A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 106

[HP – Harum: As I mentioned last time, shall we distribute the video profits 50:50?]

[Inquisition Officer: Yes]

[HP – Harum: Yup!]

[HP – Harum: And thank you so much for allowing the video upload!]

[HP – Harum: I really wanted to post this video on YouTube!]

[HP – Harum: Rene’s posture is just so incredible that it will help others when they see it.]

[HP – Harum: Honestly, considering all the hard work you’ve done managing your body, it’s a waste to hide it, right?]

[Inquisition Officer: Even with such flattery, I’m not allowing those postures.]

[HP – Harum: I’m not saying this just to flatter you; it’s my genuine feelings!]

[HP – Harum: Personally, I want to do other projects with Rene too!]

[Inquisition Officer: I don’t know]

[Inquisition Officer: You’ve worked hard]

“Ah, she ran away.”

With a chuckle at Rene’s final reaction, Harum stretched.

“You’re granting permission, right?”

“Yeah. I also minimized the scenes we need to edit.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Let’s all work hard one last time~.”

“Yup!”

After standing up, Harum said that and headed out of the conference room towards the water cooler.

“Wasn’t that a bit unnecessary?”

The one talking to Harum was Hyunho, another trainer from the Health Project.

“Huh? What?”

“This YouTube video. It’s definitely a loss.”

At Hyunho’s words, Harum shrugged silently.

“In the last stream, we got 20%. This video is 50%. We’re not charity workers, right?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Hyunho’s words were indeed a fair assessment.

The Health Project was not just Harum’s personal platform on YouTube; it was a group endeavor involving four other trainers, along with staff supporting them.

Thus, the investment costs for creating a single video were quite high, especially for this project with Rene, where they invested even more than usual.

Dividing the profits in half in such a scenario meant that even if they hit the highest views on YouTube, it’d be difficult to break even.

“But this time, I did pressure Rene a lot too. So it’s my way of apologizing.”

“That’s what I’m saying, was there really a need to push that far?”

“Isn’t it subjective depending on how you interpret it? Initially, when I mentioned it last time, you said you understood, right?”

When Harum suggested looking at this video from a broader perspective, everyone in the Health Project agreed.

But realizing that Hyunho wasn’t making that argument anymore, Harum slowly sipped her drink and continued speaking.

“…It’s a shame.”

“What’s a shame?”

“It’s just sad that you worked so hard, yet no one recognizes it.”

After the collaboration with Rene, Harum had checked how the public was reacting.

Shockingly, except for Rene’s fan community, most were bashing her.

【Isn’t it just a pure fat pig?】

【You shouldn’t call a pig a pig ㅋㅋ】

【It’s obvious she’s trying to leech off the Health Project ㅋㅋ】

【How messed up does one have to be to act like that?】

【If she had confidence, she would have shown her face long ago ㅋ】

Of course, after it spread that Harum acknowledged the validity of those criticisms, they quieted down for a moment.

But just a few days later, another narrative began to circulate.

【Harum << It seems like she's getting paid to defend her】



【If Harum acknowledges it, is it truth? If you’re upset, show me, damn it ㅋㅋ】



【Even if she’s serious about fitness, getting paid can change her opinion ㅇㅇ】



That reality really bothered Harum.



Exercise is the ultimate embodiment of effort. No matter what, exercise doesn’t betray your efforts.



To Harum, containing a respectable person like Rene within that narrative felt wrong.



So, when Rene agreed to create the YouTube video, Harum was genuinely thrilled.



This was a chance to silence the toxic public opinions in one go.



“I really don’t like seeing others belittle someone’s efforts.”



Thus, creating a video that maximized Rene’s appeal became Harum’s personal goal.



Thanks to that, she uncovered a few secrets as well.



“Is that a sufficient answer?”



“…Yeah.”



As Harum voiced her honest thoughts, Hyunho slowly nodded as well.



“But still, I think that last part wasn’t right. Harum, what you’re doing right now isn’t an apology; it’s self-satisfaction.”



However, that didn’t mean the discussion had concluded.



“No matter how you see it, Rene didn’t ask you to do that. In such a situation, what you did earlier was… frankly, a nuisance. If you pressure them into giving you permission while imposing your thoughts as the only correct viewpoint, you’re no different from them. And even if later you say, ‘I had this intention!’, will Rene truly be happy? I don’t think so.”



Harum sealed her lips at Hyunho’s words.



That recent point made by him was something Harum had also been considering to some extent.



“Of course, I understand that you wanted to include as much as possible. But that’s something Rene should express herself. You shouldn’t have extracted a response through half-imposed pressure. Saying ‘it’s okay’ just because you gave her 50% of the profits later on is… genuinely cowardly, Harum.”



As Hyunho spoke not just as a trainer from the Health Project, but as the eldest among the members, Harum couldn’t counter any of his arguments.



As Hyunho said, Harum unconsciously thought something like, “We’re facing losses too…”.



Thus, Harum replied,



“…I guess you’re right. I apologized to Rene last time for a similar reason too…”



“Harum, I know how sincere you are about fitness, but this time, your feelings just got ahead of you. So next time, think it over just once more, and let’s avoid such situations. …For now, let’s reach out to Rene and apologize. Also, let’s address everything she requested. They aren’t really demanding anything difficult.”



“Got it….”



Silently acknowledging Hyunho’s words.



“As for the length of the video… um. Since this was already planned to be lengthy from the start, let’s just wrap it up like that.”



“Okay….”



“Then I’ll let the others know, so take a little break and come back.”



“Okay….”



Hyunho patted Harum’s head one last time before heading back to the meeting room.



“Ugh, what a fool…”



Left alone, Harum gazed quietly at the ceiling and sighed.



★



“Uh-heh….”



Feeling cheerful, I rolled around vigorously on my bed.



[HP – Harum: I really wanted to post this video on YouTube!]



[HP – Harum: Rene’s posture is just so incredible that it will help others when they see it.]



[HP – Harum: Honestly, considering all the hard work you’ve done managing your body, it’s a waste to hide it, right?]



[HP – Harum: I’m not saying this just to flatter you; it’s my genuine feelings!]



[HP – Harum: Personally, I want to do other projects with Rene too!]



Hearing such praise from none other than a professional trainer felt amazing.



Am I not truly impressive?



Of course, even if she said that, there was no way I’d ever consider granting permission, but still, compliments felt great.



Sometimes on broadcasts or Remagal, there are comments urging not to stay home but to go work out, and having that confirmed by an expert felt just as validating.



I’ll definitely brag about it on the broadcast once the break is over.



Thinking that while kicking my feet on the bed, I suddenly heard a Miscode notification sound from my phone.



The sender of the message was… Harum.



“Huh?”



Wasn’t the conversation just finished?



Why was she messaging me again all of a sudden?



[HP – Harum: Um, Rene. Is it possible to chat for a moment?]



[Inquisition Officer: Yes, that’s fine]



Would she want to say something about making additional edits to the video, thinking it would be too complicated otherwise?



There had been some signs of her trying to push too hard from earlier.



Though I guess I also have issues with my inability to refuse….



[Receiving a call from HP – Harum]

[📞 | ❌]

[Ah, Rene….]

While pondering that, I answered the call, only to hear Harum’s voice, which was completely different from earlier.

Did it seem somewhat self-reproaching?

…Could it be that there was a problem with the video that we’d have to reshoot?

[I… wanted to apologize.]

“…Huh?”

Then, the unexpected came from Harum.

[I realized after thinking about it that I might have pressed my views too much on you, Rene…. I apologized for a similar reason last time, and I’m really, truly sorry….]

“Ah….”

In response to Harum’s words, I couldn’t help but comfort her by saying she didn’t come off like that.

I had just been thinking in the same way moments ago.

[I’m not trying to make excuses, but I genuinely believed I was acting for Rene’s sake…. However, it seems I was just trying to satisfy my own means. I’m really, really sorry….]

But seeing her so willingly acknowledge her mistake was, honestly, refreshing to witness.

[So I wanted to inform you… For now, I plan to edit out everything you mentioned in the video. Oh, but just because of that, it doesn’t change the profit distribution or anything. …I’m really, really sorry. If there’s anything you want to say or if there’s another uncomfortable point in the video, feel free to tell me anytime….]

“…It’s okay, Harum. Just the fact that you’ve shared all of this with me is more than enough.”

[Ah…. Thank you.]

Acknowledging your fault is never a simple task.

I’ve learned that swiftly since meeting the Inquisitions.

And even excluding that, due to my experiences with Bell when I was younger, who’d always bullied me and squealed to the nuns while never acknowledging his own faults.

Maybe because of such experiences, this kind of situation felt quite refreshing.

[Then, I suppose I should be going….]

“…Harum.”

[…Yes?]

“Does the offer of visiting me again still stand…?”

[…Ah, yes! If you come by next time, I’ll do my absolute best to help you!]

“Okay. You’ve worked hard….”

[Thank you so much…!]