Chapter 264 : Namdon Namsan After-party (2)
Namdon Namsan After-party (2)
Early afternoon.
Lee Gyeongbok logged into Capsule.
"Did everyone sleep well?"
As the team members arrived, he greeted them warmly. Today's Team Perfect meeting would be held online.
"The OTP participants' addresses have all been collected. I'll send them to the vendor after the meeting."
Park Juho began the report about preparing the merchandise.
"Ah, that's a relief."
"Thanks to the autographs and personalized messages that were prepared yesterday, we'll start shipping the products as soon as they roll out. I think it'll all be done within three days at the latest."
Lee Gyeongbok wasn't the only one happy about this.
"Oh? Really?! That'll be fast!"
"If it were up to me, I'd just visit the vendor to pick them up myself, but I should hold back."
Jo Daehan and Madman were even more delighted. Both of them had separately placed orders for figures.
'It would be nice to get the autograph and message included too, but it can't be helped.'
The figures that the two of them were receiving didn't have a laser engraving. That was because the figures with the autograph and message were "limited editions," only available to OTP participants.
Lee Gyeongbok had firmly stated that, no matter if they were staff, he couldn't undermine that significance.
'Well, I'd do the same.'
Jo Daehan and Madman understood completely, since before being staff they were fans.
"For you two, being early adopters of our merchandise is a greater privilege than having the national insurance, I guess."
Choi Byeonghun laughed as he looked at how happy the two were. He then reported on the state of the Purple channel.
"This OTP video is getting a great response. And, actually, a lot of people have been asking us to upload dubbed versions of old OTP videos too. So, I'm thinking of doing some additional editing."
"Yes, and especially for the first episode of OTP, gunnerGround, I plan to re-edit it."
"Editing again?"
When Lee Gyeongbok asked in surprise, she nodded.
"Yes, I did help last time, but I think I can do a much better job now. Oh, not that I did a poor job before!"
"I know that. Hmm, sounds like a good idea. If we upload it as a remastered version for the membership, it could be a nice exclusive feature."
Smiling, Lee Gyeongbok agreed with her suggestion.
After the general agenda was finished, Park Juho gestured to Jo Daehan.
"Oh, also, we've received a special proposal."
"Special?"
When Lee Gyeongbok asked back, Jo Daehan's eyes sparkled with pride.
"Yes. It's a proposal from NEVER Japan, the Japanese branch."
"Japan?"
Lee Gyeongbok was surprised at the unexpected corporate name, and Park Juho gave a faint smile.
"The proposal itself was written in a mix of Korean and Japanese. Just in case, I asked Daehan to confirm it."
"Wait, isn't NEVER unrelated to streaming?"
"Well, that's not quite the case. Our figure photos were spread on Japan's Tweety."
Jo Daehan displayed some tweets he had prepared in advance. Along with good reviews of the figures, there was evidence of the keyword "Purplemoji" trending.
"Kemalcon is working in Japan?"
"Yes, it is. In Japan, they use NEVER's 'Logline' messenger. They suggested we try entering our emoticons into their emoticon store."
"That's definitely great news, but... don't we not have that many subscription emoticons?"
Although Lee Gyeongbok was happy, he looked away thoughtfully. Receiving his gaze, Choi Byeonghun nodded.
"Yeah, that's true. If you exclude the text ones, we don't have many image-based ones."
"But as long as we're willing, we can release it."
Adjusting his glasses, Park Juho chimed in.
"If we turn the text emoticons into character versions, we can satisfy the quantity requirement. We'll have to negotiate with the emoticon artist, but I doubt there'll be much resistance. After all, it's a continuous income source."
At those words, Lee Gyeongbok rolled his eyes in thought, but he didn't hesitate for long.
"Right, the most used Kemalcon right now was lovingly made by the artist as a fan."
Those emoticons had been made purely out of affection, without compensation. And as a result, they signed a contract with the artist for the subscriber emoticons, among several candidates.
But those subscription emoticons had been a one-time contract. Nothing went to the artist after that.
"It's better if everyone benefits."
The emoticon artist clearly contributed to the channel's growth. Without a chance to share that joy, one could understand missing out, but with a good opportunity, there was no reason to refuse.
"Then let's ask, and if the artist's fine with it, let's proceed."
"I'm sure the artist will be pleased."
With Park Juho's confident reply, Lee Gyeongbok smiled. His gaze soon returned to Jo Daehan.
"If this goes through, daehan, I'll need you to keep a close eye on things. The time for real global communication has come."
"Yes! Of course! Leave it to me!"
Jo Daehan responded enthusiastically. At last, he had a job that truly matched his name, and not just the title.
"Not just interpretation and translation. I'll even ask my relatives overseas and get all the latest trends from the Japanese side."
Everyone laughed at his passionate reply. Once the remaining items were wrapped up, Lee Gyeongbok clapped his hands lightly.
"Good. Thankfully, it was all good news. Even if we have more work, I trust everyone."
"I do this because I want to."
"My point exactly. It's not even someone else's business."
"If the CEO does well, we do well!"
"But don't overdo it. Managing your condition is part of the job too."
With Park Juho's last words, Lee Gyeongbok stood up.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you all, then. I'm heading to Genome's studio."
The reason for the online meeting:
He had arranged a meeting with Genome.
* * *
Genome's studio.
"Oh, you're here!"
"Wow, hyung, it feels like it's been ages. You doing okay?"
"Ah, there's been something going on. But I'll talk about it when the others get here, so I'll put it off for now."
The two took seats. Genome spoke first.
"Oh, I saw the sample figure this time. The quality's pretty decent, huh?"
"Yeah? That's good to hear."
"Isn't there one for me?"
Genome asked with a joking tone, and Lee Gyeongbok waved his hand.
"Nope."
"Wow, you don't even hesitate for one second."
"If you wanted one, you should've participated in OTP."
Lee Gyeongbok let out a snicker as he spoke.
"I'll hook you up with one when the official versions come out."
"Nah, I'm all good."
Genome sounded like he was disappointed, but his face didn't match the tone. In fact, Genome beamed even wider as he said,
"But that's the right call. Stick to it."
"Huh?"
"If you start handing them out just because you're friends, people will talk. They'll say, 'It was really hard for us to get one—this is unfair.'"
Genome rolled his eyes, clicking his tongue in disapproval.
"And those aren't even real fans. They're just drama-stirrers trying to find something to latch onto, watching for a chance to say, 'This is it!'
If you get dragged in, it's exhausting."
"They really go that far?"
"I'm telling you. By the way, didn't you say you had something to ask?"
The meeting had originally been arranged by Genome. But Lee Gyeongbok had also requested a consultation, so they moved up the date.
"Oh, it's about merchandise. I want to try selling some, but the whole process is a bit overwhelming."
"Ah, a merchandise consultation! You came to the right place. Tsk, I've actually got quite a bit of experience with this."
Genome puffed himself up in jest, and Lee Gyeongbok let out a small laugh.
"So how did you do it?"
"Hmm, since I'm part of an MCN, it's a little different than for you, but it's good for you to hear anyway. Volock has an in-house shop that handles everything."
"So if it's in-house, mCN does it all? You don't get involved?"
"Yeah, pretty much. But don't worry, it's fine even if you're not in an MCN. Everyone else manages merch sales just fine. Oh, it's easier if I show you."
Genome quickly pulled up a website.
"This is a shop specializing in creator merchandise."
"'Shop Fandom?'"
"Yeah, in merchandise, this place is at the top. Take a look."
The shop he showed was called "#Fandom."
Genome selected the "Seller" category from the menu.
"They have everyone—from small streamers to big companies. See the categories here? It's not just streamers, there are musicians, artists, webtoon creators, pretty much anyone you'd recognize."
"Oh? 'Aesguk' is here? That cartoonist's comics are great. And 'Gwara'? Isn't this person doing really well on Q-tube? Their songs pop up as recommendations from time to time, and they sing pretty well."
As Lee Gyeongbok named people he knew, Genome grinned.
"Right, even the really famous folks are on here. That's how solid this shop is. But it's not all upsides."
"Well, nothing's perfect anywhere."
"True. As for strengths, they already have all sorts of partner companies. So you don't need to go out and find your own vendors."
"Oh? Really?"
Lee Gyeongbok nodded in understanding.
For the current figure production, they were lucky Madman already had a company to ask, but if she hadn't, it would've taken a while to pick a manufacturer.
"Right. And it's basically POD, print-on-demand. They only manufacture what is ordered."
"So there's no leftover stock?"
"Exactly! That's a huge advantage. Having unsold stock is a pain—don't ask how I know, I'd rather not remember."
Genome let out a dramatically exhausted sigh and continued.
"And they even handle all the other tasks. As long as you finalize the design, they take care of production, shipping, even customer service."
"Oh, right. We do have to do customer service too."
That was something he hadn't considered.
Since the figures were being made as "prizes," not for sale, he hadn't thought about issues like exchanges or refunds, which regular shops handle.
"Gyeongbok, of the three things I mentioned, the most important is customer service. Production or shipping? If it's delayed or there are issues, fans are pretty forgiving—they're buying because they like us. They're way more patient than your average customer."
Genome turned serious and gave advice.
"But if you mess up customer service? That's a disaster. If you screw that up, real fans can turn into antis in a flash."
"Ugh... Even just imagining that is terrifying."
"Of course, dealing with customers yourself does have some upsides. It gives viewers a chance to communicate directly with you or your staff, so things can go more smoothly sometimes."
"But, that upside isn't that significant, right?"
"Yeah. Not always, but some people take advantage of it, and anyway, it eats up a ton of time and manpower."
Genome clicked his tongue as if recalling bitter memories.
"Honestly, merch is for people who've reached a certain point in their career. It usually sells well. Since they're fans, you try to do your best with every inquiry, and then the backlog just keeps piling up."
"The customers at the end will be even more frustrated, right?"
"Exactly! The more frustration builds, the more time you spend per inquiry, and it's just an endless downward spiral. If you add more staff to handle it, it'll eventually interfere with your channel."
"So it's easier to just leave it to a vendor."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded, but then looked puzzled.
"Listening to you, I can't really think of any actual downsides."
"Well, this part depends on the individual. If you use this shop, your merchandise gets a bit limited."
Genome showed him the merchandise section.
"As you can see, while the designs differ, the specs are pretty similar. The categories are mainly clothing, cushions, tumblers, mugs, that kind of stuff."
"Oh, you're right."
"They are adding vendors bit by bit, but if you want something really special made, you'd have to negotiate with the platform separately."
"Yeah, I guess that's just how it is."
Even so, Lee Gyeongbok felt some disappointment. The "figure" he was considering wasn't among the categories.
"Still, this gives me an idea of how to go about it. Thanks, hyung."
"It's nothing. Oh, the others will probably be here soon."
Genome checked the time, shrugging lightly.
The scheduled meeting time was approaching.
* * *
Genome's studio became lively.
"Hello."
"Wow, it's been so long!"
"How have you all been?"
Eclipse, skullkim, and Bakjapcho arrived on time.
Everyone exchanged warm greetings and shared brief updates.
"I've been steadily playing Mystic League."
"I just got to the final chapter of Roderi. It was so tough!"
"I've been deep into party games to get ready for the after-party. Expect big things!"
Their channels all focused on different content, but they had something in common.
"By the way, people keep asking when the after-party is."
"Me too! They ask before playing games and even pounce the moment I say I'll take a break."
"Since I stream party games, it just comes up as naturally as breathing."
They all confessed they'd been hounded by after-party questions, disguised as casual inquiries. Genome scratched his head, grinning awkwardly.
"Ah, I'm really sorry about that. I wanted to start it as soon as everything was ready, but things got bigger."
"Oh, I saw that clip!"
"Same here! I heard you got sponsorship?"
With Skullkim and Bakjapcho's comments, Genome nodded.
"Yeah, that's why I asked you to make time today. Weed, you might feel a bit unfair about this, though?"
"Me?"
Bakjapcho, and everyone else, looked puzzled at his reply. Genome smiled as he answered.
"A sponsor did get involved, but it's not a game company."
"Huh?"
"This is an after-party, but it's not a game company?"
"I thought after-parties were just about everyone playing games together?"
"That's what I thought, too."
Usually, an after-party after a tournament meant a group collab stream. This unexpected news only deepened the mystery.
"Most of you probably know 'Seyoung's Dad,' right?"
"The cooking guy, right?"
"He plays games too, though."
"I've heard of him as well."
Lee Gyeongbok nodded.
'He was the Q-tuber that was brought up as a good example when we were discussing channel separation.'
He was one of the big influencers running multiple channels—cooking, daily life, as well as games.
"Then I guess I can skip some explanation. Seyoung's Dad is a big fan of Mystic League, so he offered to prepare the after-party meal, asking if we'd like to set something up together."
"Seyoung's Dad!?"
"Wow, awesome!"
As everyone exclaimed in surprise, Eclipse asked inquisitively,
"But isn't that more of a collab than a sponsorship?"
"That's the thing. Seyoung's Dad also received a sponsorship, which led to this. The actual sponsor is..."
Genome paused for dramatic effect, drawing everyone's attention. Then, speaking confidently, he revealed the name.
"'Everyone-knows-this-company'—Cheoeumjedang."
Everyone was left speechless.
Cheoeumjedang? That's only the top name in the food industry.
A true "major corporation."
"Hold on. Hyung, when you say 'meal'..."
Lee Gyeongbok raised a hand, getting everyone's attention.
"Does that mean... this is happening offline?"
Everyone turned to Genome at that question. He looked back at the eight pairs of eyes staring at him and answered.
"That's why we need to talk."
The reason things had gotten so complicated, wasn't just about the sponsor's size.