she won’t manipulate them.

She will also consistently provide high-quality ‘food.’

Frankly, there aren’t many opportunities to commission artwork from someone like Min Hayoon at a low price.

So, this is definitely a win for the viewers.

Min Hayoon was confident, and she immediately started buying equipment.

#

A few days passed.

The assembled computer arrived, and as she was practicing the broadcast setup, the webcam and microphone also arrived.

Now, if she mounts the webcam to show the LCD tablet, and places the microphone somewhere on the desk…

That’s the basic setup complete.

Min Hayoon immediately started the broadcast.

[LIVE] Newbie Day 1 Drawing Stream (1)

“Hmm…”

Perhaps the title ‘Newbie Day 1’ lacked impact.

The viewer count intermittently rose to 2, then 3, peaked at 5, and then dropped back to 1.

Since 1 is Min Hayoon’s own account, there were essentially 0 viewers watching the stream.

“Was the title not catchy enough?”

And so, Min Hayoon’s first stream ended on a bitter note.

But Min Hayoon isn’t a fool.

She has fought countless battles with the Pixiv algorithm to become a recognized illustrator.

She knows what kind of introductory text attracts attention.

And, after thorough preparation, the next day arrived.

[LIVE] Preparatory Hot High School Girl Drawing Stream (21)

The change was immediate.

By adding the prefix ‘Hot’ to the term ‘High School Girl,’ which men love, she amplified the sense of degeneracy.

By asking for a ‘Drawing Stream’ review, she attracted those who were eager to criticize both the drawing and the spelling.

-Hello.

-Nice to meet you.

-Which school do you go to?

-It’s ‘evaluation’, not ‘review’.

-People were born in 2004 too?

As a result, the number of viewers quickly filled up to 20.

Compared to the first day, when there were hardly any viewers, this was remarkable growth.

And once the viewers were hooked, no special technique was needed to keep them.

“Wow, there are a lot of people today.”

[1,000 won donation]

-Your voice is nice.

“Wow… a thousand won, thank you. This is my first time receiving a donation.”

There were even viewers who were quite generous.

From Min Hayoon’s perspective, who needs to earn 20 million won before high school starts, it’s a blessing to have viewers who spend money so freely…

‘But a mere thousand won isn’t enough.’

To gather as many viewers as possible and ‘keep’ them as pet viewers who consume the illustrations Min Hayoon draws, interacting with these promising viewers was essential.

“Actually, since it’s my first time receiving a donation, I’m not sure what to do…”

Especially in the illustration and streaming industries, the personal connection between the provider and the consumer is an absolutely crucial element.

To make them spend money for sure…

“Alright, that sounds good. Since you’re the first donor, I’ll draw a picture of your choice.”

-R-really?

“Of course. If I lied after taking your money, I’d be punished.”

This way, it was necessary to significantly reduce the distance between her and the viewers.

That way, the viewers who spent money will go crazy and keep spending, and it also gives a reason for those who were just watching to spend money.

“What kind of drawing would you like?”

“Th-then… a c-cat? A cat…”

Of course, there are also…

Inexperienced viewers who can’t even take what’s offered.

Since viewers are also human, they sometimes back off to save face.

-Ah, lame…

-What cat…

-No sense.

As expected, other viewers in the stream also criticized the requester…

[10,000 won donation]

-Can I request the theme instead?

Just in time, a wealthy viewer who couldn’t stand the lame suggestion of ‘cat’ took the bait.

“Well… Even so, I did receive money… Is it really okay to do this?”

[10,000 won donation]

-If you’re really bothered, just draw a cat-girl. Isn’t that a good compromise?

Grin.

Cat-girl.

It was the genre Min Hayoon was best at drawing.

Min Hayoon’s strengths are her clear depiction of textures and her ability to emphasize through the contrast between textures…

And with cat-girls, she could utilize those strengths to the extreme.

“Yes, that should be fine. Since it’s not a commission, I’ll just decide on the composition?”

[10,000 won donation]

-Good, thanks for the quick progress.

On top of that, in just two days, she earned 31,000 won from streaming!

It was an overwhelming pace, and as if to repay that incredible profitability, Min Hayoon’s rough sketch quickly started to take shape.

First, the main pose will be the cat pose.

A cat-girl must have both human and cat characteristics.

She depicted a pose where the character is on all fours, with one hand raised like a claw next to her face…

-Whoa, holy shit;;

-The level of this…

-Is this, is this okay…

-This is crazy…

-The rough sketch alone is… insane.

-So hot.

-Coloring, quickly.

The viewers were going crazy.

[100,000 won donation]

-Damn, this is it. It’s worth spending money on. Please do a good job with the coloring.

“Waaaaah! 100,000 won! Thank you so much! If there’s anything else you want, let me know. Later.”

She even threw in a cutesy, lispy voice as a thank you!

[10,000 won donation]

Did the stream end? I was going to send the link to a friend, but the channel doesn’t show up.

“Huh…?”

The stream was cut off.

A 24-hour broadcast suspension.

It was a suspension after just the second stream.