Streaming Life After Paying Off Debt - Chapter 8
It’s already been a year since I opened the cafe.
Today, my cafe is still gathering dust.
“How come no one is coming?”
Even though I opened early in the morning, I had received only 0 customers today, and I was just sitting at the counter wasting time.
“Sigh… Will I be able to make this month’s rent?”
The number of customers in a day is just barely 20.
The past me, who was filled with dreams of being a cafe owner, has long vanished, and now only a modest hope remains to at least reduce the deficit.
“Should I change to a franchise even now?”
Despite the effort I put into the decor, there are no customers, and so there’s no promotion.
I’ve been posting photos of the cafe on Instagram every day to solve this, but
“There’s no one here either…”
There were no customers coming in after seeing pictures posted by followers of just 20.
I sighed, wondering when the first customer of the day would arrive when suddenly
– Ding –
The first customer walked in.
“Welcome…!”
I opened my eyes wide upon seeing the customer who entered.
Long legs that maintained their proportion even while wearing slippers and a perfectly curved backside.
As my gaze slowly traveled up from below, it finally became captivated in the middle.
“…!”
An impossibly large chest that is hard to believe belongs to an Asian person.
Seeing a sight I could only view on the internet in real life was shocking.
“I would like to place an order.”
My gaze was suddenly blocked by the small head that appeared.
I felt a chill of fear from her friendly voice paired with an unexpectedly fierce expression.
“Uh, yes, what would you like?”
“What would you like to drink, sister?”
“I…”
The girl behind didn’t seem to notice the small expression of the girl in front and began to look at the menu with a naive voice.
Avoiding the gaze of the woman glaring at me, the face of the other girl was literally a manifestation of beauty.
Even the figure that could have seemed excessive blended well with her face, creating a beautiful proportion that complemented each other.
“I’ll have a Java chip frappe, please.”
“Then, I’ll order one cafe latte and one Java chip frappe.”
As I tore my eyes away from her sweet face that made me feel like I could get addicted, the small girl was staring at me with wide-open eyes.
“I-I received the order.”
After taking their order, the two women settled by the window.
It was just sitting down, but a glamorous atmosphere spread like a photoshoot is taking place.
It wasn’t just my thought; people outside began to stop in their tracks, staring blankly as more and more of them appeared.
– Ding ding –
“I’d like to order.”
“Just a moment!”
After a short while, the cafe was bustling with a crowd as if it had never been quiet before.
‘Ah, I see!’
Looking at the suddenly busy cafe, I realized something.
‘I understand what was lacking in my cafe!’
The story of this cafe recruiting female part-time workers would come later.
“Wow, all of a sudden, the number of customers has increased.”
“Right? I purposely chose a quiet cafe… I’m going to go to a different place next time.”
While I was looking around, I made eye contact with a man.
Feeling a bit shy, I gave a light smile, and I witnessed him turning his face red and looking away.
“Heehee, this is delicious.”
As I sipped the drink I received while enjoying the satisfied response, the sweet taste tingled in my mouth.
“But didn’t you only drink Americano, unnie?”
As Jihye questioned, I indeed had been only drinking Americano at the cafe, but this was my first and last meal of the day.
I couldn’t substitute it with a low-calorie drink like Americano.
So, the highest-calorie drink I found on the menu was this one, but…
“Ah… I’ve been craving something sweet today.”
I lacked the courage to honestly say that.
“I’m curious, seeing you enjoy it. Can I have a bite?”
“Of course! Feel free to have some.”
Jihye’s soft lips touched the straw I was using.
Watching her carefully sip the straw as if it were a precious treasure gave me the impression that the straw was the purpose, not the drink.
“It’s really delicious.”
Jihye’s face, flushed in red, resembled a young girl experiencing her first love.
“Really… it’s delicious…”
“Thank you for spending time with me today, unnie.”
After the meal at the cafe, as we were heading back in the elevator, Jihye suddenly expressed her gratitude.
“I should be the one thanking you since you paid, Jihye.”
In response to my words, she shook her head vigorously, denying it.
“No, no. Your perspective is so much more valuable than this little money!”
She emphasized her words by forming a round circle with her arms.
“Okay, okay, then thank you for giving me your precious time today, Jihye~”
“Unnie…”
Jihye seemed to be touched by my words as tears began to well up in her eyes.
Just then, the elevator arrived at my house.
“I’ll go in first, Jihye~ Next time, I’ll treat you.”
“Definitely! It’s a promise!”
As she nodded in agreement, a happy smile spread across Jihye’s face.
After wrapping up our brief encounter and stepping inside, the woman I had seen in the morning welcomed me.
“Oh, you came just in time before I wrapped things up. Please come this way.”
Following her guidance, my room looked completely different from this morning.
“What… is this… my room?”
The first thing that caught my eye was the green fabric hanging on one wall.
“This is… chromakey, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. There’s a button beside it, so you can keep it folded normally and unfold it when you’re broadcasting.”
“No… why is this in my room…?”
Ignoring my shocked state, she continued explaining.
“There’s a button on the desk, and when you press it…”
Suddenly, the mirror on the desk began to emit light.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t a mirror but a light fixture.
“This is where the light comes from. I’ve installed both a broadcasting mic and an ASMR mic, so feel free to use them as you wish.”
I thought it seemed too cluttered for just ordering a computer, but I never imagined the broadcasting environment would be this perfect.
“Weren’t we just ordering a computer…?”
“We ordered not just a computer but all the broadcasting setup as well. Please, have a seat here.”
Sitting in a daze, a large camera was facing me.
“The camera has been set up as a DSLR. Have you revealed your face yet?”
“Ah, no. I haven’t.”
“Then, I’ll lower the camera a bit more.”
As I watched her adjust the camera position, anxiety began to creep in.
“Um… how much does such a camera cost?”
“Prices vary widely depending on the model, but this model costs around 7 million won.”
The price of just one camera was higher than what I had expected for a computer.
Upon realizing this, my anxiety began to solidify further.
“Then, what’s the total cost for today…?”
“The payment has been completed in advance. The receipt is placed on the desk.”
Checking the desk, I found a single A4 paper resting there.
With trembling hands, I examined it.
“Gasp!”
It said 22 million won.
The amount I was supposed to cover was half.
I had estimated around 200, but in reality, I became a debtor of 11 million won.
“Everything has been installed. Here, take my business card; if there are any issues, please feel free to contact me.”
“Ah… yes, thank you.”
Upon inspecting the business card, I saw the nickname Mari alongside a devil character with horns on her head.
“Then I will be going now.”
“Okay… please take care on your way back.”
With a dazed mind, I saw Mari off and returned to my room, where all the equipment welcomed me.
Having seen equipment like this only in big company broadcasts was a refreshing shock.
“But I can’t even use the cam…?”
That meant all I could use for the price of 11 million won were just the computer and the mic.
The rest was just beautiful but useless.
“Eh, it’s better to install everything at once than to do it later. And it’s half price anyway, right?”
I tried to shake off the negative thoughts and think positively.
Who am I?
A genius broadcaster who gathered 50 viewers from my very first stream.
For someone like me, a debt of 10 million won can be paid off in no time.
“Considering I’ll eventually be entering YouTube and the entertainment industry, these are good tools to have.”
Turning on the newly installed computer, I reflected on this.
Shifting my mindset made the luxurious equipment appear impressive.
“I have to brag about this to the viewers.”
With that, I set the content for today’s broadcast and turned it on.
“Hello everyone! This is Kim Miju, the new streamer on the second day!”
As the broadcast started, a multitude of viewers began to join as if they had been waiting for it.
The number of viewers surged at a speed that was hard to believe for my second broadcast, soaring well beyond my expectation of 100 to reach 300.
– Please explain.
– I rushed over as soon as the notification popped up.
– What the hell…?
– Heh… Oh my…
– Wow, her br*asts are insane…
However, along with the increase in viewer count, negative comments caught my eye.
“What do you mean by explanation?”
– No, no, I think we misunderstood.
– Get lost, naysayers! From now on I’ll be one with Miju.
– Look at these brain-dead idiots, lmao.
I wondered about the viewers’ responses but decided to ignore it and continue the broadcast.
“Today’s first part is an explanation of the newly installed broadcasting equipment!”
Miju’s asset status: -10 million won