The Divine Genius’s Game Broadcasting Chapter 349

Episode 349 – I'll Just Pay for It (2)

Early afternoon, Team Perfect meeting.

Park Joo-ho delivered the news with a faint smile.

"It seems like the emoticon response in Japan is better than I expected. I've even received additional suggestions."

He displayed a hologram of the email he received from the Logline team.

“Sold as a set?”

“The previous proposal was for a promotion to be included in the new release and MD recommendation sections after the sales conversion, but that was included with other emoticons, and this is different.”

“Oh? What? It’s an exclusive promotion?”

As Park Joo-ho explained, Choi Byung-hoon's eyes lit up. Even without looking at the email, the attached image example made it easy to understand.

“Wow! This is a really great opportunity, sir!”

Everyone was happy to hear that he was alone, but Jo Daehan was especially happy.

“My maternal relatives are also Japanese. So, I often write loglines.”

“Oh, I see.”

"Yes, yes. Last time, the editorial team leader said this market was a red ocean, but that was actually based on our country's standards. Japan is even worse."

Everyone's eyes widened at Jo Daehan's words.

“More than what I said?”

“Yes, at that time, I thought it was unnecessary to say anything because I felt like it would be like throwing cold water on the situation.”

“What he said was pretty harsh, wasn’t it?”

At Madman's question, Jo Dae-han rolled his eyes for a moment.

"Well, the situation is a bit different in Korea and Japan. In Korea, emoticon creators are still quite popular, right? But in Japan, emoticons utilizing IP are more popular than those created by individual creators."

“Oh, that’s right. Because there are comics and anime.”

When Choi Byeong-hun nodded as if he understood, Jo Dae-han also gained confidence.

"That's right. Japan is a leading country in manga and anime, after all. They produce a ton of related emoticons. So, if you can't get any promotion for genuinely original emoticons without IP, they're not just at rock bottom, they're practically at the bottom."

"Oh, I think I know. Before I made that Mad Gunner YouTube, my gun introduction YouTube had absolutely no views."

Madman shook his head, as if a bad memory had surfaced. Jo Daehan cleared his throat briefly, changing the mood.

"Ahem, of course, that doesn't mean we'll do that. We have a promotion planned, after all. But if we do this as a solo promotion, we'll be able to breathe comfortably outside the water."

"What Mr. Daehan said is true, but we do need to come up with new emoticons separately. It's time to start adding new subscriber benefits, too."

Park Joo-ho agreed and said to Lee Gyeong-bok.

“Oh, I think so too. These days, when I look at chat rooms, viewers don’t seem to use many emoticons.”

"As you can see from the merchandise meeting, there have been quite a few memes about you. Things have changed a lot since we first added emoticons."

Choi Byung-hoon let out a hollow laugh at the words of Madman and Park Joo-ho.

"Actually, there's no need to rush. It's only been a quarter, right? It's something a regular streamer wouldn't even think about, but you've already shown us a lot. It wouldn't be a bad idea to join us when the opportunity arises."

Lee Kyung-bok listened quietly, then folded his arms. He rolled his eyes for a moment before speaking.

“It’s all good stories, but…”

He glanced at his team members and continued speaking.

“I think the most important thing is the opinion of the writer, who is a practitioner.”

Everyone gathered here has outstanding abilities, but only in their specialized fields.

The quality of the emoticon depends entirely on the skill of the artist who drew it.

“Besides, we told you the details of the contract last time, and you said you were currently working on renewing the emoticons, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Park Joo-ho responded by uploading a new image. It was a sample the emoticon creator had sent as they began the renewal process.

Existing emoticons used characters that symbolized viewers, or 'tsoo'.

The emoticon creator wanted to change the character design to one that revealed his identity as a fan of Lee Kyung-bok more than in the renewed version.

“Wow, the perfect hoodie looks pretty even when you look at it like this.”

And the goods that symbolized this platform war were the answer chosen by the author.

“He replied that it wouldn’t take much time since it wasn’t a completely new drawing.”

“Well, then let’s do it this way.”

Lee Kyung-bok gathered everyone's attention by clapping his hands lightly.

"I know work isn't always fun, right? But I still think of it as a collaborative effort to create a show. I think everyone here, and even the emoticon creators, are part of that."

The priority of broadcasting is entertainment.

Lee Gyeong-bok's principles were unwavering.

"The most widely used game console today is actually something the author created because he liked it. I hope our work isn't something we endure for the sake of money."

I hoped that the behind-the-scenes aspects of the broadcast, including the production and planning stages, would be 'fun' for viewers.

"First, I'll convey the content to the emoticon artist and leave it to their discretion. They'll assess the schedule and make a decision. Joo-ho, in return, please express yourself well so the artist doesn't feel pressured."

“Okay, I understand.”

Park Joo-ho nodded obediently. The others did the same.

"Now that I hear it, you're right, sir. I do it because I enjoy it, too…"

“It’s not right if only we enjoy it.”

Choi Byeong-hun laughed at Jo Dae-han and Madman's words.

“They make fun of all the black companies on TV, but how is this a black company?”

At those words, laughter erupted in the conference room. Jo Daehan's eyes widened in the middle of the conversation.

"Oh, speaking of black companies, I wonder if it would be a good idea to make emoticons with this theme."

“Black company emoticon?”

"Yes, yes. The term "black company" originally came from Japan, didn't it? Everyone uses it these days, but I think it's a theme that would be especially popular in Japan."

"oh…"

Lee Kyung-bok nodded at the suggestion. He then closed his eyes, weighing his feelings, and smiled faintly.

"When you email the author, briefly mention this idea. It might help him formulate a plan if he has a theme."

“Well, that’s a good idea.”

“Thanks for the idea, Mr. Daehan.”

“Oh, no!”

Cho Dae-han couldn't hide his joy when his opinion was accepted.

'Wow, this is a truly horizontal corporate culture.'

The reason he could freely express his opinion was because he was confident that Lee Kyung-bok would take it seriously.

It was something I couldn't even imagine doing in a normal job.

'I must bury my bones here!'

Emotions aren't something you can have just because you tell yourself to.

Loyalty was also an emotion.

* * *

After the meeting, Lee Kyung-bok rode in Park Joo-ho's car.

“You can just take the subway.”

“It’s not that far.”

"If you're going to do that, why don't you come eat with me? Adding one more person would be fine."

Lee Kyung-bok wasn't a man who spoke too much. After his previous conversation with Yang Gyu-ri, he contacted her again and arranged a dinner date.

“We have to finish it first. And I don’t think your aunt would want that either.”

“Huh? You don’t want it?”

Lee Kyung-bok was bewildered by the next words. Could Yang Gyu-ri have any reason to be uncomfortable with Park Joo-ho?

Park Joo-ho paused for a moment and then opened his mouth.

“…I get a similar feeling from my aunt to my adoptive father.”

"uh?"

When Lee Kyung-bok's eyes widened at the unexpected words, Park Joo-ho shook his head.

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean it in a bad way.”

“Of course that is. Then in what sense?”

"There's something about that. It's the feeling of wanting to accept someone as family even though they're not related by blood, but also being wary of growing further apart."

"ah…"

Lee Gyeong-bok sighed softly.

If you think about it, the relationship between herself and Yang Gyu-ri was similar to the relationship between Park Joo-ho and his adoptive father.

“The difference is that I’m not ready yet, and you’re somewhat open-minded.”

“My aunt is more comfortable than before.”

“Yeah, but I’m a little different.”

Park Joo-ho let out a short sigh.

"Of course, I know that in my head. My adoptive father is a good man, and my mother saw that side of me and decided to remarry. That's why neither of them pressured me and waited for me to accept."

He paused for a moment.

Lee Kyung-bok waited calmly. He could intuitively sense that his friend hadn't finished speaking yet.

"So, sometimes I imagine. How happy they'd both be if I accepted my adoptive father as family."

“…He must be very happy.”

"That's right. I'm sure she values our time even more. That's why I don't want to take up your and your aunt's time."

Park Joo-ho smiled faintly.

"Usually, parent-child relationships are determined at birth. But our situation is a little different now."

“Different?”

When Lee Gyeong-bok asked again, he turned his eyes away.

“Because this relationship is our choice.”

Lee Kyung-bok's eyes widened at that answer. He stroked his chin and blurted out a word.

"thanks."

"what?"

"No, I hadn't thought of it that way. Thanks to you, I've come to see things from your perspective."

When Lee Kyung-bok looked embarrassed, Park Joo-ho smiled even more deeply.

“I think your aunt would like that better?”

"huh?"

“What I’m saying is that it’s best to accept things naturally like you, rather than trying to reason with your head like I do.”

Soon the car slowly stopped on the side of the road.

“Is this it?”

“Oh, we’re already here. Thanks for driving!”

“Okay, see you on air.”

Lee Kyung-bok smiled at his friend's greeting and put on his sunglasses. Beyond the opaque lenses was a large department store.

He quickly approached the entrance and lowered his sunglasses.

"…what?"

Something was strange.

I saw a sign saying that the department store was closed today.

'I even made a reservation?'

Even though it was a weekday, he'd made a reservation at the restaurant just in case it was crowded. Lee Kyung-bok double-checked the reservation date and the department store location, but there were no errors.

‘No… but is it really a holiday?’

The problem was that it was also true that it was a holiday.

While Lee Gyeong-bok was so confused, a vibration rang out.

“Oh, yes! Auntie.”

"Hey, Kyungbok, where are you?"

“It’s near the entrance. But there’s a department store…”

It was a call from Yang Gyu-ri.

While Lee Kyung-bok was wondering how to explain the situation, she spoke in a cheerful voice.

"Oh my, you're here early. Then come over to that road. We can go in together."

"Huh? No, that's not it, Auntie. The department store is closed today."

<I know too. Just come.>

Did you know it's a holiday?

More questions were forming in Lee Kyung-bok's mind, but he moved his steps toward the road.

"Hey, stay there. Do you see me waving?"

“Hand? Ah.”

Lee Kyung-bok turned his eyes.

A black foreign car was slowly approaching, and a hand was sticking out of the window.

Soon the call was cut off and the car stopped in front of him.

“Oh my, did you have to wait long? Come in first.”

Through the backseat window, Yang Gyu-ri's bright smile was visible. Lee Gyeong-bok took a seat next to her.

“This person…”

"Oh, it's the driver. I was going to send you one too, but you said you were coming in Juho's car. By the way, where did Juho go?"

“Because I said I had a lot of work to do.”

“Oh my, you’re so busy. I wonder if I’m wasting Kyungbok’s time.”

“No, I was the one who said it first.”

Lee Kyung-bok smiled as he spoke, then shook his head again.

"Oh, that's not the problem. There must have been a mistake. I made a reservation, but the department store is closed today, so I went somewhere else…"

Lee Kyung-bok, who was explaining, blinked. The car entered the department store's underground parking lot.

"What? It's a holiday, why are there employees here?"

I saw a valet parking attendant politely guiding the car.

Yang Gyu-ri, seeing that sight, clapped her hands and laughed.

“Mom, I was going to give you a surprise, but it won’t work out. Seeing Kyungbok’s face makes me feel guilty.”

“Is it a surprise?”

“It’s true that the department store is closed today, but it’s not closed either.”

What kind of contradiction is this?

While Lee Kyung-bok was getting more and more confused, Yang Gyu-ri took out an envelope from her handbag.

“Kyungbok, have you heard of private shopping?”

What she pulled out was an invitation given to VIPs at a department store. It was something Lee Kyung-bok had never seen before.

"This is one of our VIP services. There are days when we invite VIP customers only on our holidays to allow them to shop comfortably."

“Ah… somehow!”

Lee Kyung-bok was also able to grasp the general situation.

“Strangely, the phone number my aunt gave me was different from the restaurant number on the website.”

"That's right. That's the direct number to the VIP service center. I told you everything in advance."

The contradiction was resolved, but questions remained. Lee Kyung-bok immediately posed them.

"But suddenly, private shopping? Do you need anything?"

“Oh my, did I call you to go shopping with me?”

Yang Gyu-ri looked at Lee Gyeong-bok with a bitter smile.

“There’s something I’ve always been concerned about, child. Kyungbok, you’ve been alone since you were little.”

Lee Kyung-bok's parents and grandmother left him too early. As a result, he was always left to fend for himself.

"Usually. At your college graduation, your family takes a picture with you, and when you get a job, they even give you a suit to wear to your interview."

These are the small memories a normal family would have enjoyed. But Lee Kyung-bok never had the opportunity to create such memories.

“I tried to be careful, but now that I think about it, it was no different from neglecting the child.”

Yang Gyu-ri couldn't easily get close to Lee Gyeong-bok. The burden she had built up in her heart grew with time.

"But now, I feel like things need to change. Maybe it's just my greed, but there's a lot I want to do now, don't you think?"

Fortunately, things are different now.

The opportunity has come to put down the burden that has been piling up.

"But Kyungbok, you even won a competition, didn't you? It was a huge event with so many people. How could I congratulate you with just words?"

Yang Gyu-ri looked at Lee Gyeong-bok with a gentle smile. Just then, the car slowly came to a halt at the underground entrance.

Then the door opened and a red carpet and neatly dressed staff came into view.

They bowed their heads politely and welcomed the VIP.

“Today, this aunt.”

The elders in my family often say, "Just say thank you and accept what you get from an adult."

“I’m going to try acting like an adult.”

Today was that kind of day for Lee Kyung-bok.