Chapter 39: There is no such thing as a free lunch

The man approached me holding a phone holder in one hand.

I could see the glistening desire in his eyes, something he couldn’t hide.

The lust he felt for a beautiful woman, and his greed for money.

I don’t see those things as bad.

They’re natural.

But there’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and right now, Jiyeon is with me, and too many people are gathered around.

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy.”

“Ah, over there!”

Just in time, a student came out and took the prize, and I grabbed Jiyeon and moved away from the spot.

As soon as I started leaving, the crowd parted quickly, as if by some miracle.

Was it Moses’ miracle, they say? The crowd, which had gathered, split in half in an instant.

I never thought I would see such a scene again in my life.

It felt like being treated like a senior in the army.

Life really is something you have to live long enough to see.

“What’s this, a hunt? Well, she’s that pretty.”

“The guy isn’t too bad looking either.”

“I think they’re broadcasting. I saw them on YouTube.”

I could hear the murmurs of the crowd as we arrived at the bench.

I put down the prizes and Jiyeon and took a short break while recalling what had just happened.

A broadcaster? I had glanced at the screen and it seemed like they were doing a live stream.

Something was quickly scrolling on the phone screen that caught my eye.

“Ugh, it seems like this kind of thing happens often when I go out with you. Like that clothing store guy last time.”

“Unha? That person?”

“Yeah, that one. Looks like today it’s someone broadcasting. They’re probably here to film you.”

Is that so? Maybe they just stopped by to watch the festival.

In the middle of it, they probably wanted to talk to the woman who was shooting a gun.

“That person is pretty famous. They only do broadcasts outside. I think they did a national tour too.”

“Really?”

I tried to recall the man’s face again.

Outdoor broadcasting.

That’s a form of broadcasting I hadn’t considered before.

I’ve seen that type of broadcast, but now that broadcasting is my job, my view has naturally become narrower.

For me, broadcasting was something done indoors, at least in front of a computer.

If you can point the camera outside, the possibilities are much broader.

Ideas start to flow.

I remember the time I went for a walk at dawn.

I had met a cat and became melancholic.

Then I did a broadcast and added another dark chapter to my history.

Dawn is a lonely time.

Even someone like me, who doesn’t usually have emotional fluctuations, could feel lonely.

No matter how much someone enjoys solitude, the atmosphere can make them speak more than they realize.

Maybe I should try broadcasting during my walks sometimes.

Let the viewers see the dark, surrounding landscape while I enjoy the night air.

Since it’s night, I won’t need to talk much.

Everyone will probably become sentimental.

This is actually a great idea.

Just as I was nodding to myself,

I saw someone in the distance waving their hand and running toward me.

“Hey, hey! Please listen to me!”

It was the broadcaster from earlier.

They were holding their phone and a long selfie stick between their armpit, waving their hand toward me.

“Ugh…”

Jiyeon made an unpleasant noise.

It seemed like he hadn’t expected to be this persistent.

I felt the same way, but oddly, I became interested.

I wondered what he could possibly want to say that he chased me all the way here.

The man, who had been panting for a moment, blushed and stammered when he finally faced me.

“Uh, uh. Well… um…”

“Please go ahead.”

I crossed my arms and stared at him, signaling him to speak comfortably.

I wasn’t someone without consideration, and since he wanted to talk, I could wait a little for him to speak.

“Could we have a quick conversation? If you’re busy, even just for a short while.”

“Hmm.”

I casually glanced at the man’s phone, which was casting light on the floor.

The chat was updating at an unusual speed.

It seemed my earlier performance had received a positive response.

Smiling contentedly at the satisfaction of not having lost my touch, I noticed Jiyeon approaching from behind.

“No filming allowed!”

“Uh… Jiyeon?”

“No filming! No faces, no body shots, nothing!”

“Yes, I understand.”

I was flustered, and the man, startled, nodded as if to say he understood.

What did he understand? I’m the one making the decisions here.

Jiyeon wasn’t my protector.

“Could you at least allow just the voice? It’ll only take a moment.”

The man asked earnestly.

Is this really necessary?

I hadn’t fully grasped my own value as a product.

Broadcasting and YouTube had been growing nicely, but wasn’t that all a result of luck and timing?

Not to mention choosing a good editor like Siyoung.

Anyway, from a broadcasting perspective, it seemed the man thought I was good enough for YouTube.

From his side, it was likely that he was the expert here and would have a clearer idea than I did.

If it were in the past, I would’ve either rejected him outright or eagerly agreed to share both my voice and face on stream.

But not now.

I had gained some experience in broadcasting, and I now had a rough idea of what to do.

I wasn’t planning to refuse, but I also didn’t want to give too much away in this situation. How should I handle it?

I looked at the man and spoke in a bright tone.

“Without the camera?”

What else could it be? A negotiation.

“So you’re sisters. You’re not from Gaon University, right?”

“Yes, we just came to the festival together.”

Kim Eunho occasionally glanced at the woman walking beside him as he continued the conversation, while his younger sister, watching closely from behind, shot him a sharp look.

The reactions in the chat were explosive.

[So that’s what happened^^ The Gaon University festival really has a lot to see.]

[Watching Kim Eunho chase her, I thought he was going to get reported as a stalker.]

[Her voice is so nice, haha. Is she really an ordinary person?]

[It’s too bad the camera’s not allowed ㅠㅠ, even just her silhouette was pretty earlier.]

[Should I get her number?]

[Are they on a date or something?]

[King Eunho ㅎㅎ]

Realizing that she was broadcasting, the woman laid out a few conditions.

She requested that no footage of her appearance be filmed, and only her voice be transmitted.

Additionally, she asked for confirmation that the video would be uploaded to YouTube and requested a small payment.

It was like a kind of appearance fee.

Thanks to that, I learned her account number and name.

Lee Ji-eun.

That was the name of the woman walking beside me.

For just a few minutes of casual conversation, these were the conditions.

And even though I couldn’t film her face or body, making it impossible to attract attention with a thumbnail,

It was still uncertain whether the video would even get enough views.

I secretly thought it was excessive, but I couldn’t refuse Ji-eun’s offer.

Why was that?

Kim Eun-ho instinctively realized that Ji-eun wasn’t making unreasonable demands.

And he felt it.

That accepting these terms and broadcasting with her was the right thing to do.

He was now experiencing in real time that his intuition was correct.

“When did you start broadcasting?”

“Well, about three years ago.”

“Did you start with outdoor broadcasting?”

“No, at first it was gaming broadcasts, but people seemed to prefer this kind of content. I also find it more comfortable to be outside.”

“So, you mainly do outdoor broadcasts. I heard from my younger sister that you’ve been all over the place.”

“Yeah, I’ve been everywhere.”

Was she answering Eun-ho’s questions diligently because she was trying to gauge the atmosphere of the broadcast?

Now, she was the one asking the questions.

But the answers to her questions, and even the questions she asked, were all designed to provoke a reaction from the viewers.

It was like she knew exactly how to engage them.

It was evident from her voice.

She was good at conversation.

It felt like she knew exactly what the viewers would like to hear.

“Does broadcasting work well with a phone camera?”

“Yes, phone cameras have gotten really good these days. As long as you have enough data, broadcasting isn’t an issue. The screen quality is also great.”

“Ah, I see.”

[You seem really interested in broadcasting, hehe.]

[It’s pretty fascinating for an ordinary person.]

[Are you sure you’re not a broadcaster? Your voice is too good.]

Kim Eun-ho inwardly agreed with the comments that appeared on the chat.

This person was something else.

She not only knew how to draw reactions from the viewers, but also seemed to have a rough understanding of YouTube’s revenue structure.

“The weather’s nice. The breeze feels cool.”

“Yeah, haha.”

Kim Eun-ho awkwardly responded to Ji-eun’s comment while racking his brain.

Could she really be a broadcaster?

It was hard to believe, but if she were an ordinary person, he would want to tell her to start broadcasting right away—she was that attractive.

A female broadcaster with such a face wasn’t something he could recall.

Kim Eun-ho started considering the possibilities.

Maybe she was a newcomer who just started broadcasting, or perhaps she was an unknown, non-cam broadcaster…

His head started to hurt, and he decided to take a direct approach.

“Um, do you broadcast? I noticed you asked about broadcasting with a phone earlier, and you speak so well…”

The woman paused, seemingly thinking for a moment, then stopped walking and hesitated.

She spoke with a meaningful look, as if she was unsure whether to answer.

“Well…”

Seeing her trail off while looking at him, Kim Eun-ho thought,

Now I understand why people say to be careful around women.