WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Game Director that Returned from Hell ◈

Chapter 14

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Everyone needed a moment to savor the sweetness of success.

I took Han Seorim to a barbecue restaurant for a company dinner.

“Ahh, this is the life!”

The corners of her mouth were turned up, her cheeks were flushed with alcohol, and even the way she chewed her meat showed a joy she couldn't hide.

Han Seorim asked excitedly, “What are you going to do with all that money now? Oh, are you into shopping?”

“First, I need to pay you. I'll pay you three million won a month for the six months you worked on this game without a salary. And let's draw up a new contract. I'm raising your annual pay.”

“Oh! What else?”

Her next question was full of hope.

Unfortunately, it was my duty to tone down that joy.

“What else would there be? That's it.”

“Huh?”

“The rest is all going toward development. Even that isn't enough.”

“But it's three hundred million won.”

“Right. It's only three hundred million won.”

Three hundred million won in net sales in the first month.

Considering prices at the time, it was certainly a lot of money.

If we could keep this buzz going, next month's sales would probably be similar. Even after that, while it might not earn quite as much, the game would remain a steady cash cow. It was true that a single game had left me sitting on a pile of money.

But what did I do for a living?

I was a game developer.

So, assuming I put this money back into the business, let's look at what three hundred million won meant for game development.

The answer changed a little.

“It's a bit tight.”

Back when I'd worked at a company, this would have been the kind of revenue that made me say, “Hmm. That's all?”

Of course it would.

Even at the indie level, game development was an inefficient business that ate through tens or hundreds of millions of won.

It was even more horrifying when you considered that there was no guarantee any of that would turn a profit.

Labor costs were the main problem.

By simple calculation, just ten employees earning thirty million won a year would make three hundred million go whoosh right out the door.

Add miscellaneous operating expenses and office rent, and there was no need to explain how frightening the total became.

For a real example, take [Identity], the last game I'd made in my previous life.

It had swept the indie awards and won the most GOTY awards. Its total development cost had been eight hundred million won.

I was expecting to spend about that much on this game too.

‘I think we can bring in six hundred to eight hundred million by the end of the year.’

Even that was an optimistic estimate.

It was an astronomical sum for a college student. But as a game developer, considering the scope of the game I wanted to make, I would need at least five people. I had to be careful with this money.

When I explained all that to Han Seorim, her face went blank.

“...Should we just make another pixel-art game?”

“Don't be ridiculous. It's going to be 3D, no matter what.”

“What on earth are you planning to make?”

“I'll tell you later. Just focus on studying for now.”

I ate a piece of meat.

Pork belly really was the best choice for a company dinner.

The feeling of the fat coating my stomach was quite satisfying.

Beef wouldn't have moved me like this.

Across from me, Han Seorim gave me a piercing look.

I ignored it and brought up one more thing.

“Let's hold the interviews next week. Ask those two to come to the clubroom. Oh, and keep this weekend free. We're going to look for an office. Wear sneakers, since we'll be walking around to real estate agencies.”

“...Wow. How exciting.”

I wasn't imagining the complete lack of excitement in her voice.

“I'll buy you something good to eat.”

“...No thanks.”

Hmm. She seemed pretty disappointed.

It was a shame there wasn't much else I could say to her.

“Let's eat.”

I could at least make sure she ate well.

* * *

『Thanks, Yeonho! I think I've found my calling, all thanks to you! Just thanking you doesn't feel like enough... If you ever need me for anything, give me a shout! If it's a favor for you, I'll do everything I can to help!

Your friend,

James.』

A message arrived from James after his successful first stream.

We exchanged emails, and this connection became another weapon in my arsenal.

Of course, I didn't need James's help with anything right away.

I'd keep that email address tucked away for now.

I needed to focus on the work in front of me instead.

“Ugh! I'm dying here!”

We found an office and moved in.

It was in an officetel building not far from school.

The place got plenty of sunlight and overlooked the road. It was on the thirteenth floor and measured a little over seventy pyeong, roughly 230 square meters.

The key was that real estate was cheaper now than it had been in the time I'd come from.

I'd have liked to buy the place outright, but I didn't quite have enough capital for that. I'd have to settle for this.

I spoke to Han Seorim.

“Thanks for all your hard work. You've been a big help, starting with finding the office.”

I meant it.

Han Seorim knew quite a lot about real estate.

Apparently, her family owned a lot of land, so she'd picked things up from an early age... Come to think of it, she was Jingyeong's younger sister, and he was famous for being well-off.

They were so different that I often forgot.

Anyway, to skip to the point, Han Seorim had chosen this office too.

I couldn't thank her enough.

“Seriously, thank...”

“That's enough. Just do your job properly.”

Han Seorim waved me off and put on her headset.

She immediately started studying modeling, which probably meant she didn't want me to talk to her.

If that was what she wanted, I'd oblige.

I turned away from Han Seorim and looked around the office.

I made a plan.

‘Now I need to fill this place with people.’

Full-scale development would come after that.

Han Seorim still had studying to do, and even putting that aside, I hadn't finished the design document yet.

I would use this spare time to recruit staff.

There were six desks in the office.

Three had been pushed together for the art team: Han Seorim and the two artists coming in for interviews. One was for me, and another was set aside for a programmer.

But that desk wouldn't be seeing any use just yet.

‘I'll have to handle the programming alone for a while.’

Programmers were highly skilled workers.

In other words, they burned through money like crazy.

And I didn't have enough money on hand.

Of course, I could hire someone cheap... but that meant accepting the risk of getting someone with less experience or lower-quality work.

That wasn't an option.

If I hired someone who wrote code full of holes and bugs cropped up, I'd end up spending all my time fixing them and delaying development.

It was better to work harder myself for now, then hire someone experienced once I had more money.

My gaze shifted.

There was one desk sitting apart from the others.

‘Should I start looking for that person too?’

That desk belonged to someone I'd decided I absolutely had to recruit from the moment I'd chosen to make games.

Thinking about it made me nostalgic.

“Boss? How have you been? Your new game won an award! I called to congratulate you!”

Someone I'd known in my previous life.

Someone who'd followed me so faithfully, even when I was the company's unwanted burden.

Someone who'd kept in touch and supported me right to the end, even after I left the company.

Someone with a big heart, and even more talent.

‘Back then...’

My position at the company had been too weak for me to look after them properly.

That had stayed with me.

With that level of skill, they should have become a team leader long ago. Instead, they'd stayed a team member to the end, simply out of a desire to work under me. I felt indebted.

If we met again, I intended to repay that kindness by offering better treatment than before.

‘Would they be in high school now?’

No, they'd told me they'd passed the high school equivalency exam. Unemployed, then.

Supposedly a former shut-in, too. Honestly, I found that hard to believe. The person I knew was as cheerful as they came.

I'd find out when we met.

Fortunately, I had a way to find them.

There were a few things they'd told me over drinks a long time ago.

“You know how you make friends in games and hang out chatting with them? I used to be obsessed with that. Man, that takes me back. My username back then was...”

An online game.

That was where I would look.

* * *

Seorim's days were busy.

Between studying modeling, playing the games Yeonho recommended, and keeping up with her college work, even three of her wouldn't have been enough.

Still, she refused to give up any of it, partly out of stubbornness and partly because of the sweet satisfaction of making progress.

Most days were a steady, uneventful grind. Today, however, brought a change to that routine.

“Hi, Yeonho! We're the same age, so how about we drop the formalities?”

“It's been a while! Good to see you again!”

Today was interview day for an older student and a classmate she was close to.

Seorim had put a fair amount of thought into choosing them.

The older student was top of the year and had focused on 3D design, while her classmate was studying with a career in graphic design in mind.

She'd chosen them because they wouldn't hold up the work. More importantly, since they knew her personality, she'd figured they would follow her instructions.

Well, that didn't mean they had no flaws.

“Thank you both for com...”

“What have you two been doing in this nice place?”

“Well, well. This looks awfully suspicious.”

“Yeonho, do you have a lot of money?”

“Do you have a car?”

“Our Seorim doesn't come cheap.”

“And she's really demanding.”

“I'm about to get really demanding. Could you two stop making such a fuss?”

That was it. The fuss.

They were completely hooked on a popular pretend-marriage show. Whenever they saw a man and a woman together, they couldn't rest until they'd tried to pair them up.

That flighty habit was the problem.

Her growl shut their mouths, but the gleam in their eyes remained.

She couldn't let her guard down.

“...May we begin the interviews now?”

At Yeonho's words, the informal interviews began.

He briefly checked which programs they could use, their proficiency, and their portfolios, then moved on to discussing the work.

There were no difficulties. Their needs lined up remarkably well.

The older student was in the final year of college and needed a job.

Her classmate needed somewhere to gain practical experience. More importantly, they needed an income to support their excessive spending.

“...All right, let's end the interviews here. We'll arrange a separate meeting to discuss salaries. There won't be any work for a while, so please focus on college for now. Oh, and if you can, I'd also like you to study game graphics modeling some more.”

That concluded the interviews.

“We're off!”

“You two should head home early! Go home when the sun sets, okay?”

“Get lost!”

“Ahahaha!”

The two left, unable to stop teasing right to the end.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, Seorim apologized to Yeonho.

“Sorry. They're pretty lively, aren't they?”

She felt like a mother apologizing for her children's behavior.

But that feeling didn't last long.

“It's fine.”

“Hm?”

“This is their last chance to laugh.”

Seorim shuddered and studied him.

His expression hadn't changed much.

To begin with, Yeonho was usually expressionless.

Even so, what made it frightening was...

“Once work starts, do you think they'll have time to joke around?”

Yeonho wasn't someone who lied.

And the workload he set was pretty murderous.

Seorim felt strangely reassured, and afraid.

A moment later, she asked, “...Anyway, what are you doing?”

Ever since the two had left, Yeonho had been at his computer, moving the mouse with a steady click, click.

She wondered what could possibly be so important that he wouldn't even look at her while they talked.

Yeonho answered, “Recruiting.”

“Huh?”

“I'm looking for someone to work with us.”

Seorim's eyes widened.

So he was hiring someone besides those two!

Her curiosity drew her over to his desk before she knew it.

Then she saw the screen...

“...This is recruiting?”

She let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Come on. That's a game.”

Yeonho was playing a game.

An online game so famous that even Seorim knew it.

On his monitor were a mushroom village and a squat little character only two heads tall.

“Oh, you know this game too?”

“My brother plays it. It's Maple Saga.”

Maple Saga.

A game where short, stubby characters leveled up by hunting cute monsters.

What on earth did that have to do with recruiting?

Just as she was wondering that, he said, “I really am recruiting. And I've just found who I'm looking for.”

Yeonho's bald character stopped in a spot where three bundles of straw stood together in the mushroom village.

He pointed at the screen.

“This is who I want to hire.”

A female character, clearly dressed in paid items, was standing idly there with a speech bubble overhead.

『AyuningS2: 17 F looking for Maple buddies@@』

Seventeen. Female. Looking for Maple buddies.

Leaving aside that last part, the first two were suspicious.

Seorim stared at Yeonho with a hint of contempt.

“This is your new employee?”

Without the slightest change in expression, Yeonho nodded.

“Yeah. Our future sound director.”

Had this man finally lost his mind?

Sound Director (1)

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