NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
The President’s Office of Enson Korea, Enson GT’s parent company.
Beyond the window, the cityscape of Seoul stretched out in full view. Inside the president’s office, Soo-yeon stood tensely, her face etched with anxiety.
The reason for her summons to headquarters was her father’s order, yet the very source of it—the father himself—was casually seated on the sofa, engrossed in reading a newspaper.
Pretending not to care, feigning indifference.
Soo-yeon was fully aware that this was a common tactic her father used to pressure his opponents, but despite this, she couldn’t shake her tension.
Because the actions she had recently taken were unilateral decisions that diverged greatly from what her father had wanted.
“Did you bring in a new director from outside?”
At her father’s question, Soo-yeon bit her lip. If she hadn’t done so, she felt that her trembling might not have been under control.
Though she had occasionally acted in defiance, this was the first time she had blatantly disregarded her father’s specific orders.
“You must be really confident to act in such a manner, completely disregarding my words.”
The coldness in her father’s voice weighed heavily on Soo-yeon’s heart.
“Just go.”
With this final dismissal, signaling that her father was only interested in results and not the explanations, Soo-yeon bowed her head briefly and left the president’s office.
‘I did it…’
Her heart was still pounding fiercely, yet strangely, she felt a sense of relief.
Perhaps because it felt like a step closer to the freedom from her father she had long dreamed of…
Back in the Enson GT head office, as Soo-yeon stepped into the elevator, she prayed fervently.
‘I hope my choice was the right one…’
***
The day after the first meeting of the mobile game development team.
Soon after arriving at work, I called Yerin and Seol-i to the conference room.
“Excuse me… Director, is there something you needed?”
“What is it?”
“Ah, you’re both here? Sorry to bother you this early. But there’s something I need to convey to you both right away.”
As they entered the conference room and sat at the table, I handed each of them a copied sheet.
“Subculture mobile games require seamless integration between planning and art direction. So I’d like us to collaborate closely for a while. Is that okay?”
“Ah, yes… There’s no reason it wouldn’t work.”
“If it’s a request from the director, it’s fine with me.”
“Thank you. Since I’ll have to go out on fieldwork today, Yerin, could you prioritize finalizing the character designs for the main three characters and the mascot? And Seol-i, could you work on the rough key visuals and background settings, please?”
As they glanced at the documents I’d handed them, I continued.
“The framework for the key visuals and background settings is already posted on the intranet, so you can reference that for your work.”
“Ah… Yes!”
“There’s no need to rush and finish today; quality is more important than speed. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“Alright.”
Seeing the reduced distance between us as we exchanged ideas, I left the conference room.
“Alright, next…”
“Ms. Yumi?”
“Ah, yes, yes?!”
Yumi, who had been looking at something, jumped in surprise.
“Were you looking at something?”
“No, uh…”
“Then why the shock?”
“Well, that…”
“Anyway, you’re coming with me on this fieldwork.”
“Fieldwork?”
“Yes.”
Yumi, who had been worried about being caught doing something else, smiled and followed me out of the office.
“Fieldwork on the first day of the project… What’s this about?”
“We’re going to pick up the final piece of the puzzle for our project.”
“Final piece?”
“That…”
As I walked with Yumi down to the first floor, a ‘ding’ sound echoed and the elevator door on the fifth floor opened.
“Hello?”
“Hello.”
I noticed her employee badge which indicated she was from the PC game development team located on the fifth floor.
‘This was somewhat expected, but they’re more overt than I thought.’
The slightly dismissive way they glanced us up and down suggested their feelings towards our team weren’t very positive.
“Are you the team leader responsible for mobile game development on the sixth floor?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“I heard you started yesterday, sorry for not getting the chance to greet you earlier. I’ve been swamped…”
“Ah, well, things happen. No problem.”
“You’re in charge of mobile games, right?”
“Yes.”
“I remember hearing you previously specialized in PC game development at your old company. That’s a pity.”
‘There it is…’
Their thinly veiled mockery made me want to laugh on the inside.
And Yumi, seemingly picking up on the tense atmosphere in the elevator, appeared uncomfortable and kept glancing between the team leader from the PC department and myself.
“Aren’t you going to be disappointed? You never know how things may turn out in life.”
“Excuse me?”
“Who knows if in a few years the significance of mobile and PC platforms might flip?”
“W-well…”
At the moment the PC team leader attempted to retort with a face full of disbelief, the elevator dinged again.
“Alright, I’ll see you then. I have a busy schedule.”
***
“What happened between you and that team leader?”
“Meeh?”
“Nothing serious, but since you came to work, your smile hasn’t faded once.”
At my comment, Yumi quickly composed her expression before saying:
“I’ll only tell this to Director and no one else…but that team leader was such a stickler. There aren’t many people in the business team who get along with him.”
“Did he give you that much trouble?”
“Yes, you see. He always complains about why his game isn’t being promoted, accuses us of favoritism, says he knows better about business models… He can be really draining.”
“Ah, I see…”
‘She’s been holding onto quite a lot of this resentment…’
To see Yumi, who’s always so positive, unload like this suggests years of frustration.
“In any case, Director, where are we going now?”
“Didn’t I mention? We’re going to get the final piece of our puzzle.”
“So what is this final piece?”
“Sound director.”
“Ah.”
“I found out we usually outsource all our sound work.”
“That’s right. Our company rarely handles large projects that would require its own sound director.”
“So we’re going to bring one on board. I happen to know someone suitable.”
At hearing this, Yumi tilted her head in confusion.
“Then why not just use headhunting, like you used to, to recruit one?”
“The person I have in mind is… well, quite unique…”
“…?”
“You’ll understand faster by meeting them than hearing me explain. Trust me.”
Seeing that further questions won’t yield an answer, Yumi went quiet as we arrived at the SBC Broadcasting Station.
“Here?”
“That person is currently working here as a music director.”
“Would someone with that kind of stature really come work for a game company…?”
“Hmm… We’ll have to see how it goes.”
After parking nearby, Yumi and I stepped into the broadcasting station where a receptionist greeted us.
“How may I assist you?”
“I have an appointment… with music director Chae-young Han.”
“Let me check…”
After a brief confirmation, the receptionist handed us two temporary visitor’s badges.
“Just go straight and take the elevator on the right to the 8th floor.”
“Thank you.”
With the visitor badges around our necks, we followed the directions and headed to the 8th floor. Once there, an unfamiliar space greeted us.
This was the area where I’d seen recording studios on dramas and films, but I had no idea which room I was supposed to head to.
‘I should’ve asked for more precise directions…’
Glancing at Yumi hopefully, I saw her merely looking around with curiosity.
Just as I was wondering what to do,
“Ah, why is the director acting this way today? The recording went fine.”
“They’re saying they don’t have enough work and are criticizing us, but we didn’t deserve that.”
‘Lucky break.’
“Excuse me.”
“Yes? What can I help you with?”
“I’m here to see music director Chae-young Han. Could you tell me which way to go?”
At my question, they briefly scanned us, likely noticing the visitor badges, and then pointed a direction with a friendly tone.
“There’s a sign for director Han’s office down that way. Just go straight.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Expressing our gratitude to the staff member who had guided us, Yumi and I approached the designated door.
“Shall I knock?”
“No.”
Before Yumi could knock, I stopped her and instead knocked on the door myself. Immediately, a familiar voice called out from the other side.
“Come in.”
Opening the door, there inside the recording studio, I saw a familiar silhouette busy jotting down notes.
A woman of considerable height even among women, standing around 170 centimeters, with ash-blue dyed hair tied up, exuding a unique presence.
She had the free-spirited vibe often seen in creative fields, a youthful look that belied her age, and striking features.
It was unmistakably Chae-young, as she appeared just as she did the last time we had met.
“Did you leave something? The music sheets are over there, so go ahead and…”
Pausing, she noticed our lack of response and looked up, meeting my eyes.
“It’s been a long time, Chae-young senior.”