Genius’s Godlike Game Broadcast-Chapter 16 : Episode 16 – Paid Advertisement Included (2)

Episode 16 – Paid Advertisement Included (2)
Lee Gyeongbok glanced at the time.
It was just past 10 a.m. He stepped into the café where the meeting was scheduled.
"Oh, you're here."
"I can't believe you're up at this hour. Truly, the power of capital is something to behold."
Lee Gyeongbok threw a joke at Choi Byeonghun, who greeted him.
"Well, it just means it's that important."
"They said we got an ad offer..."
Lee Gyeongbok took the coffee he'd pre-ordered with a smart order and sat down.
"But why the sudden ad? It's not like I'm suddenly going to play a different game or something."
"They said it's about explaining Bark and about a Q-tube video... but as you saw yourself, the ad conditions weren't detailed."
Choi Byeonghun wrinkled his nose a bit and shrugged. He had already shared the email in advance.
"It must be confidential."
"Right. But they said the schedule will be entirely tailored for us. We could even meet this afternoon if we want. That's why I broke my biorhythm for this."
"Geez, the way you show off is unique. Biorhythm, my foot."
"Anyway, what do you think? Should we meet today?"
"What about the broadcast?"
"I can just update the broadcast schedule with a notice. Plus, it's about time we consider changing the slot anyway."
"You want to change the time slot?"
Lee Gyeongbok furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
"There are definitely more viewers after the evening rather than our current afternoon slot. The competition is fiercer too, but you've gained some notoriety, right?"
"So, it's worth a try?"
"Yeah. If we just change it out of nowhere people might be annoyed, but we have an excuse this time."
"Hmm..."
Lee Gyeongbok didn't answer right away.
He had gotten in the habit of sleeping early for his morning workouts. Moving the broadcast slot could disrupt that routine.
'But if I can get more viewers...'
Still, compared to what his friend said, that was a minor problem. Besides, nothing was set in stone, so it was worth trying at least once.
"All right, let's meet today."
"Okay! Should I schedule the meeting right away?"
"Yeah."
Choi Byeonghun smiled at his friend's brisk answer.
He'd said he would handle things outside the broadcast, but for this meeting, he intended to bring Lee Gyeongbok along.
'If I have a human lie detector next to me, I don't have to worry about being ripped off.'
Based on past experience, Lee Gyeongbok's ability to judge people had never been wrong.
* * *
Early afternoon, a café in the city center.
A woman in a neat two-piece suit worked her smart link. Above the desk, a hologram contract popped up.
She was an employee of the marketing team at "CAP COMPANY KOREA."
'Good, nothing out of order.'
After reviewing the contract one more time, she calmed her mind with relief.
'Purple... I just hope they're not a weirdo.'
She applied lip balm to her dry lips, thinking.
Streamers, to put it nicely, were full of character—but among them, there were plenty of people who were just unreasonable.
'I hope they're not coming while doing an outdoor broadcast again.'
Outdoor broadcast, a.k.a. "yabang."
A previous streamer she contacted had shown up at the meeting location with a camera in tow.
Of course, advertising contracts were confidential, and she'd asked them to stop streaming, but the streamer had the nerve to get angry instead.
Claiming it was an unfair contract, the streamer accused her of trying to "lowball" them.
Naturally, the contract fell through.
'Or if it's that beggar-like streamer...'
Naturally, ad contracts are usually requested by the company. That gives some streamers the delusion that they're in a higher position of power than the company.
Some blatantly demand expensive treatment, and if not, they'll still try to gouge as much as they can from the company.
'That's why it feels risky without an MCN...'
If there was a company to act as an intermediary, there would be no such worry. But "Purple," who she was meeting now, still wasn't attached to any organization.
'Purple's broadcast seemed okay, though.'
She thought back to Purple's streams.
Confident, to put it nicely. But it could also come off as a little cocky.
She couldn't shake the worry that, in real life, Purple might be a delinquent.
'Please, just let today go smoothly...'
She steadied herself with a deep breath and checked the time.
It was about time they were due to arrive. If they were late, her worries would likely come true.
Just then, with the sound of a bell, two men entered.
"Wow..."
She couldn't help but gasp.
One was burly and had a big, hearty impression, while the other had a solid build that showed even under his clothes.
Both were wearing suits, but on the more solid one, the fit was perfect and looked stylish.
Above all, there was one reason she was thinking all this.
'What a killer good-look.'
He was remarkably attractive.
Slightly wavy hair, striking features, a smooth jawline, and skin so clear it was hard to believe he was a man.
'Whatever company they come from, it's gotta be blessed.'
She figured they must be office workers taking a break.
Maybe because she was staring in a daze, she made eye contact with the man.
Startled, she quickly looked away, but soon she heard footsteps approaching.
As the footsteps drew closer, her heartbeat seemed to get louder as well.
And then the handsome man spoke.
"Are you here regarding the Purple advertising contract?"
She almost thought her heart stopped right then.
Fortunately, it didn't take long for her blanked-out mind to return.
"Ah, ah! Streamer Purple?"
"Yes, that's right. This is the editor and channel manager."
"Hello!"
"Oh, yes! Sorry! Please, have a seat—or wait, maybe you should order drinks first!"
She was back to her senses, but couldn't hide her embarrassment. Lee Gyeongbok watched with a faint smile.
"Oh, it's fine. I had coffee earlier this morning."
"Hey, if you don't drink something, she might actually feel awkward. Besides, when paying with the corporate card, the staff deserve something nice too."
"Ah, really?"
"Ahaha..."
The staff didn't deny it.
Like that, she gained a moment to compose herself while taking their order.
"Ahem, then let me share the contract first."
"Thank you."
She sent the contract to both of them through her smart link.
Since the contract was full of legal jargon, Lee Gyeongbok glanced at his friend.
Choi Byeonghun was studying the contract with a serious expression.
"I'll briefly explain it in plain language. First, what we're asking for is multilingual subtitle support for your channel videos."
"Subtitles?"
"Yes, as stated, all the subtitle scripts will be provided by us. The manager just needs to upload them."
"Hmm, that shouldn't be a problem. Our channel should pick up more subscriptions too."
If support for subtitles got out to overseas communities, their subscribers would only increase.
"Yes. And next is about the hidden route."
She paused, choosing her words, then continued with a somewhat awkward smile.
"First, Purple's play style was quite far from what we anticipated."
"Far as in?"
"Well, an example would be your Chapter 3 boss fight."
"Against Jaigant Logan, you mean?"
"Yes. In fact, the scenario the devs anticipated wasn't Logan dying."
Both Lee Gyeongbok and Choi Byeonghun blinked at her words.
"Of course, it's not a problem. But our devs assumed most players would survive the boss's attacks for a certain period. If that happened, an enraged Logan would charge into rubble, opening a path—it was a gimmick."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. Not that we didn't consider that someone might beat the boss like you did. According to the dev simulations I got... it was about a 0.7% chance."
She laughed awkwardly.
"To be precise, players opening the hidden route are roughly the top 5%, and among those, only 0.7% beat Logan directly. It's almost impossible, in other words..."
"But you did it."
Choi Byeonghun let out a chuckle and looked at Lee Gyeongbok. The latter, if anything, looked confused.
"It didn't seem that hard."
For a moment, Choi Byeonghun and the staff wore almost the same expression.
"Ahem. Anyway, the hidden route contains several branches like this. But people watching Purple's broadcast or videos might get the wrong idea."
"Yeah, the viewers keep saying it's insane difficulty."
"Yes, but there are actually other solutions. We wanted you to help clear up that misconception by explaining it."
"Aha..."
Now Lee Gyeongbok understood.
As it stood, the hidden route might seem like something only the streamer "Purple" could clear.
Regular viewers wouldn't mind, but for someone considering picking up the game, that's a different story.
If it looked impossible, sales might drop, so they wanted to prevent that.
She explained the other terms next.
"Nothing stands out as problematic."
Choi Byeonghun nodded.
Things like the developer using Purple's play footage for promotions, or that if the streamer's image was damaged the contract could be canceled and there would be a penalty, and so on.
It wasn't much different from a standard advertising contract.
Then, the most important thing.
"The ad fee is calculated based on subscribers. Purple's channel currently has 135,000; we'll pay 3 million won based on a benchmark of 150,000 subs."
Lee Gyeongbok glanced at Choi Byeonghun's face. He nodded.
"Yes, compared with recent rates, that seems fair. For contrast, a 300K Q-tuber gets about 7 million."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah. But of course, it's your call."
At Choi Byeonghun's words, the staff looked to Lee Gyeongbok.
Only the decision remained.
But Lee Gyeongbok didn't speak right away.
'Hmm... I don't have a bad feeling about this.'
He focused on the vibe he got from the staff. No need to pull out his intuition. If there was a red flag, he'd have sensed it right away.
'But still, something feels missing.'
Yet, it didn't feel right to just say "yes" right away, either. After a moment's thought, he finally spoke.
"There's one more condition I'd like to request, if that's all right?"
"Pardon? Ah... please let me hear it, I'll check right away."
She looked a little troubled but listened attentively.
After hearing his explanation, her expression grew brighter. She made a quick call, then answered.
"Yes, that's not a problem. We'll add it as a special clause."
Like that, everyone was happy with the agreement.
* * *
The sun set, and evening came.
Viewers were already gathering at Lee Gyeongbok's Tri channel.
― Why the change in schedule?
― Does this mean it's set for this new slot?
― Is it because he had a sudden appointment?
― Ah, it's just because Purple's an "insider."
― So he ditched Sandra!?
― Please, tri viewers, live in the real world!
-lololol
Maybe because of the easier timeslot, even before the broadcast began, over a thousand viewers had gathered.
At the scheduled time, the broadcast started—with some differences from before.
― Whoa?!
― There's an intro now lolol
― Editor on fire lolol
A broadcast intro, at last.
Scenes zooming in on Purple's action flashed across the screen.
Then, with a heavy sound effect, text flashed at the center of the screen.
[Perfect]
[PLAY]
The raw lettering, full of strength and speed, fit perfectly with the earlier action scenes.
― So manly!
― This is a real guy.
― It's making my chest swell already.
The screen faded out, then in again. The person everyone wanted to see was there.
"Tri-ha!"
As Lee Gyeongbok greeted cheerfully, the chat exploded upward.
― Pur-ha!
― Evening broadcasts are so good~
― This is the perfect time!
― Being able to watch Purple while grabbing dinner? No way I'm missing that lol
― Eating dinner with zombies on the screen?
― What's up with the intro!?
― You ground up the editor for that smile...
― Still the lethal smile omg
― Black company Purple lol
With a bright smile, Lee Gyeongbok spoke.
"So, I have an announcement today as well."
― This time, will we finally hear about the color of your underwear?!
― Lololol give it a rest with the panty obsession!
― He's obviously going to explain the changed broadcast slot lol
Lee Gyeongbok quickly changed the settings. Since it only required one change, it was very easy.
As soon as he finished, a message popped up in the corner of his view.
[This is a paid advertisement broadcast.]
It also appeared on viewers' screens.
― WA! Homework!
― Lololol
― Already getting an assignment?
― Who gave our Purple homework!?
― Of course, it's doggum, right?
-doggum guys just rushed in lolol
'Homework' was slang for advertisements in the streaming industry.
Even so, viewers didn't feel put off.
As long as the stream was fun, even with ads, and Purple was already an established name.
['Homework Inspector' has donated 10,000 won.]
[Congratulations on your first homework! Let's keep winning!]
['BabyPurpleHere' has donated 5,000 won.]
[Now, who's a baby?]
['BigCorpCertificate' has donated 20,000 won.]
[Proof.]
['RaiseYourHeadDev' has donated 1,000 won.]
[Gave Purple homework? You are not yet a doggum.]
With that, the donations poured in.
Even though it was an ad, Lee Gyeongbok felt satisfaction at the viewers' warm reaction.
"Thank you all so much for your support. As always, it's all thanks to everyone's interest."
With sincere voice and expression. The viewers surely noticed.
― How wholesome lolol
― Even I'm happy now~
― Editor: What about me...?
― Editor catching strays again.
― Lol this is so coming out as Q-tube video subtitles.
The broadcast was off to a lively start.
Viewership soon surpassed 2,000.
Lee Gyeongbok sensed it was about time to start explaining.
"So, before we start today's game, I have something to explain."
― Time for homework check!
― Anyone not bringing their homework, come forward~
― Lol I seriously left it at home!
― Come on, how many hits will you take?
Lee Gyeongbok smiled at the playful chat and began his explanation.
He explained that killing the giant Jarakne or Jaigant Logan wasn't the standard scenario.
"The dev team says these are really rare cases. Since I beat the boss in one go, even the game's volume got cut down."
― Lololololol
― Literally dev official info lol
― Oh, no wonder it felt so hard.
― So the narration was a HOXY too?
― Oh, you're right. It seemed like stuff got skipped for sure by taking a shortcut.
― So you'd have gotten another boss fight after that, right?
-yeah. You probably would have gotten a boss-fighting weapon midway.
― But Purple himself is a weapon, isn't he?
― Lol
― This is Purple class!
An officially recognized pro by the devs. Viewers were thrilled by this title.
"But if you actually play, you'll probably think differently. It's not that hard."
Yet with that, the mood in chat shifted again.
-???: Why can't you just do it?
― When you look down from the sky, all things are trivial...
― Lol just be born again and you'll manage
― Hidden route clear. If you can, that is lol
-???: Oh, you poor thing. Born with poop hands.
― Spitting with a smile, again?
― No, he's talking about the mod. He's foreshadowing the devs' official mod release.
Amused by the chat, Lee Gyeongbok clapped lightly.
"Oh, there's one more announcement! Or rather, it's more of a message. The person in question probably isn't watching right now, though."
― Directly???
― Who's this for?
― Video message?
― By any chance, dal...
― No TAS mentions
― Don't bait the viewers, lol
Some in chat thought of streamer "D'Artagnan" after rumors on the community boards. Maybe this was a response to him.
But the mystery was cleared up by his next words.
"From now on, all Bark videos I play, and even existing videos, are considered developer-supported content. If you use them without permission, you can be penalized, so take care."
This was aimed at issue-based channels—the so-called "cyber lecca."
He'd heard about last night's lecca incident from Choi Byeonghun and felt it was necessary to prepare. The final condition he presented to the developer had been exactly this.
― Nice! So satisfying!
― Lol you can hear the lecca engines stalling out
― The backup is so solid!
― Take care of yourself, lol
― Want a taste of doggum's legal team?
― Fan meet coming up! See you at court ^_^
― The signatures were for a settlement agreement, lol
Most of his viewers were also community users, so everyone was delighted.
With his last announcement finished, Lee Gyeongbok said,
"Homework's done! Let's start the game!"
It was time to dive back into the world of Bio Crisis.