Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Lean on Me (1)
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“You’re not accepting the marketing offer? They’re saying they’ll burn through five billion won for us if we just listen to a few of their demands?”
“If we take that five billion, we’ll end up ruining the game by listening to them. And are you okay with those slimy snakes getting their hooks into this, sir? It wasn’t long ago that they were backing Director Seo and couldn’t have cared less about us.”
Shin Chihwan had a rough idea of the situation.
He knew that the business department personnel who had been spouting nonsense on Blind before the first build were the ones aligned with Seo Donghyuk.
He’d just kept his mouth shut because there was no hard evidence, and Jo Hyunsoo had managed to overcome the damage with his own skills.
“True. That part does leave a bad taste in my mouth. But that’s that, and we still need to make the game a success. Do you have a plan?”
“Sir, I made *Forgotten Andersen's Story* a success without a single penny. Besides, we’re targeting a global audience from the start. The business department has no expertise in global marketing right now, so even if they spend five billion, the returns will be minimal. I think it’s better to refuse the money and lower our break-even point instead.”
To intentionally forgo spending on marketing.
That would reduce expenses, which in turn would make their performance look even better.
It was a logical argument in some ways, but for Shin Chihwan, who had spent his entire life in the corporate world, it was a rather radical idea.
That was how deeply ingrained the formula of ‘launch = marketing’ was in the gaming industry.
However.
‘The way this kid is coming on so strong, it feels like he might actually pull it off.’
If it had been any other PD, he would have told them to stop talking nonsense and shut them down, but he felt that Jo Hyunsoo might genuinely be able to make a game successful this way.
After all, POD was shaping up to be a fun game, and with figures like Pung Horang, Coby Fox, and many other gaming streamers aware of Jo Hyunsoo's existence, a success driven by word-of-mouth wasn't entirely out of the question.
“So, one hundred million. You’re saying you can handle the marketing and make the game a success with just one hundred million won?”
“Yes, of course. And just think about it, sir. Imagine the looks on the business department’s faces if the game succeeds without any marketing.”
NB Soft's business department was already a place whose competence was often questioned among employees.
So what if the 5th Division managed to launch a successful game without any help from them?
“They’ll look like they’ve swallowed something foul. Upper management already doubts their abilities, so if we succeed without their involvement, the image of their incompetence will only grow stronger.”
“Exactly. Their influence will definitely weaken. And we can use that as leverage to pull some of the budget the business department controls over to the development division.”
“Is that the picture you’re painting to justify not doing any marketing?”
“About fifty percent of it, yes. The other fifty percent is that I just don’t trust our company’s business department. I don’t think they’d get five billion won worth of marketing results even if they spent it.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Shin Chihwan shook his head as if he was fed up.
“Now I see it. Our PD Jo is a complete lunatic. A certified madman.”
“You’re just realizing that now? They say the successful ones are always a little crazy.”
Jo Hyunsoo replied with a slight smirk.
Chihwan tapped his fingers on the desk for a moment before looking straight ahead again.
“Alright, let’s go with that. As for talking to the business department, we’ll drag our feet as long as possible and then turn them down at the last minute. We’ll report the details to the President then, too.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just tell them now and get it over with?”
“Well, I’d like to, but Phoenix Season 3 is about to launch.”
“Ah!”
‘Phoenix,’ the game from the team I used to be on, was headed by PD Oh Gwangseok.
They were also part of the 5th Division and had a large-scale update coming soon.
Shin Chihwan’s plan was to manage the timing so as not to pull the trigger now and have the fallout hit them.
“You’re a veteran, alright. The plan is to squeeze them for all they’re worth before pulling the plug, is that it?”
“Hey, must you phrase it like that? Just think of it as the beautiful art of office politics.”
“Yes, sir, Director.”
We looked at each other and chuckled.
One hundred million won for marketing. With this ridiculously small amount, I planned to make ‘POD’ a success, both as a product and as a work of art.
****
Sometime in December, at the Christian Team’s office.
It was already past 10 p.m., but every single employee was seated in front of their monitor, completely absorbed in their work.
As game development entered its final stretch, the time-honored tradition of the game company—crunch—had begun.
‘Just the last chapter to go, and it’ll be done.’
I, too, had finished my work up to Chapter 12 and was now working on the final chapter, Chapter 13, which included the ending and epilogue.
As this was the section that would wrap up the work's theme and content, I was paying close attention to it.
Naturally, the pressure was immense.
‘Ah, I’m stuck.’
The biggest challenge right now was having to deal with Van Gogh’s death in Chapter 13.
There were many aspects to consider: how to direct this part, craft it into a cohesive story that ties together the game's overall theme, and resolve all the foreshadowing that had been laid out.
This part had to be finalized before the cinematic animation and combat balance design could truly begin, so I couldn't afford to take too much time.
‘First, the final battle has to be structured around ‘Tree Roots,’ the unfinished painting Van Gogh worked on before he died.’
I stared blankly at the painting in one of the Van Gogh-related books piled on my desk.
Unlike the vibrant colors Van Gogh was known for, this painting was filled with blacks, its canvas dominated by gaunt tree branches without a single proper leaf, giving it a somber feel.
I skimmed the text written next to it.
It was apparently from a letter he sent to his brother, Theo, after completing the sketch for this painting.
┌
The next painting is of roots. It’s a scene of trees exposed above sandy ground. As I painted, I put my very soul into it, trying to instill the same emotion I would give to a person. It depicted a desperate struggle for life through these blackened, gnarled, and knotty roots, clinging to the earth with all their might and passion, yet half-uprooted by a storm.
┘
‘It would be great if I could weave the content of this letter into some kind of scene.’
The grand finale of POD.
An unfinished painting, Van Gogh’s melancholic life, an unfulfilled dream.
Various keywords swirled in my head.
I crossed my arms and pondered this point for a long time, but no killer idea came to mind.
‘Hoo. Let’s clear my head for a bit.’
Staring at the book wasn't going to solve anything.
As I pressed my temples to soothe my headache, I waited.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“Hmm?”
When I looked up, I saw Pateujang Heo Yuri holding two bulging plastic bags.
“PD-niiiiim! Late-night snack time!”
She was humming in a nasal voice, her own strange dance of shaking the plastic bags up and down, her voice full of excitement.
Her energy was unbelievable for someone who had been working overtime for over ten days straight.
Perhaps thanks to her, the team members standing behind her, ready for a late-night snack, also had looks of excitement on their faces rather than gloom.
“What’s on the menu today?”
“Ahaha, the holy combination of jengban guksu and jokbal, of course!”
“Pateujang Yuri, you really know what’s good.”
“Right? I’ll set it up in the conference room, so come have a bite when you’re done!”
“No, I wasn’t really doing anything important. Let’s go together.”
We all went into the conference room and set up the food together.
“Ah, I cleared Chapter 11 yesterday, and the direction was insane. I got goosebumps when Theo’s expression suddenly changed.”
“I know, right? It was like a sudden, charming twist. Hehe, I’m gonna draw fan art and post it when the game officially releases.”
“I’ve already drawn some. Ohoho.”
The members chattered endlessly about our game even as they set up the food.
Hearing their conversations, which sounded more like players enjoying a game than developers discussing their work, made me think that POD, at the very least, wasn't boring.
“Team Leader, how does the final chapter end? I’m so curious, can you give us a little spoiler?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m curious too!”
As the conversation flowed, the employees’ attention shifted to me.
“Hmm. I don’t want to tell you. You’ll have to play it for yourselves.”
“Awwwww.”
“Just kidding. There are still a lot of unconfirmed parts in terms of direction and details, so I’ve been racking my brain over it for days.”
“Oh? What parts?”
“There’s a painting Van Gogh did right before he died, and also a letter he exchanged with his brother, Theo. I’m planning to create a scene based on ideas from them, but I’m still figuring out how to connect it with the theme and the foreshadowing.”
“Ugh. Just hearing about it gives me a headache.”
“Anyone is welcome, so if you have any good ideas, please let me know anytime.”
“I’ll just cheer for you with all my might. You can do it, PD-nim!”
At my words, the employees clenched their fists, shouted words of encouragement, and slowly backed away.
Well, this was something I was supposed to solve anyway, and it was my specialty, so I wasn't expecting much from the team members.
As I was chewing on some jokbal and listening to the team’s chatter,
“Ahaha, Pateujang Yosep, what if our game becomes a huge hit!?”
“Well, that would be great for our careers, wouldn’t it?”
“If it does well, I’m going to use my incentive bonus to buy a house! My home! Then I can tell all of you, ‘Come on over to my home!’”
“Are you promoting another company’s game right now?”
“Ahem! What do you take me for, Pateujang Yosep!”
Nearby, Pateujang Jeong Yosep and Pateujang Yuri were exchanging silly jokes while eating jokbal.
‘I knew it. There’s definitely something between those two.’
Even while eating, I could notice the subtle chemistry between them, like how one would thoughtfully grab chopsticks for the other.
Just as I was thinking this, the God Game Maker had notified me of it through the Rapport System.
‘Well, all’s well that ends well.’
Even if the two of them were secretly dating, I knew better than anyone that they weren't the type to let it interfere with their work.
I silently cheered them on in my heart and brought a piece of jokbal and some jengban guksu to my mouth.
As we were having a rather enjoyable late-night snack time,
Bzzzzzzzz!
A strong vibration came from the table.
“Oh, someone’s getting a call.”
“I think it’s Pateujang Yuri’s phone.”
Pateujang Heo Yuri answered the phone.
Seeing ‘Oppa’ on the screen, it seemed to be a call from her older brother.
“Oh, hello, Oppa? What’s up at this hour?”
Pateujang Yuri answered the phone with a bright smile.
But for some reason, an urgent, almost shouting voice could be heard from the other end of the line.
Heo Yuri’s expression twisted strangely, and her hand began to tremble.
“Uh. Uh. O-Oppa, wait, slow down.”
The Pateujang suddenly threw the door open and rushed outside.
“What’s going on? Did something serious happen to her?”
“I’ve never seen Pateujang Yuri make a face like that before.”
The team members began to murmur, sensing the unusual atmosphere.
‘I should probably go check on her.’
I carefully opened the door and stepped out into the office hallway.