Welcome to the All-Nighter
Overhauling a game is a task that requires an unimaginable amount of effort. But does that mean it has a high success rate? Not at all. A game is a delicate ecosystem where countless elements interact to maintain a precise balance. Touch just one thing, and the ripple effects never end. Take equipment balance, for example. What kind of chain reaction occurs when you tweak existing gear stats? For starters, the overall difficulty experienced by the players changes. To compensate, you have to adjust item effects, monster attack power, and dozens of other interconnected variables.
What if you upgrade the graphics? You have to go through a massive optimization process just to keep the hardware requirements from skyrocketing. There is a reason game developers roll out updates in tiny, incremental patches. They are incredibly cautious, and for very good reason.
This is why the miraculous resurgence of Epic of Seven is spoken of as a legend in the gaming industry. Of course, beneath that glorious triumph lay the blood, sweat, and tears of the ruthlessly overworked employees of Leonplay. But hey, with the game performing this phenomenally well, everyone was happy. I showered them with ridiculously fat bonuses, so no one was complaining.
"Team Leader, today is the day, right...?"
"Yeah, the CEO just contacted me. Get ready."
"Oh my gosh...! I need to go to the restroom and touch up my makeup!"
The office was unusually chaotic today. The reason was none other than the upcoming filming for Na Honza Sanya. Just look at these kids who usually roll into work without even washing their faces, dressed to the nines today. They were really putting in the effort.
"I heard Kim Bohyun and Yu Minha are coming too."
"Seriously? Those two?"
"Yeah, they're the main hosts of Na Honza Sanya."
"Crazy. Do you think we can get their autographs?"
"Better get your pen and paper ready now so you don't freeze up when they get here."
Kids. It wasn't like I didn't understand how they felt. But we couldn't let a variety show shoot disrupt our actual work. I hated to be a party pooper, but someone had to play the bad guy and give them a reality check.
"You guys haven't forgotten that tomorrow is the deadline for the Kay Hard Mode update, right?"
"Oh, come on, Team Leader! We can easily finish that if we just pull an all-nighter!"
"Yeah, we'll just work through the night. Don't worry about it."
Did these punks eat something bad?
"What do you mean, 'all-nighter'? Get back to work, you lazy bums!"
Only then did they scurry back to their seats, casting sheepish glances. Once the commotion finally settled down, the production crew swarmed in, bustling around the office to set up their equipment. It seemed the cameras were about to start rolling.
"PD-nim, is that person really coming as today's guest?"
"Good grief, why don't you believe me? What would I even gain by lying to you?"
I was currently waiting in front of the main entrance of the Leon Play Headquarters with a man and a woman for the upcoming shoot.
"PD-nim, how do I look today?"
"You look exactly the same as usual, so just stand still."
"How mean!!"
The woman making a fuss and testing my patience next to me was Yu Minha, one of the hottest rising actresses in the drama scene these days. Ignoring Minha, who was pretending to pout, I checked the time again. He was way past his scheduled arrival time. Where on earth was he? As I tapped my foot anxiously, a text message arrived from the staff member assigned to shadow Kim Sung-woo, stating that they would arrive shortly.
"Minha, Bohyun. Come here for a second."
I called over the two hosts for today, Yu Minha and Kim Bohyun. The success of today's shoot would depend entirely on how well these two could handle the ticking time bomb that was Kim Sung-woo.
"Mr. Kim Sung-woo will be here soon. You both remember the pre-interview footage I showed you, right?"
"Ah, that... That was no joke."
"At first, I wondered why you were making such a big deal out of it, Unni, but after watching the footage, I completely understood."
Exactly. The reason I had deliberately inserted these two into Kim Sung-woo's solo daily life shoot was to prevent any unpredictable behavior on his part.
"If you sense even the slightest hint of something weird, you have to shut it down, even if you have to resort to self-deprecating humor. Got it?"
"Whew... This isn't going to be easy."
"Just trust me! I'll completely charm him and keep him distracted."
Honestly, since today's shoot was literally just capturing Kim Sung-woo's daily life, there shouldn't be many opportunities for things to go wrong. Yet, the reason I was being so incredibly paranoid was...
How could I ever forget? The way he declared with madness in his eyes that he had decided to appear on the show solely to promote his game. What was even more terrifying was the fact that Kim Sung-woo was a man of his word.
What would happen if we filmed today with Kim Sung-woo alone, without any safety nets? I could guarantee that the Kim Sung-woo episode of Na Honza Sanya would turn into a feature-length documentary about Epic of Seven.
"PD-nim! I think that's the car over there!"
At Yu Minha's shout, I whipped my head around. Finally, the moment of truth had arrived. I tried to calm my racing heart. I've done everything I can, right? It'll all be fine.
Click—
Kim Sung-woo stepped out of the car.
"I'm sorry I'm late. Have you been waiting long?"
I had no idea traffic would be this bad. Perhaps because I arrived about twenty minutes later than scheduled, the PD's expression didn't look too pleased. In times like this, a swift apology was the only way to survive.
"The traffic was terrible, so I'm much later than I expected. I'm truly sorry again."
"Oh, not at all! You actually arrived at the perfect time."
Her stiff expression vanished instantly, replaced by a bright, beaming smile.
"Actually, there's been a sudden change to today's shoot."
"A change?"
"Since you don't have much experience appearing on broadcasts, Seongwoo-ssi, we thought a solo shoot might be a bit challenging. So, the two hosts for today's show will be assisting you by your side."
Hye-yeon gestured toward the main entrance with her chin. Standing there blankly, staring at me, were a man and a woman who looked somewhat familiar. I had definitely seen them somewhere...
"The gentleman is Kim Bohyun-ssi, and the lady is Yu Minha-ssi."
Ah, now I remembered. They were the fixed MCs of Na Honza Sanya.
"The two of them will be sticking by your side today to help host and assist with the filming."
Honestly, I was a bit touched. On the day my appearance on Na Honza Sanya was confirmed, I had binge-watched every single past episode, so I knew exactly how entertaining and witty their hosting was. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say their banter was what drove the show's success.
And yet, those two had willingly volunteered to host and assist with my shoot today? It was probably a thoughtful gesture to ease my nerves, assuming I'd be tense for my first broadcast.
"If this makes you uncomfortable, I'm sor—"
"I seem to be receiving a lot of help in many ways. Thank you."
"Pardon?"
"...?"
She looked like she wanted to say something else, or was I just imagining things?
"Ah... haha! Don't mention it! Of course I should step up and help!"
"Weren't you about to say something else?"
"Huh? No way! You must be imagining things!"
When I stared at her with suspicious eyes, she flusteredly shouted, "Minha! Bohyun! Come over and say hello!"
At her call, the two who had been standing there blankly began walking toward us. As expected of celebrities, they were exceptionally good-looking. They actually looked even better in person than on screen.
"Hello! You must have been so startled by our sudden appearance, right?"
"Oh, look at Yu Minha~ Since when did you become so polite?"
"The only person I'm not polite to is you, Oppa."
"Are you done talking?"
"Hehe, not quite yet!"
The cameras hadn't even started rolling, yet there wasn't a single second of dead air. Was this the power of seasoned professionals? Watching them chatter away without a pause, I quietly marveled in admiration.
"Ah! I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Yu Minha, working as an actress."
"And I'm Kim Bohyun, working as a solo singer."
"Hello, I'm Kim Sung-woo, the CEO of Leonplay. I look forward to working with you today."
About a minute after we finished exchanging greetings...
"We're ready to shoot!!"
The voice of Camera Director Kim Woohyun echoed from a distance. The official filming was about to begin.
The shoot resumed with us greeting each other in front of the main entrance of the Leon Play Headquarters. Before we officially toured the building, I shared various stories under Minha and Bohyun's lead—things like our first impressions of each other and some of the rumors floating around about me.
"Oh my gosh, so Seongwoo-ssi is completely single right now?"
"Yes, for now."
"Minha, keep your personal feelings out of the hosting."
"Ugh, seriously, what are you even talking about?!"
The shoot went smoothly. Thanks to their excellent hosting, I managed to adapt to the atmosphere quite well.
"Seongwoo-ssi, so you've really never heard my song even once?"
"I'm not really interested in music, so..."
"But it was number one on the charts... How could you have never heard it even once..."
"This Oppa seriously has a disease. He thinks everyone in the world is his fan."
The atmosphere of the shoot was absolutely perfect.
"Actually, I recently started playing Epic of Seven too."
"Oh, really? How did you like our game? Did you have fun playing it?"
"I completely lost track of time. It's seriously a masterpiece, a masterpiece."
The flow of the conversation naturally shifted. Honestly, you couldn't talk about the man named 'Kim Sung-woo' without mentioning Epic of Seven. My life was practically synonymous with the game now.
"Our viewers have actually shown an incredible amount of interest in your appearance, Seongwoo-ssi."
"I was really curious about you personally too, Seongwoo-ssi."
"Minha, let Oppa speak."
"Who's stopping you?"
"Anyway, starting now! We are going to personally do an up-close coverage of Seongwoo-ssi's workplace. Is there any particular area you'd like us to focus on?"
And finally, the opportunity to promote Epic of Seven had arrived.
Grin—
I had deliberately scheduled the shoot for the day before the update deadline just for this.
"Actually, we have a major update coming up tomorrow."
The public naturally recoils at forced, contextless promotions. So, what is the most important factor in giving a promotion natural context? It is none other than 'timing.'
For that perfect timing, I had set the shoot date to the day before the update deadline. A game company with only one day left before a deadline? It was practically a battlefield without guns and swords. Would the public feel repulsed by witnessing that fierce, all-night struggle? No, it would probably make for some highly entertaining television.
"You two better brace yourselves today."
So, let's pull an all-nighter together.