Chapter 39 - The Establishment of Team Perfect

Lee Kyung-bok, Choi Byung-hoon, and Park Joo-ho gathered at their favorite café. All three were monitoring Gnome's broadcast.

"Wow... Even I, his friend, find it amazing, so what must the others think?"

As the broadcast ended, Choi Byung-hoon cleared away the hologram that had been displaying Gnome's stream and said,

"But is that real? Can you actually see sounds?"

At his question, Lee Kyung-bok slightly frowned.

"Not exactly. Ah, it's really hard to explain."

"Anyway, it works, right? Wow, this guy is really a genius."

Choi Byung-hoon answered nonchalantly. It was clear that his friend was a genius, and that was the most important fact.

Watching the two, Park Joo-ho adjusted his glasses and spoke.

"Enough chit-chat. Let's finish the meeting we were having."

"Hey, look at this strict guy. Were we playing around? When you monitor someone, you need some downtime, right?"

"I know everything you did in between."

"...Sharp, Park."

Lee Kyung-bok chuckled at his two friends and asked,

"Where were we?"

"We were reviewing our current situation. Actually, watching Gnome's broadcast just confirmed it. Kyung-bok, you're a genius. But just being a 'genius' isn't enough."

"What do you mean? Being a genius is already a big deal, right?"

Choi Byung-hoon's eyes widened.

"Yeah, but if there's something better, it's my job as a manager to guide you towards it. Weren't you envious of the relationship Gnome has with his viewers?"

"Huh? How did you know? Did it show that much?"

This time, Lee Kyung-bok's eyes widened.

"Yeah, since it's what you want, it's a good thing. Purple needs to be not just a 'genius' but a 'friendly genius.'"

"Friendly?"

"An ordinary genius is someone to be revered. But that reverence doesn't last long. People naturally feel envy and jealousy towards those who are better than them, and some even act on it."

At this, Choi Byung-hoon lightly clapped his hands.

"Wow, that's really true. Do you know how many trolls I've seen in this job? They have a completely different mindset. If you ask them why they did it after they're caught, do you know what they say?"

"What do they say?"

"They say streamers make money easily, so it's okay to insult them. And some even say they were prepared for the backlash."

"...Are there really people like that?"

Lee Kyung-bok wrinkled his nose. Most of the viewers he had seen so far were people who enjoyed things with him. He couldn't easily believe that there were people with such twisted minds.

"Once your stream grows, those kinds of people will start to appear. You're not the type to be affected by such things, but it will still be unpleasant."

"Yeah... Even if it happens, it will be unpleasant."

Lee Kyung-bok nodded at his friends' words. Feeling unpleasant was a physiological reaction, wasn't it?

"That's why forming a fan community is important."

"Fan community?"

"The growth rate of Purple's channel is incredible."

"Insane."

Park Joo-ho's statement was followed by a nod from Choi Byung-hoon, who looked satisfied and proud.

On the other hand, Park Joo-ho maintained a sharp gaze.

"But the attachment between you and your viewers won't last long. The subscriptions and emotes we've prepared are just means. What you need to capture is the fans' sense of belonging. The easiest way is to give them a nickname."

"Hmm, that's not wrong. Gnome has 'Genome,' and Daltang has 'Daldeungi.' Fans need a nickname."

Choi Byung-hoon added, mentioning two well-known streamers. Lee Kyung-bok nodded seriously.

"A nickname, I'll have to think about it."

"Of course, you don't need it immediately. But it's good to think about it from time to time. More importantly, this is what we need."

Park Joo-ho lightly manipulated the smart link to display a hologram.

It was a list organized in a table.

"We need to create emotes, as announced. This is a list of designers and samples I've prepared."

"Wow, when did you prepare all this?"

"Didn't you go home right after the after-party yesterday?"

When the other two friends asked in surprise, Park Joo-ho shrugged.

"It's not that difficult. I just researched other streamers and YouTubers. Anyway, take a look and see which ones you like."

Lee Kyung-bok and Choi Byung-hoon scanned the list with serious expressions. But it was hard to pick just one.

"Wow... This guy really picked out the best ones."

"Yeah, I like all of them, but they're not similar."

Lee Kyung-bok agreed, and Choi Byung-hoon quickly thought.

"Hey, why don't we make this into content?"

"Content?"

"Right now, all the videos on PTube are game videos. It's not bad, but viewers also like short, casual videos, about 5 minutes long."

"What does that have to do with emotes?"

"Well, since the viewers will use them, let them choose. Actually, many other streamers use this method to select videos."

Park Joo-ho's eyes sharpened at this.

"That's a good idea. If they choose, the desire to subscribe will increase, and maybe some viewers will even offer to make them."

"Sounds good. It will be a good way to interact with the viewers and it will be fun, right?"

Lee Kyung-bok nodded. Thus, the three friends' opinions leaned in one direction.

"Making one sample won't cost much. I'll handle the outsourcing."

"Okay. Let's finalize the emotes that way."

"Ah, and while we're talking about costs..."

Park Joo-ho's words drew the attention of the two friends.

"Kyung-bok, you haven't registered as a business owner, right?"

"Business owner?"

"Given the channel's growth and income, tax savings are necessary. If you register as a business owner, the cost of outsourcing emotes and even the coffee we're drinking can be claimed as expenses."

Park Joo-ho lightly shook his coffee cup.

"Besides, if you're going to hire me and this guy, registering as a business owner is essential."

"Huh? Is that so?"

"Really?"

Lee Kyung-bok, of course, and Choi Byung-hoon were surprised. Park Joo-ho slightly wrinkled his nose.

"Choi Byung-hoon, you've been an editor for a long time, so why don't you know this?"

"Well, I always had per-project contracts."

"...Freelancer. I guess it's cheaper that way. You won't have to pay for the four major insurances. But if you're not going to work together for a long time, that's different."

"Insurance? Editors get insurance benefits? Ah, that bastard... How long did I work with him!"

Choi Byung-hoon scowled, thinking of his former employer, and Park Joo-ho sighed.

Lee Kyung-bok laughed and said,

"Black companies really exist. Anyway, if it's necessary, we should do it. We're all working together to succeed."

"Oh, so Kyung-bok will pay for my insurance? Wow, I'll be in luck."

Choi Byung-hoon laughed as if nothing had happened.

"Registering isn't difficult. I'll prepare all the necessary documents. First, just give me a business name."

"Business name? Hmm..."

Lee Kyung-bok's eyes quickly moved. It didn't take long for a name to come to mind.

"Let's call it Team Perfect."

He and his friends were a 'perfect team.'

* * *

Late afternoon.

Gnome's broadcast had spread across various communities and become a hot topic. He was a popular streamer, and "Craftsman Anatomy" was one of his main contents.

However, the unprecedented announcement of giving up on "Craftsman Anatomy" and the appearance of a streamer who turned ordinary people into craftsmen were significant.

Purple's "Craftsman Anatomy" videos spread, and so did the screenshots, or "clips," of the videos. These posts spread even further.

[Who is Purple?]

[Calling someone a craftsman? What kind of nobody did they bring in?

It's just a bunch of hardcore fans burning up.

Shouldn't there be some additional explanation?]

[-What? This guy?]

[-You treat someone you don't know as a nobody?]

[-Calling hardcore fans 'f*ckers'?]

[-If you need an explanation, go find it yourself!]

Many didn't even know who Purple was. They didn't like games or personal broadcasts, or if they did, it was in a different field.

[What's this 'new human' talk?]

[I thought it was a joke, but it's really a new human.

Full brain activity and sixth sense? Is this the beginning of evolution?

I can't believe it, but the performance is insane.

You need to watch the video to really feel it.]

[-Not everything on the internet is true.]

[-LOL, believing in one streamer's analysis.]

[-These people believe in flat Earth theories.]

[-This is the rant of inferior beings.]

[-Inferior beings?]

[-The comments above are harsh, but this is neutral.]

[-But the video is really impressive.]

[-