Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Chaotic Game Development
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Ryu In-seo found the new family members to be extremely uncomfortable and awkward presences.
No, even without the qualifier of 'new,' the very concept of family felt prickly to him.
His father, who always treated him oppressively and scrutinized his every move with disapproval.
His prospective stepmother, who smiled sweetly to his face but whose eyes brimmed with anxiety and wariness whenever she looked at him.
Ryu In-seo wasn't great with people, but he wasn't oblivious either.
He had long since realized that both of them saw his mere existence as an obstacle.
So, he acted just as they wanted.
Existing without truly being there, avoiding them as much as possible, staying uninvolved, living like a stranger.
But there was one person he just couldn't figure out.
"Did you mod all these computers yourself? There are even devices here I've never seen before. You didn't make those from scratch, right?"
"...They just became necessary as I went along."
"Wow, you really made them? That's amazing."
"It's average. I just repurposed existing parts a bit. Nothing built from zero."
"That's more than enough. And speak comfortably. There's a decent age gap, and we'll be siblings soon anyway."
"No, it's fine. Nothing's finalized about merging families yet."
He spat out the words thoughtlessly, almost sharply, then Ryu In-seo froze, realizing his mistake.
Wasn't that basically saying their parents might break up before things got serious?
Imagining his father yelling and berating him for such rude talk made his legs go weak instinctively.
Traumas etched into body and mind from childhood weren't easily overcome.
"You're right. It's not set in stone that we'll become family. But seeing how head-over-heels those two are, the odds seem pretty high."
Even after he'd openly contradicted her, Ye-rin just shrugged without a hint of offense.
In-seo felt a wave of relief that she at least wouldn't run to his father in anger, but at the same time, a strange sensation crept in.
'...Isn't she a bit too mature?'
In-seo was turning nineteen this year. Ye-rin was fourteen.
Yet talking to her didn't feel like chatting with someone younger.
His stepmother seemed pure if you put it kindly, or overly reliant on others like a child if not—making Ye-rin's demeanor all the more peculiar.
'No, maybe she grew up this way precisely because she lived with a mother like that?'
Just as In-seo, raised under a domineering father who tried to control everything, had become someone hesitant to voice his own opinions, Ye-rin might have matured early to compensate for her mother's softer nature. It made sense.
What followed was light, trivial chit-chat.
Mostly Ye-rin pointing at random things in his room and asking what they were, with In-seo answering.
In-seo wasn't used to talking with people, but his knowledge was vast, so simply sharing what he knew wasn't hard.
It took about thirty minutes for all the snacks Ye-rin had brought to disappear, and then she stood up.
"Thanks for humoring me. I shouldn't hold you up from work any longer, so I'll head out."
After Ye-rin left, In-seo stared blankly at the spot where she'd been, muttering to himself.
"What the hell was that?"
He couldn't grasp her purpose or intentions.
Was she just dropping by to chat since they might become siblings?
Wrestling with unanswerable questions, In-seo eventually gave up thinking about it.
It might've just been a meaningless whim. No point dwelling since it probably wouldn't happen again—just let it slide.
He'd lost a little time, but substituting it for his planned meal with snacks made it no big loss.
With that thought, In-seo dove back into his work.
And starting the next day, he was utterly bewildered when Ye-rin showed up at his room daily with a perfectly casual face, striking up conversations.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ There are many ways to win someone's goodwill, but the clearest is to offer it first.
Human hearts seem complex but are ultimately simple—you can't treat someone kindly toward you too harshly.
Of course, society is full of backstabbers with smiling faces, entitled leeches who take kindness for granted, and exploiters without a shred of guilt. Can't blindly trust, but as a basic strategy, it's solid.
Besides, this didn't require massive effort or sacrifice.
Just thirty minutes a day. Head to Ryu In-seo's workspace at a set time, chat freely, then leave.
"What's this? What's that?" Asking questions flew by time, and watching a future genius engineer at work was a fun hobby.
At first, Ryu In-seo was on high alert, clueless about my motives. But after about a month of the routine, he started accepting it as normal. These days, he even initiates sneaky chit-chat when I don't prompt him.
Whether future mastermind or whatever, right now he's just an immature kid not even twenty, with zero real-world social experience.
When an attractive opposite-sex person shows keen interest in your work, only a saint could maintain total walls.
Blushing at compliments on my looks? Isn't dismissing objective facts like that even more sly?
That said, my parents apparently found this behavior pretty unsettling.
"Ye-rin, you've been going to In-seo's room a lot lately. Is something up?"
One day, our Kang lady said that, and I had to stifle an inward bitter smile.
Setting everything else aside, the fact that a little sister popping into her big brother's room triggers 'something up' vibes is already off.
Her expression and gestures screamed parental worry about their daughter getting tangled with some shady guy. Comedic since it's the new son under the same roof. Or from her view, not a son at all.
In situations like this, the response was set.
"What do you mean 'something up'? Once you remarry, he'll be my brother, right? Getting close is good, isn't it?"
"That's true, but... hmm."
Common sense shuts down rebuttals.
Ask anyone which is better: family overflowing with affection or icy tension. Most pick the former. Our house is clearly the latter—that's the issue.
"Mom's just worried you're pushing yourself too hard. If you're forcing it for me and him, you don't have to."
"I'm fine. I'm doing it because it's fun."
No excuse—this was genuine.
I mean, casually suggest 'How about implementing this?' and days later, a killer prototype pops out. How could I resist?
Kang lady tried pulling me away from Ryu In-seo a few more times, but sensing my resolve, she eventually backed off. With justification on my side, it wasn't tough.
Thankfully, the uncle—no, new dad—didn't meddle much. Just said if the guy pulls anything shady, tell him without hesitation.
At this point, am I talking about my new brother or defending a criminal as a lawyer?
Fine. Time to extract compensation from the source.
I don't want much.
Just obediently hand over that swimsuit skin.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "No."
What? Why? What the—?
I shot a pleading look at my prospective—no, confirmed since the parents set the remarriage in a few weeks—brother, but he was firm.
"Beyond Elysion is a medieval fantasy game. Modern swimsuits don't fit the historical accuracy."
Historical accuracy? Who cares when cute swimsuits await? Domestic fantasy games strip characters to barely-distinguishable clothes or underwear as standard anyway.
But I couldn't say that outright.
This guy's a total nutjob in the future, trapping people in his game and forcing play. Outwardly mild, but stubborn as hell.
He trembles at dad's words instinctively, but on game stuff, he glares and fights back. Force it, and it backfires.
So, I nodded meekly.
"I see. Historical accuracy matters that much. Can't be helped, then."
"Hm."
"So... the NPCs will all look grubby overall? No proper bathing facilities compared to modern folks? Food all bland, poor sewers so streets reek of filth."
"Uhmm."
"Considering the era's culture and clothing tech, clothes and gear will mostly be dull and plain, no flair. Even the fanciest outfits would look just 'meh' from a modern view."
"Uhhmm."
"I figured a world with casual magic, sword auras, and monsters would have different civilization progress. Assumptions differ from the start, so details might too. Guess I was wrong. Sorry for butting in as an amateur."
"...On second thought, there's arcanepunk genre, so outfits probably won't be that rigidly authentic."
Jackpot.
After that, my advice—no, perfectly healthy user feedback—continued.
"Shouldn't there be a base system? Even in games, constant fighting tires people. Some enjoy expanding homes and decorating interiors for satisfaction."
"Add instrument performance. Players input notes on blank sheet music to play any song, even ones not in-game. Beginners feel like pros. Hard to compose? Trade or buy sheets. Purists who hate exploits can just play from skill."
Slipping in self-interest like that.
"What? Death deletes character? Revival in normal fights, only specific bosses delete? For tension? Are you insane...? No, are you in your right mind? Time, effort, money invested are resources too—wiping them makes players riot. Buffing boss rewards doesn't fix it; the risk itself is the problem!"
"Unique skills? Better without. Online games with exclusive player abilities are a bad move. Who likes being sidelined? ...Must include? Bait for improvement and exploration?
Fine, diversify acquisition methods. Judge purely on in-game actions. Basing advantages on real-life factors like physique makes it doomed.
Players with one unique skill can't get another without deleting it. Public list for all uniques: totals, hints, acquisition status—so no blind grinding.
Finally, add new uniques periodically, giving fresh chances to latecomers and those who missed out."
Reining in my brother's wild ideas like that.
About a year passed like this. Parents officially remarried, and brother and I started dropping formal speech occasionally.
Then our game development hit a major snag.
"We have no money...."