Chapter 67: Chapter 68: Christmas Eve

The world is unfair.

There is no such thing as a utopia where everyone is happy, and the stage of coexistence, where everyone is given equal opportunities, exists only in an unattainable ideal.

Well, if it was possible, communism would have succeeded.

Even though ethics speaks of equality for all, human desires imply class distinctions and differences, making such equality unattainable.

This too was an extension of such events.

First of all, congratulations. Hellic 2 exceeded expectations in its success.

Hellic 2 emerged victorious in the competition.

It proved its superiority within the class system and was rewarded accordingly by moving up to a new class.

From one of many stones to a gem.

From rank B to rank A in business relationships.

Ayado Goro’s contact was subtly hinting at such changes.

Expressing emotions here is unnecessary.

I put aside the rising joy and took a deep breath.

Only then did I say, “Thank you. It’s all thanks to your support.”

One of the virtues of a socialite is humility.

Words cost nothing, and such words of gratitude can be exchanged at any time.

Ayado Goro felt the same way.

It’s all thanks to the success of Hellic 2. After all, we don’t have much beyond distribution, do we?

The warm moment of mutual admiration quickly passed.

Perhaps because they had mutual interests.

The groundwork for that had been laid.

We are planning some promotions related to the success of Hellic 2. Can we get your input?

“Thank you. I’ll send you an email from our business department.”

Yes, because we need close cooperation.

It was right after this conversation.

A short silence.

In the meantime, Ayado cautiously began to speak.

The way PS3 has been resolved is truly fortunate.

But now it’s time to talk about the future.

However, there’s no eternal glory. Time is quite ruthless; it even gnaws away at memories.

It was a somewhat metaphorical statement, but its meaning was clear.

He was saying that no matter how successful Hellic 2 was in its current market, it wouldn’t have a dramatic impact on Hellic 3.

No, this success and the expectations placed on it would soon become a backlash and drag it down to the abyss.

“It’s scary, isn’t it? The side effect.”

I’m glad you understand.

Ayado Goro then asked straightforwardly.

When can we expect to see a complete demo?

If we were to interpret it explicitly, it would mean, “I’m worried about whether you’re making it well. If you can’t make it as good as the previous one, I’ll scrap it.”

“We’ve completed up to Chapter 1 now. Debugging is the issue. We plan to produce the demo up to Chapter 2.”

It meant that things were going smoothly, so there’s no need to worry.

Ayado immediately understood and replied.

We’ll need to check it in the spring. We also need to start preparing for E3.

This statement carried two implications.

First, set the deadline for March.

Second, the level of support at E3 will depend on the quality of your product.

As mentioned earlier, it’s all about evaluation and competition.

The talented ones will be pushed forward, and the less capable ones will be pushed to the corner.

The difference this time was that the stage on which Rewind would rise was much larger, and the level of attention had changed.

If you scored high in the evaluation, you could receive a much larger booth and support than initially planned.

It was a good story.

Well then, I’ll see you in the spring.

“Yes, I heard the cold weather is starting. Please take care of yourself.”

And you too take care of yourself.

The formalities concluded the phone call.

“What was that about?” Yang Gilsang asked.

I briefly explained the conversation and said, “The deadline is in the spring. Our booth support at E3 will depend on the evaluation scores.”

There was no need to emphasize that the story didn’t end there.

Yang Gilsang nodded. “The PS4 is launching now, right? This is our chance to rise to the level of flagship titles. Am I correct in saying that?”

“Yes, you are.”

The timing was perfect.

The initial sales slump of the PS3’s early days remained a big blemish, and what was most crucial for Sony now was securing market share through initial sales volume and ensuring the supply of flagship titles that would drive that. I understood the result of this trend.

“It was an overwhelming victory for the PlayStation.”

The PS4 would become the king of the eighth generation of game consoles.

Of course, it would eventually face competition from the Nintendo Switch, but that would be in the ninth generation after the release of the PS5. There was no need to worry about it right now.

To put it simply, the Hellic series had to ride the wave of the PS4’s success.

Every related situation was favourable.

“Mr. Gilsang.”

“Yes.”

“We’re going to start working on Chapter 2 right away. So, let’s begin.”

The recent success in Japan was not only brought recognition to the Hellic series but also immediately brought a noticeable reward: sales.

The sales of the 32,000-won package amounted to approximately 1.8 million units.

“We need to hire more employees. It’s time to go shopping.”

Development costs had been covered, and quite extensively.

***

December 21st.

Christmas was just four days away.

The blessings of Christmas had once again descended upon the world.

The weather, which should have been chilly, was unusually warm this year, spreading the cosiness of winter.

Studio Rewind was in full swing with its staff recruitment.

Despite the fact that there were looking for employees with high salaries, they were still in short supply, and the increased development budget was a fortunate choice.

Yang Gilsang was working hard on that part.

What I was concerned about now was the E3 event, which was only six months away.

More precisely, the demo version that had to be completed before then.

We needed to have a physical representation at least until March.

Debugging elements could be added later, but we needed a level that could be shown to investors.

But unfortunately, progress on that front was slow.

“How about this?”

Han Seorim’s chronic illness had struck again.

Perfectionism and hypersensitivity.

It had become a recurring issue since entering Chapter 2.

Today alone, she had brought this up five times for minor adjustments.

When she lacked confidence in herself, she did this occasionally.

I looked at the design Han Seorim had brought.

“Here, the necklace part. Should we remove the pattern, too? To go for a more minimalist look. No, that’s not it. Accessories should be exaggerated…”

Her muttering was about the boss monster of Chapter 2, the “Bare Queen,” and her guards, the “Faceless Warriors.”

All of them were female monsters, and Chapter 2 was where these women roamed the field of skulls.

Seeing them silently, Han Seorim noticed that I had being staring at her.

“Sunbae, what do you think?”

“It’s kind of ambiguous.”

“Right? No matter what I do, it doesn’t seem to fit. The gloom of the background and the brightness of the monsters should contrast dramatically, but they seem to be in completely different worlds. The saturation level is not even close…”

The rambling words were Han Seorim’s struggles.

I looked at Han Seorim’s fingernails.

The tip of her index finger was slightly damaged.

It seemed like she had developed a habit of biting her nails.

“Give me your hand.”

“What?”

“Give me your hand.”

I took Han Seorim’s hand.

In my hand was a nail clipper.

Since I had been working with Han Seorim for over a year, I had always kept a nail clipper on my desk.

I simply trimmed the tip of Han Seorim’s index finger and said, “You need a break.”

“If I don’t get confirmation, Chapter 2 won’t make progress.”

“It won’t get any better in this state. Your mind is trapped right now. Even if you try to fix it, it will end up getting worse, just like when we made Hellic 2 Chapter 1.”

“But…”

“Was I wrong?”

There was a slight tremor in my hand from Han Seorim’s finger.

She wasn’t good at lying, after all.

Her expression was somewhat uneven.

Well, there was no other workaholic like her among the staff.

She was dependable, but I also worried about her.

Her desire to achieve was so great that if she didn’t like the result, she would throw herself into her work to an extreme extent.

Whenever I saw Han Seorim like this, I would take some time for self-reflection.

“It’s almost Christmas. Take a break then. You don’t have any plans on Christmas Eve, right?”

“You’re asking as if you’re sure there aren’t any.”

“I don’t have any.”

“…I do.”

“Your own promises don’t count.”

It was my fourth year with Han Seorim.

She would probably spend Christmas at home if she got a break this Christmas, peeking into communities and feeling pressured by the heated reactions to Hellic these days. That wouldn’t be a good thing.

“If you have nothing to do, let’s go out. Oh, it’s not a date request.”

It was best to keep Han Seorim monitored even during breaks. Besides, he seemed to be able to set a decent example.

Han Seorim lightly ran her thumb over the edge of her nail and mumbled.

“Like the art exhibition?”

I replied, “Yeah, like that.”

It was one of those moments.

“We’ll have fun on Christmas?”

Jo Ayoon, who arrived God knows when, asked.

The ice cream in her hand was slowly melting in the heater’s warm breeze. I wondered why she had ice cream in the middle of winter.

“Why, do you want to go too?”

Jo Ayoon was likely to stay cooped up at home as well. She used to be like that in her past life.

“You’re not going out on Christmas?”

“No, I don’t want to. If I go out, I’ll have to see couples. I’ll play games at your house.”

“Why are you so sure that I’ll play games?”

“Why do you lie so easily?”

That was also a memory. When I thought about it, there were quite a few attempts to find out my home address. I didn’t reveal it because I was afraid she would come to bother me when sha was drunk.

Anyway, thinking back to the past like that, this year was Jo Ayoon’s first Christmas after becoming an adult. Maybe she’d want to go out to have fun.

“…No, I can’t. It’s a double experience points event that day.”

“…”

“I even have a schedule. Hehe… Have a good time!”

Surprisingly, Jo Ayoon was the kind of kid who planned things in life. Suddenly, an emotion I couldn’t quite identify surged up from within me, then quickly subsided. All I could do was nod my head slowly.

“Alright then.”

Double experience points event was a big deal, after all. Probably.

***

Three days had passed.

December 24th, 9 PM.

Seorim sat by the window in a cafe, reflecting on the day. She had reached a conclusion.

“Could this be a date?”

She had met Yeonho late for lunch. Both of them were on empty stomachs, so they had lunch, stopped by the tree festival, and watched a movie. For dinner, they had a light drink and were now in the cafe.

It seemed like a well-planned day for a date, especially since it was Christmas. Seorim wondered if Yeonho had intended it to be a date, but she couldn’t be sure.

There was one reason she couldn’t be certain.

“I brought this for you.”

Yeonho handed her a cup of coffee.

Seorim took it and inspected Yeonho’s attire.

“But what’s with that strange outfit? It looks like a caterpillar.”

Yeonho was wearing a long puffer coat that went down to his knees, not quite a coat or a puffer jacket. It looked odd by any fashion standards. Seorim thought he wouldn’t have worn such clothes for a real date.

Yeonho replied, “It’s warm. You should try it on.”

“I pay more attention to fashion.”

“This is fashion.”

“Insisting on your own style isn’t fashion.”

“Wait and see. Time will tell who’s right.”

He was just talking nonsense again.

Seorim sighed deeply.

The reason for her unease was that she couldn’t come up with any ideas today, no sudden inspiration like the art exhibition in the past. While she was grateful for Yeonho’s support and today had been refreshing, the thought of starting over from tomorrow made her uneasy.

That unease seeped out.

“By the way…”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any good suggestions for Chapter 2?”

Yeonho paused, his fork aimed at the cake.

Seorim felt his gaze and wondered if she had appeared ungrateful. It was one of those moments.

“From now on…”

“Yes?”

“I don’t know if it will be helpful, but I’ll show you from now on.”

Yeonho stabbed a piece of chocolate cake with his fork and, with it inside his mouth, he gestured toward the window.

“Do you see that over there?”

Yeonho pointed to a club entrance where young men and women were forming a long line to enter, welcoming the Eve.

Seorim’s forehead furrowed. She didn’t particularly like such scenes. Her upbringing with her older brother, Han Jinkyung, was the reason. She considered such hedonistic nightlife culture as pathetic.

“What’s that? How is it related to Chapter 2?”

Serym’s understanding of Chapter 2 was about individuals in the midst of war, a metaphor for diminishing morality under a grand narrative, expressing the repulsiveness within that context.

But those people in front of the club were just moths flying to the flame for a night of revelry. There didn’t seem to be any commonality.

Seorim tried to explain this to Yeonho, who responded casually.

“In essence, they’re the same.”

Before Seorim knew it, Yeonho’s cake plate was empty. He reached over to Seorim’s cake with his fork and continued talking.

“Chapter 2 doesn’t say anything profound. It’s just about… hypocrisy. How far can a person rationalize their actions, that’s what it’s about.”

Yeonho tapped his index finger under his eye as he spoke.

“Now, put on your narrow-minded thinking glasses. We’re going to think inside the box.”

Yeonho’s gaze, which had been on the window, seemed to focus on something distant.

“People out there are ordinary people in the outside world. But inside, they change. They become debaucherous for a day. The club creates that atmosphere. Everyone does it, don’t you think?”

Seorim felt uncomfortable, her face contorting. Yeonho’s perspective was unnerving.

“Your view of the night doesn’t reach beyond the superficial. Put your preconceptions aside and think about it. It’s about the desire, well packaged. Chapter 2 is about unwrapping that packaging.”

Yeonho’s eyes, which had been fixated on the outside world, now seemed to be looking into the distance.

“Have you always been justified in your violence?”

Serym’s gaze had also turned towards the people in front of the club.

***

The four of them had just emerged from the quagmire of gunfire and stepped through a door.

The barbarian commented on the unfolded scenery, “Women, they stand out.”

“Don’t be fooled!” the second person warned.

“Hey are you undressing too?” asked the third.

The Paladin had a seizure and said, “You vile creature!”

He was still inhabiting Joan of Arc’s /RomanceMTL