The Total Director Oh Pil-seong (2)
“Hey, right there?”
Liam tilted his head and asked. I stared at the same spot, then furrowed my brows.
“A little lower, please—closer to the ground. It’s too small to see from up here.”
I and Liam were soaring through the sky. Our daughters and son were with us, too.
The twin girls and baby Rohan were floating high in the air yet behaved as if they were on solid ground. It was all thanks to Liam’s magic.
“Just a second.”
Liam didn’t chant or use any magic-support tools. He didn’t need to.
He simply reached into his pocket and gave one casual wave of his hand. Even though the action was half-hearted, it was the most faithful servant Liam could ask for.
Soon magic flared. Our entire family began a slow, smooth descent from the heavens—far more stable than walking.
Still amazing.
I wanted to brag about it, but I kept my mouth shut. Honestly, it was shocking. I was always lazing around, yet his magic skills were growing stronger every day.
Actually, as the old hero, I could cast even ultra-high-tier spatial teleportation. But the mana cost was ridiculous, so I rarely used it.
Still, flying alone was faster than any public transport. In a country as narrow as Korea, we could see the whole place in just an hour or two.
Waste of talent.
A sudden memory surfaced. The Guardian had once said something to me.
-I think Liam has overwhelming talent because the Goddess played a mean trick on him. What do you think?
Back then, how would I have answered? It’s been decades. I vaguely remember saying something like this:
-What the hell? You insulting the Goddess? You want me to kill you?
…That was a good time.
Back when I was the Saint, I could speak however I wanted—no honorifics, no polite bows. My temper never changed. I just looked calmer because I corrected my speech every time.
Even I sometimes fooled myself into thinking I’d become gentle. But it was all an illusion. The long papacy had made me calmer on the surface, yet my core stayed the same.
The only thing that truly changed was my identity.
“Clityia, look down there.”
The man who had completely reshaped my identity—Liam—pointed below again.
I followed his finger and saw a sleek building. On the top left of the company sign, the name was written in English:
[ARISE]
Arise.
The game company that created Apolis Tales and Solar Scepter.
Before I was transmigrated, I remembered it as just an average developer that made decent games. That was all I had stored in my memory.
But judging by the rapid growth, they must have exploded in popularity while I was gone. I’d heard they now called it “shooting up” in the industry.
Anyway, we had finally arrived.
“Yes, that’s it. Let’s land right here.”
“You got here so fast because of me, yet you’re not offering anything?”
“Thank you.”
“Not that. You know what’s going on and still do this? You want to keep flying forever?”
“……”
Thinking about it now, Liam had changed because of me too. From a shameless womanizer who chased every woman to a pure-hearted man who only looked at me. Just that small shift had turned him remarkably gentle.
We were living lives shaped by each other’s changes.
“You’re really going to make me unable to live anymore.”
I had no choice. I gave the man what he wanted—a light kiss on the cheek.
This was easy. It was far better than whatever “bigger thing” he might demand.
“Is that all?”
“If I say it’s not enough, will you do more?”
“……Please, let’s land already.”
Only then did Liam slowly descend to the ground.
As we got closer, people’s gazes turned toward us. I had expected it, and Liam didn’t care about strangers, so neither of us paid them any mind.
Meanwhile, my daughters were busy chatting among themselves, completely unfazed.
“Mom! I want to stay in the sky forever!”
“Mom, let’s go down without me.”
“That’s too mean!”
“Got it.”
“I hate you!”
Even their playful squabbles were adorable. Smiling warmly, I finally touched down.
I lightly shook off the dizziness from the flight and looked up at the building right in front of me.
“Well, let’s head inside.”
We hadn’t made an appointment, but there should be no problem.
I suppose, from this place’s perspective, I technically belong here too?
Since the developers who built this world had created me and Liam, we were basically employees.
***
Oh Pil-seong, the total director of Solar Scepter, was stunned by the sudden news.
“Who… arrived?”
A visitor had come. It wasn’t anything earth-shattering on its own.
The real issue was who the visitor was.
“Th-the returnee who was transmigrated into our game, along with his family. He wants to meet the Solar Scepter responsible party…”
“……”
It was happening. The back of Oh Pil-seong’s neck tingled. He quickly rinsed his face with cold water and pulled himself together.
This was an emergency situation.
“Please escort them to the conference room. I’ll handle the materials myself.”
He gave quick orders, then began rummaging through his desk. He had a good idea of what the returnee might want to say.
Probably something weak.
On the Friday evening of the broadcast, when the Pope had spoken, Arise had been thrown into chaos.
It was only natural. The game the returnee had transmigrated into was one of Apolis Tales’ flagship titles.
Still, Pil-seong had already anticipated it. He had sensed it when Liam Erams barged into the live-news set and caused a scene. He hadn’t told the other staff, but he knew.
Things like this happen…
His hand stopped moving. He picked up an old, tattered notebook from his desk. It looked like trash, but anyone who read the writing on the cover would treasure it like gold.
[Apolis Tales Settings]
Eight years ago, when Pil-seong was still a developer, he had filled this notebook with notes.
Among them were names and backgrounds of people who had recently caused a stir in Korea.
He flipped quickly to the page he wanted.
[The Final Hero Party]
One of the dozens of hero parties listed only in the settings—placed almost at the very end.
As proof that it wasn’t an important character, names and brief descriptions were jumbled together on one page.
Did he really expect me to show the player their own settings?
This was a last-resort tactic to convince the returnee.
***
The conference room carried a refined atmosphere.
I sat alone on the high seat, with Rohan safely tucked in my arms.
Liam was waiting downstairs in the lobby café with the girls. We had a long conversation ahead, so the babies and their still-babyish mother had to be left behind.
“Rohan. I’ve said this many times, but you cannot become like your father.”
Our son blinked at me with big, round eyes. Already he was starting to resemble Liam a little.
This is a problem…
I hoped he wouldn’t turn into a delinquent like his father when he grew up. I only wanted him to inherit his handsome looks.
To calm my restless heart, I sipped the tea the staff had brought. It was far more luxurious than anything I had at home.
Still a big corporation…
Dealing with guests was different at a successful company. I liked it.
Honestly, it felt a bit lacking for a “big” corporation, but I decided to add more staff. After all, this place wasn’t my workplace.
“Dada! Dada!”
“Rohan, be quiet. Mom has important work to do.”
“Diya!”
“Huh? Is that how you speak to me?”
Just as I was having this one-sided talk with my son, the door opened.
A middle-aged, slightly chubby man with a professional look and a neat suit entered. He matched the face I had seen in advance.
“Total Director Oh Pil-seong, I presume.”
“Yes, that’s me. I didn’t expect you to recognize me.”
As he stepped closer, he offered me a polite handshake. I took it and gave a light smile.
“Nice to meet you. You already know, but I’m Clityia Elluke. Just call me Elluke.”
“Ah, yes…”
Oh Pil-seong looked flustered for some reason. He couldn’t even hold my gaze properly.
Was it because of my appearance? It made sense. It was familiar to me, so I felt nothing.
I sat down first to ease his discomfort.
“I’d like to start the conversation right away. What do you think?”
“Yes, that sounds good. But first, I’d appreciate it if you could look at this.”
The director pulled a notebook from his pocket and placed it on the table. When I opened it, familiar names and settings came into view.
[Hero Liam Erams]
-A wanton hero who chases women
-Handsome face, but no real value
-Awakens to a power surpassing even the Demon King, yet fails to think clearly until the very end
[Saint Clityia Elluke]
-Beautiful and ascetic, yet frail
-Only sacred magic is truly powerful
[Sage Erin]
-A young girl
-Sister of the Tower Lord
[Guardian Logan Dr. Lamelite]
-Noble-born spirit mage
-The de facto leader who replaces the delinquent hero
[Great Warrior Ivar]
-Serious martial artist
-A heavyweight
Too simple and fragile settings. Yet I could feel the genuine care with which he had written them. There were places where he had crossed out and rewritten.
“…What is this?”
“Settings for Your Holiness Elluke and your companions. I wrote them myself eight years ago.”
“……”
At that moment, twenty years of memories flashed through my mind like lightning.
From the day I was transmigrated until the day I returned. All the memories I had accumulated surged at once.
How could I express the emotion I felt now? It was overwhelming.
I never imagined I would meet the person who had created “Clityia Elluke.”
“…I never thought I would meet you here like this.”
I lifted Rohan, smiling warmly, and turned him toward Oh Pil-seong.
I had come here to protest, but I ended up meeting such an important person.
“Rohan, say hello. This is your grandfather.”
“…Grandpa?”
“The person who made me today must be my father, right?”
Oh Pil-seong was exactly the same as my father. And so were my other companions.
“Come to think of it, you’re also Liam’s father. We never imagined the setting would have us as siblings married to each other.”
“……”
My triumphant joke made Oh Pil-seong’s lips twitch awkwardly. Anyone could see he was forcing a smile.
Should I have spoken more gently?
From the first meeting, I must have given the father and father-in-law a huge shock.