‘The reaction is coming faster than expected.’
Hyunsoo scrolled down and observed the community’s response.
[Challenging the Realm of Gods, I]
Pruning 43 times, Watering 382 times
This was a post he uploaded to HUB last month.
Pruning refers to side projects that others started by applying the technology Hyunsoo uploaded, and Watering indicates the total number of people who participated in all projects.
Considering that thousands of posts are uploaded every day and 99% go unnoticed, it was hard to believe the results achieved in just one month.
‘I thought it would take a little more time.’
A vigorous collaborative research was taking place with just one post he had uploaded.
People who understood the purpose of advancing the artificial human system were gradually increasing.
‘There’s a company that joined as a team here?’
Hyunsoo was also quite surprised to see several companies already investing intensively.
The technology disclosed on HUB is protected by the international patent treaty if there are no similar patents after a self-review.
Considering that no one can monopolize it, it was very encouraging to see companies participating in the research by investing professional manpower.
This made Hyunsoo look forward to seeing how much his ideal, which was expected to be realized 30 years later, would be brought forward.
Hyunsoo memorized the IDs of those who participated by observing all the watering activities.
‘This person has been enthusiastic from the beginning. Well, he was a really warm-hearted old man. He must be young now.’
As he looked, he saw familiar IDs.
‘There are many smart people in the world.’
He categorized those who achieved significant results.
It was one of the reasons why he posted the article.
To discover people with good intentions and select trustworthy colleagues for the future.
The market needs to develop a bit more for a while, but someday there will come a time when their strength is needed.
Feeling like he had gained unexpected allies, Hyunsoo closed his laptop with a joyful heart.
At that time in the Goldstein mansion.
A suffocating dinner was ongoing.
The father, who was glaring with beast-like eyes, suddenly put down his fork.
“I heard you got suspended for one game.”
One might think it’s just one game, but considering there are only six formal football league games, it was unacceptable to a father who despises self-inflicted ‘mistakes’ the most.
“I’m sorry.”
Under his father’s fierce gaze, Kyle unknowingly lowered his head.
“I’m not saying this to hear an apology. What measures did you take to avoid such a situation?”
Kyle reeled off his prepared answer.
“I will not judge others based on preconceived notions. Regardless of their past, I will act after thoroughly checking the present.”
“Wrong.”
“I chose too extreme a method to solve the issue. If I had formally requested the student council or the board instead of using shortcuts for the joint football and basketball issue, it would have been handled more smoothly.”
“Wrong.”
“…I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
Kyle bit his lip.
Even without seeing, he could feel it. His father was looking at him with eyes full of disdain. Sometimes that crushed his self-esteem more than violence.
“It’s possible for the football team to lose in basketball. But the public humiliation for not knowing your own limits could have been avoided if, as you said, you had checked their skills in advance.”
“…”
“But is it possible for the football team to lose in football?”
In his father’s standards, a draw is also a loss.
“That’s because it was a seven-man game. If it were a formal game, the basketball team wouldn’t have stood a chance against us.”
“So you’re saying you can’t win a seven-man game?”
“…No. If we had composed a team of only main members, we would have won.”
“Are you sure? Even if that Asian guy played the whole game?”
Kyle hesitated to answer. He wanted to say ‘of course,’ but Hyunsoo’s play was still vivid in his mind.
Honestly, by the end of the first half, he was so traumatized that just seeing Hyunsoo move made him flinch.
“I’m not sure.”
His father stared at him quietly. Though it was a short moment, it felt like eternity.
“So you still don’t have a strategy against that Asian guy. There’s always a risk of losing to him.”
“…”
“Now, what are you going to do? Will you accept defeat? Or will you find a way to reduce the risk?”
“I will reduce the risk.”
His father nodded once.
“It’s natural to experience many defeats in life. But how you overcome moments of defeat will define who you are.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
His father stood up from his seat.
Only after he was completely gone did Jesse, who was sitting across, chuckle.
Kyle spoke irritably.
“Are you happy? You’re always getting beaten up.”
“It’s your first time. The first shock is always the hardest. The beginning is tough, but it’ll happen so often in the future that you’ll get used to it.”
“Want to say something annoying?”
Jesse almost teased him more but stopped.
‘I thought I’d feel good, but I don’t.’
Their father had always been lenient with Kyle and strict with Jesse.
Knowing exactly how it feels to disappoint their father, she was also worried.
“So what are you going to do? Coach Lavon seems interested in Hyunsoo as a quarterback. Do you think you can win the starting position?”
“…Starting position?”
Seeing Kyle filled with worry, Jesse laughed again.
“Haha, look at your face. Don’t worry. Hyunsoo will definitely decline. He’s already agreed to play for the basketball team for just one semester, and Coach Russell and the team are desperately trying to keep him. He has no intention of doing both.”
“Ah…”
“It’s not all good news, is it? It’s not like he’s going to switch to football now. You never know, right? How can a football player avenge himself without sports?”
Kyle said with a confident face.
“Did you forget that I’m a multi-talented genius? Just watch. Whatever it is, I’ll crush it.”
“Good luck. Haha.”
“Can you stop laughing so annoyingly?”
Seeing Jesse filled with joy for some reason, Kyle felt even more irritated.
Hyunsoo was almost invisible during his first year. Some people got to know him through classes, but it was better if they didn’t.
-Why is he here if his English is trash?
-Do all Asians lack athletic skills?
Unfamiliar conversations and popular American sports he had never tried made it difficult to adapt to school.
But as soon as the summer vacation ended and he became a sophomore, a series of significant events turned Hyunsoo’s reputation 180 degrees.
Perfect score in the level test, skipping to the third grade.
Selected as a starting player through the much-anticipated basketball tryouts.
His recognition seemed to grow, and the culmination was the prideful first basketball match and the second football match against the football team.
-Who set this up? My heart swells at the clash of the strongest in the universe.
Most people only saw Angela’s video of the basketball game, so it became gossip with limited impact.
However, the football game became a bigger deal than any typical rivalry match.
The matchup had a predictable outcome, but the story between the football and basketball teams made it more engaging.
Practically the entire school gathered.
There, Hyunsoo etched his name into everyone’s minds.
-Who is he? He’s good at every sport? How can he crush the football team with that height? Is he human?
-He’s strong and fast? Wow, he’s out of this world. Why is he dominating the human realm and demoralizing our guys?
-Honestly, was his injury just a show? It didn’t seem that serious…
-Does Coach Lavon even do his job? We got humiliated this badly, and if he doesn’t recruit that Asian guy, he’s neglecting his duty.
Hyunsoo was no longer invisible.
At least for now, he had become the most famous student on campus.
Whenever more than three people gathered, conversations about the football game were buzzing, and Hyunsoo was always a hot topic.
-These days, who doesn’t have Instagram? I tried to follow him, but it’s the first time I’ve seen someone who doesn’t do social media.
-He doesn’t do offline socializing either. Even if he’s invited to rich kids’ parties, he politely declines. Damn, they should invite me instead. Kids from other schools come too.
-Then what does he enjoy? He should know how to bask in his fame.
-I heard from Angela that they’re preparing another video? It’s a fashion-related content, and she said we’d be surprised…
-No wonder Angela’s channel blew up with views thanks to that Asian guy. Isn’t she about to hit 2 million subscribers?
“Are you happy?”
When Angela asked with a coy look while resting her chin on her hand, Hyunsoo unconsciously stepped back.
“What?”
“Your popularity these days is amazing? It felt like a celebrity was walking in the hallway. How does it feel to have girls lining up to talk to you?”
“Hmm, can you compare that to our 2-million-subscriber MiTuber?”
“What’s this? Of course, it’s no match for me. I’ve got the looks too.”
“…Oh, right.”
Angela chuckled.
“When will that soul of yours return? Lately, even Siri answers with more emotion, you know?”
“Really? That’s strange. You’re really pretty. You have a bright personality and are charming.”
“…”
For a moment, her eyes widened. Hyunsoo, with a mischievous look, said,
“Except for being a MiTuber born out of capitalism, you’re the best. How’s that? Do you feel my sincerity… Ouch.”
He immediately got hit in the stomach and bent over.
“Hmm?”
When he raised his head again, instead of the playful and lively girl, a professional MiTuber had opened a laptop.
“Alright, Mr. S-grade guest. Remember our contract terms? Thank you for appearing in a total of four videos. You carried a whopping 20 million views. Thanks to that, the ad rates have gone up a lot. I’ll give you an incentive.”
Angela showed the exact metrics one by one. Viewing time, CPM, related external ads, etc. It was more transparent and detailed than he expected.
“Give me your account number, and I’ll transfer the settlement for the first video. As the subsequent videos did well, it increased to $3,000. Within 15 days, an additional $10,000 for the other videos will be transferred.”
“…Oh.”
Approximately 1.5 million won in Korean currency. Hyunsoo pretended to be surprised out of courtesy. Although it indeed was a large amount, having past experiences made him indifferent to the figure.
However, he was impressed by Angela’s professional attitude in handling a significant amount, despite it clearly being a substantial sum for her.
“Isn’t it a waste?”
“To pay the appearance fee?”
“Yes. It’s such a large amount.”
“Not at all. It was part of the original contract with the board anyway, and as you’d know if you’ve ever run a MiTube channel, it’s crucial to have an environment where you can naturally shoot various content. Our school is highly admired, and so many things happen here that it’s hard to find a better place.”
“That’s true.”
“Still, I’m the one who profits the most. Moreover, the channel is growing. There’s no reason to skimp on fees for the guests who help expand the company.”
Hyunsoo inwardly admired her.
‘Not many MiTubers can understand and practice that.’
Most tended to cut labor costs as they earned more.
Yet, Angela, despite achieving great success at a young age, saw such expenditure as an investment, which he liked.
And… he found it even more puzzling.
‘Then why did her channel later fail?’
When Hyunsoo established his company, Angela was nowhere to be found in the MiTube scene.
Although Hyunsoo wasn’t a popular student, the alumni association of Johannes High School was powerful.
He received investments through connections with Jesse’s Goldstein family, and seniors and juniors provided various forms of assistance to start his company.
As someone who put a lot of effort into promoting through social media, collaborating with someone as capable as Angela would have been beneficial… but no matter how much he recalled, he couldn’t find traces of her.
‘What happened?’
Knowing how MiTube would evolve in the future, Hyunsoo struggled to think of a reason why a talented PD like Angela would vanish.
“What are you thinking about so deeply?”
Angela, noticing Hyunsoo staring intently at her, seemed slightly embarrassed and avoided eye contact.
“Oh, just realizing how amazing of a MiTuber you are. Your accounting is clean, and your editing and direction are excellent. I respect you. Keep making great content.”
“…Why suddenly so cheesy? What grand content are you planning to propose by inviting me and praising me so much?”
Angela responded playfully but seemed more flustered than when he called her pretty.
“Oh, it’s not grand. You can reject it if you don’t like it.”
“No, you’ve helped me so far… I can’t be that cold-hearted. Tell me. But if it’s R-rated, we need to change platforms.”
“…That won’t be necessary. You know I’m taking a class with my mom, right?”
“Yes. Rugerfield’s class? We talk often. Your mom has been very stressed about the assignments lately.”
Hyunsoo nodded.
“Yes. The latest assignment is to create and sell the most ‘valuable’ bag. I was thinking of filming the process.”
“What kind?”
“It’s better to show than to explain. Just a moment.”
Hyunsoo suddenly brought a sketchbook and pencil.
And he began to draw on it.
“What…?”
Angela was astonished watching his hand move.
In retrospect, Hyunsoo had far more experience as a ‘MiTuber’ than Angela.
‘I had no choice to keep the company running.’
His company faced many challenges in its early days.
Financially, it was always precarious, making it difficult to recruit talented individuals.
‘Somehow, I needed investment to make things work.’
Ironically, his weapon was his frail body.
Hyunsoo was once diagnosed with total body paralysis but recovered enough to move his head and speak.
‘Because of that, even if I gave the same presentation, many people would listen to me and shed tears.’
Many criticized him for using his disability to garner sympathy. But he had no choice.
He practiced tirelessly to give compelling presentations in front of others.
He stayed up nights mimicking great speakers until his mouth was sore.
Once ready, he stood before venture capitalists. He passionately introduced his company to anyone who could invest.
Despite being repeatedly rejected, he didn’t get discouraged. He had nothing else but this.
…And because he talked to every listener, he eventually met that MiTuber.
‘It was a stroke of luck.’
The first significant investment his company received was thanks to an interview video with that MiTuber.
All he did was share the reasons for founding his company and his goals, but many were moved and even started a crowdfunding campaign.
‘This is it.’
Hyunsoo saw potential in it.
He subsequently opened a company channel, filming the progress of their research in an understandable way, and shared stories of people who desperately needed such research.
The power of video attracted subscribers, some of whom became investors.
‘It was much more effective than going through venture companies.’
He studied algorithms, and the viewing preferences of his target audience day and night.
In the early days, Hyunsoo was more of a MiTuber than a manager.
He needed to film videos to secure investments, and consistent investments were necessary for the company’s survival.
Drawing on that experience, Hyunsoo prepared for the [Fashion Class Video].
‘A story adds value.’
In today’s age, many well-crafted bags are made from good materials.
The difference, he believed, lay in the story embedded within.
Hyunsoo decided to use his skills to imbue a handbag with a story through video.
‘What kind of video would be good?’
He was building a database of all the videos he had seen in his life. He sought ideas by revisiting reference videos.
The 2020 algorithm was simpler and easier to target than the future one.
Finding the intersection between Angela’s viewer base, the target audience of the fashion sector, and the 2020 algorithm was not a difficult task for him.
Hyunsoo planned the video based on his inspiration and immediately transferred it to a storyboard.
A storyboard is a step to pre-visualize how to direct a video before filming.
Hyunsoo preferred to draw important scenes like a comic.
It was convenient not to go through an illustrator and to draw with his own hands.
No, it was fun.
Being able to reproduce the images in his head exactly was very appealing.
“You… really are a genius?”
Angela couldn’t take her eyes off the storyboard rapidly taking shape before her eyes.
