Season 5: Chapter 138. Exercising Power (2)

When Cheese first learned about Paprika's hidden team, they reacted like this.

"Director, this is insane. Don't you know what happened to Treevy in the previous Platform Wars?"

Naturally, CEO Chae Dahee was drawing criticism. She was responsible for allowing the absurd addition of Paprika’s hidden team.

"Huh? Come on. Everyone was fine with everything up through Cheese Village."

Tap.

She crossed her legs. "Now you want to back out of the Platform War?"

"No, the tournament is great! But look at this member lineup...! These aren't just former pros. They're legends! Setting aside skills, the attention factor... Oh! You don't really know LIL well, do you!? Director!?"

The department heads even wondered whether the CEO actually knew LIL well.

"What!? What rank are you!? I'm Platinum!"

"No, then why did you go ahead and sign this kind of contract?! We’ll completely collapse like this! Everything we built up through Cheese Village! All of it!"

On top of that, CEO Chae Dahee had negotiated this deal regarding the hidden team entirely by herself in a personal face-off. They had no idea of the details.

"And you didn't even tell us!"

"There’s an embargo."

"No, why would the embargo include us!"

This responsibility couldn't be dodged.

"Ugh...! Hey! If we hadn't done it that way, do you think they would agree to a Platform War at all? Would they let Treevy streamers join Cheese Village so Cheese Village content could flow into Paprika? The bait has to be set before they bite!"

She'd made the deal with a plan. The origins of this deal had deeper roots than expected. It had determined whether the Platform War was even possible in the first place!

The department heads all looked dumbstruck.

'Wait, it was like that...?'

'No wonder they seemed too generous.'

'I thought they were being too good to a newcomer.'

Even if Cheese had started with backing from a major company, they couldn't have stood shoulder to shoulder if Paprika had mobilized various powerful means to counter them from the start. This had been a deal to survive their weakest period.

"So! Everyone, stop making excuses! Stop thinking about winning the game! What is it we should be doing!?"

The Platform War wasn’t about winning the game? What were they supposed to do? The department heads were momentarily dumbfounded.

"Oh, for goodness sake! Marketing! Mar-ke-ting!! Do you think this is actually some Olympics or World Cup!? I'm saying help market our streamers so they become famous on Paprika too! Make viewers get attached to the teams! Is Slam Dunk a masterpiece because they won!?"

Bang!

CEO Chae wrapped up the meeting decisively, slamming the desk so hard it broke.

'That's it?'

'In the end, do marketing well?'

'This is insane...'

'Why Slam Dunk the desk...'

'Basically saying we’re gonna lose.'

***

The day of the first scrimmage finally came.

Cheese didn’t focus on wins or losses, but concentrated solely on marketing that showcased each streamer's personality for team chemistry.

For example, they asked teams to make posters, recommended producing promotional materials as rewards, and assigned a dedicated representative to each team. Almond got one too, so Mixed Nuts also received a call from a representative.

"Oh, you're Director Kim Ju-Hyeok of Mixed Nuts?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"Oh, I'm from Cheese, T... ah, no, my name is Manager Kim Jung-Hoon. Are you available right now?"

"What is this about?"

"Well, it's just that we wanted to inform you about promotional material production for each team's streamers..."

T-Manager, a former Treevy employee and Almond fan, was naturally assigned to be Mixed Nuts’ representative.

"Sigh."

They had already offered suggestions on team chemistry and Almond's character concept, but no meaningful output had been finalized yet because of Ju-Hyeok.

"Hm? We handle our own promotional materials. Why are you giving us orders on something like this? And it's not like there's any financial support either."

"Sigh." T-Manager slumped down onto his desk. "Financial support...”

“Exactly, it's a bit funny to be telling us what to do when you're not even giving us anything."

Thinking about it himself, T-Manager felt that trying to control everything at the platform level was too greedy even if the Platform War were important.

Manager Park approached from behind him. "The director was ultimately wrong~ is what you'd say."

Manager Park looked at the community and laughed heartily.

"Look. People are interested in winning, aren't they?"

Manager Park had been enjoying teasing T-Manager that he was wrong for a while now.

[#1. Why the Knight Order coach has no answer]

[#2. Had expectations but the Knight Order is actually terrible?]

[#3. Cheese is a country that possesses Almond <<< upvote if this is the funniest thing in the world lmaooo]

...

The Knight Order had been producing poor results across all four scrimmages.

"That Almond you said has such great expectations, I hear he's getting absolutely demolished in scrimmages?"

"Sc-scrimmages? You never know in the real thing."

"But to people, it's not just a scrimmage. They think this directly connects to the actual event? And actually, that's generally right."

T-Manager had nothing to say. That was the actual public opinion right now. More than anything, an old nightmare was beginning to creep back.

"Oh... no!"

In those days, Paprika had mercilessly demolished Treevy.

"Pf-pffffff!" Manager Park laughed excitedly, clearly finding that reaction too funny. "See, that's why people just want to win when it becomes a sport. CEO Chae Dahee is waaay too romantic. Slam Dunk of all things. That work got heaps of criticism in Korea during its original run. 'Did they flee without finishing it or what?'"

Was that really how it was? T-Manager, shoulders drooping, looked at the first trending post on Streamer Garden.

[#1. Why the Knight Order coach has no answer]

==== ====

She literally gives no feedback lmaooooo

She has no answer LOL

3 games in and still no feedback LOOOL

lmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

==== ====

The person who posted this seemed to have lost their mind. They criticized Sa-Rang, but somehow felt like someone who had originally rooted for the Knight Order like T-Manager.

— lmaooo just refusing to answer~

— lmaooooo

— So no answer... acknowledged

— Agree even as a fan

— What is Sa-Rang doing she's actually lost it

— Who brings someone like this????

— Is this that thing popular people do called push-and-pull?

— The coach needs to go, she's crossed a line

This... felt ominous. It had already started.

'We're done.'

This always happened when streamers gathered for a tournament.

'They’re already fragmenting.'

When an expected team underperformed, people began looking for reasons during practice. Pros couldn't find the reason, so viewers looked for it themselves. They inevitably said whatever and fired shots all over the place, making a mess.

Fortunately or not, one person was taking all the bullets for now. A feedback boycott was too good a reason, wasn't it?

[What was Sa-Rang doing before this anyway]

[Just go back to Civil Empire ㅡㅡ]

[Why isn't she giving feedback??? I'm so confused right now]

[Honestly, watching feedback is part of the entertainment... this is genuinely so frustrating...]

Even without trending, talk about her was snowballing.

"Wow... this coach." Manager Park laughed heartily. "Knows how to drive people crazy."

"... Hm?" T-Manager raised his head again in disbelief.

'Do you actually want to see people going crazy!?'

For Almond fans, this wasn't just something to laugh at.

"Right? Setting herself up to absorb all the arrows and just pushing forward anyway. That does make it easier on the players. The downside is not getting feedback. And on top of it, she's drawing enormous attention, right? 'The coach isn't giving feedback?!'"

Was that kind of attention actually good?

Watching with this kind of thinking, Manager Park said, "It's good."

It was hard to accept. By that logic, being in the news for bad reasons was also good? But there was a condition attached.

"If this person keeps the promise she made."

"... The promise?"

"Yeah. You didn't hear just now?"

It turned out that Manager Park had an earphone in one ear during work hours.

"..."

Did he read T-Manager's expression?

He answered the unasked question, "This is my job."

"Oh, yes. Of course, who am I to say anything? Just tell me what the coach said."

Manager Park struck an excited pose with arms crossed. "From now on, we'll get first place."

Crash!

T-Manager hit his knee on the underside of the desk. "Ugh!"

Manager Park laughed and rejoiced. "Pf-pfffffhaha! See! It makes no sense even to you? This person is either a total superstar or completely unhinged!"

He found T-Manager's over-immersion in this team too funny.

"Wow, Streamer Garden~ and LIL Pro~ is absolute mayhem. That statement just poured oil on an already burning fire!"

He wasn't exaggerating.

[Big: From now on, we'll get first place lmaooo]

==== ====

She was joking, right? lmaooooooooooo! From now on, does that mean there's only one game left? LOL

==== ====

— lmaooooooo fr

— Give the feedback now please

— lmaooo just funny now

— The coach is a problem but Almond is total foam LOL

— When Almond was in the three-person group it was a bit ambiguous but the two-person group should be different.

└ Hahahaha

└ Is Almond the problem to you??

LIL Pro also didn’t trust Sa-Rang, but subtly started to drag Almond down too. Streamer Garden had already started arguing that Sa-Rang needed to step down.

[Sa-Rang step down!]

[How many scrimmages do we have and she doesn't give feedback for four full games!? Step down!]

[Getting first place from now? Other teams are improving so fast!]

[Step down, Sa-Rang]

[A coach exercising the right to silence on feedback!?]

It wasn’t quite flooding the trending list, but public opinion was growing dangerous.

Thud!

"Landing complete!"

"Woohoo~!"

Almond and Lemon landed at the designated position.

[Sweet Radish: Roger. We're down too.]

[Sweet Potato: Let's win this!]

[Black Tea: Gyuri, fighting!]

All the other members landed successfully too. The Knight Order had changed their landing from before. Things were blazing outside, but viewers who'd come into Almond's channel were generally supportive.

— Oh oh

— This time it's different!?

— Please...

— Let's win please just once 1st place!!!

— Wow do I have to watch a scrimmage this nervously lmaooo

— Almond do something!!

Perhaps even some critics were hoping for them to win.

"Lord, shall we?"

"Mm."

Whether Almond knew their feelings or not, he closed his eyes briefly and deliberated at a fork in the road. It looked like he was leaving everything to fate.

— Hey what are you doing??

— Take it seriously

— Sigh...

— Dumb Young Man...

— You'll win for us right?

Almond was actually very serious right now.

'The two-person group can’t encounter anyone for now.'

Unlike his usual preference to break through with brute force, he wanted to avoid all enemies this time.

Almond listened for any rumbling in the ground or sounds of people. The game wasn't as suited for this as Battle Large, but the higher the VNS stat, the more favorable sense checks were. He was mobilizing everything he could.

"Here."

"Okay~."

Almond led Lemon and started running toward a decided route.

'The split... I'm going to make this work!'