NOVEL NEXT Chapter 70
The year-end drinking party with Yerin came to an end, and the New Year of 2016 arrived.
However, as the new year began, all the tasks postponed during the end of the previous year started to rush in, making the “new year” label feel meaningless.
Most urgent among the tasks was Reverse Arcadia’s 1-year anniversary event. Since the event was set to start the following month, it was the top priority in need of immediate resolution.
Technically, this anniversary was based on the launch of the Japanese server, so there was no obligation to organize an event for the Korean server. However, we felt that we had neglected the Korean players before the server officially opened in Korea. Thus, we decided to take this opportunity to hold the event together.
Of course, since the one-year anniversary was measured from the Japanese server’s launch, we needed to come up with a different justification for the event in Korea.
This led to an internal meeting. After hours of marathon discussions to choose the type of event we would host in Korea, we decided on an offline event.
Though many good ideas were proposed—live broadcasts, concerts, and specialty exhibitions—the majority agreed that an offline event was the best way to appropriately reward the support from our Korean users over the months.
The positive response we received from the booth at G-Star also influenced this decision significantly.
Regardless, with the offline event confirmed for the following month, the “hell tour” of outside work had officially begun. Since offline events primarily involve external contracts and meetings with agencies rather than internal company work, things were set to get challenging.
Though the road ahead was clearly arduous, I resolved to endure. After all, it would only last a month.
***
Once the decision was made to host the event as an offline gathering in Korea, the first task was clear: choosing the venue.
One might ask why selecting a venue for an offline event would be difficult. However, choosing the right venue for an event isn’t as easy as it sounds.
Factors to consider:
– Number of people the venue can accommodate.
– Availability for booking, considering the one-year anniversary timeline.
– Convenient transportation for attendees.
It was safe to say that no single venue could perfectly meet all the criteria. Hence, the challenge of selection was immense.
With this in mind, I pulled up a list of available venues suitable for the event. Realizing the complexity of the decision, I decided it would be better to discuss it with Yumi. We headed to a café in front of the company to brainstorm.
Though she seemed reluctant at first, dragged out of her work, her mood brightened almost immediately when I bought her a caramel mocha topped with generous whipped cream and some snacks. She was simple yet utterly adorable.
“Thank you, Department Head.”
“Sure.”
As I watched her cut a large piece of cake and enjoy it with childlike delight, I found myself inexplicably in better spirits as well.
“Alright, let’s talk business while we eat. I’ve gathered a list of venues available for booking based on our game’s one-year anniversary schedule. Which venue do you think would be best?”
With those words, Yumi picked up the list and began reviewing the options, taking sips of her caramel mocha with a straw. A few moments later, after finishing her review, she set down the list and spoke.
“In my opinion, considering symbolism, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness, the Sebit Island venue seems like the best choice.”
Though Yumi’s suggestion initially seemed reasonable, I immediately shook my head. Sebit Island, after all, had a notorious past; during the pre-reincarnation offline event, chaos erupted due to overcrowding. The game being promoted at that time was extremely popular, with a turnout exceeding the venue’s capacity of 3,500 attendees. The situation became so volatile that the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued a warning that the artificial island might sink, and everyone involved in the event—including participants and staff—had to be forcibly evacuated.
Considering our game’s current popularity—which was undoubtedly higher than the pre-reincarnation event—it was unavoidable that Sebit Island would have to be excluded from the final list.
“First off, Sebit Island is out of the question. The venue simply doesn’t have enough capacity.”
“That makes sense… So, what is the minimum number of attendees you’re expecting, Department Head?”
“After witnessing the turnout at G-Star, I’d say we need a venue that accommodates at least 7,000 people.”
“Based on that criterion, the following venues are available: Ilsan Kintex Exhibition Hall 2, Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena, and COEX Convention Center.”
Yumi’s list included three locations: Ilsan Kintex Exhibition Hall 2, Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena, and COEX Convention Center.
“Three locations… exactly what I had in mind. But why isn’t the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium on the list? That place also has the capacity we’re looking for.”
Yumi shook her head in response.
“They specialize in concerts and esports tournaments, so the venue’s audience seating takes up too much space, leaving little room for our event setup. I excluded it since I previously confirmed their policy.”
“Good call. So, we’re left with those three venues, then.”
I circled the three venues on my list with a red pen I’d brought from the office.
“Yumi, do you have anything urgent tomorrow?”
“Not really… Most of the urgent tasks were completed during the year-end.”
Relieved that Yumi had no immediate tasks, I nodded and continued.
“Yumi, could you help me out with a task tomorrow?”
Predictably, quick-witted Yumi realized what I intended to suggest and attempted to refuse. But I declined her refusal.
The producer suffers, the project manager should support, right?
The next day, dragging a clearly reluctant Yumi along, we first visited Ilsan Kintex Exhibition Hall 2. It was a prime contender since it regularly hosted game and anime-related events.
The main issue, however, was that we underestimated the notoriety of Kintex’s location.
We anticipated that getting to Kintex would be difficult due to its location in Ilsan, which is almost directly opposite from Pangyo, where we are based, but we never imagined it would be this bad.
Departing at 9 in the morning, we transferred buses three times before finally arriving at Kintex Ilsan Exhibition Hall 2.
When we checked the time upon arriving at the bus stop, it was already well past 11 AM.
The one saving grace was that the bus stop was right next to the entrance of the venue, so we didn’t have to walk far.
“Finally, we made it…”
As we stepped off the bus, completely exhausted, we couldn’t help but burst out laughing. We didn’t look like people who had just gotten off a bus.
“Nevertheless, since we’ve made it, let’s take a look around?”
“Sure…”
We entered through one of the many entrances to Hall 2 and began our inspection. The hall was vast, capable of accommodating around a thousand people. The second floor had a terrace offering a panoramic view of the expansive hall. There were also several conference rooms on the third and fourth floors. All these features made for a reasonably satisfying impression.
“Ah, I see now why this place is widely used for game and subculture-related events.”
“Exactly. The hall is larger than expected, the conference rooms and terraces seem flexible, and apart from the transportation logistics, the venue looks very promising.”
With a satisfying impression overall, apart from the issue with transportation, I filled out our evaluation sheet with high scores for everything except that criterion. Then, Yumi and I moved on to the next venue.
The next venue we visited after Kintex was the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena.
“Wow… the actual competition venue looks impressive.”
“Indeed. It’s more striking than I expected.”
The Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Arena was an architectural marvel that even made us both marvel. The imposing triangular structures surrounding the exterior truly commanded respect.
“Well, let’s head inside.”
“Of course.”
Thanks to a prior arrangement, we were greeted by a staff member as soon as we entered the gymnasium.
“Welcome! Are you Jihojin and Kang Yumi, as we discussed yesterday?”
“Yes, that’s us.”
“Please follow me, and I’ll show you around.”
Following the staff, we entered the expansive interior of the Gymnastics Arena. Unlike Kintex, where spaces were divided by temporary walls, the interior of the gymnasium was an unobstructed circular open space, characteristic of a competition venue.
However, the actual usable interior space seemed smaller than expected due to the seating arrangements. The size was a bit awkward—slightly larger than the first floor hall at Kintex.
Seeming to notice our hesitations, our guide quickly added:
“The current state you’re seeing is after a concert booking. If you remove the first-floor seating area, you can utilize additional indoor space more effectively.”
Indeed, factoring in the removal of the first-floor seating, it was evident that the available interior space could expand by at least 30%.
After checking other facilities like restrooms, nearby convenience stores, and restaurants, two hours had quickly passed.
By now, it was 4 in the afternoon. We still had one more venue to visit, and time was tight.
“Yumi, what do you think? Should we return tomorrow or finish today?”
After briefly pondering, Yumi nodded and replied.
“Let’s finish everything today.”
“Alright, let’s move on to the next destination.”
***
On our way back to the company after inspecting COEX Convention Center, Yumi, small in stature, had fallen asleep beside me, clearly drained by today’s demanding schedule.
It was tough, but today’s reconnaissance allowed us to finalize the venue for the event: the Olympics Gymnastics Arena.
While COEX’s capacity was insufficient and the rental fee was exorbitant, thus eliminating it almost immediately, the transportation issue significantly detracted from Ilsan Kintex, though its facilities slightly outperformed the Gymnastics Arena.
As this was an event for our users, we had no choice but to prioritize their accessibility.
While lost in thought, we arrived at our destination, Geumtocheon Bridge, without realizing it. Realizing the stop last minute, I woke Yumi up, and we barely made it off the bus in time.
With exhausted bodies, Yumi and I returned to the office together, only to find an unusual commotion unlike the usual ambiance.
Asking a passing team member revealed the reason.
“There’s been an issue with the PC game development division.”
…Already?
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