Chapter 192
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 192
Chapter Title: An End to Deliberation
No matter how peculiar or eccentric a person or their actions may be, if you see it enough, you eventually learn to just accept it.
In the same vein, Han Seo-rim’s bizarre behavior had now become categorized in my mind as something like a ‘periodic fit.’
It was a momentary lapse that would quickly vanish if I treated it as usual, without adding or subtracting anything special.
Nevertheless, this time, I couldn’t help but be concerned.
Not for any particular reason, but because this cycle was lasting unusually long.
“I asked you to stop coming to my desk so often.”
Han Seo-rim whispered, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“The other employees will get the wrong idea.”
What wrong idea could they possibly get?
If I don’t come to your desk, how am I supposed to give you feedback?
“Hmm.”
I glanced around the art team.
The moment I looked up, everyone ducked behind their partitions like moles spotting a hunter.
Of course, I knew it was normal to try and be inconspicuous when a superior comes by… but still, I wondered if it was always like this here.
Setting aside my slight disappointment, I looked back at Han Seo-rim.
“…I have some requests for the map modeling.”
As I spoke, Han Seo-rim let out a deep sigh.
She shook her head, then replied with a heavy air of ‘I guess I have no choice.’
“Let me see it.”
“This part here.”
And with that, the morning feedback session was over.
Of course, Han Seo-rim’s fit wasn’t.
Afterward, Han Seo-rim continued her bizarre behavior several more times, in various forms.
When I asked her to lunch.
“Sorry. I’m planning to eat with my team members today. It looks a bit strange if we’re always off on our own during lunch, don’t you think?”
“?”
When I sent an email with additional feedback on the morning’s points, and when I went to her desk because she hadn’t received it.
“You’re so transparent, it’s a problem. Is it because your name is Yeon-ho that you’re so... naive?”
“???”
And when I suggested we get dinner before working late, as we usually did.
“Fine, fine. I give up!”
“?????”
This had been going on for four days now.
At this point, you’d have to be crazy not to think something was up.
‘What on earth is wrong with her?’
I wondered if there had been some incident, or if she was struggling with some personal problem.
The thought that I needed to find out suddenly crossed my mind.
After all, wasn’t it true?
No matter how well I’d helped her resolve her personal issues, the fact remained that Han Seo-rim had a fragile heart.
If a normal person were to continue such bizarre behavior for this long, it meant something was wrong.
The most likely cause was stress from an excessive workload.
Come to think of it, Han Seo-rim saw her vacation days as ‘days to sleep in and come to work late,’ so she probably hadn’t had a proper break at all.
Of course, I couldn’t jump to conclusions.
The best way to determine the exact cause was to hear it from her directly.
And that’s why I had arranged this meeting today.
“Have a drink.”
*Clink—*
We were at our usual izakaya.
It had become an unspoken rule for the two of us to come here whenever we drank together.
Anyway, I observed Han Seo-rim carefully.
I just couldn't figure out what was troubling her.
I figured I needed to get her a little drunk first, so I offered her a drink, and just as I expected… she started drinking faster than I’d anticipated.
She must have something weighing on her mind.
“Give me another glass.”
“Okay.”
“Another.”
“Okay.”
“More.”
The girl finished a whole bottle in less than ten minutes.
She was starting to get tipsy, her sighs laced with a hint of drunken complaint.
After about an hour of small talk about work and other things, Han Seo-rim’s true feelings finally came out.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
“Su-rim is getting married.”
“Ah.”
“Everyone’s getting married…”
My dear Seo-rim, she needed a partner!
* * *
“That’s not something I can just solve. If Seo-rim leaves, the entire art team collapses.”
Park Yeong-jun, the president of Neosoft, thought to himself as he looked at Yeon-ho, who had called him all the way out here just to ask about an employee’s future.
‘Is this guy insane?’
It wasn’t just because he’d been summoned to discuss an employee’s love life.
After all, wasn’t an employee a human resource?
Especially for a key member of the development team, an artist with a GOTY award under her belt—it was understandable to worry about how to keep her.
No, if it were him, he would have worried about even more than that.
Having been in this industry for so long, Yeong-jun had learned better than anyone that games are ultimately made by people, and that talent is irreplaceable.
And yet, there was one reason why the word ‘insane’ came to mind.
‘She’s dropping hints at *you*. Huh?! She’s trying to see if you’re interested in her, you bastard!’
President Park Yeong-jun was about to die from frustration.
Does he really not know?
Even he, who had never had a proper conversation with Seo-rim, could see it with 100% certainty. How could the person involved be so clueless?
He wanted to say something right then and there, but President Park Yeong-jun, with over fifty years of life experience, knew better.
With that much life under his belt, he knew that meddling in other people’s love lives only ever led to trouble.
So he kept his mouth shut, though he was burning up inside.
Thanks to that, he just kept gulping down his drink.
In the midst of it all, a question arose.
“…Well, she’s only human. She should be allowed to date. I don’t recommend marriage, though.”
Come to think of it, Seo-rim and Yeon-ho had met in college, founded a club together, and created the first *Hellic*.
A young man and woman, in their prime, spending so much time together in one space—could there really have been no emotional connection?
No, the other party clearly had feelings, so that was a given. But was Yeon-ho really not interested in Seo-rim at all?
When he brought it up, Yeon-ho’s left eyebrow twitched.
“Dating, you mean?”
“Right, Han Seo-rim should be dating, too. You can always make time for that if you try. Everyone says so.”
He was being sincere.
When people want to date, even the busiest ones will find a way, squeezing and compressing their schedules.
‘I had times like that, too…’
Humans live on memories, and at his age, such thoughts would occasionally drift by.
For a moment, a corner of his heart felt a cold, wistful pang. And in that instant, Yeong-jun saw Yeon-ho’s reaction.
“Hmm.”
His expression looked uncomfortable.
A rather interesting reaction.
‘Oh?’
Could it be that he was displeased with the very idea of Seo-rim seeing another man?
In other words, could he have feelings for her without even realizing it himself?
*Pop!* A firework went off in Yeong-jun’s head.
The thought of someone else’s budding romance sent a rush of dopamine through him.
Yeong-jun’s expression turned rather sly.
It was then.
That Yeon-ho shattered all of Yeong-jun’s expectations.
“Is dating really important enough to take time away from work?”
“?”
“Is it really that big of a deal…”
Without thinking, Yeong-jun suddenly asked.
“You’ve never dated, have you?”
The question hit the mark.
“I’ve been busy.”
“Hmm.”
“Is there a problem?”
“Hmm…”
Yeong-jun stroked his beard.
Many thoughts crossed his mind, and the one Yeong-jun chose was a question based on a past conversation with Yeon-ho.
“This is a bit sudden, but are you still planning on getting married someday?”
Yeon-ho tilted his head as if wondering why he was asking something so obvious.
“Isn’t that a given? I don’t want to live alone forever. It would be unfilial, too.”
“Oh.”
“It’s just not the right time. I’m still in the prime of my career.”
“Mm.”
Yeong-jun nodded.
He raised his glass and spoke.
“Have a drink.”
Yeon-ho, oblivious, clinked his glass and tossed the drink back.
Park Yeong-jun, the president of Neosoft—and before that, just Park Yeong-jun, the man.
Having lived for over fifty years, he always strived to maintain a youthful mindset and tended to view people with an open mind.
But even for Yeong-jun, Yeon-ho was truly bizarre.
‘He wants to get married, but wonders if dating is necessary…’
He wondered if the man was planning on an arranged marriage, but that seemed unlikely.
Which meant he must want to marry for love.
As they say, experience is the best teacher. Successfully navigating a relationship to marriage requires time to develop an eye for people.
You need to build experience before that.
Only those who have tried it truly know, and successfully navigating a relationship to marriage requires time to develop an eye for people.
And then there were the wedding preparations. You can’t just decide, “Let’s get married!” and have it happen.
The preparations take a minimum of a year, not to mention all the trouble before and after.
…No, setting all that aside, it was just scary.
‘What is this guy.’
Marriage as a matter of filial duty.
Didn’t it sound like he was just handling a work task?
It wasn’t as if he had a family fortune to inherit or came from a conservative household.
Now that they were this close, he knew that for a fact.
So, this wasn't someone who was anti-marriage or pro-marriage. He was just a monster.
Could it be that this man’s libido had been replaced by a thirst for achievement? (Correct).
In all his life, Yeong-jun had never encountered a type like this.
And because of that, a certain feeling arose.
Pity for the woman who would one day marry Yeon-ho.
“…Son of a bitch.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing, just talking to myself.”
“Hmm, anyway, it’s a problem. I was wondering if there was a way to relieve her stress with something other than dating.”
Yeong-jun decided to hold his tongue.
Sometimes, staying quiet is the best you can do.
* * *
I had been deliberating for a long time.
About Han Seo-rim.
Yes, when I thought about it, Han Seo-rim had worked by my side for so long and we’d built an emotional connection. I couldn’t just ignore her feelings.
I wasn’t the dictator of some totalitarian state; I couldn’t demand she sacrifice her personal freedom for work, could I?
Therefore, if she needed an emotional connection with someone, it was only right that I support her.
“So, Seo-rim. I have something to tell you.”
I called Han Seo-rim aside.
To the company rooftop.
It was the middle of the workday. No one was there but Han Seo-rim and me, and the autumn sky was clear.
“Something to… tell me?”
For some reason, Han Seo-rim looked nervous.
Had I pushed her this hard with work?
A sense of guilt washed over me, and I decided to use a gentler tone.
“You’ve seemed lonely lately. I felt bad, thinking I haven’t even given you time to date.”
“All of a sudden?”
“You must have had someone you liked at some point in your life.”
Han Seo-rim flinched.
I knew it. It was clearly because I’d given her too much work.
“…If you want, I can reduce your working hours.”
At those words, Han Seo-rim’s expression became strange.
It was a look I couldn’t read.
Her reply came.
“Do you think that’s what I want?”
“It’s not?”
“……”
Han Seo-rim’s lips pressed into a firm line.
She looked both angry and somehow crestfallen.
In any case, I had to say what I came to say.
“But listen.”
“……”
“If you really can’t find anyone suitable, let me know. I’m just saying you should be careful rather than jumping into anything. As for work, well, I’ll cut it down to a manageable level for you.”
Yes, this was the right thing to do.
If we were to continue developing together smoothly for a long time, this was the right way.
I suppressed a bitter feeling and turned my head away.
Han Seo-rim suddenly spoke.
“What if there’s no one suitable?”
When I turned back, her eyes were pleading for an answer.
I gladly gave her the answer I had been thinking of for a long time.
“Then I’ll have to take responsibility.”
“…What?”
“I said I’ll take responsibility.”
To the retirement home.
If loneliness is the problem, then we’ll go to the Studio Rewind retirement home together.
Before I could say the rest.
Han Seo-rim’s eyes welled up with tears.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
Immediately after, her face beet red, she turned and ran to the rooftop exit.
“?”
Did she not like that idea?
* * *
And so, one day, as things were somehow getting resolved.
It was a time when the planning for *Hellic 5* was nearing completion, and we were finally able to weave everything together for a prototype playtest.
“We’ve got the preliminary draft for the animation and a broadcast schedule!”
The *Demon’s Relic* animation was officially starting to get underway.