Chairman Gauss and the ARK Project
"Manager Han Shin. Hello. This is Gauss."
Chairman Gauss of Nebula greeted him in slow but carefully enunciated Korean.
"Chairman Gauss, it's been a while. I didn't expect you to come on yourself."
"Oh… the Korean God has answered my call."
Gauss was joking around.
"God? Please…"
About forty employees, barely holding back their laughter, snapped into a synchronized surprise bow of reverence.
"Han Shin! Han Shin!"
"I truly appreciate the warm welcome. But I reached out today because there's something I'd particularly like to request."
"Ohh! The Korean God delivers an oracle!"
"Bow down~~~"
Gauss and his staff went so far as to start a wave. It was a cheerfully chaotic atmosphere, exactly what you'd expect from a game company.
"I've heard the sales numbers thanks to me have been astronomical, but if you're going to keep a busy man waiting like this, I'll just follow up with your working-level staff later!"
"No, no. Manager Han Shin. Please, speak."
"Chairman. We're roughly the same age. Talking like some old man is a bit much."
"Hahahaha! So, what is it?"
"I've been sitting in on training the past few days, and an idea hit me. I'm not sure if any team has built a system like this already, but if we'd be the first, it would be a genuinely groundbreaking introduction."
"What kind of idea? If it's something Nebula can do, we'll support you."
"When you play football, the manager's perspective, a player's field of vision, and the footage from broadcast cameras or drones are all completely different, aren't they?"
"That's right. Not just football — every event has its own point of view."
"So we use technology to let players and the manager share the exact same information at the same time."
"Oh… could you be a little more specific?"
"If you want the specifics, give me at least a verbal promise first."
"I swear it on the name of Carl Friedrich Gauss."
"Hahaha. That's exactly what I was hoping to hear, Chairman."
That oath was a verbal tic of Gauss, the chairman of Nebula Nexus. He had zero connection to the legendary mathematician Gauss or his family line, but whenever he made a promise, he borrowed the great man's name.
"Considering the company revenue you've generated for us, Manager, we're prepared to give you our full support — assuming it aligns with our company's interests."
Nebula Nexus, led by Chairman Gauss, was the main sponsor emblazoned across the front of Sunderland's kits. They were diligently laying the groundwork to make the massive re-signing they anticipated go as smoothly as possible.
Han Shin had already discussed that with Emily, so there was no chance he'd missed the subtext.
"Both the players and the manager use VR or AR devices. Ideally we'd bring in the augmented reality tech that's being developed right now."
"VR?"
"Not on a computer monitor — you put on a VR headset and experience the exact same situation inside a football simulation, sharing it together."
"As you know, VR headsets themselves still have poor market penetration compared to consoles or PCs. Doesn't sound all that appealing."
"I'm aware. But I also factored in expanding Nebula Nexus's business sectors."
"I'm listening."
"First, you perfectly recreate a stadium in VR. Then you record and model actual match footage and player movements."
Han Shin offered an example.
"If someone wants to be a striker, they become a striker. You recreate the sensation of standing on the pitch more realistically than any action cam. They directly experience everything a pro they admire goes through over the course of a season."
"Oh… that's insane."
I get to become a pro and play a match?
The employees were starting to lean in, reacting one by one.
"Users can become the protagonists of a Champions League or World Cup final from their own rooms. They can experience playing on the same team as Messi or Ronaldo. This wouldn't just be a game — it would be a platform for realizing dreams."
They were increasingly sold on his proposal.
"I like it, Manager."
"Yeah, if the whole environment is rendered in VR instead of playing on a console, wouldn't that be a hundred times more fun?"
Han Shin continued.
"We take existing football games and leapfrog them to an entirely new level. Immersive VR where you become a player and experience a league firsthand, or take the helm as a manager."
Sensing the moment to drive it home, Han Shin delivered the line with force.
"We give every person on Earth the experience — and the dream — of becoming a true football manager and player. What do you think?"
The staff were getting more and more excited.
"Having become a manager myself, just standing on the pitch and giving instructions has made me happy. For ordinary people, it could be a completely unique experience they'd never get in their entire lives."
"As a game, okay — I understand the vision. So what's the corresponding benefit for you, Manager?"
Gauss asked for the negotiating terms, wary of Han Shin laying on the sweet talk that seemed almost too favorable to the company.
"I'd like you to build me a VR training program."
"A training program…"
"I hold tactical meetings with the players over video. But if we share the same line of sight for each player's positional placement through a VR headset instead of a screen, wouldn't communication be far easier?"
"It would."
"How to play the pass during a buildup, what detailed coordinated movements to make, where exactly to stand — so the entire group can draw the same picture."
"Drawing one picture… because a striker doesn't understand a centre-back's perspective?"
"Exactly. The best way to order the movements I want is to coach them directly. But I can't be at the training ground every single time. In those cases, I turn the movements and passing lanes I want into a yes-or-no quiz for each player and have them get it right."
"Isn't training-ground work enough?"
"Being here, I've realized there's more downtime than I expected. And once we start traveling for away matches, we'll end up spending hours on planes and buses, won't we?"
"Yes. Travel time is long."
"Sleeping during travel is fine, but we can also analyze the opponent's last ten matches on video and run simulated VR games. Structured as a game where each player answers quizzes set by the manager. From here, I want to communicate exactly where on the pitch I want them looking, and what actions I want from which positions."
He stretched a hand forward to illustrate the direction of a gaze.
"If player and manager are looking at the exact same scene — even the same line of sight — you can communicate without any confusion."
"Han Shin, you really are sharp. How long have you even been a manager, coming up with ideas like this?"
"I felt it standing on the touchline during practice matches. Unlike in a game, you simply can't see the entire pitch."
"Hoo…"
Gauss traced a five-pointed star over and over with his right index finger.
A positive signal.
Han Shin knew that Gauss had an unconscious habit of drawing pentagrams whenever a conversation produced a good idea. He pressed the advantage.
"What do you think? Wouldn't it be a far more entertaining experience than playing with a keyboard and mouse? Expand the business."
"Mm… hmm…"
Gauss, whose commercial instincts were exceptional, made his decision.
"How many people are on the squad and coaching staff over there?"
"The first team is twenty-five total, and the coaching staff is still under ten."
"Would fifty units be enough?"
"More than enough. On top of that, I'd like you to transfer Nebula's data-analysis methods and know-how to our staff as well."
"Done. In exchange, can we receive Sunderland's fresh data?"
"Yes. The basics of a deal. Give and take."
Both sides had something that made their mouths water.
Nebula would receive vivid match and training data you couldn't get anywhere else, and use it as the foundation to start developing a new game.
Or we could sell the finished training program to professional football clubs worldwide… this might actually be a gold mine.
Sunderland stood to improve performance through an innovative training program while also acquiring the company's latest analytical techniques and know-how.
Han Shin had just made them an offer they couldn't refuse.
"Excellent. Within a week we'll supply seventy top-spec VR units, assemble a cutting-edge VR training program development team under your consultation, Manager, and throw everything we've got into getting a beta test running immediately."
So you're going to use us as the beta testers?
Still, getting what you wanted sometimes meant giving something up.
"We'll also put in a positive word with the marketing team and the director of football about extending Nebula Nexus's sponsorship."
Having each secured what they wanted, Han Shin and Gauss smiled together.
"We'll dispatch Nebula Nexus equipment and specialists to Sunderland."
"We'll regularly transmit training and match data through our scout, Isaac, on this end."
"We'll finalize the budget by tomorrow and send a formal contract over to Sunderland."
"I'll announce our new and rock-solid partnership with Nebula Nexus and Chairman Gauss on my social media."
A satisfying tiki-taka of negotiation.
"Fantastic, Manager Han Shin. Your negotiation skills and resourcefulness are first-rate. I'm looking forward to seeing which players join this season."
"I'd be grateful if you'd confirm that on your television. I hope we can meet again soon with good news."
"I'll arrange a celebration before long. O God. Haha."
"I'll be looking forward to it — in the name of Carl Friedrich Gauss."
"Hahahahaha!"
The video meeting ended.
Gauss stuck an e-cigarette between his lips and confided in his right-hand man.
"No matter when I see him, that man is brilliant. He already knows exactly what we want."
"Tell me about it. His brain is sexy."
"He may already have a devoted ally on his side. Let's get a development team together right away."
"Yes, Chairman. I have the right person for the project. But what should we call it?"
"Hmm…"
As Gauss traced another pentagram, the employee serving as his right hand offered a suggestion.
"Virtual Football Experience?"
"Tacky."
"Should we work in the keyword 'metaverse'?"
"No. Still zero sense for naming."
"Sorry."
Gauss stopped doodling and decided.
"ARK Project. We'll call it the ARK Project."
"What does it mean?"
"Augmented Reality Kickoff."
"As expected of the Chairman."
"Now go put a development team together."
"Yes, sir!"
Han Shin… even if he'd gone into business, that man would have become a giant.