Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Spam is a Bit... You Know
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I stood in a corner of the office, holding a box, and spoke.
“Since it's Lunar New Year's, I think you can all head home a little early today. And before you go, please stop by my desk to pick up a gift.”
But even so, the junior employees seemed hesitant, only peeking over their partitions to gauge the situation.
They were probably worried about being the first to leave.
Just then.
“Wow, what's this, PD-nim?”
“I thought going home with just a can of Spam would be a bit underwhelming, so I prepared something personally.”
“Whoa, amazing! Isn't this a Hanwoo beef set? A Hanwoo beef set? You prepared something this expensive yourself? I'll have to put my life on the line for this game! I, Heo Yuri, pledge my loyalty to you, PD-nim!”
“No, you don't have to go that far.”
“Please accept my deep bow!”
“Ah, please don't.”
Gwajang Heo Yuri grinned, her response exaggerated, and feigned a deep bow as if to tease me.
When I tried to stop her, she pretended to give in, stepping back and bowing her head deeply.
“Well then, I'll enjoy it, PD-nim!”
I knew she was just trying to lighten the mood, and I felt grateful.
“Don't feel burdened. I bought them in bulk from Majang-dong, so it wasn't too expensive.”
In fact, since I bought ten sets at once, the total cost came out to less than a million won.
“Then I'll enjoy the meal. PD-nim! Gwajang Yosep, you should hurry and get yours too. If the part leader takes one, the rest of the team won't feel awkward about it!”
“Ah, yes, yes!”
Only then did Jeong Yosep and the other team members hurriedly receive their gifts and leave for the day.
Exchanging New Year's greetings with smiles on their faces gave me a strange sense of satisfaction.
‘Well, giving out gifts like this once in a while isn't so bad.’
As the saying goes, generosity comes from a full granary.
With hundreds of millions in my bank account and incentives from 'Forgotten Andersen's Story' still rolling in, the cost of the gifts wasn't a burden at all.
On the contrary, I even thought it was a bargain if this small amount of money could boost the team's morale.
“Thank you! I'll really enjoy it, PD-nim.”
“Happy New Year! I love beef, so I'll really savor this!”
<<Your gift has increased the entire staff's affection for the POD project.>>
<<Work efficiency will slightly increase for one week after the Lunar New Year holiday.>>
God Game Maker also reconfirmed that giving gifts to the employees was a good move.
This was likely due to a real-world morale boost rather than the system having a direct influence.
The corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
“Thank you, PD-nim. But aren't you heading home?”
“Ah, yes. My train isn't for a little while.”
“Oh, I see. Well, I'll be on my way then!”
“Have a great holiday.”
One by one, the employees left, and I sat alone in the empty office.
I let out a deep sigh, tidied up my desk, and stood up.
“Guess I should go get some rest too.”
After the New Year, I was bound to be insanely busy preparing for the first build.
To run long and fast, proper rest is essential.
I picked up the last gift box and left the office.
****
The evening before the Lunar New Year holiday, around 7 p.m.
“I'm home.”
“Oh, son, you're here! Was the traffic bad?”
“Ah, yes. It took about 20 to 30 minutes longer, but it wasn't too congested.”
When I arrived home, my parents and my older sister greeted me warmly.
I took the Hanwoo beef gift set to the kitchen and plopped down on the living room sofa.
“Dad, are we going to my uncle's house this Lunar New Year?”
“Forget it. What's the point? I'll just get an earful from your uncle.”
I knew it well, but my eldest uncle was a textbook example of a condescending elder.
Ever since I told him I was a game developer, he'd frequently compare me to his own children, saying things like, "That's no job for a real man."
He wouldn't just pick on our family; he'd start fights with my other aunts and uncles too.
So it seemed my father had no desire to go either.
“This New Year, let's just the four of us eat something delicious and go for a drive nearby.”
“Oh my, what's gotten into this man? You used to insist we had to go to your brother's house, no matter what.”
“Well, we're both nearing sixty. It's fine to spend some time with our own family.”
My mother patted my father on the shoulder as he spoke.
Seeing them, I smiled and replied.
“Sounds great. Let's go for a drive tomorrow morning. Can I drive, Dad?”
“Of course. I like it when my son drives.”
We ate a late dinner together, chatting casually about what we'd been up to.
“Hey, a thief broke into our guesthouse. And get this, he ran off with a 50kg safe.”
“What? Why didn't you tell me?”
“I didn't want you to worry. You've been so busy since you became a PD.”
“So what happened?”
“He was caught on a CCTV camera in a nearby park. He made a huge scene trying to open the safe, then just gave up and left it there. I laughed so hard when I saw the footage at the police station.”
The story about the guesthouse thief.
“We've been interviewing for new hires at work recently. There was this one really weird applicant.”
“Damn, why'd you even pass someone like that through the document screening?”
“Because none of that came out in his application.”
The story of the strange interviewee I encountered while hiring team members, and so on.
There were many small things to talk about.
The night deepened, and the next day arrived.
We got ready early in the morning and went for a drive nearby.
“It feels like it's been a really long time since we all hung out like this as a family.”
“I know. When my sister and I were little, I feel like we went on drives and trips all the time.”
We visited nearby tourist spots, ate delicious food, and chatted as a family.
It was an ordinary day, but because it had been so long, it felt special.
“Eating good food, seeing nice things, and just spending time together... this is pretty nice.”
“I agree. It would be nice to do this more often. And we don't have to go to your brother's house, hohoho.”
My parents also seemed quite pleased with the day.
I was worried they might feel awkward because of the big fight they had with my uncle's family last time, so I thought this turned out for the best.
As evening approached, we returned home.
“Hoo.”
I took a quick shower and lay down on my bed.
Thanks to the rest, my head felt clearer.
Then, a worry I had pushed to the back of my mind resurfaced.
‘Balance design... my work has been a complete mess for weeks because of this.’
I realized anew that the appearance of a competitor like Lee Hyeonho had made me lose my pace.
Normally, it wasn't my style to struggle with fixing balance design, something that wasn't even necessary for the first build.
Usually, I would have focused all my firepower on directing and storytelling, which are my strengths.
‘I lost my rhythm because of Lee Hyeonho. Still.’
But even so, I had no intention of backing down.
In the first place, I believed that people like Lee Hyeonho were the reason Korean game companies had lost their philosophy.
Because of people like him, those who joined the industry dreaming of becoming developers were suffering, and terrible games were being mass-produced.
I wanted to use the power of God Game Maker not only to achieve my personal dreams but also to change the atmosphere of the Korean game industry.
‘But to do that, I have to get the balance design right in this build.’
In the end, my thoughts circled back to the beginning.
There was no point in worrying about it at home; I wouldn't find an answer.
“Haa, I'll just read some of Rokhui's webtoon while I have time.”
[Webtoon 'Märchen Queen' Chapter 9 / Rating (9.99)]
[Comments]
[Sailmane: Wow the friend in this chapter is so cute lol ♥♥♥ Happy New Year, author.]
[Koteri12: lololol wow a cute and adorable comic like this is precious.]
[DPOPLL: Aren't all the readers' comments so cute too? lol]
‘Rokhui's comic is fun. The reactions are good too.’
They say a work resembles its creator.
Despite starting as a serious superpower battle series, Rokhui's webtoon sprinkled in wit, making the characters charming overall.
It was enough to make the corners of my mouth curl up as I read.
I immediately shot a KoTalk message to Rokhui.
[Me: Rokhui, today's webtoon was really fun. The friend character is so cute.]
[Rokhui: Oh, really? lol I actually put a bit more effort into today's chapter, so it feels good that you noticed.]
[Me: What are you doing now?]
[Rokhui: Still working. My mom actually just called, asking what I was doing moping around at home during the holiday lol. Sigh. Oh! And the Hanwoo beef you sent me, I'm planning to grill it at home with some author friends after I meet my deadline tomorrow.]
It seemed Seol Rokhui couldn't go back to her hometown for the holiday because of her webtoon work.
She had launched with a small buffer of completed chapters, and with the webtoon's recent surge in popularity, the platform had released more preview chapters, leaving her with no breathing room.
The thought of her working alone in her studio apartment during the holiday made me feel a bit sorry for her.
Just as I was spending time chatting with Rokhui about this and that.
*Vzzzzzt!*
Suddenly, I got a call from Yoon Byeongjong.
<<Hey, Jo Hyunsoo, you're in Danyang right now, right?>>
“Yeah, that's right. I'm at home now.”
<>
“A class reunion? I've never gone to one. Why would I go now? It's not like anyone's looking for me.”
<<Ah, I'm bored. I'm going, so let's go together.>>
Was it because he was cooped up at home working on his webtoon?
It seemed Yoon Byeongjong's chronic boredom had flared up again.
In Danyang, people in their twenties and thirties who had moved to other regions usually came back around the holidays.
Because of that, this was pretty much the only time of year you could see all your old classmates at once.
It was only natural that Yoon Byeongjong, who got along with everyone in high school, would love class reunions.
‘Well, maybe I'll go see some old faces too.’
I didn't have anything else to do, and it sounded nice to go out and chat with Yoon Byeongjong.
“Alright, I'll go. Where are they meeting?”
<>
“Okay.”
After hanging up, I immediately got dressed and went out.
The destination was a pub about a ten-minute walk from my house.
“Hey, Jo Hyunsoo! Over here!”
As I walked in, Yoon Byeongjong, who was already there, waved and greeted me.
I slid into the seat next to him.
“Whoa, Jo Hyunsoo, long time no see! Isn't this the first time since high school graduation? You should show your face more often.”
“Ah, yeah. I've been a little busy.”
“Hey, who isn't busy? Still, we were all close in high school. I'm a little hurt, man. Here, have a drink.”
Then, a few friends I was reasonably close with in our senior year class came over.
“Heard you're working at a game company. Yoon Byeongjong told me. You punk, you were always going on about making games in high school, and you actually ended up doing it.”
“Ahaha, well, that's how it turned out. What are you up to these days?”
“Me? I'm a civil servant here in Danyang.”
Friends I hadn't seen in so long they were in the far corners of my memory.
Strangely, after exchanging a few words about the past, I felt like I was back to my high school self.
And as I listened to my friends' stories.
“Hey, remember in high school, you used that RPG Maker thing? While everyone else was studying for the CSAT, you were making a game with it and passing it around to the class. Then you got caught by the homeroom teacher and got totally chewed out. I seriously thought you were a complete psycho back then.”
“Ahaha, did I?”
It seems my high school self really, really loved games.
I felt a strange sense of pride, feeling that I had gotten a little closer to the person I dreamed of becoming back then.
Just as I was reminiscing with my friends for a while.
“Hey kids, I'm here!”
A burly man in a suit with a blocky, gangster-like face waved in our direction and shouted in a loud voice.
“Ah. That bastard showed up again.”
Hearing his voice, the friends next to me scowled and muttered to themselves.