Chapter 106
Chapter 106
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Seaside Stall and a VIP Offer
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“Whoa! A room like this is really only seventy thousand won?”
Choi Yoo-jun marveled at the ocean stretching out beyond the window. Since it was the East Sea, we couldn't watch the sunset over the water, but it seemed like we might be lucky enough to catch the sunrise.
He leaped onto the super king-sized bed.
“…What a shame. Hehe.”
Choi Yoo-jun chuckled to himself and muttered.
“Why? Because you’re here with some guy in black instead of your girlfriend?”
As I said it, I realized I was, in fact, wearing all black, and a smirk escaped my lips.
“Hahaha. No, that’s not it. You know I like you, Hyung.”
“Don’t even joke about that. It’s creepy.”
For a moment, Choi Yoo-jun’s gaze turned serious.
“…If you wanted, I could do anything…”
“Agh, what the hell!”
I got instant goosebumps, and the harsh words flew out of my mouth.
“Pfft! Our artists should’ve seen you get so serious, hehehe.”
“Ugh… you psycho.”
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arms away and set down the laptop and VR headset I’d brought.
“What’s all that you brought?”
“I brought it in case I had time to do some making, but I doubt I will… Want to try it before we go out?”
I said, pulling the VR headset from the bag.
“Huh? It’s a VR headset?”
I had only ever created and played the map myself. I was curious to see if the VR map would play out as I intended. All I'd seen was a brief glimpse of Park Jae-yong playing it.
“Sweet!”
Choi Yoo-jun shot up from the bed.
I turned on the VR, mirrored it to the TV, and navigated to the custom folder where my created map was stored.
“Move this to select, and in-game, you don’t need to press any buttons. Just slash.”
“Ooh! I’ll give it a try.”
“I’m gonna rest a bit.”
I lay spread-eagled on the bed and watched him.
The sight of him turning his head and waving his hands in an empty space was bound to make anyone laugh.
Choi Yoo-jun fumbled for a while as he got used to it.
“Huh? No way!”
“What is it?”
“It has our artists’ songs! And your songs are here too, Head Producer!”
“I told you I was making a map.”
“Ah… so this is what you meant by a map.”
To fully enjoy Choi Yoo-jun’s performance, I grabbed a cold can of beer from the fridge.
A beat started flowing from the VR headset.
*Click.*
“Hmm? Hyung, are you drinking beer?”
“Nah, it’s a soda. I was thirsty.”
“Ah! Like this?”
“Huh? Why isn’t it slashing?”
“Uh oh?”
As Choi Yoo-jun muttered and his body moved awkwardly, I smirked and drank my cold beer.
Maybe it was because I was thirsty, but even though it was still early spring with a lingering chill, the crisp tingle of the beer felt amazing.
“Ooh! Okay, okay.”
Choi Yoo-jun, who had been clumsy at first, quickly got the hang of it, his movements becoming more fluid.
“Oh? You’re pretty good.”
“…I was! Before I became a trainee… they used to call me a dancing machine! Hah! Hiyah!”
Choi Yoo-jun was right. Although he was barely in the top tier among the trainees, if you put him among regular people, his dancing, singing, and looks were unmatched.
“Ah!”
The moment Choi Yoo-jun let out a cry of surprise, his movements changed drastically. He had started performing Answer's choreography.
“Awesome!”
Choi Yoo-jun began to add steps and even waves to his movements.
“You just realized?”
“Wow! This is just the choreography! If you dance along to the choreography, you can hit everything!”
Choi Yoo-jun was now executing the full choreography perfectly.
“Wow, this is so much fun! Hyung, you made this so well!”
“You think so? I made it, so I can’t really tell.”
“It’s amazing! One more, another song!”
His reaction put me in a good mood.
***
“The taxi’s almost here.”
“Did you find a restaurant you want to go to?”
“Yeah. Don’t complain when we get there. You were the one who told me to pick whatever I wanted.”
*As if you’d pick a place that costs more than a million won.*
I smirked and followed him out of the hotel.
“You’re going to Bada Macha, right?”
“Yes.”
The taxi we had called with the destination already set was soon driving along the coastal road, bathed in the iridescent lights of the night.
“Man. This is a total date spot.”
“Hahaha. Indeed. What are two handsome young men like you doing without your girlfriends? Or did you leave them at home to come out and play?”
The taxi driver threw out a joke of his own.
“We serve people we love even more than girlfriends. I don’t think we’ll be seeing any girlfriends for a while.”
“Huh?”
I was dumbfounded by Choi Yoo-jun’s smooth talk. But his loyalty was undoubtedly real.
“Who are these people you serve… I’m very curious.”
“Just some celebrities.”
I gave a vague answer to the driver’s question. Soon, we arrived at a pojangmacha at the very end of the coastal road.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Are you dissing this place right now?”
I had been expecting a high-end sashimi restaurant that would cost a million won, so seeing a pojangmacha at the end of the road naturally elicited that reaction.
“On weekends, this place runs out of ingredients by 2 PM, but since it’s a weekday, we can eat here at this hour.”
Although it was a pojangmacha, the presence of several large gas canisters and a permanent structure that seemed to serve as a restroom and storage indicated it was a well-known establishment that had been in business for a long time.
Sure enough, upon entering the tent, I saw traces of its numerous television appearances plastered everywhere.
“Welcome. What can I get for you?”
“Two crab jangkalguksu, one parboiled octopus, and a large spicy flounder salad, please.”
“How many in your party?”
“Just the two of us.”
“Goodness. You think you can eat all that?”
“Yes. And soju, too.”
Choi Yoo-jun ordered smoothly, as if he had looked it up beforehand.
We sat at a wooden table you wouldn’t expect in a pojangmacha. Through the transparent vinyl wall, we could see the blurry road and the sea.
*Swoosh.*
“Wow… this is nice.”
The atmosphere of the pocha was so charming that I didn't envy high-end sashimi restaurants one bit.
“This is my first time at a pojangmacha, and it’s freaking awesome.”
“You ordered so confidently… but actually, it’s my first time too.”
Choi Yoo-jun and I chuckled together.
The dishes we ordered didn't even add up to 100,000 won, but for some reason, I was really looking forward to the food.
“Here’s your parboiled octopus. The flounder salad has a lot of seasoning, so if you eat it first, it’ll dull the taste of the octopus. I’ll bring it out after you’ve had some of this.”
“Yes, thank you.”
The owner’s detailed explanation somehow put me in a better mood.
“Whoa, look at that.”
Choi Yoo-jun exclaimed at the sight of the parboiled octopus.
It wasn’t what I was used to seeing.
It looked as if a live octopus had been lightly blanched and sliced right away, its inner flesh translucent and its texture perfectly firm.
I dipped a piece of octopus in wasabi soy sauce and put it in my mouth. The firm texture of the outside gave way to a soft, moist inside that melted in my mouth without a hint of fishiness.
“Whoa… it’s sweet, so sweet!”
“It really is. You found a great spot.”
The feeling of drinking soju and eating delicious food at the edge of the land, right by the sea, was an experience no other restaurant could offer.
I had intended to limit my drinking in case something happened with Answer, but the amazing atmosphere and food made the soju go down incredibly smoothly.
“Here’s your spicy flounder salad. How was the octopus?”
“It’s the best parboiled octopus I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Hahaha. This will be incredibly delicious too.”
The owner placed a large platter on our table, piled high with spicy flounder salad mixed with various vegetables.
“This is insane, seriously.”
“How are we going to eat all this?”
“I’ll eat it all.”
The owner, on his way back to the kitchen, watched us with an expectant look on his face.
I took a hefty bite of flounder and vegetables.
The crisp cabbage and the firm, wild-caught flounder burst with flavor in my mouth. A spicy yet sweet taste spread across my tongue, drawing another gasp of admiration from me.
I shook my head and gave the owner a thumbs-up. He beamed and started preparing other dishes.
“Wow, Hyung. I’m so moved. This is seriously so good.”
“I agree. Let’s just eat until we burst tonight.”
With the arrival of the spicy crab jangkalguksu, we ate and drank to our hearts’ content for the first time in a long while.
***
“…The food is good, the drinks are good, the sea is good, and you’re good, Hyung! And the VR game you made is good too!”
Choi Yoo-jun, pleasantly drunk, muttered to himself, lost in his thoughts.
“I didn’t make the game itself.”
“Ah, same difference. You get what I mean.”
“You had that much fun?”
“It was awesome! Has there ever been anything you couldn’t do, Hyung? Whatever you touch turns into gold.”
A sigh naturally escaped my lips at his words.
“That’s why I don’t regret quitting as a trainee and coming to work under you. Not one bit. Just like you said, I feel like I’m going to become something.”
“You’re doing well so far. Just keep up with the studies I told you to do.”
“Don’t worry! I’ve been studying English hard lately too.”
During the Élégant photoshoot, Choi Yoo-jun had been worried that English speakers might try to talk to him. Was that just an act to surprise me? To think he’d spill everything like this after a few drinks. What a cute kid.
“How are you studying?”
“With American dramas.”
“Heh.”
“Are you laughing at me right now?”
“No. It’s actually a good way to learn English, with dramas you find interesting.”
“Phew… anyway… this bedwetter is going to go take a piss.”
“Pfft.”
It seemed this guy was still holding a grudge about what happened this morning.
After Choi Yoo-jun left, I entered the VR developer room, which I hadn't checked at all.
A grin spread across my face as I saw the screen displaying Answer's map at the top of this week's best list with a perfect 5.0 rating.
-Whoa! This mapper is insane!
-Hyung, please make another map… please
-I have two left feet but I found myself dancing. This is legit amazing.
-No lie, I tried this without knowing any of the choreography, and it felt like I was actually dancing. So I looked it up on Tube. My movements were the actual choreography! Mad respect for the guy who made this map!
-I was sweating like I’d just danced my ass off after one song. This is a map I’d actually pay for.
-Paying for it is a bit much, isn’t it?
-Look at the guy above. I get you’re worried he might start making paid maps, but let’s just be honest and say it’s good.
-LOL, you read my mind.
-I’d honestly pay just to be able to make him create more.
-For real, I want to lock him in a computer room and feed him fried dumplings.
-But listening to it like this, Answer’s music is pretty good, huh?
-I searched for them on Tube after playing this too.
-Answer’s been doing pretty well lately since they appeared on Best Idol, right?
-Oh! So that’s them! I had no idea. I should go rewatch it.
I felt a surge of satisfaction reading the overwhelmingly positive comments.
And then I saw a VIP notification.
-This is the Rhythm Saber development team. We would like to make a proposal to you, the map maker, regarding the game. The details have been sent to the registered email address.
Huh? What proposal?
I quickly opened my email to check the details.
-This is the Rhythm Saber development team.
We were deeply impressed by the map you created. The perfect sense of beat, the ideal note placement for implementing linked movements, and the appropriate selection of obstacles to recreate dance-like movements—we believe you have achieved the ultimate goal our development team has been striving for.
As you are well aware, all the maps you have created are receiving an outstanding response from users, and this has shown us the direction we must endlessly strive for in our upgrades.
After internal discussions, our team has come to a consensus to invite you to join us as a member of our development team.
*What? Do they think I’m unemployed? Who are they to invite me to their development team?*
I felt a mix of pleasure and bitterness.
-Even if you are currently employed, we believe that after hearing the benefits we are offering, a different form of collaboration may be possible, even if you do not join our company.
We look forward to a positive response.
The last sentence eased my bitterness. I could feel that they genuinely wanted me.
I replied immediately.
-I am also pleased that the map I put a lot of effort into is being so well-received. However, due to my current work, I am unable to switch to your company. But since my work is not unrelated to your Rhythm Saber game, I believe a collaboration is more than possible. I look forward to us finding a good time to discuss our opinions.
*Was the reaction really this good?* Even if I didn't join them, it seemed like I could score a pretty big deal.