The Regressed Game Director Is Too Competent

The brief lunch break had ended, and I made my way to the conference room where I had an appointment with two people.

With a coffee carrier in each hand.

I had chosen to do this because I was fully aware of just how bothersome it is to meet with your boss right after lunch break.

Upon entering the conference room slightly earlier than the agreed time, I immediately sensed the awkward atmosphere.

“…Has the senior arrived?”

“I, you’re here early…”

“There was a meeting earlier that ended earlier than expected. But tell me, was there something going on between you two?”

“No?”

“A, nothing happened…”

Even though both of them said nothing happened, their contrasting reactions made it clear something had indeed occurred.

“Anyway, conflicts between departments during meetings are natural. So whatever it is, tell me. If there’s something I can do, I’ll help settle it.”

Perhaps sensing that their excuses would be useless against my confident demeanor, Yerin sighed and began to explain.

“So, it’s not exactly that we were fighting, but as we continued discussing our differing positions, emotions got heated and things became awkward?”

“Yes, you’ve summarized it well.”

“Yes, that’s correct…”

As both of them agreed, I approached the whiteboard hanging on the wall.

“Then, each of you explain your stance and the reasoning behind it. I’ll listen, summarize, and make a judgment.”

“Who should go first?”

“Yerin, you go first.”

At that, Yerin began her explanation with a calm expression.

I carefully wrote down her points on the whiteboard.

“That’s enough. Next, Seol-i.”

Seol-i, whose turn it was, began her explanation in a confident tone quite unlike her usual self.

After both had finished their explanations, I pulled the whiteboard, now filled with the content of both sides, to the front.

“So, Yerin, you want to use the members of the Enforcement Department from Chae Hwa High School as the first event members because it will increase interest during the current Roah pickup event, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Conversely, Seol-i wants to use the student council of Kafilah Academy as the first event members to resolve the volume issues in the main story by incorporating certain storylines into the event story, correct?”

Instead of answering, Seol-i simply nodded.

Listening to both of their arguments, I began to feel like I was sinking into a quagmire.

Both of their ideas had very valid reasons for being the main event.

Yerin’s suggestion was that during the Enforcement Department event, we could capitalize on the synergistic effect of the Roah pickup.

On the other hand, if Seol-i’s suggestion were adopted, we could resolve the volume issues in the main storylines, offering new plot points.

Caught between the two, I made the decision to dodge choosing.

“Did you consult anyone else besides me?”

“No, we didn’t.”

“Actually, consulting other team members might be… inappropriate.”

“Then, what about consulting Yumi? She might offer a more objective judgment as the Project Manager compared to me.”

At this proposal, the two briefly thought about it and then nodded in agreement.

Though I had only half-heartedly suggested it, I was relieved when it appeared to have worked.

Before either of them could change their minds, I quickly pulled out my smartphone and called Yumi to the conference room.

After about five minutes, Yumi entered the conference room after knocking.

“Director summoned me, sir?”

“Yumi, you’re here. I have something quick to ask. Please, sit down.”

“Okay.”

As Yumi sat down next to Seol-i, I pointed to the whiteboard.

“There’s a conflict on who to pick as the main character for the first event in the next update. Yumi, which side seems more appropriate to you?”

“Um… so the top part is Yerin’s suggestion and the bottom part is Seol-i’s suggestion?”

“That’s right.”

Yumi, with a serious look unusual for her, began to speak after reading the whiteboard.

“I think Yerin’s suggestion is the better one…”

At Yumi’s judgment, the reactions from the two parties were polar opposites.

“Really?!”

First, Yerin threw aside her usual coolness and genuinely seemed overjoyed,

“Wh, why…?”

Seol-i, on the other hand, looked as though she had been betrayed by Yumi.

“Y, Yumi, are you joking…? Why…?”

In response to Seol-i’s question, Yumi shrugged and said,

“When I consider it from the users’ perspective, Seol-i’s suggestion felt very appealing. However, from the PM’s perspective, Yerin’s suggestion is much more appealing.”

“Appealing…?”

As Seol-i questioned, Yumi nodded and continued.

“If the event story members are from the Enforcement Department of Chae Hwa High School, it will offer the possibility of linking it to the current Roah pickup. This could persuade users who were hesitant to pick up Roah to reconsider.”

“…”

“And if interest in Roah increases, it’s inevitable that sales will rise. Alongside this, with the popularity of the Enforcement Department, as a PM, I have no choice but to agree with Yerin.”

At Yumi’s reasoning, Seol-i looked shocked and slumped over in her seat.

“So the seniors’ words were true after all… PMs are the enemies of planners… PMs are the enemies of planners…”

At this, both Yumi and Yerin slightly shifted away from Seol-i, startled.

“Se, Senior Seol-i seems to have gone into a daze…”

“Seol-i senior has broken…”

As the atmosphere grew more chaotic, I decided to intervene and clapped to lighten the mood in the conference room.

“All right, everyone, calm down. How about we do this?”

After confirming that the conference room had grown quiet, I continued.

“I think we should go with Yerin’s suggestion for the event member. I also think that’s the right direction.”

“…I understand. A promise is a promise…”

“In return, it would be a waste to bury Seol-i’s idea.”

As Seol-i, looking sullen, didn’t quite understand my words, she blinked in confusion.

“…Yes?”

“I mean the student council characters. How about we not include them in the event and instead separate them into a side story?”

“But, wasn’t side story-related content not planned for this update…?”

“Hmm, that’s true, isn’t it?”

“Then, how…”

In response to Seol-i’s question, I shrugged and said,

“As this isn’t an extremely difficult feature to implement, if we ask Brother Myunghoon, he might find a way to make it work.”

Even though it was a bit worrying because Myunghoon and the development team were likely busy with the Android version update, there was no other choice.

If I didn’t do this, there wouldn’t be a way to help Seol-i recover her mental state.

“If you could do that, it’d be more than enough…”

“Good. I’ll talk with Brother Myunghoon as soon as possible.”

“T, thank you…”

Having witnessed Seol-i’s recovered expression, I felt relieved and turned my gaze towards Yerin.

“So, it seems the issue with the event members is settled. How long do you think the work will take?”

At this question, Yerin opened her mouth after momentarily pondering.

“In fact, I’ve already finished most of the work so once the banner illustrations and a few event illustrations are finished, it should take around 2 to 3 days at most…”

“How could you have completed so much in advance?”

“…I felt my suggestion might get approval somehow.”

At Yerin’s shameless explanation, both Seol-i and I couldn’t help but look at her with exasperation.

“…What’s the problem? It ended up being the right move, didn’t it?”

“Well… fine. Anyway, Yumi and Yerin, please leave for now.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll finish the banner illustration quickly and send it for your review.”

“Alright.”

With that, Yumi and Yerin left the conference room, and I turned to Seol-i.

“By any chance, do you have any ideas for the student council of Kafilah Academy’s sub-story?”

“Ah, um… yes.”

“Really?”

“Well, I thought there might be an occasion to use it…”

It seemed Seol-i, like Yerin, had prepared in advance.

“Alright, there is no harm in having ideas prepared, so don’t worry about it. Go back to work.”

At my words, Seol-i nodded with a brightened expression.

Then, as though she had something left to say, she shyly raised her hand.

“Yes, Director…!”

“Hmm, what is it?”

“There’s a proposal from one of the members of our planning team that I think you should see…”

“Sure? Did you bring the proposal?”

“Yes… here.”

Looking over the proposal Seol-i handed over, the first thing that caught my eye was the title.

“Girls’ Memorial 3D Modeling Project…?”

I tilted my head in curiosity and began to read the contents of the proposal.

“So, if I understand correctly… this suggests using developing 3D tools to create 3D models of the Girls’ Memorial characters, then utilize these models to produce various contents.”

“Yes! The idea is to add animations to the 3D models and create short videos either for announcements or to depict the daily lives of the characters within the story.”

As I read the proposal Seol-i had given me, I was struck by surprise.

The contents of this proposal clearly demonstrated foresight.

Considering that many subculture mobile games had utilized short video platforms in the original timeline, it was certainly an idea worth paying attention to.

“I’ll review this a little more. Is there anything else you want to report?”

“No, that’s it!”

“In that case, you’re free to go. Thank you for your hard work today.”

“Thank you sir…!”

Seol-i bowed her head slightly in greeting before leaving the conference room.

As everyone left, the conference room was filled with silence.

Only then was I able to sit back in my chair and let out a sigh.

The reason for my worry was the proposal Seol-i had handed over just before leaving.

Because of that proposal.

“It looks like I’ll be busy for a while…”

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[The provided HTML code at the end does not seem to be related to the translated text, so it has been omitted in this translation.]

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