Chapter 68: Chapter 69: Brides

On December 26th, a day when the warmth of Christmas had passed, finally marking the end of the year, Seorim arrived at work and took her seat. There was a newfound vitality in her face, and there was one reason for it.

“I understand.”

After about an hour of contemplation, she had completed the concept for Chapter 2. It was the realization of an idea that had sprung from Yeonho’s example.

Clicking the mouse, she opened the file that Yeonho had provided as a reference. The text in the document described the scene:

“It was dark. Under a sky covered as if by a lid, there was something to be seen. Faintly illuminating the ground were the blue flames rising from scattered candlesticks. Covering the floor was some kind of debris, and rising above it were tombstones. But the most conspicuous element, without a doubt, were the women sitting on the tombstones, laughing softly.

They wore thin white dresses that revealed almost everything underneath, and their skin was as pale as it could be. They adorned themselves with elaborate golden jewellery, and their faces were covered with a veil made of linen. If one were to make a comparison, they looked like brides in very rustic wedding dresses or like warriors.

Beside them, skeletal soldiers held weapons, standing guard with a straight posture.”

Following the text was still a gruesome illustration. That’s how it was for the most part. Seorim needed to bring to life the landscapes that only existed in Yeonho’s mind by combining this gruesome picture and description.

So, what mattered most was the emotional aspect. That is, identifying the focal points.

“I thought about the contrast.”

When planning Chapter 2, that thought had come first. After the pilgrims entered this place and saw the warriors and the brides, they would naturally become hostile. It was only natural that they would perceive them as enemies and kill them. They would have no doubts about their actions.

The realization that something had gone wrong came when they shattered the skull soldiers and ended the breaths of the brides.

“They turn into glass.”

The dead brides, bleeding and lifeless, gradually solidified and turned into glass.

However, the mirror of the linen robe reflects the pilgrims.

The face of the pilgrim, soaked in blood, is reflected in the mirror, and it says:

Did they really have to be killed?

The pilgrim is engulfed in confusion.

Only then does he contemplate, “Were they really the enemy?”

Nevertheless, he does not stop.

“We must kill them to escape.”

Originally, in the narrative, this meant “rationalization.”

In terms of the game, it would stage a situation where the only way forward was to kill the women by placing them in the path.

The meaning of the brides was one.

“Innocent civilians sacrificed.”

In the grim backdrop of the battlefield, the brides, who had blossomed beautifully alone, were symbols of innocence.

Their adornment represented the value of life.

As such, the enemy soldiers who wanted to protect them were always by their side.

The soldiers symbolized the enemy.

Everyone knew that what they were protecting and what the enemy was trying to protect were fundamentally the same thing.

But their value could not be the same within them.

“A line of dialogue will be inserted.”

“This is all welcome! We must kill and move on! We can’t stop!”

It was a soldier’s dialogue.

Others went along in agreement.

There was something that could be inferred from it.

These pilgrims had the experience of killing civilians while fighting in a war in their past lives.

Historically, it was nothing extraordinary.

But in hell, they had to face it head-on.

That’s how they meet the boss of the chapter, the “Bare Queen.”

She, with a height of 10 meters, looks down on the pilgrims, revealing the morality they had ignored.

By wielding her sword among countless brides, she forces them to die for what they did in the war.

Of course, the pilgrims overcome even the queen and escape from there.

Towards the staircase where a ray of light shines down.

The true nature of Chapter 2 would only be revealed now.

When you look back in front of the exit, you can see a giant coffin-shaped corpse mountain.

The corpses of the Queen and warriors who sacrificed themselves there, once again evoking a twisted choice, were named the “Misguided Crown.”

Seorim smiled.

“We had to think grandiosely.”

As they became accustomed to violence, they morally deteriorated as humans.

How could one take such a narrative lightly?

The thought that occasionally crossed Seorim’s mind was that Yeonho’s sensibilities had become too dry.

But, to put it differently, it was just that.

It was nothing more than a narrative that fundamentally represented the duality of human beings.

In other words, Chapter 2 was a chapter that not only made soldiers go mad but also harmed warriors, revealing the duality of morality.

The way to visually express it was surprisingly simple.

Swish—

The pen moved.

The background setting remained untouched.

The major designs of the warriors and the Queen remained untouched.

There was only one thing that was changed.

“Motion and gaze handling. That’s how you create a sense of incongruity.”

Only one thing, by reworking the motion and gaze handling of the warriors, to express that they are innocent victims.

The method was simple.

“Run as if you’re fleeing, and charge at the playable character.”

It couldn’t end there.

“The gaze has to look back. …Yes, turn the neck about 130 degrees. Show that you’re being chased.”

So, the key was to make it look pitiful and desperate.

An attack in the form of a chase.

“This is it.”

Input leads to output.

The image that can become the clue for something new only comes from what you see, hear, and experience.

Seorim had started working and played quite a few games.

Mostly horror games that Yeonho told her to play.

She recalled the finished version of this concept.

“It’ll be creepy.”

The users who fight against brides will constantly be creeped.

Because they have to kill the opponent running towards them.

With that in mind, her confidence grew stronger.

The movement of the pen accelerated even more.

And so, the next day.

“Confirmation, it’s much better.”

Seorim’s design successfully received Yeonho’s confirmation.

***

The modeling was completed in late January. Since it was mainly modifying the existing model, it didn’t take much time. I checked them.

Running like they were fleeing with their heads turned at about 130 degrees, the thin-clad brides, the skeleton guards protecting them, and the queen. Baekmi was the queen’s sword. It was a sword with a tangled shape as the brides embraced each other, giving the texture of something melting through the blurry boundaries. Its subtle details captivated the gaze. Anyway, when we put aside the jargon and focus on the results, it’s positive.

The modelling received high scores not only from me but also from all the departments in the company. Especially the QA department that tests the physical gameplay gave rare praises.

[The brides look great]

… Let’s put off discussing the vulgarity of the words. The important thing is that this was the first time we talked about the model, not the gameplay or bugs, to such an extent.

In other words, the modelling was impressive enough to receive such praises. It was a very important achievement, especially when considering the history of horror games where female monster characters with grotesque beauty in a cult following. There are many examples, but to mention just one…

Hasn’t everyone at least once held a faceless nurse in their hearts?

It’s an unexpected harvest. Especially for Hellic, this could be a bigger advantage as the monster could be used for more than just a simple enemy.

“Did you pull the customizable parts for this model?”

Farming the parts for customization. The brides could serve as materials for customization that users could use, which would boost their popularity.

The lively duo answered, “Of course! We poured our hearts into it to the point that it’s addicting!”

“???”

“Myungkyu hyung is addicted to it too!”

“???”

For a moment, I didn’t immediately understand the words that came out.

“Hey, guys…!”

Myungkyu hyung turned red as a tomato.

… Whatever happened, it seems that things are progressing well.

***

In most game development studios, the department that plays the test version the most is typically the Quality Assurance (QA) department. Next in line, you might expect the programming department to play the test version frequently. However, Studio Rewind was different. The programming department’s playtime was not even in the top two.

So, who was in the second place? Well, that answer led to a rather unexpected area.

“Hmm…”

Jo Ayoon, a 21-year-old sound director and the sole sound specialist at Rewind, was deep in thought. Her hobby was gaming, and her specialty was composing music. She was the youngest employee at the company and the bane of all her coworkers.

That’s right; it was her.

Ayoon’s lips curved into a pout. What she saw on her monitor was the test version of Hellic 3. Ayoon’s job at the company involved playing this test version all day long. This was her 72nd playthrough, and she couldn’t help but think, “This is getting boring.”

Of course, it didn’t mean the game was boring. It meant that the melody that came to her mind while playing Chapter 2 was boring.

With a dark ceiling covering the background, faintly illuminated by blue candles, the surroundings, the protagonist, and the skeleton soldiers were becoming increasingly clear. With her accumulated experience, Ayoon understood that Chapter 2 was about creating a presence in the stillness, particularly through the characters. So, the BGM had to be centred around these characters. When she considered the atmosphere, she thought of a low orchestral composition. However, she felt that such music, rich and majestic but devoid of eerie wind sounds, would be too dull when integrated into the game.

“No, it won’t work. It will just get lost in the game.”

Upon closer inspection, it was partly due to Hyeji and Yumi. Their strange obsession with creating unique characters for the game made it nearly impossible to express the sticky emotions with a simple composition.

Ayoon’s dilemma deepened. How on earth could she simultaneously convey melancholy, suspense, and peculiarity in the music? How could she make the chapter’s atmosphere stand out musically?

“Ugh…”

Pulling at her hair, Ayoon turned on her composition software with the determination to give it a try. But even after trying various instruments and stacking up chords, she couldn’t get close to the desired emotion.

It was frustrating, to say the least. The pressure was building, and Ayoon couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t help but let out a frustrated scream.

“Arrgh!”

“I need inspiration!” she exclaimed, and with that, she got up from her seat and headed to the break room. Even in the midst of her frustration, the ideas continued to race through her mind.

The core melody was already in the conceptual realm. It had solidified to a point where all she had to do was grasp one specific point, but it was eluding her.

That’s when it happened.

“Tsk…”

A sudden sound abruptly stopped Ayoon in her tracks.

“Huh?”

Ahyun opened her eyes groggily and looked in the direction of the sound.

Yeonho was there.

Her eyebrows were slightly furrowed, but upon closer inspection, she realized he was picking at loose threads on his clothing.

No, that wasn’t important.

“Tsk, tsk…”

The sound of her recent tongue click kept playing in her head.

More precisely, that saliva-mixed sound had ingeniously blended with the music playing in her mind.

In that moment, Ayoon felt a thrilling shiver down her spine.

“I’ve found it!”

The perfect point for the background music.

In other words, the stickiness that had been missing from the sound.

“Boss!”

Ayoon grabbed Yeonho’s collar.

Yeonho looked at her.

“Yeah?”

Ayoon puckered her lips while continuing to think.

“A kiss!”

If she mixed in the sound of softly clicking tongues and layered it on top of the music, it would add even more stickiness.

At the right beat and timing, that sound would burst forth, stimulating the auditory senses.

No, it couldn’t be a tongue click for that. There was a sound that evoked even more stickiness!

“Why are you doing this, Ayoon?”

To Yeonho’s questioning look, Ayoon replied.

With all her inner excitement on full display, and looking at Yeonho’s lips.

“Come with me to the recording studio!”

The inserted sound would be the sound of their lips meeting with a soft “smack.”

Yeonho’s lips quivered.

“Ayoon, did I do something wrong?”

Ayoon didn’t hear his words.

***

Inside the company’s recording studio, Jo Ayoon excitedly gestured to me from behind the soundproof glass.

Her hand was pointing at the microphone in front of me.

“Give me a kiss there, and add some saliva…”

I said it without thinking.

‘Is workplace harassment /RomanceMTL