Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Changed Future
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CBT was finally over.
From day one, the overwhelmingly positive feedback that shattered my expectations continued right through to the end.
The part that received the most praise, naturally, was the art team.
Considering how much we'd invested to match the appeal of a beautiful girl collector mobile game, it was a given.
Especially key was unifying the art style across all the illustrations to feel cohesive.
The next most praised aspect, surprisingly, wasn't the story or modeling—it was the sound.
OST feedback was particularly glowing.
Inquiries about a soundtrack CD album came flooding in.
Just then, Chaeyoung Senior walked into the office, so I called out to her.
"Chaeyoung Senior, got a sec?"
"Huh? What's up?"
"Something to show you."
"What is it?"
"It's the compiled CBT feedback. Come take a look."
Chaeyoung Senior took the stack of documents from me and sat down to read.
"Let's see... OST and BGM are strengths, especially the BGM that sounds like real gunfire and the OSTs tailored to the mood..."
The more she read, the higher her mouth corners lifted.
Of course, she quickly schooled her expression, probably embarrassed even to herself.
"Hmph, well... this is only natural. I composed and wrote the lyrics myself."
"Right?"
"Obviously. But... are you hiding something?"
"Huh? Why?"
At my question, Chaeyoung Senior eyed me suspiciously.
"You're grinning for no reason, and it feels like you're keeping something from me...?"
"Actually, this..."
I showed her the pre-compiled collection of soundtrack CD release requests.
"What's this? Soundtrack CD release... requests?"
Her expression sank the further she read.
Once she'd gone through them all and set them on the desk, she looked at me and spoke.
"Hey, Hojin."
"Y-yeah?"
"Do you know how many OST tracks are in the current CBT client?"
"Around... 50, maybe?"
"Exactly 87. And the CBT client still has tons of unimplemented content, right?"
"Probably...?"
"So with 87 OSTs already in the unfinished client, how many more will we add for official launch?"
As her voice dropped lower, I averted my eyes and mumbled.
"...Probably a ton?"
"Yeah. A ton, right? And what about BGM? I saw some CBT reviews asking for sound effect changes. Fixing those would take a lot of work, huh?"
"Uh, well..."
"Why'd you go quiet all of a sudden? Whatever, you dragged me in to work me to death anyway, so no excuses—just get back to it? Got it, I'll head to the recording studio right now..."
She looked ready to dig right into my soul if I let her, so I hurriedly confessed.
"I'm kidding! Kidding! The soundtrack CD is planned for the 1-year anniversary anyway, so no worries for now!"
"...Then why show me these reviews now?"
"Better to brace for the punch early. I figured warning you ahead beats springing it on you later..."
At my words, she sighed in resignation and relaxed her expression.
"Pull a stunt like this one more time, and I'll really pack up and leave. Got it?"
"Promise, no more pranks like this."
"...Alright, so we're done here?"
As she turned to head back to the recording studio, I asked.
"Senior, you free after work tonight?"
"Probably?"
"Wait after clocking out. I'll treat you to dinner to apologize for today—and thank you for helping with monitoring yesterday."
"...Menu?"
"Whatever you want."
She chuckled helplessly.
"If we're going, let's bring Seol too. She worked hard yesterday."
"Oh, right... Forgot about Seol."
I nodded.
"Then when you clock out, grab Seol and wait at the entrance. I'll probably finish after my meeting with the boss."
"Okay~."
Only after watching her light steps leave the office could I finally exhale in relief.
'No more pranks about work stuff from now on...'
*
I'd just finished distributing the feedback docs to all departments and was taking a breather.
Knock knock.
A cautious knock, followed by Seol peeking in.
"Um... Director? Got a moment...?"
"Oh? Yeah. Come in."
She opened the door carefully at my okay, looking quite tentative.
"Why so on edge? Just come in casually."
"B-but... this is your personal space..."
"It's fine."
"O-okay then... excuse me."
She closed the door softly and sat gingerly.
"So, what's up?"
"Um... something about in-game controls..."
I listened intently as she explained steadily, her soft voice no longer trembling.
"So to sum up, you and Myunghoon Brother disagreed on character controls during in-game battles, so you came to me to settle it?"
"Y-yes..."
"Controls, huh... The feedback doc I gave you specifies how to implement it."
"Th-that's... the doc only says to allow party formation selection..."
"And?"
"So I suggested selecting formations before battle and giving bonus stats based on the chosen one..."
"And?"
"B-but Director Kim said it'd be better to make characters actively controllable during battle..."
"Hmm..."
Her story revealed a real headache.
It was something I'd been mulling over myself.
Truth was, both Seol's and Myunghoon Brother's approaches had pros and cons.
Seol's way would make it more casual, potentially lightening the game too much.
Myunghoon Brother's, conversely, would preserve the fun of play but risk controls becoming a barrier on mobile.
After weighing them, I decided.
"Seol, let's go with your approach."
"If-if you're choosing that because of me, you don't have to..."
"Huh? What're you talking about?"
"N-no, I mean..."
"Think I'm picking this to boost someone's morale? Big mistake. I don't mix personal feelings into these calls anyway."
"Ah, s-sorry!!"
Realizing she'd misread me, her face flushed bright red.
"No need to apologize. I was the one who phrased it confusingly."
Even my reassurance didn't help; she buried her face in her hands.
'What to do in a spot like this...'
Feeling the awkward air, I scratched my cheek, then grabbed a canned coffee from the fridge and pressed it to her exposed neck.
"Eek?! Wh-what was that for...?!"
"Drink this and forget it."
She finally flinched and took the coffee.
"Th-thank you..."
"Oh, and—are you free for dinner tonight?"
"D-dinner? Nothing planned..."
"Chaeyoung Senior invited you too, right?"
She smiled and nodded.
"Ah, and Director..."
"Yeah?"
"I forgot to mention something..."
"Forgot what?"
She set down her coffee and handed me her smartphone.
"A new mobile game competing with ours is coming out next month..."
I checked her phone and spotted a familiar illustration.
"This opens when? Next month?"
"Yes... February 13th."
If she was right, the implications were clear.
The future had changed.
The game she showed was Infiniti Million Artoria.
A first-gen subculture mobile game, nicknamed Inmila.
It pioneered the subculture mobile era, grabbing users early on.
I'd never imagined it'd launch now.
In my memories, Inmila released three months from now, in April 2012.
'Did our game become the variable, changing things from my regression?'
As I pondered, Seol asked worriedly.
"Sh-should we push our launch earlier...?"
"Huh? Why would we?"
"But... with a competitor, if we don't claim first..."
I chuckled and waved it off at her genuine concern.
"No need to worry. That game won't compete with us."
"Huh...?"
"The beautiful girl collector market isn't won just by launching first."
"Meaning...?"
"Subculture fans' standards are sky-high now from our illustrations and PVs. What happens when they see comparatively lower-quality ones?"
"Hmm... the reaction might be underwhelming."
"You get it. No need to sacrifice quality to rush our launch."
I added to the nodding Seol.
"Besides, we'll win anyway."