Chapter 16: Including Paid Ads (2)

Lee Kyungbok checked the time discreetly. It was just past ten o’clock when he entered the café where they had agreed to meet.

“Hey, you made it.”

“To think you’re awake at this hour. Truly, capitalism is powerful.” Lee Kyungbok joked with Choi Byunghoon as he welcomed him.

“Well, it must be something significant then.”

“They mentioned some advertising deal…” Lee Kyungbok grabbed his pre-ordered coffee via smart collar and found a seat.

“But why suddenly? It’s not like I’m switching games anytime soon.”

“Yeah, apparently it’s about Bark and Youtube videos… As you’ve seen, the details of the ad agreement weren’t clearly outlined.” Choi Byunghoon slightly wrinkled his nose and shrugged. They had already shared the preliminary email beforehand.

“Probably confidential.”

“Yeah, but they’re willing to work around our schedule. They said we could see it as early as this afternoon. That’s why I’m here, disrupting my natural rhythm.”

“Geez, you sure have a unique way of showing off. What do you mean by ‘natural rhythm’?”

“Anyway, what do you think? Should we go today?”

“What about your broadcast?”

“We can just update the schedule notice. Besides, it might be time to consider changing the streaming hours anyway.”

“Changing the hours?” Lee Kyungbok furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

“There tend to be more viewers during evenings compared to afternoons like now. The competition is fierce at that time, but you’ve already built up some recognition.”

“Is it worth giving it a shot?”

“Absolutely. If we switch abruptly, some fans might get annoyed, but we have a valid reason this time.”

“Uh…”

Lee Kyungbok didn’t respond immediately. He had developed a habit of going to bed early for his morning workout routine, and changing the broadcast time could disrupt that schedule.

But if it means reaching more viewers…

In comparison to the potential benefits mentioned by his friend, disrupting his routine seemed insignificant. Besides, nothing was set in stone yet, so it was worth giving it a try.

“All right, let’s discuss this today.”

“Cool! Should I arrange a meeting right away?”

“Yeah.”

Choi Byunghoon smiled at Lee Kyungbok’s prompt response. Although he claimed responsibility for all matters outside broadcasting, he planned to bring Lee Kyungbok along to this particular meeting.

Having a human lie detector with me ensures we won’t get swindled.

Based on past experiences, Lee Kyungbok had never misjudged anyone when assessing their character.

Early afternoon at a café located downtown, a woman dressed sharply in a two-piece suit manipulated her smart collar. A holographic contract materialized on the table before her. She was an employee of Cap Co Korea’s marketing team.

Great, everything looks fine.

Relieved after double-checking the contract, she composed herself.

I hope Purple isn’t some weirdo…

She applied lip balm as she thought about it. Streamers were often described as having strong personalities, but many simply lacked common sense.

Let’s hope he doesn’t show up streaming outdoors like last time.

Outdoor broadcasting, or “outdoor stream” for short, involved live-streaming while outside. The previous streamer they had contacted arrived at their meeting place with his camera rolling.

The terms of advertising contracts were always confidential, but when Haein requested that this particular streamer stop broadcasting, they had reacted defensively and accused her of trying to take advantage of them with an unfair contract. They even insinuated she was attempting to “slap” them around, using their own slang term for being mistreated.

Needless to say, no deal was struck between them.

Or there’s that cheapskate streamer…

In most cases, companies initiate discussions regarding ad contracts first. This sometimes led certain streamers to mistakenly believe they held all the cards over said companies. Some would brazenly demand exorbitant fees or try to squeeze as much out of the company as possible if their initial demands weren’t met.

I guess it really is risky without an MCN involved…

Having an agency to act as a mediator would alleviate these concerns, but Purple hadn’t signed with anyone yet.

He seemed fine during his stream, though.

She recalled watching him online. He came across as either extremely confident or slightly arrogant, depending on how one looked at it. She couldn’t shake her worry that he might be a troublemaker in real life.

I hope today goes smoothly…

Haein took deep breaths and checked the time. It was about when they should arrive. The longer they were late, the more likely her fears could become reality.

Just then, the door opened with a chime, and two men entered.

“Wow…” Despite herself, she let out a gasp of admiration.

One was tall and muscular with a commanding presence, while the other appeared quite fit despite being dressed in a suit. Both men were wearing formal attire, but the more toned one looked particularly sharp in his perfectly tailored outfit.

There was only one thought that came to mind when Haein laid eyes on him.

He’s insanely handsome.

His hair had a slight wave to it, framing his chiseled features and smooth jawline. His skin seemed almost too flawless for a man.

I don’t know what they do, but their workplace must be blessed.

She assumed these two were office workers taking a quick break. Perhaps because she’d been staring so intently, her gaze met the attractive man’s. Startled, she hastily averted her eyes, but soon heard footsteps approaching her.

As their footsteps grew louder, so did her heartbeat. When the handsome man finally opened his mouth…

“Are you here for the Purple advertising contract?”

Her heart felt like it stopped dead in its tracks. Thankfully, she quickly regained her composure.

“Oh—oh! You’re Streamer Purple?”

“Yes, that’s right. And this is my editor and channel manager.”

“Hello!”

“Oh, yes! Excuse me! Please have a seat…no wait. Let’s order some drinks first!”

Although Haein had recovered from her shock, she couldn’t hide her flustered state. Lee Kyungbok smiled gently at her reaction.

“No need, thank you. I’ve already had coffee earlier today.”

“Come on, it’ll be awkward for her if you don’t drink it. Besides, when using the company card, employees should enjoy something nice too.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Aha…ha…” The employee didn’t deny this.

This exchange gave Haein time to compose herself before ordering her drink.

“Ahem, let me share the contract with you first.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Haein transmitted the document via smart link to both men. Since the contract was filled with legal jargon, Lee Kyungbok glanced at his friend for guidance.

Choi Byunghoon scrutinized the agreement with a serious expression.

“I’ll give you a brief verbal summary. First, we’re requesting support for multilingual subtitles on our channel’s videos.”

“Subtitles?”

“Yes, as stated here, we will provide all subtitle scripts. You just need to upload them.”

“Hmm, that shouldn’t be a problem. It’ll also help increase our subscribers.”

Once foreign communities learned about the subtitles, their subscriber count would skyrocket.

“That’s right. And next, I’d like to explain regarding hidden routes.” She briefly searched for the right words before continuing with an awkward smile. “Firstly, your gameplay, Purple-nim, deviates significantly from what we anticipated.”

“Deviate?”

“Yes, let me give you an example to make it easier to understand. Recently, you completed Chapter 3’s boss battle, correct?”

“You mean Giant Logan?”

“Yes, our development team didn’t anticipate Logan’s death.”

Lee Kyungbok and Choi Byunghoon blinked at this revelation.

“Of course, it isn’t an issue. However, most of our developers assumed that players would survive by evading the boss’s attacks for a certain period of time. The gimmick was for enraged Logan to charge through the wreckage and open up a path once that condition was met.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Naturally, we did consider the possibility of someone defeating the boss like Purple-nim did. According to the simulation results from our development team…there was approximately a 0.7% chance.”

She gave an awkward laugh. “To be precise, only about 5% of players discover this hidden route, and among them, only 0.7% manage to defeat Logan directly. In other words, it’s practically impossible…”

“But he did it.” Choi Byunghoon chuckled as he glanced at Lee Kyungbok, who seemed perplexed by Kyungbok’s feat.

“It didn’t seem that difficult.”

At that moment, both Choi Byunghoon and his employee shared similar expressions of disbelief.

“Ahem, there are multiple branches within the hidden route itself. However, viewers watching Purple-nim’s broadcast might misunderstand the situation.”

“Well, viewers have been calling it insanely difficult.”

“Yes, indeed. Actually, we’ve prepared alternative solutions for that reason. We wanted to clarify this misunderstanding and requested your assistance with explaining it.”

“Aha…” Lee Kyungbok finally understood the situation.

If left unaddressed, there was a high likelihood people would assume the hidden route was exclusive to Purple, a popular streamer, rather than being accessible to regular gamers. While casual viewers might not care, newcomers attempting the game could perceive it as impossible, leading to decreased sales. This move aimed to prevent such misconceptions.

She then proceeded to explain other terms of the agreement.

“Hmm, nothing particularly unusual here.” Choi Byunghoon nodded thoughtfully.

For example, there was a clause stating that the developer could use Purple’s gameplay footage for promotional purposes or another stipulating that if her reputation as a streamer took a hit, not only would the contract be terminated but she’d also have to pay a penalty fee. These were standard terms found in most advertising contracts.

Finally, the most crucial point of all:

“The ad rate is determined by your subscriber count. Currently, Purple has around 135,000 subscribers. Based on reaching 150,000 subscribers, we will compensate you with three million won.”

Lee Kyungbok observed Choi Byunghoon’s reaction, and he nodded thoughtfully.

“Yes, considering recent rates, this seems fair. Typically, Youtubers with about 300,000 subscribers earn around seven million won.”

“Oh, really?”

“That’s right. Of course, the final decision is yours.” Choi Byunghoon’s words shifted everyone’s attention to Lee Kyungbok.

The choice was now his, but he hesitated.

Hmm… It doesn’t feel ominous.

He focused on the vibes emanating from the employee. He didn’t sense any need for divination; if there were potential issues, he would have detected them upon entering the room.

Still, something seems lacking.

However, it wasn’t enough to confidently accept the offer outright. After some deliberation, he finally spoke up:

“One thing, may I request an additional condition?”

“Yes? Oh… Please go ahead, and we’ll review it immediately.”

She looked slightly taken aback but attentively listened. As she heard Lee Kyungbok’s explanation, her expression gradually brightened. Following a brief phone call, she responded:

“Yes, no problem. We can handle this as a special agreement.”

With that, a satisfactory contract was successfully negotiated.

As evening approached, viewers began gathering on Lee Kyungbok’s Tribe channel.

-Look, they changed the stream time suddenly.

-Are they going to stick with this schedule from now on?

-Was it due to some urgent appointment?

-Ah, Purple is just being ‘extra’, you know.

-Did Sandra get dumped? LOL!

-People, let’s be realistic here!

-Loser, loser, loser, loser, loser

Perhaps because of the more relaxed broadcast time, over a thousand viewers had already gathered despite the stream not having started yet.

When the appointed hour arrived, the broadcast commenced, but something was different compared to previous streams.

-Ooh?!

-They added an intro! Hahaha

-Great job, editor! Haha

The introduction sequence showcased close-up action shots of Purple swiftly flashing across the screen.

A dull sound effect played as text appeared in the middle of the screen.

[PERFECT]

[PLAY]

The bold font evoking power and speed perfectly matched the action-packed footage shown earlier.

-Love that manly vibe!

-Now that’s badass.

-I already feel pumped just from watching this intro.

The screen went dark before brightening again to reveal the person viewers had been waiting for.

“Hello!” Lee Kyungbok cheerfully greeted his audience, causing the chat window to explode with messages.

-Hiya!

-Loving the evening broadcast~

-Timely as always!

-Watching Purple while eating dinner? Can’t beat it!

-Eating while watching zombies? Why not, right?

-The intro was amazing!

-Did he sharpen those teeth on our editor…?

-Look at that killer smile

-Purple’s a slave-driver

Lee Kyungbok beamed brightly as he announced, “L-ladies and gentlemen, I have another announcement to make today.”

-Is it about panties this time?!

-Ha-ha-ha! Obsessed with panties much?!

-Obviously, it’s related to changing the broadcast schedule, right?

Lee Kyungbok swiftly adjusted the settings. It was incredibly easy since he only needed to add one thing. As soon as he completed the setup, additional text appeared on the corner of his screen:

[This is a paid advertisement segment.]

Naturally, the same message displayed for the viewers as well.

-WA! Homework!

-LMAO

-Already assigning homework?

-Who?! Who dared give our Purple homework?!

-Must be those gummers, amirite?

-Gummer trolls, get lost

‘Homework’ was slang within the streaming industry for advertisements. Despite being ads, viewers didn’t feel any resentment towards them. As long as the broadcast remained entertaining, even commercials were acceptable, and Purple’s stream consistently delivered quality content.

[‘HomeworkInspector’ sponsored 10,000 won.]

[Congratulations on your first homework assignment! Keep up the great work!]

[‘BabyPurpleForever’ sponsored 5,000 won.]

[Now, who’s the baby here?]

[‘CertifiedCEO’ sponsored 20,000 won.]

[Confirmed.]

[‘PleaseLookUpDev’ sponsored 1,000 won.]

[Giving homework to Purple? You’re still a newbie, aren’t you?]

Simultaneously, there was a surge in sponsorships.

Lee Kyungbok felt gratified seeing his viewers welcome even sponsored ads with open arms.

“I sincerely appreciate your support. As always, it’s all thanks to you.”

His voice and expression conveyed his genuine appreciation, which was evident to everyone watching.

–How heartwarming

–I’m feeling good now too~

–Editor: And I am…?

–Editor-sama gets their first L.

–LOL, this is going on the highlight reel of cute moments.

The broadcast started off lively, quickly surpassing two thousand viewers. Lee Kyungbok sensed it was time to begin his explanation.

“So before we start today’s game, there’s something I need to tell you all.”

–Checking homework time!

–Those who didn’t do their homework, please report yourselves~

LMAO, I swear I left it at home!

-Speak up. How many hits did you take?

Lee Kyungbok smiled at the viewers’ banter as he began his explanation. He clarified that killing both the zaracne and giant Logan was not typical gameplay.

“The developers themselves said it’s quite rare. And because I defeated the bosses so quickly, some content of the game has been skipped.”

-LMAOOOOOO

-The devs confirmed it LMAO

-Ah LMAO, no wonder it felt too hard.

-Wait, then the narration was also due to HOXY?

-Ooh, true. It seems like everything was fast-forwarded, skipping several parts?

-I guess there were supposed to be more boss battles after those?

-Looks like he’s got it all figured out. Did he acquire any weapons while using the invincibility skill?

-But is Purple itself considered a weapon?

-A weapon? Hahahaha

-Wow! That’s what Purple class looks like!

The viewers were ecstatic to witness someone officially recognized by the developer for their prowess.

“However, your perception might change if you try it yourself. It’s not that difficult.” Lee Kyungbok’s words shifted the mood once again.

-???: Why can’t I do this?

-Looking down from heaven, everything seems trivial…

-I’ll be able to when I’m reborn, haha

-Possible to unlock hidden route. If possible, hahahahahahah

-????: Sadly…they’re born with shit between their ears.

-Smiling while spouting nonsense again?

-NNN mode is implied. It hints at the official release of Developer Mode.

Lee Kyungbok lightly clapped while reviewing the amusing (?) chat from viewers.

“Ah, I have one more announcement to make. No, it’s more like a message. Perhaps they aren’t watching my broadcast directly.”

-Directly???

-To whom are you speaking?

-A video letter?

-Maybe referring to the moon…

-Tas mentioned ᄂᄂ

-Don’t laugh at trolls!

The viewers recalled the streamer ‘Daltan’ from their community. Could this be a response to him? However, the following words soon clarified any doubts.

“From now on, not only the Bark footage but all videos I play will be classified as developer-supported content. Please note that unauthorized use may result in penalties.”

This clarification was specifically aimed at issue-focused channels, commonly known as ‘cyber rakkas.’ Choi Byunghoon had informed Lee Kyungbok about the lag incident from last night, prompting him to realize the need for countermeasures. This announcement was his final demand to the developer.

-Kya! That feels refreshing!

-Ha ha ha ha! I can hear those rakkas engines shutting down

-Stick to your own lane, okay?

-Ha ha ha! Behave yourself now!

-Want a taste of our legal team’s gum?

-I’m hosting a fan meeting! See you in court ^^

-Signing…the settlement agreement, get it? Ha ha

Most viewers were also community users, so they welcomed this news with joy.

Having completed his final announcement, Lee Kyungbok declared, “Homework done! Let’s start the game!”

It was time to return to the world of Bio Crisis once more.