Wait-or-pay (gidamu)
기다무 (기다리면 무료)
한국어로 읽기Gidamu ('wait and it's free') is KakaoPage's billing model: one episode unlocks free every 12 to 24 hours, and readers who will not wait pay instead.
Also written as: 기다무 · 기다리면 무료 · 기무 · wait for free · 시간 과금 · 기다리면 무료 모델
Meaning
Gidamu is short for "wait and it's free". KakaoPage introduced the billing model in 2014: for each title, a reader can unlock one episode free every set interval (usually 12 or 24 hours), or pay to read immediately. The newest few episodes are often held in an advance-reading window that waiting does not unlock. Naver Series' "free at 10 daily" and similar models on other platforms are all loosely called gidamu. For a binge reader it is "how to read one episode a day for free"; for a writer it is "the device that turns free readers into paying ones".
Why it matters
Gidamu built the scale of the Korean web novel market. With no barrier to entry, readers start without hesitation, and when the story is good they cannot stand the wait and pay. For the writer, gidamu means the strength of each episode's ending is revenue. A gidamu reader decides at the end of every episode: wait 24 hours or pay 100 won. A weak cut means they wait; a strong one means they pay. Gidamu titles are also the core targets of post-completion promotion. Moving a finished work into gidamu brings in new readers for free, they binge, and some cross over to paying. That is why income continues after completion. The revenue gap between titles placed in gidamu and those not is large, which makes gidamu placement an important term in platform contracts.
Example
Hayeon read episode 84 and closed the app. Next free episode in 23 hours 41 minutes. The number sat at the top of the screen.
In the afternoon it read 18 hours 12 minutes. She needed to know what happened with the bankbook. She tapped pay on 85. 100 won. At the end of 85 the timer reappeared. She tapped 86.
This reader paid for six episodes that day. She never used the free timer once.
Gidamu revenue comes from episodes that make readers ignore the timer. Episode 84's cut did that, and because 85 did not disappoint, it carried into 86.
Common mistakes
- Treating gidamu readers as free readers. A gidamu reader is one purchase away at every episode. Write the endings that way.
- Lengthening episodes to justify the price. Readers pay for how badly they want the next episode, not for character count.
- Ignoring gidamu placement after completion. Post-completion gidamu is the second revenue curve. Polish the early episodes when you finish.