The moment I got home I changed just my top half into a suit and was about to start the broadcast when something important came to mind.
It was the title.
The single most important thing, responsible for nine-tenths of the inflow.
"Isn't there a title that can bait people in good and hard......."
I thought about it for a while, then repeatedly wrote down and deleted the titles that came to mind.
[An Explanation]
Too ordinary.
[Y... y... you crazy bastards, you're the ones who were wrong]
This is real bait, but it's too strong.
[Shaman Kim Jinwoo Responds to Staging Allegations]
Too honest?
[EXCLUSIVE) Staging Allegations: Do the Viewers Bear No Responsibility?]
Oh, this one seems pretty decent.
"Hmm......."
But something feels lacking.
It would be nice if I could go a bit more provocative.
[BREAKING) Shaman Kim Jinwoo Revealed to Be a Vermilion Bird Taking Flight]
"Maybe not this one."
[Jjiriri Kim Jinwoo Channel's Final Broadcast]
"Ooh......."
I was a little impressed with myself for writing it.
But doesn't this leave me no way back?
To begin with, it doesn't match the current concept of the broadcast either.
After agonizing for a long time, I decided to just go simple.
[Superstar of the Universe Kim Jinwoo's Broadcast]
"Since when did I ever bait people on my broadcast."
Let's go with the title I've always used.
Now then, before I start today's broadcast I should offer a short prayer.
I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes.
"Mother, I ask for your help again today."
I finished the short prayer and pressed the [Start Broadcast] button, and viewers came flooding in like a rising tide, as if they'd been waiting.
[Viewers: 1,832]
[Viewers: 4,521]
[Viewers: 6,932]
[Viewers: 8,341]
Over eight thousand people came in the moment the broadcast started.
'Wow.'
Marveling inwardly, I bowed my head toward the camera.
"Hello, this is Kim Jinwoo."
The instant I greeted them the chat window went wild.
―Explain yourself! Explain yourself!
―Get lost, con artist!
―What, why is our broadcast on fire like this?
―Staging allegations came out, go watch Myutube
―Our Jinwoo isn't smart enough to stage anything!!
"I heard I was somewhat the talk of the town today, but I didn't expect to be on fire the moment I turned this on."
―Talk of the town lolololol
―It's a controversy, not talk of the town
―Explain yourself! Explain yourself!
―Judging by the suit, is this an apology broadcast?
―Judging by the title, it isn't
―Anon has donated 10,000 won!―
[Jinwoo, judging by the suit, are you doing an explanation broadcast today?]
"Ah, this? I put it on to get a thumbnail out of it. For the record, I'm in shorts below."
―You crazy bastard lolololol
―So is it staged or not?
―Our Jinwoo isn't smart enough to stage anything!!!
―Jinwoo's mom, please stay out of this
[Viewers: 10,151]
For the first time on my broadcast, live viewers passed ten thousand.
A crisis becomes an opportunity.
If I handle today's business well, I can turn all these viewers into regular viewers.
"Ahem. First, let me address the staging allegations."
―Hurry up and explain!
―Do you have evidence?
―We all saw it in the video!!
"But the truth is, you won't believe me no matter what I say, will you?"
―Obviously
―Bring evidence
―They said we can't rule out CG either
―I watched the TruthTV video and it's all analyzed there
"Then let's go with the simplest method."
―Simple?
―What is it?
―Hurry up and explain
"Everyone who doubts me, come into Daincode."
―?
―Huh?
―Into Daincode?
―To do what?
"I'll read your fortunes directly. That's the fastest method."
The chat window stopped.
―Ohhh
―He seems confident about this?
―Is he really a shaman?
―Should I go in and try
"But there's a condition."
―A condition?
"If I read your fortune and get it right, just hit subscribe and like once each. It'd be even better if you posted a recommendation."
I said that a streamer lives on the attention of viewers, while pretending to wipe away tears with a tissue.
―Lolololol
―What is this bastard
―Is this an explanation or marketing
―Bold of him
"But if I get it wrong, I'll give the viewer one million won each. Ah, I've spent all my money this month, so it'd be next month."
―One million won?
―Jinwoo, are you confident?
―Are we really doing this?
―I'd like to get some of that
"I'll do it free without taking any money, so anyone come in. The password is 1004. I'll pick mainly from those who usually curse me out in chat."
The moment I said it, people came into Daincode one after another, and the nicknames were something else.
[ThisBastardIsAFraud]
[YouCanTellItsCG]
[DontBeFooled]
[FraudsGetLost]
"Oh, nice. Nicknames full of suspicion. Then let's perform an autopsy on what you've all been typing in chat."
When I searched the nicknames that came into Daincode, all the chat they'd typed came up, and it was something else.
Enough that it couldn't go out on the broadcast without censoring.
"How does it look to you all?"
―Look at the state of that chat
―I'll believe it, you people really do hate Jinwoo
―At that level, do they even have a reason to hate Jinwoo?
―Do you need a reason?
―No reason? Jinwoo, let's give them a reason this time
―If they typed chat like that for days, you have to believe it
―You can't even call this staged
"All right, then let's start with the first person, ThisBastardIsAFraud."
Along with a ding, he came into Daincode.
"Hello."
"You're a fraud, right?"
"When you meet someone for the first time, you're supposed to say 'hello.'"
"You are a fraud, though."
"Then let's take a look."
When I closed my eyes and looked into him, a man in his twenties was eating instant noodles in a studio apartment.
But looking closely, clothes were piled up like a mountain on the floor.
He hadn't washed the dishes in at least a week, judging by how they filled the sink, and only the light of his monitor was lighting the room.
"Mr. Han Yechan. You're twenty-seven and you're job hunting. How long has it been since you last cleaned your room?"
"Wh-what......."
"Things are hard these days, right? There are no jobs as it is, and companies only hire people with experience. You've posted quite a few times asking where new hires are supposed to get experience."
"How on earth do you......."
"It's all right. You're in a situation where you need help right now. There's no need to make it complicated. First, open the window and air out the room. Just breathing clean air clears your head."
"......."
With a click he left Daincode.
"Mr. Yechan. It's fine to start with small things at first. Flowers bloom even from asphalt. Today, start by clearing the clothes strewn on the floor, and tomorrow do the dishes. You'll feel much better."
―This guy is giving consultations here too
―You give a consultation to someone who came to take you down?
―Jinwoo, you're definitely a humanities major
―How are you going to survive this rough world being this soft?
"All right, then let's bring in the next person. YouCanTellItsCG, come on in."
Click.
"Let's see you do it, then."
This time a woman in her forties spoke, and she was radiating an air of not believing a word I said.
Well, we'll see.
When I closed my eyes and looked into her, a woman in her forties was sitting on a living room sofa.
She had a laptop on her knees and was staring hard at the screen, which was my live video from yesterday.
She had it open and was analyzing the scenes frame by frame with a video editing program.
'This person is serious.'
Beside her sat a boy who looked about nine.
"Mom, I'm bored."
"Shh, be quiet. Mom's watching a video right now."
"Mm-hm......."
Even at the boy's dejected voice she paid no mind and stayed immersed in the video.
While missing what actually mattered.
"Ms. Lee Ahyeon."
"H-how do you know my name......."
"That must be hard work, going through it one frame at a time. Doesn't that hurt your eyes?"
"And how do you know that......."
"But Ms. Ahyeon, while your nose was buried in the screen, did you know your son said he was bored three times?"
"......."
"Rather than analyzing my video frame by frame, shouldn't looking after your child come first? To a child, a parent is the whole world."
"Ah... th......."
"Childhood memories last a lifetime. Please give your child good memories as a gift."
―She's analyzing it frame by frame??
―Even I couldn't do that
―She was analyzing a video and got her own life analyzed instead lolol
―She was really determined to take one man down
―But this guy is giving consultations to the people trying to take him down
"Ms. Ahyeon. You don't have to believe me. But please pay more attention to your son. That's enough."
"......."
"Thinking that only a fully grown tree is love is a misunderstanding. A sprout is love too, and fruit is love, and a stump is love as well."
Love doesn't have one fixed shape.
Blooming, deepening, emptying out, all of it is love.
―Every time he says something like this he looks different, I swear
―Hey! This is our Jinwoo, I'm telling you!
―Jinwoo? Are you giving a consultation right now?
―I'm telling you, those people didn't come in for consultations
With a click she left Daincode without a word this time as well, and two people were left.
―I'll pass
...Now one person was left.
Since DontBeFooled had just typed that in chat and left.
―That one ran away
―Boo, you coward bastard, if you draw a sword, at least cut a radish
―The fake crumbles before the real thing
―There can't be anyone left suspecting staging after this
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[Hold on, doesn't shouting 'staged' right now get you a free consultation?]
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[Are you a genius?]
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[Harvard graduate at minimum]
"...Please don't spread strange rumors. I'm running autopsies on chat history, remember."
―Damn it, I should have typed filthier chat
―Ugh, why did I type such clean chat?
―I should have walked the path of the troll!!!!!!
―Why does the world bare trolls!!!!!!
―Bear, you bastard, what the hell is bare
"All right, then last, FraudsGetLost, come on in."
Along with a click his voice came through.
"Hello. I'm Kim Jinsil, and I run TruthTV."
―Huhhhhhh?
―TruthTV himself has entered the ring
―FraudsGetLost was TruthTV??
―Is this real???
―He infiltrated, he really infiltrated
"Good to have you. You're the one who came after me on Myutube, correct?"
"Yes. That's right. I came to be verified by you directly, Mr. Jinwoo."
"Your nickname is awfully violent, though."
"I apologize for that. I made it provocative on purpose to bait attention."
―Lolololololol
―He's honest
―TruthTV admits to baiting himself
―Is this for real?
So that's how you bait people.
There's a reason he has 750,000 subscribers.
"Let's get straight to the point. Do you believe what you broadcast yesterday was real, Mr. Jinwoo?"
"Of course. Since I also know that you make deliberately provocative content to earn your daughter's hospital bills."
"H-how do you......."
"Content has to be provocative to make money, doesn't it? Only then can you cover your daughter's hospital bills. So you take on unpleasant work like this too."
The reason he makes this kind of provocative content.
It was because of his own daughter, admitted to a hospital.
Not a common illness but a rare disease, costing over ten million won a month in treatment.
Since an ordinary office worker's salary couldn't cover it, he had no choice but to start doing this work.
"Mr. Jinsil."
"...Yes."
"Your insurance isn't enough, so you make only provocative content. Taking the abuse yourself, for your daughter's sake."
―He made provocative content to save his daughter
―A rare disease really leaves you no options
―Ten million won a month is impossible on a normal job
"Let me tell you one piece of good news. Just hold on through this year. Next year a miracle will happen."
"Next year, you say...?"
"Yes. Everyone will have told you that a full recovery is impossible for life. But that isn't how I see it. You only need to hold on through this year."
TruthTV was silent for a long while, and then a small sob came through from the other side of the line.
"...No one has ever said anything like that to me."
"Naturally. This is something only a shaman can know."
"I visited several shamans too, and every one of them only wanted money......."
"Ahem, not every shaman is like that. More importantly, please go to the hospital early today. Something good will happen."
"...I'm sorry."
With those words he left Daincode.
But he'll take the video down, right?
The bait being taken is nice and all, but managing chat is work too.
I should hire a manager or something.
***
A pediatric ward at a university hospital in Seoul.
A man in his forties stood in front of a hospital room door.
In his hand was a small cake box.
But his hand was shaking.
Because the words he had heard from the man he had just come after... no, from the shaman, kept circling in his head.
'Just hold on through this year. Next year a miracle will happen.'
'Please go to the hospital early today. Something good will happen.'
He breathed out deeply and steadied himself.
'Don't tell me.......'
Because in the past year, not once had anything he'd heard from the doctors been hopeful.
We're doing everything we can.
Let's wait and see.
To be honest with you, this illness is.......
But that man had been different.
'A miracle will happen.'
That one sentence was warmer than everything every doctor had said in a year.
He breathed deeply and opened the hospital room door, and his only daughter, who should have been lying in bed, was sitting up.
"Dad!!!"
His seven-year-old daughter looked healthier than she ever had.
"Jiyun......."
"Dad! Nothing hurts at all today!"
"N-no......."
Color had returned for the first time in a while to the face that had been pale for the past year.
"Jiyun......."
"Hm?"
"Really nothing hurts?"
"Yes! I ate all of my lunch today too!"
For the past year she hadn't been able to eat even half a meal, and overnight a miracle had happened.
Just then the hospital room door opened and her attending doctor came in.
But the doctor's expression was different from usual.
"Sir."
"Yes."
"Could we speak for a moment?"
"Understood. Jiyun, Dad's going to go talk for a moment."
"Okay!"
He told her he'd be right back and went out into the corridor, where the doctor breathed out deeply.
"Sir. Today's test results came in."
"Yes......."
"This is a little awkward to say."
"...Is it serious?"
"No. The opposite. Her numbers are suddenly improving."
"Sorry?"
At the doctor's words his hands shook.
"I've never seen a case like this. There was no change for a year, and then suddenly today...... and next month a new clinical trial drug is coming out that I think could be applied to Jiyun's case."
"......."
"Calling it a miracle would be a stretch, but I'm seeing hope here, sir."
At the same time, the words the shaman had said flashed through his head again.
'Just hold on through this year. Next year a miracle will happen.'
"...It was real."
"Sorry?"
"Ahh, what have I done......."
When he covered his face with both hands as if washing it dry and sank down in the corridor, the doctor supported him with a flustered expression.
"Sir, are you all right?"
"I'm all right... and thank you......."
Out of nowhere he thought of the video he had uploaded.
He sprang to his feet and took his phone out of his pocket.
Then he deleted the video and posted a message.
[I apologize to Shaman Kim Jinwoo]
"...This won't be enough."
He resolved to make a new video and upload it as soon as he got home.
Hadn't the shaman said it.
That something good would happen.
He wanted to repay it as well.
So he started agonizing over the video title.
The whole way home.
And the result.
[I Met a Real Shaman, a Pearl in the Mud]
That a video with that title was uploaded and became the talk of the town is a story for later.
***
"All right, is there anyone else?"
―Anon has donated 10,000 won!―
[I decided to become an anti starting today, will you give me a consultation?]
"Hahaha, do you think that'll work?"
―Anon has donated 10,000 won!―
[Damn it, I should have left some hate comments]
"Please don't do that. More importantly, is that everyone?"
At my words the chat window went quiet, and I think that's explained things well enough.
...It ended a bit anticlimactically, though.
If it had burned hotter I'd have gotten more popular, so it's a shame.
No, wait, wasn't the fire about explaining the ghosts?
"I haven't explained the ghosts yet, is that all right?"
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[If we push back now our personal details get dug up]
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[Will you believe, or will you get your details dug up?]
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[I'll believe, please just don't dig up my details]
Is that how the story goes?
Smiling to clear the air a little, I gestured.
"Then let's begin today's consultation broadcast. The consultation fee is 10,000 won!"
―IFoughtWithMyHusband has donated 10,000 won!―
[I'm applying for a consultation]
―MyCatIgnoresMe has donated 10,000 won!―
[Please untangle the bitter grief of a servant]
―MyCompanyIsHell has donated 10,000 won!―
[Hahaha I think I'm going to die]
...Today's nicknames are all out of the ordinary as well.
Among them the one that stood out was IFoughtWithMyHusband.
"IFoughtWithMyHusband, come on in."
Click.
"Hello."
"What's going on?"
"My husband won't eat home cooking and orders delivery instead, so we fought."
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[He can order delivery sometimes, why nitpick that]
"May I ask the reason?"
"Because my husband lost 300 million won on stocks."
―Anon has donated 1,000 won!―
[Home cooking is a luxury, just starve him]