Chapter 160
I'd come to the studio to shut Yoo Seol-ah up with a revenge headpat, sure, but it was also true that I needed to send some BGM samples to Doyun-hyung. I didn't have anything new made right away, but I'd heard the overall vibe was going bright and upbeat, so I had a few tracks that seemed like a good fit. With all sorts of maps in play, we'd need music tailored to each one, and the main theme for the title screen or promo PVs would be crucial too. Korean games might get flak for gameplay, but the music? Always top-notch—people are dead serious about it. Games are a total art form; nothing's unimportant. Mine's the sound side, so that's gotta be flawless. The rest is up to the other three. I fired up the computer and sent Doyun-hyung about twenty samples I'd made before.
As expected, he was still at his PC after the call ended and replied right away that he'd check them out immediately. They ranged from a minute to three minutes long, so he must've been listening carefully one by one—it took about thirty minutes before he called back.
"Hello?"
He could've just messaged back, but since he called again, I figured he had something specific to say and adjusted my mic a bit.
"Yeah. You listen to them? I skipped the darker ones, but I can send those if you want."
"Send them all. No—send everything, even the unfinished stuff."
"...Got it."
I was already thinking of zipping up the whole folder when Doyun-hyung spoke again.
"Sion, you're a genius."
"You're the one saying that?"
The game could get made without me, but without Doyun-hyung? Forget it. He's not just coding—he's designing the whole damn thing. And at insane speeds. Not his line.
"Anyone can code like me if I pass on the know-how. But even if I learned music secrets, I couldn't make stuff like yours."
"......"
Couldn't argue there. Music has math to it, sure, but you can't formula it out. I'd been messing with piano and DAWs at home since I was a kid—family encouraged it, and Dad's a music director. Not everyone's got that setup.
"Even if I was a dev god, I wouldn't have blown up with an indie game in high school like you."
His coding wizardry's nuts, but making games fun? That's the real magic. His first, S.O.S, wasn't top-tier polish—art and sound got dinged—but the sheer fun flipped that into "perfect indie charm."
Doyun-hyung chuckled, no comeback.
"No need to organize—just send it all. I'll listen, and we'll talk at club tomorrow."
"Yeah. See you."
He said no organizing needed, but knowing he's swamped, I sorted them by mood and completion anyway before sending. Stretched, took a break. Then the studio door—left ajar—creaked open. Yoo Seol-ah slipped in.
...Here for revenge revenge?
"Got stuff to do?"
"...I'm here to prep for making the doll right tomorrow..."
Lips pursed, she explained first. Not voicing complaints outright, but two hits in a row? Damage stacked. Honestly, skipping a day wouldn't kill it.
"Question: SD illusts are front-view only. Dolls are 3D—how do you even?"
She pondered, sighed softly, and answered. Sweet kid.
"Game artbooks split chars into parts, right? Front, back, accessories like headbands."
"Yup."
"I sketch chars that way from the start. You know... since you use all my top plans."
Her illusts shine partly 'cause of killer accessories. Fantasy chars with weapons get fancy add-ons, detailed to hell. Someone zoomed in once, spotted tiny hieroglyphs invisible at normal scale—blew up online.
"Obviously you're a genius."
"...You think flattery'll make me all happy?"
Voice still down, but I caught that lip twitch upward.
"2D's front-only; 3D shows every angle. That's what I'm curious about."
Printing 2D faces on a round 3D head? Features'd distort. 2D and 3D ain't the same.
"Oh, that."
She nodded, dove in. Key point: she visualizes 2D and 3D simultaneously. Like multi-casting... Grand Mage makes sense.
"You can do that?"
"Theory-wise, even 4D+. Past that, flat paper warps it."
Never drawn seriously—hard to grok. Just... Seol-ah's amazing. Done.
She jumped into prep. No need to crash early, so while she worked, I tinkered on keys using Doyun-hyung's info.
"Heading to bed?"
"Yeah."
"......"
Around 10, we stood. Early class tomorrow—smart to sleep. But silence, her staring...
I piped up. "What? More stuff?"
"...No. I'm going too."
Grinding teeth, she stormed to the bedroom first.
"You two, something up?"
"No, really nothing."
Post-class, Lee Seo-yeon eyed us. Yoo Seol-ah answered flatly, but "nothing" had a weird edge. She caught the vibe but shrugged it off—used to it now.
Everyone had multiple classes today. Doyun-hyung arrived last at the club room.
"Building's got tons—shooting studio too."
"Saw that. Huge chroma key setup."
New multi-purpose hall: pro recording booth (multi-billion won?), mirror practice room, full shoot gear.
"Booked it today—let's go."
To use Seol-ah's Inpung Doll, gotta film real moves. Can't magic in a computer.
Password in, wide space: chroma cloth, lights, reflectors, cams. Yoo Seol-ah gawked, nudged Lee Seo-yeon.
"...How much all this?"
"Dunno this bit, but whole building? Tens of billions."
CEO perks. Grateful—no building, we'd hunt studios.
"Seol-ah links it to move freely, right?"
"Yeah. Demo first."
Her old doll—simple design, quick summon.
"Old one's creepy plush-like, but up close? Adorable."
"...That was pure scout..."
Linked, moving smooth. Lee Seo-yeon watched fondly, then clapped.
"SD chars always got interactions."
Subculture staple: pet head, poke to lift.
"...This is just demo—no need..."
"No. What game skips petting?"
Seo-yeon pushed, grinning. Doyun-hyung aside—she meant me. Did it yesterday, so hand on her head.
"...Hey, wait—no, why're you joining in..."
No carrot, she'd pounce someday. Doll shrank just like her. Stroked slow—Seol-ah went quiet, then smacked my hand, bolted. Doll toddled after.
Seo-yeon giggled. "Cute. Works for other chars too."
Seol-ah at the corner. But no stop.
"Seol-ah, aegyo's essential... cat impression?"
"No!!... You're just playing with me...!"
Sharp one. Shame—her cat act's killer.