Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: A New Start
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It was a morning commute just like any other.
I opened the office door and shouted with gusto.
“Good morning! It is I, the one and only Jo Hyunsoo, PD of *Forgotten Andersen's Story*!”
I did this because I was sure no one else had arrived at the office yet.
However.
“PD Jo Hyunsoo? Oh, hello.”
“Huh? Yuri, what are you doing here?”
Daeri Heo Yuri, a concept artist I had often worked with on the Phoenix team.
She was in the office, unpacking her things.
I was so mortified I could barely speak.
“Oh, you didn't hear? Director Shin Chihwan called me yesterday and told me to come down here. The official transfer won't be for a few days, but he said I should come early to help you, Gwajang—I mean, PD Jo Hyunsoo.”
“Oh, is that so? Haha, that Director Shin. He could have given me a heads-up.”
I had a pretty good idea of what was happening.
-If you can't find an artist externally, is there anyone internally you have in mind?-
-Daeri Heo Yuri is great. She's not only a talented artist but also a versatile multi-player who can handle UI and animation. She uses her skills to help other team members and is always full of fighting spirit...-
-Hmm, I'll ask her team about it.-
It seemed he had acted on my suggestion when I’d briefly mentioned Daeri Heo Yuri during our meeting about the new project.
Still, shouldn't he have told me beforehand?
This was just like Shin Chihwan, the bulldozer of NB Soft.
<<Congratulations! You have officially become a PD! New PD functions have been unlocked. Please check your status window!>>
<<Daeri Heo Yuri has been recognized as Player ‘Jo Hyunsoo’s’ first ‘Team Member’!>>
<<Your team member will start with a high level of Understanding! Your actions will activate buffs on your team members' stats! Show your leadership and guide your team to success!>>
And God Game Maker was loudly proclaiming that I had truly become a "PD."
Having Daeri Heo Yuri as my first team member was a refreshing start.
I stood for a moment and brought up Yuri's Understanding window.
[Daeri Heo Yuri]
-Concept & UI Designer at NB Soft, graduated from Hongik University's Painting department.
-Bright and cool personality. Sociable with good communication skills.
-Has very high expectations for your (Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo's) new project.
-Still dislikes Oh Gwangseok.
※ The higher your Understanding, the more you can learn about Daeri Heo Yuri.
- Understanding: C+
- ‘Graphics’ Stat: B- (※ A graphic designer specializing in 2D work. Shows potential as a multi-player, limited to the 2D field.)
2D Concept Art - 33 / 3D Modeling - 5 / Pixel Art - 23 / UI - 31...
'Her skills are exactly what I thought.'
Daeri Heo Yuri’s stats were high across the board for 2D-related work.
While concept artists are needed for 3D projects too, my new project would be 2D-based, meaning she would have even more to do.
I wasn't sure what would happen later, but for the early stages of the project, I needed Daeri Heo Yuri to be the sturdy backbone of the graphics department.
“Let me help you get settled. Once you're done, let's grab some coffee and talk about the project.”
“Okay!”
After helping Daeri Yuri set up her desk, we went to a nearby café.
I ordered my usual iced Americano, while Yuri chose a sweet-looking drink with a name too long for me to remember.
“The programmer who'll be joining us early on has their second interview this week. If all goes well, they should start next week or the week after. Until then, Daeri Yuri, you can help me by creating the artwork for the strategy proposal I'm writing.”
“Ah. Yes, yes. I'm so excited. A game made by you, Gwajang—I mean, PD Hyunsoo. Ah! Sorry, I'm still not used to the title.”
“It’s fine. I’m still getting used to it myself.”
First, I made sure Daeri Yuri knew what her responsibilities would be for the time being.
Next, I explained the vision and story of the project I was planning and the art style I wanted from her.
“Van Gogh's art style?”
“Yes, a bit random, isn't it?”
Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch painter who worked in France.
A post-impressionist master whose intense colors and unique style profoundly influenced Fauvism, one of the two pillars of modern art.
It was only natural for the name, something you'd expect to hear in an art class, to sound out of place at a game company.
“It's not an idea you see often in a game company, but I like it. I was a Western painting major, and I used to love drawing with oil pastels.”
“Oh, really? That’s great.”
I hadn't known that Yuri had majored in painting.
This project was off to a good start.
“For now, when we get back to the office, look up some of Van Gogh's paintings for reference. I'll send you the character concepts around tomorrow, and you can start creating mock-ups in that style.”
“Okay, this sounds fun!”
Daeri Yuri’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
This was one of the reasons I enjoyed working with her.
She not only got along well with her colleagues but also always enjoyed taking on new challenges.
Her talent in various fields was likely due to this disposition.
Since I was planning to keep the team under ten people, I needed Yuri to serve as the main pillar for the art department.
“Let's head back to the office. Oh, and I'll send you the planning documents I've worked on so far. Feel free to read them if you're interested and ask me any questions you have.”
“Yes, PD-nim!”
After returning to the office, I sent Daeri Yuri the initial planning documents I had drafted.
She sat at the desk across from mine, and I could hear her faint exclamations of "Wow" and "Amazing" from over the partition, which made me feel slightly embarrassed.
Well, it was a good thing my team member found my work interesting.
'First, I need to create the character concept document for Yuri.'
I already had a rough idea for the character concepts.
However, if I didn't flesh them out to some degree, the final artwork could stray far from my intentions.
Some planners occasionally push the planning elements of the work onto the artists, but I hated that approach.
Doing so made it difficult for the character's image to align perfectly with the story and increased the risk of breaking the tone and manner.
'Okay, the protagonist is a CEO of an IT company in his mid-to-late thirties. He doesn't grieve his parents' death and instead throws himself into work to find his own dream... He's thin from skipping meals, looking somewhat sickly...'
As I always did, I started by listing the character's core keywords and then connected them to establish his features.
Most PDs would keep this stage rough, since it was likely to be overhauled anyway, but I didn't want to do that.
'The more detailed I make it at this stage, the better the outcome will be later, even if we have to scrap it.'
It had been the same when developing *Forgotten Andersen's Story*.
No matter how many times a character or story was revised, putting in my best effort at each stage always led to something better next time.
And if I provided a solid foundation, Daeri Heo Yuri, who would be receiving it, could proceed with a clear sense of direction.
'Let's begin.'
*Clack, clack-clack, clack-clack.*
Except for the time I took for lunch, I was glued to the document all day.
By the time quitting time rolled around, the protagonist's character concept was complete.
If I sent the document now, Yuri would feel pressured to stay late, so I decided to give it to her tomorrow.
“Daeri Yuri, don't feel like you have to stay. You don't have anything to work on today anyway, so head home.”
“Ah, yes! Understood!”
As I was heading out for dinner, I gave her a heads-up to leave.
With a team of only two, it was obvious she wouldn't be able to go home if I stayed late, even if she had no work to do.
“Stir-fried octopus and pork over rice, please.”
I went to my usual restaurant and ordered my usual dish.
Before the food arrived, I quickly sent a message to Rokhui.
[Me: Did you have a good dinner?]
[Rokhui: Of course, I already ate. What about you, Hyunsoo?]
[Me: I came to a restaurant near the office. Working late tonight.]
[Rokhui: Wow, working late already? You must be busy.]
[Me: Ah, yeah... I have to prepare the strategy proposal, so it'll probably take a few days.]
[Rokhui: Aigoo... Hang in there. If there's anything I can help with, feel free to let me know.]
[Me: Thanks :)]
[Rokhui: Of course! Enjoy your dinner!]
*Let me know if there's anything I can help with.*
We weren't exactly dating, but I felt grateful to have someone who would say that to me.
A moment later, my food arrived. I brought the food to my mouth with one hand while looking at my smartphone with the other.
As always, I checked the sales for *Forgotten Andersen's Story* and the performance of Phoenix.
'I should get about 6 million won this month.'
Though the game's sales had dropped from their initial peak, an amount more than double my salary was still coming in.
The sales would probably rise again if Pipe held occasional discount events.
Whether it was because of the money or the pride I felt for creating such a game, looking at this seemed to completely wash away the small anxieties lingering in my heart.
Next, I checked the game industry trends and news from my favorite game developers on social media.
'He mentioned me.'
While scrolling, I came across a post from Coby Fox thanking me and our company.
He must have enjoyed his trip to Korea, as he dedicated several lines to praising NB Soft, and on top of that, he mentioned the Phoenix project and my next game.
With over a thousand likes already, the post must have reached hundreds of thousands of people.
'What a great guy.'
I smiled and left a thank-you reply on Coby's post.
In a way, his game played a huge role in my decision to become an indie developer and in me becoming a PD at this company.
I hoped that one day, I and my games could give someone that same courage and inspiration.
“Thank you for the meal.”
I returned to the office and put in my earphones.
The moment the first line of my favorite song began to play, my mind felt clear.
I started typing on the keyboard again, focusing on my work.
Hoping that what I was doing would one day bring courage and inspiration to someone.
***
The next morning.
“Wow... these character settings are amazing. Just reading this makes me feel like I'm going to cry.”
“Don't actually cry, though. If a rumor gets out that I made my only team member cry, no one will want to join...”
I had given the two character setting documents I'd worked on to Daeri Yuri first thing.
“Oh, come on, that won't happen. With the great 'Christian' as the PD, I bet people will be lining up to join the moment you post a job opening.”
“I hope so. But first, we have to get the strategy proposal approved.”
“I'll do my best to help!”
After receiving the documents from me, Daeri Yuri got straight to work.
'Now, it's time to start visualizing the strategy proposal.'
In truth, I had already laid out the rough framework for the proposal during my time off.
However, some of the logical connections were still weak, some data needed to be organized, and it was all just text in a Word document.
If I submitted the document as it was, the reviewers would be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of text and probably close it immediately.
I needed to visualize it to make it suitable for a presentation.
'First, I'll structure this part to deliver the core keywords, and then right at this point, if a drawing from Yuri pops up, it'll have a big impact.'
Fundamentally, a presentation document wasn't all that different from writing a game's story.
The techniques were quite similar: knowing where to create impact to draw people in, and how to smoothly navigate the unfavorable parts...
Or, in storytelling terms, the boring parts.
'First priority is convincing Director Shin Chihwan.'
Of course, before the official review, I planned to show this document to my supervising director, Shin Chihwan.
Not only did he have significant influence in the new project review meetings, but if it could pass his discerning eye, that in itself would be proof of the project's potential.
'But then, why have our company's games been so terrible until now?'
A slight question popped into my head, but—
Hmm, well...
For now, I decided to set aside such questions and focus on my work.