NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77
“Take good care of yourself. We said we’ll start coming in the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Most likely.”
“Yeah, let me know if anything happens.”
Su-yeon patted my shoulder a couple of times before stepping out the door, leaving me to ponder her words.
The impact of what Su-yeon had said was immense.
“An IPO for Enson GT…”
Honestly, I had anticipated that the topic might come up at some point.
Looking only at the sales of *Girls’ Memorial* and *Reverse Arcadia*, they were already raking in revenues comparable to what a mid-to-large-sized game company might make in a year.
Including PC games, our sales were actually high enough to compete with the head office of Enson Korea itself.
However, while this was a conversation from the perspective of someone in management, from my position as a developer, it was an absolute no.
There wasn’t a single benefit from the developer’s point of view.
Every development decision would need to align with what could bring the most profit, catering to whims of shareholders.
As the company’s name grew in stature, a flood of opportunists would inevitably join in.
Ultimately, going public would lead to a long-term decline in our development capabilities.
Of course, one might ask why most companies still aim for an IPO despite these disadvantages…
The reason is simple.
It’s all about the money.
As the saying goes, games are the product of cultural refinement, but they also consume an immense amount of capital.
Most companies go public to raise this necessary capital for development…
But that didn’t concern us.
We weren’t in a position where we had to grovel to shareholders for capital, nor did we have a reason to do so.
Having made Su-yeon fully aware of these realities, I firmly expressed my opposing stance.
Su-yeon, who didn’t expect such a strong reaction from me, looked taken aback and nodded hesitantly.
And with that, reassured by having overcome a major hurdle, I finally collapsed onto the bed and let out a sigh.
“Cough.”
Suddenly, a bout of coughing.
It seemed the effects of the medicine were wearing off, letting the flu symptoms creep back in.
“Anyway, let me sleep the rest of it off…”
Before things got worse, I dove under the bed covers and closed my eyes.
Fortunately, I managed to fall asleep before the flu symptoms flared up again.
***
Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking brought me back to consciousness, and my eyes opened.
Was it déjà vu?
I was sure I’d had a similar experience just a few hours ago…
Coughing weakly, I grabbed a handkerchief and made my way to the entrance.
I had warned my team, including Yerin, not to come over to avoid spreading the flu, so who could it be?
Out of curiosity, I checked outside through the intercom and was met with a familiar silhouette.
Her sharp features, her bob-cut hair resting lightly on her shoulders—there was Yerin, whom I had spoken to earlier in the day.
“Didn’t I say not to come…?”
As I debated whether I should open the door or send her away,
Yerin’s voice calling me again made me sigh. I opened the door.
Despite my better judgment as a director, I couldn’t send a well-meaning visitor away, knowing full well that my personality wasn’t cold-hearted enough to do so even under the assumption that the flu might be contagious.
“If it comes to it, I’ll find a way to deal with it later.”
With that thought, I opened the door and there stood my familiar Yerin.
“Are you feeling a little better, Senior?”
There she stood with a basket of fruits in her hands, looking apologetic.
It seemed she still felt guilty about coming despite being told not to earlier.
I looked down at her expressionlessly for a moment before shaking my head as if there was no other choice and let her in.
“I told you not to come. But since you’re already here, there’s nothing I can do. Come in.”
Yerin smiled as she entered the apartment.
Noticing the spacious size of the two-bedroom apartment for someone living alone, she asked, surprised.
“Isn’t this too big to live in alone, Senior?”
“Sure, it’s big, but when I moved in, this was the best offer I could find. Besides, it’s better than having something too cramped, right?”
“True, I guess.”
As she nodded and entered the room, she placed the basket of fruit on my desk.
Then, noticing another basket of fruit Su-yeon had brought earlier, she looked at me curiously.
“Was someone else here visiting you before me?”
“Yeah, the President.”
“Hmm, I thought so…”
Yerin nodded as if she had expected that answer.
Since it was well-known within the company that I favored Su-yeon, she didn’t seem too surprised.
Still, her expression carried hints of mild discontent, though when our eyes met, her expression softened as if nothing had happened. She then took out an apple and asked,
“Senior, shall I peel an apple for you?”
“I had one earlier today, so…”
“Fine, I’ll peel you a peach then.”
Yerin’s tone was clear she wouldn’t entertain any objections, so I could only nod.
“Do you have a knife and a plate?”
“We do, but I haven’t washed them yet since this morning. I should’ve cleaned up already, huh?”
At my answer, Yerin nodded and went to the kitchen with two peaches.
As I watched her go, I asked,
“Everything alright at the office?”
“Just the usual.”
“What about the illustrations we decided on in the morning meeting?”
As I asked, Yerin walked back into the room with a plate of peeled peaches.
“All of them have been adjusted for size and sent to the printer. They said it should take about two weeks.”
“Two weeks is okay, that fits the schedule.”
“Here, don’t worry so much. We can handle things ourselves. You should stop worrying about work and try this peach.”
She held out a piece of peach toward my mouth.
“Here, eat it.”
“But I can feed myself…”
Despite my protests, she kept holding it out so, under the strange pressure, I eventually nodded and accepted the piece of fruit she offered.
“Sweet, but…”
My throat was already swollen from the flu, making swallowing difficult, and eating the peach was no small hardship.
After eating one piece handed to me, I set down the fork.
Just then, Yerin, who had been eating slowly herself, swallowed hastily and asked me,
“Would you like more?”
“My throat is sore…”
“Oh…”
At last, she realized the problem.
“Should have bought juice…” she mumbled and looked slightly dejected as she put down the fork.
Then, as if trying to make up for it, she asked,
“Senior, have you eaten dinner yet?”
“Not yet?”
I hadn’t eaten much all day except for breakfast before work and the apple Su-yeon had brought over.
“Then, I’ll make some congee for you!”
She stood up confidently, but I couldn’t help but cringe as I looked at her.
We’d known each other for a while, and I was well aware of her cooking skills—or lack thereof.
A talented artist, but when it came to hands-on skills like cooking, she was inexplicable.
That was this Yerin, Lee Yerin.
Witnessing her confidently offer to cook was nerve-wracking, considering her track record.
I eyed her warily, and she met my gaze with a confident expression.
She seemed different from her usual self, as if she had a plan.
“Even though I’ve been living alone for years, making congee is not difficult.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.”
Her overwhelming self-assurance left me no choice but to consent.
“Everything you need is in the refrigerator. Use it.”
“Got it!”
With her permission granted, she headed straight for the kitchen.
Though her figure was a little unsettling, I reasoned,
Surely, even she can’t ruin something as simple as congee?
***
Minutes later, I wished I could slam a hammer down on my own forehead from ten minutes ago.
Congee.
A simple dish—just mix pre-soaked rice or cooked rice with water, add a few ingredients, and simmer. It was almost impossible to mess up.
But Yerin managed it spectacularly.
Adding sugar instead of salt was partly my fault for not clearly marking the bottles, so I didn’t dwell on it too much.
However, adding two spoonfuls of fish sauce instead of soy sauce as a “secret ingredient” was beyond the pale.
“Yerin…”
“Y… yes?”
Resisting the chills from my recurring flu symptoms, I crossed over to the kitchen and called Yerin.
She turned around, startled, her expression indicating she too realized something was wrong.
“I’ll take it from here. Go sit at the table. Are you planning to eat some too?”
“Uh… yes…”
She looked deflated as she left the sink and returned to the dining table.
Apparently, she couldn’t bring herself to insist on finishing the job and took her seat, looking defeated.
I approached the sink, emptied the contents of the pot, and started fresh by bringing water to a boil.
I tossed in some chopped vegetables along with precooked rice, seasoned with salt, soy sauce, and chicken stock, then finished it off with sesame oil, making a simple yet delicious vegetable congee.
Bringing the two bowls to the dining table, I found Yerin watching me with a look of failure.
“Senior, where did you learn to cook like this?”
“I didn’t take any lessons… but I’ve been living alone for over six years, so shouldn’t I at least be able to do this much?”
“…You seem to be targeting someone specifically with that comment.”
“No, it wasn’t intended that way…”
Yerin scrutinized me with a suspicious glance before sighing and picking up her spoon.
“By the way, what about the others?”
“I told them not to come over because there’s a chance they might catch it from you.”
The reply came in her usual tone.
I nodded instinctively, but caught myself and asked,
“And you?”
“Well, I knew that if you were sick, you’d lose your mental stability completely, so I came over to cheer you up.”
“Was that the case?”
“Yes. I’ve seen it a few times during the NDSoft days—how you behave when you’re sick.”
Despite her calm expression, I was deeply moved.
“Thank you…”
“You’re welcome. Now do me a favor and stop overloading us with work.”
She mumbled under her breath, “I’m already so exhausted from the overtime lately,” and began eating the congee.
Watching her, I couldn’t help but smile and started eating too.
After a tough battle with my throat, I finally emptied the bowl of congee.
After turning Yerin away despite her offer to help with the household chores, I finally took my medicine and returned to bed.
Thinking of all the housework I had to catch up on felt disheartening, but I figured my future self could figure it out.
With that thought, I closed my eyes.
It was a pretty good day all things considered, despite my bout with the flu.