Chapter 59: Chapter 60: Deep Abyss (2)

A feeling like I had just had a horrific dream.

There was a moment when my body almost gave away.

To sum up my thoughts, it felt like cosmic horror.

At the moment when forbidden knowledge slammed into my mind, my thoughts refused to function.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

How should I put it… Yes, it’s like my brain had been thoroughly scrambled.

After confronting the truth of the abyss, I agonized for a while.

One day, I even met my doppelganger in a dream, and that guy was dressed up as a magical girl.

After passing through such perilous moments, I could finally calm my mind after a week.

And one day.

The person who added salt to my wounds appeared.

“Since we’re in this situation, let’s crossdress one more time.”

It was Yang Gilsang.

Lunchtime, at a fast food restaurant.

I resisted the urge to hit Yang Gilsang on the head with the spoon I was using to eat my bibimbap.

“You should crossdress when the opportunity presents itself. How about dressing up as Alice for the Japanese market?”

‘What the hell kind of nonsense is this?’

I suppressed the urge to say that, showcasing my superhuman patience.

…Alright, I understand.

How can one feel another person’s pain as if it was their own?

In the end, the pain in your own finger hurts more than someone else getting stabbed with a knife.

Yang Gilsang must feel the same way.

Unless something like his bald fan art is circulating around, he won’t truly understand this feeling.

Life is always lonely; I never expected anyone to understand.

I just politely declined.

“No, thank you.”

But Yang Gilsang was persistent.

“Really? You’re going to miss this opportunity?”

Did I pick the wrong person?

Yang Gilsang adjusted his glasses and looked at me seriously.

“Yeonho, let’s think about this from a business perspective. This is a free marketing opportunity. It’s like someone’s handing us a fire for free, all we have to do is toss in a piece of firewood.”

“I don’t plan on using my body as firewood.”

“But what if that firewood becomes our development budget?”

Suddenly, I stopped eating.

Yang Gilsang’s gaze became sharp.

“Yeonho, what’s more important, your pride or the development budget? You said you were serious about game development. Didn’t you say that creating a masterpiece was your wish, even if it meant sacrificing your life?”

…I did say something like that.

“Our studio, Rewind, needs to become the best in the industry, right? We have to make a strong debut in the Japanese market. The timing is perfect. We’re getting a lot of attention, and game interest is high. The pre-order date is less than a month away. We need to make a big splash at this point.”

Pre-orders.

That word lingered in my mind.

Yang Gilsang’s enthusiasm suddenly changed.

“All you have to do is close your eyes for a moment. Means? Methods? Do we really need to be picky about those? Especially when it comes to the Japanese console market, you know how big it is, right?”

I do know.

I know, but…

“Gilsang, listen to me.”

“Go ahead.”

“Lower the corners of your mouth and speak.”

“Oh, I see.”

Speaking with such an amused expression doesn’t make your argument more convincing.

As for the future of the studio, well, I didn’t really care.

But this person seemed more interested in seeing me crossdress than anything else.

Of course, all of Yang Gilsang’s arguments were valid.

Especially the pre-orders, thinking about it, it made sense.

“Yeonho, even though it’s a bit scary, this is not empty talk. Besides all the other reasons, this is a long-term benefit.”

His next words were enough to shake my resolve.

“In the 21st century, the trend is emotion. And what creates that emotion? Characters. Do you know what companies are focusing on the most these days? Creating a story. Companies turn the story of their founder’s journey from start to success into a heroic tale.”

Yang Gilsang grabbed the last piece of pickled radish.

“Directors are the same. The era of developers making games is over. Now, character development is essential. It’s a golden opportunity. We have a director who is passionate about the game. It’s good publicity, and the stage is already set, isn’t it?”

While his words were quite a stretch, everything Yang Gilsang said was true.

Considering the future, it made even more sense.

Looking ahead, it made even more sense.

When it came to game releases, there was no denying the importance of initial sales figures.

And what drove those initial sales figures was the studio’s and director’s reputation.

In other words, the loyalty of the core customers.

There were many examples, but the most representative one would be Aldred Russo.

Thinking back to the day when Lost Kingdom was unveiled, there was something I still remembered.

“The Return of the Legend.”

With just that one sentence, the market was thrown into a frenzy.

It was a storm created by overwhelming recognition and customer loyalty.

Lost Kingdom had already shown its power by breaking records with pre-order numbers alone.

The industry was left in shock.

At that time, people used to say, “Pre-orders is a certification of suckers,” which made the impact even more shocking.

Of course, the games released later had to live up to those expectations, but that’s a different story.

In summary, that event was created by the character of Aldred, known as a “legend,” and the loyalty of countless customers who believed in that character.

At the same time,

“Mr. Yeonho, let’s just give it a try, dressing as a woman.”

This statement was worth considering, even if it induced brain freeze.

“You know, in the past, European nobility used to wear skirts, right? Men wearing skirts? Actually, it’s quite classy…”

“Enough of that.”

I interrupted.

I catched my breath.

My pride and the future of the company.

I weighed them on opposite sides of the scale.

Even if it was a last-ditch effort, it was worth it.

Of course, it didn’t hold much meaning.

“…”

In truth, I also knew.

My resistance was just preventing that thought from taking root.

Crossdressing once, what would even happen if I do it once?

“…”

My fists clenched.

I forced my lips to unclench, creating my own grave.

My voice trembled.

“…We should do it.”

“Oh!”

A hearty laugh broke out from Yang Gilsang.

I turned away from him and thought to myself.

It was a fleeting realization.

“…There are four of them.”

Four shackles bound me.

I had willingly entered a war in the cold, harsh world of AAA games. [Hell of War]

Lured by sweet rewards, I couldn’t escape and indulged in pleasure. [Hell of Pleasure]

In the process, I got swept up in someone’s malice, fostering resentment. [Hell of Resentment]

And ultimately, I chose it all myself, leading to self-destruction. [Hell of Self Harm]

The enlightenment was profound.

“Ah… was that it?”

Yes, it must have been.

“This place…”

It was hell.

I was still in hell.

***

On a hot day in August, as the summer heat raged on, Studio Rewind’s official account posted a photo and a comment in Japanese.

The comment read:

“Thank you to our Japanese fans who have shown interest in Hellic.

(Picture of Yeonho dressed in full Alice cosplay, holding a cheeseburger and giving a thumbs-up)

We will continue to work hard in the future.”

It was a short message, but its impact was tremendous.

Event planner Yang Gilsang smiled.

“The performance is solid.”

On his monitor, he saw the reactions from the Japanese community:

“-Is this guy for real? LOL

-Koitsu LOL. He has already become a female in spirit LOL.

-Ikeman, rest in peace.

-This is meme material for sure.”

A new source of memes had just ignited.

Yeonho’s sincere crossdressing photo had sparked the creation of even more memes.

In reality, there were some pretty horrific ones, but Gilsang carefully examined them all.

After all, he considered it one of life’s pleasures.

Of course,

“It’s about time for the real thing.”

Gilsang’s true objective lay elsewhere.

“Now, now, everyone’s curious. Let’s find out.”

Memes often had a phenomenon where people became curious about the roots of the meme.

After being exposed to the same content repeatedly, people inevitably became interested in the protagonist’s name, occupation, and the background portrayed in the meme.

Image-making started from there.

“Oh, here it comes.”

Gilsang’s eyes twinkled as he saw the reaction he was waiting for.

“What’s with this guy? Keeps crossdressing? Is he really a pervert?”

Someone had taken an interest in Yeonho himself.

Starting with that, interest in Hellic and Studio Rewind began to rise to the surface.

Gilsang took action.

He subtly threw information into the community, giving a rough overview of Yeonho and Studio Rewind.

“Director of Hellic 2, set to be released on PS3 at the end of this year.

The reason he’s not well-known in Japan despite being a prominent newcomer in the industry is because Hellic was only made for PC until now.

Director Yeonho…”

The fairly long post covered everything from when Yeonho found Han Seorim to work on Hellic 1 together to when he recruited a graphic modeler and a senior programmer from the same university to complete Hellic 2.

It had a structure similar to a youth drama, and even though Gilsang didn’t add any special embellishments, it gave off that impression.

It was a good development.

That meant the narrative within the record itself was strong enough to move people.

Gilsang was confident that Japanese gamers reading this story would feel no different from himself.

That was correct.

“Reference material.

(Picture of Yeonho on a stage at an awards ceremony, smiling with overflowing emotion)

People who chase their dreams are always cool.

Of course, he looks cool even without it…”

In addition to the information Gilsang provided, they conducted their own research to complete Yeonho’s profile.

The responses were quite positive.

“He finished Act 1 and is running into Act 2.

His determination is admirable.”

Everyone wished for a happy ending.

They hoped that those who put in effort would achieve victory and that they would smile and be happy when they finally approached their dreams.

At least, Yeonho, who had advanced the indie game, was the protagonist of such a story.

“He is an amazing guy, isnt he?

Impressive.

You can’t just call him a crossdresser LOL.”

Users who had been enjoying the memes suddenly started to hold Yeonho in high regard.

They praised his passion, acknowledged his achievements, and grew more curious about his work.

In other words, they began to pay closer attention to the game.

“Should I give it a try? If it’s a GOTY, I might as well.

-I’m planning to buy it first.

-Can’t you play it on PC too?

-I only have a console, so PC is inconvenient.”

Gilsang chuckled.

“It’s over.”

It all started with just one crossdressing photo.

One photo, which had brought them this far.

Gilsang’s strategy had succeeded in packaging Yeonho as the “passionate rookie director who triumphed with determination” or the “young devotee of gaming.”

Gilsang asked his secretary, “Pre-orders start tomorrow, right?”

“Yes.”

“Good, let’s make sure to check it thoroughly.”

They had ignited the bomb during the most heated moment, so it was bound to explode even more spectacularly. They had done everything they could; now all that remained was to see the results. Gilsang’s heart was trembling with excitement.

“However…”

There was a minor issue, but he decided to overlook it. Gilsang was not concerned about the slight deviation in the second creation by Yeonho; he believed that as long as the results were good, everything would be fine.

Didn’t they say that as long as the results were good, everything would go smoothly?

***

The pre-orders were a success.

“200,000 units? We’ve not only broken even but also made a profit.”

They had sold 200,000 units through pre-orders alone, and these were console packages. It might have seemed unbelievable for their level, but when you looked at the details, it wasn’t that surprising. After all, the game had already been validated in the form of an indie Game of the Year on PC. They had even customized the marketing, so the impact was considerable.

If someone were to ask if this was too little compared to the effort they had put into it, the answer would be the same. There weren’t dramatically more people running the open run with the game already available on PC.

“It’s going well. Let’s take a deep breath.”

“It’s going really well.”

Indeed, it was. The marketing campaign had effectively burned through his body and turned into revenue. There was no room for embarrassment; the sales figures spoke for themselves.

He closed his eyes, turning away from the feeling of his pores tingling with excitement.

He had faced too much hardship, but he couldn’t confront reality, so he chose to turn away from it.

When Jo Ayoon excitedly rushed in with her phone in hand, he closed his eyes tightly, especially when he had worked so hard for this achievement.

“Japan doesn’t need to be our concern anymore.”

They had pushed the marketing to the limit because the opportunity had presented itself, but it was time to slowly withdraw. They couldn’t afford to focus on it any longer, and the next task was already at hand.

In the middle of the conference room, he stared at the projector.

He had already pushed away all distractions.

“The vanilla version is complete.”

They had built the core of the game, shaping and validating the farming and combat systems. The QA department’s evaluation was overwhelmingly positive. It had been about six months of hard work, but it had been worth it. They had achieved the essence of fun in the game in its vanilla state, which meant the core content was complete.

Of course, continuous checks on the details were necessary, but it wouldn’t be as challenging as before.

“Now…”

They had crossed the biggest hurdle, and what remained was the process of adding flesh to the skeleton and packaging the game beautifully.

“Let’s start dressing it up. Graphics, sound, narrative structure, level design for physical implementation, and cross-validation.”

There was a lot to do.

“Yeonho, what about our sleeping quarters…”

“Take a room. The programming team won’t have much to do for a while. And it’s not a sleeping quarters; it’s a duty room.”

“Ugh!”

Myungkyu let out a cry.

At that moment, Han Seorim asked, “How was the concept art?” It was a question about the concept art that had been delivered some time ago.

“It was fine. You can proceed as planned. We need to get into the modelling process now. Make sure to allocate tasks to each department.”

The art team had grown to up to 30 members in the meantime. It was inevitable because the field of graphics was too segmented, with character modelling, map modelling, and various other specialized areas.

Even if you wanted to work on just one thing, it was advantageous to hire experts in that particular field.

From now on, Han Seorim’s role would focus on managing them.

I trust their abilities. The only concern is whether they can handle the pressure and not break down at some point. She was quite mentally fragile, so she would need someone to support her.

That’s my role, so I have to be mindful of it.

“You confirm and combine it on your own and show me the results. If the concept is unclear, then come to me.”

“Got it.”

“Next, Ayoon, stick with me for a while. You’ll need to understand the storyline for setting the BGM. When it comes to the graphic aspects, we’ll review it together when I do.”

“Yes!”

And…

His gaze turned to the dynamic duo.

Now, the two of them were about to do some very important work.

“Kim Hyeji, Jo Yumi.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll have to give you separate instructions, but I want you to be mentally prepared in advance.”

Hellic 3 had taken a bizarre approach to the concept of playable characters. Each body part was designed differently in the form of parts, resulting in a playable character made up of asymmetrical, monstrous shapes. Of course, it could be seen as a unique feature. The reason for making the character’s base form so strange was for that purpose. However, if one part was too bizarre—such as a woman’s legs combined with a man’s torso—more people might feel repulsed.

A more mainstream approach was needed for such people, and I decided to come up with the initial concept for that.

“We’re going to introduce customization elements.”

In other words, a “look swap.” In some games, it fell under the category of skins or cosmetic equipment. In simple terms, it allowed you to overlay the appearance of acquired parts onto other parts, allowing players to remove the weirdness of the original playable character.

Both of them understood what that meant.

“Do you know what this means?”

“There will be a lot of models to create?”

“Exactly.”

Graphic modelers would need to implement different modelling for each motion of the playable character.

“I’ve hired enough subordinate staff. We’ll even consider outsourcing if necessary. I’m counting on you.”

At that moment, the dynamic duo lost their composure.

I organized my thoughts.

“The development period will be about three more years. We need to handle that amount of work, and we’ll invest the necessary funds.”

If needed, I’m willing to extend the timeline further.

So, there’s no compromise on quality.

“Let’s not worry about anything else and focus on the results.”

I summarized the key points.

“There will be seven chapters, with a playtime of 2 to 4 hours per chapter, for a total of around 22 hours of content planned. There will be times when it’s tough. I can’t promise a lot of things, but I’ll definitely deliver on this.”

With nothing properly created yet, the one thing I could promise was this.

“We will pay your salaries regularly. Overtime and incentives will be filled to the brim. Make sure to convey that to your team members.”

Through experience, I had learned that a boss who didn’t skim off the top and paid well was the best /RomanceMTL