The Game Director that Returned from Hell - Chapter 16

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Potter

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Game Director that Returned from Hell ◈

Chapter 16

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How to make a high school girl stop crying.

It wasn't all that hard.

“Is that better now?”

“Yes... Sniff...”

I took Jo Ayun straight to an internet cafe, launched the game, and returned her items.

Jo Ayun, who'd been sniffling the whole time, gradually stopped crying.

But she hadn't let down her guard completely.

The look she gave me was rather sharp.

I felt pretty guilty.

“...I'm sorry I went about it this way. I really wanted to meet you, but this was the only way I could think of.”

“Me...?”

“Yeah, you. This isn't really the place to talk, though. Want to go to a cafe?”

Even I thought that sounded suspicious. Luckily, having Han Seorim there helped ease her worries a little.

Jo Ayun glanced at Han Seorim, then nodded.

Having another woman around probably reassured her.

Whatever the reason, stage one was cleared.

“Okay, let's head out. Seorim, close that window too.”

“Mm... Huh? Oh, okay.”

Click. Han Seorim closed the online forum window and got up.

“Where are we going?”

“...I said we were going to a cafe.”

“Oh, really? Perfect. There's a place I know nearby. Come with me.”

Han Seorim led the way, taking Jo Ayun with her.

I pushed aside the many thoughts rising in my mind and followed them.

We arrived at a nearby branch of a famous cafe chain.

“I wanted to try their new drink. What would you like?”

“A ch-chocolate frappe...”

“What about you, Seonbae?”

“An IA.”

“A what?”

“...An iced Americano.”

“You always do that, Seonbae. You could just say it normally, but you insist on using weird abbreviations only you understand. That's a lack of social skills.”

Was there any point in explaining abbreviations and slang from the future to her? ...No, I'd just have to let it go.

“I'll keep that in mind.”

“Then take her and find a table. I'll bring the drinks over. You said you had something to talk about, right?”

Han Seorim waved us away.

Jo Ayun suddenly began to look uneasy.

“...Shall we?”

After hesitating, Jo Ayun finally lowered her head.

The way she shuffled closer seemed to mean yes.

* * *

Ayun found this sudden turn of events rather strange.

Above all, it had been so long since she'd gone outside during the day that the sunlight felt harsh, and being around people made her uncomfortable.

And then there was Yeonho, sitting in front of her.

The adult man she'd thought was her friend was watching her with an unreadable expression. For some reason, she felt as if she'd done something wrong.

Her shoulders hunched.

That was when Yeonho spoke.

“First, take this. This is what I do.”

He held out a white business card.

Ayun carefully accepted it and read it.

“Stoodio... Rewid...”

“Studio Rewind.”

“Oh, yes...”

“We're a game developer. We started recently and just released our first game. There's me, my junior from school you just met, and two others. As you can see, we're short on people, so we're hiring.”

Yeonho went straight to the point.

Ayun was confused.

“B-but why were you looking for me?”

“Because I want to hire you. Our team needs someone to handle sound.”

“Me...?”

“I should explain this first.”

Yeonho took a folder out of his bag.

When he opened it, Ayun was shocked by what she saw.

'My blog!'

They were screenshots of the blog she used to store the music she'd made.

She'd wondered how he'd found her. Apparently, this was it.

“I looked around online for someone suitable. Then I found your music on your blog and thought, this is it. So I tried to find your contact details. But your email address was private, and you'd disabled all the comments.”

Ayun nodded slowly.

She'd disabled comments because she was afraid of being judged.

She'd hidden her email address because she was afraid people would send her abuse.

Her anxiety, combined with her fear of people, had made her shut her eyes and ears to the world.

“But there was exactly one game screenshot on your blog. I tracked you down through that. At first, I was going to tell you why I'd approached you right away, but after hearing about your situation, I couldn't just ask you to meet me. I thought this was the only way to get you to come out. Again, I'm sorry.”

“Oh, no...”

So that was it!

Only then could Ayun relax.

There were things she might have found strange if she'd stopped to think about them, but Ayun was still too young to pick up on those details.

She was simply happy that someone liked her music.

This was a first for her.

At school, whenever she talked about music, people accused her of “showing off” or “acting like some princess.”

Suddenly remembering those moments, Ayun grew frightened.

She had no confidence.

“B-but...”

“Yeah?”

“That's something professionals do... I-I'm not really...”

As far as Ayun was concerned, she was an amateur.

And he wanted music for a game.

This was how Ayun understood games:

Dozens of college-educated professionals at big companies worked together to make them.

It only made sense for the music to be made by professionals too, rather than someone like her who'd dropped out of high school.

Indie games were different... but Ayun knew next to nothing about those, so she couldn't help feeling overwhelmed.

She was about to refuse when Yeonho spoke firmly.

“It has to be you.”

Thump!

“We need your music for the game we're planning.”

Ayun's body went rigid.

“It has to be you. The moment I heard your music, every other option vanished from my mind.”

The embarrassing words made her face burn.

Creak, creak. She stiffly raised her head to find Yeonho looking completely serious.

“I'm not going to force you. But if a lack of confidence is what's holding you back, could you think it over? I believe in you.”

Ayun's head spun.

His words from a moment ago flashed through her mind.

'It has to be you.'

'Every option but you vanished from my mind.'

'I believe in you.'

A stream of powerful declarations that could only be called a confession!

“U-uhhh...”

For a high school girl full of dreams, a handsome man's confession was powerful!

All the more so for someone as socially awkward as Ayun!

'Is this a confession? Already? But I'm underage! He's a grown man! U-uhhh... B-but he's a little too old for me...!'

Her face turned red, and her hands began to tremble.

Just then...

“I'm back. Huh? What's wrong with her now? Seonbae, did you say something weird?”

“?”

“Ugh, of course you did. Here, drink this.”

Seorim came over and put a chocolate frappe in her hands.

“Th-th-th-thank you...!”

“Don't pay too much attention to what that guy says. He's got no social skills.”

Wait, was she warning off the competition?

A scene from a TV drama flashed through Ayun's mind.

- Slap!

- “You're the slut who's been having an affair with my husband, aren't you?!”

She flinched!

Her shoulders jerked, and she whipped around to look at Seorim.

But doing so only brought Ayun back to reality.

“Your face is red. Are you okay?”

Seorim was resting a hand on Ayun's forehead, looking concerned.

'Oh, perfume.'

It smelled so nice that she sniffed without thinking.

The hand against her forehead was soft too.

And her face was insanely pretty.

She was a striking beauty, the kind you only saw on TV.

As a woman, Ayun had lost!

“...I really didn't do anything.”

“Yes, yes, I'm sure you didn't.”

Only then did reality sink in.

'Oh, like attracts like.'

Come to think of it, they looked about the same age, worked together, and seemed close.

They even looked good together.

Ayun felt an ache inside for no good reason.

Right. She'd never stood a chance.

'Goodbye...'

'Farewell, my beautiful first love...'

And so, Ayun's first love ended after ten seconds!

Meanwhile, Yeonho continued.

“So, if you're interested, would you like to work with us? Of course, we wouldn't expect you to work for free. The terms we're offering are...”

She didn't know the industry, but even a quick listen made the offer sound pretty good.

Honestly, making a living through music?

And making music for games, which she loved, sounded fun.

But she could barely take in what he was saying.

Feeling gloomy, Ayun answered glumly now that her head had cooled.

It was a practical issue that had only just occurred to her.

“...I'd need my mom's permission, though.”

“Then let's go to your house.”

“Huh?”

“I'll try to convince your mother.”

Ayun raised her head.

Once again, Yeonho was looking completely serious.

'Could this be...'

A meeting with the future in-laws?

Her dead first love was back with a vengeance...!

* * *

...Except that didn't happen.

“A game company?”

At the dining table in the living room of Ayun's home.

Her mom sat with her arms crossed, watching Yeonho and Seorim warily.

Ayun swallowed hard.

Her mom hated games.

More precisely, Ayun's behavior over the past month had left her thoroughly sick of them.

Now imagine people showing up and saying they made games.

And they weren't even from one of those well-known game companies whose names started with N.

“Honestly, this is rather unexpected. And suspicious.”

Her mom narrowed her eyes.

Wasn't this a disaster?

Just as Ayun thought that, Yeonho spoke.

“Yes, I completely understand. With that in mind, would you please take a look at this?”

Yeonho went on the attack.

He took out a folder.

“These are our sales figures. It's been six months since we founded the company, and since making our first game, we've reached a total monthly revenue of 800 million won. We have enough cash on hand right now to pay Ayun's salary.”

“H-hmm...?!”

Her mom was flustered.

As if seizing his chance, Yeonho kept up the attack.

“And that's setting aside the most sensitive issue, money. I saw potential in Ayun. In other words, talent. That's how the arts and sports work. Many people talk about the importance of hard work, but without an inborn feel for it, you can never improve, let alone achieve greatness. And Ayun's talent shines brighter than that of anyone else I know.”

No parent disliked hearing praise for their child.

Her mom was no exception.

Her expression wavered.

The corners of her mouth rose.

“I-is that so?”

“Yes. I don't simply want to put young Ayun to work. More than anything, I want to help her talent bloom. Game development is also a creative field when you look at the bigger picture. I'd appreciate it if you saw this as my passion as a creator.”

“A-ahem...!”

Her mom belatedly cleared her throat, as if trying to pretend she was still being strict.

Ayun had a lot of thoughts about that!

“These are the education guidelines we've prepared for Ayun.”

Yeonho took out another folder.

At that moment!

“Th-this is...!”

Her mom's eyes went wide!

The folder contained densely packed text and graphs.

In other words, college admissions materials.

“Ayun is seventeen now, correct? This is an important time for her education and growth. First, if you leave her in our care, we'll make sure she passes the high school equivalency exam within a year. Then we'll take full responsibility for preparing her for the college entrance exam. Since we have a college of music in mind, we'll hire a specialist teacher to give her one-on-one lessons in the practical skills she'll need. We'll also provide support for her college tuition later.”

Ayun's jaw dropped.

Only now was she properly hearing what she'd half ignored at the cafe.

Her mom was no different.

The way her eyes trembled like leaves said far too much.

When she finally added one more question, her expression was unmistakable.

“H-how can I trust what you're saying?”

She looked like a heroine in a romance drama, playing hard to get even though she was already delighted!

And Yeonho's next move wiped away her remaining doubts!

“I should have introduced myself sooner. My name is Cheon Yeonho, and I'm studying computer engineering at Hanguk University. My friend here also attends Hanguk University.”

“I'm Han Seorim, a visual design student. I'll personally handle her college entrance exam tutoring.”

Like a master archer's arrow flying a thousand ri to strike its target, their two student IDs pierced her mom's heart!

Her mom clasped their hands.

“Teachers! Please take good care of our Ayun!”

The year was 2009.

South Korea was in the grip of a private tutoring fever.

And one person had been completely left out of this conversation.

'Mom, what about my opinion?'

Ayun suddenly felt betrayed by her mom.

* * *

Late that evening.

I was back at the office after finishing everything for the day.

Alone, I felt the silence settle around me.

As the quiet deepened, thoughts drifted through my mind.

I let them pass one by one, leaving only myself and my situation to consider.

'That's the sound director recruited.'

With that, the bare minimum of preparation was complete.

Three artists to create the 3D graphics, one sound specialist.

And me, handling design and programming.

Of course, we still had plenty of weaknesses.

The art team was making a 3D game for the first time, the sound director was a high schooler, and I had to handle design and programming while keeping an eye on operations. In short, we were stretched thin on every front.

But that was okay.

'My previous life was harder than this.'

Back then, I'd completed every step of the process alone, convinced that I couldn't rely on anything else, that I had to prove all by myself that I hadn't been wrong.

Now, my working environment was far better, and the development budget was about the same.

So this time, I had to do better.

I had to make a more polished game, one that could sell even more copies.

'I can't stay in the indie scene forever.'

I wasn't holding on to all that material just to stop at indie games.

I had to move forward, and the destination was clear.

'AAA.'

It meant games with total development budgets of at least 10 billion won, and the quality and scope to match.

What would I need to get there?

People, money, and a place in the industry.

There was only one way to get everything I needed.

My hand clenched into a fist.