There is a man named Galileo Galilei, a famous astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and philosopher of the Renaissance era.
He became famous for proposing the shocking idea, at least to the people of that era, that the Earth revolved around the Sun,
and having become so famous, he became even more famous for being dragged to the Inquisition for heresy.
But after the trial ended, by leaving behind the famous words “And yet, the earth turns,”
he became even more famous to people of the present era.
But that's actually a lie.
Galileo never said that.
They say it was the invention of some 18th-century novelist, and I don't know the details either, but
at least what is certain is that he never said those words.
If he had, he probably would've been burned at the stake for heresy.
The average person back then was roughly at the level of “To lose faith is to mean death…!”
Of course, whether Galileo was burned at the stake,
placed under house arrest,
or acquitted with overwhelming charisma that even subdued the religious world,
the fact that he made a significant contribution to the birth of modern mechanics remained unchanged.
Likewise, the fact that “And yet, the earth turns” is badass as hell remained unchanged.
That an 18th-century novelist's creation has survived to the modern day is for good reason.
Therefore, to supplement my deficient literary refinement by quoting that badass quote,
applying it to my situation would be as follows.
And yet, I'm hungry.
Gurgle…
A sound came from my stomach.
It was the sound of my completely empty stomach threatening me for food.
Just as the truth that the Earth revolves around the Sun does not change no matter what humanity thinks,
the truth that I am hungry right now did not disappear no matter what situation I was in.
The stomach speaks.
‘Even if your PhD, Master's, college diploma, high school diploma, masculinity, name, money, honor, thesis, and other things suddenly disappeared, you're still hungry. So fucking eat.’
But, Stomach, Stomach… what are you saying…
Can't you see what's important right now?
‘What bullshit.’
You said it yourself.
I have no money.
[Balance: 389 won]
I'm really broke, goddammit.
===
To check how in the world my balance ended up being a mere 389 won,
I must explain the astonishing end of “Seol Yuna,” a professional life-waster.
The end was roughly like this.
‘Hehehe… our oshi is so pretty…’
‘Hehehe… gotta donate…’
‘Huh? I accidentally added two more zeros…?’
‘Hehe… but if oshi is happy, it's fine…’
Is that for real?
I seriously felt like killing myself, but
lacking the courage to actually go through with it, I decided to thoroughly search for a way to break through my current situation.
First, what I need right now is money.
There are various ways to get money, but
the most realistically possible method right now is borrowing it.
Even if I go out to work right now, I can't get money immediately.
What crazy boss gives an employee money before they even work?
That said, I mustn't use emergency loan services like online contingency funds.
I have to pay the rent with that.
Seol Yuna, you crazy bitch, blew all her rent money too.
Therefore, according to my limited options, there is only one thing I can do.
That is… requesting a salary advance…!
Just as a fish cannot live without water,
a person cannot live without money.
Through this, if one were to make a humorous, witty, literary joke,
one could say that people are no different from money-fish.
But since it sounds a bit weird, let's never say it out loud.
Anyway, to get money, I have to work,
and to work, I need a job,
so although Seol Yuna wasn't anything special, she did have one decent job.
That job was VTuber video editor.
She was editing videos for a fairly decent mid-tier VTuber.
It was a job befitting a crazy woman who shoved her entire rent and food budget into her oshi.
Ah, to avoid misunderstanding, let me say again—I'm not looking down on the job.
I'm looking down on the person.
Where is there nobility or baseness in a job, or nobility or baseness in money?
If there is, then please throw that basely money to me, please.
Therefore, to receive that precious, precious money.
I decided to send an extremely formal and polite salary advance request to my VTuber-nim,
with whom I had an overwhelming vertical relationship (most would call it employer and employee).
The full text was as follows.
=====
Regarding editor Perni (real name: Seol Yuna)'s request for a partial salary advance for this month
Dear respected Meru-nim,
I sincerely thank you for your hard work in developing internet culture.
What I humbly wish to ask is,
though I am ashamed to say it, due to personal circumstances,
whether it would be possible to receive a portion of this month's scheduled salary in advance.
Due to an unavoidable temporary financial situation that occurred suddenly,
I am compelled to make this request.
The requested amount is 200,000 won,
and the principle is that it will be formally deducted from the next salary.
I deeply recognize that this request may cause inconvenience to Meru-nim's assets,
and I sincerely apologize for this.
Regardless of whether this request is processed,
I promise to carry out my assigned duties with even more diligence and responsibility, without a single hitch.
I would be grateful if you could generously review this and bestow a positive reply.
I will always do my best to contribute to the growth and development of Meru-nim's Neotube.
=====
It was a formal and polite salary advance request that popped out in an instant without much thought.
“…Perfect.”
While I was praising myself, saying that my experience as a grad student still held up…
.
.
.
“…? What is this.”
Hoshigami Meru (real name: Han Sewon), a personal VTuber with zero common sense, was greatly flustered upon receiving the following message.
She was an internet broadcaster in her early twenties,
and what people in their early twenties and internet broadcasters had in common was their lack of social experience.
And whether human or animal, one is bound to feel fear and terror when facing a situation for the first time.
‘C-could it be… do I have to send it like this too?’
Wondering if it might be something related to the law that she didn't know well, she read and reread the message the editor had sent several times,
and after fully understanding it,
Han Sewon left a reply using the indirect social experience she had acquired only through dramas and webtoons,
and together with that, deposited 200,000 won into Seol Yuna's account.
It took roughly two hours for Han Sewon to compose a business reply with her improperly absorbed indirect experience.
Accordingly, it also meant that the time Seol Yuna had to suffer from hunger increased by roughly two hours.
A difference in perspective,
a difference in experience,
and a difference in position had created this mishap.
A young broadcaster with no social experience,
a young editor with nothing but grad school experience,
and an unused AI.
…It was youth.
===
‘I want to die.’
Gim Cheolsu (age 28), a convenience store part-timer, was suffering today as well due to countless crazy customers.
“Heyyy… do you know who I am…?! Huh!!”
‘How would I know who you are?’
A mostly bald old man pulled the “Do you know who I am?” card,
and someone appeared drunk in broad daylight invading the convenience store demanding a tab: “Put it on my tab.”
‘Like that would work.’
“Ah, shit! Shut up and just give me the cigarettes quickly!!”
‘Why the hell does this bastard keep coming? Don't people all smoke e-cigs these days?’
To think even a high schooler, now an endangered species coming to buy cigarettes, appeared.
After exhausting emotional labor, Gim Cheolsu somehow managed to kick those crazies out of the convenience store,
and sighing, he slumped into the chair behind the counter.
His heart was full of wanting to quit as soon as possible, but
he had no choice but to keep enduring.
After graduating university, this was the only job that accepted him,
and now even this was disappearing.
The kiosk said,
“Part-timers… are merely the losers of a bygone era…!!!”
And Gim Cheolsu said,
“…!!! …!!!”
No, he couldn't say it.
Though he wanted to retort, Gim Cheolsu, merely a 28-year-old part-timer, lacked the capacity to do so.
‘That Donut’ at least had solid connections, special abilities, and a cool title and position, didn't it?
Even if he spoke, it wasn't like the kiosk, a mere machine, would hear him.
“Haaa… I want to die.”
After fighting off the crazies and finishing register duties, he spat out his habitual death wish.
No matter how hard he tried, reality wouldn't change, so this habit born of self-mockery would never be fixed now.
As hope faded, a sense of powerlessness crept in like a shadow, continuously gnawing at his mind,
and amidst the twisted desire rising to turn that habit into reality,
“E-excuse me…”
A very small but alluringly charming voice dug into his ears.
“Eugh! Uh, uhh…! Y-yes…!”
Startled, Gim Cheolsu jumped up from his seat and looked at the owner of the voice that had sharply pierced his eardrums.
It was a woman who appeared with her zipper pulled all the way up to her neck and her head completely covered by a hoodie.
The large mask covering half her face was a bonus.
Come to think of it, it wasn't that the mask was big, but her face was small.
“O-over here…”
Unable to regain his senses, Gim Cheolsu only remembered he was a convenience store employee after seeing the items she held out,
“Ah, uh… yes.”
and he habitually scanned the barcodes of the items and completed the payment with the phone she held out.
While trying hard not to show his embarrassment at having shouted like a fool.
“Ah…”
But perhaps because there were many items, it was a troublesome situation her slender two arms couldn't carry all of.
“A plastic bag…”
Cheolsu held out a plastic bag, but
“I-I'm fine…”
she adamantly refused.
After pondering briefly, she opened her zipper to put the cup ramyeon inside her hoodie,
“…!!!”
At that moment, Cheolsu saw a new world.
“Th-thank you…”
Putting all the cup ramyeon inside her hoodie, packing the lunchbox, she quickly walked out of the convenience store.
Watching her retreating figure and the new world inside her zipper,
recalling that alluring voice that continuously circled in his head, Cheolsu spoke.
“…Hmm. I can't die yet.”
It was the moment a habit he thought could never be fixed was fixed.