Big Corp's Scouting Offer (1)
"Independent client…."
Hafne blankly mulled over the words. She was clearly pondering just how massive a project that entailed.
Finally, after wrestling with it, she asked,
"But what's the guarantee your game will even succeed?"
"…Put your hand on your heart and think about it."
"Hand on my heart?"
Hafne tilted her head at my words, then actually lifted both hands and plopped them right on her chest.
Squish.
"……No, it's an idiom. Who the hell actually physically gropes their own boobs?!"
"Oh, whoops!"
Hafne jolted in surprise and yanked her hands away, but my gaze had already gone ice-cold.
That's why artsy music and drawing types are...
It's par for the course—they're all half a screw loose somewhere.
"You yourself got so immersed in A.S. that you racked up 26 straight wins… and one loss."
"Yeah."
"Doesn't that mean the potential is obvious as hell?"
"…Ugh…."
Hafne couldn't argue with the ironclad logic and furrowed her brows in frustration.
"Fine, I get it. But what about my money? I can't work for free, no matter what."
"…That's what they call an investment."
The one thing a planner has to be best at. Not the planning itself, but reeling people in.
I calmly opened my mouth.
"Plenty of people will tell an unknown newbie they'll make it big, but nobody actually puts their money where their mouth is."
"…Guh."
Hafne swallowed hard. It must've hit home, skewering the harsh reality for unknown creators across the board.
"That's why this is a chance you gotta grab right now. I can't pay you upfront, but it's your shot at being the main sound designer on a project that could become the world's top game down the line!"
"…You sure can talk."
Hafne flopped into an empty lecture hall chair and let out a massive sigh. Her deep sighs kept coming, one after another.
"…Truth is, I didn't wanna be a composer. I wanted to be a singer. Stand on stage with my own voice."
"Then go be a singer. Why compose?"
"Easier said than done."
Hafne let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
"People idolize and envy those indie band success stories, but reality's different. For every one who makes it, thousands of unknown singers bury their bones—and nobody knows."
"……."
I just shut my mouth.
"Talent's not everything. Even with talent, the world won't let you shine. Better to stay behind the scenes as a faceless composer selling tracks for a living. Of course, even on this path, nobody knows who I am."
Suddenly, Hafne's face reflected in the empty lecture hall's glass window. Unlike her flashy red hair, the reflection looked dark.
Something about her words snagged.
Same with games.
People think fun games blow up automatically, but that's bullshit. This world is full of buried masterpieces—fun as hell, sunk in the deep sea without marketing or luck.
"……."
"……."
A long silence stretched. But before Hafne could sigh again, I spoke first.
"Hafne. Ever heard, 'Get famous. Then people will applaud even if you take a shit'?"
"What kinda nonsense is that?"
"It's real. Some super-famous artist said it."
From my past life—a quote attributed to some pop artist. Not sure if he actually said it, but it's useful anyway.
For creators or devs to succeed, fame's like being born with a silver spoon—another weapon in the arsenal.
Hafne just stared at me, dumbfounded by the out-of-left-field line.
"Honestly, whether a work blows up or flops? Even gods and demons don't know. Can't force it with effort alone."
"So, what's your point?"
"…If you wanna be a singer, get famous first somehow. Famous people's autobiographies sell like hotcakes regardless of content—get famous, then pivot to singing or whatever."
"What."
Pfft!
Hafne covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
"That sounds like total con artist talk!"
"Successful con artists get called great men instead of con artists, y'know."
Hafne laughed heartily and stuck out her hand to me.
"Alright, you're right. Joining the early team on a surefire hit game? Not a bad investment for a composer."
"Wise choice."
Grab. Her palm felt the hard calluses from countless guitar strings and piano keys.
"So, how're you paying my salary?"
"…No stock options, but once the game officially launches and makes bank, I'll hook you up fat with running royalties."
"You crazy con artist bastard! So you're making me an unpaid slave right now!"
Hafne thrashed wildly, trying to yank her hand free, but I gripped tight and wouldn't let go.
"Then, looking forward to working with you as our sound director."
"Argh, seriously! …Sigh, whatever. No freelance gigs coming in lately anyway—gotta do something."
We swapped emails right there. As I turned to head back to my place, Hafne called after me.
"So, when do I start?"
"Right now."
"…You evil con artist bastard!"
Hafne flew into a rage again, chasing me, but I had no intention of getting caught this time.
Offline meetings really take a toll on the body.
* * *
Game development is a grind—a nonstop slog of tedious labor.
Almost two weeks gone already.
"Now it finally looks like a real game."
The four of us gathered in the university's cramped club room, admiring the game we'd just fleshed out. Heroes that moved properly, crude but punchy effects.
"To finish this in two weeks."
Melody stared blankly at the finished product, her face deathly pale. Dark circles plunged all the way to her chin.
But Hafne grumbled at the half-done game.
"What kinda half-assed crap is this? With graphics and motion this shitty, the Use Map version was way better!"
Edgy from all-nighters on sound effects, she griped that the on-screen results sucked. Melody and Lumine's faces flushed beet red on the spot.
"No way! For two weeks from scratch, you should be kowtowing in gratitude!"
"Yeah! A sound hack who didn't code all night dares open her mouth?!"
"Wh-what?!"
Screeeeech! The two shrieked like mother birds defending their eggs. Me and Hafne frantically plugged our ears against the ear-piercing screech.
Oh man. A miracle's happened.
The programmer and artist—who hated each other's guts—united as one. Two weeks of brutal all-nighters had forged unbreakable camaraderie between them.
The world's gone topsy-turvy.
But Hafne clamped her lips shut. Having soloed sound effects and BGM, she couldn't gauge how bone-crushing the visible results were.
In the end, I stepped in to mediate.
"Alright, alright, Hafne misspoke—so everyone calm down. This in two weeks? Damn impressive."
"Right, senpai."
"Lewis-senpai's got an eye for this."
Melody and Lumine high-fived, shoulders thrusting sky-high in smug unity.
"…Sigh."
A heartwarming(?) sight you could only see in a tiny indie dev team—unimaginable in some soulless mega-corp.
"Anyway, why'd you call us all here outta nowhere? Thought we had time before the assignment deadline."
All eyes turned to me at Hafne's question. Exhaustion etched their faces, but curiosity gleamed in their eyes.
"Can't just grind all-nighters every day. Gotta rest at least one day."
"True."
"And actually, a pretty big issue came up."
"What issue?"
"Got a proposal."
"What kinda proposal?"
While grinding away at the skeleton, someone sniffed out that I made the A.S. Use Map and reached out. From one of this world's top game giants, no less.
I printed the email and slapped it on the club room desk. All eyes locked on the paper.
The stiff business email crammed onto A4 paper left their eyes glazing over into the void. Finally, Melody spoke up for the group, her face hollowed out.
"…Senpai. My brain's fried—can't read the text. Three-line summary?"
"Sure. TL;DR: 'NA's interested in our game and wants a meeting.'"
"Ah, got it."
The three nodded soullessly. …They were so wiped, it was pure reflex—no brainpower left.
A beat later, Melody sprang up like a jack-in-the-box and yelped.
"N-NA?! That New Angel?!"
"Yeah, that one."
"The top game company in the country!"
"Yep. They run heavy hitters like Mushroom Raising and national staples like Lord of Blood Online."
Earth terms? Like Naver-level dominant tier-one game powerhouse.
"Whoa, our game got this big…."
Lumine clasped her hands in awe. Hafne eyed me, surprised.
"Bigger deal than I thought."
"Fun games get noticed by the right people."
I pocketed the paper and declared to everyone.
"So today, rest up—and swing by NA HQ for a tour."
"Whoa!"
Lumine shot her arm up in cheer.
"Freedom at last!"
Chuckling at the sight, we prepped to head to NA right away.
Just in case, grabbed the demo Crystal Orb and planning doc draft. I'll handle the rest.
The sender was a team lead named Lyman.
We hopped the mana bus and strutted into NA HQ's lobby like we owned the place. I marched to the grand front desk and told the receptionist confidently,
"Hi. We have a meeting with Team Lead Lyman today."
"Ah, yes. One moment…."
Melody, Lumine, Hafne—all stared at the receptionist's mouth, eyes bulging with anticipation. She tapped the mana keyboard, scanned the monitor, then flashed an awkward smile and dropped the bomb.
"Um… sorry, but there's no external meeting scheduled with Team Lead Lyman today?"
"……Pardon?"