So, What Now?
So, What Now?
Looking back on it now, it was truly a stormy week.
On Monday, an internal whistleblowing post exploded on Blind.
On Tuesday, Saori popped out of the game.
On Wednesday, I was framed as the subject of that whistleblowing.
On Thursday, I was investigated by the audit team.
And on Friday, I ended up quitting the company.
Calling it a week sounds nice, but for it all to happen in just five days, it was downright spectacular.
So spectacular that it could be made into a movie later with a "shocking true story" label.
Anyway, after going through that rough process, I finally welcomed Saturday.
Having become unemployed overnight, I was sweating bullets from early morning.
"Seonsaengnim, where should I move this?"
"Ah, that's something we use often, so put it over in one corner of the living room."
After Saori came to my house, four days had already passed.
During that time, I gave up the bedroom bed to her, my guest, and slept on a futon in the living room, but I couldn't keep that up forever.
So today, I made up my mind to thoroughly clean out the small room I'd been using as storage.
Since it looked like we'd be living together for a while until we found a way for her to return to her original world.
"~♪"
Saori hummed a tune while dusting the thick layer of grime off the bookshelf.
Unlike usual, when she wore her jet-black hair straight down, she had it in a ponytail now, which was unfamiliar but somehow refreshing.
If I had to compare it to a game, it was like a new skin for a favorite character being released.
"Seonsaengnim? Why are you staring like that?"
"Oh, nothing."
I was caught sneaking a glance at her cleaning, so I quickly pretended to focus on my own cleaning, acting nonchalant.
Saori tilted her head for a moment, then went back to focusing on cleaning the room.
As I swept the floor vigorously with a broom and dustpan, I stole another sidelong glance at Saori's profile while she cleaned the bookshelf.
This time, it wasn't about her changed appearance, but for a completely different reason.
'It was definitely gone.'
Ever since Saori popped out into reality, I hadn't logged into Red Asterisk for a while.
But last evening, remembering it belatedly, I logged into the game and discovered one thing.
That was that 'Tachibana Saori', who had been in my account, had vanished.
As if she had never existed in the first place.
Just in case, I checked the replay of the episode where Saori had originally appeared, and in the part where Saori should have shown up, a character with a similar but slightly different appearance and setting had appeared, taking her place.
'Did changes happen in the game world because Saori crossed over to this world?'
If so, this was even more absurd than a game character jumping out of the screen.
In a way, this could also be considered a form of reality alteration.
'Anyway, trying to understand this situation with my brain is just stupid.'
Since a scientifically inexplicable phenomenon had occurred from the start, it was meaningless to apply the standards of the common sense I knew.
In that case, rather,
'Let's cherish this moment.'
For all I knew, Saori might find a way back to her original world as early as tomorrow.
A situation where my favorite character from a game popped out into reality and I ended up living with her—literally something every gamer has thought about at least once—had become reality, and if I couldn't enjoy it, I'd only be losing out.
Just as my thoughts were starting to settle down to some extent,
"...seonsaengnim, seonsaengnim!"
"Ah, huh?"
Realizing belatedly that Saori was calling my name, I quickly turned my head.
Saori, who had been dusting the bookshelf until a moment ago, was holding a cardboard box in her arms and looking at me.
"What were you thinking about so deeply that you didn't even notice me calling?"
I answered Saori's question with an awkward laugh.
"I was just thinking about what to order for lunch today."
"You're going to order delivery? I can make it."
"You've been working hard cleaning since morning, I can't ask you to cook too."
As I said that and played it cool, Saori's face flushed slightly as she spoke.
"If that's the reason, I can't argue. So, what are you going to order?"
"Hmm."
I hesitated for a moment.
I had actually said that to change the subject, but I did have to choose a lunch menu.
Just then, a magnet attached to the refrigerator caught my eye, and I quickly came to a conclusion.
"Let's have black bean noodles for lunch today."
"Black bean noodles?"
"It exists. That kind of food."
Generally, the food people eat on days when they do a big cleaning or move is black bean noodles.
I don't know the exact reason why, but considering that there's almost no food as universally liked by all ages and genders as black bean noodles, I figured Saori, being Japanese, would enjoy it too.
"Delivery!"
"Just put it here."
In this day and age, instead of using a delivery app, I ordered directly from a Chinese restaurant that hired its own delivery drivers. I ordered two bowls of black bean noodles, sweet and sour pork, and fried dumplings.
Seeing the food delivered in less than 20 minutes, Saori looked surprised.
"The delivery is incredibly fast."
"Koreans are the people of delivery."
"...Is that some kind of metaphor?"
"No, if you didn't get it, it's fine."
Exchanging that pointless banter, I moved the black bean noodles and sweet and sour pork from the front door to the table. Then, for Saori, who was trying Korean-style Chinese cuisine for the first time, I demonstrated like an experienced instructor.
First, I took out the wooden chopsticks, and before splitting them in half, I gently scraped around the wrapped black bean noodle bowl and the sweet and sour pork container.
After cleanly peeling off the wrap without getting any oil or sauce on my hands, I vigorously mixed the noodles with the chopsticks while the sauce and noodles were still separated.
I mixed and mixed until the noodles were completely dyed black. Then it was done.
"Here, try it."
As I said that and pushed the bowl of mixed black bean noodles toward her, Saori, with a half-doubtful expression, picked up her chopsticks and carefully lifted some noodles.
She put a small amount of noodles into her mouth, and the next moment, her eyes widened.
"It's delicious."
"Right?"
Unless it's spicy seafood noodles, I've never met a foreigner who dislikes black bean noodles.
It seemed the black bean noodles suited her taste well, and Saori started eating in earnest.
I watched her with a satisfied smile and began mixing my own portion of black bean noodles.
We focused on eating in silence for a while. Then, as if she was getting full, Saori put down her chopsticks first and suddenly spoke up.
"Come to think of it, seonsaengnim."
"Yeah?"
"What do you plan to do from now on?"
Her sudden question left me speechless.
That was because I hadn't really thought about anything specific.
So I had no choice but to give a vague answer.
"Well, I'll probably take a break until I find a new job, I guess?"
But it seemed my answer wasn't very satisfactory from Saori's perspective, so she asked again.
"Are you planning to look for a new job in the game industry?"
"That's..."
My mind suddenly became full of thoughts.
Of course, I still liked making games.
But after causing that huge mess when I quit, the process of finding a new job would obviously not be smooth.
The game industry is vast yet subtly narrow.
Rumors about me would soon spread throughout the entire industry, making it anything but easy to find a new job.
Saori had probably asked that question with that in mind too.
"Honestly, I don't really know."
So I answered honestly.
I had only just failed once, and it felt like a waste to give up on everything I'd built up over the years because of various circumstances.
But in the end, no matter what I thought, if no one would hire me, it was all for nothing.
If I were younger, I might grit my teeth and tough it out, but at thirty-one, being unemployed for a long time was nothing but a massive disadvantage.
For now, it might be fine, but considering that just breathing incurred monthly utility bills and bank interest, I had to find a new job as quickly as possible.
As if reading my concerns, Saori paused for a moment, then spoke.
"If seonsaengnim still has lingering feelings for the game industry, why not try starting your own business instead?"
"...Starting my own business?"
"Yeah. I don't know much about the ins and outs of that industry, but I thought starting a business might be faster than finding a new job."
"......"
Now that I thought about it, that actually sounded pretty plausible.
If I were a game planner or an artist, I wouldn't even dream of solo development, but I'm a programmer with five years of experience in the development trenches.
I could handle the Unity engine as a baseline, and among things, creating 2D illustration-based games was something I was far more skilled at than most developers.
"If you're worried about working alone, I'll help you as much as I can from the side. After all, it's between me and seonsaengnim."
"Between me and you" - what kind of relationship is that supposed to be?
The words rose all the way to my throat, but that wasn't what mattered now, so I desperately thought about something else.
'Starting a business, huh.'
Considering the money left in my bank account, even if I started a business, I would barely last about a year.
Of course, these days there are many government support programs, so I might last longer than calculated, but you always have to assume the worst.
And if I invested a year and saw no results, investing more time wouldn't make much difference either.
But even after considering all that, there was one remaining problem.
That was,
'Can I do it?'
The fundamental question.
Indie games.
Literally, games developed on a small scale without the help of large agencies, game companies, or investors.
Since the entry barrier is relatively low, hundreds or thousands of games flood onto platforms every year, and only a very small number of them gain public recognition.
Literally a red ocean among red oceans.
A narrow society, a microcosm of the game industry, where standing out is extremely difficult.
But my deliberation didn't last long.
After all, right now I had nothing to do until I found a new job.
In that case, with no interference and no one to bother me, it might not be bad to freely make the game I wanted to make.
Because until now, even if I had ideas, I was never given any opportunity to develop them.
"Alright. What the hell, let's give it a shot."
When I made that decision, Saori rejoiced as if it were her own success, saying I made a good choice.
Seeing Saori like that, I felt an inexplicable warmth and gratitude.
'So this is the heart of a seonsaengnim.'
Of course, I don't have a certificate.