The Veteran’s Final Download
Dating sim. It’s short for beautiful girl romance simulation. The genre first appeared in the mid-to-late 1980s. What began as simple games built around static illustrations and novel-style text that let you watch the story unfold according to your choices has, in the modern era, fused with VR, RPGs, puzzle-solving, tower defense, and countless other genres. It now stands as a rock-solid pillar of the entire gaming industry.
And as someone the dating-sim community calls the self-proclaimed Strategy King, I can tell you what a dating sim truly is: “All the heroines in this new release? Cleared~ Everyone was crying about how hard it was, but when I actually tried it… that’s it?”
Sure, the genre has grown more complex over time, but at its core it’s still a game about branching choices and character interaction. In other words, if you can accurately read the personalities and quirks of the heroines, the world-building and era don’t matter—you can clear anything.
Approach a pure-hearted heroine with pure love. Treat a hot-blooded heroine like a rival. Become a gentle mentor to the shy ones. Over the years we’ve seen every flavor imaginable—mesugaki, tsundere, yandere, you name it—but the conclusion is always the same.
It’s easy.
The community might scream “bug,” “photoshop,” or “of course it’s the Strategy King” while staring at my all-clear collection, but for someone who has done nothing but play dating sims since his teens and is now over thirty, a game is just a game no matter how many new titles, settings, or fancy job titles they slap on the heroines. It’s all too easy.
“Maybe it’s time to retire from dating sims…”
I had poured nearly twenty years into them. The gaming world is full of action, RPGs, shooters, strategy, simulation, sports, puzzles, adventure—every flavor of fun you can imagine—yet I had gone all-in on dating sims and nothing else. There wasn’t some deep trauma behind it. I started as a boy in my teens, drawn by that innocent thrill of two people simply touching lips and blushing. After that I got hooked on the joy of capturing heroines like everyone else. And now…
“[YourHeroineIsAwesome, they say this one’s impossible. Think you can clear it? Upload proof and I’ll sponsor fifty grand.] Hehehe~ Already cleared that one too, you pathetic noobs~”
Like an emperor gazing down from a lofty peak at the ignorant masses, I basked in the worship of the community losers and lived off the occasional sponsorships that came my way.
“Of course, even those donations have dried up lately…”
In the early days, being a dating-sim specialist earned me enough to live without a regular job. But as I mentioned, the industry is full of different games. Once people started taking it for granted that I would all-clear everything, the donations naturally shrank. I had reached that stage.
“Yeah, I’ve made enough off dating sims. I’ve got name recognition now. Even if I switch genres I should still do better than average. Time to say goodbye to—hm?”
I had just finished uploading another all-clear, deleted the game, and was about to close the community tab when—
I usually ignored private messages these days—the novelty had worn off—but right after uploading a clear I was tired, so I decided to check it later. Then another notification sounded.
“What the hell? This isn’t even a kid’s prank. Burning 10.1 billion won on a dating-sim clear? Has to be spam.”
I frowned at the ridiculous message and was about to close the window when my smartphone started vibrating on the desk.
“…?”
I kept it on silent except for banking apps while I was focused on capturing heroines. Was today the day my insurance premium got auto-drafted? I picked it up without much thought and checked the screen.
Clatter!
I shot up so fast that my gaming chair flew backward and crashed into something in the corner, but I didn’t care. It was probably one of my heroine figurines, but figurines were the last thing on my mind right now.
100,000,000 won has been deposited into your OO Bank account.
The amount was so absurdly unrealistic I rubbed my eyes. I logged into the banking app, half-convinced it was spam, but the balance clearly showed an extra 100 million won.
“N-no way. It’s actually 100 million?”
Goosebumps erupted across my entire body. How many times in a person’s life do they receive 100 million out of nowhere? At best you’d need to take out a loan for a house or win the lottery against astronomical odds!
The perfectly timed notification made me grab my keyboard at once.
—Who exactly are you to send such an enormous sum so casually? If this money is connected to any crime I will report it immediately.
I knew it wasn’t a joke or simple spam, but I wasn’t a clueless teenager either. If this was dirty money, touching it could ruin my life.
“Acting all confident like that—I figured you’d check.”
I immediately called the bank that had received the 100 million.
“Yes, Mr. Kim Seulgi~ We have confirmed the recently deposited amount was transferred through legitimate channels~ Do you have any other questions or concerns? If not, we have a new savings product—”
“N-no thank you! I’m hanging up!”
Click.
It was real. This was a once-in-a-lifetime, life-changing opportunity!
I typed back at once.
—Sorry for doubting you! What is the dating sim you’d like me to clear? It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I’ve cleared pretty much every title out there lol.
A dating sim I’ve never played…? And this guy thinks I would have trouble getting the happy ending?
“You little— Just because you have money you think you can look down on me? I am the Strategy King of the dating-sim world, YourHeroineIsAwesome! Money is one thing, but I won’t be insulted when it comes to dating sims!”
In wuxia terms I’d be considered a teenage supreme expert or the strongest under heaven, yet he dared to underestimate me!
—I’ve already received the down payment, so please tell me the title. Unless it’s something truly exceptional I’ve probably cleared it already lol.
A world setting of reversed gender roles plus gender imbalance?
“The concept is fairly fresh, but that’s the kind of thing you can figure out after a few retries… All the heroines are yanderes, though?”
Yandere. A Japanese term for characters who are pathologically obsessed with love and won’t hesitate to act with terrifying madness. You run into them often enough while playing dating sims.
“Not just one, but all of them…?”
For a second the classic title famous for its “Nice Boat” ending flashed through my mind, but—
“That one only ended like that because the protagonist was too spineless. Honestly, if every heroine is a yandere, I just need to focus on a single heroine and avoid giving any openings to the others, right?”
At first glance the mysterious patron’s description sounded like hell difficulty, but to a dating-sim fossil like me who had mastered every heroine archetype, a game full of nothing but yanderes didn’t seem that bad.
“Hehehe. I got a little nervous when he said 10 billion upon clear, but it’s nothing special after all? Fine. I’ll all-clear this yandere-only title for you.”
And pocket the 10 billion while I’m at it~
I already had a rough strategy in mind. The chat window had gone quiet, apparently waiting for my answer, so I started typing.
—After hearing the explanation it doesn’t sound particularly difficult lol. You said it was made just for me—has it not been released yet? Send it over and I’ll start right away~
Along with the polite thank-you came a file that was obviously the dating sim. The moment I clicked download while thinking “10 billion, jackpot~”…
“Wait, when did I ever tell him my real na—”
Thud.
My eyes closed on their own and I collapsed onto the computer desk.
In my fading vision…
That was the last scene the ‘sane’ me ever saw.