Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Preparing for Launch
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My team members gave weak responses to my question.
Everyone already looked exhausted with the final stages of development dragging on.
At times like this, I figured we needed a caffeine boost...
"I'm heading down to the first floor to grab some coffee. What does everyone want?"
The most fatigued-looking Yena was the first to raise her hand at my question.
"I'll have a cappuccino... What about you, Chaeyoung unnie?"
"Café latte for me. Hot."
Following Chaeyoung's choice, Seol cautiously spoke up.
"Um, I'll have an Americano..."
"Ah, senior, come with me. I'll decide when we get there."
Yerin offered to help with the coffee run and tagged along.
There was no reason to refuse, so I stepped out of the office with her.
"You could've gone alone."
"It's fine. I was sitting around feeling stiff anyway and wanted to stretch my legs."
"Yeah?"
The elevator doors opened with a ding.
We rode it down to the first floor and entered the Starbucks.
"Java Chip Frappuccino like usual, right?"
"Ah, yeah. That's right."
I placed takeout orders for Yerin and the team's drinks, then approached her.
"All ordered?"
"Yeah, but they're short-staffed, so it might take a bit."
"Can't be helped."
"Let's sit and wait."
With no choice, I sat at a table with Yerin and immediately asked about the monitoring feedback.
"How were the reactions on the portal sites?"
"There are some hate comments, but... excluding the stuff you mentioned, not much else."
"That Japan this, Japan that?"
"Yeah."
Yerin's words gave me a headache.
This was malicious slander utterly unrelated to the game itself.
It was just haters calling us traitors for a Korean company launching in Japan first.
"Don't mind it. Those people are a minority anyway, and if we ignore them, they'll fade out. If they cross the line, the company can sue."
"Got it. I'm not too bothered either. Oh, and I heard from Yena and the unnies too..."
"Really? What'd they say?"
Yerin paused to think for a moment before answering quickly.
"Yena and Seol unnie said Bluebird's pretty much as expected. Korea's overwhelmingly pro-game, and Japan has so many Kei fans..."
"As I thought."
"Yeah, but Last Arcadia has a different vibe from Girls Memorial. So even among Kei fans, the reactions aren't bad, they said."
"Really? That's unexpected."
No matter that Last Arcadia was an apocalypse tale a bit distant from mainstream subculture right now,
at its core, it was still subculture, so I figured Kei fans wouldn't take to it well.
But in the subculture homeland, there didn't seem to be much resistance.
Come to think of it, in a country where top-tier singers record anime OSTs...
I had the wrong idea.
"Chaeyoung unnie's side, though... it's insane."
"That good?"
"Yeah, streamers on RecoDong Live are going nuts over the gacha right now..."
"R-Really...?"
It wasn't too surprising, considering pre-regression subculture mobile game streamers made gacha their main content.
Maybe noticing my subtle expression, Yerin hurriedly added,
"B-But the stream reactions are great overall! It's dominating viewer counts in the mobile game category too."
"Then it's all good."
"So don't worry about it, senior..."
Just as Yerin was speaking, the barista called out our order, cutting her off.
Her face soured a bit because of it.
"I'll grab it. We can finish the rest upstairs. Got it?"
"Sure, whatever..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "It's dooone─!"
With that joyful shout from Chaeyoung senior—who'd seemed the least tired among us—the CBT monitoring finally wrapped up safely.
Of course, the CBT period still had a bit left...
But we'd long since gathered enough data for reports, so no need to stick around longer.
"Everyone worked their asses off, so rest up and recover. We'll reconvene when the sand runs out. Sound good?"
It was the sweet promise of a day off after overtime, but the team's expressions were oddly subtle.
Or rather, bordering on disdain...
"Why the faces? You hate it?"
Yerin, sitting beside me, shot back like you can't be serious.
"Senior, what day is it?"
"Thurs... No, it's past midnight, so Friday?"
"Right. So what day is the day after tomorrow on Friday?"
"Sunday?"
"......"
Was that the wrong answer?
Even Yerin, who'd followed the project schedule without complaint till now, glared like she wanted to smack me.
"J-Kidding. Kidding."
"Right?"
"Of course... Off till Sunday, normal shift Monday."
The frozen meeting room thawed instantly, team members exchanging goodbyes and filing out.
Only once they were fully gone could I finally relax.
Whew, almost got hit...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While the art and dev teams dove into feedback fixes after CBT ended,
I arrived at a café near Shinjuku, Tokyo, for a meeting with our publisher, SFLAG.
Pushing open the antique wooden door revealed an interior matching its old-world charm.
I told the counter staff I was meeting someone and was scanning for Tanaka when,
"Director Ji, over here!"
I spotted Tanaka waving from a corner table.
The moment I sat, he bowed his head deeply.
"I should've come to Korea. Time just wouldn't free up. Sorry."
I waved it off with a chuckle.
"Obviously, the one with the flexible schedule should travel. No need for apologies."
"You're too kind; I don't know where to put myself."
Our small talk wrapped up once the coffee arrived.
"Anyway, this CBT was incredible. Reactions are off the charts."
"I never imagined it'd blow up like this."
Tanaka let out a hearty laugh at my words.
Then, with genuine curiosity, he asked,
"So, Director, how'd you snag Ishida Kei?"
"Ah, that one?"
"Yeah, we pulled every string, but pay and schedule never aligned. How'd you do it?"
His persistent questions left me with no choice but an awkward smile.
"Just got lucky."
"If luck got us a singer like that, we wouldn't have struggled..."
I felt a pang for his genuinely deflated look, but what could I do?
I wasn't about to blab that it was Chaeyoung's connection, not mine.
Tanaka smacked his lips at my silence and moved on.
"You'll launch Reverse Arcadia in Japan first too, right?"
"Yeah, unless something crops up."
"Then take this as a launch gift from us."
He slid a document my way.
"What's this?"
"Shibuya outdoor ad contract. Lucky timing, so we snagged it."
Checking it, sure enough, Shibuya billboard contract.
We'd missed it for Girls Memorial due to bad luck and timing.
Having the publisher handle it this time really drove home our changed position.
"Probably... And this ad'll feature Ishida Kei too."
"...No deals since the OST. That possible?"
"We were shocked too. Her agency reached out directly. They're stunned by the CBT hype."
Makes sense—not just our game; her trailer tie-in and CBT buzz had her recent album tracks re-entering Oricon charts via reverse runs.
"Let's do it. All upside for us; no reason to refuse."
"Got it. We'll notify her agency. Just need your signature..."
Ah, right.
At his request, I pulled a pen from my bag, signed, and handed it back.
Tanaka neatly tucked it into an envelope and his bag.
"Oh, and just to confirm, Director..."
"Ah, yeah. Go ahead."
"...About the revenue split?"
I replied in my usual tone, as if it were obvious.
"We're business partners going forward, right?"
"Y-Yes."
"50:50, split marketing guarantees even. SFLAG won't find that bad, I think."
Catching him off guard, Tanaka blinked in shock.
Then he snapped to, nodding furiously and bowing.
"Th-That's more than enough. Thank you!"