Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: The Hanam Guy Wants to Become a Clicker Bug
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After finishing the hotel vacation that felt like a dream...
I caught an unknown illness.
This illness was the legendary affliction that anyone who worked would inevitably suffer.
Its name: "Monday sickness."
My body had been perfectly fine all the way through Sunday, but the moment midnight struck, pain began radiating through every inch of me. Modern science couldn't cure it, there was no medicine for it, and no way to prevent it.
"Ugh..."
"President, here are the payment approval documents."
"Again?"
"I haven't brought them all yet."
The usual hectic company routine.
Especially in my position as president, I spent my time frantically handling approvals.
Review.
Sign.
Review.
Sign.
Like an endless gear in a machine, the repetitive tasks made my shoulders gradually stiffen.
"President, Mr. Oh Kwang-su requests an audience."
"Send him in."
Starlight's starting salary was a whopping 60 million won.
An enormous sum that even major corporations couldn't rival.
Others might look at it and ask in worried tones if we weren't paying too much.
But I guarantee you—it's too little.
I wasn't sure when it started, but as the release date for the next title drew closer, our quitting times kept getting later and later.
The government's recommended working hours had been tossed out the window long ago.
Now, all I did was sit at my desk like a machine, twirling my pen.
"Good morning, President!"
"Morning. Kwang-su, grab any empty seat."
"Thank you!"
Doesn't this guy ever get tired?
Just looking at Kim Han-seok and Director Han, their eyes were sunken in, like they could collapse any second.
"We should start recruiting beta testers soon."
"That quick?"
"Probably because our core genre is idle games, we wrapped up faster. We took lessons from the successful Another World Witch Raising, keeping what worked and boldly cutting what didn't."
Oh Kwang-su handed over more than 50 pages of documents.
Wouldn't it be cleaner to just send them via company email?
Who would've thought the once-spacious president's office would end up crammed with stuff hauled in from who-knows-where.
Normally, executives would step up to report to the president.
But they were all swamped with meetings, wining and dining, and issuing orders.
So Oh Kwang-su had come in their place.
We need to hire more people. If an idle game takes this much effort, imagine an MMORPG—the Labor Department might audit us.
After a long meeting, we decided to recruit around 1,000 beta testers.
And 5% of them would be streamers.
"Don't get complacent just because it's beta. This is what separates hit games from flops."
"I know that full well."
We couldn't let rumors like "This game's doomed" leak to communities through users before launch. If that happened, it'd get swept up in the so-called "watering down" backlash and flop before it even started.
After lengthy discussions...
I was finally able to approve the final procedures.
"Phew..."
I'm exhausted.
My mind is worn out.
My body is worn out.
My spirit is worn out.
Solve one problem, and ten more pop up...
Just as I wrapped up the morning's work and pondered grabbing a decent lunch...
An unexpected guest arrived.
"President, author Kang So-yeon has arrived at headquarters."
"...So-yeon?"
"Yes. She wants to join you for a meal if possible. What should I say?"
What else?
Kang So-yeon was our VVIP who'd handed over Starlight's titles.
It was only proper for the president to rush out barefoot to greet her.
"Perfect timing for lunch. I'll head to the budae jjigae place nearby."
"I'll..."
"Come along."
Normally, I'd go alone since it's close, but Jin Seol-hwa's warning came to mind. Even after roping in Interpol, they still hadn't caught the perp.
The case had hit a dead end, leaving even the renowned FBI in disarray.
Are they dead?
The moment the threat letter arrived, they sealed every airport and port across the U.S. Apparently, Jin Seol-hwa had pulled strings in politics for that.
Roadblocks sprang up out of nowhere on every highway, and police flyers urging reports of suspicious persons blanketed the area.
U.S. media couldn't hide their doubts while covering Selig's situation.
The culprit had vanished into thin air or burrowed into the earth, despite all the aggressive measures.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Kang So-yeon was waiting nearby.
"Hey, Do-jun!"
"Long time no see?"
"What do you mean long time..."
Jeans and a white shirt—the so-called national fashion.
Her long legs gave her a stylish silhouette.
"Something simple?"
"Sure."
We headed to a nearby budae jjigae chain.
Lunch rush made it packed. It was one of the popular spots for local office workers, thanks to the cheap prices.
"Crowded, huh?"
"Yeah. Probably because it's the only budae jjigae around here. Honestly, even gukbap costs 10,000 won these days."
"Right? Prices are insane lately."
There used to be a time when a roll of kimbap cost 1,000 won. Now, even the original stuff goes for 3,000—and that's on the cheap side.
Around the capital area with its sky-high land prices, costs shot through the roof.
It almost felt like Korean New York.
"No seats."
The midsize restaurant buzzed with overlapping chatter and laughter, filled with the cheerful clink of dishes.
After scanning around for a while, I spotted some customers leaving.
"Over there?"
"Uh, yeah..."
Kang So-yeon hesitated for a second.
Then I saw why—the empty seats had chairs lined up side by side.
This meant we'd have to sit shoulder-to-shoulder like any other couple.
We sat down carefully and opened the menu to order three portions of budae jjigae. When she asked if that was too much, I admitted my stomach was growling from all the hard work.
She gave a shy smile at that.
Sitting close, her faint shampoo scent drifted into my nose.
Ugh, the kind of smell that drives men mad.
"President, I'll wait nearby."
Im Yun-ah tactfully excused herself.
I nodded and handed her a card.
"Grab something—you must be hungry."
"Understood."
Kang So-yeon watched us and asked something she'd clearly been wondering about.
"You two seem close?"
"Close? What do you mean?"
Boss and secretary—how could we not be?
"No, just... you feel more friendly than before."
Come to think of it, it might look odd.
Kang So-yeon probably had no idea.
Not only did Im Yun-ah and I live together, but just days ago, we'd booked a single hotel room.
Physical closeness naturally brings emotional closeness.
Of course, I couldn't say any of that. For some reason, the atmosphere was turning subtly awkward.
"It's a busy season. Sequel's heading to beta, and everything else is overwhelming."
"Huh? Already beta?"
I smiled softly at her surprise at the quicker-than-expected progress.
"Yeah. Our company's always specialized in idle games. But the old president was so safety-first, he never really tapped the staff's talents."
"Really?"
"Swear. After I took over Starlight and took a close look, I saw they had big-corp-level skills. Just weren't utilizing the talent aggressively."
"I see. Do-jun must be amazing then."
No.
Anyone off the street could've listened to the staff and fired half.
It was proof that Ma Chun-dong was trash, in a way.
The budae jjigae that came out was killer from the broth to the last bite.
Proof that crowds mean quality.
Hearty toppings and top-notch ham.
"This is good?"
Kang So-yeon couldn't hide her admiration, her face lighting up in surprise.
After the meal, we popped into a nearby cafe. Food in the belly deserved a caffeine massage.
Office worker gospel, right?
But what was she doing here?
She should be deep into writing her novel by now.
"Ah, I was curious about the game based on my novel..."
Oh. Nothing major then.
Guess that was just my misconception.
"Do-jun, do you know what a writer's dream is?"
"Dream?"
"Yeah. A writer's dream."
"Novel succeeds?"
From what I'd heard from webnovel authors, they loved high views, reader pats, and recommendations. Never tried it myself, so who knows.
"That's part of it, but it's when secondary creations come from your novel."
"Secondary creations?"
"Yeah. Turned into games, anime, webtoons, that sort of thing."
With platforms blurring lines, novels becoming dramas or movies was common. Even my Starlight was making a game from her novel.
Ah, that kind of thing.
I said it like it was no big deal.
Of course she'd be curious.
Her first game adaptation, as she put it.
"Can we meet up like this sometimes to chat?"
Huh?
It came out of nowhere, catching me off guard.
Didn't this sound like something lovers would say?
"Ah, no... If my novel gets stuck, it affects the game story too. So..."
"If it's that, you're welcome anytime."
"R-Really?"
Obviously.
Consulting the original author would level up the game—no brainer. I'd have suggested it first.
"Even if you call at dawn, I'll come."
"For real? So I can drop by occasionally?"
"Come over—I'll treat you to something tasty. No pressure."
"Hohoho, you..."
Before I knew it...
Kang So-yeon's face was blooming with smiles.
Is it that good?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The communities were abuzz.
The [Starlight Cup Starcraft Tournament], fueled by the highest prize pool ever.
The moment every Starcraft fan had been waiting for.
Some had even pulled all-nighters with eyes wide open.
Streamer Jin-seong was dressed impeccably today, like a fresh-faced rookie at an interview.
Before his 100,000+ viewers, he spoke in a solemn tone.
"Everyone... the tournament opening ceremony date has finally been set!"
💬 Chat — Viewer WOWWWWW!!! — Viewer Festival starts today? — Viewer Whoa! 380 entrants—record high! — Viewer Prize pool 1 billion. Insane. — Viewer LOLOLOLOLOL — Viewer Win and your life changes. — Viewer Can JNU win? Lineup seems weaker... The chat exploded.
It scrolled so fast it was unreadable, until the stream finally crashed.
— Viewer OMG LOLOL crash from lag — Viewer First time seeing a stream crash from overload lol — Viewer Hype must be insane. — Viewer 1 bil prize? Pro leagues max 3 mil... In the midst of this historic boom, Jin-seong dove right in headfirst. The schedule had been delayed beyond expectations, so he had to apologize to win back goodwill.
"It should've opened sooner, but with so many streamers signing up, coordinating was a nightmare. I'll make it up with a 240-hour no-sleep stream later."
— Viewer 240hr no-sleep! Epic! — Viewer Rock! — Viewer Epic! — Viewer Rock! Even the usual trolls had vanished.
With a satisfied smile, Jin-seong got to the point.
A long intro was as good as brain death.
"Lots of talk about the Starlight Cup finals venue. But who am I? If you follow the stars, you get stars; moons, you get moons, right?"
— Viewer Yeah, we'll let it slide today. So what's the deal? — Viewer This guy's at it again lol — Viewer Where's finals tho? — Viewer IDK, probably renting a pro venue. Easy setup. Jin-seong glanced at chat and smirked inwardly.
He'd brought a gift no one could imagine.
"Don't freak out. The Starlight Cup finals venue is..."
He cleared his throat a few times, then shouted loud.
This news would spark massive buzz later.
"G-Star in Busan! Evening slot!"
— Viewer What? — Viewer G-G-Star? — Viewer Crazy... — Viewer R-Real?? ⭐ Top Comment — Viewer G-Star??? Gamers' holy land, dream stage G-STARRRR!!! A hush fell over the 100,000 viewers, as if they'd all stopped breathing.
Then, an enormous wave of cheers erupted from the audience.