Streaming Life After Paying Off Debt - Chapter 102
I arrived at the promised location and heard a familiar voice.
“here, 여기예요!”
I turned my head towards the sound. A man wearing a hat and mask was staring at me.
“이쪽으로 COME.”
When our eyes met, he gestured for me to come over. As I slowly approached him, he suddenly started to stagger as if he was about to fall.
“Oh, my muse! U’s looks are making my EYE wander away!”
“Uh, um… thanks…?”
After expressing my gratitude vaguely to him, I entered the cafe.
While I was contemplating in front of the kiosk, he approached me.
“I already prepared two drinks for ME. U just follow me.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I have a separate menu I want to drink.”
I flatly rejected the offer. Understandably, last year I had been taken to the police station after mindlessly drinking a beverage offered by someone else.
‘It would be fine in such a public place, but… still, you never know.’
After placing my order, I headed to our table with the drinks. One more drink was added to the two already on the table, and the conversation began.
“My MUSE, I was genuinely happy when I received a CALL from you.”
“Ahaha… I’m glad to hear that. Thank you for willingly meeting me despite the sudden contact.”
I lightened the atmosphere with a casual greeting and then asked him the most curious question I had.
“By the way, how did you find out about me…”
At my question, he leaned back. Then, as if reminiscing about the past, he started to speak while looking into the void.
“I got to know U on Christmas, the day after.”
“The video titled KOREA STREET suddenly appeared in MY algorithm on NewTube.”
“In that video, there was a woman.”
In an instant, his eyes sparkled.
“With a black bag in one hand! I stared at her running around in a suit, completely captivated.”
“After a while, the video ended, but she didn’t disappear.”
He placed his hand on his chest and continued speaking.
“She remained inside me, knocking on my heart. At that moment, I realized, ah, this is LOVE!”
“Yes, I became addicted to her beauty! Realizing this, I immediately headed to the country where she was, KOREA.”
I looked at him with a surprised face. However, he continued speaking without concern.
“But searching for a person with just one video, even if it’s a blurry one, was like trying to catch a star in the sky…”
As if recalling that period of frustration, his hands started to tremble.
“Just when I was about to give up everything and return home!”
His trembling hand clenched into a fist. Then he raised a finger to point at me.
“U appeared right before my eyes!”
His voice was filled with fervor. He seemed excited and stood up, shouting.
“Is there such a ridiculous coincidence! No, this is not a coincidence; it’s fate!”
“It must be the work of the gods trying to make U meet ME; there’s no other explanation!”
“You think so too, right? That’s why you called me?”
Thud, thud,
The whites of his eyes were focused on me.
I pushed aside my instinctive aversion and opened my mouth.
“Ah… that…”
But before I could finish my answer, his words resumed.
“You thought well, I’ve made famous stars? Countless.”
“You have the best talent among the people I’ve seen. Now, let’s go together! HOLLYWOOD!”
Finishing his sentence, he extended his hand towards me as if to grab me.
His hand came close to my eyes. However, instead of grabbing it, I lowered my head.
“Thank you for the offer, but I think it might be a bit difficult.”
“YES YES… Wait, WHAT?”
Seeing the look of surprise on his face, I continued to explain.
“That’s understandable; I’ve never acted in my life until now.”
The only acting I had done since birth was playing a tree in kindergarten. Although broadcasting could be seen as acting, my experience was still under a year.
‘If it’s Hollywood, there must be many talented actors… I would just end up getting scolded for no reason.’
I was already busy getting scolded domestically; I had no intention of going abroad to be a target for blame as well.
“I’m sorry. You can find another great person instead of someone as lacking as me.”
I lowered my head once more. At that moment, I heard his voice above me.
“Um… what do you think is the most important thing in a MOVIE?”
At his unexpected question, numerous thoughts came to mind.
‘Is it money? It must be money, right? Isn’t it all about money?’
In fact, only one thought came to mind, but that would clearly be the wrong answer. Just as I was searching for another response, he blurted out.
“The most important thing is MONEY, MONEY!!!”
“The script? You can buy it with money! Cinematography or sound? Similarly, money suffices!!!”
I raised my head suddenly, feeling the heat radiating from above. His figure, with eyes turned white as he poured out rhetoric, was etched into my memory.
“Money is the best! Money! You can solve fame and power with money!!!”
I couldn’t help but feel bewildered by his monstrous appearance. As a result, I even failed to notice that his tone had changed at some point.
“Lacking acting skills? Can’t speak English? All that doesn’t matter. You can bring an instructor, or at the very least, hire a substitute!”
“But there’s just one thing you can’t achieve with money.”
“The aura that famous actors possess; you can never create that with money.”
As he poured out his fervor, he looked at me. The sparkly eyes were now back on me.
“You have that, and I can help you bloom it!!!”
His roar towards me resembled a beast staring at its prey.
“Uh… um…”
Under the pressure of his momentum, I stammered. Then, as if regaining composure, he sat down and continued speaking.
“YOU have talent. BUT only ME can bring it to light.”
“I… have another main job.”
“Oh… if U becomes a STAR, all that becomes meaningless.”
His vague response snapped me back to reality.
‘No, that’s not right.’
No matter how much the unpleasant viewers might be, those were all people who liked me. I wouldn’t discard those relationships carelessly just because I became famous.
‘Whatever I do, my essence is that I’m a streamer.’
Having made up my mind, I glared at him.
Under my continuous glare, he took a step back.
“If you’re still worried… ok.”
“There’s a character that has little appearance but is of high significance.”
His suggestion was for me to play the character of the villain. The filming would end in just a few days, and it was also under the condition that it would take place in Korea.
“With this, there should be no problem, right?”
“Okay…!”
Just as I was about to utter my acceptance, one fact I had forgotten suddenly came to mind.
“Before that, I have one question.”
He casually shrugged, as if saying to ask anything, and I posed my question.
“Do you know about a company called Land?”
At my question, he tilted his head and responded.
“No, I’m not really sure.”
He reacted calmly as if he was hearing about it for the first time. Watching him, I finally blurted out the answer he had been waiting for.
“I will participate.”
Having refused his offer to drive me, I was lost in thought on the bus.
‘It’s definitely related to Jihye’s company.’
That would make sense, as Land was the company that had supported his movie. It was a name that always appeared in the credits.
‘Why is he pretending not to know? Did things go wrong between them?’
One fact was certain—there was some connection. However, whether they had collaborated briefly in the past or still had a close relationship now remained unclear.
‘For now, let’s build a connection. I’ll take my time figuring it out as we meet.’
The agreement to participate was a cornerstone for this purpose.
After finishing my thoughts, I slowly lifted my head and looked around. Familiar streets were spread out before my eyes.
“I’ll get off!”
Afterward, I safely arrived in front of my house.
Luna would probably be broadcasting at home. Slowly, I pressed the door lock so she wouldn’t be surprised.
At that moment, a noisy sound came from inside the house.
“Wait a moment! Everyone!!”
Worried that something might have gone wrong, I hurriedly opened the door. I met Luna as she came out of the room.
“Thank you for your hard work…”
“Sis, I’m sorry!”
Before I could finish my sentence, she immediately blurted out an apology. Then, as if someone was chasing her, she hurriedly dashed out the door.
“…Uh.”
I closed the door while muttering an unfinished greeting.
Why did she rush out like that, and why did she apologize?
In a situation full of questions, I stood blankly in the entrance for a moment.
At that moment, I heard a voice of donation.
– … has donated.
[Are you scared? If you’re scared, just d*e.]
With the familiar sound, one thing became clear.
‘The broadcast is still on…!’
What if she ran away while the broadcast was on?
Blaming her for abandoning me, I entered the room. Two large boxes greeted me on the screen.
————–
Virtual Tactile Suit
Mission Amount: 20,000,000 won
————–
————–
24-hour Roulette Broadcast
Mission Amount: 20,000,000 won
————–
“Ugh?”