Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: The Butterfly Effect (2)
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All memories fade.
It's how humans are designed, and it's how we must be to survive.
And yet, some memories simply refuse to be forgotten.
Painful memories, ones you could call brands or scars.
For me, NQ from my past life was one such memory.
Every moment I spent there was painful, every moment filled with despair.
It was an environment where I couldn't protect myself, an environment I didn't even want to endure.
Still, I held on for one reason.
Because the dream I so desperately longed for was there.
—The higher-ups are planning a new AAA project. Yeon-ho, just stick with me. I'll get you a spot on that project.
—A AAA project? I thought our company's policy was mobile games.
—Well, defending the stock price is the primary goal... but this time, it's not a project they'll just toss out like some rumor. The mobile market is on its last legs, isn't it? The market's starting to want something different. You know what I mean, right?
—...The backlash against microtransactions has passed a threshold.
—Right. The next trend is 'a game that feels like a game,' one you can enjoy without paying to win. Neosoft is already making its move. You're smart, so you know what that means.
—So this project is definitely going to happen?
—That's right. The higher-ups have their eye on you. Regardless of performance, there's no other freak as obsessed with detail as you.
This happened in my early thirties, right when I was thinking of changing jobs.
Director Jeong promised to make me the head of the yet-to-be-materialized AAA project, and in return, he started meddling in the projects I was leading.
Like any other company, game companies have their own internal politics.
To put it nicely, it was loyalty. To put it another way, I'd chosen a side.
I was on Director Jeong's side, his faithful hunting dog.
In other words, I was a disposable pawn.
—Director, about the project...
—It's still too early. This project is our hidden card. We have to use it to turn public opinion around when the stock price can't be defended any longer.
—But...
—Yeon-ho, what are you worried about? I told you I'd get you in.
I believed him.
I believed Director Jeong was the one who could make my dream come true, and I thought that no matter what was happening now, everything would be fine once I made that AAA game.
I was a fool.
—Hey!
Kim Seon-woo.
Team Leader of Development Team 4, Kim Seon-woo.
NQ's treasure, the goose that laid the golden eggs, the future of the company.
And the only person at the company who was my friend.
Unlike me, he was a real social butterfly.
With his friendly demeanor, he got along with everyone and was open to any opinion, knowing how to manage the influence of those around him.
He was definitely talented by nature, the kind of guy I might never have crossed paths with.
But we became friends anyway.
—Did you see the announcement for the AAA project? They said they're picking the team leader based on performance! I've got a shot, right?!
Because he shared the same dream as me.
He was the kind of guy whose dream was to create a true masterpiece in Korea, a barren land for package games.
I thought we connected well.
I thought we were walking the same path, that we were the only ones who could truly affirm each other.
So we grew closer, and I even congratulated him on the day he was chosen as a candidate for the AAA project.
—Congratulations. Work hard for the both of us.
—You have to help me, man! What?! I need to put your name, Cheon Yeon-ho, in the special thanks!
—You ridiculous fool.
I tried to overcome my sorrow and move on.
There were moments I consoled myself, thinking that even if I couldn't achieve my dream with my own hands, it would be enough if my friend beside me did.
If only I hadn't heard what he said, I might have felt that way forever.
Even now, thinking back, I still wonder.
—That guy's a lost cause. He's too stubborn. What was it, an artist complex? A masterpiece complex?
Why did he do it?
—Anyway, this is a pain. I have to start another new project.
—Ah, the one Team Leader Cheon was supposed to take?
—What can I do? They asked me to do it. He royally screwed up again, you know.
Why would he say something like that?
Was it about his social standing?
Was he trying to show the company he was different from me?
Did he want to elevate himself by making me the scapegoat?
Why?
The questions piled up, and in the end, unable to find an answer, I left the company.
Looking back on it now, it was true.
—I don't like that Kim Seon-woo guy. He has the face of a treacherous courtier!
Jo A-yun was right.
Kim Seon-woo was a born politician, capable of grasping the tides of the times through politics.
There's not much to say about what happened after.
I created *Identity*, won Game of the Year, and died from overwork.
In the process, I heard various stories about NQ from Jo A-yun.
—The AAA project? It failed. The company was always one that just pumped out pay-to-win business models. How could they create something good when their developers had zero experience building a normal game structure?
Kim Seon-woo's project was a failure.
—I should probably look for the right time to quit. This ship is sinking. Oh, by the way, I got a scouting offer from Neosoft.
Neosoft, always NQ's rival, had successfully entered the package game market and was aiming for its next move, and Jo A-yun was scouted for a position there.
—Director Jeong is out.
Everyone who hated me, and everyone I hated, met a strange end.
It was ironic.
In the end, our positions had completely reversed.
Shamefully, I felt a childish thrill from it all.
That I was right, and that they were all wrong.
Lost in such thoughts, I became even more obsessed with *Identity*.
I wanted to succeed and show up in front of them.
I wanted to tell them that I was the real goose that laid the golden eggs.
Those muddy feelings ran so deep.
And yet, strangely enough.
“Fancy meeting you here! Then again, Pangyo is a small world! A pleasure to meet you! I'm Jeong Chan-ho, a department head at NQ!”
But now, seeing these people again, my heart didn't stir in the slightest.
I took Director Jeong's business card and handed him mine.
Even as this rude man who had suddenly joined our table spouted nonsense, even with Kim Seon-woo beside him looking at me with admiring eyes, even with the people who had always looked /down on me/ and sneered now showing bright smiles.
“Who would have imagined such a remarkable talent would emerge from Korea! And a young man not even thirty, at that!”
I felt nothing at all.
I came to a realization.
That I was truly, completely unrelated to these people now.
That Cheon Yeon-ho of NQ no longer existed.
I thought I would never forget.
I thought that scar would remain inside me for a lifetime, tightening its grip around my neck at every moment.
But that wasn't the case.
A strange sense of liberation washed over me, and soon, like dew vanishing in the sunlight, it disappeared without a trace.
‘So this...’
was nothing after all.
The twists and turns of life, our memories... they eventually change into a form that we can endure.
As my heart grew calm, a faint smile escaped my lips.
I caught sight of Han Seo-rim looking at me with surprised eyes.
I let it be and continued to let Director Jeong's words wash over me.
The only unpleasantness that remained was for his drunken antics.
Just then, he said something I couldn't ignore.
“But you know, shouldn't you be more concerned about your public image? I'm just saying this out of concern for you, as an elder.”
Everyone except the drunk Director Jeong seemed to know how rude the comment was.
Behind him, everyone from Kim Seon-woo to the other NQ employees had turned pale.
“Hmm? If you act like a clown every time you go out, won't it tarnish the image of game directors? We have to maintain a certain dignity, you know.”
It was strange, him lumping us together with the word ‘we’.
This was the man who had always singled me out with the word ‘you’.
“A person shouldn't look too cheap. You're still young, so you might not know, but...”
“Thank you for the advice.”
I cut him off.
And then I spoke.
“But that's strange.”
Because there was at least one thing I could say for certain.
As if I had returned to that time in my past life, I said the words I never could, scraping out and shaking off the dregs of my emotions.
“Why can't we be clowns? We're people who exist to bring joy.”
“...What?”
“We're game developers. People who make games. People who create play to bring joy. Entertainers.”
This man was still the same.
He saw the position, not the game.
“Whether it's within the game or outside of it, the fact that we are people who bring joy to our users doesn't change. Isn't that how we show respect to the people who enjoy the worlds we create?”
To put it bluntly, the cross-dressing? I could have refused.
I'm the president.
If I had really asserted my authority and shot it down, Yang Gil-sang would have followed my lead.
But there was one reason I didn't.
“It's not dignity we need.”
Because if people had fun, that's all that mattered.
Because bringing a smile to the faces of those who loved our game, even in that way, is part of the job.
If that is one way to express our gratitude, then it's right to do it.
Because a director exists to provide joy.
I put down my glass.
Belatedly, his employees tried to stop Director Jeong.
“We're so sorry! Our department head is very drunk.”
“It's fine. It was quite amusing.”
I got up from my seat.
“We've had quite a bit to drink, so we'll be going now. Seo-rim, let's go.”
“Ah, yes.”
When we stepped outside, fresh air filled my lungs.
The night air was quite cool.
* * *
Walking beside him, Seo-rim studied Yeon-ho's expression.
Perhaps he was quite drunk; his earlobes were red under the streetlight.
Yet his steps were steady, true to his nature.
Though he seemed no different than usual, he looked different today, likely because of what had just happened.
“What are you staring at?”
“I'm just surprised.”
“About what?”
“It's the first time I've ever seen you speak so aggressively to someone. And the first time I've seen you smile at a stranger.”
“Is it that surprising?”
“A little?”
A lot.
The Yeon-ho from a moment ago didn't seem like the person Seo-rim knew.
He was different from his usual iron-masked self.
He seemed naive and precarious, almost to the point of showing weakness.
Even though he stood so straight, the thought suddenly crossed her mind that he might just collapse.
A strange feeling arose, seeping into Seo-rim's heart.
But that was as far as it went.
‘...Am I drunk too?’
Seo-rim shook off the feeling, suddenly getting goosebumps for no reason.
Then she spoke.
“But I never knew you were so serious about cross-dressing.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Wasn't that what you meant? What you said to that department head guy.”
Yeon-ho stopped dead in his tracks.
He turned his head toward Seo-rim.
And then, he said,
“I'm not doing it. I've put up with enough.”
“Then what you said was?”
“Well, if the users like it, someone might have to cross-dress. But it won't be me.”
It was just for a moment.
The shadow on Yeon-ho's face under the streetlight twisted into a crooked shape.
“Gil-sang has been looking pretty free lately.”
“...”
“Seo-rim.”
“...Yes.”
“A gentleman's revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years.”
The crooked shadow formed a smile.
But his eyes remained cold and sunken.
A small shiver ran down her spine.
Seo-rim couldn't help but think.
‘This guy...’
He holds a grudge more than I thought.
...is what she thought.
* * *
Quite a few days passed after that meeting.
As always, Studio Rewind's development continued smoothly, accompanied by minor happenings, or accidents.
Today was another one of those days.
I was having lunch with Yang Gil-sang, biding my time and checking the state of his forehead.
“Oh, by the way, Yeon-ho. Have you seen this?”
“Hm?”
“This online article. Aigoo, you really don't keep up with the world, do you?”
Chuckling, Yang Gil-sang held out his smartphone.
Wondering what it was, I saw it was an online news article.
And the moment I read the headline, my body went stiff.
[Neosoft CEO Park Yeong-jun Throws Down the Gauntlet in the AAA Package Game Market!]
A slightly younger version of the CEO I knew was featured in the article with a smiling face.
My eyes scanned the contents quickly.
I couldn't help but be surprised.
The future where Neosoft challenged the package game market was supposed to be at least five years away.
So why was this happening already?
The answer was in the text.
“See this part? You're quite the big shot now, President.”
Where Yang Gil-sang pointed, a sentence from Neosoft's CEO during an interview was quoted.
[We saw the potential in Studio Rewind's success. I'd like to express my gratitude to Director Cheon Yeon-ho.]
Was there any need to say more?
‘The future has changed.’
It was the butterfly effect.
The surprises didn't end there.
“It's about the CEO from the article. He contacted us saying he'd like to meet with you, President. What would you like to do?”
An unexpected proposal had been made.
The Butterfly Effect (2)