Chapter 28 - Chapter 28

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Translator: 8uhl

Chapter: 28

Chapter Title: The Brick Thief King

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Lee Geon-yeong woke up groggily from his nap.

It was noon.

He pulled back the curtains, and harsh sunlight flooded into the dark room.

Habitually grabbing his phone—which had no notifications—he opened YouTube.

He scrolled down, found nothing worth watching, and closed it.

Then he opened YouTube again.

Scrolled some more.

No thumbnails caught his interest, so he closed it again.

"Ugh."

He fiddled with his phone on the bed for about ten minutes before heading to his desk.

He turned on his hibernating computer and launched Travel.

His ID was Public Toilet Brick Thief King.

He always tuned into the stream of a streamer he watched around this time, then went to grab some water.

Gulp, gulp.

"Hm. Lunch... nah, skip it."

Lee Geon-yeong decided to skip lunch.

Though technically it was breakfast.

He had no appetite.

Too much hassle to cook anyway.

He washed up, gave the house a half-hearted clean, then returned to his room and shut the door.

Sat down at the computer.

'Can't keep living like this forever.'

It had already been two years.

Of this shut-in life.

He used to be moderately outgoing, sociable, with plenty of friends.

But starting in his second year of high school, he got bullied at the art academy he attended for entrance exams. He lost all confidence, gave up on the college entrance exam and auditions, and ran away.

After that...

He started hating the idea of meeting friends.

He felt too pathetic, like they'd see right through him if he tried.

Staying in his room felt comfortable.

Maybe it even suited him.

Watching streams and browsing the internet, the day slipped away in a flash. The sky darkened.

He'd woken up late, so it was inevitable, but the night sky without sunlight only deepened his gloom.

Lee Geon-yeong prepared dinner.

Just tossed a few frozen dumplings into the air fryer. Done.

'Good thing I have no appetite. Heh.'

Tomorrow would probably be the same as today.

He felt guilty toward his parents who sent him living expenses.

Parents who silently supported him despite his failures with entrance exams and retests.

But he hadn't failed.

He hadn't even tried.

Too scared to fail.

"Haaah."

Lee Geon-yeong let out a deep sigh.

"I'm trash."

He wasn't wasting money.

Being holed up in his room meant after the bare minimum living expenses, he had no reason to spend.

But he was wasting something far more precious: time.

He knew it.

"I want to change..."

For real.

He felt like dying from self-loathing.

But he lacked the strength to change.

Just then, the streamer's voice came from the computer.

The streamer was recruiting an editor.

The streamer's name was Jin Seo-jun.

A streamer who'd only been broadcasting for less than a week.

Seeing someone skyrocket right from the start and even start a YouTube channel felt oddly bittersweet—and envious.

The streamer was the complete opposite of him.

Talented, brimming with that annoyingly overconfident personality.

'I used to be like that.'

But the talent he'd thought he had as a kid vanished like an illusion as he grew up. All that remained was a failure hiding away as a shut-in loner.

The stream ended.

True to a newbie streamer without an end screen set, a dark void appeared.

His face reflected on the monitor.

He stared endlessly at his eyes in the reflection, then muttered.

"Editor... should I give it a shot?"

Maybe he just needed something—anything—to challenge himself with.

As if entranced, he scoured the internet for info on video editing.

A time when his usual self would've just browsed Travel for another stream.

The next day, he edited the video.

"Do it like this, and the shortcut key is..."

The thrill of learning and improving.

A feeling he hadn't had in ages.

The corners of his mouth turned up.

Fun. Like he had a purpose.

"Like this here... No other effects? Gotta look it up."

The day vanished into editing.

Time seemed to fly faster than usual, but today, its passage didn't feel empty.

And he seemed to have a bit of talent, too.

Lee Geon-yeong wanted to escape this cesspool of a life and do some real work.

Editing even seemed to suit him.

'Now that I've uploaded the video, time to write that email...'

But.

His hand lifted from the mouse.

Lee Geon-yeong's eyes wavered for a moment.

He closed the email window, grabbed his phone, dove onto the bed, and opened YouTube.

'Did a lot today, so tomorrow.'

He hummed and fell back into his routine.

And the next day, he put off sending the email.

And the day after.

And the one after that.

Before he knew it, five days had passed since he'd shoved editing thoughts from his mind.

He deleted the editing software, thinking:

'It wouldn't have worked anyway...'

Negative thoughts justified his escape.

Would a video made after just one day of learning pass?

No way.

Then why bother sending it? Pointless.

Quitting was easier.

The stream went live.

"Hey everyone."

Viewership hadn't grown over the past week—in fact, it had dropped.

The expected result, as Tae-woo, Movie Soft, and even Seo-jun had predicted.

Some viewers had come just to see Seo-jun, but many more came for his skills.

Still, there was a reason Seo-jun accepted Movie Soft's offer.

'The concrete layer.'

Viewers who stick around because they genuinely like the streamer, regardless of content.

In that week, Seo-jun had laid down at least a thin concrete foundation.

Couldn't always dominate with top-tier plays, after all.

And fewer dropped off than expected.

'3,000 during the Mage Tower Lord kill.'

Yesterday's stream: 2,300.

Way higher than anticipated.

"Ah, thanks for the 10k donation. This game's fun. And super easy. Just copy what I do."

No payment yet, but Movie Soft was the advertiser.

So he threw in some lip service.

Wasn't it?

Whatever worked.

"Anyway."

Seo-jun was in the lobby now.

"Before we start the game, I have something to say."

Seo-jun had discovered Brick Thief King via viewer search.

Seo-jun ignored the chat flowing stream-of-consciousness and opened a window.

The editor application video uploaded by YouTube's Brick Thief King!

"Brick Thief King watching right now? Is this you?"

"I left a comment on the video and messaged your Travel ID, but no response. Got something to discuss—check your messages."

The quality of the video Seo-jun saw the day before hit the spot.

Not flashy effects or pro techniques.

Sense and polish.

True to a dedicated viewer, Brick Thief King nailed the fun moments and edited them cleanly.

"No idea why you skipped the email, but I'd like a serious talk."

"The video? Go watch it yourselves."

Seo-jun figured it'd boost views too.

"Argh, fuck. So embarrassing!"

Lee Geon-yeong clawed at his hair, then punched his thigh.

"Why was it public?!"

The half-assed description.

That shameful ID he couldn't say aloud anywhere.

And his first-ever edit.

Triple embarrassment combo.

"How'd he find it? Views are low too."

He rushed to YouTube and set the video to private.

Lee Geon-yeong closed the Travel chat window.

But he couldn't escape the stream screen.

He just shut down the broadcast window.

"Ugh! Mortifying."

Calming his pounding heart, Lee Geon-yeong cautiously replayed the now-private video.

Scary and bewildering that so many could see it—which was why he'd taken it down—but he figured there was a reason Seo-jun mentioned it on stream.

"Alright, since it's out... wonder what he said..."

Lee Geon-yeong's mutter stopped.

His expression turned profoundly mixed as he stared holes into the screen—no, the comment.

His eyes reddened.

Silence stretched on.

Finally, with a slightly trembling voice, he murmured.

"Kinda... hoped it'd be something like this..."

Haaa.

Sighing deeply, he looked up at the ceiling.

The comfortable prison ceiling he often glanced at while lying in bed using his phone looked different now.

Not because his eyes were watering.

"..."

He replayed his edited video several times.

"First day learning, even I see it's a mess... talent my ass."

Self-mockery.

But he smiled more refreshingly than anyone.

Liberation.

Like finding the exit in a maze.

"Alright, let's do this."

Talent.

The top streamer said he had talent and wanted to team up.

"If it's just empty words to exploit free labor, hyungnim or not, you're done. Controversy hurts you more."

With shaking hands, he began composing the email.

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