Tap, tap.
The HBS marketing team was starting their day amidst the busy sounds of typing. They were having hectic days, dealing with various information and news about the soon-to-be-aired drama, “Between Our Steps,” as well as uploading behind-the-scenes shooting clips to YouTube.
“What? The files disappeared? What do you mean…?” Son Ah-yeong, who manages HBS’s YouTube, received a phone call with a bewildered expression.
“When can you make it again? Two days? No, two days, really?”
There was a problem with the character observation video that was supposed to be uploaded to YouTube. It was a video introducing the charms of each character, and now the shocking news came that the fully completed files were lost.
“Sigh, okay. Please make it as soon as possible.”
However, there was no way to hurry them. This drama was a highly anticipated production where every detail, from actors to screenplay, had been meticulously prepared. They couldn’t just upload a sloppy character introduction video.
The problem was that the gap had already become too long.
“The video that should have been uploaded today is now delayed by two days, making it over three days of gap.”
The YouTube operation, which uploaded drama-related videos every three days, was disrupted. It was clear that subscribers, who watched out of habit, would likely drop off if there were issues with the upload schedule.
“We need a placeholder video.”
However, without a video at hand, they could only think about it.
“Sigh.”
“Ah-yeong, why are you sighing like that?” Deputy Kim, passing by with coffee, asked with a curious look.
“The video is gone. It needs to be uploaded today.”
“Well, a day or two should be okay. The previous videos had good reactions, so don’t worry too much.”
“I think I feel more responsible because the reactions are good. I don’t even have a video to upload right now… Thank you for your comfort.”
Slurp.
As Kim took a sip of his coffee, he nodded as if he suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, right. Check your email.”
“Email?”
“Yeah. Some YouTube operator sent an inquiry email today. You should take a look.”
“YouTube?”
Although it was an unexpected message, it caught her attention. Son Ah-yeong paused the conversation and opened her email to check through it.
“Here it is.”
Kim, who came closer, pointed at an email.
“Everyday Life with Ara? Ah!”
The inquiry email was from the owner of the “Everyday Life with Ara” channel. Son Ah-yeong knew the channel well. Initially unaware, she discovered it through comments on drama promotion videos.
– Is it possible that our Ara appears here?
– If it’s true, that’s amazing!
– Although it’s a minor role, it’s unbelievable that our Ara appears in a drama with Kim Hye-na and Kim Kang-woo… I feel blessed.
– It’s just speculation, but I’m sure our Ara appears here; I saw it in my dream.
– Wow, I saw it in my dream too! It’s probably true!
Due to these occasional comments, Son Ah-yeong eventually checked the “Everyday Life with Ara” channel. She also confirmed through announcements why such comments were often made. And while checking out the channel, she naturally got absorbed in the videos.
“Our Ara is so cute!”
As it turned out, it was confirmed that Ara indeed had a minor role in this drama. It was a scene captured in one cut with the main actors.
There was a video capturing the filming scene that could be edited and uploaded to the channel… Amazing.
Son Ah-yeong trembled with excitement, clasping her hands together. A lifeline had come down just when all videos were exhausted. It was even behind-the-scenes footage from the shooting, which had already been uploaded once before with great reactions. She had intended to release the remaining behind-the-scenes footage gradually… But now, anything would do; they needed a video to upload immediately.
“Thank you, Deputy Kim!”
“Oh, it seems like it’s resolved. That’s a relief. Well, I’ll go and finish my work now.”
Whether Kim left or not, Son Ah-yeong immediately dialed the contact number in the email.
Ring-ring.
Click.
“Hello? Ah, yes! This is Son Ah-yeong from the HBS marketing team. Is this a good time to talk?”
**
“Hmm, it smells savory.”
My mother touched and smelled the hanging meju, smiling.
“How is it? Do you think it’s coming along well?”
“It seems fine. But it’s fermenting faster than I expected. Everything you work on seems to progress quickly.”
“That’s true. It’s saving a lot of time.”
The fermentation process of the meju was being checked daily and noted down. This was to minimize trial and error, so that even if this attempt failed, the experience would serve as a foundation for success next time.
Of course, this process was going smoothly. Perhaps it would succeed in one go?
‘Hmm, don’t get complacent!’
There was still the jar maturation to be done. Though there weren’t many difficult steps left, it would be painful if it went wrong at the last minute.
“I’ll show you the rice paddy and the pepper field.”
“You said the rice and peppers failed once, right? Do you think it’s going well this time?”
“Well, I just have to watch and record since the kids are taking care of everything. They learned a lot from the previous failure.”
Meanwhile, Ara was fishing with my father. Since my father mentioned feeling lonely, Ara offered to accompany him.
‘She’s so considerate. Is there anything our Ara can’t do?’
Our Ara is truly perfect. Her dancing is cute, her acting is cute, and everything about her is cute, so she’s perfect!
The green plants basking in the light came into view as we approached the pepper field. They had grown quite a bit in just a few days. Without the machine that provides light, growth was very slow, but now it seemed like they would bear fruit soon.
“I might try harvesting some green peppers.”
“I can’t wait. Can I look forward to it?”
“Of course!”
The rice, which had just been planted, looked like neatly arranged grass. Seeing the rippling paddy made me feel proud.
“Seon-ah will be here soon. I’ll go out for a bit.”
“Alright. Take care.”
After school, it was time to head to the dungeon. On the way, I should buy coffee for my mother and father and some snacks for Ara.
Outside the dungeon, the construction site had changed significantly. The speed was much faster than I had anticipated, highlighting the importance of connections at times like this.
‘Did they say it would take about three months?’
Wow, three months! Considering the scale, it was an unbelievable speed. Of course, the liberal use of funds helped greatly, even with the connections.
I went down the mountain via the well-maintained gravel road, bought two cups of coffee from a cafe, and packed different types of cake slices for Ara.
“Brother!”
“Oh, you’re here.”
“I got a call from HBS!”
I tilted my head at what she said as soon as she arrived.
“HBS? Isn’t that where Ara’s drama is airing?”
“Yes! They contacted me! I sent an inquiry email asking if I could edit the on-set footage from the shooting day and upload it to my channel.”
“Oh, really?”
It seemed she was still diligently managing her editing and channel. I felt proud of her for not neglecting anything and doing well at it all.
“But they asked if they could upload that video to the official HBS channel instead. They had a gap for a video upload today, and they asked if they could use mine instead. Of course, they’ll pay for it!”
“So did you give them the video?”
“No? I wanted to ask you first. I already asked Iron Blood Entertainment on my way here. They said it’s fine.”
Why would she ask me about that? Well, the thought was commendable.
But honestly, I thought Seon-ah could handle her channel’s operations by herself. After all, my main role was farming.
“You did well. Do as you like. Is it more beneficial to upload it to HBS than to your channel?”
“I can’t say one is more beneficial than the other. But they’ll properly credit the source. It’ll also be indirect advertising for our channel.”
“Your mind’s already made up, huh.”
“Hehe, something like that.”
Then, we decided to contact them right away. Since there’s no reception inside the dungeon, it’s better to do it outside.
Seon-ah began a call with an HBS employee, nodding continuously, then took out her laptop to do something before ending the call.
“Done!”
“Is it settled?”
“Yes. Since the video is already edited, I just need to send it. They said they’ll handle the credit.”
“When will the video be uploaded?”
“In about ten minutes?”
“Oh, that fast?”
“Yeah, it seems like they were in a hurry.”
Given the situation, we decided to wait a bit and watch the video upload before entering the dungeon. Ten minutes, twenty minutes, thirty minutes passed. Contrary to what was mentioned, the time slowly increased, and the ice in the coffee melted. Eventually, Seon-ah and I drank our coffees and decided to order fresh ones for our parents before leaving.
“Oh! It’s up!”
“Ooooh~!”
The video Seon-ah edited was uploaded to the HBS official channel. Although the editing wasn’t as polished as other videos, it was a basic, well-done video.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t checked lately. How many subscribers does your channel have?”
“Everyday Life with Ara? It’s almost a million.”
“A million?”
“Yeah, 965,000.”
It felt like it was just recently at 700,000, and already it’s grown? Of course, 700,000 was already an impressive number. According to Seon-ah, the algorithm had a significant impact.
But a million felt symbolic and took on a different meaning. A hundred! A million… Since Korea’s population is 50 million, it means one in fifty people subscribed to Ara?!
“Brother, wait a minute. I’m going to post an announcement. I should put up the HBS video link.”
The reaction to the uploaded video was lukewarm at the moment. It seemed to be because it hadn’t been up for long. But if Seon-ah posted an announcement?
“Won’t it hit a million by tomorrow?”
“Then I’ll treat you!”
“Sure.”
Nice, that’s great. With the commercial shoot coming up soon, I was excited about the upcoming date.
***
“It’s up now.”
Iron Blood Entertainment’s planning and publicity team. The employees, who had been waiting after receiving Seon-ah’s contact, all checked the video simultaneously.
“Oh, the quality is good.”
“Right? They said she edited it herself, and considering when the channel was created, her skills have improved quickly.”
Although it was mainly behind-the-scenes footage of Ara, the actors were also captured well. There were no issues since the video was taken with permission from the start.
“Aww, cute.”
“No wonder people adore her. She’s making me smile even though it’s my first time watching.”
“Huh? Manager, aren’t you subscribed to Everyday Life with Ara?”
“Uh, um? No, I was just about to.”
After watching the video, the staff members each liked and commented on it.
“I think this will get a good response. How about we move up the advertising date?”
“Let’s wait and see. I think they might contact us first to shoot the commercial earlier.”
And just then.
The manager received a call. After finishing the call with a big grin, the manager spoke to the staff.
“The company called. They asked to contact Kyu-seong to see when he’s available. Check Ye-eun’s schedule too!”
Cliche Novel 