It was when I stood up to take a shower.
"Ji-hoon."
I turned my head at the professor's call.
"You're not planning to come to our school, right?"
"…Pardon?"
"I mean university, university."
Maybe he thought it was strange for a third-generation chaebol to enter Korea National Sports University.
The professor gave an awkward smile even before I could answer.
"It would be hard, right?"
"You need to have the ability to get in."
"You think this place is only for students training for the Olympics? You're more than capable enough, man…"
Thanks for the words, at least.
But it seemed like he had more to say.
Unlike before, he spoke again with a rather serious expression.
"This is just out of concern, though I know it'll never happen."
"…?"
"If you ever end up in a fight with someone your age, just hit them a few times and leave it at that."
"What are you saying, professor?"
"If you get excited and go all out, it could turn into a big problem."
The professor spoke to me like I was some sort of martial arts master.
Sure, I trained with the athlete team, but it was only for a few months—nothing much.
Maybe he noticed the look on my face.
The professor continued with a stern tone.
"Tackles are only for the mat, and only against other athletes. You can promise me that, right?"
"Of course."
Only then did he nod, as if reassured.
"I'm not some old-fashioned stickler, I'm not saying you should just take it if someone picks a fight."
"…"
"On the street, your fists should be enough. To be blunt, a few body shots will knock them down…"
"Do you think I'm a thug or something?"
"I'm just saying."
He chuckled.
I like people who work out.
It doesn't matter if I'm a third-generation chaebol or not, as soon as they start coaching, the scolding comes flying.
And that's not all.
After sweating it out together, see what happens.
Maybe it's a sense of camaraderie that forms.
I feel comfortable talking about things I usually wouldn't.
"I'll be back soon."
"Make sure to bring me a present."
"What would you like?"
"Chocolate."
Oh, how modest.
I nodded with a smile.
***
After finishing my shower, I got into the car.
"Where to?"
"Take me to the office in Hannam-dong, please."
Normally, after working out, I'm eager to go home and lie down.
Considering I poured out every ounce of energy, it's understandable.
But today, I'm heading to the office. Why?
'After meeting John Carmack, I've been consistently working on a game. Could you check it out?'
That was the reason Martin reached out to me.
I'd already heard he was deep into development lately.
'It's not like my older brother, who's preparing for his senior year, helped him.'
Martin must've made it on his own.
And since he's asking for feedback, it probably means it's over 90% done.
'If I think it's good, he's probably planning to release it.'
Considering how much Martin's helped me so far, I should do this for him.
As I headed to Hannam-dong, I picked up the documents on the seat next to me.
The first one was a proposal sent by CEO Mayo.
He wants to create an RPG based on the Three Kingdoms?
As I read further, it wasn't about the "Heroes Edition."
Unlike the "Heroes Edition," which focuses on combat, this proposal was a traditional RPG centered on the development of Liu Bei's army.
'I've never seen a game like this before.'
I've played most of the Three Kingdoms games that came out under Mayo's name.
Even if I missed a few, I've kept up with what's been released.
This one was unfamiliar even to me.
'Hmmm.'
Maybe history is changing because of my involvement.
Intrigued, I carefully reviewed the documents. It must have been in preparation for a long time, as there were fresh, innovative systems sprinkled throughout.
Is that why?
'It's going to cost quite a bit, huh?'
So, the reason for sending this proposal is… basically asking me to invest a considerable amount of money, right?
After double-checking the investment amount, I swiftly signed my name in the approval section.
'A Three Kingdoms game? Always welcome.'
I moved on to the second document.
It was from Yang Eok-gwan.
Why is it so thick…?
Ah, it seemed like a report detailing how profits were made and where they came from.
'He really put in the effort.'
The profit margin was around 20%.
His heart must have been pounding while handling other people's money.
Considering it's his first time, that's quite a respectable result.
'Let's aim for 30% next year.'
Just as I was about to close the document, I noticed a note tucked behind the file.
A letter, written with firm, pressed handwriting.
It was from Yang Eok-gwan.
I had given him quite a few instructions.
I calmly read through the rest of the note.
Whoa!
The basketball manga that was discontinued at volume 31 due to external reasons… could I finally see it completed in this lifetime?
This man loved basketball so much that he managed to draw a high school basketball manga in Japan, a basketball desert.
And I've given him the chance to watch Jordan's games live for a whole year.
'His loyalty to me will be unquestionable.'
Not to mention the quality of his work will skyrocket.
I was savoring these pleasant thoughts as I closed the approval documents when I noticed a familiar scene outside the window.
Shooo—
The car began to slow down.
"We've arrived."
If I don't say anything, the driver will probably wait until I come out.
"I plan to walk home."
"I can drive you, sir…"
"I'm walking for exercise."
In other words, I was letting him know he could clock out.
"Th-thank you."
The driver started to get out to bow.
Goodness, there's such an age difference!
I had to hurriedly open the car door to escape.
As I made my way briskly toward the office, I noticed something odd.
It's a building where you rarely see anyone besides the mailman.
But lo and behold, someone was carefully peeking around the entrance.
A suspicious figure, even from behind.
"Hey, you there?"
At my words, the man quickly turned around.
Huh?
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the familiar features of the man standing there.
Messy brown hair, a pale white face, and blue eyes.
And a well-built body to top it off.
There's no mistaking it.
"Jack 'Tiger' Grylls?"
"You remember me?"
Of course, I remember! We even had an interview and ate together.
Wait a second.
That's not the issue here…
"What are you doing here?"
Before Jack could answer, I recalled the conversation we had during the interview.
'If I visit Korea, will you show me around?'
'What do you want to see the most?'
'The War Memorial!'
'That's doable.'
'I want to see a bunch of things. Any place where the British Army fought!'
It was just small talk.
You know, like the casual "let's have a meal together sometime" kind of thing.
But he actually came?
No, wait…
"How did you even find this place?"
"I got accepted into the Royal Academy."
"I called the school right after that. I told them I became friends with the guy I interviewed with, and asked for the address from his application."
"And?"
"They gave it to me right away."
…Ha!
He did mention he was the son of the ruling party's floor leader.
His identity was rock-solid, and since it was true we had the interview together, they must have handed over the address without much thought.
'Still, this is a bit overwhelming.'
But since it's already happened, there was no reason to scold a guy who flew all the way to Korea just to see me.
Besides…
Maybe it's because I've only seen him on TV, but despite the burden, I was somewhat glad to see him… Ahem.
"Did you leave your luggage at the hotel?"
"What hotel? I don't need one."
"…?"
"A Type-A tent is more than enough. I can sleep anywhere."
Normally, if someone says something like that, it would sound like a joke.
But having seen him on TV all this time, maybe it didn't sound so far-fetched.
'I guess I'll need to book him a hotel or something.'
Or, since we had some spare rooms at the staff dorm, I could let him stay there.
Anyway.
"Let's go inside for now."
"Are you going to introduce me to your family?"
"No, this isn't my house."
"Then what is this place?"
"It's more like a workspace."
"Workspace?"
"It's my personal office."
***
Maybe because he stayed up all night, Martin looked exhausted.
Even so, he seemed a bit surprised by Jack's visit.
Well, it's the first time I've brought anyone here, and on top of that, it's a foreigner.
"This is a friend I had an interview with, and he came to Korea as part of his graduation trip."
"Aha."
Even with the explanation, he still looked like he didn't quite get it.
Of course, he wouldn't. It's not every day a middle schooler flies all the way to Korea with just an address.
It would be strange if he wasn't baffled.
Anyway.
"You asked me to check the game, right?"
"Oh, yes, sir."
Martin led me to his desk.
"The development is complete. We're just doing the final bug checks."
Just as I expected.
"What did your colleagues say?"
"They think it'll be a bit divisive."
Even if they did say that, he could have sugarcoated it a bit when talking to me.
"I didn't want to cause any harm to the company. I figured it'd be better to tell you honestly."
"Good. Let's take a look."
I sat down in front of the computer.
Maybe because he had met the father of 'Doom,' the genre was a traditional FPS.
The setting was World War II.
The game focused on squad-based combat.
"Normally, when you press the number keys, you switch weapons, right? But in this game, you switch characters instead."
Sure enough, when you press 1, you play as a scout, press 2 and you switch to a grenadier, press 3 and you become an automatic rifleman.
"I tried to design it so that strategic combat would be possible…"
Ah.
So that's why it would be divisive.
Instead of focusing on one main character, you play a balanced role across the entire squad.
Given the time period, it was definitely an interesting approach.
It might not have mass appeal, but it seemed like the kind of game that would attract a strong, dedicated fanbase.
However…
"That doesn't make sense."
A strange response came from an unexpected source.
"It's one thing if you're shooting at point-blank range, but if you're hitting a target 200 meters away, the trajectory should be different. There's no penalty for gun recoil, and the reload animation after firing the grenade launcher is awkward…"
As they say, the ultimate nerd is a military nerd.
Dreaming of joining the British Special Forces, Jack started pouring out a world of in-depth feedback no one had asked for.