Chapter 100
Chapter 100
I woke up to find my boss gone.
Is this a dream?
It wasn't.
The General Manager, who had spent the last few days locked in a battle of nerves with the fans, had vanished.
Of course, he hadn't resigned. He simply went back to where he originally worked.
As it turned out, the General Manager had already been looking for a chance to bail with his portfolio in hand. According to the rumors I picked up from the working-level staff, he had only planned to stay for a year anyway.
When the conflict with the fans erupted, he used it as an excuse to talk his way out and flew the coop.
And naturally, the "TeSTAR and Game Collaboration" that was part of his portfolio...
Was still moving forward. The contracts had already been signed and sealed.
Shit.
I couldn't exactly go to the fans, who were celebrating the General Manager's departure, and whine for them to do something about this, too.
Accepting reality, I began preparing to head out.
Today was Friday, the day of the meeting.
*
"Hello! I'm a huge fan!"
"Hello!"
"Nice to meet you!"
The two people I met at the meeting were a man and a woman with surprisingly down-to-earth impressions. I felt almost guilty for expecting them to look like scammers.
Moreover, they seemed a bit dazed, as if the news of the collaboration had been sudden for them as well.
"Um... should we start by explaining our game first?"
"Yes, please!"
"We're all ears."
"Okay, then..."
The explanation that followed... actually sounded quite unique and interesting.
That was also unexpected.
Ho.
"...So, the main story follows a protagonist exploring a ruined Seoul after a mysterious substance emerged from a meteor. It's a roguelike adventure where your allies and abilities change based on your choices as you encounter various factions within the city."
"That sounds incredibly fun!"
Kim Rae-bin was the first to burst into applause.
That was a sign... a sign that this might actually be decent.
Did this mean the thing the General Manager threw at us wasn't trash, but high-quality beef?
Furthermore, these people were quite well-disposed toward us. I don't just mean they were polite; they had the kind of goodwill that could be put to use for work.
"To be honest, this collaboration... we were given the notice so suddenly that we didn't have much time to research. But from what we've checked so far... the 'Magical Boy' concept you all did was truly amazing."
"Ah, thank you. We're eager to check out the game ourselves. It sounds like it'll be really fun."
"Oh, then... would you like to try playing it for a moment?"
"Pardon?"
"We're still fixing some bugs, but it's already at a playable level! You shouldn't have any trouble progressing."
The person sitting on the left pulled a smartphone from their pocket. It was a large Android model.
After tapping through the screen to launch the game, they handed it to Ryu Cheong-woo.
"Ah..."
"Me! Let me do it!"
Ryu Cheong-woo, who had accepted the device with a slightly awkward expression, looked troubled by Cha Yu-jin's desperate plea.
However, deciding it was better to let the person who was good at games and enjoyed them play, he soon handed the smartphone over with a word of caution.
"Be careful with it."
"Yeah!"
Cha Yu-jin snatched it up, his eyes sparkling as he started the game. The rest of the members began peering at the screen with curious expressions.
...They seem excited over there, too.
Aware of the two developers watching TeSTAR with eyes full of anticipation and nerves, I also looked at the screen.
Perhaps because it was a mobile game with a high degree of freedom, they seemed to have decided it would be difficult to implement everything in fine detail. Instead, the game progressed through a mix of text, graphics, and illustrations.
However, it was very sophisticated and conceptual.
On top of that, it was fun. The structure of gathering allies to clear story chapters was quite solid.
This... could actually work.
The quality made it clear why T1 had acquired them.
...But where on earth do you fit idol promotion into this?
Thinking about that part alone left me speechless.
Regardless, Cha Yu-jin, who finished Chapter 1 in the blink of an eye, shouted excitedly.
"This is really fun!"
"Oh~"
"Thank you."
The two developers had a hard time reclaiming the smartphone from a reluctant Cha Yu-jin.
Then, with beaming faces, they asked, "How was it? Do you have any ideas like, 'It would be cool to do this for the collaboration'?"
"...Hmm."
"I think that's something we'll have to think about from now on."
"...Right? We'll think about it, too."
Since everyone had expected this situation, no one felt discouraged.
Still, the fact that the game wasn't a total flop was a huge win in itself.
"Thank you~"
"See you next time."
The first meeting ended with the vague conclusion of "let's both think about it." However, the atmosphere was good, as the prospects didn't seem half bad.
"I was wondering if we could rearrange the game's BGM and use it as a title track."
"...Since that's an ad, wouldn't that mean we can't perform it on public broadcast music shows?"
"Ah."
Kim Rae-bin, who had been sketching out ideas as if he'd found inspiration, fell into deep thought at Lee Se-jin's point.
And I felt a slight sense of relief.
At least our brand image won't be destroyed.
We might get criticized for it being a forced move and our results might dip, but it didn't seem like it would become such a laughingstock that it would hinder our next album.
Now the problem is what exactly we're going to collaborate on.
A discussion on this topic opened as soon as we returned to the dorm.
First, Ryu Cheong-woo relayed the suggestion he'd heard from the working-level staff at the company.
"The current opinion is that exchanging a B-side track for the game's BGM would be the cleanest way to handle it."
"Hmm, that's safe."
Since that General Manager jerk wasn't around to interfere, they were suggesting we just do a collaboration in name only and get it over with.
I can feel the sorrow of the office worker.
However, Keun Se-jin unexpectedly shook his head with a smile.
"Ayy~ then we're the only ones doing all the work."
"Huh...?"
"Both are music-related! It'll probably just be us and the AR team suffering... Hmm, I think we should get something out of this side too, personally~"
I see.
We've reached the point where it's not just about avoiding losses, but about gaining something.
Certainly, if we went that way, the workload would only increase, and the game company would be the only one reaping the benefits.
The game would get the promotional effect, but TeSTAR wouldn't gain any recognition from collaborating with a game that hadn't even been released yet.
...And it's rare for gamers to become fans of an idol group just because of the BGM.
"Then what's your alternative?"
"I'm saying let's start thinking about it now~ If we have to work anyway, it's better to do something that feels rewarding and has a payoff."
"Hmm."
Just as everyone was about to sink into thought, Lee Se-jin spoke up with a groan.
"...Let's just leave it to the company people. We're busy enough preparing for the album; isn't it weird that they're asking us to decide what to collaborate on too?"
"Hyung, then the workload will..."
"That's for the AR team to handle. We just have to say we'll only do the recording."
Lee Se-jin cut him off firmly.
"In the first place... this whole situation is weird. Why are rookies making these kinds of creative decisions? It's not like the company doesn't have money."
"......"
He was so right that I just wanted to agree with him.
Lee Se-jin, who rarely spoke this much, was catching his breath. He must have poured out everything he'd been thinking.
Then, Cha Yu-jin replied brightly.
"But I want to do something else! BGM is boring."
"......"
Lee Se-jin just closed his eyes.
Poor guy.
Still, seeing as he didn't run away, he'd improved a lot.
"Alright~ then let's put it to a vote. Raise your hand if you want to come up with a new collaboration theme!"
Surprisingly, everyone except Lee Se-jin and me raised their hands.
You persistent bastards.
Except for Keun Se-jin, I was sure their reasons weren't about gaining something, but rather "because I want to take on a challenge" or "because I want to create something cool."
In the midst of this, Keun Se-jin acted surprised.
"Heol, Moondae, you don't want to do it?"
"No, I'm abstaining. If a good idea comes up, we'll go with that; if not, let's just do the BGM."
"Okay. Let's proceed like that for now."
Ryu Cheong-woo brought the conversation back.
"Now then, what are the benefits our group can gain from collaborating with a game?"
"...We can appear in the game?"
"Money? ...That's out of the question. The contract is already finished."
"Yes. It seems neither of those applies this time. There's no way they could put us in when the release is just around the corner."
Hmm, that was true.
Even if there had been enough time, a game that seemed to have put so much effort into its world-building wouldn't want to suddenly insert characters based on celebrities right at launch.
...Wait.
...Couldn't we think about this the other way around?
"How about this?"
"Hmm?"
"Instead of asking them to put us in, let's take characters from the game and use them."
"......??"
I pointed to the smartphone with my finger.
"How about we pick the game characters that resemble us the most and use them for a sub-track?"
"......!"
"Since it's not the title track, it doesn't matter if we can't get on public broadcast. These days, the market is big enough even if we only target cable and WeTube."
I was suggesting we take a well-made game IP and absorb it into our own universe.
*
"Um... you're asking for a list of the ally characters?"
"Yes."
"Uh..."
The people from the game company looked flustered by the sudden proposal when we met again.
They exchanged glances, then answered in slightly hesitant voices.
"Well... we do have an ally gacha system for monetization."
"Yes."
"But, those elements are all random...?"
"......!!"
They meant the characters were randomly generated.
"But I saw some that had illustrations."
"Those were generated through toon shading... well, anyway, you can think of those as being randomly made too!"
"......"
I didn't expect to hit a wall here.
Just then, Kim Rae-bin raised his hand.
"...Then do the allies Cha Yu-jin used also have their names changed every time without being fixed?"
"Ah, those friends... well, they actually all die when the next chapter starts."
"......!!"
"We had to make the protagonist explore Seoul alone... haha."
The people sitting across from us laughed, saying they were the only fixed allies.
"I don't want them to die..."
Cha Yu-jin suddenly became gloomy. It seemed he had grown attached to them in that short time.
And then I realized.
......? Then can't we just use them?
When I turned my head, everyone except Cha Yu-jin had the same thought written on their faces.
...There happened to be seven of them.
Thanks to the game's four-person party system, they had set the tutorial personnel to exactly eight people, including the protagonist.
Ryu Cheong-woo spoke up cautiously.
"...Could we use those friends?"
"Oh, yes?"
"I mean... we were thinking of having our members each take on the role of one of those characters to create a song and a performance."
"......"
They might not like it.
If they had also received the collaboration notice in a hurry, they might not want to get involved to this extent.
In that case, we'll just quietly talk about the BGM...
"Heol!"
"......?"
"We love it!"
"...!!"
"We've wanted to try a project like that if only we had the time and budget!"
Following the excited woman, the man shouted with his fists clenched.
"To think our kids will appear in 3D...!"
"......"
Surprisingly, it seemed the collaboration would proceed smoothly.