Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Indecency Controversy
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It's been nearly three months since I visited Enson Korea at the chairman's summons.
After my one-on-one meeting with the chairman, several changes rippled through company life, but the biggest one was our collaboration with Enson Korea.
Of course, there had been some collaboration even before the meeting, but people often grumbled that it felt like we were just getting table scraps.
After the meeting, though, all that talk vanished overnight.
At first, I figured the staff had just resigned themselves to it.
Common sense dictated there couldn't be any real reason for such a sudden shift.
But when I visited Enson Korea myself, I finally understood why the complaints had dried up.
On a hunch, I called Suyeon.
[...I've never heard anything like that?]
"Really?"
[Of course. Why would we hide something like that from our director in the first place?]
"Hmm... Got it."
If even the president didn't know, then the chairman must have given secret orders...
Truly, you never can tell with some people.
Anyway, now that I knew, I couldn't just let it slide, so I sent the chairman a gift via Suyeon.
Of course, buying a gift befitting the owner's family was next to impossible, so it was more a token of appreciation...
I trusted the chairman would understand.
The second change was with Suyeon herself.
Ever since she confessed everything that day during my meeting with the chairman, our distance had closed a bit.
At the office, we each had our professional roles, so we didn't make a show of it,
but we'd occasionally grab lunch together or she'd buy me coffee during overtime.
Even today, we'd just had lunch together and were heading back to the office.
As I opened the office door and stepped inside, a noisy commotion hit my ears.
Wondering what was up, I ventured further in, and the source turned out to be the art team.
A bit closer, and I saw the art team members clustered around one monitor.
"...What are you all doing here?"
My voice from behind made them jump, and a chorus of squeals erupted as eyes turned to me.
Yerin, closest to me, greeted me with slightly flushed cheeks.
"O-Oh, you're back?"
"Yeah. Lunch?"
"Ate with Yena."
"So what's everyone gathered here for?"
"Ah, well..."
Yerin adjusted the monitor angle so I could see too.
Curious, I looked, and the screen showed a PV video for some game.
"It's a new domestic mobile game launching soon. Take a look."
Following her words, I played the video, and a familiar art style filled the screen.
A white background with nothing but the title Liberty Unron.
Then a scantily clad character appeared, along with a 【Touch】 button teasing viewers' desires.
No actual button to press in the video, but the creator seemed to know that and tapped it instead.
The touched area began jiggling like it was vibrating.
The quality was crude—just shaking specific parts—but in this era, it was shocking enough.
This was the early 2010s, not the dopamine-inflated 2020s when this video went up.
The art team's frenzy stood out against my own nonchalance; it was baffling.
And these were people familiar with doujin and adult works.
If even they were losing it, the post-launch reaction was predictable.
In my pre-regression memories, online and offline spaces alike had exploded.
"What do you think, senior? Think it'll compete with ours for real?"
"Compete? Well..."
Even setting aside the fundamental difference of Korean vs. Japanese service,
this game would never be our rival.
"Why? The illustrations are way cruder than ours, but still, doesn't it have some potential?"
As I pondered how to answer Yerin,
Yumi's voice came from behind.
"Directooor!!"
Turning, I saw Yumi approaching.
"What's up?"
"Not urgent or anything... Just something I wanted to ask."
"Ask away. What is it?"
"Um, communities are buzzing, and customer service is getting tons of posts asking if a Korean server is opening soon..."
"That much?"
"Yeeah... I checked customer service myself, and yeah, it's a lot, can't ignore it..."
"Hmm..."
I'd known Korean players wanted a local server for a while, even without Yumi mentioning it.
I monitored communities regularly, just like her.
But it was unrealistic, so I'd dismissed it.
Korea's soil wasn't mature enough yet for subculture game seeds to sprout.
Opening a Girls Memorial Korean server now would invite public backlash for sure.
Even knowing this, convincing others was a whole different battle.
'How to make them understand... Ah.'
"Yerin, when did that game you showed say it was launching?"
"From the video, next month, I think?"
Her unexpected answer gave me a headache.
The launch date had been pulled forward again.
By my pre-regression memory, Liberty Unron was supposed to drop around August.
But like Inmila and Cinderella Phenomenon, it was over a month early.
'Gonna have to revise all my pre-planned strategies.'
"For now, Yumi, ignore the chatter and keep doing what you're doing. The Korean server buzz... it'll die down soon."
*
Pre-regression, Liberty Unron sank for multiple reasons.
The creator Ryan's user-hostile operations.
Nerf-heavy balance patches.
Indecency controversies and more.
The first two didn't erupt right at launch,
but the indecency flap that killed its early momentum was inevitable.
It even got booted from the Play Store in humiliation.
Knowing all this, I could've maybe helped Ryan avert disaster.
But why would I?
The game's adult TCG concept meant he'd likely reject my advice anyway,
and there was zero reason to help a potential rival and invite trouble.
I ignored it, focused on my work, and a month flew by. Liberty Unron launched.
Its pre-launch provocative PV had already stirred controversy, so launch hype was massive.
A mid-tier dev's game hitting Google Play #1 sales was proof.
But the streak ended a month in, ignited by one news article.
A massive indecency controversy spark.
📰 Breaking News [Exclusive] How Far Does Exposure Go in Mobile Games? 'Liberty Unron' Bucks the Industry's Call for Self-Regulation (Reporter Kim Jaehyun) Amid efforts to fend off regulations harming the industry like the Youth Protection Act, a mobile game defying the trend toward self-regulation is sparking controversy. . . . For the mobile gaming industry's continued growth, now more than ever, voices of self-reflection are needed. 💬 Comments (338) [Newest First] — Anonymous Pedo bastards are fucking disgusting lmao — Anonymous What bullshit, did the reporter take a bribe? — Anonymous Check out that illust energy lololol — Anonymous Just round up all the white knights in the comments and we'd have no need for the Youth Act lololol The comment section on that news was pure chaos, a total shitshow within five minutes.
The fire spread beyond the article comments to the communities.
No wonder Yumi, monitoring them, came rushing to the office.
"Directooor! Shouldn't we prepare countermeasures so this doesn't spread to us?"
"It's fine. We're only servicing in Japan, so no risk of spillover."
"Still..."
"Sure, our game might come up, but it'll stop there. They can't seriously target a Japan-only game."
This was why I'd planned Girls Memorial for Japanese servers from the start.
Korea wasn't ready for subculture mobile games yet.
"At least the Korean server buzz has quieted down, right?"
"Yeeah...! Luckily, most say it's good we don't have one."
"Good, that's a relief."
"...Um, Director."
"Yeah?"
Yumi, who'd started the talk, now hemmed and hawed like she had second thoughts.
"What's up?"
"It's not that I wanna know, but Chaeyoung unnie told me to ask..."
"Go ahead."
"Um, she said if you can read the future, tell her next week's lotto numbers too..."
At Yumi's ridiculous relay, I gave her a pitiful look.
"If I could read the future, would I be slaving away here?"
She floundered at my response, bowed quickly, and fled my office.
"Sigh..."
Alone after she left, an odd bitterness settled in.
'Should've remembered some lotto numbers...'