Chapter 189
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Our Embarrassing Child
In truth, all of this was a foreseen tragedy.
If there were things Yeon-ho could prevent through his regression and things he could not, this incident belonged to the latter.
No, to be precise, he could have stopped it if he had tried.
It would be more accurate to say this happened because Yeon-ho was the type of person who made no effort to change the flow of events through his regression.
And why wouldn't he be?
If he wanted to, Yeon-ho could rewrite the history of the domestic game industry.
Even if he wasn't interested in that, he could have properly looked after A-yun.
There was only one reason he didn't.
If he, without revealing his regression, had simply said, "Don't play that game," or "There's going to be a truck protest on this day, so don't pay attention to it," wouldn't he just look like a madman?
In the first place, he had perhaps trusted A-yun too much.
In any case, the accident happened for that reason, and this was the result.
"P-Please explain...!"
The conference hall was frigid.
To be more specific, only the management's side was frigid.
The users were in a festive mood.
[―ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Rewind makes an appearance ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[―Wait, Jo A-yun was a Maple player?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[―You didn't know? She's a famous ranker on the Scaris server.]
[―Damn, but having her show up at the conference and call them out on everything is so satisfying ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
A-yun was a celebrity.
Studio Rewind itself was a corporate giant striding across the world stage, and A-yun's own career as a sound director was particularly brilliant even within the industry, so both users and developers knew her well.
The users' cheers, the management's troubled expressions.
Driving both fans and haters mad, it was no exaggeration to call A-yun a true star!
"Well, uh..."
Of course, the management team genuinely hated A-yun.
‘Why is she raising hell at someone else’s place of business!!!’
One could call it an act devoid of business ethics.
But they couldn't just say whatever they wanted, because A-yun was here not as Studio Rewind's sound director, but as a heavy-spending, high-ranking Maple Story player.
In other words, a customer.
‘Did she come just to mess with us?’
They didn't know.
Beneath her pink hair, her round, pitch-black eyes betrayed no hint of human emotion.
It was like peering into the eternal, dark abyss.
Was this the dignity of a composer who crafted the music of hell?
'Ah, I wish she would just disappear.'
Please, just get kicked out of the industry... They wished for it, but unfortunately, it was something that could never happen.
Putting all else aside, it was physically impossible.
In terms of corporate size, the Maple Story company was much larger.
That was only natural, given their free-to-play monetization model and the corporate bulk they had amassed over a long time.
However, Studio Rewind was too unique.
And the standing of that sound director, Jo A-yun, was even more unique.
Everyone in the industry knew.
They knew what it meant for a sound director, not even the main director, to sweep awards every time a game was released.
How praised a genius with irreplaceable talent was, and how much influence their every word carried.
Jo A-yun was a supernova.
Moreover, she was at the top of the industry, still writing her legend.
Trying to touch her would only result in backlash. That was Rewind, and that was Jo A-yun.
That wasn't all.
Beyond the company's image, power, and industry standing, becoming enemies with Rewind meant becoming enemies with Neosoft, led by President Park Yeong-jun, the fastest-rising company in the domestic game industry.
A single misstep could cause the current situation to escalate even further.
It could become an issue in the global gaming world, and for that reason, the higher-ups were in an uproar.
—What the hell did you do to make Rewind show up!!!
It was never their intention.
They hadn't even thought about Rewind.
No, who in the world would have known?
What kind of lunatic would think, ‘A key member of the industry's top developer is enjoying our game, so we must be more careful!’
And yet!
‘Why... how...?’
How did this happen?
"Th-This time, regarding the Atomic Thunder coefficient..."
The management team wanted to die.
***
"I apologize."
A swift apology is a tool that can amicably resolve most conflicts in the world.
Add alcohol to the mix, and the proposition of conflict resolution becomes even more successful.
This is why connections are a good thing.
With President Park Yeong-jun as the mediator, I had arranged a meeting with the president of NexT Games, the company that owned Maple Story, and was now bowing my head.
The president, a man in his mid-fifties, was fortunately in a good mood from the drinks and accepted my apology.
"Haha, it must have been something done in the heat of youth. Above all, Ms. Jo A-yun has been a customer who has loved our game for over ten years."
"I believe it is my fault for failing to manage my employee."
"Oh no, not at all. In fact, I'm glad we could have this meeting."
There was no sign of displeasure in his hearty laugh.
Right, he wouldn't dislike this meeting.
After all, the president of NexT ended up profiting from it.
'The follow-up was fast. Faster than the future I knew.'
The acceptance of feedback related to the conference was faster than in the original future.
This was because the working-level staff had staked their careers on damage control to avoid the backlash from Jo A-yun, and thanks to that, the resulting roadmap had been quite well-received by the users.
Not only did it receive a positive response, but the clean follow-up also created anticipation for their management, which, in turn, had a significant viral effect.
The number of concurrent users, a quantifiable metric, had increased.
Distributing high-value items, commonly called 'feed,' must have played a part as well.
In any case, public sentiment was won over, and operating profits rose.
Only the working-level staff took the blame for their past negligence.
And NexT had also skillfully used the backlash caused by Jo A-yun's intervention.
"Ah, what are your plans for the live broadcast schedule?"
"We'll arrange it as soon as possible. A-yun wants to do it too."
This wasn't just any live broadcast.
He was referring to the arrangement for Jo A-yun to appear on NexT's director's live stream and make a gesture of reconciliation.
This too was a form of viral marketing.
Within our company, she was a dazed child who toddled around smiling, but externally, the influence Jo A-yun had on the industry could not be called small, not even as a joke.
It was only natural that this gesture would have an even more positive effect on user acquisition.
"Well then, it seems we've sorted things out. We shouldn't be talking about such dreary things at a fine gathering like this. Let's have a drink."
*Haha,* the president of NexT laughed.
I raised my glass with both hands, clinked it against his, turned my head, and downed it in one go.
'One problem solved, for now.'
I felt a sense of relief.
Only now could I reflect on the dizzying memory.
It was none other than my prior meeting with Jo A-yun.
—A-yun, why did you do it...?
—Th-The management was so, f-fucking terrible....
—Still, there's such a thing as business ethics....
—I-I've poured over th-thirty million into this game...!
—A-yun...?
—Th-They fucked up the b-balance patch...! Th-Those bastards were in the wrong...!
My scolding had brought out her fury.
It was the first time I had ever seen Jo A-yun's face turn bright red as she fumed, and it flustered even me.
What was Maple Story to Jo A-yun?
I still didn't really know.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
'I just hope she doesn't cause any trouble during the live stream.'
As I was thinking, President Park Yeong-jun spoke up as if to lighten the mood.
"Alright, since you two seem to have resolved things amicably, now..."
The gathering continued for quite some time.
***
A few days later, it was the day of the live stream.
Though I'd never had a habit associated with anxiety in my life, today, for some reason, I was biting my nails out of a rising sense of unease.
"Should I go buy you some nail clippers? Why are you chewing on them like that?"
Han Seo-rim looked at me as if I were pathetic, but I couldn't help it.
And why would I?
"We're about to start!"
Beyond the glass wall of the broadcasting room, sitting next to the director of Maple Story with a cheeseburger in hand, was none other than the troublemaker, Jo A-yun.
'A-yun, please, just don't misspeak...!'
Please, just don't do that one thing...!
I prayed fervently.
My prayer was all the more desperate because of the resentment Jo A-yun had shown in our previous meeting.
Even so, time passed, and it was just before the broadcast.
"3! 2! 1!"
The cameras started rolling.
"We will now begin the broadcast!"
As soon as the live stream began, chat messages started scrolling up.
[―What in the world is this combination? lololol]
[―What, did they make up?]
[―They're not fighting? Isn't it a Rewind tradition to settle things with fists?]
[―What's with the cheeseburger? lolol Is this viral marketing for the Hellic 2 remake?]
The director offered his greetings.
With a physique and appearance that exuded development prowess, he introduced Jo A-yun in a calm voice.
"This is Studio Rewind's Sound Director, Jo A-yun. It's an honor to have such a famous person with us."
"Ah, hellooo..."
The fingers holding the cheeseburger fidgeted.
So far, so good.
"I-I'm Ayuning, the guild master of the Starlight Guild on the Scaris server...!"
Yes!
'Well done, A-yun!'
An attitude that made it clear she was here as a user, not a developer.
It looked very good!
Several more introductory lines were exchanged after that.
It was a continuous series of heart-pounding moments.
Fortunately, there had been no slips of the tongue so far.
No, she was controlling the situation so perfectly that there was nothing that could be called a slip of the tongue!
"I-I've been playing M-Maple since middle school... I-I also met the president there for the first time..."
"I-I'm a Thunder Cold mage... I was originally a Bishop, but the damage was lackluster..."
"A class with high DPS is..."
It was all about Maple Story.
This was for the best.
What was the purpose of this meeting in the first place?
It was to show that the hostile stance Jo A-yun had displayed at the conference had been completely resolved.
The best way to do that was to show her affection for the game.
Indeed, Jo A-yun did that very well, and the reaction in the chat was explosive.
[―Why is she such an expert?]
[―You think the Starlight Guild is a joke? They're the first-clear guild for raids on Scaris.]
[―??? How does a working professional get a raid first clear?]
[―That's why she's a legend.]
[―Wow, but this practical info is super useful lolol.]
It wasn't just affection for the game, but also the sharing of practical information.
And she even evoked nostalgia by recounting stories from the game's past.
"T-Ten years ago, even just getting to the 3rd job advancement was a big deal... Back then, the job advancement story was..."
Well done, Jo A-yun!
Amazing, Jo A-yun!
The atmosphere continued to warm up naturally.
'Now, if we can just wrap this up nicely...!'
My fists clenched tightly.
I felt sweat trickling down my back.
I couldn't let my guard down until the very end.
However, the realization that there was something I had failed to notice always comes too late.
"Then let's move on to questions. Ms. A-yun, now that you're sitting face-to-face with the director, do you have any questions about the game? Ah, you can also ask on behalf of the users' curiosities!"
For some reason, those words filled me with anxiety—a fear, I now realize, born from experience.
Jo A-yun's pupils turned pitch black.
The corners of her mouth curled up in a smirk that was somehow sinister.
I knew that feeling.
"D-Director..."
"Yes?"
"Y-Your name and age..."
My eyes shot open.
"Uh... Kim Gyeong-gu, thirty-nine?"
"Development experience?"
Then, they squeezed shut.
Ah, she came here to do this from the start.
She came to take down the director.
Having been on the receiving end, I knew.
[―Huh, this setup...]
"Wh-What was your favorite project to develop?"
The director, naively answering the ensuing questions, would have no idea.
[―Anyone clip that?]
He wouldn't know what kind of scheme was being concocted in the scrolling chat.
I apologized internally.
'I'm sorry.'
I'm sorry that our child is one we're ashamed to present...
The next day, a mysterious video was delivered to the online communities.