Chapter 142
Chapter 142
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: E3 - Hellic 4 (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just because this was my second time at E3 didn't mean the scenery felt any more familiar.
The moment you unveil a new game is always tense and strange.
That’s true even when you’re surrounded by familiar faces.
…No, maybe it’s even more so because of them.
“Hah, it turned out great.”
President Park Yeong-jun wiped a finger under his nose, a satisfied look on his face.
Following his gaze, you could see it.
[Last wedding : destroy]
A direct translation would be something like ‘Final Marriage: Destroy.’
I wondered what marriage really meant to President Park.
Why did the ring on his left ring finger look so much like a shackle?
It was a question with no answer.
In truth, it wasn't a very important question.
There was a far more surprising fact to consider.
‘It was strangely fun.’
Unable to contain my curiosity, I had tried playing the console version of the divorce saga.
Ultimately, putting the story aside, it was a strategy game based on a JRPG turn-based combat system that demanded more brain than brawn.
And the system itself was incredibly well-polished.
Though it might not appeal to the mainstream because of its story, it was likely to receive high praise.
As I'd said before, the system—the very root of a game—was properly established.
“This is where the new legend of Neosoft's Park Yeong-jun begins. I'm glad you could be here for it, brother.”
“Yes, well.”
Considering his future of establishing a stable foothold in the console world, he wasn't wrong.
And calling it a legend wasn't an exaggeration either; six or seven years from now, President Park Yeong-jun would truly achieve legendary status in the Korean game industry.
Of course, in this life, he wouldn't reach quite that level.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but I had swept up all the achievements he was supposed to have as the pioneer of the domestic console market.
“I’ll be cheering for you. I should get going now.”
“Okay, you work hard too, brother.”
President Park gave a cool wave.
I returned to our booth.
Tomorrow was the first day of E3.
On stage, a conference rehearsal was in full swing.
“You’re here.”
I exchanged a brief greeting with Goro Ayado.
He seemed quite busy.
He was the one who had to go on stage and present, so the pressure must be immense.
After a short chat about tomorrow's schedule, Goro Ayado moved on.
And then, I came face to face with him.
“President…”
“It suits you well. I never knew you had a talent for cosplay, Gil-sang.”
I couldn't help but nod.
With my revenge at hand, various emotions washed over me.
‘Ah…’
It had been a long time of suffering and humiliation.
Now, it was time to return to being President Cheon Yeon-ho…!
***
In the early dawn of E3's first day, Yang Gil-sang sat on his hotel room toilet, deep in thought, in a pose reminiscent of Rodin's *The Thinker*.
‘Who am I?’
Where am I?
He wished this morning would never end, but such a thing would never happen.
No matter how much he contemplated his own existence, his fate was already sealed.
…Yes, what more was there to say?
It was, in fact, karma.
From the moment he, caught up in the mood, suggested the cross-dressing cosplay to Yeon-ho and used excuses like ‘the users’ wishes’ or ‘commercial marketing effects,’ Gil-sang knew this arrow would one day return to him.
He thought, at most, it would be cross-dressing.
He was prepared to laugh it off once, so the prospect wasn’t particularly terrifying.
But this was a different matter entirely.
‘A three-legged octopus?’
And not just any three-legged octopus.
Gil-sang had already seen the actual costume.
It consisted of white spandex, smeared with glistening oil, and three octopus legs wrapped around his waist like a belt.
And they weren't just wrapped around.
The angle of the three legs was reminiscent of a tripod.
Meaning, two legs were attached to his lower back, while one extended long from his crotch…
‘…Good heavens.’
Gil-sang buried his face in his hands.
It would have been better if the quality was high, but the developer cosplays for Rewind's *Hellic* series had a tradition of maintaining a ‘tacky low-budget quality,’ a holdover from their financially strapped days.
He was bound to look hideous.
His despair continued to deepen.
“Gil-sang, it’s time to go.”
*Knock, knock.* A voice like the call of a grim reaper came with the sound.
It was Yeon-ho.
Though his voice was as emotionless as ever, Gil-sang imagined he could detect a faint trace of joy within it.
With trembling hands, Gil-sang opened the bathroom door.
He was sure of it.
The corners of Yeon-ho's mouth were slightly upturned.
In all the years they had been together, this was the first time he had seen him smile, aside from at award ceremonies.
‘A man like this should be in hell…!’
Gil-sang had no way of knowing that he had already been there and back.
But one thing was certain: fate was already in motion, beyond his control.
Gil-sang pushed away thoughts of an unstoppable current, of the end, of life after ruin, or a lonely, withering death, and spoke as if uttering his last words.
“Alright. Let’s go. Should we grab a bite before we head out?”
“Sounds good. We’re in America, how about a cheeseburger?”
“Brings back memories.”
“Ah, that’s right, you used to live here.”
To meet one's end in the place where one grew up.
Perhaps that wasn't so bad.
Gil-sang set off with Yeon-ho.
The cheeseburger was delicious, and the fries were salty.
In the car taking them to the venue, the people and buildings outside the window looked like faintly scattering ashes.
The time spent in that car was for him like walking the five stages of death.
‘Am I really doing this?’
There was denial.
‘No, but isn't a three-legged octopus too much? I worked hard, didn't I? Is this how it comes back to me?’
There was anger.
‘Sigh… No, it's just one day. He wouldn't make me do it for all three days, right? Right, I’ll just do it today and say I won’t tomorrow.’
There was bargaining.
‘…Yeon-gyeong, do I really have to earn money this painfully?’
There was depression.
And finally.
‘…I don’t know anymore.’
There was acceptance.
Overwhelmed by the mental stress, Gil-sang gave up on thinking.
“Hehehe…”
A laugh escaped him.
If you can't avoid it, enjoy it.
Repeating the words like a mantra, Gil-sang laughed with all his might.
Then Yeon-ho spoke.
“Seeing you so happy makes me realize my mistake. I should have made you do this sooner.”
Would killing this man be a sin?
Even that thought soon faded.
They had arrived at the venue.
“Hey, mister. Come over here…!”
From a distance, a demon beckoned.
A demon in a green tracksuit.
Beside her were succubi.
The succubi, who relentlessly targeted one person (Myeong-gyu), were smiling while holding things like makeup tools.
Gil-sang's gaze shifted to Seo-rim, the only one detached from this scene.
Seo-rim was fiddling with her smartphone, then looked up, feeling his stare.
Her eyes met Gil-sang's, but she looked away as indifferently as if she'd seen a stone and lowered her head again.
*Tap, tap, tap.* The sound of her fingers on the screen was quite fierce.
She was probably in a flame war with someone.
“…Please take care of the event preparations. While I’m getting this makeup on.”
“Of course.”
Yeon-ho patted Gil-sang on the shoulder.
And so, Gil-sang fell into the hell of his own making.
A hell of shame.
“The event is starting!!!”
E3 had begun.
The audience poured in, and the area near the conference stage was packed with people.
Gil-sang watched the scene with a blank expression.
His glistening white body amplified his shame in a grotesque way.
Gazes were already gathering on him.
Rewind, the creators of *Hellic 4*, were known as GOTY hunters, a game company that always managed to snag one of the top five GOTY awards whenever they released a game.
The prestige of a new installment in their main IP, directed by the company's own president, was immense.
There was a reason Sona was investing so much manpower in Rewind, even though they weren't a first-party studio.
Naturally, their booth was one of the largest.
And even though the booth hadn't officially opened yet, a long line had already formed.
In other words, that's how many people were paying attention to Gil-sang's three-legged octopus cosplay.
He could hear murmurs from somewhere.
“Cthulhu…? Oh shit, Ricky! Looks like Cthulhu's in Hellic 4!”
“Cthulhu in hell? Rewind must be really going all out!”
No.
The only cosmic horror here was in Gil-sang's heart as he stood there.
At that moment, another sound.
*Click!*
Camera shutters flashed from all directions.
Gil-sang felt as if he were strolling naked down a main street.
What would happen next was obvious.
Photos of this cosplay would be all over the online communities.
Gil-sang shot a look at A-yun.
A-yun smiled sweetly and pulled up a community forum on her tablet.
『WalkiesPoppy: The Hellic cosplay is top-tier this year too ^^
(Image of Gil-sang standing blankly in his three-legged octopus cosplay)
I believe this is the new director from Rewind.
It's nice to see a director so passionate about games…^^
WaitingForHellic4: He’s huge… (his height, of course)
KingOfOneUpping: LOLOLOLOLOL
BloodlordOfBangbae: LOLOLOL what kind of monster is that? Is this game Cthulhu-themed?
FutureNotSoBright: Making money is damn hard LOL
anon: It suits him lol』
A bitter smile formed on Gil-sang's lips.
A-yun smiled brightly and whispered.
“You’re… super popular.”
If there was such a thing as a talent for getting under people's skin, A-yun would have an SSS-rank talent for it.
Every word and syllable she uttered with her innocent face was laced with a vicious malice.
Lifting his head again, he saw Yeon-ho nodding with his arms crossed.
When he beckoned, A-yun scurried over to Yeon-ho's side like a ninja answering her master's call.
Despite what Yeon-gyeong had told her, A-yun's smile as Yeon-ho patted her head was, as always, utterly innocent.
Meanwhile, the conference was nearing its end.
Looking toward the stage, he saw it was time.
[After a long wait, Rewind’s Hellic 4 is back!]
The reveal of *Hellic 4*.
A cinematic trailer played, followed by actual gameplay footage.
It was the boss fight video that Yeon-ho had wracked his brain to perfect.
‘It’s Chapter 1.’
Rick Artmann's stained-glass pattern.
On the screen, a mantis-like monster holding a sword made of blood took a stance.
Then, the screen glitched and froze, an angelic figure appeared, and time accelerated once more.
*Clang!*
A parry, and the protagonist’s six-shot execution skill activated.
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The camera angles, effects, and sound design combined to create a visual spectacle that was overwhelming no matter how many times you saw it.
Therein lay the reason Gil-sang had given up on development and decided to move to the business side.
“Woooooah!!!”
A roar of excitement that seemed to rip through the space reached Gil-sang.
It was a heart-pounding thrill.
Thankfully, in that brief moment, Gil-sang was able to forget his shame.
‘I helped make this.’
He felt a sense of pride in having helped bring this game into the world.
It was for feelings like this that he had left his prestigious Wall Street job and entered the game industry.
Gil-sang clenched his fists tightly.
The first day's conference was over.
This was just the beginning.
“Gil-sang, I’m opening up the booth now.”
It was Myeong-gyu.
Gil-sang nodded.
It was time for the playable demo to be released.
‘Right, this is part of the job.’
Just as the reinvigorated Gil-sang steeled his resolve, the octopus legs at his waist swaying, a notification sounded.
*Ding!*
A KakaoTalk message arrived.
[Yeon-gyeong: (Image of Gil-sang standing blankly in his three-legged octopus cosplay)]
[Yeon-gyeong: ?]
Gil-sang laughed, a sound of pure resignation.
And he left a message.
[Gil-sang: I've been through so much]
[Gil-sang: This is really hard]
[Yeon-gyeong: ;;;]
His war was just beginning.