novelraw Chapter 39 : Team Perfect Established
Chapter 39 : Team Perfect Established
Team Perfect Established
Lee Gyeongbok, Choi Byeonghun, and Park Juho were gathered at their usual café. All three were monitoring Genome's broadcast.
"Wow... Even as a friend, this is amazing to watch. Imagine how those people must feel."
As the broadcast ended, Choi Byeonghun packed away the hologram that had just been playing Genome's stream and spoke.
"But is that real? You can actually 'see' sounds and stuff?"
At his question, Lee Gyeongbok frowned slightly at his glabella.
"It's not exactly like that. Ah, it's really hard to explain in words."
"But it's possible, right? Wow, you really are a genius."
Choi Byeonghun answered offhandedly. Anyway, it was clear that his friend was a genius, and that was the most important fact.
Watching the two, Park Juho adjusted his glasses and spoke up.
"Enough chit-chat. Let's finish the meeting."
"Ah, look at this uptight guy. It's not like we're just messing around. Seriously, shouldn't we get a little break if we're done monitoring?"
"I know exactly what you were doing during the break."
"... Sharp guy."
Lee Gyeongbok chuckled at his two friends and asked,
"Where did we leave off?"
"We were just reviewing our current situation. Actually, watching Genome's broadcast now, I'm convinced. Lee Gyeongbok, you're a genius. But just being a 'genius' isn't enough."
"What do you mean? Isn't being a genius already amazing?"
Choi Byeonghun widened his eyes.
"Yeah, but if there's something better, it's the manager's job to lead you there. Weren't you envious of Genome's relationship with viewers?"
"Huh? How'd you know? Was it that obvious?"
This time, it was Lee Gyeongbok's eyes that widened.
"Yeah, it was obvious what you wanted, so this is actually good. Purple needs to become not just a 'genius', but a 'familiar genius.'"
"Familiar?"
"An average genius inspires awe. But that awe doesn't last forever. People are naturally envious and jealous of those more talented than themselves. Some even act on those feelings."
At that, Choi Byeonghun clapped lightly.
"Wow, that's so true. Do you know how many haters I've seen working in this field? Those guys just think completely differently. When you ask them why they do it, do you know what they say?"
"What do they say?"
"Since streamers make money easily, it's fine to insult them. And then there are those who shamelessly claim that if you're doing this kind of job, you should expect to get insulted."
"... There are people like that?"
Lee Gyeongbok wrinkled his nose. Until now, most of the viewers he'd seen were people who enjoyed things together with him.
He found it hard to believe that there were people with such twisted personalities.
"When your broadcast gets bigger, those kinds of people will target you too. Even now, the troublemakers are starting to crawl out, right? Of course, I know you're not the type to lose your composure over things like that."
"Well... but it would still suck if it happened."
At his friends' words, Lee Gyeongbok nodded. Feeling disgusted is a physiological reaction, after all.
"That's why forming a fandom is important."
"Fandom?"
"The growth rate of the Purple channel is insane."
"Off the charts, really."
Choi Byeonghun nodded in agreement to Park Juho's comment. His face clearly showed satisfaction and pride.
In contrast, Park Juho's gaze remained cool and sharp.
"But that means the attachment between you and the viewers isn't deep yet. The subscription and emotes we've prepared are just tools. What you need to establish is the fans' sense of belonging. The easiest way is for you to give your fans a direct nickname."
"Hmm, he's not wrong. Genome has the 'Genomes,' and D'Artagnan has the 'Dalddeongies'—big streamers all have nicknames for their fans."
Choi Byeonghun named the two giants among streamers as examples. Lee Gyeongbok nodded seriously.
"A nickname for fans... I should think about that."
"Of course, it's not urgent. But it's worth keeping in mind. More importantly, there's this."
Park Juho lightly tapped on his smart link and pulled up a hologram.
It was a neatly organized list.
"As announced, we need to produce new emotes. I've arranged some designers and samples here."
"Wow, when did you have time to prep all that?"
"Yeah, didn't you go home right after we wrapped up last night?"
The two friends asked, surprised. Park Juho just shrugged.
"It wasn't that hard. I just researched other streamers and Q-tubers. Anyway, take a look and see which ones you like."
Lee Gyeongbok and Choi Byeonghun looked over the list, faces serious. But picking just one was hard.
"Wow... You really only selected top-notch talents for this."
"Right? I like them all, but they're not even that similar."
Agreeing, Lee Gyeongbok saw Choi Byeonghun's eyes darting around quickly.
"Hey, instead of overthinking, let's make this content too."
"... Content?"
"All that's on Purple channel right now are gaming videos. That isn't bad, but viewers also like bite-sized videos, like ones that are only about 5 minutes long."
"And what's that got to do with emotes?"
"Well, since the viewers will be the ones using them, why not let them choose directly? Actually, a lot of streamers do it this way."
At that, Park Juho's eyes sharpened.
"That'd work. If viewers choose directly, it'll also raise the desire to subscribe, and some might even volunteer to make the emotes themselves."
"Nice. Plus, it'll give us time to interact with viewers—and it sounds fun?"
Lee Gyeongbok nodded, and their conversation tilted in that direction.
"If we just make one sample each, the costs shouldn't be too high. I'll handle the outsourcing."
"Great. Let's settle the emotes that way."
"Oh, and speaking of costs—"
Both friends' attention sharpened as Park Juho spoke up again.
"Gyeongbok, you haven't registered as a sole proprietorship yet, have you?"
"Registered as a business?"
"With the way your channel is growing and the money coming in, you need to think about taxes. If you register as a business, you can write off not just the emote outsourcing but even the coffee we're drinking right now."
Park Juho swirled his coffee cup lightly as he spoke.
"And if you're going to hire me and this guy, registration is essential."
"Huh? Is that how it works?"
"Really?"
Both Lee Gyeongbok and Choi Byeonghun were surprised. Park Juho wrinkled his nose a bit.
"Choi Byeonghun, for someone who's been an editor so long, how do you not know?"
"I mean, I always worked on a contract basis."
"... Freelancer, huh. Well, that's cheaper anyway. No need to pay for four major insurances unless you plan to keep working together."
"Insurance? Editors get insurance? Ugh, that bastard... After all the time we worked together!"
Choi Byeonghun grimaced, recalling his previous employer, while Park Juho let out a short sigh.
Lee Gyeongbok replied with a sheepish grin,
"So the real Black Company was elsewhere. Anyway, if it's necessary, of course I'll do it. We're all in this to succeed."
"Oh, so Gyeongbok's getting me insurance? Wow, guess I'll finally catch a break."
Choi Byeonghun laughed, as if all his complaints vanished instantly.
"Registration itself isn't hard. I'll take care of all the paperwork. All you need to do is decide on a business name first."
"Business name? Hmm..."
Lee Gyeongbok's eyes flicked around. It didn't take long for a name to pop into his head.
"Let's go with Team Perfect."
He and his friends were the 'perfect team.'
* * *
Late that afternoon.
Genome's broadcast spread through various communities, becoming a hot issue. He was already a popular streamer, and 'MasterDissection' was one of his main contents.
But this time, there was an unprecedented move—a declaration to abandon the dissection, and the overwhelming appearance of a streamer who turned masters into ordinary people.
The MasterDissection videos by streamer Purple, and even the so-called "memes" created from captured images, quickly spread. And as those posts proliferated, they circulated even more.
[Who is Purple?]
[They brought in someone called a master, but I've never heard of this guy.
Bunch of nerds hyping each other up over stuff only they know.
Shouldn't they at least give some extra explanation?]
[-What's this dude's problem?]
[-Just because he doesn't know, he calls him a nobody, lol]
[-Pinprick guy cursing nerds lol]
[-Go figure it out yourself if you want an explanation!]
Many didn't even know who Purple was. It was because they didn't like games or live streams, or because they preferred different genres.
[What's with the "new humanity" meme, lol]
[Tbh, it's literally "new humanity."
Full brainpower and sixth sense for real?
Is this the start of evolution or something?
I mean, even if I try not to believe it, the performance is insane, lol.
You gotta see the video, not just the memes, to really get it.]
[-Not everything online is true, lol]
[-People worshiping what one streamer analyzed]
[-These are like flat-earthers, lol]
[-That was the cry of the inferior species.]
[-Inferior species, lol]
[-The above comments are harsh, but going neutral is the way, yeah]
[-But the vid is nuts tbh.]
[-Just chill and move on, why all the drama?]
There were many who questioned Genome's analysis. That also meant it was hard to believe at face value.
[It's definitely a rigged show.]
[Genome and Purple are clearly colluding, lol.
Seriously, that kind of result is so easy to fake.
Like putting some light effect on a brain image, lol.
Wow! Amazing! Full brainpower! Lolol.
I bet that's all some setup from Genome's agency, volock.
Purple's probably already signed with them.
Genome's just using the chance to hype him up.
Obvious noise marketing, and you guys all fall for it. Pathetic.
No wonder people diss the national average IQ.
If you disagree, you're just wrong.]
[-This sums it up]
[-Wow, so clean]
[-So they did all this noise marketing to promote Purple, lol]
[-Why is this best topic? Are people using bots to upvote?]
[-Lol, who cares, but look at the upvotes]
[-The "national average IQ" insult came from posts like this.]
[-PDF sent to Volock ^^]
[-Ready to bail, lol]
Genome's anti-fans didn't let this chance slip. Baseless slander and mass upvoting—so-called "firepower support"—drove posts to the top of best lists.
The communities descended into chaos with these clashing opinions.
Despite the differences, there was one thing everyone felt:
[Look at this mess, lol]
[Arguing about Genome or whatever all day long.
Seriously, if you're so curious, go ask Genome yourself or just watch Purple's broadcast.
If you don't believe it, just check it out and decide.
Why all the pointless arguments here?
Admins, what are you even doing? Sleeping?
Slapping up tons of ads just to boost traffic, and that's it?
Ugh, this is annoying.]
[-Wow, why so angry]
[-But it's a valid point, lol]
[-Seriously, just watch the broadcast?]
[-Who doesn't know? They're just playing around until then]
[-Nope, ready to run because you got caught lying]
[-Ah, can't wait for the broadcast time lol]
[-Over-immersing in the community, huh?]
[-Just filter as needed, right?]
[-For real, why look if you're not into streaming?]
[-Lol, even these comments are chaos]
Whether people looked on Genesis' broadcast positively or negatively, everyone was waiting for Purple's show.
As time passed and the community continued to overheat—
[Purple's broadcast started]
[Ah, today I'm Heimdall!]
The long-awaited time had come.
* * *
Lee Gyeongbok greeted everyone cheerfully.
"Trha! Nice to see you, everyone!"
But then, his eyes widened.
― Trha!
― Is that Purple?
― Show us full brainpower!
― Ah, lol, cut out the lies!
-〈Message deleted by moderation bot. (First warning)〉
― Great voice, lol
― Hyung! There are a lot of weirdos here today!
Unlike usual, the chat window was in total chaos. He wondered what was going on, but something else surprised him even more.
'... Over two thousand right at the start?'
The viewership was soaring.
Normally, he'd count viewers by the tens; now, the number was spinning in the hundreds.
['PurpleBaragi' has subscribed for 1 month!]
[Open your wallets! Sub time!]
Amid all that, the subscription alerts started.
"Ah, purpleBaragi, thank you for your subscription!"
― Ah! I was going to do it first!
― Yeah, that's the way! Sub!
― Ah, lol, just you wait!
― You can block donations, but you can't block subs, lol
['PerJagamNanumBagi' has subscribed for 1 month!]
[Bro! Your energy always floors me!]
['IMnotReligious' has subscribed for 1 month!]
[Purplelelujah! Purplelelujah! Purplelelujah!]
['KoreanIsTier3' has subscribed for 1 month!]
[You gotta give the tier 3 sub, lol]
The sub alerts kept pouring in. Lee Gyeongbok expressed his gratitude nonstop.
Meanwhile, the chat window only grew more chaotic.
-[PerJagam][PerJagam][PerJagam]
-[Purplelelujah][Purplelelujah][Purplelelujah]
-[Black Company](crying emote)[Black Company](crying emote)
-[master craftsman][Purple][Perfect][master craftsman]
-[PerMen](prayer emote)[PerMen](prayer emote)
― Wait, is this a religious cult or what?
Subscribers flooded the chat with big font emotes.
"Thank you! I'll allow the emote spam just for a little bit!"
Though overwhelmed, Lee Gyeongbok couldn't hide his excitement. So many people were subscribing just for him.
Little did he know, this spam was also suppressing the trolls.
['GENOME' has gifted 100 subs!]
Then a system message popped up, and Lee Gyeongbok smiled even wider.
"Ah, genome! Thank you for gifting 100 subs. You kept your promise right away."
['GENOME' has subscribed for 1 month!]
[Everyone see? I'm not a 'Mid-tier big' ^_^]
With thanks and more sub alerts, the chat filled with 'lol's.
― Worrying already makes you a mid-tier big, lol
― Bro? Don't lurk in other streams—it looks even worse!
― Genometrue!
― But thanks to you, I got to witness Godple, so I'll let it slide
― Just [Purple][Perfect], just [Perfect][Team]
― Ah, lol, I keep wanting to use these
Many of the new viewers were fans from Genome's channel.
So continued a burst of sub alerts and gratitude.
"Whew, thank you again, everyone. I really didn't expect so many people to subscribe."
― Ah, lol, look—the chat is clean now
― All the troublemakers left when they got tired of waiting, lol
― Bet you were shocked by how popular you've become? Lol
― Trolls these days have no persistence!
― Not that we want them to, lol
Most of the opportunistic trolls, unable to wait any longer, fell away.
A stubborn few might have remained, but it was a poor situation for them to make noise, so until they found an opening, they'd surely stay quiet.
'I haven't even started, and it's already over thirty-five hundred...'
Even so, the viewership was breaking all-time records. He'd absorbed a portion of Genome's audience.
― What's the game?
― Not playing Mystic?
― He'd have logged in by now if it was.
― Trying something else today?
Seeing the chat, Lee Gyeongbok smiled brightly.
"Yes, that's right. Today, instead of Mystic, I'm going to try out a new game."
-[Purple][Perfect] What about Yami?!
― Bro? You gotta go Master!
― Yami: Can I finally get some rest...
-[Black Company] pushed it, lol
― Yeah, lol, even Yami's gonna die from overwork!
-[master craftsman]'s choice?!
Viewers split in their reaction, most expressing disappointment.
"We mentioned before about a joint stream with Genome on Gunner Ground, right? I thought it would be rude to collab without knowing anything, so today, I'm going to practice it a bit."
As he continued, the atmosphere changed.
-[Purple]'s doing Gunner Ground?!
― Ah, lol, can't miss this
― Bloodbath incoming, lol
― Practice (slaughter)
― WTFLOL
― Mystic out the window!
-[PerMen][PerMen][PerMen][PerMen]
-[Purple] descends!
Because it was a chance to see the prowess he'd shown in the ADC test, now in action.