Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Official Launch
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The long-awaited release day for Girls Memorial had finally arrived.
The end of a year-long race... and the beginning of a new one.
The office was in a situation where tension would have been par for the course, but surprisingly, the atmosphere was quite serene.
The reason was simple. It had earned rave reviews during the prior test phases—First Gate Test and Closed Beta Test.
And by yesterday's pre-registration deadline, the number of sign-ups had blown past the target of 250,000 to hit over 500,000.
Just like the kid who aced every mock exam wouldn't sweat the real college entrance test.
The lone exception was Yerin, who was pulling a sour face while furiously scribbling away on her tablet pen for an impromptu 500k pre-reg commemorative illustration that hadn't even been on the schedule.
Not a bad vibe at all.
Way better than everyone getting jittery and snippy on launch day.
With those thoughts in mind, I headed to the center of the office and clapped my hands to grab everyone's attention.
"Alright, eyes up here!"
The team's gazes snapped to me at the sound of the claps.
"I, Ji Hojin, am truly grateful that you've all stuck with Project GM through these two long years of development!"
I finished speaking and gave a quick bow. Applause exploded from every direction.
"Project GM officially wraps today, but Girls Memorial's service kicks off right now. Here's to crushing it together going forward. Thank you!"
As the applause continued behind me, I cracked open the massive box I'd hauled in.
Out came snacks—coffees, breads, cakes, the works.
I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt at the sight of the cafe part-timers, their faces etched with exhaustion from the bulk order...
"It's nothing fancy, but grab whatever catches your eye and dig in."
I stepped aside after saying that, and team members started trickling up to snag their coffees and treats.
"Thanks for the grub, Director!"
"Appreciate it!"
Once I'd confirmed everyone had theirs, right as I was about to grab something for Yerin—who was still grinding away solo—
My smartphone lit up with a ring, jolting me from its slumber.
*
"You called for me?"
"Yeah. Hope this isn't catching you in the middle of something urgent."
"Nah, nothing like that, but..."
"Then have a seat on the sofa for a sec."
The caller, just thirty minutes shy of launch, was none other than President Jo Suyeon.
I plopped down on the sofa as instructed, and moments later, Suyeon strolled over holding two canned coffees.
Unlike her suit-clad look last time, she was rocking a pretty casual dress today.
"Americano? Cafe latte?"
"Americano for me."
She nodded and handed over the can labeled Americano.
Then she settled onto the opposite sofa, crossing her legs.
I eyed her curiously.
"So... what'd you need me for?"
"Can't I just call you without a reason? You're the first guy I personally recruited to this company, Director Ji."
"No, I mean..."
Her sudden flirt had me tongue-tied.
Suyeon caught my flustered look and cracked up, waving it off.
"Kidding, kidding. Geez, why so jumpy? You're purer than you seem."
"It came out of nowhere..."
"But that wasn't all a joke. You really are the only one in this company I can trust completely, Hojin-ssi."
"......"
Her show of faith left me speechless.
Suyeon didn't seem to be fishing for a reply and pressed on.
"Launch at 10 today, right? Feeling good?"
"Confident as ever."
"For real?"
"Yeah. FGT and CBT feedback exceeded expectations, pre-reg numbers are off the charts..."
"I'm not talking stats."
She jabbed a finger toward my chest.
"That gut feeling. The one from your interview. Is it pointing to a win?"
'Gut feeling, huh...'
I'd never once doubted Girls Memorial would flop, so I nodded without hesitation.
"Good enough for me. It's your instinct we bet on from the start—I trust it through to the finish, Hojin-ssi."
"...Thank you."
Her words ushered in a brief silence in the president's office.
Suyeon stared off into space, lost in thought, while I had zilch to add and stayed mum.
As the quiet stretched and things got awkward, Suyeon finally spoke.
"Jeez, listen to me. Hogging a busy guy's time like this. You're free to head back down."
"...Got it."
I had more questions burning, but she seemed fragile today—couldn't push it.
"I'll head out, then."
I bowed on my way out, leaving Suyeon shooing me off with a wave, and made my way back to the team office.
That's when one person came barreling toward me.
Yumi.
"Directooor...!"
"What's going on?"
"It's hit the App Store rankings...!"
"Already? What time is it?"
I pulled out my smartphone at her words to check.
11:02.
Plenty of time for real-time charts to update.
"How we looking? No glitches?"
"Nope! Topping Japan App Store real-time downloads and sales...!!"
*
📰 Breaking News [Nickname: Anonymous] Breaking) Girls Memorial hits #1 in ALL real-time app rankings LOLOLOL [Screenshot of Japan App Store rankings] Damn, Enson actually pulled it off lololol How'd the guys who only dropped turd games before manage this? Korean otaku game taking over Japan App Store? National pride surging fr. 💬 Comments — Anonymous Fr lololololololol — Anonymous Flap~ — Anonymous This actually worked lolololololol — Anonymous Kya lololol 📰 Breaking News [Nickname: SwitchedToGM] Was grinding Inmila til yesterday, jumped straight to GM today. [Screenshot of Inmila account deletion] No cap—Girls Memorial straight-up fixed every issue Inmila users begged for. In-game play's incomparable due to genre diff, but everything else stacks up. Inmila refused a pity/ceiling system no matter how much users pleaded—even said they'd eat dirt first. GM? Has it. Miss your pickup after 200 pulls? Snag it full price. Hit pity on a diff SSR? Carry it over. Revolutionary af. Plus unlike Inmila, paid and free currency both work in gacha, and they shower you with starter currency. Tons of folks reroll til they snag their dream SSR. JPs call it Reroll Marathon. Pro tip for Girls Memorial noobs. 💬 Comments — Anonymous Darkened fans always scarier? They nailed Inmila point-by-point lolol — Anonymous Inmila whaling really that brutal like OP says? Sounds insane. — Anonymous OP mentions 'Reroll Marathon'? What's that? ↳ Reply RiSe (reset) MaRa (marathon)—reset accounts til you pull what you want. 📰 Breaking News [Nickname: Vanguard] Guide) JP Server Reroll Marathon Guide—Translated from Japanese Sources for Day 1 Enjoyers [Screenshot of 4ch Girls Memorial thread] Straight translation of the JP reroll method they posted. Feel free to repost, but credit the source. 1. Start screen hits? Tap Guest login. 2. Wait for client update and data downloads. ... 7. Hit 10-pull with free currency. 8. Got your target? Link account and roll. Nope? Menu > Reset > Back to 1. Looks tedious at first, but you'll get the rhythm quick. Guaranteed snag your faves or must-haves this way. Tutorial's stuffed with currency, so they basically endorse rerolling. *Link to email after pulling faves! Or lose your data. 💬 Comments ⭐ Top Comment — Anonymous You're popular already. Nice. — Anonymous A proper guide at last. Fr lolol — Anonymous Bookmarked. — Anonymous Thx — Anonymous 20 pulls free?? Wild. Kim Jaehyeon, lurking the communities, was having a grand old time right now.
Plenty of reasons, but the biggest? Inmila.
More precisely, Inmila's userbase.
The same clowns who'd bragged that a Korean game like Girls Memorial could never succeed in Japan were flipping faster than a pancake the second it launched.
Watching their ugly scramble to jump ship washed away all the grief from being dismissed as a side-gig promoter for GM.
'Shoulda had some faith and waited.'
Scoffing at the grasshopper Inmila crowd, Jaehyeon fired up Girls Memorial—only to slam into a dilemma.
'Reroll Marathon... or nah?'
The same conundrum hitting countless other players.
The method itself didn't look tough.
Problem was the hassle.
He was dying to dive in ASAP—rerolling was a massive hurdle.
After a beat of indecision, a nagging worry hit. He checked his bank balance.
And reality bit.
'Been slacking on freelance gigs lately... balance is razor-thin.'
In the end, choking back tears, Jaehyeon kicked off the Reroll Marathon.
It'd taken two full days and four hours to land his targets—and promptly burst into sobs.