Chapter 110. The Festival That Keeps Getting Bigger
Chapter 110. The Festival That Keeps Getting Bigger
In the heart of downtown Seoul.
The Korea Expo Game Festival, abbreviated KXGF.
Normally, a meeting like this would be chaired by a simple planning team leader from the executive committee, but today was different.
Flanking both sides of the long table were the KXGF General Operations Director, the director and section chief of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and department heads from the Korea Tourism Organization.
The atmosphere was chilly, bordering on heavy.
Projected onto the screen, the title of the meeting was displayed with stark clarity: "Korea Expo Game Festival - VIP Participant Emergency Response Meeting."
The documents placed on the table listed one familiar name after another.
'Song Hoon, Laila, Max, Emir.'
"Alright, so to summarize..."
The MCST director slowly began to speak.
"I heard that Laila Hunter and her boyfriend, Hunter Song Hoon, were going to make just a brief appearance..."
"That's correct."
The General Operations Director quickly seconded.
"I was told it was only a short appearance for the game company's advertisement, and then they'd leave immediately."
But his words soon trailed off and grew vague.
"...but then suddenly two more S-rank hunters were added..."
The MCST director's hand trembled slightly.
"This is... not for business... but they're participating as gamers...?"
"Yes..."
"Haha... I'm sorry. It's just so absurd..."
"I understand."
The Korea Tourism Organization official asked with a troubled face.
"The issue isn't them... it's Max Hunter's wife..."
"Yes, anyone can see that line stands out the most."
The report had a line highlighted with the brightest fluorescent pen.
"This isn't simply an event issue. There's a very, very... huge variable."
With that one statement, the atmosphere in the conference room sank even heavier.
Nobody said it outright, but they couldn't deny that possibility.
Everyone slowly nodded.
It wasn't about their safety.
Frankly, it was hard to even imagine hunters like Song Hoon, Laila, Emir, and Max being threatened.
None of the people present dared to think 'we must protect them.'
"Currently, this matter has been reported up to the highest 'levels.' If a problem arises, it won't end as a simple domestic issue."
The 'highest level' that the MCST minister mentioned.
What he meant was obvious.
If an accident happened, it wouldn't end with just a few heads rolling.
"Ha, I've hosted state guests a few times, but this is..."
It's not like they're attending for some cultural heritage or international banquet.
They're just attending a 'game festival.'
"Hahaha..."
"..."
"Is there perhaps an empty office inside the venue? A space completely separate from visitor flow."
"Yes, yes, there is. It's an office that was used before but has been empty since staff adjustments."
"Then prepare that place immediately. Starting with cleaning, we must ensure maximum comfort and stability. Provide a bed, and include an air purifier and soundproofing equipment as well."
Someone took a deep breath, and someone quickly flipped through a notepad, writing down the instructions.
"Currently, what number of visitors does the operations side anticipate?"
"...Probably the highest figure ever."
With those words, the screen changed.
On it, Emir Hunter's SNS account page was displayed in close-up.
[@emir_herokebab]
Taking a day off to go play and come back!
The bosses and Max Hunter were going to KXGF!
Max Hunter and I were doing cosplay too!
The sentences brimmed with excitement, as if he were going on a picnic.
But the result of that innocent post was beyond imagination.
"All accommodations near the venue are sold out..."
The Korea Tourism Organization official said with a sigh.
"Even the 24-hour saunas are overflowing with foreign tourists, they say."
"Wait, it's not even the day of the event yet?"
"Since they couldn't find lodging... they seem to plan to just eat and sleep there... and these days saunas have good facilities..."
Everyone was silent.
It would have been nice if they had just quietly participated...
But Emir, with many followers and constant engagement, had gone and posted about it.
Then someone raised their hand and added fuel to the fire.
It was precisely the organizer, the KXGF General Operations Director.
"...Rather, how about we expand the scale?"
"Huh?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even with this, my head feels like it's going to explode...!?"
Objections burst out from all over the conference room.
But he was resolute.
"In any case, their coming is an established fact. We can't stop it. So, rather, let's expand the scale with the city's help."
His hand slowly pointed to the screen.
"These countless people coming from abroad will determine their impression of Korea through this KXGF. Now is the opportunity."
In an instant, the air in the conference room changed.
He steadied his breath and continued.
"Let's invite various booths, food trucks, on-site experience events, and even celebrity stages. Let's grow this into a complex cultural event combining Hallyu entertainment, not just a simple game festival."
Only then did the MCST director and the Korea Tourism Organization department head exchange glances.
Lodging revenue, length of stay, tourism income, SNS exposure figures quickly came to mind.
Automatically, a tremendous economic ripple effect was calculated.
"It's a sufficiently... worthwhile proposal."
"With that kind of purchasing power..."
The MCST director spoke.
His voice was low but weighty.
"I will try to negotiate with the city hall to request rental of nearby land and subsidies."
And soon, he slowly rose from his seat, revealing an extraordinary determination.
"I... I will go and beg on my knees in front of the city hall if I have to...!!"
"I will also... use appropriate advertising to ask companies for sponsorship offers."
The meeting ended with everyone's eyes full of determination.
"Let's expand the scale of the festival."
---
[ World's Strongest Hero : A quick stream before KXGF ]
[What?]
[This guy always starts his stream early no matter what]
[What? It's just normal?]
"Nice to see you~"
But we weren't the only ones here.
Max and Emir were with us.
[Oh? Max-ham, it's been a really long time!]
[What, Emir, isn't this when you should be at the shop?]
[I already saw Emir's Insta lol]
"First off, you all know that Laila, Emir, and Max are doing cosplay, right?"
Word had already spread on Emir's SNS that they'd do cosplay.
But Emir didn't announce exactly what kind of cosplay.
[Yeah, but what?]
[No, what cosplay can Max-ham do with that build?]
[lol even if he covers his face, you'd recognize him instantly with that size]
Honestly, everyone had expected Emir's cosplay.
But nobody expected Max's.
'But seriously, what was he going to do with that build...?'
The problem was, I didn't know either.
Even when I asked Max, he just said to look forward to it and he'd show us on the day.
Including Emilia, a total of five people headed to the venue.
She, being pregnant, sat in the passenger seat while Max drove.
[Wow, there's already a ton of people?]
[Crazy lololol]
Banners announcing the venue had been hung well before the entrance.
Among the huge crowd, foreigners were naturally present.
As soon as we arrived, we met the person in charge and entered separately through the back door.
"Hero, they say I need to get makeup done!"
While waiting for Laila's makeup, we headed to the space where Emilia would rest.
The moment we stepped in, it gave the impression that they had put a lot of care into it.
"Wow... what is this?"
The windows had blackout curtains, and when drawn, the inside of the venue was clearly visible.
Two air purifiers were running diligently, along with a hotel-grade recliner, an electric massager, and even a small refrigerator.
In the corner, there was even a bed and maternity cushions.
"Huh... to prepare this much..."
Max felt grateful to the organizers for preparing this much for Emilia.
'Seriously... you'd believe we came for recuperation rather than just resting...?'
There was also a screen installed so you could see inside the venue.
The organizer's General Operations Director approached.
"Haha, I'm glad you like it. If you press this bell, a doctor on standby will come right away. And..."
He personally bent down and explained the various call bells.
"And while Emir Hunter would be sufficient... if he steps out for the restroom or a meal, you can call our security guards."
After explaining until his mouth was dry, he finally told us to take good care and headed out.
"Oh, looks like the makeup is almost done?"
We got a call from Laila.
The game company we were doing the ad for.
As large as the game company, the booth was very big, and the assigned office was the largest as well.
"The makeup really took too long."
The makeup artist in charge approached, grumbling with a pleasant smile.
"Since the original is so pretty... I didn't know where to touch up, you know?"
When someone praises your girlfriend, what man wouldn't feel good?
"You can't go in and be surprised, okay?"
"...Okay."
Just how different could she be that they're making such a fuss...
"Laila, I'm coming in?"
"Yes~"
When I opened the door and went in, there was Laila with a completely different impression from usual.
A slightly modified maid outfit and a hairstyle with pins.
And above all, the look of her eyes had completely changed.
If her usual look was the world's most innocent eyes, now with mascara applied, they were slightly provocative.
"..."
"Hehe, have you fallen for me again?"
"Yeah..."
"This is the Part 1 cosplay. They said they prepared several outfits."
Laila smiled brightly, seemingly pleased by my dazed reaction.
"By the way, the shark tail is too uncomfortable now, so they'll attach it when I go on stage~"
"Yeah..."
At that moment, the game company's representative came over and nodded as if satisfied.
And then looked at Max and Emir.
"The hunters' costumes are also already prepared."
I tilted my head at his words.
"Huh? You prepared theirs too?"
"Yes, since they said they had costumes they wanted, we prepared them on a small scale."
"Wahaha! I've always wanted to try something like that once, thank you!"
"Oh... thank you for preparing even that."
"Hahaha, you're welcome."
Their conversation made me even more curious.
'At this point, I was really curious too...?'