I Became a Malicious Streamer

“I heard you’ve been watching since my first broadcast, but not many have actually stuck around since then.”

“Yes.”

“It must be busy for you to be a manager and an editor at the same time, haha…”

“I’m okay.”

I thought I was pretty bad at talking.

What is it that makes someone good at conversation?

Someone who’s eloquent, has a good sense of humor, and can lead a conversation witfully.

While making small talk, there are people who make you accidentally blurt out things and feel like sharing.

Those people are definitely in that category.

I just wasn’t born with that talent.

I thought it would always be that way.

But now, I have to lead the conversation myself.

“Ahem, um… Si-young?”

“Yes.”

“Could you say something?”

It’s pretty daunting when someone is staring at me like that.

Stop staring at me already, you’ll poke a hole through me.

The woman who walked up to me as expected was the editor.

Surprisingly, she was a woman, surprisingly tall, and surprisingly… quiet.

Like, really quiet.

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

Since her initial self-introduction, she’s been like this.

Just staring at me blankly.

After that, it became incredibly hard to hear Si-young’s voice.

She seemed to be the type with very few words and only answered the questions I asked without initiating any conversation herself.

Even her answers were just short replies.

Her gaze remained on me while answering.

Okay, it’s proper etiquette to look someone in the eye while talking.

But if it’s too much, that can be detrimental too.

The coffee in front of me is getting cold.

Can you stop staring and at least have a cup of coffee?

Feeling the unspoken pressure to keep talking, I thought up all sorts of questions.

“So, what made you want to become an editor?”

Si-young’s eyes sparkled nicely.

Her expression changed from a blank look to one that seems rather pleased.

“Because I want to see it first.”

That was her first long answer.

It was somewhat vague, so I continued speaking.

“Um, so you mean you’d like to see my videos before anyone else? By making them yourself?”

“Yes, I don’t like other people’s interference.”

“My broadcasts, yes.”

It felt oddly off-chart, but I suppose I got the gist of it.

She wants to watch my broadcasts first and make the videos herself.

Since she dislikes other people’s interference, it seems she has her own philosophy about editing.

Not bad.

But I feel like we need to talk a bit more.

As I mentioned earlier, I’m the type who values someone’s character in a business relationship.

That’s why I wanted to meet directly and assess the person based on conversations.

But since she’s not talking, well…

“Your editing skills seem quite good; when did you start?”

“I started doing it here and there since I was a student, but got serious about it once I became an adult.”

Maybe it’s because we’ve been facing each other for a while, but she spoke more than before.

That’s a good sign.

Yeah, let’s have a cup of coffee.

“Are you doing anything else, or just focusing on editing?”

I briefly hesitated, worried I might be prying too much.

But she wasn’t saying anything, so what could I do?

Fortunately, Si-young didn’t seem to mind at all.

She looked a bit pleased, actually…?

Probably just a misinterpretation.

“I don’t have anything else to do, just some editing work at home.”

“Ah, so you’re a professional editor. Is there a particular reason you chose editing as a profession?”

“I dislike going outside. I don’t like people much either.”

“Ah.”

Oh no, I think I stepped on a landmine.

That was too intrusive.

“Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry…”

“No, it’s fine. It felt good to be out. It’s nice to get some fresh air after a long time.”

It’s probably just a polite comment to spare my embarrassment.

At times like this, let’s find some common ground and draw out her true feelings.

“I don’t really like going outside either. Next time, let’s just communicate through texts or Discord instead of meeting like this.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“Sometimes, it’s nice to be out like this. Plus, when you’re editing, there are times you need to have meetings.”

“Can’t we do those over a call? Is it necessary to meet?”

“It’s more comfortable to do it face-to-face, especially when there’s something to convey.”

Suddenly, Si-young started speaking more.

It seems she has a strong conviction about her work.

Meeting occasionally for meetings isn’t that big a deal, and if she’s been doing that before, it makes sense for me to adjust.

“Then let’s meet occasionally for discussions… but since we’re just starting out, I don’t expect much profit, and, honestly, I can’t offer much pay right now.”

I opened my mouth with a heavy heart.

I want to work together, but I don’t have much financial leeway right now.

As someone who’s high-quality talent, I’d need to compensate properly.

While I pondered how much to offer, Si-young spoke up.

“Rather than a salary, I’ll take a share of the revenue from YouTube.”

She wanted to share the earnings from YouTube rather than a fixed salary.

I’ve heard that kind of contract does happen,

But that’s usually when a channel has some size to it.

“Isn’t that a bit of a loss on your part?”

Si-young’s suggestion was to take a portion of YouTube’s earnings.

But that can only be profitable if the YouTube channel succeeds; if it doesn’t, it could be just pocket money.

Especially in the early days before any traction, there’s barely any profit to be made.

Yet, without a hint of hesitation, Si-young said:

“It’s fine.”

Her reassurance only made me more anxious.

What if it doesn’t work out, and she ends up resentful?

Besides, I’d rather not put her down by suggesting she reconsider, since that might make her leave.

What if she really decides to walk away?

I’m investing in a person who had to be thoughtfully chosen.

Seeing her understanding of my silent anxiety, Si-young said:

“Working with Mollru-nim, what does profit matter?”

“And I trust in my judgment. If I just handle things well, you’ll be a hit.”

Subscribers will probably come pouring in.

She said it so confidently, as if it was a given.

I never imagined she’d say something so embarrassing.

It would be bad manners to turn her down after saying so much.

I extended my hand to thank her.

Si-young held my hand with both of her own.

And she kept holding on for quite a while.

Um, what’s with that?

*

Now that we confirmed our intentions, there wasn’t much left to discuss.

The revenue sharing was settled, and it was time to draft the contract.

I was considering preparing an electronic contract just in case she was hesitant about coming out again, but she shook her head as if to say that wasn’t necessary.

She insisted on meeting in person to discuss contractual matters, showing her attention to detail would balance out my indecisiveness.

We decided to manage the YouTube account together.

After editing the videos, I’ll review them, and either I or Si-young will upload them.

When the channel grows larger, we can consider hiring additional editors and adapting our methods.

But that’s something for later.

“Yesterday, I met with the editor, and we had some time to discuss my YouTube channel. So, here we are launching the channel. Everyone, applause~!”

[Clap, clap, clap]

[Meet? Meet? Meet? Meet?]

[I want to edit too and meet Mollru alone.]

[Jealous of the editor, lol.]

[Let’s make YouTube a hit!!]

These folks, really.

Even after announcing the YouTube channel’s launch, they still react this way.

Looks like I’ll need to remind them again.

“Everyone, please subscribe, and the new videos will be up soon. So, watch till the end.”

[Sure.]

[Upload the video first, then tell us.]

[What do we get if we subscribe?]

“Um… if we reach 10,000 or 100,000 subscribers, maybe we could hold a small event?”

The viewers reacted fiercely, but I remained unfazed.

Do they really think we can hit 10,000 that quickly?

Ten thousand isn’t some dog’s name, after all.

It was just as I was about to proceed with the broadcast after informing the viewers about YouTube…

[Can I have a moment?]

In the chat room, a nickname stood out from the others.

It was clearly marked, resembling “I’m here for Mollru.”

When I said it’s fine, a Discord ID came through in whispers.

Do they want me to call?

I briefly asked the viewers for a moment, turned off the mic, and called.

A man with a businesslike demeanor opened his mouth.

“Hello, I’m Kang Jinsu, the administrator in charge of Switch. I received your email. After checking your account, we found no traces of other accounts, so you are eligible to participate.”

Just as I expected, everything is progressing smoothly.

“However, to prevent any cheating in the tournament, we need you to set up a camera showing at least your upper body. Is that possible?”

“Can I just use a hand camera?”

“Unfortunately not, we’re being sensitive about these issues since we’re collaborating with Watch Sarang. You need to show at least your upper body.”

So, they want me to turn on the webcam for half-body shots?

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