Guro Digital Complex.
Inside buildings that have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, companies from all fields are packed in like a beehive.
The MCN company, MonsterBox, was one of them.
MCN (Multi Channel Network).
Simply put, it’s an internet broadcasting agency that supports all sorts of internet streamers, including YouTubers.
And currently, in the conference room of MonsterBox, a business meeting was in full swing.
“……That concludes the detailed overview of recently emerging, rapidly growing Mutube channels.”
As the brief presentation ended, Department Head Choi, who sat at the head of the table, slowly spoke up.
“As expected, the most eye-catching channel is Creator TV. The view counts are steady, and subscribers keep going up.”
The rookie Mutuber who appeared like a comet—Creator TV.
Its charm lay in the idyllic, medieval European vibe, and especially, the girl named ‘Jeanne d’Arc’ who frequently appeared in the videos was enjoying immense popularity.
There was even a fan club café already.
As a result, Creator TV easily surpassed 200,000 subscribers in just a month since uploading its first video.
It was likely that every MCN company was eyeing this monstrous newcomer, drooling with anticipation.
Nevertheless, Department Head Choi didn’t bring up the idea of contacting Creator TV easily.
…To be precise, he ‘couldn’t.’
“There’s already a rumor that Sandbox has contacted them… Well, of course.”
As a small business, MonsterBox’s ceiling for contract fees is rather low.
So, no matter how high a fee they offer, it’s obvious they can’t even hold a candle to the astronomical fees a major competitor would suggest.
On top of that, Creator TV wasn’t entirely without its flaws.
Department Head Choi pointed to a video from Creator TV projected on the conference room screen.
Vast blue fields, a wide open sky, medieval European buildings, and a pre-modern lifestyle.
None of it were scenes you’d easily find in 21st-century Korea.
“It looks like a meticulously decorated set or some very detailed CG. But with this kind of setup, the costs must be astronomical. Plus, at this quality, it must take a month just to make one video.”
“And there’s also a slight problem with the content. They’re aiming for a healing vibe with the medieval European concept, but those kinds of things tend to get boring easily.”
“That’s right. If the same scenes or situations repeat, viewers quickly lose interest. You could say it’s not stimulating enough? Anyway, for a rookie Mutuber to run this solo, there must be all kinds of difficulties.”
“Hm, there are plenty of new Mutubers who shine brightly for a moment and then vanish. They just don’t have the staying power. At this rate, maybe two or three months, tops.”
Still, Creator TV was a channel with far more strengths than weaknesses.
The conclusion was simple.
Poke the persimmon you can’t eat.
Everyone knew it was a lost cause, but still, just in case—why not at least make a contract offer?
“I set up a meeting for this afternoon. Creator TV—who wants to go?”
At Department Head Choi’s question, everyone in the conference room avoided his gaze.
Creator TV was a channel already contacted by Sandbox, the dinosaur of the MCN world.
Compared to whatever conditions Sandbox offered, MonsterBox’s terms were like a drop in the bucket.
In other words, a waste of time.
But—
“I’ll go.”
Only one person.
At the far end of the room, Deputy Manager Eo Jin Lee raised his hand.
As soon as the meeting ended, someone called out to Eo Jin Lee as he left the room.
“Hey~ Eo Jin Lee! Want to go grab lunch together?”
It was Team Leader Park.
He was hired the same time as Deputy Manager Eo Jin Lee, but thanks to his rapid promotions, he now wore the title of MonsterBox’s Marketing Team Leader.
“I’ll pass on lunch. Still got work to do.”
“Hey, you punk. You’ve got to eat as you work! Who’s going to give you credit for working that hard, anyway?”
“…I’ve got a meeting later. I’ll eat then.”
Meeting.
At that word, Team Leader Park’s eyes sparkled.
“Hey, I heard about that! You’re going to contact Creator TV, right? If you manage to sign them, you’ll let me know, right? I’ll nurture that rookie Mutuber you scouted and help them grow even bigger! Now, isn’t that what you call beautiful teamwork?”
Team Leader Park’s roster of Mutube creators were all doing exceptionally well.
Thanks to that, he’s been selected as Employee of the Month for half a year running and is even called the ‘performance king.’
But frankly, Team Leader Park had no eye for talent.
He had no idea what kind of content was trending among viewers these days, which Mutuber had growth potential, or how to coach them to help them move forward.
The only reason his performance was so good was simple.
‘Recently, an emoticon with the exact same vibe as OO was released, you know? Isn’t it super cute? Haha~ I sent it to you as a gift!’
‘Happy birthday! Last time you mentioned liking Soy Sauce Crab, so I picked out a whole box of the best crabs for you! Have a great day~’
‘OO-nim! You must be tired from editing late into the night lately, right? I thought you might be, so… ta-da! Red Ginseng Stick! Gotta look after your health in advance!’
‘There’s a new DDQ Chicken menu out and it’s amazing! The moment I took a bite, it made me think of you, OO-nim! Bang! I sent you a Gifticon—be sure to try it when you’re hungry!’
Like that.
Much as he didn’t want to admit it, Team Leader Park’s social maneuvering was second to none.
Thanks to that, Mutubers who didn’t know the inside story thought Team Leader Park was an outstanding manager.
Eo Jin Lee also thought there was much to learn from that aspect.
However, the problem was…
‘…All those Mutubers you manage, I’m the one who contacted them first…’
That’s right.
Deputy Manager Eo Jin Lee would find promising Mutuber seedlings, run himself ragged setting up meetings, and just before the contract was signed, Team Leader Park would swoop in and claim the credit.
Sometimes by showering them with gifts, sometimes by introducing them to big-shot Mutubers he managed, and in severe cases, rumor had it he’d even talk badly about Eo Jin Lee.
As much as he wanted to argue, it was clear that people trusted the words of the performance-king Team Leader Park more.
When Eo Jin Lee glared silently, Team Leader Park smirked.
“What, staring at me like that? Well, anyway, do your best. Good luck! I wonder what you have to eat for people to say you’ve eaten well~”
With those words, Team Leader Park headed out of the office with the other staff.
Left alone in the empty office, Eo Jin Lee quietly opened the Mutube homepage.
Tap-tap, taptaptap—
[Creator TV]
- Subscribers: 200,000
To be honest, a channel with 200,000 subscribers in the Red Ocean that is Mutube was as common as dirt.
But the reason this industry paid attention to Creator TV was different.
It was about Potential.
Creator TV possessed limitless, yet-unrealized potential.
In his head, he was already forming a detailed plan for how to make that seed sprout, take root, and grow into a giant tree.
Eo Jin Lee’s dream was to discover talented Mutubers, help them grow, and in the end, stand together on a high peak, enjoying the open view.
‘…Of course, right now, I’ve had everything stolen by that guy.’
Eo Jin Lee let out a deep sigh and stared at the Creator TV videos.
Seeing the beaming face of Jeanne d’Arc somehow calmed his mind.
“Alright, it’s do or die! I’ll definitely sign this contract!”
Having steeled himself, Eo Jin Lee grabbed his briefcase and left the office.
“…That’s a pretty big house.”
The Creator TV administrator lived in a two-story country house a bit outside the city.
Unlike the respectable exterior of the building, the yard and surroundings gave off an eerie, neglected vibe, as if left alone for quite some time.
Eo Jin Lee took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
Ding dong—
Before long, a voice came from beyond the door.
“Who…?”
“Hello! This is Eo Jin Lee from MonsterBox, here for the meeting we scheduled this afternoon!”
“Ah… You said you were coming about Mutube…”
“Yes, that’s right! I’m Deputy Manager Eo Jin Lee from the sales team. You’re the administrator for Creator TV, correct?”
“Yes, hello.”
First off, the Creator TV administrator was a man.
A young man, at that.
But judging from his quiet, almost shrinking voice, he must be shy or introverted.
That was fine.
If the other party was quiet, Eo Jin Lee would just make the conversation more lively himself.
Resolving himself, he waited for the door to open.
But—
“…?”
The firmly closed door didn’t budge an inch.
But Eo Jin Lee had been through plenty in his day.
He didn’t panic, but calmly continued speaking.
“If you haven’t had dinner yet, how about we grab a bite nearby and I’ll explain things in detail? Or if you’ve already eaten, a café is fine too!”
The man beyond the door seemed to be thinking it over.
After a while, a voice came again.
“…I’m sorry, but I’d prefer to listen here. It’s a bit difficult for me to go out.”
“Ah, I see… In that case…”
The front door still showed no sign of opening.
To be honest, it was baffling.
A meeting across a closed front door.
Even for Eo Jin Lee, a fifth-year veteran, this was a first.
But there was no way he could just turn back.
He took out the relevant documents from his bag and spoke.
“Understood! Then I’ll explain the contract verbally.”
||
‘…Are you sure you’re alright with that?’
A question from the other side of the door.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Eo Jin Lee nodded.
“Yes, of course! There are quite a few people who refuse face-to-face meetings. In those cases, I explain things over the internet or by phone. It’s no problem at all!”
“…Thank you for understanding.”
Maybe he was imagining it, but Eo Jin Lee felt like he could sense a hint of apology in the other’s voice.
‘Maybe he’s not such a bad person after all.’
At last, Eo Jin Lee began a brief explanation of the contract.
He was especially careful to clarify any terms that might be hard for a rookie Mutuber to understand.
From time to time, the man beyond the door asked questions.
Each time, Eo Jin Lee answered sincerely and thoroughly.
After a while, when the explanation was almost finished—
“…I’ll need to think it over. Would you mind heading back for today?”
“Ah, yes! Understood. I’ll send you a recap of today’s explanation by email!”
From what Eo Jin Lee could tell, the Creator TV Mutuber wasn’t turning him away out of arrogance.
It just seemed like he was afraid of meeting people.
Honestly, he didn’t seem very interested in the contract details.
“Then I’ll see you again next time. Thank you for your time today!”
“…Please get home safely.”
Eo Jin Lee bowed a full ninety degrees to the firmly closed front door, then left.
As he got on the bus heading home, he let out a small sigh.
‘It’s probably hopeless. Living in a nice house like that, Mutube must just be a hobby for him… And even if he signs, it’ll be with Sandbox, not a small company like us.’
He was sure to get chewed out at tomorrow’s meeting.
The thought alone gave him a headache.
With another sigh, Eo Jin Lee turned his gaze out the window.
—Dding!
A message alert sound.
‘…Is that a message from work?’
With his head drooped, Eo Jin Lee slowly took his smartphone out of his pocket.
But then—
“Th-this… What is this?!”
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
Because the message on his phone read—
[Creator TV: I’ll sign the contract.] — 1 minute ago