novelraw Chapter 8 : Streamer Purple's Debut (1)
Chapter 8 : Streamer Purple's Debut (1)
Streamer Purple's Debut (1)
As soon as Lee Gyeongbok ended his broadcast, Choi Byeonghun immediately went to his house.
"Damn! Didn't I tell you? Huh? I told you it'd be a total hit!"
The moment he saw Lee Gyeongbok, he couldn't hide his excitement. Seeing his friend like that, Lee Gyeongbok replied with a laugh.
"I kind of felt it too. This is going big."
"That's right, man! Hey, hey, take a look at this."
Choi Byeonghun quickly sat down in front of Lee Gyeongbok's computer. What he showed next was the Hot Clip section on 'Tnight.'
"Do you see this? Huh? Do you see it! Not only did you get onto page one, you're in the top five!"
"What's this? Is it an adult site or something?"
"No, the 19+ tag is there because Bark is an adult game, that's all!"
Honestly, Lee Gyeongbok's confusion was justified.
The Hot Clip section was filled mostly with clips of "female cams" with a lot of exposure. In the midst of that was a video of Lee Gyeongbok, blurred out for the 19+ restriction.
Only after Choi Byeonghun explained did Lee Gyeongbok feel pure joy.
"Wow... All three got uploaded?"
"Of course, of course. I just picked the best parts and posted those."
Choi Byeonghun said, clearly full of himself.
He monitored in real-time and uploaded scenes as soon as they looked promising.
The police rescue, the hidden route breakthrough, Agent Q's first quest, and the clean handling of the Cluster.
"I was going to post the final Sandra cutscene too, but it was too short so I skipped it. And if you post too much, people might get turned off."
"Well, I trust you to handle it."
Lee Gyeongbok trusted his friend.
Perhaps feeling even better after those words, Choi Byeonghun opened another page right away.
It was a post he had made on the Bark community.
[A New Route in Bark Has Been Found!]
[Not clickbait, it's real. Save the police at the start and it opens up. Check the clips.]
[-How do you save the police?]
[-Even the trolls aren't trying anymore these days.]
[-Ad trash, oUT!]
The early comments were aggressive, but below that, things completely changed.
[-Why did this happen?]
[-LOL this is insane]
[-The Bark boom is coming...]
[-I've never seen this streamer before?]
[-Why is the name just the default account?]
People who checked the clip started commenting rapidly. As views skyrocketed, the post shot up to best post status and was pinned at the top of the community.
"Oh, so that's why all the viewers suddenly showed up."
Only then did Lee Gyeongbok realize.
Behind the flood of new viewers was Choi Byeonghun's effort.
"Hey! Did you think I was just goofing off?"
"Want me to let you relax then?"
"I'll zip it now."
Choi Byeonghun laughed at Lee Gyeongbok's joke and fell silent, though it was just a tease.
"Hey, hey. But that's not the main thing. Do you know what's really freaking awesome?"
There was still more to show.
The real reason why Choi Byeonghun called it a jackpot.
"What is it?"
As Lee Gyeongbok widened his eyes, Choi Byeonghun brought up another page.
It was Tweety, the SNS for short text interactions.
[CAP COMPANY_official]
[@capcompany_official]
[We're finally able to show the story we've prepared. Thank you, lKB2202.]
[#Biocrisis #Korea #World1st #ThankstoLKB2202 #Trueend]
[2.6K retweets / 1.9K likes.]
It was the official account of Bio Crisis's developer, cap Company.
With the hidden route discovered, the SNS mentioned Lee Gyeongbok's account.
"Whoa... Is this for real?"
For a developer to mention you directly—there was no way not to be happy as a gamer.
"Of course it is! It's totally official!"
Choi Byeonghun burst out laughing, satisfied with Lee Gyeongbok's reaction. But then Lee Gyeongbok's smile faded, a hint of regret surfacing.
"Ah... If only I'd done it more seriously. LKB2202, really?"
Both the hot clip and the tweet were under Lee Gyeongbok's Tri account name: LKB2202.
"Hey, don't worry. Anyway, anyone interested after seeing this will be following already. You can just change your name right away."
"Well, yeah, that's why I ended the stream."
"Yeah. I bet your next broadcast will have even more viewers. At least a thousand by default."
"Really?"
"I'm telling you. Anyway, I actually prepared something for this."
Choi Byeonghun lightly dusted off his hands and linked up the smart link to the computer. Once the setup finished, a presentation popped up on the monitor.
"I've gone through your play and made a shortlist."
"Oh, nice..."
What Choi Byeonghun had prepared was a list of possible streamer names and the reasons for each. He'd worried over names that wouldn't overlap with other streamers but would highlight Lee Gyeongbok's qualities.
"Take a good look, and if nothing clicks, we can brainstorm together."
"No, something caught my eye right away."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. Let's go with this one."
Lee Gyeongbok answered with a smile.
* * *
The next day.
Bio Crisis communities and gaming forums were abuzz with a new hot topic.
[Summary of the recent streamer causing a stir]
[Too much for a three-line summary, so here's a breakdown by section.
1. Saved the police (which every Bark streamer gave up on) and got the keycard.
2. Got police gear from the storage room.
3. Agent Q's quest was ripped off him for 2.5 million won. Forced to rename as 'Long-legged Q' LOL (made it to basement with no harm, cleared Cluster in melee).
4. Cleared all those quests without a HUD LOL
5. Sandra turned, reward gone.
6. Officially certified by doggum.
7. By the way, this was the streamer's first broadcast.
Freaking hard to believe even as I write it.]
As much as it was a hot issue, the replies were flowing strongly.
[-Is this the story from Earth 25?]
[No lol, it's a parallel universe or something]
[-What kind of reward nonsense is this LOL]
[You poor thing, not knowing the true joy of being trashed...]
[Why play Bark if you don't want to get cursed out by Sandra?]
[Getting casually looked after by Sandra is why she has hardcore fans, isn't it?]
[-Switching the name to Long-legged Q was wild LOL]
[Did you see the donation amount change? I lost it LOLLL]
[Got rekt after throwing money around, huh?]
[-Why's so much missing? Where's the standard oneshot/onekill?]
[You don't get a recap this way.]
[But too much detail and no one'll read it anyway LOL]
[If I sum it up in three words: "Legendary."]
Of course, not all comments were positive. Some people were annoyed.
[-Why's everyone making a fuss about this guy since yesterday? Viral marketing, much?]
[Just go watch the broadcast first.]
[Here come the pingf-ers.]
[How long could the clip possibly be, just go watch it.]
[You don't know the doggum official take?]
[Don't feed the troll, just report.]
[-So many gullible kids. Obviously the Bark AI beat it for him after so many failed attempts.]
[Will delete account after deleting my comment.]
[This AI nonsense LOL]
[Why would they do it on a Korean account?]
[No point feeding the anti-Koreans anyway LOL]
[Certified dumb LOL]
But those comments got bombarded with replies or simply deleted in the end.
Next up in popularity after that thread was—
[When will LKB2202 broadcast again?]
[Nothing posted on the Tri channel. No Q-tube channel either. Is this person even a streamer?]
[-Stop posting threads like this!]
[It's even doggum-official now, so the pressure must be huge?]
[-You killed him...]
[-Getting that much attention on your debut would scare anyone.]
[-Just follow and shut up.]
[That's what's up.]
[Feels like they're just treating the broadcast as theirs.]
[-People posting threads like this are always the ones who never donate.]
[Fact: all of them.]
Would Lee Gyeongbok feel pressured and stop streaming?
Both viewers from day one and those waiting for the new broadcast were hypersensitive.
As anticipation gradually turned into anxiety—
[Big news!]
[The stream's live! Portal opening!]
Word hit the communities that Lee Gyeongbok's broadcast had started.
[-I knew I could count on him!]
[-Let's gooooo!]
[-LOL, I can't not watch this.]
[-Just wait for the donation I've prepared!]
Viewers began to mobilize.
* * *
"Tra-hi."
As soon as Lee Gyeongbok turned on his stream, he greeted the viewers. It was still awkward, but he'd learned from Choi Byeonghun this was the way to greet viewers in this world.
― Hi there!
― Halong-halong!
― Sniff sniff, smells like a newbie
― It's cute how awkward he is LOL
― Thank you! Really, thank you!
― I'm not usually a crier but I'm tearing up.
― Don't run! Stand up and fight!
― Hey! This is just a small newbie stream, we don't get those types of jokes here!
― But he's not a newbie anymore? I made him a superstar!
The chat zoomed by at an incredible speed.
From the start, viewership easily crossed 200.
And since everyone had been waiting for his stream, chat was an absolute frenzy.
"Hello, wow, the chat's moving so fast, I won't be able to respond to everything. Please understand."
Rather than force himself to read every single message, Lee Gyeongbok just kept an eye out for the ones that stood out.
― Don't apologize! It's all our fault!
― Chat! Freeze!
― LMAO, sycophants showing up already.
― Why is donation closed? Why is it closed? Why is it closed? Why is it closed?
― Mod! Open the door! Mod, open up!
― Open your wallet! Donations incoming!
Even so, the fever in the chat showed no signs of cooling. With donations open, things would only get more chaotic.
Still, it wasn't easy to ignore messages from people paying money.
"I'll be opening donations later. But thank you so much for coming to see me first. Until yesterday, I didn't even have a name, right?"
Lee Gyeongbok said with a gentle smile.
The chat was plastered with 'LOL.'
― Top pick for "Streamer the whole world knows by their lack of a name" by Forbes.
― Wasn't he called Mr. One-Shot?
― There's already a streamer called One-Shot, though;;
― One-Shot about to get weirdly famous!
Lee Gyeongbok decided not to react to the chat directly. If a streamer got dragged around by the chat, the broadcast would fall apart.
"Since I'm only starting out, I'm not thinking about subscriptions or Q-tube channels yet. But I do plan to keep streaming, so those will come eventually."
― Big news! Big news! Big news! Big news!
― Immediately clipping this, there's no escape for you LOL
― If you quit streaming, you'll be prosecuted for some crime or another!
― Rip your panties and shout out loud!
― LOL, no one can stop you now.
Meanwhile, Lee Gyeongbok changed the channel and room settings. The name "LKB2202" was no more.
"Then let me officially introduce myself. I'm streamer Purple—PerfectPlay!"
PerfectPlay, meaning the pursuit of perfection.
That was the name Lee Gyeongbok chose.
― That's crazy LOL
― Annoyingly, it suits you LOL
― Per-ha!
― Where'd that newbie I used to know go...?
― If you've already taken down Agent Q, then you can handle this, lol
The viewers' reactions were explosive. If another streamer had used a name like that, it would have been met with ridicule.
But Lee Gyeongbok had already demonstrated his skills once before.
"Well then, without further ado, shall we get started!"
Lee Gyeongbok immediately launched Bio Crisis. The perspective shifted, and the choices appeared before his eyes again.
[Would you like to join 'Sandra'?]
[1. Yes - "No, there's nowhere else for me to go. Let's go together."]
[2. No - 'It's foolish to follow strangers in a situation like this.']
Naturally, Lee Gyeongbok chose option 1. John then recited his line.
"That's a relief. Right now, every person counts. Please follow me."
Sandra showed a bright smile. Her beauty shone even more when she smiled.
― Sandra is smiling?
― She said John is precious? The main character?
― Wow, this is the real hidden route...
― Sandra nuna! I'm dying!
― This isn't Sandra!
― The way she usually gives disdainful looks is legendary...
― You can feel that just by stepping outside your room, can't you?
― Stop it! The brutal truth is too much...! At this rate, we're all going to die...!
As Choi Byeonghun had predicted.
The number of viewers had already surpassed one thousand. While the chat buzzed, the cutscene shifted.
John and Sandra walked down the road. There were many cars damaged by accidents, and none of the nearby buildings looked intact.
"Wait."
Sandra, walking ahead, lowered her voice and clenched her fist. John immediately bent down and hid with her behind a car.
"Zombies. One at one o'clock, two more at eleven and ten."
"Then..."
"No."
As John reached for his pistol, sandra grabbed his hand swiftly.
― She's grabbing his hand?
― Back in my day, it would've been a knife-hand strike.
― What's with the favoritism;;;
― Why isn't she saying 'You've lost it'? Why isn't she saying 'You've lost it'?
― Why is Sandra suddenly so pure?
― She looks like she's about to head out for lunch! I feel like she's about to head out for lunch!
The chat was in shock, with all sorts of testimonies pouring in. But there was no time to read them one by one.
Sandra pulled out her knife as she continued.
"If you use your gun, the gunshots might attract more zombies. And... never mind, I'll explain later. Anyway, if they follow us to camp, it'll be dangerous, so we have to take care of them quietly."
"Quietly."
"Yes, I'll take care of two. Please handle the other one. I'll follow your lead if you make the first move."
With that, the cutscene ended. Regaining control, Lee Gyeongbok grabbed the baton and grinned.
"I could handle this solo anyway."
"What did you say?"
Sandra's eyes widened at Lee Gyeongbok's words. But he didn't wait for an answer.
He immediately leaped over the car and dashed toward the zombies.
"Grrrk."
The zombie turned its head at the sound of footsteps, but the baton was already upon it.
With a thud, the skull was smashed, and blood splattered.
"John...!"
Sandra's voice rang out behind him. But Lee Gyeongbok didn't hesitate and charged straight at the other two zombies.
"This is nothing."
He pushed off the ground lightly. Then, with a swift twist of the waist—
He struck one with the baton and kicked the other with his boots. It looked like something out of a martial arts movie.
With a dull sound, the zombies toppled over.
― Huh?
― Crazy, just crazy
― Wow, what is that physical prowess lol
― He's living up to his reputation lol
― Wow... he really wiped them all out.
Sandra, arriving late, stared at him dumbfounded. Lee Gyeongbok and her eyes met.
― What is Sandra going to say?
― No matter how I look at it, this isn't a situation where she would curse him out.
-???: I'd rather just kill myself. Oh, or maybe I don't even have the courage to do that?
-lol That's what she says if you can't even handle one
― Info: In English, it's 'Kill Yourself moron.'
Sandra's line changed depending on his performance here. After waiting, sandra finally spoke.
"It's been a while since I met someone I could rely on."
She even gave a slightly shy smile.
― Sweet Sandra! Sweet Sandra!
― Sweetdra, you! Get out of Sandra's body right now!
― Wow... my eardrums are melting for real.
― Mom, why am I not Purple? Mom, why am I not Purple?
― Wow, his line was 'At least you won't die easily,' but she's saying this now.
The chat heated up at Sandra's reaction, which they had never seen before.
"It's nothing."
Lee Gyeongbok's reply made the chat fill with question marks.
― Fact: It's not nothing.
― If you don't like it... you know what to do, right?
― For real, try it like Purple.
-???: Does Sandra even curse? I've never heard it.
― Bro, there's a medley video on Q-tube with just her cursing.
― Oh, I listen to that all the time lol
― Why do you listen to that, bro lol
While the chat burned, it shifted to a cutscene again.
The scene changed, and John and Sandra stood in front of a huge building.
"There it is."
"A hotel."
The place where Sandra and the other survivors stayed was a hotel.
"Yes, we have some food stored away, and of course places to sleep and even shower."
"But we're running out of medical supplies..."
"Yes, that's why I went out."
As they chatted while moving forward, a faint, dull sound came from somewhere.
Sandra's expression changed. John, sensing the mood, hid his body.
She put her finger to her lips. John gave a slight nod.
What followed was—
"Are you sure a survivor was spotted here?"
It was a human voice.
John looked at Sandra with a sly gaze, but she shook her head seriously.
― They finally showed up.
― These assholes.
― People are always scarier than zombies.
― Not a spoiler?
― They show up right away, anyway.
Viewers seemed to share Sandra's anxiety.
"That's what the report said."
"Damn it, all I see is those disgusting corpses."
"Let's finish this and get the hell out of here."
"Let's go report back first."
The voices moved away.
John glanced out from behind the car.
They were equipped with hazmat suits, heavy weapons, and gas masks.
[Regenfarm.]
The emblem on their shoulders and the letters beneath it were shown in close-up.
Once it was quiet, sandra caught her breath.
"That was close."
"Who are they?"
"They're the security force hired by Regenfarm. But in truth, they're basically mercenaries."
"Mercenaries?"
"You heard them, didn't you? They're looking for survivors?"
At Sandra's words, John nodded.
"They use radio to look for survivors, promising safety if they surrender."
"Then why..."
"It's all a lie. I've seen it. They're getting rid of survivors."
"Get rid of?"
"Yes. Regenfarm has to be involved in this disaster somehow. They're trying to kill all the survivors to cover up the evidence."
"Regenfarm..."
As John repeated the name, sandra bit her lip angrily.
"How did they know? Anyway, we have to let people know about this."
― Sandra is so beautiful, lol
― By the way, even her tone is different, lol
― Why is she speaking so gently...!
― Where's the Sandra who would threaten people if they didn't want to die like dogs?
― Where's the badass who said she'd kill every damn Regenfarm bastard?
― Oh, she's acting cute in front of Purple
― Hey! Sandra's a woman too!
― The "Sandra from Earth 27."
The chat couldn't adapt to Sandra's changes. Just then, the scene darkened and switched again.
'A hotel.'
John and Sandra entered the hotel. The people keeping watch spoke to her.
"Sandra, thank god you're safe!"
"Who's that with you?"
"Oh my god, is that a cop?"
"I thought there weren't any police left..."
As the survivors expressed surprise, sandra smiled.
"I'll explain everything after I meet Logan. Where's Logan?"
"Oh, he's in the suite."
"Alright. See you in a bit."
The two headed straight for the suite.
"Logan, it's Sandra."
"Ah! Come in."
As Sandra knocked lightly, a voice sounded from inside. When she opened the door, a man looking at a map looked up.
"I'm glad you made it back safely!"
"Of course. Oh, and there's someone I want you to meet."
"Someone to meet?"
"John, come in."
At Sandra's words, John entered. Logan immediately stiffened.
"Y-You are..."
John also hesitated when he saw Logan. The reason was, logan was wearing a police uniform as well.
"This time, logan was wrong. There are still police alive."
It was Logan who had told Sandra that all the police officers had died.
"Ah, ah... right. That's good! Really good!"
Logan laughed loudly.
― Logan, that bastard, lol
― Why is he laughing?
― That's the guy!
― Is that funny? I think it's funny, too, lol
― You can almost hear his mind whirring.
― Don't spoil it, you ass
― You're just excited to be the only ones who know.
― How's that a spoiler?
The viewers seemed to be hinting that they knew something about Logan. It felt like the story was connected, but their reactions were ambiguous for a spoiler.
'This character... feels off somehow.'
Meanwhile, watching the cutscene, Lee Gyeongbok felt a sense of discomfort.
If zombie-like enemies inspired icy dread, logan gave off a sensation similar to smelling a foul sewer.
"Now that I see you, your face looks familiar. I think I've seen you around before."
At Logan's comment, both Lee Gyeongbok and the viewers unfamiliar with the story sensed it instinctively.
'This guy... isn't a real cop, is he?'
And as if to confirm that thought—
[Would you like to reveal 'Logan's' true identity?]
[1. Yes - "Your police uniform is a little different from mine." (You find Logan's wanted poster in his inner pocket.)]
[2. No - 'He's the leader of the survivors. He must have a reason.']
A choice appeared and time paused.
-lolololololol
― Oh, you can confront him here!
― Time for a lesson! A sharp opportunity!
― In the original route this was so annoying, but now it's refreshing lol
This, too, seemed to be the merit of a hidden route.