I Only Baked Bread, but I Was Mistaken for the Best - Chapter 6
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 6. Fortune in Money (2)
“Yes! Then I’ll be going! See you!”
The chat window remained silent despite my prepared closing remarks.
After pressing the broadcast end button, I tidied up the filming equipment that had been set up.
Well, actually, I didn’t tidy it up.
I simply collapsed against the chair, exhausted.
“Sigh….”
Sitting in my chair, I let out a long, heavy sigh.
“This is so draining….”
I was consumed by the desire to simply sink downward and disappear.
Unseen by anyone, just down, down, and further down….
“Right. I need to edit the video….”
I straightened up and reviewed the footage I’d just recorded from the broadcast.
In the video, I was eating pasta as if savoring something truly delicious.
That was my strength as a mukbang YouTuber.
Eating deliciously, cleanly, and in large quantities.
That’s why I started as a mukbang YouTuber, but the situation wasn’t going well.
‘Twenty subscribers….’
The pathetically small number of live viewers and subscribers.
Among those twenty subscribers, excluding my secondary account, family, and friends, the real number was barely in single digits.
‘Should I quit?’
Even as I thought this, my hands were busily searching for editing points in the video.
It had become a habit after doing this for a year already.
But without results matching my effort, exhaustion was inevitable.
‘My head hurts…’
Perhaps it was because my thoughts had become complicated.
I threw on some clothes and headed outside.
Even as I trudged along, the weather remained bright and clear.
I felt as though everyone on the street was whispering that I was foolish.
‘Ugh….’
Suddenly my chest tightened, and I hurriedly stepped into a nearby alley.
And then I saw it.
‘Was there a bakery here?’
Letters written in gold on a green background.
I couldn’t understand what the alphabet meant, but I could make out the shop’s name from the Korean text below.
‘Happiness Clover Bakery?’
What I needed most right now was exactly that—happiness.
Looking at the display case, appetizing breads were lined up in rows.
Breads that clearly showcased the baker’s skill.
‘That looks delicious….’
But she couldn’t help but hesitate.
‘If I eat that, it’ll interfere with my next shoot….’
For a mukbang YouTuber, there was more to worry about than just eating.
Since her body weight increased with every bite, managing her physique was a crucial factor.
That’s why bread was practically forbidden for her as a mukbang YouTuber.
Especially when she wasn’t filming.
‘Bread makes you gain so much weight.’
Made from refined carbohydrates that rapidly spike blood sugar, with low moisture content and high density.
And with fast digestion and absorption on top of that, weight gain was inevitable.
‘Ugh… I can’t do this….’
But when I came to my senses, I had already stepped inside the bakery.
There were far more varieties of bread greeting me than what I’d seen from outside.
The man who appeared to be the owner was spending time with the black cat.
‘Right. It wouldn’t be polite to just leave after coming in.’
Rationalizing it that way, Ye-seul carefully selected a baguette that seemed like it would cause the least weight gain.
Since there was a space to eat, I sat down, opened YouTube on my phone, and played a trending video.
What appeared immediately was a story about a Hunter who had recently become S-rank through re-awakening.
“If life were that easy, I wish I could eat too….”
One piece of bread and a life transforms.
A small wish lingered in my heart, then faded—that such a thing would happen to me.
Right at that moment when I took a bite of bread with just that level of sentiment.
‘Mmph!’
I couldn’t help but be astonished.
No, I couldn’t think of anything at all.
Crispy, soft, savory, salty-sweet.
Yet none of these words could accurately express the taste of this bread.
‘What on earth does this taste like….’
Perhaps it was because I’d come to an unexpected place and experienced this unexpected joy.
For the first time in a long while, I could focus entirely on eating without a single distraction.
Without a single stray thought.
I only came to my senses after the baguette on the plate and the butter I’d taken from the counter were completely gone.
“What is this….”
I just wanted to eat delicious food to my heart’s content.
A life where I poured every penny I earned from part-time work into food, yet never ate as much as I wanted.
The words that a girl shouldn’t eat so much so carelessly.
This was the profession I’d chosen to directly challenge those gazes.
‘Right. This was the feeling. What it means to eat something delicious.’
Where did it all go wrong.
Just one bowl of bread was enough to make Ye-seul look back on her entire past life.
Even in an amount that barely registered.
‘Yes. Let me return to my roots.’
Just like when I first started the broadcast.
Back when I pondered what I wanted to eat, rather than what I should eat.
And now, the answer to that question was as good as decided.
Ye-seul rose from her seat and approached the counter without hesitation.
Perhaps startled by her bold demeanor, the man who appeared to be the Owner widened his eyes and asked.
“Oh… Customer? Is there something you need?”
“Um! If you don’t mind! Would it be okay if I filmed here!”
Anyone who could bake bread this delicious must be a craftsman with pride in his work.
Such people typically tend to avoid public exposure…
“I’m a mukbang YouTuber, you see? The bread is really, really delicious, so I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I filmed a video here!”
All she possessed was a pathetically meager YouTube channel.
She couldn’t mention that she could promote through broadcasting.
Instead, because of that, the video she pulled out was…
‘The video where I ate most deliciously. The video where I could confidently say I smiled most happily while eating.’
It was her very first video uploaded to YouTube.
[How to Deliciously Eat 10 Servings of Braised Pork Feet!]
The Bakery Owner quickly concealed his bewilderment and watched the entire video with a serious expression.
The cat he kept also meowed occasionally throughout, focusing along with him.
When the video reached its end, he returned the phone to Ye-seul and spoke.
“When were you thinking of filming?”
“Whenever is convenient for you!”
“Then would right now be okay?”
At those simple words, Ye-seul’s face bloomed with a radiant smile.
“Yes!”
Happiness filled the emptiness that had dwelt in her chest.
* * *
The video of Ye-seul, who introduced herself as a ‘mukbang YouTuber,’ was far beyond what I had imagined.
“I’d heard such things existed, but honestly, I wasn’t particularly interested.”
“Meow?”
“What are you saying? Words… Ah. You can’t speak right now, can you?”
“Hisssss!”
I received an angry hiss and a paw strike, but what could I do about it.
I don’t know much about cat language.
Anyway, the reason I wasn’t particularly interested in mukbang was simple.
“It’s hard to watch food that was made with such effort just be consumed so easily.”
Even making bread used simply as a snack requires considerable effort.
You must measure precisely, and when kneading the dough, you can’t just mindlessly apply force.
The patience to let it rest and precise temperature control were also essential.
While I haven’t made much food other than bread, I’m certain other dishes require just as much effort, if not more.
Of course, the pleasure of eating is the reason I endure such inconveniences.
“Well, sure, there are people who do it for money, but if that’s the case, delicious food can never come out.”
What bothered me was that the fruits of all that effort were being consumed for the sake of speed-eating spectacles.
So I think I’ve been consciously avoiding it for a while.
“Meow? Meow?”
“I’m telling you I don’t understand what you’re saying. Anyway, but after watching that video, I changed my mind.”
“Meow….”
Having apparently given up on conveying her message, Noir let out a long sigh, then hopped onto the counter and began toasting some bread.
As I stroked her head, I recalled the video I’d watched earlier.
It was remarkable how much she consumed—an amount most people could never finish.
But unlike some YouTubers who furrowed their brows and merely moved their jaws, Ye-seul displayed genuine happiness across her entire face.
From the very first bite until the table was completely empty.
“She really does eat deliciously.”
“Meow.”
“You’re not upset, are you?”
“Meow.”
As if she had little interest in human affairs, she now closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep.
In conclusion, a significant opportunity had come my way.
A YouTuber had come and even offered to film directly.
“The contract went through without a hitch.”
Whether she always carried one or not, we were able to proceed with the contract right away.
She said she would pay me a filming fee in exchange for shooting the video here and uploading it to her YouTube channel.
‘You’ll pay me?’
‘Yes. You make such delicious bread, and you’ll probably get many customers. It’s only right that I compensate you for the inconvenience while I’m filming.’
“I felt a bit guilty about it, though.”
It wouldn’t be polite to refuse what was being offered.
In any case, I was pondering what to purchase with the money I received so I could bake even more delicious bread.
“Alright! Let me try this!”
Ye-seul began filming with bright, cheerful energy.
Starting with the baguette that had convinced her to film, followed by croissants, pecan pie, salt bread, and more.
Watching her eat the bread I’d baked while continuously exclaiming in amazement made me smile.
“This is exactly why I chose this profession.”
A lot had happened since yesterday, but it was still the start of a good day.
* * *
“Upload complete!”
With an expression far more vibrant than when she’d left her house earlier, Ye-seul clicked the mouse.
Before long, a video was uploaded to her channel.
“I should send the Bakery Owner a message.”
After leaving a text for the Bakery Owner who had been such a great help on her journey, Ye-seul gazed at the video she had edited.
“Man. It really was delicious.”
In the cleanly edited video that looked no different from those of major YouTubers, Ye-seul had stacked bread like a mountain and was enjoying her meal with genuine delight.
Even as she spoke, the tower of bread disappeared quietly, swiftly, yet without any hint of greediness.
Recalling the flavor of each piece, I could almost feel saliva trickling down my throat again.
“I should have… bought some bread. Oh, but you said I couldn’t.”
‘You’re taking more?’
‘S-surely that’s… not allowed?’
‘Because I’ve already sold all the bread you were eating…’
‘Ah… oh…’
Just as she was watching her own video, smacking her lips with regret.
Ding.
“Huh? A comment?”
She hurriedly checked the notification that a comment had been posted on her video.
Comments were rare on a channel with only twenty subscribers.
Intending to like and reply if it was encouraging, she refreshed the page—and froze.
“What? Is this real?”
– FaVoR_Hany(√): Looks so delicious! Adding this to my places to visit later! Subscribing!
Hani, a member of the popular girl idol group FaVoR, whose new releases always dominate music charts.
Her comment, complete with a verification mark, was right there.
“Wow! Wow! Woooow!”
Ye-seul quickly typed a reply, overjoyed at being recognized by a celebrity.
But she had no idea how far this comment would spread.
– Is this real?
– Wow! It’s Hani!
– When are you coming back to perform?
– The bread does look delicious though
– Unlike other mukbang YouTubers, you eat so calmly yet deliciously,, I ended up buying bread without realizing it ^^@@
– Who is this? She’s so pretty.
Beyond riding the algorithm, people who discovered Hani and lingered on the video would soon find themselves captivated by Ye-seul instead.
It took less than three hours for Ye-seul—or rather, her channel name “Lolo”—to reach ten thousand subscribers.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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