009. Open Beta (1)
Thus, open beta day arrived.
11:55 a.m. Han Yu-ra paced the office, gnawing at her thumbnail. It wasn't easy. There was nothing left to do, yet tension kept building, making it hard to speak or even move.
Haa...
How many years had she poured into this project? Roughly six months before Im Seong-u joined. A year while he was gone. And three months after that. The corporation was new, but the total development time neared two years.
"Hey, Yu-ra."
"Yeah?"
"You think we can make money with a mobile game?"
Junior year of college. She'd grinned brightly at Im Seong-u.
"Of course."
"..."
The campus bloomed with flowers—cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, forsythia. Ducks floated lazily on the pond, alongside elegant white birds with long legs that seemed out of place. Yu-ra spoke with magician-like confidence. She possessed the gem called a dream, after all.
"We could even become the richest people in the world. Fate/Grand Order did it—what can't we do?"
And so Sepiros Online was born. To her, it was the first precious opportunity at the end of her youth.
Of course, the path wasn't smooth.
"You've had too much luck for your skills. You're staggering under luck that exceeds your worth."
Im Seong-u had been right. She admitted it now. Starting a company by dragging in her college game club members was a deduct point from the get-go. Angel Ventures' investors praised the tight-knit bonds and heartwarming tales... but business with friends wasn't meant for reality.
Countless ordeals followed.
"Why do you work like that?"
She hadn't liked Im Seong-u much. He always looked stifled. He'd lost all interest in the company's work more than once or twice. So Han Yu-ra fired him.
Sorry... I'm sorry.
Her heart still pounded at the memory. Then Kim A-ram deleted the server files, forcing Yu-ra to kneel before him.
...Haa. How did it come to this?
And she'd grown attached. During sex, she lost her mind, swept away to climax. Afterward, she should savor the afterglow, but she lacked even the energy. At first, she thought it was just great sex.
"Take a month off, Yu-ra. People need rest."
For some reason, she began feeling his reliability.
"What's your relationship with Seong-u?"
Shin Na-young's appearance as a rival brought heartache surging through her body. There had been so many twists and turns.
...We worked hard.
Short development time, but the staff threw themselves in like they were grinding their bodies to dust. Kim A-ram and Im Su-yeon had ditched late in the game, but Im Seong-u's hard work was undeniable.
Hot emotions churned stickily in Yu-ra's chest: regret, gratitude, lust, love, dreams.
People will see our game.
Back when her skin was a mess, how much scorn had Han Yu-ra endured? She couldn't even lift her head. Middle school. High school. Confidence came only during her repeat year, when her skin troubles vanished overnight.
That's when she dreamed. Realizing she could crave success, she prayed desperately and acted. To be different. To be a capable, successful woman who earned well. Chanting that mantra, she'd come this far.
What if... I'd lived differently?
What if her skin hadn't cleared up? What if she hadn't stumbled into the gym? What if she hadn't been famous in the medieval games gallery back then? And what if... she hadn't met Im Seong-u?
Hehe.
Her heart pounded fiercely.
I'll show you, Seong-u.
My dream. And if the chance comes...
My love.
Han Yu-ra and the Railroad Software staff fidgeted in extreme tension.
She looks wiped. Especially Yu-ra.
On days like this, when the big moment neared, work paradoxically vanished. No more illustrations, coding, animations, planning. They stared blankly at the clock.
"Four minutes left."
"Got it."
"Haa..."
Of course, no work didn't mean relaxation. They couldn't do anything, not that there was nothing to do.
For instance, Im Su-yeon and Yoon Se-hee monitored community boards for download/update issues. Shin Na-young checked error logs. I handled unlocking downloads on the Play Store at noon and server monitoring to prevent crashes.
"One minute left!"
"Hoo..."
Han Yu-ra's hollow sigh.
She okay...?
She had every reason to fret. Days ago, investors had chewed her out.
"What? Features aren't done?"
"They're done, but bugs are blocking them..."
"Isn't that the same as unfinished?"
"With recent dev changes and such, we'll fix it ASAP."
I'd heard it myself.
Sharp words, yeah.
Angel Ventures wouldn't cut her slack. Pros shouldn't expect it anyway. But we'd launched on schedule, so they couldn't grill her too harshly. Still, they were pissed. No call today, but it wouldn't blow over quietly.
> Ding!
I spoke up.
"Noon. Opening now."
"Yes."
And so, our game hit the Google Play Store. Files uploaded yesterday, but downloads were live now.
"..."
"..."
Open beta began. Astonishingly quiet. No cheers, ringing phones, curses, or shouts. Just the gray office clock ticking: tick, tock.
"..."
No one spoke. Han Yu-ra called the publisher to confirm downloads started.
One minute. Two. Three.
Amco Publishing shared a real-time ad impressions page.
Should've let them handle the Play Store upload too.
Publishers usually managed uploads, error reports, ad checks. But our schedule was brutal—dev and testing till the eve—so we did it ourselves.
Haa... fuck. What if there's a bug?
My heart raced. Even I couldn't guarantee a bug-free game. What if a fatal one hit?
I glanced at Han Yu-ra. She paced like an anxious dog, chewing her nails.
Ten minutes in, the first login log appeared. Three minutes later, the first purchase.
"CEO Han."
"Yes?"
I cleared my throat. "First purchase."
"Ah..."
"Premium package."
Ten thousand won. Pocket change. Wouldn't change the buyer's life or our fate. Just a trivial sum.
Yet Han Yu-ra couldn't contain her emotions. She shoved her red ponytail in my face, plopping beside me to stare at the monitor.
"Th-this is the purchase log?"
"Yes."
Her massive chest pressed in; Shin Na-young recoiled in disgust... but what could you do? Yu-ra was born stacked.
Click. Click. Each F5 refresh added DB purchase records. Money flowing in.
"Aah... all gacha?"
"No, packages."
Yu-ra fell silent. Our debut game. In a trembling voice, she asked:
"H-how much so far?"
Her pounding heart reached me. Her eyes sparkled like stars—pure, brilliant light unseen in ages. The look of dreamers, or those with baseless faith.
In college, those eyes ensnared me, making me follow her. And now, our hearts beat as one.
It worked out like this.
Yu-ra worked hard. Sepiros Online was crafted with sweat. Impressive quality for a college club crew. I loved it too. Sleepless nights, oceans of Americano fueling it—over half its blood was caffeine and booze.
And it paid off. A weird feeling—unbelievable, moving.
I watched the monitor. Purchase logs piled up. Not data—customers' money.
...
In the end... success.
I'd ditched big corps for her dream company. Parents mocked my small ambitions.
"Why not a big company?"
"Seong-u, please. Just apply..."
"No startup pipe dreams."
But my choice shone like starlight. My office life wasn't all bright, lots with Yu-ra, but still.
"Already 1.5 million won. Should've sold pricier packages, not just cheap ones for a debut. Congrats on the successful launch, CEO."
"Bugs...?"
"Minor stuff aside, none."
None on my end. Minor ones like device compatibility.
"Um... some iPhone users reporting issues..."
"Log device differences for now."
"Y-yes."
Yoon Se-hee clacked away in reply.
By 6 p.m., it all wrapped. We knew: no overtime tonight. The server, thought nuked by Kim A-ram, could run unmanned for a month.
"Good work, everyone."
Orange sunset outlined her red hair prettily.
"Ah..."
Beautiful. Yu-ra smiled like a sunflower. A single transparent tear—pure joy.
"Really, you all worked too hard."
"You too, CEO."
"Good work~"
I said nothing. Her final gaze met mine.
"And Seong-u."
"...Yes?"
Honestly, I'd have sulked if she skipped me. Two days overtime made me one of Sepiros Online's dads.
"Thank you."
"..."
"Really."
I scratched my head sheepishly. I'd worked hard.
"After-party today."
Yu-ra beamed, heading out. No one claimed urgent home matters; the office emptied.
"..."
I glanced back. Empty office, once warm with staff. No clue how many years here, but skipping big corps felt right.
Feels like instant success, though.
Just open beta, but still.
...Someday.
Someday, it'd pay back. Whatever the toil, whatever the form.
Kim A-ram gritted her teeth, typing.
Forum terrorism. But replies were off.
Her usual K-mobile haters ignored her manipulation today.
Ugh... hngh...
Hater life: miserable. No opinion shift despite her shitposts. Heart pounding, ignored. She stirred the gallery waters, but buffalo herds charged too strong—gored.
And stabbed.
Kim A-ram: ignored. Sky singing.
She fled Sepiros minor gallery to lesbian gallery.
Lesbians... all pretty, right?
Faced truth.
M-me... sleeping with this? In jail?
Heart squeezed harder. Sky roaring.
Night. Meat was the rule for nights like this. I stepped out after good booze and beef, buzzed happily.
Huh.
Parking lot already had company. Red ponytail beauty. Han Yu-ra, prettier smile than usual.
"Hey... Seong-u. After-party over, got plans?"
"Nah..."
She glanced at the restaurant, then rushed close. Woman scent. Barely bearable.
"Seong-u."
"...Yeah?"
"No plans? Wanna hang with me?"
Cheeks flushed, head dipped. On tiptoes, whispering in my ear.
9 p.m. Her whisper sweet enough to stiffen me instantly.
"Wanna 'reward' you for working hard, Master."
About to agree—
"Ahem!!!"
Loud fake cough behind. We turned, innocent as caught adulterers.
"Seong-u! You free tonight?!"
Tiny, cute, general-like Shin Na-young glared.
Grin. Grin. Booze-fueled fury blazing.
"Not spending time with CEO Han again, right?!"
"...Sigh. Shouldn't you ask Seong-u?"
Yu-ra looked down pityingly at Na-young. Turned to me.
"Seong-u."
"..."
"What're you doing tonight?"
Shin Na-young vs. Han Yu-ra. Time to choose.