Chapter 87: Chapter 88: Identity (1)

I didn’t know much about the incidents that occurred during the awards ceremony, and the reason I turned away was because I didn’t have the courage to look it up. What I knew was mostly based on the community reactions that Han Seorim had gathered, and even that alone filled me with fear.

“(Analysis) Helic3Enjoy: Did Yeonho really do it alone? … This proves that Yeonho is not gay, right? …

(Analysis) ClearWithoutT: He must have done it aloneㅋ Isn’t it better to be alone than kissing in front of the mic?

(Analysis) ZoneHanSu: It has to be done alone. It must be. Please…

(Analysis) LordOfBangbaedong: No way…”

I don’t know why the analysis tags are there, but one thing is certain: users are arguing. The sound of Chapter 2 was either made by me alone or by me and Jo Ayoon. Either way, there is no socially acceptable answer. One, claiming that I made it alone, would be nothing but social suicide.

In the end, my choice was silence. I hoped that this scandal would settle down quickly. Jo Ayoon, belatedly realizing what went wrong, came to me and apologized, crying.

“I-I’m sorryyy…!”

“It’s okay. It was a mistake.”

“I-I’m responsible…!”

“Just be more careful next time…”

“S-Since it happened like this, I-I have to take responsibility my entire life…!”

“Calm down, Ayoon.”

It took a long time to console her until she finally calmed down. She didnt do it for any malicious intent. Maybe she answered without thinking when the host asked. Jo Ayoon tends not to lie, and there was another reason I forgave her.

“Did the sales go up?”

I don’t know why, but after that interview, the sales that had been steadily declining for days suddenly showed an upward trend for three days. I couldn’t explain why my image and sales seemed to be inversely proportional. I just concluded that since it sold, it didn’t matter.

In any case, the year passed beyond that unfortunate incident. There were no changes. The Game Awards went to Russo, and Road to Harshin won three out of the five major game awards, showcasing Russo’s prosperity.

Returning to Korea, I untangled the resentment and welcomed the new year. The company was still quiet, occasional noises from the development team on the lower floor breaking the silence.

Sitting quietly, feeling those things, I had a time of reflection.

“Half success, huh?”

Humans learn from failure, or so they say. From that perspective, it was indeed a journey with a lot of learning. Hellic 1 and 2 had a one-sided upward trend, so I couldn’t feel the shortcomings much. But this time, with a slight break in that trend, I became aware of the flaws.

It was a good thing. Considering it as a failure would be an exaggeration. After all, the sales and evaluations were good, and it even won one of the five major game awards.

Due to Russo, it was quite a grateful event. The excuse of “We lost because it was a competition with Valhalla” made it easier to maintain the evaluation.

However, it wouldn’t be wise to make the same mistake twice. I thoroughly reviewed what was lacking.

“I got greedy.”

“I had been too immersed in the concept of a series. The mindset of leveraging the power of IP had fragmented the package into an incomplete whole. The decline in popularity was evident.

‘What if I had only had one protagonist from the beginning?’

As the immersion targets increased, concentration wavered. Knowing this, I tried to elevate focus within the constraints of what I had seen, attempting to unify it into a singular entity.

Yet, the presence of other alternatives suggests a lack of decisiveness.

‘Above all…’

Lack of experience.

All these problems stemmed from inexperience.

I am a director.

I plan, oversee, and ensure the collaboration of numerous individuals results in a cohesive whole.

So, if there are shortcomings in the final product, it’s my responsibility.

I needed to acknowledge this and make improvements.

Firstly, there was something that needed to be resolved for that.

‘I need to break free from the Hellic series.’

There were still too many unresolved aspects of that hellish narrative.

Perhaps, it would take my entire lifetime to unravel such a story.

However, continuing like this might introduce errors in my objectivity.

I might make the mistake of not treating each game as an individual package.

To address this, I needed to try different titles and solidify my skills.

‘Utilize the acquired experience.’

I typed away on a blank word document, organizing my thoughts.

Now that the whole process was coming to an end, I leaned back in my chair, immersed in thoughts while scanning through the compiled document.

When judging the decision to attempt a different title, I checked for elements to retain and discard.

My fingers danced idly.

‘…Come to think of it, I haven’t done that yet.’

The game I barely managed to complete at the end of my previous life.

The one I created in this life, the foundational system for all of Hellic.

I had only harbored the intention to remake that game without taking any action.

Looking at the organized files, the thought crossed my mind.

Considering the pros and cons mentioned earlier, it seemed like a viable option.

After making the decision, I opened a new document.

And I loaded the planning template, typing the title.

[Identity]

‘…The next title will be this.’

A remnant of my past, which was once my obsession and stupidity, made me a director.

The planning elements remained vividly within me.

It was about reprocessing that.

It’s an obvious statement, but even with the same material and planning template, the result can vary.

Even if the same director creates it, the outcome may differ based on the director’s environment and experience.

This was especially true for this genre of games.

Perhaps, it was a form of validation.

‘Have I grown, or have I regressed?’

The specifications were AAA.

‘Identity’ that Rewind as a whole would create, not just me.

With this, I aim to discover how much I’ve changed from that time in my past and how much I’ve grown.

Slowly and without hesitation.

I began filling in the planning document.

***

The Face Hunter E-40.

He was a great knight of the mighty Altore Empire, a terror to all who disrupted order.

His role was singular: wearing the ‘Expressionless’ bestowed by the empire, he hunted down those who used unauthorized faces.

For the sake of equality among the people, the Altore Empire collected the faces of its citizens and assigned each one a face that suited their role.

Farmers had sun-wrinkled faces, merchants wore faces conveying trust, children had faces with curious round eyes, and elders bore faces with wise wrinkles.

The empire enforced actions befitting the face bestowed upon each.

Thus, the empire was peaceful.

E-40 took pride in leading the charge for such order and peace.

Until today arrived.

“E-40, you are obsolete,” declared the empire’s magistrates.

E-40 was bewildered.

“Why is this happening?” he protested with his body, having lost his voice as the Face Hunter.

The representative ‘Dignified Face’ spoke.

“You are too strong, and as a result, you developed a personality. Do you understand? The world now calls you ‘Face Hunter E-40,’ not Altore’s knight. Your unique name has diluted the meaning of ‘Expressionless.’”

Suddenly, E-40 could not help but tremble.

It was a valid point.

Whatever the reason the empire bestowed faces upon its people, it was to prevent discrimination based on personality.

Knights were no exception.

The knight’s expressionless face symbolized silent judgment, and they were not allowed to possess anything beyond that.

Inadvertently, E-40 had broken that rule.

His shoulders slumped, an unprecedented sadness filling him.

The Dignified Face laughed heartily.

“Look at that! E-40 is using an expression despite having an expressionless face! That’s a heinous crime!”

“He must be executed!”

“Tear off his face! Put the face of a criminal on him!”

“But he has contributed to the empire!”

Before the magistrates, E-40 couldn’t say a word.

The magistrates began deliberating on the direction of E-40’s disposal.

The final verdict was reached.

“You are a criminal who has violated the empire’s equality and order, but before today, you have elevated the empire’s name with numerous achievements. The empire is strict in reward and punishment! Originally, you deserve death, but considering your merits, we have decided on ‘Face Collection and Exile.’”

It was said with a hint of compassion, but it was a dreadful punishment.

In the empire, faces represented status and duty, and not having one meant being marked as a criminal, condemned to wander for a lifetime.

However, E-40 accepted it willingly.

His face was torn off, and he was expelled from the system!

Aaaah!!!

Upon the ruling authorities’ words, emotionless knights stormed in.

E-40 writhed in agony.

And just like that, his face was torn off.

The knights, after knocking him down, loaded him onto a cart and rolled him off the cliff.

As E-40 descended into the darkness for a while, he eventually landed with a thud on the ground, unconscious.

He woke up later but remained motionless.

He only trembled in despair.

How much time passed in this state?

Thud, thud.

Footsteps could be heard.

E-40 lifted his head, his empty face facing the direction of the sound.

And he could only be horrified.

“Wow! You don’t have a face?”

It was a approaching woman.

She wore ragged clothes and had messy hair.

In her arms, there were various fruits and herbs, seemingly gathered from somewhere below the cliff.

E-40 stood up abruptly and pointed at the woman.

“Why are you like this?”

It took a moment for him to respond to the woman’s question.

He had no choice.

“Oh, because of my face?”

The woman’s hand caressed her face.

It was a ‘smile’ only allowed for the rulers of the empire.

If such a sly woman wore a smile, there was only one reason.

She was a top-tier criminal.

E-40 got up and rushed towards the woman with a fist-sized rock in his hand.

Though he was a criminal with his face torn, his loyalty remained intact.

Thunk!

E-40 jumped.

But his attack failed.

Kwadang!

After falling from a high cliff without any precautions, E-40’s body had already become a ragdoll.

E-40 writhed in pain on the ground.

The woman, surprised, dropped the fruits she was holding and ran towards him.

“Oh no! Are you okay? Lean on me! I’ll guide you home!”

The woman, seemingly forgetting that she was the one under attack, supported E-40 and led him home.

After laying him on the bed, she brewed herbs and treated his body, nursing him with the light of a single candle.

Only then did she introduce herself.

“I am Miso. The happiest person in the world!”

That way, E-40 faced someone who made a facial expression for the first time in his life.

/RomanceMTL