Chapter 41

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Translator: Ryuma

Chapter: 41

Chapter Title: By Chance, Van Gogh (1)

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This idea itself felt like stumbling upon a gemstone in the rough while walking down the street.

It was crude and colorless, but if I could just cut and polish it well, it would surely become something worthwhile.

“*Hic*, thanks for the drinks tonight, PD! You know I love you, right?”

“I know, I know. Just get in a taxi and go home.”

As the day turned to night, we left the bar.

After shoving the drunken, stumbling Daeri Son into a taxi, I slipped a 50,000 won bill into his pocket.

‘He must be having a hard time in his own way.’

I felt a pang of pity thinking about how he was being branded a traitor and tormented by the planning team.

I could offer some indirect help, but ultimately, Daeri Son himself was the only one who could truly overcome the situation.

I could only hope he would manage to get through it on his own.

“Taxi!”

I got into a taxi myself and gave the driver my destination.

Relaxing my body, I quietly gazed out the window.

The sight of office workers staggering drunkenly and merchants bustling to close up shop for the night caught my eye.

It was a chaotic scene, but perhaps because I was also tipsy?

Their gestures, their drunken antics, their expressions—every single one felt romantic.

Everyone was living their lives amidst that chaos—to earn money, to be with their loved ones, to do *something*.

Even the taxi driver taking me home.

‘Drunk people, romance... I might be able to get some kind of idea from things like that.’

These feelings brought a few simple ideas to mind, making my head tingle.

The images weren't concrete yet, but I had a vague feeling that if I assembled the parts correctly, something might come of it.

*Vrrrrrr-*

Just then, my phone rang.

I looked at the screen and saw the name Seol Rokhui.

“Hello?”

<<Hyunsoo, how have you been?>>

Her voice was a complex, subtle mix of concern and affection.

Hearing it, my sunken emotions slowly began to rise.

A pleased smile touched my lips as I slowly began to speak.

“Of course, I'm doing well. What about you, Rokhui?”

<<Well, I'm still stressing over preparing for my new project. I was wondering if you had some time... I called to see if we could talk about our work.>>

So she'd hit a wall while preparing her project.

We'd been in touch occasionally, so I knew what was going on, but hearing that she was in a similar situation sparked a subtle sense of camaraderie.

“What part are you stuck on?”

<<The general story is about a class of high school girls who play a death game to make their wishes come true. Each of them gets the supernatural powers of a witch from legend.>>

“Witches' powers?”

<<Yes, but the main character, who was being bullied, gets the power of 'Beyota,' the strongest in combat, while the bully gets the power of 'Malin,' the weakest. The problem is, there's a rule that if Malin dies, the entire class dies with her.>>

“Ah, so she gains power ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠greater than her tormentor's, but ironically, she has to protect her.”

I'd have to read the webtoon to know for sure, but from what Seol Rokhui was saying, it sounded like a cleverly designed concept.

If she could play with the inherent irony of the structure, she could draw out all sorts of deep, emotional stories.

Plus, there were dozens of characters.

Depending on how the author handled it, she could play with the relationships between characters and extend the series with more episodes.

<<You get it. That's Hyunsoo for you.>>

“So, what part are you stuck on?”

<<Well, since each character needs to have an ability based on a chess piece, I'm stuck on defining the specific supernatural powers... The progression of the story will change depending on what these abilities are...>>

“Hmm... That is an important part. And with 16 characters, it'll take a lot of time to define them all.”

Supernatural powers for characters... In game development terms, it was probably close to the task of designing character skills.

Since it was something I'd done so many times, some general ideas started popping into my head the moment I heard her dilemma.

But writing them down for her might be rude, and besides, I barely had enough time for my own work.

<<Yeah, I feel like I've taken on a concept that's beyond my abilities. Sigh... I didn't have anyone to vent to, and I was feeling helpless, so I thought of you and called.>>

“Well, you called the right person. Listening to people vent is my specialty. Handol calls me all the time to complain.”

<<Hehe, really?>>

“Of course.”

She had no one to vent to, and I was the first person who came to mind?

To be honest, as someone who had positive feelings for Seol Rokhui, that wasn't a bad thing to hear.

<<So, Hyunsoo, is there anything you're struggling with in your work?>>

“Of course there is. I can't seem to come up with a main combat system for the new project I have to start.”

<<The new project... is that the one with the Van Gogh and dreams theme?>>

“Yeah. I wish I could come up with a combat system that really clicks and expresses the game's theme well, but nothing's coming to mind.”

<<Oh dear, I wish I could help, but I don't know anything about that kind of thing. It's a shame.>>

The corners of my mouth lifted slightly.

I found it endearing that Seol Rokhui would say something like that, even if it was just words.