Chapter 39: Team Perfect is Born
Lee Kyungbok, Choi Byunghoon, and Park Juhho had gathered at their usual café to monitor Kyungbok’s broadcast together.
“Wow… Even as his friend, I’m amazed by him! How do others feel watching this?” Choi Byunghoon said while dismantling the hologram that had been streaming Kyungbok’s raid once it ended.
“But is all that stuff actually true? Like, can he really hear things from far away like that?”
Lee Kyungbok frowned slightly at the question. “Well, not exactly. Hmm, it’s hard to explain.”
“In any case, it works, right? Whoa, this dude truly is a genius,” Choi Byunghoon replied nonchalantly. The fact that his friend was a bona fide prodigy was clear enough for him.
Park Juhho watched them both and spoke up, adjusting his glasses.
“All right, enough chitchat. Let’s finish up this meeting.”
“Oh, you uptight bastard! What do you think we’re doing here—playing around? Don’t we deserve a break after monitoring him so closely all day?”
“I know exactly what mischief you’ve been getting up to on your breaks.”
“…Damn, you’re sharp.”
Lee Kyungbok chuckled at their bickering before interjecting. “Where were we?”
“We were discussing our current situation. Actually, watching his broadcast just now made something clear. Lee Kyungbok, yes, you’re a genius, but that alone isn’t enough.”
“What are you talking about? Being a genius is already impressive!” Choi Byunghoon’s eyes widened.
“Yes, but it’s my job as manager to guide you toward even greater things. Aren’t you jealous of Kyungbok’s relationship with his viewers?”
“Huh? How did you know? Was it that obvious?”
This time, Lee Kyungbok’s eyes widened.
“Well, this works out even better since it’s what you want anyway. Purple needs to be not just a genius but also a relatable one.”
“Relatable?”
“A typical genius evokes admiration, but that doesn’t last long. It’s human nature to feel jealous and envious of someone who surpasses them. And some people act on those feelings.”
At this, Choi Byunghoon lightly clapped his hands together.
“Oh wow, so true! Do you have any idea how many trolls I’ve seen during my career? Their way of thinking is seriously messed up. You wouldn’t believe what they say when caught and asked why they do it.”
“What do they say?”
“They claim that streamers make easy money, so we deserve to be insulted. And many of them have the audacity to argue back, saying they expected to get flak for doing this kind of work.”
“…There are actually people like that?”
Lee Kyungbok wrinkled his nose. Most viewers he had encountered seemed to enjoy watching streams alongside the streamer themselves. He found it hard to believe there were twisted individuals out there who thought differently.
“As your channel grows, you’ll attract those types as well. You can already see some troublemakers emerging, right? Of course, I don’t think their comments will affect someone with your mental fortitude.”
“Well… It still sucks if it happens.”
Lee Kyungbok nodded at his friend’s words. Perhaps feeling uneasy was just a natural reaction to such situations.
“That’s why forming your fandom is crucial.”
“Fandom?”
“The growth of Purple Channel has been phenomenal.”
“It’s insane,” Choi Byunghoon agreed with Park Juhho while nodding enthusiastically. Satisfaction and pride were evident on his face.
In contrast, Park Juhho maintained a cool demeanor.
“But this level of attachment between you and your viewers won’t last forever. The subscriptions and emoticons we’ve prepared so far are merely means to an end. What you need to capture is a sense of belonging among your fans. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is by giving them a collective nickname yourself.”
“Well, he’s not wrong. Just like how Genom has his fans called Genomes and Daltan has his Moondusts, you need your own nickname for your fans,” Choi Byunghoon explained while referencing two of the biggest streamers out there.
Lee Kyungbok nodded thoughtfully. “A nickname… I’ll have to think about that.”
“It’s not urgent, but it’d be good to consider it at some point. More important is this.” Park Juhho activated a hologram via his smart collar.
It displayed a list organized in a table format.
“As mentioned earlier, we need custom emojis made. Here’s a list of designers and samples I compiled.”
“Wow, when did you manage all this?”
“Really? Didn’t you go straight home after the team dinner last night?” When his two friends expressed their surprise, Park Juhho casually shrugged.
“It wasn’t that hard of a task. I just researched other streamers and YouTubers’ strategies. Anyway, let’s see which ones we like best.”
Lee Kyungbok and Choi Byunghoon scanned the list with serious expressions on their faces, but it was difficult to narrow down their choices.
“Wow…you sly dog. These are all top-notch artists!”
“I know, right? They’re all great, but they have completely different styles.”
As Lee Kyungbok agreed, Choi Byunghoon’s eyes lit up quickly.
“Hey, why don’t we make this part of our content?”
“…Content?”
“All the videos uploaded on PurTube so far have been gameplay footage, haven’t they? That’s not bad per se, but viewers also enjoy shorter clips around five minutes long.”
“How does that have anything to do with emojis?”
“Well, why not let viewers choose which ones they want since they’ll be using them anyway? Actually, many other streamers use this method for their videos.”
Park Juhho’s eyes lit up at this suggestion.
“That’s true. Letting them pick would increase subscription rates, and some might even volunteer to create the emojis themselves.”
“I like it. It’d also give us more opportunities to interact with our audience, making things more interesting.”
Lee Kyungbok nodded as well, swaying all three of them toward one decision.
“It shouldn’t cost much if we just make sample designs. I can handle outsourcing.”
“Okay. Let’s go ahead with this emoji plan.”
“Oh, speaking of costs, there’s one more thing I wanted to mention.” Park Juhho grabbed his friends’ attention.
“Lee Kyungbok, have you registered your business?”
“Registered my business?”
“Considering how rapidly your channel is growing and the income it’s generating, we need to optimize for tax savings. Once you register as a business owner, not only can we expense the cost of creating these emojis but also items like this coffee we’re drinking now.”
Park Juhho lightly shook his coffee cup as he explained.
“Furthermore, if you plan on hiring me and this guy, registering your business is essential.”
“Huh? Really?”
“What?” Both Lee Kyungbok and Choi Byunghoon were taken aback.
Park Juhho slightly wrinkled his nose.
“Choi Byunghoon, haven’t you been working as an editor for quite some time? How don’t you know this?”
“Well, I was always hired on a per-project contract basis.”
”…Ah, so you were freelancing. Makes sense, considering it’s cheaper that way—no health insurance costs or anything. But if you intend to continue working together long-term like this…”
“Insurance? Insurance benefits for editors? That bastard… After all those years working together!” Choi Byunghoon frowned as he recalled his former employer, and Park Juhho let out a short sigh.
Lee Kyungbok chuckled nervously before speaking up. “It’s like there’s a whole other level of exploitation out there. Anyway, if it needs to be done, then we must do it. We’re all in this together.”
“Oh, so you’ll insure me, Kyungbok? Awesome, I owe you one.” Choi Byunghoon laughed heartily, as if none of their previous tension existed.
“The registration process itself isn’t complicated. I’ll prepare all the necessary documents. Just give me a name for our business first.”
“A name? Hmm…” Lee Kyungbok quickly brainstormed, not taking long to come up with an idea. “Let’s go with Team Perfect.”
They were indeed the perfect team of friends.
Later that afternoon, clips from Kyungbok’s stream spread across various online communities and became hot topics. He was already a popular streamer, and “Anatomy of a Craftsman” was one of his main features.
But this episode saw him abandon his usual format for the first time ever, instead showcasing a streamer so powerful he could render other craftsmen obsolete.
Not only did Purple’s video go viral, but screenshots were also shared widely as GIFs, which in turn led to even more posts spreading across forums.
Who is Purple?
He claims to be a craftsman, yet he brought some no-name dude with him?
LOL, looks like the fanboys are getting triggered because they don’t know who he is. Shouldn’t you add some kind of explanation?
What? Who’s this guy?
-How dare you call him a nobody just cuz you don’t recognize him?! LOL
-Who’s calling who a noob? LOLLLL
-Do your own research if you want more info!
Many of them didn’t know who Purple was. Some weren’t into games or streaming, while others were fans but preferred different genres.
-What’s up with this new-human nonsense? LOL
-I thought it was just a joke, but this guy is actually a new human, LOL.
-Full cognitive ability and heightened senses for real? Is this the beginning of evolution or something?
-No, seriously, even if I don’t wanna believe it, his performance was insane, LOLLLL
-You can only truly appreciate it by watching the full video, not just GIFs.
-Not everything on the Internet is true, LOL
-LMAO, some nerd analyzed it and now everyone’s convinced
-These idiots probably also think Earth is flat…
-Just another inferior species throwing a tantrum.
-Inferior species LMFAO
-The top comments are being harsh, but this is clearly fake news.
-I mean, it looks pretty fishy if you watch closely.
-Just ignore it and move on. Why fan the flames?
Many people questioned Kyungbok’s analysis, as the results were too hard to believe.
-RicktoShow knows best!
-Kyungbok and Purple cooked up this whole thing LMFAO
-Isn’t this kind of result easily manipulated?
-Like adding light effects around brain images LOL
-Wow! WTF! Full brain activation! LMAO
Bolok Entertainment, Kyungbok’s agency, probably orchestrated all this.
Maybe Purple has already signed with Bolok?
It pisses me off how they’re hyping up both Kyungbok and Purple by creating controversy between them.
It was obvious noise marketing, and people were getting whipped up over nothing. No wonder this site had earned itself the nickname Gukpyo, or “national disgrace.”
[Counterargument: You’re wrong.]
[L2D]
[LOL clean sweep!]
[Purple’s agency is doing some noise marketing here LOL]
[Why Begell? Are you trolling with multiple accounts?]
[LOL nope, just check out the number of recommends on this post…]
[Gukpyo exists because of assholes recommending posts like these.]
[I’ve taken screenshots and sent them to Bolok Entertainment ^^]
[Sharp as ever LOL]
Kyungbok’s antis didn’t miss an opportunity to stir things up. They spammed recommendations for baseless slander, providing “fire support” that propelled the disruptive thread to the top of the community forum. Amidst all the chaos, there was one thing everyone agreed upon.
[LMAO, look at this community]
[Whether it’s Kyungbok or Genom, people won’t stop arguing about them all day long.
Seriously, you dumbasses stirring up trouble—stop yapping here and take your nonsense elsewhere! If you’re really curious, ask Kyungbok yourself instead of being a bunch of trolls. Or better yet, watch Purple’s stream with your own eyes. If you don’t believe what others say, just form your own opinion after watching him, right?
Why argue over who’s right and wrong like a bunch of idiots? What are the admins doing? Sleeping on the job? Are they only there to rake in ad revenue while driving traffic to their site? Seriously, this pisses me off so much.]
[–Whoa… Why so angry?]
[–But he does have a point tho LMAO]
[–Just watch the broadcast already.]
-Who doesn’t know that? He’s just killing time before his broadcast starts.L
-Liar exposed, now he looks like a fool.L
-Aha-ha-ha… Can’t wait for the stream to start.L
-What do you mean, “overly focused on communication”?L
-Ignorance is bliss, right? Just ignore it.L
-LOL It says “fake” in the title, so why bother looking up this stream?L
-Seriously LOL… Even these comments are chaotic.L
Regardless of whether they viewed Kyungbok positively or negatively, everyone was waiting with bated breath for Purple’s broadcast.
Time passed as the online community continued to heat up.
-Purple has started broadcasting.L
-Yeah, today I’m Heimdall!L
The much-awaited moment finally arrived.
Lee Kyungbok greeted his viewers enthusiastically.
“Twha! Hello and welcome!”
His eyes widened at what he saw next.
-Twha!
-Is this Purple?
-Show us your brain power!
-LOL yeah right, BS!
-[Message deleted by moderator. (Warning #1)]
-Nice voice LOL
-Hyung! There’re so many weirdos here today!
The chat window was unusually busy. As if that wasn’t surprising enough…
…Over two thousand viewers already?
The number of viewers exploded immediately upon going live. Normally, it would increase incrementally by tens, but now, the count shot up by hundreds with each passing second.
[[PurpleScatter] has subscribed for 1 month!]
[[Open your wallets! Subscribe!]]
Subscription notifications started pouring in.
“Oh, thank you, PurpleScatter, for subscribing!”
-Ah! I said I was gonna be first!
-Oh, number one! Subscription!
-Ah ah Ah wait for it!
-You can block sponsorship but not subscriptions ah ah
[‘PurpleSharing’ has subscribed for ‘1’ month!]
[Hyeong! Hyung’s aura is always strong!]
[‘I am non-religious’ has subscribed for ‘1’ month!]
[Praise! Praise! Praise!]
[‘KoreansAre3Tier’ has subscribed for ‘1’ month!]
[Subscribing as 3rd tier ah ah ah]
The subscription notifications continued pouring in. Lee Kyungbok expressed his continuous gratitude. Meanwhile, the chat window became even more chaotic:
-[Purple][Purple][Purple]
-[Praise][Praise][Praise]
-[Jangoh][Purple][Flower][Jangoh]
-Wait;;; Is this some religious group?
This chaos arose because viewers who finished subscribing started spamming large emojis.
“Oh wow, thank you so much! I’ll allow these emojis for now!”
Lee Kyungbok was both bewildered and overjoyed. He assumed all those subscriptions were thanks to Kyungbok’s fans. Little did he know that they also had the effect of suppressing any potential trolling.
The next system message brought an even bigger smile to his face.
[A subscriber named “Genom” has gifted you with one hundred subscriptions!]
“Oh, Genom-nim! Thank you for the hundred subscriptions. You kept your promise right away.”
[User “Genom” is subscribed for 1 month.]
[Everyone knows, right? I’m not mediocre at all ^^]
A notification about the subscription followed his expression of gratitude. The chat window filled up with “ㅋㅋㅋ.”
—You’re already being petty ㅋㅋㅋ
—Huh? You look worse when you lurk on someone else’s stream!
—KyungbokSux
—I’ll let it slide this time ’cause of Gadfly ㅎㅎ
–Just puuuurfect, just purrfect.
–Ah ha-ha! Now I can’t stop typing it either.
This was due to many of Kyungbok’s fans joining the stream as new viewers. The notifications for new subscribers and messages of appreciation continued unabated for some time.
“Whew… Thank you once again. I had no idea so many people would subscribe.”
–Ha-ha, look at how clean the chat is now.
–The trolls couldn’t wait any longer and left, huh? Ha-ha-ha!
–Didja get surprised by your unexpected popularity? Hee-hee-hee!
–These trolls these days have no patience whatsoever!
–Isn’t that a good thing though? Ha-ha-ha!
Most of the troublemakers who’d been waiting for an opportunity eventually grew impatient and abandoned their plans.
The die-hard fans remained, but they would likely stay quiet until something concrete came up due to the unfavorable situation.
We haven’t even started yet, and we’re already at thirty-five hundred…
Despite this, his stream broke viewership records thanks in part to absorbing some of Kyungbok’s audience.
L**—OMG?**
—Not Mystic?
—Then he must’ve logged in already.
—Playing something else today?
Lee Kyungbok beamed as he read the chat messages flooding the screen.
“Yes, that’s right. Today I’m going to try out a new game instead of Mystic.”
[P-P-P-Perfect Yami is?!
—Huh? It should be Master!
—Yami: Finally, rest time…
[BlackCompany] Did it again LOL
-LOL YAMI WILL DIE FROM OVERWORK!
What is Kyungbok Lee’s choice?!
The viewers were split between two reactions, though most expressed disappointment.
“I mentioned earlier that I wanted to merge the Mystic and Gunner grounds, right? But since I’m not familiar with it yet, merging them without practice would be disrespectful, so today, I want to do some drills first.”
His explanation changed the mood instantly.
-PERMANENT GUNNER GROUND?!
-AHAHAH THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE
-BLOOD WILL BE SPILT HAHAHAHA
-Practicing (massacre)
-Massacre incoming!
-Time for Mystic!
-PERMANENT PERMANENT PERMANENT PERMANENT
-PERMANENT GUNNER ARRIVES!
This was their chance to witness Kyungbok display his prowess from the test run in actual combat.
This chapter is translated using Omni Translator, Omni's state-of-the-art novel machine translation LLM, and corrected by human editors. If you'd like to read ahead, you can try using our translator webapp to translate the raw text or link for free.