Chapter 16 - Includes Paid Advertising (2)

Lee Kyung-bok glanced at the time.

It was just past 10:00 AM. He stepped into the café, the meeting place.

"Hey, you made it."

"Seeing you up at this hour, the power of capital is indeed great."

Lee Kyung-bok joked to Choi Byung-hoon, who was welcoming him.

"Well, that means it's a pretty important matter."

"Advertising came in…"

Lee Kyung-bok took the coffee he had pre-ordered via Smart Order and sat down.

"But why advertising all of a sudden? I’m not suddenly going to play a different game."

"Well, it’s about explaining Bark and some YouTube videos… You’ll see when you look at it, but the advertising conditions aren’t detailed."

Choi Byung-hoon slightly wrinkled his nose and shrugged. He had already shared the email in advance.

"Probably confidential."

"Yeah, in exchange, they’ll adjust all the schedules to fit ours. They said we can see it as early as this afternoon. That’s why I’m here, disrupting my circadian rhythm."

"Man, you sure know how to make a point. What’s a circadian rhythm, anyway?"

"Anyway, what do you think? Should we see it today?"

"What about the broadcast?"

"The broadcast schedule can be changed with a notice. And it might be a good time to consider changing the time slot."

"Changing the time slot?"

Lee Kyung-bok furrowed his brow and tilted his head.

"Evening is better than the current afternoon slot for more viewers. The competition is fierce, but you’ve built up some recognition now."

"Is it worth a try?"

"Yeah, if we change it abruptly, the regulars might get a bit annoyed, but this time we have a reason."

"Hmm…"

Lee Kyung-bok didn’t answer immediately.

He had gotten into the habit of going to bed early for morning exercise. Changing the broadcast time could disrupt his routine.

'But if more viewers can see it…'

Compared to the benefits his friend mentioned, it was a minor issue. Besides, it wasn’t set in stone, so it was worth a try.

"Sure, let’s see it today."

"Okay! Shall we set up the meeting right away?"

"Sure."

Choi Byung-hoon smiled at his friend’s straightforward answer.

He had said he would handle the non-broadcast aspects, but he planned to bring Lee Kyung-bok to this meeting.

'With a human lie detector by my side, I won’t have to worry about being taken advantage of.'

Based on past experiences, Lee Kyung-bok’s ability to read people had never been wrong.

* * *

Early afternoon, a café in the city.

A woman in a neat two-piece suit was operating her Smart Link. The holographic contract appeared on the desk.

'Good, no issues.'

After reviewing the contract again, she felt relieved and composed herself.

'Purple… I hope it’s not a weird person.'

She applied lip balm to her dry lips.

Streamers can be strong-willed, but some are quite unconventional.

'I hope they’re not doing an outdoor broadcast again.'

Outdoor broadcast, or 'OB' for short.

The streamer she had contacted before showed up at the meeting place with a camera.

Naturally, the content of the advertising contract was confidential, and she asked him to stop the broadcast, but the streamer became confrontational.

He accused her of trying to 'pull a fast one' and refused to stop, so the contract naturally fell through.

'Or maybe it’s that awful streamer…'

Advertising contracts are usually initiated by the company, so some streamers think they are in a superior position.

They demand high compensation and try to get as much as they can from the company.

'Without an MCN, it’s really unstable…'

If there were a company to mediate, such worries wouldn’t exist. But the 'Purple' she was meeting today didn’t belong to any company.

'But they seemed fine in the broadcasts.'

She recalled Purple’s broadcasts.

They exuded confidence, but could also come off as a bit cocky.

She couldn’t shake the worry that they might be a bit of a troublemaker in real life.

'Please, let today go smoothly…'

She took a deep breath to calm herself and checked the time.

It was almost time for them to arrive. If they were late, her anxiety would only increase.

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

"Wow…"

She involuntarily gasped.

One was large and had a robust appearance, while the other had a sturdy build that was noticeable even under his clothes.

Both were dressed in suits, and the sturdier one looked well-fitted and stylish.

The main reason for her reaction was one thing.

'They’re insane.'

He had an attractive face.

His slightly wavy hair, prominent features, and smooth jawline, along with skin so clear it didn’t look like a man’s.

'This must be a blessed workplace.'

She thought they were office workers on a break.

Perhaps because she had been staring, their eyes met.

Startled, she quickly looked away, but the footsteps were coming closer.

Her heart beat faster with each step.

Then, when the handsome man spoke.

"Are you here for the Purple advertising contract?"

She felt her heart stop.

Fortunately, it didn’t take long for her to regain her composure.

"Ah, yes! Streamer Purple?"

"Yes, that’s me. This is the editor and channel manager."

"Hello!"

"Ah, yes! Excuse me! Please, sit down, or rather, let’s order drinks first!"

She was still flustered, but Lee Kyung-bok smiled at her.

"Ah, it’s fine. I had coffee this morning."

"No, no, it would be awkward if you didn’t. And when using the corporate card, the staff should enjoy something good too."

"Ah, is that so?"

"Ahaha…"

The employee didn’t deny it.

This gave her a moment to compose herself while ordering drinks.

"Ahem, then I’ll share the contract with you first."

"Thank you."

She sent the contract to both of them via Smart Link.

The contract was filled with legal jargon, so Lee Kyung-bok glanced at his friend.

Choi Byung-hoon was examining the contract with a serious expression.

"I’ll explain it briefly. First, we’re requesting multilingual subtitle support for the videos on your channel."

"Subtitles?"

"Yes, as stated, we will prepare all the subtitle scripts. You just need to register them."

"Okay, that shouldn’t be a problem. It will also increase our subscribers."

If the subtitles were supported, it would attract more foreign viewers.

"Yes, and next, I’ll explain the hidden route."

She paused, choosing her words carefully, and then continued with a slightly awkward smile.

"First, Purple’s play style has deviated significantly from what we expected."

"Deviated?"

"Yes. For example, you recently completed the Chapter 3 boss battle, right?"

"You mean the Giant Logan."

"Yes, our development team didn’t expect Logan to die."

Lee Kyung-bok and Choi Byung-hoon blinked at her words.

"Of course, it’s not a problem. However, our development team assumed that most players would survive the boss’s attacks for a certain amount of time. If that condition was met, the enraged Logan would charge into the debris, and a path would open."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Of course, we also considered the possibility of defeating the boss like Purple did. According to the simulation results I received, the probability is about 0.7%."

She smiled awkwardly.

"To be precise, the players who open the hidden route are roughly in the top 5%, and among those 5%, the probability of directly defeating Logan is 0.7%. So, it’s practically impossible."

"But you did it."

Choi Byung-hoon chuckled and looked at Lee Kyung-bok, who seemed confused.

"It wasn’t that hard."

At that moment, Choi Byung-hoon and the employee had similar expressions.

"Ahem, as I was saying, the hidden route has several branches. However, it might be misunderstood by the viewers of Purple’s broadcasts and videos."

"Well, viewers do say it’s insanely difficult."

"Yes, we also have other solutions prepared. We’re requesting this explanation to clear up any misunderstandings."

"Ah, I see…"

Now Lee Kyung-bok understood.

If left as is, the hidden route might be seen as exclusive to the streamer 'Purple' rather than a general feature for gamers.

It wouldn’t matter for those who only watch the broadcasts, but for new players, it could be a deterrent.

If it seemed impossible to beat, sales would decrease, so this was to prevent that.

She then explained the other conditions.

"Hmm, nothing particularly unusual."

Choi Byung-hoon nodded.

Conditions like the developer using Purple’s play videos for promotion, the contract being canceled if the streamer’s image is tarnished, and the resulting penalty, were all standard.

And the most important part.

"The advertising rate is based on the number of subscribers. Currently, Purple’s channel has 135,000 subscribers. We will pay 3 million won based on 150,000 subscribers."

Lee Kyung-bok looked at Choi Byung-hoon’s expression. He nodded.

"Yes, it seems appropriate compared to recent rates. A 300,000 subscriber streamer usually gets around 7 million won."

"Ah, really?"

"Yeah, of course, the decision is yours."

Choi Byung-hoon’s words turned the employee’s attention to Lee Kyung-bok.

Now it was up to him to decide.

However, Lee Kyung-bok didn’t speak immediately.

'Hmm… It doesn’t feel wrong.'

He focused on the impression he was getting from the employee. He didn’t feel the need to consult a fortune-teller. If there were any issues, he would have felt them as soon as he entered.

'Still, something feels a bit off.'

But it wasn’t enough to say 'yes' right away. After a moment of thought, he spoke.

"Can I request one more condition?"

"Yes? Ah… Please, go ahead, and I’ll review it immediately."

She looked a bit uncomfortable but listened intently.

As he explained, her expression brightened. After a brief call, she responded.

"Yes, no problem. We’ll add it as a special clause."

Thus, a mutually satisfying contract was finalized.

* * *

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