NOVEL WEB I will become a dump truck charging headlong into iTube and conquer it.
Thus, I will wither away all the channels that try to use me as a tool to boost their views.
It was more about establishing order than personal ambition. If I didn’t correct things early on, they might cross the line more and more over time.
In other words, it was a precautionary measure to prevent problems that could arise in the future.
But my plans for running the iTube channel hit a bump right after they were set.
“No way.”
Seo-yoon furrowed her brows and shook her head after hearing all my thoughts.
A stern gesture, as if to say I shouldn’t even dream about it. I couldn’t help but find her reaction puzzling.
“Why can’t I?”
“Isn’t it too extreme?”
“I haven’t even given you the specific details yet.”
“I don’t need them to know. It’s obvious.”
Seo-yoon slapped my arm and continued.
“Do you really need to attract aggro?”
“If it’s necessary, I have to do it, even if I don’t want to.”
“I don’t think it’s necessary…”
“Don’t worry too much, Seo-yoon. I’m always trying to be reasonable.”
I put on a gentle expression to reassure Seo-yoon. It was the “merciful smile” I practiced first after becoming Pope.
With this one smile, even the Archbishop, who always opposed my opinions, would crumble.
“……”
But for some reason, Seo-yoon didn’t waver at all and just looked at me with a suspicious gaze.
Then she cautiously spoke up.
“Can I be honest?”
“Of course.”
“Oppa, you’re acting like my brother-in-law right now.”
“…Huh?”
Like Liam? Why was she using such harsh words out of nowhere?
“Is she challenging me to a fight by pulling my hair?”
I never expected Seo-yoon to be so rough with her words. I could brush off other insults with ease, but saying I was like “Liam” was a bit much.
The shock was hefty, but as a Pope, I took a moment to calm my mind and think. What kind of person had Seo-yoon seen Liam to be over the past couple of weeks?
A slacker who loafed around all day.
Someone reckless without any direction.
A complete buffoon, then a reformed delinquent.
‘…Does she think I’m on the same level as him?’
In that moment, my mind snapped into focus.
I began to double-check my plans from the start. Only then did I realize why Seo-yoon had advised against it.
She wasn’t stopping me for no reason.
If I had pushed forward with my current mindset, I would have undoubtedly achieved immense results.
But I would have strayed too far from my ultimate goal. What I wanted wasn’t just cheap, low-grade attention, but pure “renown.”
“Thank you for stopping me.”
I nearly forgot my purpose and went off track. If it weren’t for Seo-yoon, I certainly would have.
Soon, Seo-yoon chuckled and slapped my arm again.
“Why are you usually so calm, but then you suddenly go off the rails? Isn’t that something the Pope shouldn’t do?”
“It’s my nature. No matter how much I suppress my innate personality, it eventually pops out.”
Since becoming Pope, I had made it a point to restrain my temper. It was akin to training a hunting dog to be a well-behaved pet.
Thanks to my bloody effort, I managed to maintain a semblance of decorum befitting a Pope.
However, I still hadn’t completely tamed my temper.
“You and my brother-in-law seem to be made for each other.”
“…That’s too much.”
But no matter how it played out, I was definitely more rational than Liam.
“Please don’t compare me to Liam. I’d genuinely be hurt.”
“But you weren’t wrong either. You were about to do something extreme just now.”
“……”
Having no grounds to refute that, I simply nodded in silence. Then I pondered over what Seo-yoon had just said.
“The Pope shouldn’t act this way.”
As Seo-yoon pointed out, a Pope shouldn’t speak or act rashly.
I needed to remain calm and always act rationally.
If I didn’t want to tarnish the sacred honor of the Goddess, I had to suppress all types of impulsiveness as much as possible.
The reason I had “automatic speech correction” was precisely for that. To forcibly fix the vulgar speech that had already become second nature to me.
Thanks to that, I had become more dignified in my speech, but the problem remained with my actions.
“What did you do in the other world during times like this?”
“The person who always assisted me desperately tried to stop me.”
I’m someone who always tries to act rationally, but sometimes I would charge forward wildly.
Usually, during such times, the Archbishop would guide me back on the right path. Just like Seo-yoon was doing nowadays.
But the Archbishop was in the other world, so I needed someone to curb my impulsive behaviors.
Just then, the perfect candidate was right next to me.
I gazed intently at Seo-yoon’s face, which seemed remarkably reliable today, and asked directly.
“Seo-yoon, how would you feel about being my manager?”
“…Manager?”
“Yes. Just keep me in check beside you so I don’t go off track.”
Since I lacked the sacred power and faith to promote her to Archbishop, I offered her the most realistic position: manager.
Of course, I had no intention of exploiting her for free.
“I will pay you more than you earn at your current job. How does that sound?”
“……”
Seo-yoon hesitated, looking somewhat burdened by the sudden question. It seemed like I had caught her off guard.
However, the fact that she didn’t outright refuse meant she had some interest.
Thinking I could coax her over, I opened my mouth again.
“You are more than qualified to be the Pope’s aide. After all, you are the most senior believer who first came to believe in the Goddess in this world, right?”
“That’s not it; it just took me by surprise…”
“You don’t have to decide right now. Take your time to think about it.”
After all, selecting a manager was not an urgent matter, and there was no need to rush into a decision. We could take it easy.
I gazed into Seo-yoon’s thinking eyes for a little longer before returning to my smartphone.
‘iTube….’
Although I had shelved the idea of rampaging like a holy dump truck, I felt a tinge of regret at not giving up entirely. There were indeed some charming aspects to it.
If I could leverage my worth, which draws attention just by existing, it could definitely bring in money.
Not just pocket money, but a fortune. A sum substantial enough to potentially support our order’s operating expenses.
‘How could I miss this?’
No matter how I looked at it, plunging into iTube wouldn’t be a bad idea. If managed well, I could earn the kind of renown I desired.
Besides, the videos that used my image were doing well, so there was no way I could just sit back and let it happen.
I continued my thoughts and calmly said.
“Seo-yoon, I’ve come up with a new plan for running iTube.”
“Let’s hear it.”
Perhaps it was due to nearly causing an incident before; Seo-yoon looked skeptical.
But undeterred, I raised all five fingers in front of her. This time, I was genuinely confident.
“I’ll attract aggro in a wholesome way, once every five videos.”
“…Wholesome aggro?”
“High-class aggro befitting a Pope. It will be on a completely different level from those cyber wolves or whatever they’re called.”
I grabbed Seo-yoon’s hand and raised my smile.
“What do you think? Isn’t this more reasonable than at first?”
“……”
Seo-yoon remained silent for a while before exhaling a sigh.
“Make it once every seven videos.”
“Perfectly reasonable. Sounds good.”
“I don’t like it.”
After looking at me intently for a moment, Seo-yoon languidly muttered, “I guess I’ll have to be the manager…”
It was an unexpectedly sudden acceptance.
*
Although Seo-yoon agreed to be my manager, it wasn’t going to be right away. I couldn’t just quit my current job on a whim.
Finding a replacement and finishing the handover would take quite some time.
As a result, her actual management role would likely begin at least a month from now. That’s when we’d start operating iTube seriously.
Until then, I planned to focus solely on my streaming activities.
Thus, I sat down at my computer to start my broadcast. But today, I wasn’t alone.
“Mom, what are you going to do?”
Erina, who had been sitting on my lap, looked up at me with her bright, pink eyes shining adorably.
Whose daughter is this girl, so lovable?
Honestly, it was bewildering at first. I never imagined that magic contraceptives would fail, so her sudden pregnancy felt like a bolt from the blue.
But ever since I had my daughters, my perspective changed. Having a child is truly a blessing.
“Mom! Me too!”
As I beamed at Erina, Ibailla whined, wanting to be on my lap as well.
“Come here.”
I immediately placed Ibailla next to Erina on my lap. It felt quite heavy having both of them sitting on me.
‘Have I been feeding them too much chicken?’
They must have gained weight since I often ordered it for them when they enjoyed it. Speaking of which, I had gained a bit of weight too.
If I let my belly grow too much, I really wouldn’t be able to deny that I’ve aged. I should start managing it beforehand.
Even if blessings protect my figure and beauty, I still needed to put in the effort; the rest was up to me.
“Erina, Ibailla, let’s exercise together with mom later.”
“Nooooo, I don’t want to!”
“I do.”
I stroked each of my daughters’ heads, noticing their different reactions.
After that, I drafted the title for the broadcast, not forgetting to apply what I learned from Seo-yoon.
[The prettiest mom among the moms appears]
Next, I displayed a message on the broadcast screen before the viewers arrived. It was an easy phrase everyone could understand.
[If you post disgusting comments in front of the kids, my husband will come after you (not kidding)]
Honestly, I was still in two minds about whether bringing the kids into the broadcast was the right choice. Some low-quality viewers could post undesirable comments.
Seo-yoon had assured me it would be fine, so there shouldn’t be a major issue, but just to be safe, I offered a prayer to the Goddess.
“Oh, noble Sun, please send a slight sting of a lightning bolt to the heads of viewers who use foul language during today’s broadcast. Rocks mixed in would also be nice.”
I shut my eyes for a moment and added.
“And also to those who tease me about my age.”
Honestly, this was an act of self-defense.