The Divine Genius’s Game Broadcasting Chapter 446

Episode 446 – President Per, Open the Door! (1)

The next day, Team Perfect meeting.

The atmosphere was usually good, but today it was especially lively.

"The response to this ad has been fantastic. It was worth all the hard work we put in all day."

Not only Lee Kyung-bok, but all of the team members had smiles on their faces.

“Oh, that’s what I meant. This surprise was a pretty big project.”

“Really. I was really tired, but I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”

Choi Byung-hoon and Jo Dae-han were especially delighted. Their joy was clearly doubled by their respective roles as director and screenwriter of the commercial.

“I should go to sleep now, I should go to sleep, but new posts keep popping up on the community.”

“Oh, that’s right. That one also became a popular post and went viral.”

The two people spoke in excited voices, as if the afterglow had not yet subsided.

Park Joo-ho agreed with him with a faint smile.

"It'd be strange if it didn't become an issue. The Aurora Department Store collaboration alone was amazing, but hiring fans as employees is even more unusual."

"Isn't this the first time? Oh, I have to upload a video to YouTube right now, but I can't…"

Madman expressed his regret.

Despite the height of interest, this commercial has yet to be uploaded to YouTube.

"Well, we have to understand that. The original purpose of the commercial was to drive traffic to Aurora's social media. Just wait until the pop-up store opens."

"By then, there probably won't be anyone who hasn't seen the ad. But we still have a secret weapon, don't we?"

Pugmalion added encouragement to Lee Kyung-bok's explanation. Even fans who have already seen the commercials to their heart's content still had something to like.

“Well, there’s a making-of film.”

“Oh, Aurora and Shop Fandom sent me the video source this morning.”

Choi Byeong-hun expressed his confidence as he spoke.

“I should use this to show a time-lapse of the Purple Office opening process, as well as the advertising production process and behind-the-scenes footage of the model shoot.”

“Wow, as expected from the team leader. There’s never a day when content on PerTube runs out!”

Everyone burst into laughter at Jo Daehan's response. Lee Gyeong-bok clapped his hands lightly, drawing attention.

"Good. We're almost done with the pop-up store. Now all that's left is operation. Since Shopfandom and Aurora are more heavily involved in this, we'll take it easy for the time being."

Everyone agreed with him.

Once the Purple Office opened, they had no part to play in its management and operation.

“In other words, it means that you must do your best to prepare before opening.”

“I know. But the outside work is yours and mine.”

Lee Kyung-bok smiled at Park Joo-ho's words.

“Let’s do our best until the end.”

* * *

Early afternoon, Shop Fandom building.

The CEO, MD team leader, and HR manager greeted Lee Kyung-bok and Park Joo-ho.

“The response to this pop-up store has been incredible!”

“Neither Korea nor Japan were joking.”

“Thanks to Purple, our shop fandom name has been firmly imprinted on our fans.”

Lee Gyeong-bok responded humbly to those words.

"It was all thanks to the help from Shop Fandom. The props were great, and the 1:1 scale Permusae figure you installed in the photo zone was especially touching."

"Oh my, I'm so touched! It wasn't that difficult. I just wanted to be there, so I asked Kokukiya for a favor."

"I appreciate your attention to such small details. I think the fans will be very pleased."

The atmosphere was very pleasant thanks to the exchange of pleasantries. However, it wasn't just a place to express gratitude to each other.

As we settled into the conference room, the main topic came up. The HR manager spoke first.

“I sent you a brief message via email, but I would like to ask you to visit me regarding this recruitment.”

“Oh, yes, yes. Over 2,000 people applied.”

Lee Kyung-bok and Park Joo-ho also attended the meeting with serious expressions.

“Well, the number of applicants increased again overnight.”

"yes?"

“More from there?”

As the two people's eyes widened, the people from the shop fandom smiled as if they understood.

“I was really surprised when I went to work today.”

“This time again, it exceeded my imagination.”

“It’s not 2,000, it’s 5,000.”

There was a moment of silence as the numbers were revealed.

“So, you’re saying that the competition ratio has exceeded 250:1, arithmetically?”

“No, really that much…?”

Lee Kyung-bok blinked at Park Joo-ho's calculation. The CEO smiled and nodded.

“We were really surprised, but when we think about it, it wasn’t that strange.”

"After all, Purple's fans are mostly in their 20s. Compared to other age groups, they tend to have more free time."

“That’s right. In fact, most of the applicants were in their 20s.”

The CEO clasped his hands together at the additions of other employees.

"What's even more surprising is this: not all of our fans live near the pop-up store opening, do they? Yet, with this number, we can assume most of our regular viewers have supported us."

"That's certainly true. Five thousand is only about a third of the average viewership, but considering the regional distribution and age range, it's quite remarkable."

"That's right. It's overwhelming loyalty. There's never been an influencer like this in the history of Shopfandom."

When Park Joo-ho agreed, the CEO burst into laughter. Lee Kyung-bok was delighted, but equally concerned.

"Ah… Hearing your story makes me even more sad. I'd like to hire everyone, but I can't…"

"We feel the same way. That's why we created this space. We need clearer standards so our fans can be convinced."

There were many applicants, but limited spots. Clear and clear criteria would have helped alleviate the disappointment of those who were rejected.

"Previously, we used the number of months of subscription as a symbol of fandom and part-time job experience as a measure of employee competence. However, with so many people applying, it became a bit difficult to apply those criteria."

The HR manager carefully explained the situation. Park Joo-ho immediately grasped the Shop Fandom's situation.

“Well, if it’s like this, only those who have subscribed for 4 months will be selected.”

Lee Kyung-bok's broadcasting career lasted only four months and he was just now approaching his fifth month.

For streamers with a long broadcasting career, the number of months of subscription would have been a meaningful selection criterion, but this was not the case for Lee Kyung-bok.

"Yes, that's true. But actually, even within that, it's difficult to distinguish between the two. Since there are so many people in their 20s, there's no significant difference in their careers."

“Ah… So in reality it’s just like a random draw.”

Lee Kyung-bok frowned slightly.

'I guess it would be okay to just proceed, but…'

Even though it is a short broadcasting career, the method is to give a chance first to fans who have subscribed from the beginning and then hold a lottery among them.

It won't be a big problem since fans won't know the details of the hiring process.

'This is a rare opportunity, so I can't be satisfied with this.'

Lee Kyung-bok mulled over the idea. The first thing that came to mind was what needed to be changed.

“If there are so many people applying, we should increase hiring.”

"what?"

"yes?"

“You’re increasing hiring?”

“No, I think 5 people per branch would be enough…?”

His words left not only the shop fandom but even Park Joo-ho bewildered. Lee Kyung-bok smiled and waved his hand.

"No, I'm not suggesting we add more employees. If we maintain the five-person quota but rotate out employees every day, we can hire more people."

“Are you talking about a daily part-time job, not a one-week part-time job?”

The pop-up store was scheduled to operate for one week. Shop Fandom was considering hiring someone to work during that period.

“Indeed…! Then, while the cost remains the same, the total number of employees will increase from 20 to 140.”

“Right. Then more people can experience it.”

When Park Joo-ho realized what he meant, Lee Kyung-bok smiled and agreed. The reason he hired fans as employees was to provide them with a special experience.

"I don't think it's a bad idea. Fans will be satisfied even if they only experience it for a day. In fact, the longer the work period, the less enjoyable it will be."

Park Joo-ho agreed with this.

There were practical reasons as well as emotional ones.

"As I've mentioned before, I have strengths as a fan. Since there's no training period for the product, I can jump right in."

“Well… that’s definitely true.”

“Because it’s not a job that requires professional skills.”

Shopfandom was convinced by that explanation. But problems still remained.

“The hiring criteria are…”

How will we select the 140 new recruits?

Lee Gyeong-bok paused for a moment to consider his words and then asked carefully.

“If it’s okay with you, could you please send me the application again?”

"…yes?"

“Are you talking about something you already received?”

Lee Kyung-bok once again revealed his thoughts to the puzzled expressions of the people.

"There are five positions available at each branch, right? I wonder if we could select these positions based on different criteria."

“You’re not hiring all at once?”

"Yes. For example, the number of months you mentioned for subscriptions and part-time work experience are fine, and, oh! Channel points would be nice, too. I hope this encourages applicants to apply for categories they're confident in."

“Oh, that’s…”

The HR manager hesitated and looked around at the suggestion. Then the CEO spoke.

“I'm sorry, but resubmitting your application may place a burden on our servers.”

I thought it was a rejection, but there was curiosity in his eyes.

"Instead, let's change the method of receiving applications via email. And I think fans would be more understanding if Purple-nim personally announced the announcement."

“Oh, of course. I’ll let you know.”

“Yes, but… may I know why you decided to do it that way?”

Everyone seemed curious and focused their attention on Lee Kyung-bok's mouth.

“It feels similar to applying to college.”

Lee Kyung-bok's return brought a question mark to everyone's faces. "College, all of a sudden?"

"Basically, acceptance or rejection is determined by grades, right? But which university you apply to is also quite important."

“Oh, right.”

“The term ‘entrance exam strategy’ doesn’t come about for nothing.”

When everyone agreed with him, Lee Gyeong-bok nodded.

"That's what I wanted. I felt like I did well, but my strategy was poor, and I was just unlucky. I want the fans to feel that way. I hope they don't feel inadequate even if they miss an opportunity."

Even if you're standing in line, the situation changes depending on whether you have a choice or not. If there's only one line, the person behind you will feel clearly deprived.

"And the more choices you have, the more game-like it feels, right? I hope this recruitment process will be an enjoyable experience for fans."

Lee Kyung-bok concluded his speech with a smile.

The representative gave a short sigh to him.

“Oh, I always feel this way, but Purple-nim, you take care of even the most unthinkable details.”

“That’s right. I never thought about it that way.”

“Fans need to know this side of me too.”

Lee Gyeong-bok smiled awkwardly as others agreed with him.

"Good! Then we just need to finalize the selection criteria."

“Channel Points sounds like a good idea.”

"Isn't distance important? Some people might come from far away…"

The meeting then moved on to discussing the details. Only after finalizing the overall hiring process did the meeting conclude.

“Thanks to you, everything was resolved safely. Thank you for visiting!”

“Ahaha, no. It’s our job, so of course we should come.”

It was time to finish organizing and leave. The manager checked the time with a quick nod of thanks.

“Oh, it’s already this late.”

At his words, everyone reflexively looked at their watches. A smile spread across everyone's face.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how much you like it this time too.”

“Oh, what can I say? It’s definitely going to be a hit.”

Lee Kyung-bok responded with a smile to the words of the MD team leader and the HR manager.

“I hope you enjoy it.”

“I guess I’ll have to go back and look.”

Park Joo-ho said lightly.

It's almost time for the Japanese version of the video to be uploaded.

* * *

Aurora Department Store Stellagram.

People immediately flocked to the new commercial.

[It's here! It's finally here!]

[I've been waiting for Purple C's video!]

[Perfect Voice in real life? And in Japanese!?]

[Hey, are the school bathroom stalls full? But for some reason, everyone's quiet.

[Hey, hey, it's not like it's a company, right? Everyone wants to watch the video, right?

Unlike yesterday, there were numerous Japanese comments below it. But that doesn't mean they were all in Japanese.

[Look at the firepower of Japanese fans ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[Are you watching, Mr. Kim Gu?]

[Cultural Victory Hall ㅁㅊㄷㅁㅊㅇ]

[Overseas Koreans are kings!]

[A new version of the perfect ad? I can't stand it!]

There were also many comments from Korean fans, as news spread through the community that the Japanese version had a different presentation.

So many eyes were glued to the video. However, contrary to expectations, the first half of the Japanese version wasn't much different from the Korean version.

[It's true! Mr. Purple is really speaking Japanese!]

[This is dangerous. Is it dangerous? My ears will become completely addicted?]

[Hey hey hey, Koreans have a monopoly on this stuff!]

[Whoa! This is a big deal! I was satisfied with the synthesized sound! Now there's no going back.

Nevertheless, the response was overwhelmingly positive. This was because Lee Kyung-bok welcomed the NPC guests and spoke entirely in Japanese.

[Oh my gosh, this guy surprisingly suits Japanese too?]

[Something, something like an anime protagonist!]

[Really ㅋㅋ It feels completely different when you hear it in Japanese]

[What's up with the ducking out on Stellagram? LOL]

[Wow, lol, so this is why people subscribe to the Pertube membership]

This was true not only for Japanese fans, but also for Korean fans. Only after such familiar footage had passed did the production finally begin to change.

It was time for the game footage to become reality.

[Huh? What? It's in first-person view?]

[Etto, is this Mr. Purple as seen through the eyes of an NPC?]

[It's completely different from the Korean version, but I have no idea what it means.]

The screen changed to the NPC customer's perspective, and they soon left the store. Everyone was wondering what was going on.

<Paaaaaaaaaang!>

Suddenly, a loud horn blared, and the screen turned to reveal a massive truck. Along with that, the darkened screen was flooded with comments.

[Huh? You're dead? You're dead!?]

[Hey hey hey is this real? This is definitely a truck from another world!]

[Wait, wait! If it's a reincarnation truck, it usually goes from reality to the game world!]

[A completely unexpected production! Wouldn't it be perfect?]

Another world truck.

Japanese fans, of course, but also Korean fans who knew about this burst into laughter.

[Oh my gosh, are you crazy? LOL]

[I tore up the Japanese custom sensibility lol]

[Mr. Daehan, you were Tomodachi, right?]

[Ah, Nakama Taro?]

[Is this Stellagram? And that's Aurora too?]

[Insiders, get out now! Stellagram is turning into a nerd's mecca!]

A shocking development, familiar or not. People couldn't help but skip to the next scene.

The screen, brightening as if waking up, was still in first-person perspective. Kamehameha stood up and looked around.

<(Huh? This is… Purple Office?)>

Instead of voices, Japanese subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen. The format, even the sound effects, were identical to those in the game.

<(I was definitely hit by a truck…?)>

<Oh, you're awake.>

The camera jerked in surprise at the sound of a voice. Lee Kyung-bok was there, sitting across the counter.

<(All, you!?)>

<I'm Purple, the president of Purple Office.>

The camera shook as if flustered by his leisurely answer.

<(How on earth…? Did I even get to heaven after I died…!?)

<You're not dead. That's just a game after all.>

Lee Kyung-bok concluded his speech with a faint smile.

<This is an obvious reality.>

[As expected! It was a reversal of fortune www]

[Purple C, you have a good understanding of subcultures!]

[No, no, there's a separate script?]

[I want to be transported to Purple C's world…!]

As the comments exploded, Lee Kyung-bok took out something from the video and said.

<A gift is prepared for shareholders who visit the real Purple Office.>

[Huh? A gift?]

[Hey hey hey, are you even going to give me another world cheat?]

[Ah, I get it. Purple-san, that was the goddess position!]

[Purple C's abilities are god-level, so maybe that's not wrong?]

[This is perfect casting www]

Soon, Lee Kyung-bok handed something over. The camera didn't capture the scene, and the screen scrolled down, revealing a piece of paper on the counter.

<(Huh? What is this?)>

<You could say it's a token of gratitude and proof of being a shareholder.>

It was a paper certificate, a souvenir given as a souvenir to commemorate the visit.

[Eh-?! Ehhhhhhh!? Another surprise?!]

[Hey, hey, Purple! This is too much! This is really hard on your heart! This is a god-level surprise!

[Ah, I just realized. The Purple Office really is another world. Or rather, I can go there right now!? Maybe I have a plane ticket left!?]

[You can become a perfect shareholder? I have to buy this no matter how much it costs.

The response was explosive as it was not even released in the Korean version.

[What? What is this?]

[Oh my gosh, there's more goods?!]

[No longer a secret shareholder?]

[What!? Why are you giving me this high-quality rice cake!?]

[Oh my gosh, I really have to use my vacation days no matter what, lol]

But there was still something surprising. Most people thought the paper securities were also for sale.

<(How much does this cost…?)>

Your visit is proof enough. The price has already been paid for by your support.

This souvenir was free.

[?????????????????????]

[Eh? Free? Don't need money?]

[No no no no, that doesn't make sense. It's free?]

[This is definitely a story from another world, isn't it? There's a perfect pop-up store like this in real life?]

[Eh, common sense has somehow collapsed. Is this what perfect common sense is?]

[Oh my gosh, this hyung really can't do it!]

[Ah haha I guess I need to fix my bad habits after a long time]

[Who says they won't accept money?!]

[Really lol, today's sponsorship is perfect!]

[Hey lol, a 'crazy' sound came out from another bathroom stall at the same time lol]

The comments grew exponentially, but since the video was already recorded, the characters on the screen continued their conversation.

<(I'm… a shareholder? Purple Office? Does that make sense?)>

Lee Kyung-bok smiled at the blinking subtitles.

<Now, it makes sense.>

Soon, the camera zoomed in on Lee Kyung-bok. It had moved beyond first-person perspective and become entirely the camera.

<Purple Office awaits the visit of many shareholders.>

Lee Kyung-bok lightly adjusted his sunglasses and politely said his last line.

Soon, the camera slowly zoomed out to show the entire view of Purple Office.

With that, the screen slowly turned white and the Perfect Play logo and Aurora logo appeared.

That was the ending.

[Wow, for some reason I started crying www]

[I guess these were tears of happiness. Purple, you really think about your Japanese fans.]

[No, no, really. Actually, Mr. Purple, you don't have to worry about Japanese fans…!]

"It's dangerous, really dangerous? I want to go to Korea somehow! I really want to go to the Purple Office!"

[I used to think all the people who admired this world were idiots. Now I understand a little bit.

Everyone, regardless of nationality, expressed satisfaction.

Even though the language was different, the feelings were the same.

[Wow lol honestly I thought it would be a waste if I couldn't open the run lol]

[Consideration to prevent the listeners from making a wasted effortㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]

[They say they'll give you a souvenir just for going? Then I have to go no matter what, lol]

[Actually, it's really nothing special, lol. But isn't it perfect to take care of something like this?]

[Since ancient times, it has been a tradition to give money to people like this, right?]

[This guy always lives up to his reputation!]

Is this perfect fan service? What exactly is fan service?

The appreciation for perfect fan service was universal.