Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Weekend Promise
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A video that begins with dreamy-toned BGM.
The sight of peaceful sky islands enveloped in clouds.
After that serene view of the sky islands passes, the mood flips dramatically with grand orchestral music, and the video truly kicks off.
A blonde elf girl lying at the edge of a sky island, waiting for someone.
A dwarf blacksmith mining sparkling sapphires in a dangerous volcanic zone riddled with volcanic bombs, then flashing a grin.
A cat-eared knightess wiping away tears while gazing at a lake by its ethereal shore.
A hero candidate perched on the railing of an airship, munching on an apple.
As the candidate peers down from the airship, a vast continent comes into view.
The screen then shifts, and with more urgent BGM, the characters we've seen so far start forming a party and hunting monsters.
From familiar foes like goblins and orcs to a three-headed basilisk,
a fire-breathing Cerberus,
and even massive dragon raids.
After showing them banding together to hunt monsters, the video ends with them boarding an airship and departing for another city.
The first thought that hit me upon watching the video was this.
'This is no joke.'
It was a clean, overwhelming quality that felt like a five-minute compression of an entire animation episode.
Just this one video let me feel Sign Games' capabilities.
And rightly so—they'd held the top spot in the industry with back-to-back home runs like Bahamut, Sindepere, and then Grand Arc Phantasm before my regression.
For a company like that to be pushed out of first place by Girls Memorial and stuck fighting for second or third—how bruised must their pride be?
I could really sense the monster of the Japanese game industry sharpening its blades to reclaim the top spot.
'I won't go down easy either.'
As I thought that and checked the PV reactions, a knock came at the office door.
"Senior, you there?"
"Door's open."
Yerin opened the door and stepped into the office.
Her face looked lively, so it seemed she'd completely shaken off her slump.
"I finished the main character designs and the teaser image roughs."
"Nice."
"Sent them to your email, so check it out."
"One sec."
I opened my email at her words, and there was a message with images attached.
'Let's see.'
Opening the email, there were two attached images.
The main character and the teaser image rough I'd mentioned earlier.
First up was Henrietta, the main character that had plunged Yerin into her slump.
Secret two-tone hair in black and red, with a beauty mark under her eye.
Sharp eyes fitting a resistance leader, and a dangerous aura.
A black hoodie zip-up and tank top symbolizing the resistance.
Plus hot pants to top it off.
It was exactly the Henrietta I'd envisioned in my head.
Especially compared to her previous roughs, the atmosphere had improved dramatically.
Back when she was deep in her slump, Henrietta looked like some schoolyard delinquent,
but this finished version screamed resistance leader guiding the rebels.
"Great job. This is perfect."
"Really?"
Her eyes went wide at the straightforward praise.
"Totally. The character's concept really comes alive compared to last time."
"Phew..."
"But why's the teaser image unfinished?"
"Oh, I left that blank for a reason."
"Why?"
"The other two aren't designed yet, and I'm still figuring out the background composition."
"Hmm..."
Her words reminded me of Seol, who'd been struggling with the same issue.
Unlike Girls Memorial's bright backgrounds, she said it was hard to visualize the barren post-apocalypse...
I'd need to give those two some input soon.
"Yerin."
"Yeah?"
"You free the day after tomorrow?"
"Day after tomorrow? Uh... what day is that?"
"Saturday."
"I think I'm free then—no plans. Why?"
"Wanna catch a movie?"
She stared at me in surprise at my suggestion.
Then she narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and I could read her mind clear as day.
"It's not a date or anything."
"Then what is it?"
"Teaser background comp, illustrations getting stuck... Thought I'd help out."
"...Isn't that a date?"
"Planning to bring Seol too."
Her expression cooled instantly at that.
"Figures..."
Still, even as she grumbled, she didn't cancel on her way out of the office.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The morning of the promised Saturday.
Yerin woke earlier than expected.
Blearily checking the clock on her desk, it was just past 6 a.m.
Considering she'd come home from overtime, picked out tomorrow's outfit, and crashed around 1 a.m., it was way too little sleep.
'Still, 30 more minutes before work... Oh, right, day's off.'
Realizing it wasn't a weekday, she buried her head back in the pillow.
Appointment with Senior Hojin was at 1.
Even starting prep at 11, plenty of time.
Staring blankly at the ceiling before drifting off again, her eyes grew heavy.
Just a bit more sleep, then up...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In front of the CGV near Pangyo Station.
On a whim, I texted Yerin 30 minutes early.
「You know it's today, right?」
Two minutes later, her reply pinged.
「Jst woke up gonna head out rnㅠㅠㅠ」
...Good thing I sent that preemptive text.
Knowing her bad mornings and chronic tardiness made it the right call.
Seol, on the other hand...
「Be there in 10!! (❀╹◡╹) 」
Unlike Yerin, her strict sense of time shone through with an immediate arrival text.
Emoticon was a bit off, but whatever.
Even after over two years with these team members, I kept discovering new sides to them.
Ten minutes to go time.
Waiting at the theater entrance, I felt a poke on my back and turned to see Seol.
"Di... uh... D-Director?"
"Call me whatever's comfy."
"O-okay! Director it is then..."
"Sure."
Seol outside the office looked... pretty much the same as at work.
Tall for a woman over 170 cm, with doll-like long black hair.
With the chill setting in, an ivory knit dress and a jaunty beret.
Exactly her stylish office self.
"Yerin's running late, so wanna head in at showtime?"
"What about you, Director...?"
"I'll drag the latecomer in with me."
"Then... I'll wait too..."
I started to say no need, but nodded at her expression.
I knew that look—she wouldn't budge easily.
About five minutes of project chit-chat later,
I spotted Yerin sprinting from afar.
Casual jeans and knit sweater, hat pulled low.
Looked like she really did oversleep...
"S-sorry... I got up early but... fell back asleep..."
"It's fine. Right on time."
"Still..."
"Yerin, here..."
Instead of scolding, Seol pulled a small water bottle from her handbag and handed it over.
Yerin took it wordlessly and sipped.
"All here? Let's go in."
"Senior, tickets?"
"Right here."
I pulled three from my pocket and passed them out.
"Oh, this the one? Heard it's good."
"Best match for our project among current showings."
"If you say so, Senior. Ready? Sis."
"Yeah..."
Yerin linked arms with Seol naturally and headed inside.
I followed them into the theater.
*
The movie was a blockbuster climate disaster apocalypse flick.
With global warming melting the polar ice caps and triggering an ice age, love blossoms amid the chaos...
Honestly, a clichéd melodrama blockbuster disaster movie, but solid research made it watchable.
"Felt like they threw money at it—great visuals, but the story... too soapy. Internet blew up though?"
Seol nodded ambiguously at Yerin's harsh critique as we exited the auditorium.
"B-but... the CG was decent..."
"Yeah, that too. Senior, what'd you think?"
Yerin asked curiously from my side.
I pondered a moment before answering.
"The snow was pretty."
"Totally eye candy with the CG. That mid-blizzard scene, the frozen deaths..."
"Made me wonder, 'What if riots break out in extreme conditions like that?'"
"...Huh?"
"...Yeah?"
Both gave me weird looks like I'd spouted nonsense.
"Why the reactions? There was that survivor group in the buried buildings' underground, right?"
"Y-yeah, there was..."
"Heroes snag the sunlit Empire State Building top at the end, but can they hold it forever?"
I paused, gauged their faces, then continued.
"Even with the upper floors, supplies short, manpower short. Plus underground survivors feeling discriminated against. Ripe for riots, no?"
Yerin and Seol exchanged glances, then spoke cautiously.
"Kinda makes sense now... Right, Sis?"
"Y-yeah... Never crossed my mind till you pointed it out, Director..."
Showing them the apocalypse flick for genre input, and they just enjoyed the movie? I sighed.
"No good. Rewatch."
"N-no need, right...? I get all your points now?!"
"M-me too!"
"Quiet."
Dragging their squirming protests, I marched them back into the auditorium without debate.
It was one November weekend.