diff --git a/gradle.properties b/gradle.properties
index 0950c49..cef02f2 100644
--- a/gradle.properties
+++ b/gradle.properties
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ org.gradle.configuration-cache=false
 
 # Mod
 mod_id=video_player
-mod_version=0.4.37
+mod_version=0.4.38
 maven_group=com.ejclaw.videoplayer
 archives_base_name=video_player
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/VideoPlayerClient.java b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/VideoPlayerClient.java
index e7d7c0b..5b43345 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/VideoPlayerClient.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/VideoPlayerClient.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import net.fabricmc.api.Environment;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.event.lifecycle.v1.ClientBlockEntityEvents;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.event.lifecycle.v1.ClientLifecycleEvents;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.event.lifecycle.v1.ClientTickEvents;
+import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.networking.v1.ClientPlayConnectionEvents;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.networking.v1.ClientPlayNetworking;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.rendering.v1.BlockEntityRendererRegistry;
 import net.fabricmc.fabric.api.client.rendering.v1.level.LevelRenderEvents;
@@ -84,6 +85,13 @@ public class VideoPlayerClient implements ClientModInitializer {
             }
         });
 
+        // On every server join, create video_player_cache/ inside whatever game directory this
+        // client is actually running from (vanilla .minecraft or a custom-launcher dir such as
+        // .mc_custom) and log the resolved path. The directory then exists up front rather than
+        // only appearing once the first download starts, and the log line shows exactly where it
+        // lives so the active install can be confirmed.
+        ClientPlayConnectionEvents.JOIN.register((handler, sender, client) -> VideoCache.ensureCacheDir());
+
         // Wipe video_player_cache/ on game exit so preloaded clips don't pile up across
         // sessions. Cache entries are re-broadcast by the server on every JOIN, so a freshly
         // started game will repopulate the cache automatically.
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoCache.java b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoCache.java
index a4049ae..4bf82b4 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoCache.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoCache.java
@@ -381,7 +381,7 @@ public final class VideoCache {
                 return;
             }
 
-            URLConnection raw = URI.create(encodeForRequest(url)).toURL().openConnection();
+            URLConnection raw = URI.create(encodeUrl(url)).toURL().openConnection();
             raw.setConnectTimeout(10_000);
             raw.setReadTimeout(30_000);
             raw.setRequestProperty("User-Agent", "video_player/" + VideoPlayerMod.MOD_ID);
@@ -523,21 +523,21 @@ public final class VideoCache {
     }
 
     /**
-     * Percent-encode any non-ASCII characters in the URL so Java's {@link HttpURLConnection}
-     * puts a valid request line on the wire. The stored cache key, the {@link #sha256(String)}
-     * filename, and the {@link #READY} map all keep the ORIGINAL {@code url} string — only the
-     * bytes actually sent in the HTTP request are encoded — so {@link #lookup(String)} still
-     * matches the anchor's raw URL.
+     * Percent-encode any non-ASCII characters in the URL so it is a valid wire URL for both the
+     * cache download ({@link HttpURLConnection}) and playback (FFmpeg). Callers keep the ORIGINAL
+     * {@code url} string as the cache key — the {@link #sha256(String)} filename and {@link #READY}
+     * map are unchanged — and only encode at the point a request is actually made, so
+     * {@link #lookup(String)} still matches the anchor's raw URL.
      *
      * <p>Without this, a URL with a non-ASCII path segment (e.g. {@code .../음악퀴즈/...}) is sent
      * verbatim and the server answers HTTP 400, so every preload fails silently and the disk
-     * cache stays empty — clients then fall back to live streaming for every video. FFmpeg
-     * (playback) tolerates the raw URL, which is why playback "works" while the cache never
-     * fills. The multi-arg {@link URI} constructor encodes each component; an already-encoded
-     * URL round-trips unchanged (decode-then-encode is idempotent for these paths). On any
-     * parse failure we fall back to the raw string rather than dropping the download.
+     * cache stays empty — clients then fall back to live streaming for every video. The multi-arg
+     * {@link URI} constructor encodes each component; an already-encoded URL round-trips unchanged
+     * (decode-then-encode is idempotent for these paths). On any parse failure we fall back to the
+     * raw string rather than dropping the request.
      */
-    private static String encodeForRequest(String url) {
+    public static String encodeUrl(String url) {
+        if (url == null) return null;
         try {
             URI u = URI.create(url);
             URI enc = new URI(u.getScheme(), u.getAuthority(), u.getPath(), u.getQuery(), u.getFragment());
@@ -547,6 +547,28 @@ public final class VideoCache {
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Create the {@code <gameDir>/video_player_cache/} directory eagerly and log the resolved
+     * absolute path, so it exists (and is visible to the user) regardless of which game directory
+     * Minecraft is actually running from — vanilla {@code .minecraft} or a custom launcher dir
+     * (e.g. {@code .mc_custom}). Downloads also create it on demand; this just makes it appear up
+     * front and surfaces the exact location in the log for diagnosis.
+     */
+    public static void ensureCacheDir() {
+        Path dir = cacheDir();
+        if (dir == null) {
+            VideoPlayerMod.LOG.warn("[{}] cache dir: no game dir available yet", VideoPlayerMod.MOD_ID);
+            return;
+        }
+        try {
+            Files.createDirectories(dir);
+            VideoPlayerMod.LOG.info("[{}] cache dir ready: {}", VideoPlayerMod.MOD_ID, dir.toAbsolutePath());
+        } catch (Throwable t) {
+            VideoPlayerMod.LOG.warn("[{}] could not create cache dir {}: {}",
+                VideoPlayerMod.MOD_ID, dir, t.toString());
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Best-effort filename extension from the URL path so FFmpeg's container probe gets a hint
      * (e.g. {@code .webm} for a webm stream). Falls back to {@code .bin}.
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoPlayback.java b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoPlayback.java
index db2dfb9..5a6a72f 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoPlayback.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/ejclaw/videoplayer/client/playback/VideoPlayback.java
@@ -60,9 +60,14 @@ public final class VideoPlayback {
         VideoBackend backend = WatermediaProbe.isAvailable() ? new WatermediaBackend() : new JavaCvBackend();
         // If /videopreload already cached the URL to disk, hand the local file path to FFmpeg
         // instead of the HTTP URL — eliminates the network read entirely. Falls back to the
-        // live URL when the cache miss or the download hasn't finished yet.
+        // live URL when the cache miss or the download hasn't finished yet. The lookup key stays
+        // the anchor's raw URL (matching how the download published it); only the live URL handed
+        // to FFmpeg on a miss is percent-encoded, so a non-ASCII path (e.g. ".../음악퀴즈/...")
+        // streams correctly instead of relying on FFmpeg's lenient raw handling.
         Path cached = VideoCache.lookup(be.getUrl());
-        String source = cached != null ? cached.toAbsolutePath().toString() : be.getUrl();
+        String source = cached != null
+            ? cached.toAbsolutePath().toString()
+            : VideoCache.encodeUrl(be.getUrl());
         backend.play(source, be.isLoop());
         backend.setVolume(be.isMuted() ? 0F : be.getVolume());