Season 4: Chapter 68. Cheese vs. Paprika (2)
[Ghostwo Busters, the indie game myth, “Marketing like I’ve never seen before” Interview with the Kim duo]
A few days ago, that kind of review made the headlines on news portals. At the top of them all was:
[Treevy Korea’s withdrawal countdown: Where will the big streamers go next?]
It was finally time for Treevy to withdraw as a new platform emerged: Cheese.
[Korean live platform Cheese begins beta testing today. Big event to commemorate the launch!?]
The moment Cheese’s launch was announced, public opinion turned sour.
— Koreans eat kimchi, so why cheese?
└ lol so true
— Damn, the timing tho
— This timing makes it look so staged, lol
└ Uh oh...
└ haha
— They kicked out the real cheese and now some kimchi is pretending to be cheese, lol
└ ahaha
└ lmaooo fr what is this
Many users heard about Cheese for the first time. Naturally, the reception wasn’t great. Cheese's launch capitalized on the timing, and the optics looked like they had kicked out a generous foreign company offering a 10:0 revenue split. The backlash grew even more intense as Paprika joined in and stirred the pot.
[Pressuring a foreign company to leave and squatting in with a domestic one. Is this right?]
[Paprika has been paying network usage fees all along. Experts praise its sustainable revenue model.]
[Treevy withdraws: What’s the secret behind Paprika maintaining its live platform for decades?]
Aggressive articles began flooding in, attacking Cheese while Paprika received a wave of reevaluations and praises. Some of it wasn’t even true, and even the true parts were wildly exaggerated.
Many unfair things surrounded Cheese’s situation, but they didn’t have the tools to fight back as a brand-new platform. They had fewer streamers, fewer viewers, and even a poor image in the media. This was the worst-case scenario.
Then, Cheese made a big move.
“You think you’re so great? Let’s settle it.”
Someone had tossed out the idea during a meeting. That was how the platform battle began.
“Would Paprika even accept?”
It was foolish to take on a smaller rival.
“They will.”
Cheese felt confident that Paprika would be dumb enough to take the bait.
“They’re desperate to finish us off. They’ll bite if we provoke them enough.”
They knew Paprika’s executive team was relatively emotional. Why?
“Because I used to work there.”
Many of Cheese’s staff actually came from Paprika.
“Ah, that’s true... They're not the type to back down from a challenge, but this is risky for us too.”
This kind of content was a double-edged sword. Even collaborative streams between streamers funnelled viewers from one to the other. A poorly matched duo usually saw viewers migrate to the more appealing one. It was never a win-win. If that were the case, how would it play out between platforms? Viewers would migrate depending on who showed more skills, appeal, and story.
The past showdown between Treevy and Paprika resulted in Paprika swaying a massive portion of viewers back then due to their overwhelming gameplay and cool demeanor.
— Honestly, the chat is cleaner than I expected. Kinda better.
— Paprika has this older-guy chill vibe, lol
— They just play better.
— I don’t know what it is, but it’s good.
After that, even Treevy fell behind in scale. Paprika had already tasted success with this kind of event. Cheese’s prediction hit the mark a few days later.
“Pa-Paprika said yes! They agreed!”
“Wooooah...”
Everyone cheered, only to pause with awkward expressions.
‘Wait a sec...’
‘Now that they said yes, it feels like a trap.’
It wasn’t necessarily good news for Cheese either.
“This could be dangerous for us too.”
One concerned employee raised a hand.
“Paprika’s streamers tend to be more extreme... If we go head-to-head, our styles might clash badly... like when you eat something spicy and can't taste the flavor anymore.”
The CEO shook his head. “So we just sit back and get wiped out instead? If this were 100% in our favor, Paprika wouldn’t agree in the first place.”
Exactly, Cheese had to take a risk or Paprika wouldn’t bite. Paprika would still take the deal even if it was only 70% in their favor. If it worked out, they could completely crush the new platform.
“Just go for it.”
***
Bzzz.
And so, Ju-Hyeok received a text message.
[Hello! This is a notice to all our contracted streamers. We’ve planned a major event as a launch celebration for our platform...]
They were still finalizing the details, but notified the streamers in advance.
[The event will be tentatively called the “Platform Battle” (working title) and has been assigned a project name. The game genre for the event is...]
Ju-Hyeok’s eyes widened.
Ji-Ah, lying on his lap, blinked up at him. “What? What is it?”
“It’s happening. For real.”
“The Platform Battle?” Ji-Ah shot up, accidentally smacking Ju-Hyeok’s chin with her head.
Thud.
“Ugh!”
“Ah! I-I'm sorry!”
“Anyway! The game is...”
Even in that moment, Ju-Hyeok was still reading the message.
[Thanks to a sponsorship from Police, the game will be Life is Legend (LIL). The main mode will be Survival.]
“It’s LIL, survival mode!”
Even though nothing had been finalized, they sent the message already. That clearly meant something.
Ji-Ah muttered in astonishment, “This... doesn’t even have a date yet. It just says it’ll be around a month from now. They must’ve sent this so we could start practicing.”
“Exactly.”
Whether they would gain more viewers by winning was uncertain, but aiming to win was better than losing if they were going to participate.
“It's not just Sang-Hyeon who’s fired up right now.”
Both sides burned with determination. This was a battle of pride between platforms.
“But what about the team?”
“Haaa...”
At Ji-Ah’s question, Ju-Hyeok held his head in frustration.
“That’s why I told him to go to Treevy’s funeral...”
“He’s not going?” Ji-Ah asked in shock.
“I don’t know. I didn’t get an answer. Once he goes into player mode, he doesn’t meet people often.”
“It’s a team game... so the team is important...” Ji-Ah murmured, clearly worried as well.
***
Today, Sang-Hyeon went in for a hospital check-up.
As usual, Dr. Song Ha-Na stared at her monitor. “Hmmm, Sang-Hyeon, all your levels are stable. Not quite like before the world championship, but...”
She sharply glared at him when she mentioned the championship and acted like this every time he visited lately. Sang-Hyeon had grown used to it by now and simply looked elsewhere.
“Hmph. Well... you’ve rested well during your one month break. Ghostwo Busters didn’t strain you too much either. You’ll remain stable as long as you keep using your custom capsule.”
“Right. Then...” Sang-Hyeon tried to get up.
Yank.
The doctor grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt.
“Ack, ack!”
“A non-stop stream?”
Sang-Hyeon couldn’t utter a word.
“You thought I wouldn’t know?”
All his numbers were normal. What was this about?
“You’re thinking, ‘If everything is normal, why is she acting like this?’ It may be fine now, but this is a marathon at the end of the day.”
Tap.
She sat back down. Though the metaphorical leash had been removed, Sang-Hyeon instinctively sat down again.
“Listen carefully, Sang-Hyeon. There’s an issue with the frequency-shifted operation method in Legend’s Tale.”
The frequency-shifted operation method was one of the capsule’s visual delivery modes. She once said that it could improve Sang-Hyeon’s condition. Now, a problem had occurred.
“Well... someone a little too impatient went ahead and tested it first.”
Sang-Hyeon could easily guess who that impatient someone was. Only one person in Korea, besides him, would be that eager to test it.
“I explicitly said it was dangerous. Making an MMORPG with the frequency-shifted operation has to be done with extreme caution.”
The doctor lamented, nearly in tears.
“Right? The level of neural interference from this... It might be enough to restore your arm. How could it not change something else?”
At first, it was unclear. Then, it clicked.
‘That makes sense.’
For Sang-Hyeon, it could lead to positive changes. However, it could make things worse for someone else. The very idea that something else could change from playing a game was terrifying.
“We really need to deliberate, examine, and test everything again and again... Ugh. So, Sang-Hyeon?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t let your guard down just because your condition hasn’t worsened. Never! Don’t participate in anything like the world championship again! Even if someone offers you a hundred million won for a non-stop stream, don’t do it!”
“A hundred million is a bit...”
“Then... ten million?”
“Yeah, for ten million, I wouldn’t...”
“You really were gonna say that, weren’t you!?”
“Ack! Ack!”
She yanked his hood again.
“Never do that again! Even if they offer you a billion won, say no!”
‘Well, a billion might actually be worth it...’
***
“Whew.”
Sang-Hyeon hurried out of the hospital, vowing never to wear a hoodie again. At the front desk, he scheduled his next appointment.
Bzzzz.
A message came through on his phone.
[Ju-Hyeok: The platform competition event is LIL Survival.]
[Ju-Hyeok: (Photo)]
[Ju-Hyeok: Thought you’d want to prepare anyway.]
The photo contained the message from the event coordinator.
‘LIL Survival, huh...’
He had never played a survival match before.
‘Guess I’ll see how it works.’
Sang-Hyeon casually searched for related videos on YouTube.
‘Huh?’
[Former Pro Genius Hits Challenger Rank Even in Survival Mode]
[Orange]
Orange’s channel popped up. It even had the Challenger tier badge for LIL Survival.
‘Challenger, huh...’
In the past, only truly elite players like Black Tea (the ADC) or Sweet Radish (the mid-laner) had earned that title. That wasn’t even the current Challenger rank that Orange was currently at. He wouldn’t be an easy opponent. All the streamers they played with either seemed to be top amateurs or ex-pros.
Bzzzz.
Another message came in.
[Ju-Hyeok: You need to form a team too. Five people. Get moving.]
This was starting to get serious.
‘Do I need to form a team too?’
Just as he was lost in thought, he bumped into someone familiar.
Thud.
It was Choi Sa-Rang.
“Oh, hello.”
“Hmm? Looks like our appointments overlapped. Nice to see you.” Sa-Rang turned her wheelchair and approached.
She usually had a somewhat stern expression, but looked quite cheerful today.
“Oh, I wanted to ask something.” She even came closer to talk directly. “Are you really going with Cheese?”
She wasn’t even in the industry, so why would she care? Was she just making small talk?
Sang-Hyeon found the question unexpected, but nodded anyway. “Uh... yeah.”
“I didn’t expect that.”
“You didn’t expect it?”
“Paprika is good too, you know.”
“Why? I like Cheese.”
“You’re not talking about the food... right?”
Her joke caught Sang-Hyeon off guard.
“Pfft,” Sa-Rang chuckled. “Got it. If that’s how it is, then that’s how it is. Either way, it’s good for me.”
Sang-Hyeon’s eyes widened.
‘Why is that good for her?’
Moments like this required flipping the perspective. He recalled why he had chosen Cheese. The conditions were about the same, but he wanted to beat Paprika. Maybe it was similar for Sa-Rang. However, she didn’t game anymore or stream either. Why would she even care about Cheese or Paprika?
‘What is this?’
He studied Sa-Rang’s face.
‘When in doubt, read her expression.’
He quickly spotted a clue in her eyes.
‘Oh?’
They were sparkling with intensity. A powerful passion burned behind them.
‘Don’t tell me she can play again? Is she making a comeback?’
She looked ready to challenge him at any moment. This could be bad. If Sa-Rang joined the platform battle on Team Paprika, she would be another formidable opponent.
She finally asked, “Have you found your team yet?”