Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Star Developer Coby Fox (1)
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[Me: Did you get home safe?]
After returning home, I flopped onto my bed without even taking off my coat and sent a message on KoTalk, my heart pounding.
‘Hmm… is she still on her way?’
When a few minutes passed without a reply, I grew subtly anxious and couldn't focus on anything else.
A moment later…
[Ms. Rokhui: Yes, of course. I had a lot of fun today, thanks to you, Hyunsoo! Let's do another escape room next time!]
[Me: Yep, yep. I'll be looking forward to it.]
The reply I'd been waiting for had arrived.
I couldn't be sure what she thought of me, but this much suggested she didn't dislike me, at least.
“A relationship…”
I was lost in thought for a moment.
For the past few years, I'd been living a frantically busy life, and it was likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Because of that, romance had become a luxury I'd pushed to the side of my life's road at some point.
A relationship where you had to find common ground and shared tastes, invest emotions, and carefully navigate each other's boundaries… I just didn't have enough energy for that right now.
“For now, it should be fine to maintain this distance.”
But that didn't mean I wanted to draw a firm line with Seol Rokhui.
We'd only met for a day, but I felt a strong desire to get to know her better, to grow closer.
Her hobbies, her tastes, the rhythm of our conversation, and on top of that, her considerate nature and pretty smile.
To be honest, I was smitten with Jakga Seol Rokhui.
But… I had too much on my plate right now to invest significant resources into a relationship.
After a moment of deliberation, I shot up and slapped my cheeks.
‘…Why am I even worrying about this? I don't even know for sure if she's interested in me.’
For now, I decided to do what I'd always done: focus on giving my all to the tasks at hand.
And that, of course, included my relationship with Seol Rokhui.
****
On Monday morning, I headed to the office about two hours earlier than my usual start time.
I was dressed in a neat, smart-casual suit, my hair perfectly styled.
I had paid special attention to my attire because of my meeting with Coby Fox this afternoon.
“Oh… Gwajangnim Jo, you look sharp today. I see you went all out for the Coby Fox meeting.”
Daeri Son Seokjin, who had arrived even earlier than me, had clearly put in the same effort.
No… Daeri Son showed up in a full suit, as if he were going to a wedding.
He was scheduled to join me for the interview, but it felt a bit excessive since he was only there to observe.
Or maybe, as a fan of Coby Fox himself, he simply wanted to make a good impression out of admiration.
“The PR team contacted me. They said he boarded his flight last night. He should be arriving around 2 or 3 PM, and they're going to pick him up. We should work hard until then and head to the meeting.”
“Yes, yes!”
We spent the entire morning engrossed in our work, barely having time to breathe.
Of course, even as my hands were busy, I was constantly running simulations in my head, imagining the conversations I'd have with Coby Fox later.
He was, after all, a role model to me.
Lunchtime passed, and we received a call from the PR team.
They had just met up with Coby Fox, put him in a car, and were heading straight to the company. It was time to get ready for the meeting.
“Daeri Son, let’s head down to the basement.”
The meeting-slash-interview with Coby was scheduled to take place in the company café in the basement.
The interior was clean and looked good in photos and videos, and since it was fully owned by our company, it was easy to control access. Those were the reasons for choosing the location.
‘This is getting serious.’
When we got to the basement, the PR team was bustling about, setting up the café for the interview.
On top of that, the video team from marketing was on standby with their massive cameras and filming equipment.
I heard that today's interview would be live-streamed on the company's YouTube channel, with an edited version to be uploaded later.
It felt a bit strange, seeing the company's full resources being mobilized for me and Coby Fox.
“Ah, Gwajangnim Jo, you're here. For today's interview, one of our PR team members will be the interviewer for you and Coby Fox. The concept is something like a meeting between two outstanding developers who have achieved success in the indie game scene.”
“Uh… is that really the concept they decided on?”
I scratched my nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
Even though I was the developer of a successful game, being an interviewee meant they were treating me as his equal.
For someone like me, who had just been one of the ordinary, overlooked managers in the company, receiving this kind of treatment felt strange.
“Yes, you did develop a popular, successful game all by yourself, after all. The same goes for Coby Fox. This is the list of questions, so it would be great if you could read it over and think about your answers.”
“Okay.”
I took the questionnaire and sat down with Daeri Son in a corner, so as not to disturb the others while they worked.
‘What's with these questions?’
As I read through the questions, I furrowed my brow.
Each question had a guide attached by the PR team, and it was blatantly structured to promote the company's games or praise the company itself.
‘Just how much of this bullshit did they write down?’
For example, it instructed me to say that I became a successful solo developer thanks to what I learned from working with the outstanding developers at NB Soft.
I got up from my seat, flagged down a passing PR team member, and asked.
“Do I have to follow this guide exactly as it’s written?”
“Ah, yes… The suggested answers are a bit… you know, right?”
The team member replied with an awkward expression, as if he had anticipated my reaction.
“The executives from the business department insisted that we include this…”
“Was this discussed with Bonbujangnim Shin Chihwan?”
“Ah… no, it wasn’t, but.”
I pressed, my tone accusatory.
I was furious that after bringing in the respected Coby Fox, all they could come up with was this kind of rigged game.
It felt like the shallow trick of a merchant, with no respect or reverence for developers.
“Haa… I understand.”
He was just a subordinate following orders from above, anyway.
I knew that arguing here would be nothing more than venting my frustration, so I decided to let it go for now.
I continued to read the script, various thoughts running through my mind.
How much time had passed?
“Mr. Coby Fox will be arriving shortly.”
The news of the VIP's arrival sent people into a flurry of activity.
I followed the PR team to the front of the elevators.
A moment later, the elevator doors opened, and a Westerner with a mischievous look on his face appeared, grinning.
The genius solo developer I'd seen on the internet, Coby Fox, was standing right before my eyes.
“Hey Christian!”
Somehow, he recognized me and extended his hand directly toward me.
Christian.
The nickname I had used when I released *Forgotten Andersen's Story*.
To be called by that name by the very person who had inspired me to become a solo developer—a wave of emotion surged within me.
“Hello, Coby Fox.”
I managed an awkward greeting, my tongue feeling clumsy and uncooperative.
Afterward, escorted by the PR team, we headed to the seats prepared for us in the café.
Lights shone down on us from all around, and cameras were rolling in front.
The interviewer sat between Coby and me, and an interpreter was seated next to us.
It felt like the real deal.
“First, on behalf of NB Soft, I’d like to greet you both. My name is Kim Sechan from the PR team, and I’ll be conducting today’s interview!”
The conversation began with light greetings and introductions.
This was followed by praise for the games we had each created and the success we had achieved.
And when the formalities were over, the interview began in earnest.
“Alright… now I’d like to dive into some questions about development. First, what do you consider the most important aspect when developing a game? I’d love to take this opportunity to hear about your game development philosophies.”
“Well… Overtale aimed to overthrow the existing game grammar… I would like to present to players…”
“Overtale was made with the intention of subverting existing game conventions. I want to give players an experience that shatters their preconceived notions, in one way or another. That process is very enjoyable, and it’s what I always strive for.”
It was a rather long sentence, but thanks to the interpreter translating in real-time, I was able to nod along.
It was true. Coby Fox’s games, even the ones that came after Overtale, had a strong sense of intentionally twisting existing conventions, and I agreed that this was what made them ‘fun.’
Many people might want to assign complex meanings to them, but ultimately, there's no arguing that the essence of a game is ‘fun.’
Coby finished speaking, and now it was my turn.
I took a slow breath to compose myself and opened my mouth.
“In my case, I try to create games with the feeling that I'm speaking to the players. You could say I want to share the quirky ideas I capture from the small details of everyday life with others.”
“Could you give us an example?”
“With *Forgotten Andersen's Story*, the idea came to me just from seeing a book of fairy tales on a shelf. Wouldn't it be interesting if the matches the Little Match Girl sold were some kind of hallucinogen? Would that make the Little Match Girl a drug dealer? If she didn't die but survived, wouldn't she have become the boss of a back-alley gang? It started with that simple idea, and as I followed that train of thought, I became interested in Andersen’s life and ended up digging deeper.”
“I agree. That was the best part.”
Hearing my words through the interpreter, Coby Fox grinned and nodded in agreement.
In fact, the part of my game that received the best reaction was the episode about the ‘Little Match Girl’ who survived by selling hallucinogens and became the godmother of a back-alley organization.
“If you had to pick just one game as the best of all time, what would it be?”
“Do you have any habits or hobbies you do to get inspiration when you’re developing?”
“What’s your first impression of Korea?”
“What do you think is important when it comes to solo development?”
The conversation continued in this vein, covering game development and recent updates.
Looking at the streaming screen displayed in front of us, I saw the viewer count had easily surpassed three thousand.
In the chat, everyone was spamming ‘Wa menz!’, a popular meme related to Overtale.
That's Coby Fox for you.
Considering our company channel struggled to get over a hundred viewers, this was an absolute blockbuster.
“Now, I’d like to hear about your next projects. Let’s start with you, Christian—or as we know him, Gwajangnim Jo Hyunsoo.”
Just then, the topic I had been dreading was casually thrown out.
According to the script, I was supposed to strongly emphasize that I was currently working on the Phoenix Project.
And I was supposed to package this Phoenix Project as if it were some great masterpiece in the making, not just another mass-produced game.
‘Masterpiece, my ass…’
I was also doing my best to build the scenario and world, but in the end, it was just putting a nice wrapper on it.
The basic framework was that of a mass-produced game, and its limitations were clear.
To have a smooth life at the company, I needed to know how to say these kinds of empty, flattering words.
But…
<<God Game Maker has issued a Sudden Quest: ‘The PD’s Fortitude’!>>
[Sudden Quest / The PD’s Fortitude]
- To create a masterpiece, your position within the company is important, but you must also have your own philosophy and a brand built upon it.
Don't be a soulless scarecrow of a developer. Show the public what you truly think.
(1) Clear Condition: Speak your honest thoughts during the Coby Fox interview.
(2) Success Reward: Gain EXP.
Acquire Achievement ‘A PD’s Quality’.
(3) Failure Penalty: Lose EXP.
‘See… even God Game Maker is telling me to say it.’
I began to speak the words that were welling up from my heart… the words I wanted to say right now.
“For my next project, I’m planning a game about ‘a parent’s dream.’ For now, I’ve set the working title as ‘Pass On Dream.’”
The moment an unexpected name came out instead of the Phoenix Project, the expressions of every employee here twisted in bewilderment.
‘Sorry, but I have no intention of living a quiet life at this company.’
At that moment, the corners of my mouth naturally curled into a smirk.