The next day.
The MonsterBox office was even busier than yesterday.
This was because the CEO had announced he would personally attend today’s meeting.
“Hey, hey, what’s that stain on the floor! Hurry and get a mop to clean it up!”
“What are you standing around for? Go warm up the slippers the CEO will be wearing by keeping them in your jacket!”
“Manager Choi, the CEO’s car just pulled into the parking lot!”
“Damn it, get ready quickly! Quick! Put up the PP on the screen!”
Right on the dot at 11 o’clock, Suhan Park, CEO of MonsterBox, entered the conference room.
Immediately, Manager Choi and Team Leader Park rushed forward eagerly to greet him as if they’d been waiting for this moment.
“CEO, you’re here! It’s unbearably hot outside, so we turned on the air conditioner ahead of time. Please, take this cool seat.”
“We have strong brewed coffee, refreshing green tea, and healthy ginseng tea as well! Which would you like? I can add ice to make it nice and cool inside!”
CEO Park gave a brief shake of his head in response.
“No, it’s fine. Just a glass of cold water, please.”
A glass of ice water was swiftly brought out.
As the CEO lightly took a sip, Manager Choi suddenly called out loudly, as if to be heard by everyone.
“Oh, my mind just slipped! Team Leader Park, I heard you closed three contracts yesterday?”
“Of course, mission complete! Thanks to your detailed advice, Manager Choi, all the contracts went through without a hitch!”
Team Leader Park responded with an exaggerated reaction in kind.
The Mutube channel that Team Leader Park had secured a contract with had never even been mentioned in yesterday’s meeting.
For an entire year, it had barely scraped by with 10,000 subscribers.
For a full-time Mutuber, that was an embarrassingly low number.
Since no company had shown any interest in this Mutube channel, securing the contract must have been easier than pie.
Still, Manager Choi nodded repeatedly and applauded as if welcoming a lone hero returning from battle.
“Ahh~! Truly worthy of the top performer title! Thanks to you, Team Leader Park, every time I report to the CEO, I look good! It’s reassuring! But on the other hand…”
Glancing at the clock, Manager Choi’s expression immediately soured as he barked out,
“What time is it now and Assistant Manager Yeo Jin still hasn’t shown up?! The worst performer is also the latest to come in!”
“Ah, he went to meet with the Creator TV manager yesterday, right? He must’ve been busy getting signatures on the contract~”
“Seriously? You think he actually got it? If he signed a contract with Creator TV, then starting tomorrow, Yeo Jin should be promoted to manager. I’ll be the assistant manager instead.”
“Oh no, in that case, I’ll go back to being an intern and become your subordinate again, Manager Choi!”
The sight of Manager Choi and Team Leader Park hugging each other like that was almost unbearable to witness.
Though the team members didn’t openly show it, their expressions were far from bright.
At that moment, the MonsterBox CEO, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke.
“…If it’s Assistant Manager Yeo Jin, isn’t he the one who always arrives 30 minutes early, stays the latest, and is the last to turn off the office lights?”
“Yes, that’s true, but… he’s just really bad at his work. I’m constantly monitoring him, but his skills don’t seem to improve. If he were just one hundredth as good as Team Leader Park here, that would be great.”
Manager Choi answered awkwardly with a smile, and CEO Park tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Is that so? I thought he was quite competent. I actually received a report directly from him last week, and the paperwork was flawless, with no rough edges. The planning was excellent as well. So it’s strange that his performance is poor. Anyway, understood. But…”
CEO Park slid his glasses up and added,
“The reason we’re gathered in this conference room… is it to badmouth someone who isn’t here?”
“That’s… not the case…”
“S-sorry, CEO.”
Manager Choi and Team Leader Park quietly lowered their heads at the CEO’s rebuke.
Only then did CEO Park open his notebook and begin.
“Alright, then, let’s start the meeting.”
At that moment—
Clatter!
Someone suddenly burst into the conference room, panting and rushing in.
“Gasp, gasp… I-I’m late. I’m really sorry!”
It was Assistant Manager Yeo Jin.
As soon as he entered, he bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle to apologize.
Manager Choi clicked his tongue and muttered as if this was his moment to scold.
“What?! Assistant Manager Yeo Jin! What time do you think it is? The CEO is attending today’s meeting, so I made it very clear yesterday that you should not be late!”
Despite the harsh scolding, a wide smile spread across Yeo Jin’s face when he lifted his head.
Then he pulled out a thick stack of papers from his briefcase and shouted,
“…The Creator TV contract is complete!”
At that moment, Manager Choi and Team Leader Park’s mouths dropped open.
Creator TV was the rookie among rookies closely watched by every company in the industry.
Even the dozens or hundreds of contracts Team Leader Park had closed over the past few months combined would be worth less than a single contract with Creator TV.
“W-what…? You just signed a contract with Creator TV?”
“That can’t be! Give me that contract!”
Manager Choi was so shocked he could only gape.
Meanwhile, Team Leader Park couldn’t believe it either and snatched the contract from Yeo Jin.
He frantically scanned through it, his pupils shaking uncontrollably.
“…T-this really is a contract with Creator TV?”
With dazed expressions, Manager Choi and Team Leader Park looked at each other.
Watching this quietly, CEO Park smiled softly and said,
“Assistant Manager Yeo Jin, thank you for your hard work. Now then, let’s really start the meeting. Please take your seats. Manager Choi… or rather, Assistant Manager Choi, and Kim.”
Once again, Manager Choi and Team Leader Park’s mouths hung open.
Five years as a room-bound recluse.
And now, the place I found myself in was not my room, but a local café.
“Customer No. 37, your iced Americano is ready!”
I grabbed the coffee from the counter and hurried back to my table.
At the moment, I was waiting for a meeting with MonsterBox’s Assistant Manager Yeo Jin.
The purpose was to be briefed on the detailed contract terms with Creator TV.
Our scheduled meeting time was 1 PM, but I had arrived at the café 30 minutes early.
I figured I needed time to adjust to being outside the house, so that when Yeo Jin arrived, I could properly talk.
Honestly, my heart had been pounding since I got here, and I felt my HP dropping by the second.
Coming to a café… or rather, leaving the house at all, was something I hadn’t done in almost five years.
…You might ask, then why not just watch from home?
Sorry, but my home is my only sanctuary.
I didn’t want to let anyone in, not even for a lifetime.
At that moment, people at the table next to me started glancing over at my face.
‘…Well, it can’t be helped.’
Anyone would find me suspicious.
Wearing a black cap pulled down low, with a mask and sunglasses completely covering my face—it might even be considered social anxiety—but I just didn’t want to show my face to anyone.
At least with my face fully covered, I felt like an extra in a crowd, so it was bearable.
Though occasionally catching glances was uncomfortable, it was a hundred times better than showing my bare face.
I lifted my mask slightly and took a sip of coffee.
“Phew…”
The cold coffee helped me calm down a little.
I took out my smartphone and skimmed through emails sent to my Mutube account over the past few weeks.
- [Hello, this is Manager Jongho Kim from Sandbox. Regarding Creator TV…]
- [This is Manager Kiuk Park from Oracle Entertainment. We are monitoring the relevant Mutube channel closely…]
- [Hello Studio, a young company leading the future, contacting you because…]
- [At Platinum TV, we are very interested in your videos…]
Most were from heavyweight companies I’d heard of at least once.
The creators belonging to these companies were mostly big-name Mutubers with massive popularity.
As a result, there were countless companies offering astonishingly good terms.
Despite this, I chose to sign with the small company MonsterBox for one reason only.
Because of the man named Assistant Manager Yeo Jin who came to my house yesterday.
Of course, many people had come to my door before Yeo Jin.
But
‘…Could you please explain the contract details at the door? It’s a bit difficult for me to step outside.’
As soon as I said that, most of them said they would come back later and left.
All except MonsterBox’s Assistant Manager Yeo Jin.
At first, he seemed hesitant.
But then, he stood at the door and began explaining the contract details.
He asked many small questions, and each time, he answered sincerely as if it was his own matter.
People said they felt his sincerity and passion.
I won’t go into any corny reflections.
Simply put…
‘At least this person doesn’t seem to be here just to take advantage of me.’
Naturally, I don’t trust someone I met for the first time 100%.
Not trusting means not getting hurt.
‘…For now, let’s say my trust level is about one percent.’
Ding~!
At that moment, the café door opened and Assistant Manager Yeo Jin entered.
“…I’ve explained all the contract details up to this point. Is there anything unclear or any questions you have?”
“Let me take another look at the contract.”
“Of course! Please ask anything you want while looking it over.”
As I carefully examined the contract, Yeo Jin hesitated before speaking.
“Um… are you not feeling hot?”
He had been sneaking glances at me since a little while ago.
I gave a slight nod to his cautious question.
“…It’s fine. This is comfortable.”
“Oh, good. That’s a relief.”
Yeo Jin smiled gently and nodded.
He clearly picked up on my discomfort and didn’t press further.
That was one of the things I liked about him.
Anyway, the contract terms offered by MonsterBox were relatively simple.
- Video upload requirements.
- Product and program planning.
- Advertising and events.
- Income settlement ratios.
- Miscellaneous.
In short, things like how many videos must be uploaded each month at minimum, the company’s support with editing or content planning, and how the Mutube revenue would be split.
Then Yeo Jin carefully asked a question.
“Um… if you don’t mind, may I ask something too?”
“Yes, go ahead.”
Yeo Jin smiled brightly and continued.
“Thank you! I was really curious. Creator TV’s content mainly features foreigners in foreign settings, but did you personally choose the locations and cast the actors? Because when I searched, I couldn’t find any information about the actors, and it was the same with the filming locations.”
Rapid-fire questions poured out from Yeo Jin.
He quickly added, “Did I ask too many questions? Sorry about that. Haha…”
But from each question, his genuine interest in my channel was clear, which made me trust him even more.
I cleared my throat lightly and spoke.
“I personally handle location scouting and casting. As for the rest, I’ll have to pass on commenting.”
“Oh! I knew it! Then do you also plan the video content yourself? You don’t mean you do that too…?”
“From planning, location scouting, casting, video editing—all of it, I have been doing Creator TV’s work alone. Of course, I’ll have to leave the finer details unmentioned.”
Ultimately, the core of Creator TV was the existence of a small world.
Naturally, I had no intention of sharing that with anyone.
…Even if I said it, no one would believe me.
Meanwhile, Yeo Jin let out an admiring breath, clenched his fist, and said,
“That’s incredible passion! I respect that! I really like it! From now on, I’ll do my best to support you in every way! Oh, and by the way, this is some info I personally compiled, and I thought it might be helpful for you!”
He pulled a spring notebook out of his bag and casually handed it over.
Inside were pages densely filled with tips on common mistakes new Mutubers make, reference videos, and other know-how.
Also included were ideas on the growth direction for Creator TV and content concepts.
These were things only someone truly interested in my channel could have produced.
“…Thank you. I’ll read all of this when I get home.”
“Thank you very much if you do!”
I signed the documents and handed them back.
Yeo Jin bowed respectfully and said,
“Then, I look forward to working with you! Creator TV channel manager! …Haha, that’s a bit of a mouthful. Would it be okay if I just call you ‘Creator’ for short?”
“Sure, call me whatever’s comfortable. My subscribers call me Creator.”
“Haha, then Creator! I’ll wholeheartedly support you!”
Yeo Jin grinned and extended his hand.
I slowly reached out and shook his hand lightly.
“…I look forward to working with you.”
“I’m the one who looks forward to working with you! If you ever don’t know something or have questions, just ask anytime.”
At Yeo Jin’s words, I hesitated for a moment and then spoke.
“Um, then… if it’s okay…”
“Yes, please, feel free to ask!”
Seeing me hesitate, Yeo Jin’s eyes lit up and he leaned in attentively.
“This is…”
Not really related, but… I don’t really have anyone to ask these kinds of things to.
“Ah… yes, what is it?”
Yeo Jin swallowed nervously and looked at me.
Finally, I spoke carefully.
“…Do you know a place where I could get gems or jewels appraised?”
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