novelraw Chapter 129 : V-STAR Tour (1)
Chapter 129 : V-STAR Tour (1)
V-STAR Tour (1)
The day before the game show, 'V-STAR' opened.
A new notice appeared on Purple's fan page.
[(Broadcast Schedule) 'V-STAR' Tour with MetaGamer!]
The news was that Purple would appear as a co-host together with MetaGamer.
It was a story that made fans rejoice.
[-What? Godple's showing up at V-STAR?]
[-No way lololol I thought there wouldn't be a guest appearance but somehow, here we go again lolol]
[-Wait; how is Purple a joint MC at V-STAR after only two months of streaming!]
[-Ah, this is truly 'Perfect-Growth'.]
[-MetaGamer's really grown up, huh? Even scouted our Godple.]
[-Honestly, metaGamer got a lot of Purple Coin benefits though lol]
[-For real lol it's an unstoppable rise, how could you miss it?]
[-There's a MetaGamer news post up too lol Seems like they uploaded together?]
Most were shocked, but they understood quickly. After all, every previous collaboration content between MetaGamer and Purple had been a huge hit.
Some had already been expecting this, so the news was quickly understood.
[-Isn't this basically a fan meeting?]
[-For real lol If you go to V-STAR, can't you see Purple in person?]
[-Are tickets still available for purchase?]
[-Yeah, they're still on sale.]
[-Alright~ Let's go~]
[-Lol I was planning to skip this V-STAR but I guess I can't.]
[-I usually just read the recaps, but this time I can't resist lol]
[-Damn lol I'm working that day.]
[-You can find another part-time job, but V-STAR only happens once a year!]
[-Boss, I'm so sorry!]
[-SensibleChu]
[-Are you crazy lololol]
With certified posts being shared, even more fans became determined to buy admissions. A belated ticket-buying rush started on the fan page.
* * *
On the day of V-STAR's opening.
Before the official opening, Lee Gyeongbok logged in with his capsule ahead of time. It was to run through the final pre-event checks.
"Kya! Purple, it's been so long!"
At the lively voice, Gyeongbok turned his gaze. Over there was Shin Hyerim, metaGamer's host, a journalist he'd previously co-hosted with several times.
"You've been well, right!?"
"Of course. How about you, reporter?"
"I've been doing great, all thanks to you, Purple."
"Because of me?"
Gyeongbok looked puzzled and she smiled brightly.
"Oh, yes. Ever since the article about you went out, our Influencer team's standing has skyrocketed."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. Even inviting you this time was our team leader's idea—he really pushed for it. Well, you're an amazing guest, but still."
Shin Hyerim was visibly excited. It was only natural, since landing this host spot over her senior colleagues came largely from her interactions with Purple.
To her, Purple was more precious than any treasure.
"Haha, please send my thanks later. Because of you, I got a great chance."
"Oh no, we're the grateful ones. Ah, sorry, I'm talking too much. Here's the final schedule chart."
Shin Hyerim sent over a hologram document using Smart Link.
"There aren't any big changes from last time, are there?"
"No. In the morning, we'll be checking out the booths from Korean game companies—most are mobile games."
Compared to Gyeongbok, Shin Hyerim was even more nervous. Now, seeing the schedule chart, it started to feel real.
Though she'd covered game shows as a reporter, it was her first time as a tour broadcast host—so it was natural.
"For mobile games, there's usually more introduction than hands-on experience. With mobile's nature, it's hard to get a feel for gameplay in a short time and there are limits to testing too."
She had informed this in advance.
But she repeated it, to make sure she wouldn't forget.
"Yes, our more important part is the afternoon: announcement of new capsule titles, right?"
"Yes! You'll try out the demo version, Purple, and share your impressions too."
"Got it. But the break after lunch looks longer than before?"
Unlike previous broadcasts, a tour broadcast required a lot of time dedicated to coverage. That meant a scheduled break mid-program.
"Oh, there's a Sweeties celebration performance then."
"Ah... So that's why."
At Shin Hyerim's answer, Gyeongbok nodded. He'd already heard about it from Park Juho.
"Yes, yes. If our show overlaps with the concert, viewers would inevitably tune out. It's better to resume after the concert ends and pull viewers back in."
As MetaGamer, there was no reason to necessarily compete with Sweeties, so this was the logical decision.
'Then I can allow him to go and see it.'
Gyeongbok gave a faint smile.
Although Park Juho had said he'd focus on work as a manager, could a fan's heart really calm down so easily?
'This is something to look forward to too.'
But the reason Park Juho held himself back was this:
[Play With Sweeties!]
Gyeongbok was scheduled to join a special event with the Sweeties members.
"Purple, it's almost time. Let's head out!"
"Yes, let's go."
Opening time approached.
Gyeongbok and Shin Hyerim headed to the central presentation booth in the venue.
"Huu..."
Shin Hyerim took her seat and breathed deeply. Gyeongbok looked at her and smiled.
"Take it easy. I'll help you out from the side."
"Ahaha, honestly, I feel more like the guest."
Shin Hyerim let out an embarrassed laugh. And then the countdown started.
The two made brief eye contact and looked straight ahead.
[On-Air]
A red light lit up on the booth's panel.
As the broadcast started, Shin Hyerim greeted viewers in a bright voice.
"Hello! This is the V-STAR Tour with MetaGamer, I'm your host, Shin Hyerim! Today, we have a very special guest joining our tour!"
"Yes, hello! I'm a streamer broadcasting on Tri. PerfectPlay, Purple!"
Gyeongbok also greeted the viewers, waving with a delighted face.
― Trha!
― Cue-ha!
― Godple Coin skyrocketing, let's go~?
-5252, that's smooth hosting!
― Honestly, looks like the reporter nuna is even more nervous lol
― Is this the world of guest/host reversal?
As if they'd been waiting, viewer greetings filled the screen. The viewer counter started spinning rapidly.
"Wow, the excitement is insane! The hype for this game show is off the charts. If you look right outside the booth, you can see the gamers who bought admission tickets logging in."
At Shin Hyerim's words, the screen showed the outside of the booth. As the opening began, more and more people started gathering.
The attendees looked around and soon stared towards the booth.
The camera switched back inside.
"There are a lot of people who've waited for opening."
"Yes, exactly. This V-STAR is probably going to be a huge hit as well."
As Gyeongbok added, Shin Hyerim looked visibly more relaxed.
"Before we get started, let's review the current channel status."
Since the event was online, channels were divided for smooth viewing. If one channel got crowded, viewers could continue on another.
The channel list popped up on the screen, and her eyes widened.
"Um... this is..."
Something seemed strange about the channels.
* * *
Meanwhile, the V-STAR organizers were monitoring the servers.
"Okay, everyone, don't get relaxed just because it's morning—stay sharp!"
The server management team leader roused the staff as the event opened.
"Is everything ready for today's Sweeties performance?"
"Yes. Channel allocations are complete."
It was a given that many would gather for the Sweeties celebration concert. The organizers had to be careful about server overload for the concert's channel.
"The channel with the concert—Channel 1—can handle up to 200,000 people. The rest we fixed to 10,000 each."
But the server capacity was finite. So the organizers chose to focus the traffic on the concert channel, lowering the caps on the others.
"Right... don't know if we'll even hit 200,000, but better safe than sorry. 10,000 for the others is plenty."
The leader nodded.
People there to view the show, not the concert, would prefer a less-crowded place.
Past data suggested that 10,000 per channel would be more than enough.
"Keep an eye on Channel 1. Some fans might log in early for good spots."
"Understood."
Leader and staff devoted all their attention to Channel 1.
And perhaps because of this—
When an overload warning popped up, chaos ensued.
"What? What happened!?"
"No problem in Channel 1!"
At the report, the leader furrowed his brows.
"Show me channel status!"
All channels were listed at his command.
[V-STAR Ch.1 – Stable (7%)]
[V-STAR Ch.2 – Comfortable (1%)]
[V-STAR Ch.3 – Congested (77%)]
[V-STAR Ch.4 – Comfortable (2%)]
[V-STAR Ch.5 – Comfortable (4%)]
...
Among the green list, one red channel stood out. The color deepened in real-time, and the percentage kept rising.
People were flocking to Channel 3.
"Wait, what on earth...?"
Everyone was baffled.
The server itself seemed fine. Which made the situation more perplexing.
'Why Channel 3 and not the others?'
There was no apparent reason everyone would try logging into Channel 3 when the other channels were wide open.
With that much traffic, logins should be slow, pushing people to other channels.
"Create a queue for Channel 3 and check what's going on!"
"Yes!"
But addressing the issue took priority over understanding it. Staff rushed to follow orders.
"Team Leader! MetaGamer's broadcast is on Channel 3 right now! Nothing else unusual!"
"MetaGamer's broadcast? That's the reason?"
The report left the team leader, and the other staff, even more mystified.
"That's been happening every V-STAR, though?"
It'd always been part of past V-STARs.
But nothing like this had ever happened.
* * *
Back at the MetaGamer's broadcast booth.
Shin Hyerim was left slack-jawed.
[V-STAR Ch.3 – Full (100%)]
In moments, the channel hit capacity, and new connections were blocked.
-lololololol
― Channel full instantly?
― Only MetaGamer's channel is full lol
― What's with this popularity!
"Uh... so many have come to see us as soon as we opened. Especially to our channel, it seems."
She managed to collect herself and looked around the booth. The booth was made of transparent walls so the outside could be seen, and crowds were waving and smiling on the other side.
"Looks like the people outside are trying to say something but we can't hear from in here."
"Oh, yes. The booth is completely soundproof, so we're not disturbed during the broadcast."
The people outside seemed to realize this, as they started pulling something out.
Upon seeing the objects, Shin Hyerim and Gyeongbok figured it out.
"Oh, those are...!"
"Looks like my viewers decided to show up."
What they pulled out was a mask.
It had a 'P' in the center—the same one Gyeongbok wore in his unboxing video.
-lol they actually made those
― Even if it's hard to make IRL, easy modeling in Reality lol
― Purple viewers flexing their identity hard
― Damn lol I should have gone too
Somebody had made the mask, originally created by Reality, into an avatar accessory and shared it online.
― Ah ㅠㅠ Login failed
― What game show has a waiting line like this lol
― Insane lol Already 1,351th in queue
― If you don't want to wait, just go to another channel
― Sure~ Keep waiting! I'm unemployed, I can wait all day!
Frustrated viewers who failed to log in posted in the broadcast chat.
"Um, so, uh..."
Shin Hyerim was flustered by the unexpected turn, but Gyeongbok stayed calm.
"Thank you to everyone who came out. There are quite a few who couldn't get in yet? Still, since the main focus is the game show, feel free to watch from another channel and come by later."
― I don't want to? I came to see Godple though?
― For us, you're the main event
― Lol got plenty of time~
-5252, time is like a rock for Troopers
― Time is money + See gold as if it were a stone = Time is stone
― There's no ancient saying that isn't true lol
― Crazy dude lol
Their responses were playfully mischievous. Gyeongbok gave a wry smile and looked at Shin Hyerim.
"Reporter."
"Yes? Oh, yes."
"Seems like the other channels are clear, right? Could you request the organizers to adjust the caps if possible?"
Her eyes lit up at that. The other channels had lots of room, so reallocating slots from Channel 3 could easily resolve the issue.
'This is newsworthy...!'
Once again, she was struck by Gyeongbok's value. Usually, a reporter chases news—but with him, stories practically rolled in by themselves.
"Yes, I'll contact them right now!"
She typed a message on Smart Link. With newfound confidence, she faced the camera.
"Our team is requesting the organizers to expand our channel. But because of the schedule we prepared, we'll need to proceed—thank you for your understanding."
She bowed lightly with a bright smile and turned to Gyeongbok.
"Now then, let's begin the perfect V-STAR tour with Purple!"
The chat filled with laughter at her cry.
― Ah, is this the start of 'Perfect-Tour'?
― Even MetaGamer's addicted now lol
― V-STAR waiting line lol setting a legend from the start
― Truly classic Godple!
From the very start, the game show was in full uproar.
***
**New Names, locations, skills, and Techniques**