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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Daeri Son Seokjin's Role Model (1)
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>
> 12. Daeri Son Seokjin's Role Model (1)
> 2022.06.12.
>
>
> He had spoken of games as if his only experience was playing World Craft and Lineage back in college.
> And yet, he had played my game—the one he'd called a nobody indie title, 'Forgotten Andersen's Story.'
> "I'm not lying. I installed it as soon as I got home yesterday and played it. I even saw the ending around 4 AM. Cleared the Matchstick Girl's dark path, too."
> "Why are you suddenly telling me this?"
> "Honestly, I was surprised. It's embarrassing to admit, but I was prejudiced against you because you came from a community college. I thought you were just an incompetent person who got lucky to get into this company and was just hanging on."
> PD Oh Gwangseok laid his thoughts bare, holding nothing back.
> It couldn't have been easy to reveal such an ugly side of himself to another person.
> I had a gut feeling that he had steeled himself for something.
> "But, but… playing your game, I was genuinely moved. The game you made, the one I'd dismissed and thought nothing of, moved me more than any other game I've ever played. And…"
> "Go on."
> "It's a foolish thing to say, but I thought it would be great if someone like you wrote the story for my game—no, our game."
> His demeanor was remarkably polite, his plea resonating with sincerity.
> Even if these were crocodile tears, the emotion in this moment felt genuine.
> "I know you must hate me… This whole incident made me reflect on myself. How foolish my choices have been, how I've been ruining the game by just following the logic of the organization."
> I listened silently, nodding my head.
> "You might find this hard to believe, but I once wanted to make fun games too. But after repeated failures, I guess you could say I stopped trusting others…. I fell into the stubborn belief that I, the smart one, had to control the team members. But, but as you know, I wasn't a smart person at all. I didn't even try to get to know my team. The development period just kept getting longer…"
> Oh Gwangseok's voice trailed off, growing quieter and quieter.
> It couldn't have been easy for a man in his mid-forties to criticize himself so scathingly.
> "I know I have no right to ask, but please, I'm begging you. Make the scenario and world-building for the Phoenix Project turn out well."
> "You don't have to tell me that. I'll make sure it does. I have no intention of creating something that would tarnish my own name."
> At my short, firm reply, Oh Gwangseok nodded without lifting his head.
> Just yesterday, I thought there couldn't be a more stubborn, out-of-touch boss in the world, but now he was as meek as a lamb. Even I was having trouble adjusting.
> "And may I ask you one more question?"
> "Yes, go ahead."
> "In your opinion, what kind of leader am I? Please be honest."
> I stroked my chin for a moment, gathering my thoughts before speaking.
> I calmly laid out the words I had always wanted to say, without adding or subtracting anything.
> "Well, I'd say your vision is narrow. To be frank, you seem anxious and like you have no idea where this game is headed. Since the captain doesn't know the ship's destination, the crew wastes their energy on pointless tasks, which causes a lot of stress."
> I believe the most important virtue of a leader is 'presenting a vision.'
> If a game project is a great ship and we are the crew on an expedition, the captain's role is clear.
> To set a destination.
> Only when we know where we are going can the crew focus on their duties without getting lost.
> But because the captain's objective isn't clear, everyone is adrift. Since the captain himself doesn't know the destination, he needlessly harangues the crew members who are trying to work hard, and they quickly lose their motivation.
> The absence of a vision for what the core fun of this game is and how it will succeed.
> That was the problem with the Phoenix Project right now, and a problem that most teams at NB Soft shared.
> "...So that's it. That's the kind of person I was."
> Oh Gwangseok took another sip of his hot chocolate.
> "When I first became a PD, I made the game I wanted to make. The team atmosphere was great, too. But… I lacked the skill back then, and the game was a complete disaster. I made the game I wanted, but the team scattered. It's funny, but after an experience like that, a person becomes conservative."
> After that terrible experience, he said he became obsessed with not wanting to fail again, which led him to distrust others.
> To avoid failure, he copied the business models and systems of existing successful games, and his obsession with controlling every aspect of the project naturally grew stronger.
> But the more he did that, the more the team members felt like they were just puppets for the PD, and they lost their motivation.
> And once this vicious cycle begins, it doesn't take long for a project to fall apart.
> 'Well, this isn't just Oh Gwangseok's story.'
> Under the current system where revenue is everything, many PDs break down like this, and those broken PDs then break the developers under them.
> A sad self-portrait of the Korean game industry.
> I'm sure that even at this very moment, PDs like Oh Gwangseok are grinding developers into dust for the same reasons in countless companies and on countless projects.
> "If this project fails too, I probably… won't be able to stay at this company much longer."
> Oh Gwangseok confessed calmly. While it was the inevitable consequence of his incompetence, I could understand his position to some extent.
> It wasn't the first or second time I had seen someone in this industry get off on the wrong foot and end up like Oh Gwangseok.
> "Somehow, by any means necessary, I have to make this project succeed. I'll change whatever I can. I know I wronged you terribly yesterday, but please, just help me this one time. I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life."
> Oh Gwangseok suddenly grabbed my hand, his eyes welling up as he looked at me.
> But that was that, and the fact that I got screwed over was a separate matter.
> There was no way to know if this was sincere remorse or just an act to escape a crisis.
> I coldly pushed his hand away.
> "As I've already said, I have no intention of doing a half-assed job. As long as you don't get in my way, PD-nim."
> We were on bad terms, but for now, we had to join hands temporarily.
> Playing the sympathy card was fine, but it was best for our relationship to maintain this level of distance.
> Besides, if I were to become a PD, Oh Gwangseok, who was now acting like he would give me his liver and gallbladder, would just become another competitor within the company.
> "Thank you. I'm truly counting on you, Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo."
> "...I should probably head up now. I'm a bit pressed for time with work."
> I picked up my half-finished iced Americano and returned to the office.
> The cold sensation from where our hands had touched sharpened my mind.
> Just as I was about to head back to the office.
> "Whoa, wasn't Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo amazing earlier? Does he have some serious connections or what? I've never seen someone talk back to a Pateujang like that."
> "But honestly, it's not like he said anything wrong. I mean, we just did what we were told. Why take it out on us?"
> I stopped in my tracks when I heard my name coming from the meeting room.
> Peeking inside, I saw the planning team members still there, chatting.
> It seemed they were using the excuse of a planning meeting to vent about the tongue-lashing they got from Go Yeongmi.
> "He's usually a total yes-man… Anyway, I see Gwajang Hyunsoo in a new light after today. He really says what's on his mind!"
> "Honestly, he had every right to. He had a career as a writer before this, so how much must he hate it when the PD and Pateujang boss him around with some nonsense they picked up somewhere? It's bad enough for us when we're working."
> "True… That time the PD came back from watching Frozen and told us to change the story, I seriously wanted to punch him in the face. Honestly, what happened today was justified."
> Usually, when a subordinate talks back to a superior, it doesn't end well, but it seemed this case was different.
> Well… to be honest, I didn't feel bad about it.
> I took a sip of my iced Americano through the straw and headed back to the office.
> The caffeine and the pleasant bitterness spread quickly through my body, as if urging me to get to work.
> Now… it was time to run like crazy.
> ****
> 'Alright, this should be enough for the world-building framework and the narrative for each piece of content... I've also outlined the beginning and ending of the scenario, so now I just need to break it down and fill it in.'
> I returned to the office, buried my head in the monitor, and before I knew it, it was nearly 9 PM.
> Perhaps because the FGT had just ended, most of the planning team had left a little after 8, leaving the office quiet.
> 'Thanks to putting points into the Story stat, ideas are definitely coming faster, and my hands feel quicker than before.'
> I scanned over the document I had organized.
> Not bad… No, it was pretty good. While I couldn't guarantee perfection, the quality was good enough for me to be satisfied with it myself.
> 'I'm getting hungry. I should grab a bite.'
> As I got up with the intention of grabbing a meal at a nearby restaurant, I heard the clatter of a keyboard from the planning team's area.
> 'That's Daeri Son Seokjin.'
> A fourth-year planner who handled both content and concept planning.
> Our work overlapped, so we should have seen each other often, but Pateujang Go Yeongmi had been using him like her personal assistant, so we never really had a chance to work together.
> I cautiously approached him from behind and glanced at his monitor.
> The screen was filled with a document detailing improvements based on the recent FGT results.
> 'Well, he's at that age where he's really driven. Though… it's a tragedy that his superiors are Go Yeongmi and Oh Gwangseok.'
> Perhaps because he had to communicate a lot with the graphics team, his screen was filled with resource files, and he was writing down various ways to improve the criticized parts.
> From my perspective, his logic was a bit crude and his direction was slightly off, but the document showed a genuine passion to get things done.
> "Daeri Son, are you busy right now?"
> "Gwajang-nim! Not at all! I'm not busy at all."
> "If you're going to work late, want to grab dinner together? My treat."
> "Th-Thank you!"
> I led the strangely enthusiastic Daeri Son to a restaurant called [Food Tree] in the company's basement arcade.
> The food wasn't amazing, but it had a diverse menu that catered to different tastes and was close by, so I went there often.
> "Ma'am, one spicy octopus stone pot and one jjolmyeon, please."
> After quickly ordering, I tilted my smartphone and fiddled with it while Daeri Son, looking extremely tense, set the table.
> I was checking the sales figures for 'Forgotten Andersen's Story' and seeing if any new media outlets had mentioned it.
> 'Another 20,000 copies sold today, and eight online articles… Not a bad pace.'
> Social media reactions were also steadily coming in, and now streamers on Twitch and YouTube were frequently broadcasting the game. Thanks to that, the title was still selling well. Just seeing this made me feel a sense of reassurance.
> "Here's your spicy octopus stone pot and jjolmyeon."
> "Thank you for the meal! Gwajang-nim Jo!"
> "Enjoy your food."
> A moment later, when the food arrived, Daeri Son and I began to eat in silence.
> After some time, I could feel Daeri Son glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. On a hunch, I threw out a question.
> "Daeri Son, is there something you want to ask me?"
> "Ah, well, it's just something I wanted to ask you personally."
> "What is it?"
> "Um, by any chance…"
> Son Seokjin hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened his mouth.
> "Gwajang-nim Jo Hyunsoo, are you 'Christian,' the person who made 'Forgotten Andersen's Story'?"