Some time had passed after the commotion of Yeon’s trip to France.
September was slowly approaching, beginning to cool down after summer.
“Cool down my a**, I’m gonna f*cking die.”
The soundproof booth was still over 30 degrees Celsius.
It had the advantage of staying above 20 degrees even without heating in the winter, but it was hell when it was hot.
So, I tried not to stay inside the booth when I wasn’t broadcasting.
“I wish… someone would do my work for me…. I just want to stream….”
But the problem was that, one way or another, a streamer had to sit in front of the computer, so I was mostly in the booth except when I was sleeping.
It was a little better if I opened the door and windows, but it was still hotter than outside the booth.
Wouldn’t it be better to buy another computer and do my work outside the booth?
“Should I buy another computer?”
As soon as that thought came out of my mouth,
[Boss, that’s too much.]
[Isn’t that a bit of a waste?]
I was rebuked by my staff who were on a call via Misco.
Seriously, they’re really nagging me just for saying a word.
[Stop bullshtting and get to work.]
“If that bstard is at work, he should work, why is he chatting?”
[Gonna be a salary thief?]
“Civil servants are so lucky. Is that a working person?”
[If you’re so jealous, become a civil servant yourself.]
“I should have studied harder, damn it—”
Of course,
I was just thinking about it and had no intention of actually doing such a crazy thing.
The cost of a computer is too much money to burn for such a reason.
“Still, I think I’d use it in some way if I had it….”
[Boss, bullshit.]
The thought of getting one for around 2 million won on an installment plan kept flashing through my mind.
[Boss, you said you’re really tight on money right now.]
Well,
As always, I have no money.
When I thought about my bank balance and the money I had to spend next month, the absurd thoughts faded away.
“I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about money if my stream got this big, but it’s all case-by-case.”
[Isn’t it just because you spent a lot of money after you earned it?]
“Shut up.”
Although my stream had grown, I had to move urgently because of ‘that incident,’ which was the reason for the growth in the first place, so the monthly expenses were substantial.
The monthly rent loan was a loan, and I had a whole month of income gap because I borrowed a month’s worth of money from the sponsorship platform to cover the shortfall in the deposit.
In addition,
“Was it too greedy to hire employees?”
[Are you saying that in front of the employees?]
[Boo, you suck, boss.]
[Boo, you suck.]
“Yeah, I’m trash, I’m trash.”
I even hired an editor and an illustrator to row the boat, which cost me nearly 2 million won every month.
“And broadcasting isn’t free either…. I don’t know why games are so expensive these days.”
[Tell me about it.]
And streamers, unless they gave up game broadcasting in the first place, had to play the latest AAA games as soon as they were released.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t get any attention and would only get a lot of trolls.
So, having to pay full price for games without getting a discount was a bigger burden than I thought.
“I think it used to be a little less than 50,000 won for a big title, but it’s gone up ridiculously lately?”
[These days, if it’s AAA, it’s easy to hit 90,000 won.]
“And they charge an extra 30,000 to 40,000 won for doing it 3 days or a week earlier in the name of early access… streamers and YouTubers are suckers.”
[Ah ㅋㅋ So are you not going to buy it?]
“I’ll buy it… I’ll buy it….”
Moreover, the more serious problem was
“If you’re going to sell it for that much money, make it properly, you f*cking Frost bastards….”
There was no guarantee that the game I bought with that money would be a success on the broadcast.
No, even if it wasn’t great for broadcasting, if the game itself was good, I’d play it as a hobby later, but it was even more frustrating because there were so many cases where the game itself was ruined.
[Mephisto 4 was a bit too much.]
“I mean, Mephisto doesn’t even appear in Mephisto, and they ruined the game.”
[And they charged 100,000 won.]
In fact, there are more than a few companies that ruin the game after taking that money.
This year alone, there were about five games that were ruined in that way.
But what’s even sadder is
[I hope Skyfield comes out well?]
“Those bastards have to do well, it’s their new game in years.”
As a streamer who has to buy it anyway, all I can do is pray that it’s fun.
[I heard there’s no Korean localization.]
“AI translation is good these days, so I’ll have to trust it and try it….”
The more I thought about it, the more my head ached.
“F*ck… I have to work harder to pay the kids’ salaries.
Let’s work.”
[Think of it as investing for the broadcast, boss.]
“I guess so….
So I just put up with it and do it….”
I was still hurting inside, but I calmed down and went back to work.
What’s the point of getting angry about something I can’t help?
[But it’s better than the National Pension, right?]
What
Meaning
Is there…
“Ah, f*ck, I’m so pissed off again!!!
Those National Pension bastards are taking 500,000 won every month?!”
No, but now that I think about it, I’m pissed off again?
[Hey, the rage button was pressed.]
[Boss, wait, calm down for a second.]
“Am I going to calm down??
Why do I have to pay 500,000 won every month for a national pension that I’m not even going to get!!!”
[Isn’t that because you earn a lot?]
“If I earned that much, I wouldn’t feel so wronged, but even if I earn 3 million won a month, if you calculate the amount I invest in broadcasting, I’m left with about 2 million won, but it’s counted as 3 million won in income, so wouldn’t I be pissed off!”
[Put it in as an expense.]
“The cost of buying games is sometimes counted as an expense and sometimes not, but they don’t do it well.”
[Hire a tax accountant.]
“Does the cost of hiring a tax accountant come from the ground?!”
Yeah,
More than anything else, I was pissed off at the National Pension.
[But boss.]
“Why.”
[Why are you so upset about the National Pension?
Other taxes are the same, but you don’t get upset about paying taxes.]
“Well, I just think of taxes as something I have to pay?
But the National Pension is something that you and I both know we won’t get anyway, but I get pissed off when I see them pretending like they’re going to give it back someday.
If that’s the case, just tell me to pay taxes for welfare so I don’t feel bad.”
[Ah, that problem….]
“And I’m upset that I have to pay the maximum amount set by the country.”
[I think that’s bigger?]
“Shut up.”
Streamers are basically no different from self-employed people, but the problem is that it’s a new profession, so it’s not easy to handle expenses.
Because it’s not easy to handle expenses, income tends to be much higher than it actually is, and because income is higher than it actually is, the amount of money the country takes from you suddenly increases dramatically.
For the same reason, the amount that has to be paid to the National Pension is inflated compared to the actual income.
“Before I started broadcasting, I didn’t understand why broadcasters always said they didn’t have money, but now that it’s my job, I realize it so desperately….”
But, however, nevertheless.
[So, are you going to work at a company?]
Knowing that the people who sponsor me are working much harder than me,
“I will continue to work hard in the future.”
[Okay.]
I’m just preparing for the broadcast hard today.
….
“Guys.”
[Yes?]
[Huh?]
[What.]
“I really hope you guys can do this comfortable and easy broadcast too.”
“I can’t be the only one sucking on this honey, really.”
[I can’t because I’m a civil servant lol.]
[Will anyone start broadcasting after seeing what the boss is doing…?]
[I’ll just go as a guest.]
Why don’t they want to do such a comfortable job?
I really hope you guys can try it too.
A few days later in the afternoon.
“Hiro~”
“Yujin unnie, what’s up??”
I went out to meet Yujin unnie after a long time.
It was my day off, and there was no reason to refuse now.
“Oh, nothing, I just called you to see you.”
“….”
However,
“No, there’s something going on.
You brought someone I don’t know, unnie.”
I didn’t hear that Yujin unnie was coming with someone.
When I asked Yujin unnie with my eyes what was going on, Yujin unnie avoided my gaze while pretending to smile.
“Ah~ she’s— that—”
“Ah, hello!!
My name is Choi Yeseul!!
I’m a big fan of your stream!!!”
“…My mom’s friend’s daughter.
She wants to be a streamer and she’s a fan of Hiro….”
…?
She’s my fan?
And she wants to be a streamer?
…Why?