Publishing
“Uh… um…”
I stood there, completely at a loss for words after seeing Ma Chenyu drop the bombshell about his sudden birth. It wasn’t exactly a secret of birth, but hearing him admit it so casually left me stuttering.
“Y-Your… Your father must be truly remarkable. A-Ah, it’s hard to believe.”
“Haha. Thank you. My father is indeed remarkable.”
He was clearly proud of his old man. Who wouldn’t be? In Korea, the national messenger is KakaoTalk, but in China it’s WeChat, and the son of Tensin's chairman, Ma Huachen, runs the whole show.
‘He’s got serious business smarts too.’
Tensin wasn’t just another game publisher under Ma Huachen. It was a full-fledged IT giant. Even in my previous life, I couldn’t even imagine how someone could hold the number-one market cap in China. I was just an ordinary game director.
‘So what now?’
I couldn’t understand why, in the middle of a publishing meeting for Dot Hero, he was dropping all this TMI on me.
‘How should I respond?’
Was he hoping I’d call him “Tensin’s prince” because of his bloodline, or was he just explaining how he became a deputy in his young age? I had no clue.
“Wow, what a distinguished guest you are. Yes…”
“Haha. You don’t seem surprised at all by what I just said.”
“Um… It’s not that. I’m just a little taken aback, that’s all.”
“The way Director Jo is looking at me right now is exactly how you’d look at a scammer. Because I’m in such a high position for my age, people tend to misunderstand me. I only said it because everyone usually agrees when I mention my father owns Tensin.”
It was clear the moment he spoke. The next second I understood exactly how he could become a deputy so young.
“Now that you understand a bit, right?”
“H-Haha. Yeah… Sure.”
“Then before we get into the real business talk…”
Thud.
He pulled something out of the shopping bag he’d dropped on the floor.
“It’s Guizhou Maotai.”
It was alcohol.
“Already? Here? Just as soon as we sat down?”
I’d expected to have a drink with a Chinese company, but instead of talking first they started pouring the bottle. I was genuinely confused.
“Let’s have a drink while we talk! Cheers!”
“Sure.”
Before I knew it, we were already in the lounge right next to the meeting room.
“One drink!”
“Shouldn’t we talk business first…?”
“Haha! I think we should be honest with each other in business too. Alcohol is the perfect tool to strip away our true feelings! Since I was so happy to meet Director Jo, I’ll take one first!”
“Yes…”
Chinese business culture was dizzying.
Chorok.
The liquor in the glass gave off an incredibly distinctive aroma. Like the savory smell of fermented soybeans or doenjang. It didn’t quite fit what I expected from alcohol.
“To your health.”
“To yours.”
“For the friendship between Tensin and PlayForge!”
“To… to that!”
I clinked my glass.
‘Hmm?’
The scent was weird at first, but a rich tropical fruit aroma and a faint floral note rose up. The high proof made my throat burn, yet the swallow was surprisingly smooth.
“Wow. This stuff is pretty strong.”
“Haha. How do you like it? I brought this especially for Director Jo. It’s not something anyone can prepare for a distinguished guest.”
“The taste is… good. I’ve never tried Chinese liquor before, but it’s very distinctive, and the aftertaste lingers.”
“Excellent! Then let’s have another!”
Whoa. The glass refilled instantly.
“To your health!”
“To… your health!”
After two glasses my stomach was already heating up. Ma Chenyu started pouring again, so I stopped him.
“Deputy Director Ma Chenyu. Let’s start with business talk.”
“Then drink while we talk.”
He poured me more liquor and slid a document across the table.
“Here is our proposal.”
“Wait a sec. Let me check.”
If this had been in Chinese, I would’ve been in trouble, but luckily it was written in Korean. My eyes grew wider as I read the conditions one by one.
“So… this proposal is serious?”
“Yes. I’ve reviewed it several times.”
“…”
The settlement ratio was 5:5.
MG (Minimum Guarantee Contract) 30 billion won.
100% handling of Pangho and localization work.
Copycat censorship inside China.
Implantation without any BM modification.
Just the terms alone from Deputy Ma Chenyu.
I’d never heard of a contract like this. It felt like Tensin, the absolute king of the Chinese market, was offering us, a tiny game studio, equal footing.
‘Are they serious?’
My blood, which had been boiling from the alcohol, suddenly cooled.
“Deputy Director Ma Chenyu.”
“Yes, Director Jo.”
“The conditions are too good.”
“Haha! I knew you’d like them.”
“Still… they’re too good.”
“…?”
“What do you want?”
He flashed a smile like he’d been waiting for that.
“It’s about you, Director Jo.”
“…!”
Goosebumps broke out all over my body.
Rich kids causing trouble was nothing new, but I never imagined the black dragon would reach me.
I shot up from my chair, ready to run.
“Wait! I-I said something wrong!”
“I’m sorry, but the meeting ends here─”
“I want to buy Director Jo’s ability! Ability! I can’t stand being treated like a pervert!”
“Ah.”
Maybe it was the alcohol. I’d been too quick to react.
But I understood his misunderstanding.
‘Just like how Zoro looks at a beautiful woman, he must’ve thought I was staring at a married woman.’
I’d mistaken his gaze for the one a talent scout gives, which was almost the same as Zoro’s.
“I honestly didn’t mean it that way.”
“I’m sorry… I was trying to set a good atmosphere, but my Korean is still not fluent. I was startled even after saying it… Haha.”
“Let’s stop that story. My stomach feels like it’s spinning.”
“Yes…”
I sat back down.
I also pulled my chair a little further back, ready to make a quick escape if needed.
“So… you want to buy my ability?”
“Sigh… I meant I want to buy a stake in PlayForge.”
“Ah.”
That was Tensin’s specialty.
Instead of developing games themselves, they preferred to buy them. Their way of doing business. Very risky, but they’d succeeded big with it.
The reason Dot Hero’s Chinese publishing terms were so good was almost certainly to make a good impression on me.
“A stake purchase…”
“Yes. Whether you know it or not, Tensin never interferes in management even after buying a stake.”
It was a famous story.
Tensin would buy shares at a premium, but once they owned them they never meddled. Companies that had been foaming at the mouth over Chinese capital intrusion opened their hearts to Tensin’s “non-interference principle.”
“I want to buy 100% of the stake, but since I don’t fully trust each other yet, let’s start with a light 50%. How does that sound? I’ll pay 50 billion won in Korean won.”
“50 billion won…”
“There were people who said spending that much on a studio that only hit one game was too much. But I, Ma Chenyu, may not have much, but my eye for talent is no less than my father’s. A few days ago I saw huge potential in the new ACD PlayForge released, so I pushed for these terms on the executives.”
He gulped down the liquor in his glass and spoke with glittering eyes.
“I really respect Director Jo’s creativity. It’s only been two years. Dot Hero, the comeback project you threw out into the world, got 10 million downloads. It was just a matter of time. And this time’s ACD broke the indie game record.”
“…?”
“The ground is full of jewels. How could I possibly ignore them? Even if the current value isn’t a thousand billion, I have to buy at a premium. So fifty percent for 500 billion won.”
Seeing him praise me so openly in front of me felt strangely satisfying and a little awkward.
‘It’s just because I’m standing on the giant’s shoulders.’
I wasn’t lacking in ability. I was the overall director of a core IP at a big company. Nothing I could achieve was out of reach.
But the results I’d achieved came from my regression. If I hadn’t regressed, I probably never would’ve started a company, and the creativity he praised wouldn’t have existed.
The feeling was strange, so I raised my glass.
“Um… Um. One toast.”
“Perfect. Haha.”
The buzz was getting stronger.
“Thank you for looking at us so favorably.”
“Then shall we accept the proposal─”
“But I must respectfully decline the investment and stake purchase.”
Ma Chenyu’s face darkened.
“500 billion isn’t enough? Then I’ll raise it a little with my own power. Fifty percent for 550 billion─”
“Deputy Director Ma Chenyu. It’s not about the money. I simply have no intention of selling the stake itself.”
He looked genuinely confused.
“I’m curious about the reason. Your offer shouldn’t be a loss for Director Jo either.”
“I know. You also understand that we don’t interfere in management, and that you were evaluated at 1,000 billion won in current market value.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know what you think, but… I don’t make games for money.”
“…?”
“I make games so users can see them. I make games so users can laugh, cry, get angry, and fall in love with them.”
I took a moment to breathe and continued.
“That’s the only reason I make games. Rejecting the proposal is because if capital gets involved, conflicts of interest will arise, and I might not be able to make the games I want for those interests.
You might say Tensin would never do that, but I don’t believe there is anything absolute in this world.
It might look like I’m being stubborn to you, Deputy Ma Chenyu, rejecting hundreds of billions over a slim possibility. But that’s who I am. If even the slightest doubt could shake my beliefs, I won’t accept it.”
I finally raised the glass that had been sitting empty.
“While I appreciate your company’s proposal, as the main director and representative of PlayForge, I must respectfully decline Tensin’s offer.”
I understood if Ma Chenyu got upset and stormed out. The proposal had been extremely generous. He probably thought I’d accepted it without much thought. It would’ve been extremely rude in business terms too.
But his reaction wasn’t what I expected.
“Haa…”
“…?”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Deputy Director Ma Chenyu?”
“I’ve never seen someone refuse money offered to them! They’re sticking to their beliefs and won’t compromise even with the slightest doubt!”
He clinked his glass against the one I’d offered, his face slightly flushed.
“I heard that someone special would appear from the east this year, and it turned out to be you, Brother Jo! I, Ma Chenyu, was greatly impressed by Brother Jo’s beliefs.”
“Um… No matter how I look at it, I must be the younger one.”
“Age doesn’t matter. If there’s something to respect, I’ll learn it from Brother Jo! Haha! To the distinguished guest who appeared! Cheers!”
“C-Cheer?”
Gulp.
Because the liquor was so strong, the heat never faded.
“Brother Jo is enviable.”
“Me? And you should let me be a little….”
“I’ve never once taken a single step with Brother Jo as my ‘belief.’ I’ve simply lived my life going with the flow. My father told me to study, so I studied. By my father’s name I joined Tensin and worked hard so I wouldn’t become someone my father would look down on. That’s why… I’m envious of Brother Jo’s belief in throwing my entire life away like trash.”
“Trash is a bit…”
I wasn’t throwing my life into making games either. It was way too grand…
‘Is this right? Did I regress because I overworked? That’s why I regressed?’
It was possible.
In the subculture, sudden regressions happened more often from death than from overwork, so going back in time at the same time.
“Thanks to Brother Jo, I, Ma Chenyu, should take some time to reflect on my life. Belief… belief…”
“You don’t need something grand for belief. Just do what your heart tells you.”
“Hahaha! Really?”
“Yes, sure. Making games isn’t exactly the most impressive goal anyway.”
I played along with him.
Even if business fell through, there was no need to blush.
“To your health!”
“To… your health!”
But the drinking session was getting heavier, so I carefully raised a topic.
“Deputy Director Ma Chenyu. Maybe it’s time to wrap things up…? We’ve already run out of business ideas…”
“Run out? What are you talking about?”
“Yes? Didn’t we just reject the stake purchase?”
“Doesn’t the publishing remain?”
I asked, thinking my hearing had broken from the alcohol.
“Publishing is finished too? Those terms don’t make sense. Ah. Should I revise and suggest again─”
“Haha! A real man doesn’t say two things at once! Actually, it was based on the assumption of purchase, but I, Ma Chenyu, will somehow make it through! Brother Jo, trust me only, I, Ma Chenyu!”
“D-Don’t call me that!”
“Brother Jo?”
“From now on I want to call you ‘Don’t call me that’!”
The settlement ratio was 5:5.
MG (Minimum Guarantee Contract) 30 billion.
100% handling of Pangho and localization work.
Copycat censorship inside China.
Implantation without any BM modification.
For a man who guaranteed these conditions, it was no shame for me, Jo Yihan, to accept one sworn brother.
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**CHAPTER_END**