NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
It was the third day since Su-yeon had a meeting with the president.
I received a call from Tae-yun.
[Interview schedule is set. Day after tomorrow at 2 PM.]
“Didn’t expect it to be set so soon?”
[Right? I thought it’d be scheduled at least 1-2 weeks later.]
“Did they call directly?”
[Yup. I got a call from an unknown number, so I answered, and it turned out to be from your company.]
“So?”
[After that, there wasn’t much to it. We talked about how well the proposal was reviewed, and when asked when we could do the interview, I said anytime was fine, and they immediately set the time.]
“Glad to hear that. By the way, how’s it going with NDSoft?”
[Don’t even get me started. When I submitted my resignation to the department head, he exploded, asking how I could submit my resignation during a project. There were already a truckload of people who’d fled.]
“You see. I told you escaping was the answer.”
At my words, I could hear Tae-yun’s exasperated laughter.
[Anyway, so I submitted my resignation, and I’m planning to come for the interview at your company day after tomorrow.]
“Then come a little earlier than the interview time.”
[Why?]
“Before the interview, it’d be good to meet Yerin, and get a quick look at how things run around here. You won’t have much to do that day anyway.”
[That’s true. Then, I’ll give you a call when I arrive at the company around 1 PM.]
“Alright. And by the way, did you talk to your wife about it?”
[Of course, since I’ve already discussed with Seo-yoon about the interview…]
“No, I mean the job switch. Remember we talked about it last time—does your wife have any plans to return to active work?”
[Oh, that one… I don’t know. I’ll ask Seo-yoon after work.]
“Please talk to her well. It’ll make things easier for you too.”
[What do you mean by that?]
“Isn’t it obvious? Working with your wife would be more comfortable for you rather than working with some random AD whose skills are unpredictable while you’re at a new place, right?”
[That’s true.]
“That’s why, try to convince her well.”
[Got it, man. Anyway, I’ll be going to your company tomorrow, so make sure to answer the call.]
“Alright.”
After hanging up, various thoughts began to come to mind.
Thanks to the mess at NDSoft, I managed to bring Tae-yun over to our company, which was good, but…
There were still a lot of things to do.
I needed to train the General Director, arrange for new project members through HR, and…
Most importantly, I prioritized Tae-yun’s orientation.
No matter how well the game is developed, it would be useless if things went wrong with the users.
Just imagining what would happen if I ended up alienating the community with hostile operation or misstatements like before the regression made me uneasy.
Back then, as it was a startup, the damage was limited to the game in question, but
now that we’re carrying the Enson GT name, any misstep could harm not just Tae-yun’s games but also mine.
‘If I have some spare time, I’ll create the training materials…’
***
Two days later.
After the interview, Tae-yun’s transfer to our company was successfully confirmed.
Naturally, considering the president’s reaction to the previous proposal.
Anyway, the schedule moved quickly after the confirmation of the transfer.
Tae-yun completed all handovers within a week of the interview and joined our company.
Unfortunately, the hope that his wife might also return to active duty didn’t come through.
She said she wasn’t planning to return yet…
Although it was disappointing that part of the plan didn’t work out, the project started as planned,
and the first step was training Tae-yun.
About a week after Tae-yun started working at our company,
thinking he had adapted sufficiently, I called him to the conference room.
Tae-yun, who rushed to the conference room at my call,
looked much happier, clearly enjoying his new company life more.
“Brother, you seem much better recently.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Yeah. Last time you came to consult me, you looked terrible with dark circles, but now you’re glowing.”
“It’s still preparation, so it feels comfortable so far. We’ll see how it goes once development gets serious.”
Laughing lightly at Tae-yun’s words, I said:
“You’ll miss this moment once we get into the middle and late stages of development.”
“Isn’t that your personal experience?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?”
As we continued our casual chat, once I confirmed Tae-yun was fully relaxed, I moved onto the main topic.
“First, I’ll briefly explain the content of today’s training.”
At my words, he nodded and pulled out a notepad.
“To be honest, calling it training might be an exaggeration; just consider it more like advice. There’s no curriculum or anything formal, so don’t worry too much.”
“Still, you saying that makes it feel even more burdensome.”
“There’s no need to feel pressured. It’s really basic advice. Some of it might even feel like ‘isn’t that obvious?’ when you hear it.”
Feeling Tae-yun’s gaze from across the table, I opened my mouth.
“First of all, what do you think General Directors need to be most careful about?”
“Hmm… actions?”
Shaking my head, I pointed to my mouth.
“The correct answer is ‘words.'”
“Words?”
“Yes, exactly. Why do you think?”
“Because saying the wrong thing can cause big trouble?”
Shaking my head at his answer, I continued.
“That’s not entirely wrong, but the real reason is that everything a General Director says becomes official.”
“Official?”
“Exactly. The General Director is the face of the project; every behavior is exposed to users, and every statement contributes to shaping the game’s image. Get it?”
“Somewhat.”
“So, General Directors need to be careful with their words. Avoid slip-ups, and when conversing with users, think twice, thrice before speaking. Remember, this is both basic and crucial.”
Sensing my emphasis, Tae-yun nodded, somewhat exhausted.
I’d rather finish this in one sitting, but I had no choice.
After all, Tae-yun broke this simple rule before the regression, leading to his game failing.
It was better to work harder in preparation to prevent a repeat.
“Secondly, I advise that you judge everything from a player’s perspective.”
“Is that from your experience too?”
“Of course. You know why Girls’ Memorial succeeded, right?”
Tae-yun seemed to think for a moment, then nodded as if something clicked.
“Come to think of it, the upswing of Girls’ Memorial started with your bug apology broadcast, didn’t it?”
“Exactly. Think about it—wouldn’t it be funny? In any kind of service industry, apologizing is just common courtesy if something goes wrong.”
“Right.”
“If we viewed users as legitimate consumers, then when there are mistakes in the operation, the responsible person stepping forward to sincerely apologize is expected, but somehow, this became an innovation in the gaming industry.”
I chuckled at the irony, but Tae-yun seemed to have realized something, as his expression stiffened.
“In short, I want to convey this: There’s no need to strain to operate well. Just run things user-friendly within the bounds of common sense. If you’re not sure, it might help to observe how service industries treat their customers.”
After finishing, I took a sip of water to ease my parched throat.
With this explanation, it should prevent him from ruining things like before the regression…
***
“Please, follow me slowly! Let’s board the elevators in groups of ten and move up!”
A typical weekday morning in the Enson GT level 1 lobby, otherwise calm save for the employees arriving for the day, now buzzed unusually with life.
Judging by the number, at least 50 people were gathered, most wearing temporary IDs, apparently interviewees or new hires.
Still, the sight of such a large crowd at once was rare for Enson GT, so naturally, everyone began gathering in small groups in the lobby to watch.
After all, the elevators wouldn’t be available for use until they all went up.
Among the gathered employees were Seung-jin, the team leader of the PC Game Development Team’s 3rd team, and the leader of the 2nd team.
Their nicknames were ‘Eternal Team Leader’ or ‘Shit Train,’ given because while Ho-jin was promoted to department head in five years, they had stuck to their roles as team leaders for a decade.
Of course, the nicknames were never mentioned in front of the individuals.
The 2nd team leader whispered to Seung-jin, glancing around at the lobby.
“I hear they’re here for reinforcements for the new mobile game studio.”
“Nah, that sounds like rumors.”
With a skeptical look in Seung-jin’s eyes, the 2nd team leader continued defensively,
“You don’t know? I heard someone new in charge of the mobile team is related to the department head. HR mentioned it?”
“Man, this is nuts. When we ask for help because we’re short-staffed, they barely send over a few people, making it seem like a formality, yet over there they’re getting all the support because they’re doing well.”
“At least you’re doing better. We’re currently at the bottom in performance bonuses; it’s scary even to make eye contact with team members.”
Sighing deeply after these words, the 2nd team leader then noticed something off about Seung-jin’s demeanor.
“Yo, what’s up with your team?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, usually when I complain, you sigh heavily and sympathize. But today, you don’t seem affected at all.”
“Are you serious? There’s a reason.”
“What is it?”
“Something big is about to happen in our team.”
“Are you finally going to launch one last big hit before closing down with a fatal BM?”
“Stop joking around. Here, take a look at what we’re preparing.”
Taking a tablet handed by Seung-jin, the 2nd team leader observed an illustration of a silver-haired, red-eyed teenage girl submerged in icy water.
“New summer break character?”
“No, this is for a character we’re preparing for next year. Just a rough sketch was leaked on the community, and the reactions were explosive.”
The 2nd team leader looked again at the character on the tablet.
A high-quality illustration of an android-concept girl with blank spaces labeled.
Even the 2nd team leader, who had little knowledge of subculture, could see that this was clearly professional-level artwork.
“Alright? Does this look like it’ll hit big?”
Seung-jin’s smug smile implied confidence, and the 2nd team leader sighed again before answering.
“Yeah, man. You’re really going to cause a stir this time. While you’re at it, knock the mobile team down a peg or two.”
At this comment, Seung-jin glanced at the throng of new hires, saying,
“That’s definitely the plan.”