NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
My first impression of Taeseon was a little disappointing.
This was because he didn’t fit the image I had expected based on his resume.
A checkered shirt over a white t-shirt that had stretched out.
Glasses with thick rims and such a high prescription that they practically magnified his eyes.
A scruffy, unkempt hairstyle.
And finally, a slightly hunched posture reminiscent of a turtle’s neck.
I had envisioned Myunghoon’s stereotypical developer type during our first meeting.
However, today’s Taeseon at the interview was the complete opposite.
His hairstyle was tidy and well-groomed.
He wore a suit that was slightly too large but clean, appropriate for an interviewee, along with a wristwatch.
His posture was slouched but not quite enough to be considered a turtle neck.
His expression exuded confidence.
Of course, I knew this was a bias.
Even back when I worked at ND Soft, I had come across many highly skilled developers who dressed impeccably.
However, those were the usual senior-level developers, and Taeseon was a little different.
In the coding industry, while skill is everything, most of the time, experience yields skill, and most senior-level titles belong to technicians with over ten years of experience.
But Taeseon was 29.
For an average developer, this was the age when they would just land their first job, don the junior badge, and take their first steps.
Taeseon, however, was a genius who cleared our company’s coding test, which even senior-level developers sometimes struggled with, in the shortest time possible.
Perhaps that was why I felt disappointed at his image being so clean-cut and different from what I had imagined.
But this disappointment over Taeseon’s appearance vanished as soon as the interview began.
The first thing I wanted to know was why he chose our company over others.
“To be honest, I wanted to make games with lots of beautiful girls… like Girls’ Memorial.”
As soon as I heard that sentence, I immediately thought:
This guy isn’t normal either.
And I liked people who weren’t normal.
“I’ve loved subculture ever since I was a kid. It came second only to coding. But as I grew older, around the time I graduated from university, I realized that making it a career was nearly impossible.”
“So, I started coding, which I loved the most, and entered the gaming industry as it was somewhat close to subculture. But soon, I realized this wasn’t really the path I wanted.”
As I listened to Taeseon, I inadvertently cut in.
Maybe it was because it felt like I was looking at myself before the regression.
I just couldn’t hold my tongue.
“Even while working at the company, I kept asking myself why I was making these kinds of games. The games I wanted to create weren’t like these, right?”
On hearing my words, Taeseon nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. It wasn’t easy to spend sleepless nights hammering at the keyboard developing games of genres I had never tried and were not to my taste.”
“By the time I decided to quit due to burnout, Girls’ Memorial appeared like a comet.”
After finishing his sentence, he sought our permission, took out his smartphone, and handed it to us.
The familiar main screen of Girls’ Memorial loaded on the smartphone handed to me by Taeseon.
Level: Max.
Unobtained Characters: 0.
Upon glancing around, I noticed it was an account that had fully enjoyed all content—essentially, a hardcore player account.
Both Su-yeon and I stared at Taeseon, speechless.
Scratching his head while meeting our gaze, Taeseon continued.
“To be honest, my first impression of Girls’ Memorial was just okay. Even by social gaming standards, the content couldn’t be called particularly rich.”
“But as I played, I got absorbed in the story, and after finishing the main story, I found myself getting into each character’s backstory.”
“As I got immersed in the game and even enjoyed the PVP fully, one thought emerged in my mind.”
“I want to make a game like this.”
“I wanted to work with the director who made this kind of game.”
“That’s why I applied.”
After hearing Taeseon’s entire story, this was the first thought that came to mind.
‘We absolutely have to hire him.’
While skilled developers could somehow be found, it was exceedingly difficult to find a developer with this level of passion and dedication to the fandom.
Furthermore, he seemed well-versed in subculture, so I thought he’d be very helpful during project development.
“Thank you for sharing your story, Mr. Taeseon. I hope your love for our games remains unchanged.”
“What does that mean…?”
“Mr. Taeseon, when can you start working?”
*
After the interview in the conference room.
After Taeseon left, the conference room felt strangely empty.
The interview had been that intense.
Glimpsing to the side, Su-yeon looked quite satisfied.
“Ho-jin, you’re lucky to have found someone so passionate about the games you’ve made.”
“To be honest, it’s a bit embarrassing. But I’m glad.”
At this reaction of mine, Su-yeon smiled faintly and took out another lollipop, just like yesterday.
“Thank you.”
Upon receiving it, I peeled the wrapper and popped it in my mouth.
This time, it was cola-flavored with a refreshing hint.
*
This is the conference room of the office at RA Studio, where Project RA is currently underway.
The meeting was the first time that the core members of RA Studio had gathered.
Of course, the reason for gathering the team members was to introduce Taeseon, who had newly joined as the Technical Director (TD).
Still, since he didn’t have the kind of shyness around women that Myunghoon had, he seemed to be adapting without much trouble.
“This is Mr. Lee Taeseon, who will be taking charge of the TD for our project starting today. Mr. Taeseon, could you please introduce yourself?”
“Hello! I’m Lee Taeseon, and I will be working with you all from today onwards. Nice to meet you.”
After a brief introduction and a bow, there was some commotion in the room.
As the members greeted each other and exchanged stories, I gently guided Taeseon back to his seat.
“Alright, we will give you some time to get acquainted with everyone after the first meeting is over. For now… has everyone received the proposal for the next project?”
To this question, everyone nodded and raised their copies of the proposal.
“The name of our next project is ‘Reverse Arcadia.’ It’s a tower defense game with a post-apocalyptic setting.”
“Unlike the previous work, ‘Girls’ Memorial,’ which was a social game, the tower defense genre places importance on in-game play refinement and strategic thinking.”
“Therefore, the roles of both the planning and development teams will be crucial this time. Of course, since it’s a subculture mobile game, the art team will also be important. Any questions related to this?”
Yerin raised her hand and asked.
“The proposal mentions that the world tree from ‘Girls’ Memorial’ will also exist at the center of the world in this piece. Does this mean that the storyline from the previous work will carry over?”
Shaking my head in response to Yerin’s question, I answered.
“No. While the world tree, known as the Tree of the Dawn, serves as the central axis in all our work’s universes, it doesn’t necessarily mean the storylines are interlinked. Think of it as parallel worlds.”
“Parallel worlds?”
“Yes. Parallel worlds. The concept that there are other worlds existing on different planes besides our own. Haven’t you heard of it before?”
At this statement, Yerin’s face seemed to register some thought.
Finally, as though something clicked, she quietly spoke.
“Ah, like ‘Paradox Gate.’ Is that the idea?”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong…”
I was slightly surprised by Yerin’s response.
While it was true Yerin had been familiar with this kind of culture, having been involved in amateur activities before, she never openly discussed it.
However, as time has passed, her exposure to subculture has visibly matured.
Even right now, if Yerin was still the person from the ND Soft era, she might have mentioned a famous Western superhero movie franchise rather than ‘Paradox Gate.’
“Then, are all the characters original?”
“Of course. Although, if the users throw out some hints, we might consider implementing one or two of the previous characters for an event.”
At my words, Yerin nodded and scribbled something on her notepad.
She was probably brainstorming characters—better not to interfere if she’s doing well on her own.
“Alright, are there any more questions?”
After waiting a little longer just in case, no further questions came up.
“With that, we’ll end this meeting here. Since today is a preparation day, adjust with Taeseon and try to get to know each other a bit.”
“Also, starting from tomorrow, regular team members will begin coming to the studio, so when you arrive, please help them settle in.”