Chapter 98 - Escape by Talent (1)

Jin-geun was taken aback by the audience's reaction, which was different from what he had expected.

-Is this what they mean by "perfectly cerebral"?

-Perfection ON!

-Perfection completely restored, right?

-No, no matter what, escape rooms are unrelated to physical strength.

-Yeah, even if it's physical, the genre is different.

-Haha, you don't just break locks with your strength, right?

-No, no, the system doesn't allow that.

-But doesn't Kingchi have a perfect bug?

-Ah, I'm curious to see how this will turn out.

Most of the audience was surprised but satisfied. However, Jin-geun was different.

'No, are they just going to accept this?'

He had only jokingly recommended it to create a laugh point in the broadcast.

'I was going to cover it up with a story if he showed any difficulty!'

Cold sweat trickled down his back. Impromptu interviews without prior discussion were problematic.

'What if this damages Gyeong-bok's image?'

He was a genius and a perfect streamer. But if he started this game on his recommendation and failed, it would be disastrous.

Just thinking about it made him shudder. Jin-geun managed his expression and spoke up.

"Are you sure you want to confirm this now?"

"Huh? Oh, no, of course not. I can't decide without consulting my friends."

Gyeong-bok smiled calmly, either aware or unaware of his true thoughts. Jin-geun was grateful for that.

"Of course, Mr. Purple! Even among close friends, business can hurt feelings. You're truly perfect in every way!"

Jin-geun needed to divert attention. He started talking to shift the audience's focus.

"Um! That's right! You're truly a knight in character! When I see Sir Purple, I realize there are many things I need to improve in myself."

Fortunately, Eclipse also contributed. While not with the same intention as Jin-geun, it was still pure praise.

-Perfect manners lol

-Ah, lol, my bro is hooked on the word 'perfect'

-But isn't it a bit addictive?

-Perfect-gentle lol

-Jin-geun is right lol

-Lol, if you treat close friends like that, you end up as a tripe guy

-When I see this, I understand why the manager and editor work at a black company

-No, lol, if you do that, it really is a black company!

As the chat window's attention shifted, Jin-geun seized the opportunity.

"Alright, let's wrap it up! I want to thank Sir Eclipse and Mr. Purple for joining us today."

"No, thank you. It was a great time."

"Me too. It's always a pleasure to co-stream with Jin-geun."

Eclipse and Gyeong-bok smiled warmly and exchanged compliments. Jin-geun smiled brightly and greeted the audience.

"Yes, that's all for today with Jin-geun, Eclipse, and Purple! TBA!"

"May you all have a peaceful night!"

"See you next time! TBA!"

With their farewells, the broadcast ended safely.

* * *

The next day.

The three friends gathered for a meeting of Team Perfect. However, the location was different this time—Gyeong-bok's house.

"Hey, take this."

"Ooh? What's this?"

"Mom made some side dishes for you."

Jae-ho handed over the envelope, and Gyeong-bok's face lit up with a smile.

"Mom?"

"Yeah. She really likes you."

At this, Byung-hoon laughed playfully.

"Of course, she can't dislike you. Your son, who used to be a complete delinquent, has turned over a new leaf. Wow, it's still amazing to think about. How did that delinquent become such a nerd?"

"I wasn't that bad."

"Sure, sure. You..."

Before Byung-hoon could continue, Jae-ho turned his head sharply.

"This is because we're working together now. Neither of us is the type to cook, right?"

"I'm really grateful. It's nice to have a taste of home-cooked food."

Gyeong-bok smiled brightly and put the side dishes in the fridge. Byung-hoon pursed his lips and glanced at the empty envelope.

"Didn't Mom say she'd take care of mine too?"

Jae-ho ignored the question easily.

"Let's tackle the most urgent things first. What game are we playing today?"

"Isn't it Escapers?"

The three sat in the living room and started the meeting. Jae-ho used his smart link to project the Escapers logo as a hologram.

"I did some research. It's more popular than I thought."

"Really? I've never heard of it."

Gyeong-bok asked, puzzled, and Jae-ho manipulated the hologram. The Escapers logo disappeared, and a screen that looked like CCTV appeared.

"Have you heard of the 'Black Room' series, which came out as a mobile game before virtual reality?"

"Oh, I think I've seen that. A lot of kids at our school used to get caught playing it secretly."

Gyeong-bok's comment made Jae-ho nod.

"Right. It was well-known among escape room enthusiasts. This is the VR version made by the same company."

"But it's a bit different from Black Room."

Byung-hoon interjected. Jae-ho switched the hologram back to Escapers.

"That's true. Black Room was story-driven, but this is a sandbox game."

"Sandbox?"

"Basically, there are pre-made rooms by the developers, but users can also create their own."

"Oh, like user maps?"

"Exactly. In reality, it's more of a platform than a game. It's a program that compiles escape rooms."

Jae-ho rotated the hologram, showing a menu screen with several options.

"Single-player escape is the default, but you can also play cooperatively. There's a competitive mode where you try to escape before others. The difficulty varies widely depending on the theme."

"Wow, if you find a theme you like, you can enjoy it for a long time, right?"

Gyeong-bok was impressed, but Byung-hoon shook his head.

"Not necessarily. User-made mods often have an amateur feel."

"Really?"

"Puzzles might not work, or the game might crash. Bugs and errors are inevitable. The developer-made rooms are the most stable."

"Definitely, user-made rooms aren't the best choice for streaming."

Jae-ho agreed and erased the hologram. His gaze then turned to Gyeong-bok.

"Getting back to the point. I'm a bit concerned about this game."

"Concerned about what?"

"Your image is 'genius' and 'perfect.' This genre could damage that image. If something goes wrong, you can't cover it up with physical strength like in other genres."

Byung-hoon snorted and asked Jae-ho, who had a serious expression.

"Are you underestimating him just because he's smart?"

"Flexible thinking is more important than book smarts in puzzle games. I'm not underestimating Gyeong-bok; I'm just preparing for the worst. Don't joke around and consider it seriously."

"Hmm... What do you think?"

Gyeong-bok turned to Byung-hoon, who was lying on the sofa in a relaxed position.

"Frankly, I think you're overthinking it."

"Overthinking?"

"If this were the early days of streaming, I'd agree. But Gyeong-bok has a lot of fans now. With a solid, loyal fanbase, image damage isn't a concern. Unless someone is deliberately trying to cause trouble."

"That's what I'm worried about."

Jae-ho responded immediately.

"The more famous you become, the more haters you'll have. This game can give them something to criticize. If you fail, they'll say, 'What's so perfect about that?'"

"Hey, those guys will complain no matter what. If you react to every little thing, you can't stream. Don't you know about burnout?"

Byung-hoon didn't back down.

Before the two could raise their voices, Gyeong-bok intervened.

"There's a simple solution."

Both friends turned their attention to him. With a smile, Gyeong-bok said,

"Ultimately, it's just about not failing, right?"

Gyeong-bok was confident. He had been thinking about playing this game since Jin-geun's broadcast.

'I didn't feel any ominous signs.'

His intuition hadn't given any warnings. So, it couldn't be the wrong path.

'This is a chance to discover other uses for my intuition.'

Jae-ho nodded in agreement with Gyeong-bok's answer.

"Of course. It's hard to imagine you failing."

"What? Then why did you oppose it?"

Byung-hoon frowned at his attitude.

"An organization needs someone like me to apply the brakes."

Jae-ho then manipulated his smart link again. A mail appeared in front of the three.

"What's this?"

"It's the response to Escapers' developers. I drafted it yesterday."

"Developers? Why the developers?"

Confused, the two friends looked at Jae-ho, who adjusted his glasses.

"They must have seen the broadcast or community posts. The email they sent, summarized, asks us to try the game and sent us a code."

"Code? They're giving us the game?"

"Right. They also included this."

Jae-ho showed the attached file in the email.

[Escapers 'Ultimate Season Pass']

The two friends' eyes widened.

"This pass lets you play all the developer-made rooms and any future ones."

Escapers was a game where you had to buy new content as rooms were added.

"It costs about 300,000 won."

But with the season pass, it was a different story.

* * *

That night, during the broadcast.

"TBA!"

Gyeong-bok greeted the audience warmly.

-(Pahacon)(Pahacon)

-Paha!

-Welcome back, streamer who said he was taking a break!

-You said you were resting! You lied!

-Ah, lol, so you won't miss it?

-Thank you, Perfect Purple!

The chat window flooded with messages.

And the donations didn't lag behind.

['PerfectionLossEndure' donated 10,000 won.]

[Heeeng! Don't overdo it! I want to watch your stream for a long time!]

['PresidentSecretary' donated 100,000 won.]

[Mr. President! The fans are happy because of yesterday's stream!]

['PerfectBrain' donated 30,000 won.]

[Is it Escapers today? Show us Perfect-Brain!]

Gyeong-bok bowed his head in gratitude.

"Thank you for the donations! I'm in great condition, so don't worry. I'm glad you enjoyed the last stream. I'll talk about today's game a bit later."

When the donations slowed down, Gyeong-bok summarized the situation.

"Thank you for your donations. I'll stop accepting them now since we're starting the stream."

-When can we donate?

-He's a streaming genius, so he doesn't do it lol

-Lol, he makes you want to donate more by not allowing it

-Donations are limited to one day for GodPl?

-This is the real deal lol, the amount is huge lol

-PhD in donations ㅎㄷㄷ

-He's finally awakened to the waves of capitalism

-So, what game are you playing today?

-Tell us quickly!

Gyeong-bok chuckled at the chat window's reactions. He clapped his hands lightly to gather attention.

"Alright, as you might have guessed, today's game is Escapers! But I have something to explain first."

He moved his hand, and a mail appeared behind him.

"The developers gifted us a code."

-What? Is this a homework stream?

-Not really? The text hasn't appeared yet?

-Should we all chip in with 'PurpleCoins'? lol

-Heeeng! The mail is so long!

Gyeong-bok waved his hand at the audience's questions.

"No, it's not homework. They really just gifted it to us with no strings attached. I'm showing you the mail to be transparent. I'll share my thoughts and play the game as I see fit. I don't have to show the mail, but I'm doing it to avoid any misunderstandings."

-Ah, lol, it's not a sponsorship

-They're asking you to try it out

-This is a tribute, not homework lol

-Finally, Korean game companies are coming to their senses lol

-They're giving you a chance to avoid a honorable death

-But Escapers isn't a bad game!

The audience was clearly satisfied with his explanation.

"Alright, let's get started!"

Gyeong-bok launched the game. The screen went dark for a moment.

-Will he be perfect in this cerebral game too?

-No, lol, even he can't be perfect at everything

-If it's GodPl, he'll clear it perfectly!

-Whichever way, it's going to be a great watch!

-If needed, the collective intelligence of the Purple fans is here!

-Do you trust the intelligence of the streamer? StreamerKick!

As the audience's expectations grew, the view slowly brightened. Gyeong-bok looked around.

"It's not a room selection, is it? Is this a tutorial?"

The chat window filled with 'E' and 'Yup.' Normally, you choose a room to start, but since it was the first game, a tutorial was running.

'There are no windows. Is this a basement?'

He could feel a slight dampness and a musty smell. The ceiling light flickered intermittently, and someone was lying on the floor below it.

"Huh?"

Around the fallen person, there were dried bloodstains. As Gyeong-bok tried to stand up, he noticed a shackle on his ankle.

"Is this...?"

Despite the serious situation, Gyeong-bok chuckled. Before he could finish his sentence, a crackling noise and a voice came through.

<Let's start the game.>

The voice made Gyeong-bok laugh even more.

-Ah, lol, everyone knows this

-Is there anyone who hasn't seen this movie?

-There's no one who hasn't seen this if they like escape rooms and thrillers lol

-Isn't the first one the only masterpiece?

-Yeah, the director is James Wan, so it's definitely different

-Is the body going to get up now?

The audience was similarly excited.

It was clear that the room was inspired by a popular thriller movie.

"Of course, it's that one. But it will definitely be different from the movie."

Gyeong-bok said, looking around. He needed to find a way to unlock the shackle first.

Just as he was about to start moving,

[Welcome to Escapers!]

[Is this your first time escaping?]

[Would you like to use the 'Highlight' feature?]

[The 'Highlight' feature highlights items needed for escape.]

[You can enable this feature in the