TGAT 11

Chapter 11

A few days after the broadcast with Songjun.

“Ah, hyung. It’s been a while.”

Kim Yongju frowned deeply as he saw his junior entering the bar.

“Is your throat okay?”
“What can I do? It’s my own fault for not taking care of my health.”

The man who entered the restaurant had a long gauze covering the surgical scar on his neck, and his voice was thin and faint.

“Tsk. Eat up. Must’ve drained yourself with the surgery. You were already thin, now even thinner.”
“Hehe… I’ll eat gratefully.”
“A guy who makes a living with his voice, and his throat ends up like this…”

The man who accepted the piece of perfectly grilled meat from Kim Yongju was Hong Changki, the owner of Popcorn Picture, a channel on YouTube known for introducing dramas and movies.

“How long until fully healed?”
“Considering rehab, it’ll take some time. They told me not to do anything that strains my throat.”
“So what about your YouTube channel until then?”

Hong Changki put down the chopsticks he had been using to pick up meat and sighed deeply.

“Ha… I guess there’s no choice. I’ll just have to rest until I’m better.”

It was frustrating. Extremely frustrating.
His channel was in full swing, with over 100,000 subscribers.

And it wasn’t a matter of taking a day, two, or even a week off.
At least a few months at minimum.
In the YouTube market, a few months of inactivity was practically a death sentence.

“How about hiring a voice actor? You can keep editing the videos yourself. Or use AI voices, right?”
“I’d like to… but the cost isn’t small. And AI voices… they just don’t have the right feel yet. They still sound like machines with a fixed tone.”

Hiring a professional voice actor would cost more than it’s worth.
Using AI wouldn’t capture the proper charm.

“Tsk… still, we can’t just leave the channel idle. Here, have a drink first.”

After filling Hong Changki’s glass with water, Kim Yongju took a swig of the soju he had poured for himself.

“By the way, hyung, how have you been?”
“Me? Same as always. Playing games, tinkering with machines, doing interviews… Interviews?”

Kim Yongju rubbed his chin at the mention of an interview.

“Yeah. That’s right. That guy exists.”
“That guy?”
“Yeah… a friend with an amazing voice. Good at games too.”
“If you call him a friend, he must be pretty good, huh?”
“What?”
“You always describe people you like as ‘this friend’ or ‘that friend.’ Who is he?”
“A YouTuber from Creative Studio.”
“Never heard of them.”

Hong Changki, unfamiliar with the name, immediately searched YouTube.

“9,000 subscribers?”
“He’s been on YouTube less than a month.”
“Eek. But 9,000 already? And the channel has barely anything set up?”
“Ah, yes. Check out his voice. Judge for yourself.”

Kim Yongju downloaded the latest footage from the server and handed it to Hong Changki.

“Whoa… whoa?”

Hong Changki cranked up the volume on the phone Kim Yongju handed him.

<This kind of voice is possible.> <Also, this tone is possible.>

The man in the mask on the screen was delivering all sorts of voice tones, as if he were a professional voice actor.

“Does this kid do voice acting? His diction, projection, and tone are really stable. Who is he?”

Kim Yongju realized the reason he had shown this video.

“Told you. He’s a new YouTuber.”

A ray of light shone over Hong Changki’s head in the darkness.

“Ughhh—”

Songjun stretched and clicked the confirm button.
The loading screen passed, and Creative Studio’s first channel art and profile were registered.
The YouTube channel’s design and structure changed accordingly.

“Looks pretty good.”

Now that it was properly decorated, the channel finally had a proper feel.

‘Drawing is actually fun. Now all that’s left is the intro and outro… that’ll take some time to conceptualize…’

Songjun was completely absorbed in his newly discovered skill.
It was a freshness unlike familiar games or voice work.
Every line drawn on the tablet felt new.

• Vrrrrmm

“Huh…?”

Songjun tilted his head at the sudden call from Kim Yongju and pressed the answer button.

• Hey, Jun! How have you been?
  “Yes, hyung! You’re doing well too, right?!”

A call that came suddenly on the weekend after their collab broadcast.

• So, here’s the thing.

Kim Yongju hesitated for a while before finally revealing the reason for the call.

“What? Voice acting?”

• Not really voice acting, just narration. You’ve seen movie intro channels on YouTube, right?

He had. He enjoyed summaries of movies and dramas on YouTube.

“I’ve seen them, but isn’t that usually done by the channel owner?”

• Right. Popcorn Picture. A junior I know. He had thyroid surgery… full recovery plus rehab will take months. You know in this field, a few months off is basically a death sentence.
  “Ah…”

• Honestly, I can’t pay much.

Kim Yongju hesitated briefly over pay, though Songjun accepted to showcase his voice talent.

• But your voice will be featured in the video intro while you record. Popcorn Picture & Creative Studio.

Actually, it was a benefit. Even if just for a few months, the recognition boost was far more valuable than the pay.

• I’m not saying I won’t pay at all. Just feels a bit low for the effort.

Songjun nodded vigorously. What did it matter? The opportunity had come to him on a silver platter.

“Of course, hyung. Just having it in the intro is already a huge favor.”

• Really? So you’ll do it?
  “Of course! Thank you for introducing me to such a great opportunity.”

• Haha! I’m the one who should be thankful! I’ll make sure to return the favor.

Kim Yongju’s voice perked up at Songjun’s enthusiastic acceptance.
It even gave him face with Hong Changki.

• I’ll give your number to Changki; he’ll call soon. He was blown away when he heard your voice.
  “Wow… thanks to you, my field is expanding.”

• Your voice is amazing. Plus, you’re doing a general YouTuber collab. I thought of you immediately.

Kim Yongju talked for a while and then ended the call with a request to take care of him.

“Ha… actually, I should be the one grateful.”

His vocal skill was at level 16. He had been looking for something new to do with his voice anyway.

“I wonder how much my skill will increase. Oh, right. I should tell Yeongseok about this too.”

“Haah…”

After a long meeting, Ju Yeongseok returned to his seat and took a headache pill for the throbbing pain.

He had joked to Songjun about being the company’s ace, but as with any human-facing work, MCN work was never easy.

Most of the people he had to deal with—creators and influencers—were the main revenue sources for the MCN, putting him in a completely subordinate position.

Especially when it came to major channel owners up for contract renewal, their sensitivity increased exponentially.

“So, what do they want? Did Yeongseok give you any hints?”
“Tsk… I don’t even know what they want…”
“Make sure your manager handles it well. Can’t let the Treasure guys snatch them, right?”

Ju Yeongseok was in charge of the biggest renewal target of Starburst this year.

And rumors suggested the client was coming to the table cautiously, which worried the company greatly.

“Haah… it’s not like I’m only handling that one client.”

The most stressed person was Ju Yeongseok, caught in the middle.

He gulped down an ice-cold drink from the pantry fridge.

“Ah. Are you feeling okay?”

A staff member peeked in, saw Ju Yeongseok’s flushed face, and quickly wiped their grin off.

“You’ve been working hard.”
“Yes… that’s how it goes.”

Ju Yeongseok grabbed another drink and went up to the building’s rooftop, habitually checking YouTube on his phone.

“What’s this?”

The Creative Studio channel had changed again, possibly finishing the drawings he had seen earlier.

“The profile quality is pretty good. Wow… what can’t this guy do?”

The character in the profile looked like a game 1P selection sprite, a bizarre masked figure smashing a huge wooden sign.

But it was comical and eye-catching.
The channel art was equally impressive.
Seeing the finished drawing made it feel more lively.

[Hey~ checked the channel art. Came out great.]
[Songjun: Of course, it’s my channel art. I’m taking it seriously. Also set up a Stargram to upload sketches and my drawings.]
[Songjun: stargram.com/@creativestudio_J]

Logging into the suddenly shared Stargram account, Yeongseok saw dozens of Songjun’s sketches laid out.

“Whoa… when did he draw all these?”

Some were sketches, others fully colored, and many styles were mixed in.

“But the later ones look better. Who is this guy?”

His long-time friend felt strangely unfamiliar.

[Songjun: Oh right, I’m doing another collab. Popcorn Picture. They want me to narrate their intro video. Dr. Kim introduced me.]
“Whoa… crazy. That’s a 100k channel.”
[Songjun: Pay is small, but the video intro will have Popcorn Picture & Creative Studio.]

Yeongseok’s jaw dropped.
Collaborations and crossovers weren’t rare on YouTube, but getting opportunities like this right at the start was nearly unheard of.

[Crazy. Gotta say thanks. Wow, luck’s on your side. Work is pouring in.]
[Songjun: By the way, can you do outsourced drawings too?]
[Could post, but can you handle all?]
[Songjun: That’s why I said I’ll control the workload.]
“Insane. Totally insane.”

No other YouTuber had started this strong, landing collabs from the get-go.

Collaboration is skill. Even if you collab, if you can’t retain viewers, it’s meaningless.

Yet, Songjun’s subscriber count neared 10k from just one collab.

“Haah… this was a dream when I started, now it’s reality. Can’t quit the company though. Just work. Work.”

He smiled, though there was a bittersweet tinge.

His friend had taken the first step toward his dream, while he felt stuck.