novelraw Chapter 136 : The Demon Wears Purple (3)
Chapter 136 : The Demon Wears Purple (3)
The Demon Wears Purple (3)
A new graph appeared for the first time.
[PerfectPlay Q-tube Average Video View Count Trend Analysis]
The company had been analyzing not just subscriber numbers, but also video view counts. Below the graph, in bold red letters, were the words 'Trending Popularity Rankings.'
"For more accurate compensation, we analyzed Sir Purple's channel through various metrics."
[PerfectPlay Tri Channel Follower Trend Analysis]
[PerfectPlay Tri Channel Viewer Count by Time Analysis]
More graphs appeared.
"As a result, with current indicators, we've judged that it's impossible to evaluate Sir Purple's true value."
There was a common feature among every graph.
"In fact, the current metrics are 'undervalued.'"
Though each graph looked different, not a single one ever stopped its upward climb.
"Of course, I'm sure Sir Purple, and Team Perfect, are already well aware of that."
After saying this, the male staff member glanced stealthily at his female colleague, who nodded and picked up the explanation.
"The first payout from our head office to Sir Purple was 3 million won."
"That's right."
"Yes, at that time you had around 13.5 thousand subscribers, and we valued you based on a 150,000-subscriber benchmark."
This was during the Bio Crisis advertisement contract. She swallowed dryly, seemingly nervous, and then spoke again.
"Likewise, we never intended to undervalue Sir Purple's worth. Please note that everything is negotiable, and I'll now share the amount set by HQ for this contract."
Park Juho's eyes lit up with interest.
All three people in front of them were clearly nervous.
'Are they worried about a public declaration?'
It was obvious they were treading carefully to ensure the contract went through. For Lee Gyeongbok and Park Juho, this was a welcome sign.
'At this rate, we could probably raise the baseline to 25 million...'
While Park Juho reevaluated the numbers in his head, a holographic document appeared before them.
He opened his eyes wide at the amount listed.
"30 million won...?"
It was a whole 10 million won above their initial expectations. Park Juho did his utmost to maintain a calm demeanor.
Lee Gyeongbok, however, showed more curiosity than surprise.
He was wondering how they came up with such a number.
Reading that anticipation, the female staffer quickly continued explaining.
"We determined it was hard to quantify Sir Purple's value through channel growth alone. So, we reanalyzed the effects of the previous contract."
As she finished, a new chart appeared.
"This is a chart comparing Sir Purple's Bio Crisis playthrough before and after. The average Tri channel viewer number used to hover between six and seven thousand, but the next day it broke through thirty thousand."
That was a fivefold increase.
But that wasn't all.
"After Sir Purple revealed the true ending and the contract was fulfilled, the growth didn't slow down — it only got stronger."
Naturally.
Players who had only experienced the regular endings began challenging themselves for the true ending.
"As a result, sales figures also rose, and after our company announced the difficulty update, sales shot up to four times their previous rate."
Not just in Korea — sales increased globally. Thanks to Purple's playthrough, the developer decided to lower entry barriers for the game.
The middle-aged staffer nodded slightly to the woman, then took over.
"With all our internal analysis, we expect Sir Purple's Q-tube channel will break the one million subscribers mark soon, and that the boost in sales from this public stream is on par with any Influencer out there."
Park Juho blinked.
'Was the impact even bigger than I thought...!'
He'd been off due to lacking the company's internal data.
'They've already decided Gyeongbok deserves the status of a 1.5 million Q-tuber.'
Compared to the first contract, Purple was now being valued at nearly ten times the original.
And in terms of time to reach this point...
'To get here in just two months...'
Strictly speaking, it hadn't even been a full two months. In just about a month and a half, his value had multiplied tenfold.
Park Juho didn't show it on his face, but his mind was reeling.
'So this is the value of a real genius.'
He turned to his friend.
But the man at the center, Lee Gyeongbok, wore only a faint, serene smile.
"Thank you. It's the first time I've heard such a detailed explanation."
He expressed his thanks and turned his gaze.
"Would it be all right if I step out for a moment to consult with my manager?"
"Oh, yes, of course! We'll step out and give you the room!"
All three staff members jumped up and left the meeting room.
Left alone, Lee Gyeongbok spoke first.
"Well?"
"It's huge,"
Park Juho replied, his expression steady.
"The company revealing their internal metrics just shows how badly they want this."
"Mmm... so the ball's in our court?"
"In a sense. But honestly, I don't think there's any need to start swinging it around."
"Oh?"
"I mean, they'll probably accept if we push for more. But there's always a limit from the company's side. At this point, we might be able to push past it, but..."
Park Juho scrunched his nose. Lee Gyeongbok, seeing his friend's expression, nodded.
"That greed could backfire and ruin the whole relationship."
"In the end, every company weighs profit versus cost. Even if it's a smart investment long-term, if the immediate loss grows too big, their decision could change."
Lee Gyeongbok considered it a moment and then decided.
"Then it's best to proceed without any extra haggling."
He looked at his friend and grinned broadly.
"It's better to get 30 million won now and aim for 50 million next time, than demand 40 million right away and end it here, right?"
"Absolutely. At this rate, your value will keep rising."
A smile crept up on Park Juho's lips as well. He was satisfied with his friend's focus on long-term profit over short-term gain.
Concluding their discussion, the two called the staff back in.
"Thank you!"
As Lee Gyeongbok accepted the offer as is, the staff's faces lit up with relief.
"Ah, there's just one condition. Could you check if it's possible?"
On hearing his condition, the staff nodded briskly.
"No problem! We'll prepare right away."
"As expected, you're focused purely on the stream."
"No wonder everyone watches Sir Purple's broadcasts."
It was a condition there was absolutely no reason for them to refuse.
* * *
The day of the public broadcast.
People moved as quickly as they had been awaiting this moment.
― Whoa lol, it's already over 8,000 viewers?
― I put my kids to bed just so I could watch lol
― Tsk tsk, practice your salary-leeching techniques more
― Overtime pay with streaming on the side, this is the life lol
― I'm the boss, so it doesn't matter for me^^
― Wtf;; why is the average age suddenly so high in here!
― All the console boomers gathered up, wow
― Hey! Boomers are gamers too! Gamers!
The chat was full of excitement and anticipation. But something felt off.
― Why's chat so clean today?
― Isn't clean chat a good thing?
― Wtf;; I thought foreigners would flood in
― Exactly lol I was mentally prepared for it
― Did everyone forget about Demon Must Cry?
― Take that back!
― Do you guys even know about Demon Must Cry!?
― The boomers are getting mad instantly lolol
― Here come the Boommercry memes...!
Amid the chatter, the intro started playing. Attention shifted instantly.
"Trha!"
With that familiar greeting, Lee Gyeongbok appeared and chat exploded.
― Perfect hi! Perfect hi! Perfect hi!
― Thanks so much for doing our homework ㅠ
― Godple's come! Godple's come! Godple's come!
― The big guy's here! The big guy's here! The big guy's here!
― Purplelelujah! Purplelelujah!
A curious sight unfolded as people praised him for landing the ad.
And the praise wasn't limited to just the chat.
['DemonMustCry' has donated '300,000' won!]
[Thanks, student^^]
['Yawunya?' has donated '500,000' won.]
[The devil cried, I cried, the whole world cried at Demon Must Cry's comebackㅠ]
['IsThisTheLegend?' has donated '200,000' won.]
[A legendary moment—legendary game with a legendary streamer]
With huge donations pouring in, Lee Gyeongbok's eyes turned round.
― Lolol Godple is getting a money shower out of nowhere
― Wow lol the console boomer purchasing power is on another level
― Donation amounts have entered a whole new league
― Loool at this point they're not boomers, they're elders
― Exactly lol when they open their wallets, they're real adults
― Is this what adulthood looks like?
Laughter filled the chat.
Lee Gyeongbok bowed politely and continued.
"Thank you so much for the support! Since this is an ad broadcast today, please understand that I won't be able to read every message individually."
He expanded the donation window as usual, but the donations just wouldn't stop.
With viewer count already over 10,000, the donations were substantial. Reading every donation would have delayed the ad segment.
"As you all know, today I'll be playing Demon Must Cry—Demon Must Cry—for the first time ever. But this is a test build, not a final release! Please note that there may be differences when it's officially launched."
― This is definitely going to be different lol
― Yeah if you think of Bark, it HAS to change
― What if the cutscenes still don't line up this time lol
― Ah lol I was so immersed then and it snapped me right out
― One bad experience woke those dev pups up, huh?
― I'll let it slide since this is just a test build ^^
After checking the chat, Lee Gyeongbok continued.
"And one more thing, there might be some people having trouble logging into my stream right now?"
The chat was suddenly filled with question marks.
-???
― Is there a problem with the Tri channel?
― No? Mine's fine?
― People can't log in to Godple's channel?
― What's going on, what's going on!
― Is the stream gonna freeze or something mid-way?
― If something goes wrong, time for another fundraising truck lol
If only the Purple stream wasn't working, it wasn't a Tri platform issue. Viewers' worries were obvious.
Lee Gyeongbok waved his hand with a smile.
"No, it's not a channel problem. If you know anyone with this issue, tell them to change their language setting to 'Korean.'"
Even after the explanation, the question marks didn't disappear. In fact, they multiplied.
― Korean?
― Why the sudden language setting?
― Huh?
― HOXY?
― No way lol is it...?
Some viewers caught on to his intentions. Lee Gyeongbok smiled widely and explained.
"Before the stream, I made a separate arrangement with the sponsors. Only viewers who set their language to Korean can access my main stream, and those who prefer other languages can watch the company's official relay stream."
This was the sole condition Lee Gyeongbok had requested in negotiations.
Why was this necessary?
"There's actually a lot of overseas interest. Of course, all those viewers are important to me as well, but what matters most are those of you who've supported me all along. This decision is to ensure a smooth viewing experience for you, so I ask for your understanding."
With the reason revealed, the chat went wild.
― Wow, I'm seriously touched
― Idiot! He only thinks of his viewers!
― He's crazy lol no wonder the numbers are weird
― If foreigners were allowed, 40k would be easy
― Is this the mindset of a two-month smurf?
― He even considers the comfort of Troopers!
― Seriously, are you living your second life? Are you the leader?
― At this point, it's not that we're simply being Purple'd, we're marinated in him
― Purple-marinated and proud lol
― This man, even his streaming attitude is 'Perfect'!
― Just God, pure light, sheer perfection!
― He's so charismatic! No wonder the Troopers are smitten!
Chat was now overflowing with emotion and excitement. Lee Gyeongbok felt a surge of certainty in his decision.
― So glad I was born in Korea
― From now on, this is God Korea
― No matter how hellish Korea gets, it's worth enduring if we have Purple
― Ah lol, foreigners can't watch the main stream because they don't know Korean? Feel the pain?
― Korea companies, take a page from Godple, ffs
― Exactly lol, isn't domestic 〉 export just common sense?
― Is this an isolation policy or what lol
― The Purple Daewongun effect hits hard
― Purple Daewongun lol that's nuts
A sky-high tension right from the start.
Lee Gyeongbok clapped his hands with a bright smile.
"Thank you! That's the end of the announcements. Now, let's start the game."
A world-first exclusive reveal.
It was time to be the star of that title.
---