Chapter 188
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Release - Hellic 2 Remake (4)
This was the first time I’d ever seen a celebrity this up close.
Sure, she was a celebrity from a past generation, but that didn't make the experience any less surprising.
From the composition of her features to the way she smiled, her perfect posture, and even the texture of her hair—she exuded an aura that was the very model of pure innocence. It made me realize all over again just how different celebrities really are.
“I’ve been enjoying the *Hellic* series.”
With a smile that seemed somewhat business-like, Jinnie offered me a handshake.
“…I’m Cheon Yeon-ho. It’s an honor to meet you.”
“An honor? I’m just a has-been now.”
“When I was in the army, One-Hit Girl was the most popular group.”
“That just proves I’m a has-been. Wasn’t that over ten years ago?”
“……”
She was right.
Back then, the sergeant above me was a crazed fan of the newly debuted One-Hit Girl, which is the only reason I even bothered to memorize the members’ names.
A moment of silence passed, then Jinnie let out a low laugh.
“Anyway, thank you for coming all this way. Shall we talk business now?”
“Yes.”
The discussion about the advertisement was nothing special.
It was more of a marketing contract. As a fan who had enjoyed Rewind’s games for a long time, she would sign a year-long contract to be the face of our marketing campaigns.
For instance, she would play *Hellic 2 Remake* and other Rewind games on her stream, which was already enjoying an explosive surge in popularity.
Moreover, since Jinnie (TheFutureIsNotBright) had already finished all our games, she could weave in stories from her idol days related to each game and its era, creating buzz just like she did before.
Honestly, it wasn’t something that required an in-person meeting.
The only reasons we met face-to-face were because her side requested it and my own personal curiosity, both of which were now satisfied.
“Well then, I’ll see you around if our paths cross again.”
“Yes, please have a safe trip back.”
We exchanged goodbyes, and I turned to leave.
In my hand was an autograph from Jinnie of One-Hit Girl.
‘Hmm.’
Now that I was alone, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘I’m pretty sure she was the one who pushed that cross-dressing meme of me the hardest.’
Calling her two-faced would be an understatement.
I knew exactly what had happened in the community forums I’d been lurking in to keep tabs on Han Seo-rim.
TheFutureIsNotBright, formerly known as T-lesslyBright, was the one who had spread the cross-dressing meme of me more fervently than anyone else, constantly using my infamous nickname and spamming the forums with lewd pictures of me (why those even exist, I have no idea) like a terrorist.
Recalling that, the autograph suddenly didn't seem so great anymore.
Where should I even stash this thing?
Mulling it over, I headed back to my desk.
* * *
Every market has its trends.
It could be a physical object, a particular phrase, or a genre-defining trend.
It could also be something that shines brightly for a moment before fading away, or something that is talked about for a long time and remains in people's memories.
In any case, the nature of a trend is that you never know when or how it will start, nor in what way or how far it will spread.
But one thing was certain about any trend.
There was always a cause, and in this industry, especially in the world of online streaming and gaming, the ‘actions of an influential individual’ played a major role in steering the current.
“*Hellic*? It’s been with me for half my life, how could I let it go now? Besides, I’m a promotional ambassador. I have to work hard.”
This time, the trend was led by Jihyun.
Starting with *Hellic 2 Remake*, Jihyun gathered tens of thousands of viewers from the very beginning. She launched a massive promotional playthrough of Rewind’s games, attempting to make *Hellic* go viral among other streamers and their audiences.
It worked beautifully.
First, viewers who watched Jihyun’s stream went to other channels and requested they play *Hellic*. When those requests were met, it created a chain reaction that boosted the total viewership for *Hellic* across the entire platform.
It didn’t end there.
Although she had returned to the scene as an online streamer, Jihyun was fundamentally an idol, a professional entertainer.
She was scheduled for appearances on broadcast television and variety shows, and the story of her sensational return and her connection to Rewind became an indispensable topic of conversation.
“Jihyun, next question. What is your favorite game from Rewind?”
“That’s a tough one. *Hellic 2* is a classic, so it’s definitely a contender. Personally, I also liked *Identity* and *Hellic 4*.”
“Have you met Director Cheon Yeon-ho?”
“It was actually my first time seeing him in person, but I felt such a strong one-sided familiarity that it wasn’t awkward at all. I mean, I’ve been looking at his face for ten years…”
“I hear he’s quite handsome.”
“He does have a face that looks like it’d be bad at development.”
“?”
“Oops, I mean, he’s very handsome.”
The wind was at our backs.
The title of ‘legendary K-pop idol’ was, at least in this era, a powerful marketing tool that generated immense promotional effects.
On a side note, there was this.
After Jihyun’s identity was revealed, the username ‘TheFutureIsNotBright’ was no longer seen in the gaming communities.
Of course, she might still be lurking in the community under a different name (a high probability), but that was something only she would know.
One amusing thing came out of the whole process.
『NewbieBaby: *Hellic 2 Remake* is fun.
Is it very different from the original? Could I get recommendations for other *Hellic* games or Rewind titles?
OneMoreMoveTheKing: Is that you, Bright?
└ PassedTheExam: This guy posts the same damn thing on every thread.』
OneMoreMoveTheKing, a man of obsession and madness.
His comment, ‘Is that you, Bright?’, which he posted under every thread, soon became a meme and spread throughout the entire internet.
In other words, everything was going well.
* * *
Yuri, of Development Team 3, who had successfully launched *Hellic 2 Remake*, felt a wave of relief.
‘I survived!’
And he made a decision.
‘I’m quitting!’
His head was finally clear.
He must have been suffering from a temporary breakdown of his dopamine receptors, driven by the responsibility and pressure to finish the project he was in charge of, no matter what.
There was no other explanation.
‘Good heavens…’
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how strange he had been.
Who acts like a veritable cult leader just because people around them are hyping them up?
Who tries to bury someone with office politics just because their authority was questioned? Well, plenty of people, probably! But would anyone do that over a mere team leader position, as if they were the head of state?
He even held a religious gathering!
The team members who went along with it didn't seem to be in their right minds either, but it was clear to anyone that he, the one who had gotten completely absorbed in it and led the meeting, was the strangest of all!
‘I have to get out. I have to leave this place to survive!’
He couldn't take any more of this.
If he were asked to develop another game, he was certain he would go completely insane.
…Or so thought the man who had, in fact, simply fulfilled his responsibilities as a team leader and launched a brilliant game.
As they say, every office worker carries a resignation letter in their heart.
Yuri was no different.
He sensed that the time had come to use the resignation letter (a shred of his sanity) that he had been cherishing in his heart ever since he became the director of *Hellic 2 Remake* right after joining the company.
His steps toward the President’s office were confident.
The feel of his shoe soles against the floor with each stride was reassuring.
With every step forward, it felt as though shackles were falling away.
A sense of liberation enveloped his entire body, seeming to form wings behind his shoulder blades.
His dark skin and blue eyes created an exotic beauty, and the smile on his face made that beauty blossom into an even more radiant form.
And so he arrived at the President's office.
“President!!!”
Yuri came face-to-face with Yeon-ho.
Yeon-ho stopped the paperwork he was doing and looked up.
A rare look of excitement was visible on his face.
“Ah, Yuri, you’re here. I was just about to come looking for you.”
“Eh?”
“Have a seat. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”
This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Yuri’s plan was to throw his resignation letter at the villainous President (Yeon-ho), who would be looking at him indifferently as if asking what the fuss was about, and declare, ‘I’ve done my part, so I’m out of here!’
But Yeon-ho was being far too amiable.
Swept up by the atmosphere, Yuri sat down on the sofa with a demure posture.
And then, an irresistible, tsunami-like wave crashed over him.
“I was truly moved by this remake. It was apparent during the development process, but it was such a clean and elegant reinterpretation. I was particularly impressed with the reinforcement of the build system and how you neatly organized user feedback since the original’s release to balance the game. And the graphics were, of course, impeccable.”
“Uh…”
“You must have gone through a lot to complete a project of this quality in such a short time. You’ve done something worthy of praise, so the least I can do is offer it. As your superior, I always feel lacking, and it makes me ashamed.”
“Th-that’s…”
“Oh, right. The reason I was looking for you was for a salary negotiation. It’s only natural to compensate talent accordingly. I was thinking of an increase of this much…”
Yeon-ho handed him a printed document.
Yuri’s eyes widened as if they would tear as he read the contents.
“Uh, uh…?”
“It’s a perfectly reasonable amount. In fact, I’m sorry I couldn't offer you more.”
“Ghk…!”
Having been in the industry for a while, Yuri knew.
Rewind’s salaries were already known to be among the highest in the business.
One might say it was compensation befitting the murderous workload.
But even setting that aside…
‘Is this, is this money really going into my pocket?’
This salary negotiation was a game-changer for Yuri.
Frankly, considering the money Yuri had earned for the company, it was a perfectly plausible figure, but Yuri the employee had no idea about the company’s overall cash flow.
His head was spinning.
And that wasn't all.
“I have another project I’d like to entrust to Team 3. Hmm, you could say it’s somewhere between a remake and an original. It’s a spin-off story, an RPG featuring the protagonist of *Hellic 1*, the Blue Warden. I can’t shake the feeling that this is a job only you can handle.”
Yuri Jackson, as anyone who knew him was aware, was easily swayed by the atmosphere.
He also had no immunity to praise and would get excited in an instant, his shoulders puffing up with pride.
To use a slightly crass analogy, he was like a wide-eyed country girl, fresh in the city, who would give her heart and soul at a host’s single sweet whisper.
Intoxicated by the fulfillment of his need for recognition, the increased salary, and the warm atmosphere, Yuri picked up the pen as if possessed.
*Scribble, scribble.* The contract was signed.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes! You can count on me!”
Yuri replied with a beaming smile. It was only after he returned home that he realized his mistake.
“Whyyyyyyyy!!!”
The cult leader act would have to continue for a little while longer.
Probably for a very long time.
* * *
The year 2021 was quite an eventful one for the game industry.
It wasn't that problems had suddenly erupted out of nowhere; rather, as the market as a whole expanded, it drew more focus, and various issues that had previously gone unnoticed were belatedly brought to the surface.
Among them, the biggest incident that occurred in Korea was this.
“Hah, I don’t know why I’m seeing so many of these trucks lately.”
Park Yeong-jun, the CEO of Neosoft, chuckled.
Yes, it was that time.
The period when the scandal involving the manipulation of probability-based cash items in domestic online games came to light.
“Everyone’s getting killed out there. Thanks to my friend here, I jumped ship to console games and dodged it all.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, there was even one of those user conferences recently, wasn’t there? For that, what was it…”
I half-listened to him as I sipped my drink.
The mention of truck protests had triggered my PTSD.
‘It was absolute hell in my past life.’
I had never been so miserable as I was during that period.
The probability manipulation that other teams had been secretly practicing as a matter of course was exposed, and a scandal broke out involving one of the management staff duplicating and selling game items. The entire company was in an uproar.
Because of that, I had to listen to the outcry of angry users every day on my way to work. Even I, who had only ever released flops and was on the periphery of all this, was monitored to see if I was involved in any scandals, forced to walk on eggshells.
But now, it was someone else’s problem.
That's why I could relax and share a drink with CEO Park Yeong-jun.
It was then.
“Ah, speaking of which, there’s another one of those conferences happening right now.”
CEO Park Yeong-jun fiddled with his smartphone and pulled up a live-streaming video.
I felt a flicker of curiosity.
It wasn't like there was only one or two games holding these conferences.
“Let’s have a look.”
Since it was someone else's house on fire, I leaned in with a cheerful heart, and—
*Freeze.*
That was a clear mistake.
[Uh, you still haven’t, uh, answered the question about the coefficient issue with Blizzard Ice…]
A face that should not have been there was on the screen.
[P-please explain this…!]
It was a user conference hall, with some kind of mushroom-headed character decorating the background.
There, a figure in a suit and mask, with a familiar pink head of hair, stood out.
The stuttering speech and the round eyes were all too familiar.
“Oh.”
CEO Park Yeong-jun froze and started glancing at me.
“……”
Inwardly, I let out a question that would never reach her.
‘A-yun, A-yun…’
…What are you doing there?