NOVEL NEXT Chapter 9
It had been almost a year since the project began, and it was now nearing the end of the year.
After receiving a call, I went up to the president’s room, where Su-yeon, dressed in a suit, greeted me.
“Did you call for me?”
“Yeah, don’t just stand there. Go ahead and sit down.”
Without a word, I sat on the sofa as Su-yeon had instructed.
“You usually dress casually, so I guess something’s up.”
“This? I just came back from the head office after meeting with my father.”
“Ah…”
Su-yeon took a bottle of coffee from the refrigerator and handed it to me.
“The reason I called you, Ho-jin, is because there are a few things in the report that I don’t understand.”
“Ah, yes.”
“There’s a part in the report about launching the official service on the Japanese server, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why go to all that trouble? From translation to finding a publishing company, it’s not a simple process.”
“It’s worth the effort.”
After taking a sip of the coffee she handed me, I continued.
“To start, the size of the subculture market in Japan can’t be compared to anything else. It’s a fiercely competitive market, but fortunately, the mobile gaming industry is still a blue ocean.”
“So… You’re saying you want to enter the blue ocean market before other Japanese game companies and take the lead?”
“That’s correct.”
“Not bad… What else?”
“To be honest, it’s difficult to pursue subculture-related business in Korea.”
Su-yeon leaned back on the sofa with an intrigued look, motioning for me to continue.
“For subculture mobile games to succeed, we’d need some level of exposure in the illustrations, which would bring a risk of adult content classification during game ratings.”
“And to add, it’s still hard for subculture to come out openly in the general sentiment of our country.”
“If I, as someone less involved in the operations compared to Ho-jin, think this way, I believe the choice is the right one.”
Smiling in satisfaction with my answer, Su-yeon handed me a card.
“To be honest, what I just said was an excuse. The real matter is this.”
I had no choice but to accept the corporate card with both hands, offered by Su-yeon’s small ones.
“Ho-jin, I may have been born with a silver spoon and lack hands-on development experience, but I know well what it takes to be a good manager.”
“Ah….”
“Responsibility and authority belong to the hands-on operators. I’ll support you as much as I can, so all I ask is for you to succeed.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“By the way, don’t tell the other team members about this, alright?”
With a sly look of anticipation, Su-yeon ended the conversation with a shushing gesture of her finger.
***
Having descended to the sixth floor with the president’s expectations and the corporate card in tow, I made sure not to reveal anything.
The team didn’t need to bear this burden as well.
“Unfortunately, we’ll have to hold off on the after-work dinner until we officially launch the service.”
As I entered the team office with a slightly disappointed heart, Yerin greeted me.
“What’s up?”
“Senior… it’s finally done.”
“Finished?”
“The teaser PV.”
“Already?”
“Well, there’s still some post-processing left, but the outsourcing company said they’d send it over by tomorrow morning. Luckily, it’s not a full-frame animation, so we saved a lot of manpower.”
“If it had been a full-frame animation, everyone would’ve probably run away by now. We’re already working overtime like it’s nothing…”
If Yerin, who rarely complains, said that, then our schedule must’ve been tight.
I tried not to focus on the slight dark circles under her eyes as I spoke.
“Good job, the entire art team has worked hard. There’s no need to rush into anything today. Rest a bit, and once the outsourcing company sends the final version, just let me know. Got it?”
“Yes….”
With a faint smile at the mention of some free time, Yerin wobbled off into the nap room. I gave her a gentle send-off.
“It’s about to get really busy from now on….”
After receiving the good news from Yerin, the first person I sought out was Yumi.
We needed to start preparing for publishing on the Japanese server seriously.
Yumi was absorbed in something on the monitor when I approached her and whispered.
“Yumi… let’s get to work?”
“Hiiieek!”
Startled, Yumi shielded the monitor with her body.
“What on earth were you watching to get so scared?”
“No, no, I wasn’t watching anything!”
“Well, why were you so startled?”
“It’s because Director keeps scaring me like this!”
“If you weren’t slacking off, there’d be no reason to be startled, right?”
“….”
I couldn’t help but feel less inclined to tease her further when Yumi avoided my gaze, unable to argue with my point.
“Anyway, how did last week’s non-face-to-face negotiation with the publisher go?”
Again, Yumi avoided my gaze after I asked.
What could’ve happened?
“Did you make a mistake or something?”
“No… nothing like that, but some of the contract terms were a bit tricky.”
“What kind of terms?”
“They said publishing mobile games, especially subculture mobile games, involves risks, so they proposed a 7:3 revenue split, with marketing guarantees handled separately….”
It made sense now why Yumi was hesitant to tell me.
That contract was one that aimed to take advantage of us under the guise of risk hedging.
Considering the situation, I had planned to concede a little to the publisher’s advantage, but these terms went too far.
“Are they underestimating us?”
After a brief moment of thought, I excused myself from the office and made a call.
The only person who could resolve this issue right now was Su-yeon.
“President.”
[Oh? Did you forget something at the president’s office, Ho-jin?]
“No.”
[Then what is it?]
“I have a favor to ask you, President.”
[A favor?]
After explaining everything I had just heard from Yumi to Su-yeon,
[So, the Japanese publisher is trying to push us into a deal where they take advantage of our risks. How interesting. I haven’t been underestimated like this in who knows how long. Leave this to me. I’ll get back to you once it’s resolved. Oh, and…]
Su-yeon paused, seemingly unsure if she should say what was on her mind.
[If you’re not satisfied with the current project manager for this publisher, I can replace them. How does that sound?]
This unexpected offer caught me off guard and left me pondering for a moment.
It was possible that the issues in this deal arose because Yumi was young and inexperienced, but it wasn’t enough to call for her replacement.
“No, whoever it was, the outcome would’ve been the same. Blaming Yumi would make things extremely unfair to her.”
[If that’s what Ho-jin thinks, then we’ll go with that. Once the publisher matter is resolved, I’ll contact you again.]
“Yes, please do your best.”
After hanging up, I returned to Yumi’s desk in the office.
As she glumly stared at the monitor, she turned around toward me with a slightly dejected expression.
“Is everything alright…?”
“I conveyed your concerns. The President said it’ll be resolved soon, so just wait a bit longer.”
“Wha… Who did you talk to…?”
“The President.”
Unexpectedly hearing “President,” Yumi’s eyes widened.
“No way, really…?”
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
“Well… I’m relieved then…”
“Glad to hear that.”
Reassuring Yumi as she let out a sigh of relief, I returned to my seat. Upon checking the company messenger, I found a message from Yumi.
[Um, Director?]
-What’s up?
[Do you have time after work today?]
-I don’t have anything scheduled.
Hesitating for a moment before replying, Yumi
[Since I owe you a lot today… I’d like to treat you to dinner. Is that alright?]
sent her message.
Even though it was just a text, her nervousness was apparent. I responded with a smile, imagining her fidgeting.
-Sure, I’ll wait for you at the entrance once we’re done. Take your time coming down.
[Nyeh!! Thank you~(Happy emoticon)]
*
By 6 PM, I had left the office earlier than Yumi and was waiting.
After about five minutes of waiting,
“Director…!!”
Yumi came into view running toward me.
Her waist-length wavy black hair swayed with her movement.
Her cat-like face full of mischief added charm.
Her look completed with a flared skirt reaching just below the knee and a lemon-colored knit cardigan suited her perfectly.
She was a beauty who would catch glances as she walked down the street.
“Did I keep you waiting?”
“No, I just came out a moment ago too.”
“Oh, good. Then let’s go. A friend recommended this place, saying it’s a great spot.”
Before I could respond, Yumi grabbed my hand and began walking, leaving me rather surprised.
Although we had worked closely together for a year and grown closer, we weren’t close enough that grabbing hands was normal.
Still, her carefree gesture seemed unintentional, as if she had grabbed my hand out of pure enthusiasm.
It was awkward to say anything, so I followed her silently. Before long, we arrived at her recommended place.
Kuno Sushi Shop.
Apparently, it’s one of the more popular Japanese restaurants in Pajero these days.
Though I was worried about availability, thanks to Yumi’s thoughtful reservation, we were seated immediately.
“Exactly when did you make this reservation?”
“As soon as I set up the meeting with you, Senior…”
“…”
As we shared the pre-booked course meal, listening to her vent brought us closer together.
Of course, in exchange, I also learned an embarrassing side of Yumi—her drinking habits, which I would’ve preferred not to know.
“Directorr… I’m sorryyyyy…”
After leaving the sushi shop, I finally wrapped up the day by escorting Yumi, who clung to my waist and sniffled, back to her place.