Episode 28
Lee Gun-young stirred awake.
The time was noon.
As he opened the curtains, harsh sunlight flooded the dark room.
Out of habit, he grabbed his perpetually silent phone and opened YouTube.
He scrolled listlessly before shutting it off when nothing caught his interest.
Then he opened YouTube again.
Scrolled further.
Finding no thumbnails worth clicking, he turned it off once more.
"Ugh..."
He fidgeted with his phone on the bed for ten minutes before dragging himself to his desk.
He woke his hibernating computer and opened Twitch.
His username: PublicRestroomBrickSnatcherKing.
As usual around this hour, he queued up his regular streamer's broadcast before heading to hydrate.
Glug, glug.
"Hmm. Food... Nah."
Lee Gun-young decided against lunch.
Though given the hour, it would technically count as breakfast.
No appetite.
Too bothersome to cook regardless.
After a perfunctory shower and half-hearted cleaning, he retreated to his room and shut the door.
Settling before his computer:
'I can't keep living like this.'
Two years already.
Two years of this hermit existence.
He'd once been reasonably outgoing - sociable with plenty of friends.
But during his second year of high school, while attending art academy prep classes...
The bullying began. His confidence crumbled. He abandoned both university entrance exams and standardized tests, choosing flight over fight.
Afterward,
meeting friends became unbearable.
Too ashamed of his wretched state - terrified they'd see what he'd become.
His room felt safe.
Maybe this isolation suited him better than expected?
Between streaming marathons and mindless browsing, days dissolved until nightfall arrived.
Expected given his late rising, yet the sunless sky still deepened his gloom.
Lee Gun-young prepared dinner:
Frozen dumplings in the air fryer. Minimal effort.
'Small mercies - no appetite. Heh.'
Tomorrow would mirror today.
Guilt festered when remembering his parents' monthly allowances.
Their silent support for a son who'd failed both college applications and his gap year
(though "failed" was generous -
he'd never even mustered the courage to try,
too paralyzed by fear).
"Haaaaaah..."
A weighty sigh escaped.
"I'm garbage."
At least he wasn't wasteful financially -
months of isolation kept expenses to bare essentials.
But time, that irreplaceable currency, bled through his fingers.
He knew it.
"I want to change..."
Desperately.
The self-loathing felt fatal.
Yet no spark remained to fuel transformation.
Then from the speakers:
[Looking for an editor - any viewers interested in cutting my gameplay clips from...]
The streamer's recruitment pitch.
Name: Jin Seo-joon.
A greenhorn who'd barely streamed a week.
Some people built YouTube empires overnight - that sting of envy felt familiar.
This streamer was Lee's polar opposite.
Ridiculously talented with borderline obnoxious confidence.
'I used to have that spark.'
But childhood's imagined genius had vanished like morning fog,
leaving only this failed shut-in.
[Alright, for real - TBA!]
The stream died.
Darkness swallowed the screen - amateur oversight omitting an end card.
His reflection glared back from the monitor.
Staring at those hollow eyes, he whispered:
"An editor... Maybe I could try?"
Perhaps craving any purpose at all.
Like a man possessed, he began devouring video editing tutorials -
hours normally wasted channel-hopping on Twitch.
Next day found him editing.
"Place this here, shortcut's..."
The forgotten thrill of progress.
Of measurable growth.
His lips twitched upward.
Joy. Purpose. The novel sensation of being useful.
"Let's try it like this here... Is there another way to add effects? I should look it up."
A whole day passed while editing.
Time seemed to flow faster than before, but today, the passage of time didn't feel as hollow.
And he thought he might have some talent after all.
Lee Gunyoung wanted to escape his wretched self and do proper work.
Editing even seemed to suit his natural aptitude.
'Now that the video's uploaded, I should write the email...'
But then.
His hand detached from the mouse.
Lee Gunyoung's pupils wavered momentarily.
He closed the email window, grabbed his phone, leapt onto his bed, and opened YouTube.
'I've done enough today. I'll handle it tomorrow.'
Humming tunelessly, he reverted to his usual self.
The next day, he postponed sending the email.
And the day after that.
And the day after that too.
Before he knew it, five days had passed since he last entertained thoughts of video editing.
As he uninstalled the editing software, he rationalized:
'It wouldn't have worked out anyway...'
Negative thoughts justified his retreat.
Would a video made after just one day of learning really succeed?
No.
Then why bother sending something doomed to fail?
It's meaningless.
Giving up is easier.
[Hunting the Queen Today]
The stream went live.
"Hey everyone!"
-h2
-Seoha
-Seoha
Viewership had declined rather than grown over the past week.
Taewoo, Movie Soft, and Seojun had all anticipated this outcome.
While some viewers came specifically for Seojun, many others tuned in to assess his skills firsthand.
Yet Seojun had his reasons for accepting Movie Soft's proposal.
'Concrete layer' - the loyal viewer base that watches regardless of content, purely out of affection for the streamer.
Over the past week, Seojun had begun laying foundations for this concrete layer, however shallow.
After all, one can't always play as the Ruler-class character.
The drop proved less severe than feared - 2,300 viewers compared to the 3,000 during his Matapju takedown. Better than expected.
-Queen's trash lol wreck her
-The OG of domination's different breed
-How's streamer OG? Assassin's Dawn isn't exclusive to this series
-Skill makes you OG. Even a soup joint can be OG if it's good
-Fr lol
[ScamDice donated ₩10,000!]
[Seoha! Starting Assassin's Dawn after watching you - thoughts?]
"Thanks for the 10,000 won donation! The game's fun. And easy - just follow my lead."
The payment hadn't cleared yet, but Movie Soft was the sponsor. Empty platitudes were part of the deal.
-Don't listen to him lololol
-100% regret if you buy it for domination, but still recommend
-Streamer's Satan incarnate
-Please buy Assassin's Dawn
-Remember when he "taught strategies" last week? Just trolled us
Maybe not?
Whatever works.
"Anyway."
Seojun stood in the game lobby.
"Before we start, I have an announcement."
Through viewer searches, he'd discovered BrickExtortionKing's presence.
-What's this?
-Big reveal?
-Don't tell me he has a gf??
-Donating all earnings? Respect the tough decision
Ignoring the chaotic chat, Seojun opened a window.
BrickExtortionKing's YouTube audition video!
"BrickExtortionKing watching this stream? Is this really you?"
-How's this ID even exist? "PublicRestroomBrickExtortionKing" LOL
-LMAOOOO
-How many people could possibly have that nickname?
-Why's everyone here have weird handles?
"I left comments and tried contacting through Travel ID, but no response. We need to talk - please check your messages."
The video's quality had impressed Seojun yesterday. Not due to flashy effects or technical wizardry, but through sharp comedic timing and clean editing.
A true regular viewer's work - BrickExtortionKing had perfectly highlighted entertaining moments while maintaining crisp simplicity.
"I don't know why you didn't send me an email, but I'd like to have a serious conversation."
-Oh! Are you looking for an editor?
-Put on the video
-Wait why'd you make it public instead of private lolol
-I wanna see it
"The video? You guys watch it yourselves."
Seojun made the comment hoping to boost the video's views.
-This intro is hilarious
-LMAOOOOOOO
-I'm coming over right now
[This is an editor application video for Streamer Seojun.
Hello! Hyung-nim! I've never properly learned editing, but I'm confident I can work hard!
All I have is free time, haha. I'm unemployed.
Also, since this is my first video, I can keep improving!
A growth-type editor. Isn't this totally awesome?
If you need verification, please contact me! I'll edit other stuff too.]
-TMI overload lolololol
-So you ARE unemployed, BrickBandit!
-If you weren't jobless, why would you steal bathroom bricks lol
-Even unemployed people don't do that. I know cuz I'm unemployed LMAOOOOO
"Ah shit. So embarrassing!"
Lee Gunyoung messed up his hair with both hands before punching his own thigh.
"Why was that set to public?!"
The sloppily written video description.
That embarrassing username he could never say out loud in public.
Plus his first attempt at editing.
The holy trinity of embarrassment.
"How did they even find this? The view count was low too..."
He hurriedly went to iTube and set the video to private.
-LOLOL it got taken down instantly
-GG
-Were you watching BrickBandit? LMAO
-LOLOL forced humiliation play
-You can tell he uploaded wrong
[Oh. Was this uploaded by mistake? Oops... Not my business. Anyway, check comments and contact me.]
-BrickBandit's death is on you Seojun! (x3)
-Died from shame fr
-This is uploader's fault LMAOOOOO
-FR tho jobless ass
Lee Gunyoung cleared the travel comment window.
But he couldn't clear it from the streaming screen.
He just closed the broadcast window instead.
"Ugh! So humiliating."
After calming his pounding heart, Lee Gunyoung carefully played the now-private video again.
Though he'd taken it down fearing people might see it, he thought Seojun must've mentioned it on stream for a reason.
"Well, since they found it anyway... might as well see what they said..."
His muttering stopped abruptly.
[Jin Seojun][20 hours ago]
[Wait, you made this after just one day of learning? You're really talented. Not sure why you didn't email me, but I'd love to work with BrickBandit-nim. If interested, please leave contact info.]
He stared at the screen—no, at the comment—with a complicated expression until his eyes turned red.
Silence lingered for a long while.
Finally, he muttered in a slightly trembling voice:
"I kinda... expected something like this..."
Haaaaaaah...
After exhaling deeply, he looked up at the ceiling—that comfortable prison-like ceiling he occasionally gazed at while lying in bed scrolling his phone. It looked different now.
(And no, his eyes definitely weren't getting watery.)
"......"
He replayed his edited video several times.
"It's my first day learning, so even I can tell it's messy... What talent?"
He mocked himself. Yet simultaneously smiled brighter than anyone else.
Freedom.
Finding an exit after being trapped in a maze.
"Maybe... maybe I should try."
Talent.
A top-tier streamer said he had talent and wanted to work together.
"But if this is just passion-pay exploitation bullshit—hyung or not—I won't let it slide. Controversy only hurts them anyway."
With trembling hands, he began composing an email.
