Lookism: What If

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(Monday, May 13, 2024 – 4:21 PM)

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the sidewalk as Daniel, Zack, Zoe, Jay, and Mira walked together after school. The air was warm, the usual noise of students chatting and parting ways filling the streets around them.

Daniel walked at a steady pace, hands in his pockets, his mind half-focused on his surroundings while keeping track of his first body back at home. The synchronization had become second nature now, barely requiring effort.

Beside him, Zoe was glued to her phone, completely absorbed in something. Her eyes darted across the screen, her fingers occasionally scrolling, completely unbothered by the world around her.

Zack, walking a few steps ahead, noticed. After a few moments of watching her, he furrowed his brows and glanced at Jay before speaking.

"You've been stuck on that thing for twenty minutes. What's so interesting?"

Zoe didn't respond.

Zack narrowed his eyes, now slightly annoyed. "Oi. You deaf or something?"

Still nothing.

Zack clicked his tongue and stepped closer, peering over her shoulder. "Tch. The hell are you even reading?"

Finally, Zoe sighed dramatically and lifted her head. "I'm reading Lookism: True Flow."

Daniel nearly paused mid-step.

'Already?'

Keeping his expression neutral, he played along, feigning curiosity. "Lookism: True Flow? What's that?"

Zoe perked up immediately with her eyes lighting up. "It's a new webtoon that just dropped this morning, but it's already blowing up. It only has five chapters out, and three of them are locked behind a paywall."

Zack raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Don't tell me you paid for it."

Without hesitation, Zoe shamelessly nodded. "Of course I did. I'm already on Chapter 4."

Zack stared at her blankly before scoffing. "You actually spent money on some random webtoon that just came out?"

"You don't get it." Zoe huffed, waving her phone slightly. "It's different from the usual action webtoons. I didn't expect to like it this much, but the fights, the way the story builds tension, it's actually crazy good."

Zack crossed his arms. "Yeah? If it's that good, send me the link."

Without hesitation, Zoe tapped on her screen and sent it over. "Here. Just read it before judging."

She then turned to Daniel, still excited. "You should check it out too, Daniel. Since you're working on your own webtoon, maybe you can get some inspiration."

Daniel nodded smoothly. "Yeah, I'll look into it."

He had to fight the urge to laugh.

After a few more minutes of casual conversation, the group reached a point where their paths split. One by one, they said their goodbyes, heading in different directions.

As Daniel walked away, he casually pulled out his phone and checked the stats.

Views. Comments. Paid subscriptions.

A grin slowly crept across his face.

'Just as planned.'

(5:02 PM)

Daniel walked through the quiet streets, the sun beginning its slow descent, casting a warm glow over the rooftops. The day had gone smoothly, and now it was time to return home and resume training. His first body had been working all afternoon while he attended school, and he was curious to see the progress.

As he approached the small shack, his gaze landed on Lil Daniel outside, performing a full planche with perfect control. His arms were locked, his back straight, his entire body hovering inches above the ground without a single tremble. But what stood out the most was the heavy piece of furniture balanced on his back.

A discarded metal frame table he had found at the junkyard.

Daniel's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

'Good. The core strength is improving.'

Most people focused on upper body power, raw punching strength, and endurance. But a fighter's foundation was their core. Without it, their techniques would fall apart the moment they faced someone truly powerful.

'If your hardware is weak, it won't matter how good your software is.'

That was why Study Han had struggled so much in the early parts of the story. He had the knowledge, the techniques, but his body couldn't keep up with his mind. It wasn't until he trained properly and fought 1HP Gun, where he begun to walk his path.

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

'Right now, he's probably with those stray dogs, running with the God Dog crew.'

His mind drifted to Johan Seong.

A prodigy in raw combat ability, but directionless. If Johan had a proper rival, someone who could challenge him directly, his growth would skyrocket. The same applied to Daniel.

Daniel's steps slowed.

'Maybe I should send my first body there.'

He seriously considered it.

A 'training' session against Johan and his crew? Not only would it sharpen his own skills, but it would completely alter the course of the story.

The thought alone sent excitement coursing through him.

He smirked, eyes flickering with anticipation.

'After the festival. I'll wait until then.'

There was no need to rush.

First, he would handle the festival. Then, he would change everything.

He had Gun to met and copy some things.

"Hehehe.." a creepy laugh escaped him as he threw his bag.

(6:11 PM)

Daniel sat in front of his laptop, his eyes scanning the real-time statistics of his webtoon. The numbers had exploded since the morning launch, far exceeding his initial expectations.

100,000 views.

And climbing.

That alone was impressive, but what truly shocked him was the conversion rate.

46% of the readers had paid for the locked chapters.

Daniel leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. That percentage was insane. Most webtoons, even the popular ones, barely managed a 10-15% paywall conversion. For nearly half his readers to willingly pay meant one thing, his story was gripping enough to make them crave more.

Now, for the real payoff.

For every locked chapter a reader purchased, he earned 2,988.76 KRW (Won), which was roughly 2 Euros or 2.09 USD.

Even with some readers only unlocking one or two chapters instead of all three, his total earnings were still massive.

Daniel quickly did the calculations in his head.

100,000 readers × 46% = 46,000 paying readers.

Assuming an average of 2.4 locked chapters purchased per paying reader:

46,000 × 2.4 × 2,988.76 KRW = 329,680,000 KRW.

230.992 $

220.614 €

Daniel's eyes widened.

'Over 329 million Won… in a single day.'

His laughter erupted, sharp and triumphant.

He slammed his laptop shut and immediately stood up. His heart pounded, not with fear, but with pure exhilaration.

'I need to open a bank account.'

Without wasting a second, Daniel grabbed his things and headed straight for the door.

(6:27 PM)

As Big Daniel stepped outside, he caught a glimpse of Lil Daniel in the open space near their shack. The first body was no longer holding a planche, instead, he was performing crouching jumps with the same heavy piece of furniture strapped to his back.

Every time Lil Daniel leaped, his legs coiled like compressed springs before launching him into the air, only for him to land smoothly and explode upward again, the sheer strain on his muscles evident. His breathing was sharp, controlled with precise movements.

Big Daniel didn't stop.

He rushed past without a second glance, laser-focused on his goal. The bank.

His earnings were too insane. If he had already made 329 million Won in a single day, then in a week? A month? The possibilities made his head spin.

But as he ran through the streets, a sudden thought hit him like a truck, and his steps faltered.

'Wait. Taxes.'

His body froze.

His pupils dilated.

His breathing stopped.

'The app takes a cut. The Korean government takes a cut. What… what does that leave me with?'

Panic surged through him as he pulled out his phone and frantically searched for the platform's tax policies. His fingers moved at lightning speed with his eyes scanning every bit of fine print.

And then, he saw it.

- 20% platform fee

- 3.3% Korean income tax

- Additional progressive tax brackets apply based on yearly earnings

He knelt on the pavement with his legs giving out.

A moment of absolute silence.

Then, his head tilted back toward the sky with ugly tears and snot on his face.

"I GOT ROOOOOBBBBBEEEEED!!!"

The entire street stopped. Pedestrians turned, eyes wide as they watched the absurdly handsome young man scream his pain into the heavens. Some gasped, some whispered, some just stared.

A middle-aged woman, dressed elegantly with a silk scarf around her neck, clutched her shopping bags and took a step forward. Her heart ached.

"Young man…" she said in a warm voice with sympathy. "Come with me. I'll take care of you."

Daniel slowly turned his head to look at her.

For a brief moment, the offer was tempting.

But then, his rage returned.

Without a word, he jumped to his feet and sprinted toward the bank.

'I swear, I will have my revenge.'

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Gahaha, these are also my feelings as Patreon takes a lot 😭.

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