NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 94
I moved to a café near the main house with Young-jin for a consultation at the request of Small Aunt.
Looking at his dejected appearance, it seemed he had been scolded by Small Aunt before coming to me.
“What would you like to drink?”
“…I’ll have an Americano.”
Carrying two Americanos that I had just ordered, I sat down and first asked Young-jin, who was sitting opposite me:
“You want to be a game planner, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Why do you want to be a planner?”
To put it plainly, I was asking for the fundamental reason why he wanted to become a planner. I intended to set the direction of this consultation based on Young-jin’s response to this question. For example, if I judged he was avoiding something and this was the reason, I planned to give him an honest critique of the harsh reality out of familial concern.
However, Young-jin’s explanation was entirely different from what I had anticipated.
“So, you decided on this career path because making a game with your club mates at school was so enjoyable?”
“Yes. At first, we gathered without much thought, but once we started making it, it turned out to be more fun than expected…”
“Hmm…”
Upon hearing Young-jin’s response, I reflected inwardly. I had assumed he wanted to become a planner out of escape, without even listening to his story.
In reality, there are many such “escape” aspirants among those who want to become planners.
“Young-jin, how old are you exactly this year?”
“18 years old.”
“18, huh… Can I see the game you’ve completed, if possible?”
“Uh… let me check.”
Young-jin took out his smartphone, tapped on it for a while, and handed it to me shortly after.
“Since I don’t carry the game around on my phone, I’ll show you a review written by a user who played our game.”
After hearing Young-jin’s explanation, I glanced at the smartphone, where I saw the familiar UI of a community gallery.
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Review) Brief review of Punk Bunny I bought yesterday]
[Title Screenshot: Dot-style cyberpunk aesthetic depicting a rabbit nun in a running pose]
It was listed in the Steam new releases the other day, and it seemed no one was showing interest, so I thought I’d give it a try while aiming for a quick playthrough.
Since the price was cheap anyway, I was prepared to leave a troll comment if it turned out to be a bomb lol.
The story is basically simple. In the year 2043, an unknown explosion occurs on a planet inhabited by rabbit humanoids, and the player, as an agent, investigates the incident and the conspiracy.
The story itself is just okay, but it ended up being unexpectedly engaging, so I couldn’t stop playing.
…
The game system is simple but every attack has a combo, and if you fill the combo, it fills up a gauge in a system called Karma.
But this Karma system acts as a double-edged sword, because while it increases your attack power against enemies, it also increases the damage you receive in return ㄷㄷㄷㄷ
It seems like this system was included to prevent veteran players from getting bored easily. It was surprisingly fresh and quite good.
…
Actually, this review seems full of praise, but as it is an indie game, it lacks volume and has various drawbacks.
Still, the visuals and in-game play are fine, so I recommend you give it a shot.
[Comment Section][Registered Order]
– Are you bringing another game?콘)
– Looks faster than expected lol
– I tried it, and it turned out to be decent.
After reading the review that Young-jin showed me, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
It was an unexpected glowing review.
Considering that many indie games either sink without any reviews or drown in disguised criticism, this demonstrated how well-received Young-jin’s indie game had been.
Moreover, high school students had created this game.
Thinking about the fact that, unlike in the previous regression era, there were no AI tools to help with coding or other aspects of game creation, it was clear that Young-jin and his friends deserved high praise indeed.
“…Impressive, huh?”
“Really?”
Young-jin, who had been anxiously waiting to hear if my feedback was negative, brightened up upon hearing my praise.
“Yep. I don’t say things lightly when it comes to games. If a game made by high school students gets this kind of evaluation, it’s definitely impressive.”
Young-jin seemed to regain confidence with this praise from me and nodded.
“By the way, Ho-jin…”
“What?”
“I never asked because there wasn’t a proper time… Which game company do you work for?”
“Me? Small Aunt didn’t tell you?”
“Yeah. I only heard you worked for a big game company, so…”
Thinking about it now, I had never actually told any of my relatives the name of my company.
Since the relatives didn’t bring it up, I hadn’t noticed either.
“By any chance, do you know the games Girls’ Memorial or Reverse Arcadia?”
“Of course I know those games. They are super famous with a large following.”
“Then you must have tried them?”
In response to my question, Young-jin shook his head.
“Somehow, I never felt the urge to play gacha games.”
“Then, you must know about the uproar caused by the recent discussion on regulating probability-based items in games a few months ago?”
“Yes, that topic created quite a buzz on the community. But why?”
“During that discussion, do you know the name of the representative who supported the Enson GT side?”
“Who was it… Ah, wasn’t it Jiho-jin…?”
Upon recalling this, Young-jin looked at me in shock and said:
“Could it really be… you?”
“Correct answer.”
“No way, you’re lying.”
Caught off-guard by this unexpected statement, Young-jin gave me a disbelieving look.
Instead of explaining, I handed him a business card.
The card stated: “Enson GT Department Head Jiho-jin.”
“Wow…”
“Does it make sense now?”
“No way… Really? You… Your face does look similar, though…”
“Do you still not believe me?”
“No, it’s not that I don’t believe you… It’s just hard to grasp the reality… Wow… No, seriously…”
Young-jin seemed flabbergasted that a figure he had only seen on the internet, a famous person, was indeed his elder brother.
Watching Young-jin in such a daze, I suddenly remembered something and asked:
“By the way, why did you want to attend a game academy or educational institute? Is it because your grades weren’t good?”
“No, actually, I heard online that there aren’t specialized majors in university for game planners. So I figured I’d benefit more by gaining practical experience at an academy or institute… Right now, my grade point average is mostly between 2nd and 3rd.”
“Is that so?”
Indeed, the likelihood that Young-jin was a weak case who was simply avoiding responsibility seemed slim.
Now with this understanding, I might want to help him out through familial ties. But how?
After pondering briefly, I asked Young-jin:
“Young-jin, do you have any urgent schedules after the holiday?”
“I don’t think so… none that I know of.”
“Then, how about a company visit to my workplace after the break?”
“A visit? Definitely, that would be great!”
“How about school?”
“It’s fine. These days, if you apply for home study, there are no issues even if you miss classes.”
“Is that right?”
The world has changed quite a bit, hasn’t it?
“After the holidays, I’ll contact you. Prepare accordingly. As for Small Aunt and Father, I will inform them directly.”
“Understood!”
…
The next day, right after the short yet long holiday, I picked up Young-jin from our uncle’s house early in the morning before heading to the office.
Thankfully, my uncle’s house was nearby; otherwise, I would have had quite a tough morning.
Pajero’s skyline buildings seemed fascinating to Young-jin, whose eyes darted around, clearly amazed by everything.
“Let’s go inside after the visit. You can tour Pajero then.”
After heeding my words, I led Young-jin into the first-floor lobby.
Fortunately, it was slightly after the usual commuting hours, so the lobby was relatively quiet.
“Put this around your neck. It’s important not to lose it.”
With the visitor’s temporary access card around his neck, I guided Young-jin past the security gate. As we walked, several employees greeted me upon recognizing me.
When we passed by 10 employees while heading towards the elevator, Young-jin whispered with an impressed tone:
“Big brother, I didn’t think much of you until just now, but seeing how the employees treat you…”
“Do you now think I’m somewhat impressive?”
“Yes…”
“It’s nothing special, so relax and follow along. The visit is just beginning.”
With that, the elevator arrived perfectly on time and our formal company visit commenced.
***
Young-jin felt like he was dreaming.
The large game development company that he had only imagined before was now right in front of him.
As the elevator doors opened, he was greeted by a view that felt like another world.
Instead of the usual monochrome decor of typical offices, this space featured glass walls, a grass-lined corridor, and decorations that brought to life the game Chronicle Connect.
It was as if the environment was seamlessly integrated with the games they created.
Looking around in awe, Ho-jin couldn’t help but ask:
“Does this feel very different from a normal office?”
“Yes…”
Smiling at Young-jin’s bewildered reaction, Ho-jin asked:
“Shall we start our tour then?”
So began the studio tour.
Young-jin gained a lot from this visit.
Artists in the art team wrestled with tablets and mice, working on countless designs. There were perhaps 100 people or more. The development team, though smaller in number, was just as busy, their fingers dancing over the keyboards as they stared at monitors. Finally, the planning team, where Young-jin aspired to be, was seen brainstorming over numbers.
It was undoubtedly a scene that couldn’t be witnessed unless you were actually part of the industry. This goodwill was entirely due to Ho-jin’s efforts. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to secure a visit during a busy phase of project development.
As the enlightening visit concluded and they were on their way home, Young-jin expressed his gratitude to Ho-jin:
“Thank you so much today, big brother.”
“How was it? Was it helpful?”
“Yes. Seeing you today has really motivated me to study. Honestly, until today, I just thought you worked at a game company. But after seeing you today…”
“Did something seem different?”
“Yes… Frankly, it felt like seeing someone from another world. Can I become like you one day?”
“Of course, why wouldn’t you be able to? I was also just thinking about whether to get into game development when I was your age.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So don’t give up. Try out various experiences in university, and come find me after you graduate. I’ll definitely help you out.”
“Really? It’s a promise.”
With trust and hope lighting his face, Young-jin nodded at Ho-jin’s promise.
Watching his expression, Ho-jin couldn’t help but smile.
This should suffice. No additional consultancy needed.
***
After finishing the holiday and cousin’s consultation, life resumed its usual pace, and time began to pass quickly.
Dedicated to the Chronicle Connect project, commuting between home and the company every day, a shocking piece of news came one October day—an unexpected surprise that none of us had anticipated.
It was the news that Reverse Arcadia had been nominated for GOTY.