Chapter 171
Chapter 171
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Awards Ceremony - Hellic 4 (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“First, it’s an honor to receive such a major award. Personally, it feels like I’ve achieved a huge goal….”
On the awards stage, Han Seo-rim delivered her acceptance speech, her words clear and precise.
Not a trace of her previous crazed demeanor remained.
Just what on earth was she thinking?
The thought crossed my mind, and I let out a long breath to dismiss it.
It wasn't the first time Han Seo-rim had done something strange.
Her online community persona must have bled into reality.
There was something else that bothered me more.
‘What a shame.’
It was about me.
Personally, the one award I wanted to win at this ceremony as much as GOTY was the ‘Best Game Director Award,’ but that honor went not to me, but to the director of *Death Stranding*.
Things went according to the original future.
A sense of disappointment washed over me.
Even though my team members had all ascended the stage to claim the highest honors in their fields, the fact that I couldn't do the same was a little embarrassing, and I felt sorry.
Couldn't I have done better?
Or was I the one holding these talented people back from spreading their wings?
No matter how hard I tried to shake it off, the anxiety born from the tension wouldn't easily dissipate.
All I could ever do was suppress it.
If it was my team, not me, who was brilliant, then I had no choice but to utilize them to their fullest potential.
Just then, Han Seo-rim returned to her seat.
“Can you see it? This is the Art Award.”
“I see it. It’s so shiny.”
“Is it crystal? Wow, they really made it well.”
A satisfied smile spread across Han Seo-rim’s face.
Next to her, Jo A-yun was hugging her own award while playing a game again.
Jeon Yu-mi and Kim Hye-ji were craning their necks to get a look at Han Seo-rim’s award, while Mr. Kim Bae-seok had already disappeared.
He probably went to show it off to his family.
A boisterous atmosphere began to bubble up around our table.
But it didn't last long.
“Next up is the grand highlight! The Game of the Year!”
GOTY.
The owner of that glorious award was about to be decided.
* * *
Ann Wilson, a police officer working in southern Arizona, returned home after a grueling day.
Her neighborhood was rife with incidents, making police work exceptionally exhausting.
It was especially severe during the end-of-year season, to an indescribable degree.
From simple assaults to people rampaging with guns, the thought of transferring to a precinct in a safer neighborhood hadn't left her mind today either.
Nevertheless, the expression on Ann’s face was bright as she opened the door to her home.
She knew.
She knew that beyond this door, her childish son was waiting for her.
“You’re home?”
“Yes, what’s the special occasion? You’re actually in the living room.”
At her playful words, her son, Willy, pointed at the TV screen.
“I was watching this.”
Ann’s gaze turned to the TV.
A moment later, her eyes widened.
“Ah, it’s him.”
On the screen was a scene from some awards ceremony.
And in it was Yeon-ho.
The camera had caught Yeon-ho, his expression tense, listening intently to the host’s words.
Ann knew immediately what this was.
“A game awards show, I see. It’s bigger than I thought.”
“It’s the biggest awards show in the world. And the game about Grandpa is a nominee!”
Even hearing that, it didn't fully register with Ann.
In truth, she had little interest in the culture of gaming itself.
The only game Ann really knew was *Hellic 4*.
That was because it told the story of her father, Jade, and she had spoken directly with its creator, Yeon-ho, about it.
Suddenly, a conversation they had that day flashed through her mind.
—Your hell will not be long.
—Why?
—Because you were loved.
A small laugh escaped her lips.
What on earth did he know, to say something like that?
Even as she thought it, she remembered feeling comforted.
Perhaps it was something she had always wished for.
To be told she wasn't wrong, that there was nothing wrong with her.
Only with such words of affirmation could she even slightly lessen the burden of being unable to thank the ones who gave her life.
In that respect, Yeon-ho’s comfort had been helpful.
But it wasn't just because it was a simple consolation.
Ann was a police officer, a profiler, and a member of the violent crimes task force.
She prided herself on being a good judge of character.
She also prided herself on her ability to analyze people.
Her eyes had told her.
‘It was conviction.’
The moment Yeon-ho uttered those words, he was filled with conviction.
As if he were someone who had actually seen it for himself.
In a way, he could have been a madman.
Or perhaps an idealist who believed only a hopeful future could be real.
Whatever the case, his conviction had brought her comfort, so what more was there to say?
Ann had no way of confirming it.
No, perhaps she might be able to one day.
‘I’ll know when I actually die and go to hell.’
Wouldn't she be quite surprised if that hell looked exactly like the one Yeon-ho depicted?
She might even think that a man named Yeon-ho was an angel or an apostle sent to this earth by the Lord.
‘Thinking of it that way, it’s quite…’
Plausible.
The Yeon-ho that Ann had seen was someone who seemed detached from worldly affairs, yet possessed a strange intuition and conviction, exuding an unfamiliar, otherworldly aura.
It was a ridiculous fantasy, but an interesting one.
At the very least, if it were true, the fact that she was loved would become undeniably clear.
“Scoot over a bit.”
“Ah, okay.”
Ann soon sat down beside Willy and began watching TV with him.
Still in her uniform, her posture and gaze as she focused on the screen were a mirror image of her son’s, a clear sign of their mother-son bond.
[And now, the announcement! The glorious winner of this year’s Game of the Year is…!]
As if to build anticipation, the host’s showmanship in pausing made the mother and son swallow dryly at the same time.
And then,
[…Congratulations! *Hellic 4*! You’ve swept five of the awards presented this year!]
[Wooooo!!!]
Music erupted along with a roar of cheers.
In the midst of it all were Yeon-ho’s team members, screaming wildly, and Yeon-ho himself, clenching his fists tightly as the corners of his mouth twitched.
“Yes! This is it!”
Willy shot up from his seat and cheered.
His excited voice then turned to Ann.
“Mom! Did you see that?! Grandpa’s number one!”
“Calm down. It’s the game that got number one, not Grandpa.”
“Whatever!”
Ann chuckled.
The fantasy she had been entertaining until now had just lost some of its credibility.
‘So he knows how to smile so brightly.’
Detached? What detachment? The man she saw at the gravesite and the man on screen now seemed like two different people.
Smiling brightly, genuinely rejoicing in his achievement, he looked just like any other ordinary person.
The reason she was only seeing this side of him now was probably because he was a man who was that deeply immersed in and in love with his work.
[…Thank you.]
Yeon-ho expressed his gratitude in a trembling voice.
His smile looked somewhat awkward, as if he wasn't used to it.
Watching him, Ann said to Willy,
“Should we send him a congratulatory letter?”
“Oh, f—!”
“Language.”
“That’s a great idea!”
When would he ever fix that F-bombing habit? A police officer’s son, and he talked like a gangster.
Ann put him in a headlock, and Willy cried out in mock pain.
A scene from a family home, on a certain winter’s day.
* * *
*Hellic 4*, the 2019 GOTY.
This fact was confirmed as the year drew to a close.
The ripple effect it created, both inside and outside the industry, was enormous.
Externally, of course, there was the Korean media.
[From a University Club to the World’s Top Game Company. REWIND’s President Cheon Yeon-ho Does It Again!]
The media loved Yeon-ho.
He was young, well-educated, and handsome.
No, it was because he was a young IT icon who had achieved meteoric success with such a background.
After all, wasn't this a country where everyone, while pretending otherwise, was crazy about enhancing national prestige?
With related articles making Yeon-ho’s face recognizable even to those who didn't know games, the GOTY win became a source of public pride.
It was the perfect feel-good story to wrap up the year and lift the public mood.
But that was as far as it went.
The story of *Hellic 4* didn't spread much further among the general public.
A game was still a game, after all, and the ones who rejoiced the most were the players.
『ManWhoReclaimedHellic4: I worship you, GOAT….
(Image of a goat and Alice Yeon-ho photoshopped together)
You are the savior of the gaming world….
FutureNotSoBright: LMAO that pic
OneMoreKing: Hey, barkeep! A bowl of black goat soup, on the double!
CorpSlaveSwordTest: CheonYeonHoCheonYeonHoCheonYeonHoCheonYeonHo!!!
YeonHo’sDog: Sob sob, oppa is so prettyyyy
└ NationalExamFlunkee: Why is this dude always here when he doesn't even play games?』
However, their joy wasn't just because a Korean game company had won GOTY.
If that were the case, it would have been just a repeat of the reaction to *Identity*.
There was one more reason why users were particularly thrilled about this award.
『BloodLordOfBangbae: Think they'll release a GOTY edition bundled with the DLC?
Rewind's known for their short dev cycles and they officially said a DLC is in development, so it seems likely they'll drop it all at once, right?』
*Hellic 4*, a game that had left a shocking record, and its DLC was already officially announced to be in development.
Sona wasn't stupid; a GOTY edition was a given.
And the most effective way to boost its sales was obviously to bundle it with the DLC.
It was something that both users who hadn't bought the game yet and those who already owned it could look forward to.
Above all, a GOTY Edition meant Rewind might release merchandise.
That anticipation stirred the user base.
『FutureNotSoBright: Rewind merch is always top-tier….
Imagine how much chicken you could buy by reselling it lol
WannaQuitJaehee: fr fr lol』
Rewind’s merchandise events were special.
Their rarity was special, their quality was special, and their symbolic value was special.
That was why everyone wanted them.
In fact, at this point, the users’ predictions were all correct.
Under normal circumstances, Yeon-ho would have immediately started working on plans related to this event.
But on December 18th.
What Yeon-ho did upon returning to the office after his trip abroad was none of those things.
“I need a full inspection of the company’s intranet system.”
Under the pretext of year-end maintenance, Yeon-ho was engrossed in overhauling the company's internal systems.
This had been going on for the past two months.
No one knew the reason why.
They just thought that the demonic man, who had no intention of letting them rest even at the end of the year, was up to his strange antics again.
Of course, there were some improvements.
The reporting structure was simplified and digitized, reducing fatigue. Additionally, with fewer direct confrontations with superiors, mental exhaustion decreased.
Thinking it was a good thing in the long run, the intranet system connecting Development Teams 1 through 3 and the business department was completed smoothly. Separately, preparations for the DLC also proceeded steadily.
It was then.
The moment when a disaster no one in the world knew about, a disaster that only Yeon-ho had prepared for, descended upon the world.
[Anonymous: Heard a new virus is spreading?]
It was the dawn of the COVID era.