NOVEL NEXT Chapter 93
Time passed quickly after my interview with Kang Han-sung, the director of *Age of Odin*.
During this period, many things happened. However, the issue that stirred the most fervor online was the group bowing incident by the developers of *Age of Odin*.
One of the key issues was the manipulation of probabilities in “Ancient God Flames,” a major monetization element of *Age of Odin*.
This wasn’t a simple tweaking of probabilities—it bordered on outright fraud. It was enough to destabilize a game that had been running for a decade.
Just how bad must things have been for Enson Korea to reach out to me, not even someone from their own company but merely a neighbor?
At the time, I had advised them on what I thought was the best solution… but it seems I might have overdone it.
I only told the director to sincerely apologize to the players. But that director—or rather, Enson Korea—went further and pulled off something completely off-the-wall.
Their crazy move was this: a live broadcast where all the directors in the company’s history gathered to perform *dogeza* (an act of deep prostration as an apology).
It was indeed a form of dogeza.
Judging from how abashed they all looked, something serious must’ve happened upstairs, as they took turns prostrating themselves. Even I, a complete stranger, felt embarrassed watching them.
To the extent that even the users who had sworn to never forgive them softened their stance, saying, “This is a bit too much.”
Nevertheless, thanks to the dogeza, the public opinion toward *Age of Odin* began to recover rapidly.
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Whoa, Honestly, I Could Not Imagine Them Bringing Out All Past Directors ㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
Honestly, I thought they’d just apologize briefly with Han-sung and call it a day,
The crisis must’ve been pretty severe, I guess. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Seeing them bring all the people I didn’t want to see and make them prostrate themselves was wild. ㅋㅋㅋ
[Comment List] [Registered Order]
-rlg Really didn’t expect to see those guys’ faces again.
-Eo Newbie here, what did those guys do?
n They’re the jerks who established the current monetization model.
n So, is the guy involved in this controversy among them?
n Of course, why else would they do this on a broadcast? ㅋㅋ
[Nickname: Anonymous]
[Title: Breaking News) Massive Overhaul of *Age of Odin’s* Monetization System ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
I watched the broadcast and these guys finally seem to have some sense.
The highly controversial “Flame of the Ancient Gods” is now available through in-game currency, and the paid item “Awakening Stone” will reportedly be deleted.
Instead, the Awakening Stone’s function of granting latent abilities will become possible using in-game currency.
They’re also fixing all sorts of convenience features they previously ignored. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
These guys could’ve done this long ago but only listen when spanked, huh? ㅋㅋㅋ
[Comment List] [Registered Order]
-Cry ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-Will this cause rice prices to skyrocket?
n It’s probably a given.
-Han Sung
With that, the issue regarding pay-to-win items came to an end, and it was the last week of January.
What does that mean?
It means the great Korean holiday was approaching.
“You’ve all worked hard since the start of the year.”
“You too, Senior.”
“Thank you for your hard work everyone…”
“Have a great new year!”
Mid-conversation, Chae-young suddenly asked, as if it just occurred to her.
“What are you guys doing for Seollal?”
“I’ll probably spend it at my main house with Yena.”
“I’ll be visiting the main house in Japan.”
“I’m going to Hawaii to relax this year! How about you, Chae-young Unnie?”
“Me? I might just pay respects to my parents and head overseas. I’d only hear marriage complaints if I went to the main house.”
“How about you, senior? Aren’t you planning to visit this time either?”
At Yerin’s question, I shook my head and answered.
“I’m planning to visit the main house this time. My parents said they’d come find me if I didn’t go again this year.”
As I said this, I suddenly felt a twinge of doubt.
It felt like I’d committed some sort of filial impropriety.
Even if there are excuses, to have dodged going home during holidays for over three years—it’s definitely taking things too far.
It seemed like this year, no matter what, I had to visit the main house.
***
Thus began the holiday season.
After dressing smartly, I set off from Pajero early in the morning, driving the car Su-yeon had lent me.
The current car I’m driving is a premium SUV by a German ‘B’ manufacturer.
When I told my parents I’d be driving them to the main house, Su-yeon kindly offered it to me, but due to my mother’s instruction to go ahead earlier, I’m now driving this luxurious car alone.
Despite the heavy holiday traffic, my mood was not bad.
After all, I never really disliked visiting the main house.
I had always skipped out of visiting due to exhaustion, using it as an excuse.
The cold wind seeping through the slightly open window helped to loosen up my mind.
How long has it been since I left Pajero this relaxed?
Transitioning from the highway to city roads and eventually onto national roads, after passing through a few small towns, I arrived at the neighborhood where the main house is located.
The main house was where my maternal grandparents lived with my uncle and aunt, naturally making it our family’s main house.
Pulling the car into the yard, I stepped out and looked up at the uncle’s house.
Thinking about it now, I remember why I had avoided visiting during every holiday.
It was something that many young people experienced—a barrage of questions about employment, relationships, and marriage.
I was especially known for receiving a lot of marital nagging, both in reality and in my alternate life.
Since I had not shown any signs of dating even after entering my thirties, it was inevitable.
Though, honestly, it was my own fault, so I had little room to complain.
Anyhow, staying outside any longer wouldn’t help, so I took the gift set from the car and entered the house.
At least I’d hear it all anyway since I’m visiting the main house.
“I’ve arrived!”
As I greeted them by opening the door, the first thing I noticed was the enticing smell of pancakes.
“Is that Ho-jin? Where are mother and father?”
“They stopped by somewhere for a bit.”
“I see. Come in then.”
Uncle’s wife greeted me and I handed over the gifts to her.
“You didn’t need to bring anything.”
“Consider it a gift since the nephew hasn’t visited for three years.”
“That’s kind of you.”
She smiled and invited me to rest in the living room.
In the living room, I saw the other relatives relaxing.
Among them was an aunt who greeted me.
Honestly, the one in the family most enthusiastic about bringing up marriage was her, so her greeting wasn’t exactly welcoming.
“Why is it so hard to see your face, Ho-jin?”
“Sorry, I’ve been really busy recently…”
“Well, if you’re busy, there’s nothing else we can do, is there? Hang up your coat and sit here.”
Following aunt’s words, I hung my coat on the wall and sat down. The relatives began gathering around me, curious to catch up with their long-lost nephew.
Among them, my uncle started the conversation.
“Ho-jin, is the company you transferred to okay?”
“It’s much better than the last one.”
“Wasn’t it something related to games?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, there must be a lot of female employees, right?”
Uncle’s sudden inquiry left me no choice but to nod.
“Then, can we expect good news soon?”
At that, everyone’s attention turned to me.
While some familiar faces from work popped into my mind, I knew there was little chance of anything beyond professional relationships.
“I haven’t thought much about it. I plan to focus on my work for now.”
“Well, at least you’re not completely giving up on marriage, right?”
“…”
What exactly is marriage?
The relatives’ subtle yet pressing remarks were something I couldn’t bear for long.
Fortunately, I was able to escape once the cousin arrived.
“I’m here! By the way, there’s an unfamiliar luxury car in the yard—is it ours? ‘B’ company’s SUV.”
“I brought it.”
“Whoa, it’s been a while, Ho-jin. Did you really bring that car? Did you win the lottery or something after switching jobs?”
“No, the CEO just lent it to me.”
The cousin’s surprised expression deepened.
“Wait, did the CEO lend you the car? I thought you said you transferred to a big company?”
“It just happened.”
His curiosity piqued by my vague responses, he sat next to me, teasingly asking:
“Is the CEO a woman?”
“What if she is?”
“Really?”
At my unexpected affirmation, the cousin wore a curious expression.
“Hold up, Ho-jin. Wait—no, never mind, your face isn’t the type to pull something off like that.”
“I know what you’re thinking—but it’s not like that. Stop overthinking it. The CEO just happened to be generous due to my good work.”
“Good work, huh? Enough so that the CEO would go out of her way to show favoritism? Was it something like increasing the company’s revenue twofold by yourself?”
The cousin laughed, shaking his head at his own joke.
Yet, I couldn’t respond—I was speechless because his joke happened to be the truth.
Of course, I’d done more than just double the revenue—but I couldn’t say that, could I?
The cousin, unaware of my inner turmoil, continued earnestly.
“Anyways, stay at this company for the long haul. It’s rare these days for a company to treat their employees so well.”
“Speaking of which, didn’t you transfer to a foreign company recently? Is it a good place?”
“The company itself is fine, with good recognition…”
His expression soured as he continued.
“But they burn through employees pretty quickly.”
“Is it that bad?”
“You bet. I count the days I don’t have to work overtime rather than the ones I do.”
As we were chatting, my cousin’s mother called me from behind.
“Ho-jin, do you have a moment to talk?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Stepping outside with the cousin’s mother, she looked apologetic as she asked:
“Ho-jin, I apologize for bringing this up on a holiday. Is it true that the company you’re currently at develops games?”
“Yes.”
“In that case, could you possibly help Young-jin with some career advice? I feel bad asking…”
Young-jin was the second son of the cousin’s mother, my cousin.
“Career advice? I haven’t been involved in university admissions for over ten years, so…”
The cousin’s mother quickly waved her hands.
“No, it’s not about university admissions. Young-jin wants to become a game developer, specifically a planner. He says that practical skills are more important than the university name and is considering attending a game academy or some sort of institute instead of university. What do you think?”
I understood the situation immediately after hearing the cousin’s mother’s explanation.
It was a scenario I’d encountered many times before.
Still, it would be best to talk to Young-jin personally.
“Is Young-jin around today?”
“Yes, he is.”