Game Director from Hell

Chapter 14: Sound Director (1)

This is a time for basking in the sweetness of success.

One evening, they gathered at a barbecue restaurant to celebrate. Laughter and cheers filled the air as they enjoyed the delicious grilled meat.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

The corners of their mouths turned up in satisfaction, and the flush on their cheeks betrayed the joy they couldn't hide.

With excitement in his voice, Han Seorim asked, "So, what are you going to do with the money? Are you into shopping, Sunbae?"

"First, I need to pay me the salary. Let's set it at 300 million won for the six months we worked on the game. And we should rewrite the contract. I'll increase your annual salary."

"Oh! Again?"

The questions filled with anticipation kept coming.

However, I had the responsibility to temper their enthusiasm.

"But there's more. That's not the end of it."

"Huh?"

"The rest is all development expenses. And even that's not enough."

"It's 300 million won!"

"Yeah, and it's still not enough."

Three hundred million won in first-month sales.

Considering the cost of living during this time, it was undoubtedly a significant amount.

If they rode this wave of excitement, the next month's earnings would likely be similar. And even if it didn't reach this level consistently, the game would continue to provide a steady stream of income.

But what was my profession?

A game developer.

So, let's reconsider that 300 million won in the context of investment in the game development.

In that case, the answer was slightly different.

"It's a bit tight."

In my old job, this would have been considered a modest amount.

Of course.

Game development was an expensive endeavour, even at indie levels, consuming millions to billions of won.

And considering the actual revenue... the guarantee of turning a profit, i.e., being in the black, was far from assured.

It mostly came down to labour costs.

Just doing a simple calculation, paying ten employees with an annual salary of 30 million won would drain away 300 million won.

If you added other miscellaneous expenses like administrative work and office rent, the bleakness of the situation didn't need further explanation.

To illustrate, take the case of my last project, [Identity], an indie game that swept up multiple Game of the Year awards. The total budget for that game was 800 million won.

I was aiming for a similar budget for this new game.

"I think we can secure between 600 million and 800 million won within this year."

Even that was an optimistic estimation.

From the perspective of a college student, it might seem like an astronomical sum, but as a game developer, and considering the scale of the game I was planning, I needed at least five or more team members. So, this money needed to be managed carefully.

When I conveyed these thoughts to Han Seorim, her expression turned puzzled.

"…Senior, should we just make another pixel game?"

"That's nonsense. It has to be 3D, no question."

"What on earth are you planning to make?"

"I'll let you know later. For now, focus on your studies."

They took a bite of the meat.

Barbecued pork belly was truly the best for these kinds of gatherings.

The grease coating the stomach had a comforting sensation.

If it had been beef, they wouldn't have felt this way.

Han Seorim shot me a sharp look from across the table.

I ignored it. I had one more thing to address.

"Let's schedule the interviews for next week. Invite the two people to the room. Oh, and we're going to find an office, so keep this weekend free. We'll have to walk around looking for real estate, so wear sneakers and come."

"Wow, exciting!"

Hmm, disappointment seems quite evident.

It's a bit regrettable that I can't say much to make things better.

"How about grabbing a meal?"

I should at least try to treat her well.

"Thanks, Yeonho! I feel like I've found my calling thanks to you! Talking about rewards is a bit awkward, but if you ever need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask! From your friend James."

A note arrived from James after his successful first broadcast.

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

Of course, I don't need to leverage James's power immediately.

I'll keep this email address for now.

But for now, I need to focus on the immediate matters at hand.

"Ah! I'm exhausted!"

We found an office and moved in.

It was an apartment not too far from school.

Good lighting on a busy street, 13 floors high, around 70 square meters.

Real estate was more affordable than when I used to live here.

I would have loved to buy it instead of renting, but my finances were a bit tight.

I told Han Seorim, "You did great. I got a lot of help finding the office."

It wasn't just empty words.

Han Seorim was quite knowledgeable about real estate.

Growing up with a lot of land at home, she had collected a lot of information since childhood... Come to think of it, Jinkyung's younger sister was Han Seorim.

They don't resemble each other at all, so I sometimes forget.

Anyway, putting that aside, the bottom line is that Han Seorim helped me choose this apartment too.

No matter how many times I say thank you, it's not enough.

"Thank you so much..."

"It's fine. Just do your best with your work."

Han Seorim clapped her hands and put on her headset.

That's probably a signal not to disturb her while she studies modelling.

If she wants it that way, I'll oblige.

I turned my attention back to the office with Han Seorim.

I made a plan.

"Now we need to find people to fill these seats."

The actual development will come later.

Han Seorim has her studies, and even aside from that, I haven't finished the project proposal yet.

During this downtime, I need to hire some personnel.

There are a total of 6 desks in the office.

Seats for Art Team: 3, including the two artists who will come for interviews and Han Seorim.

One for me and one for a programmer.

But that programmer's seat can't be used immediately.

"For now, I'll have to handle programming on my own."

Programmers are skilled workers.

In other words, they consume money like crazy.

But I don't have that much money on hand.

Sure, I could try to find cheaper labour, but... by doing so, I'd risk getting people with lower experience or skills.

That's not acceptable.

If I bring in someone who's only good at shoddy coding and then have to spend time fixing bugs, it'll extend the production time.

It's better to put in the extra effort now and bring in an experienced person once my wallet situation improves.

My gaze moved to a lone seat.

"It's about time I start looking for that guy too."

Since the moment I decided to go into game development, it was his role to be recruited.

But thinking about it too much just gets me lost in thought.

―Boss? How have you been? I saw your game won an award! I wanted to congratulate you!

He was a connection from a past life.

The mischievous guy from the company who followed me so persistently.

Even after I left the company, he continued to stay in touch and support me.

Kind-hearted, with information and skills galore.

"Back then..."

"The company's situation wasn’t ideal, so I couldn't take care of things properly.”

That got to me.

Was it because he wanted to stay under me for as long as possible, even with the skills that could have gotten him a position as a team leader, due to the fact that we were of the same age? There was a sense of indebtedness there.

If I meet him again, I intend to treat him better than before, given his skillset and position.

'He's in high school now.'

No, he said he took the high school equivalency exam, so he's not in school.

He claims to be a hikikomori, but I have a hard time believing that the same person who was the life of the party and quite cheerful is the same gloomy person he describes. Well, I'll know when I see him.

Fortunately, there's a way to find him.

A while ago, during a drinking session, he mentioned a few things.

―You know that thing, finding gaming buddies to chat and play with. I was obsessed with that. Ah, I still remember. My username back then was...

Online gaming.

That's where I'll find him.

Seorim had been having busy days.

She was juggling her studies in modelling, playing the games that Yeonho recommended, and even her academic workload – it felt like she needed three bodies to handle it all.

But what kept her going was her stubbornness, and the sweet taste of achievement that came with it.

It was mostly a series of monotonous and ordinary struggles, until today, when things changed.

"Hey, Yeonho! We're the same age now, should I drop the formalities?"

"Hey, it's been a while, sunbae!"

It was the day of interviews for her friendly senior and junior colleagues.

They were candidates that Seorim had thoughtfully chosen.

The senior was a top student in their year, majoring in 3D design, and the junior had also chosen a career path in graphic design.

They wouldn't be a bother to work with, and the calculations were made based on their personalities being compatible with following instructions.

Well, they weren't without flaws, but...

"Both of you did well to come..."

"What have you guys been up to in such a great place?"

"Isn't this quite suspicious?"

"Yeonho, do you have a lot of money?"

"Senior, do you have a car?"

"Our Seorim's expensive, you know~."

"She's really picky~."

"I feel like I'm going to become even pickier. Can't you stop giving us a hard time?"

Exactly, this is what they call giving a hard time.

Seorim was quite the fan of virtual marriage programs that were popular nowadays. She couldn't match people up as well as she wanted, and that irritated her. This aspect of her personality was the issue.

Even though their words ceased, the glances exchanged between the two didn't die out.

She couldn't let her guard down.

"... Shall we start the interviews now?"

Yeonho spoke, and the interviews began in a somewhat informal manner.

They briefly discussed usable software, skills, and portfolios, then moved on to discussions about the tasks at hand.

There were no obstacles, and the perspectives seemed to align quite well.

The senior needed a place to work since he was in their final year.

The junior needed a place to gain practical experience and more than that, they needed a job to help with their overspending.

"... Alright, let's wrap up the interviews with this. We'll have a separate negotiation for the salary. Focus on your schoolwork since there won't be much work for a while. Oh, and if circumstances allow, I'd appreciate it if you could focus more on studying game graphics modelling."

And so, the interviews concluded.

"We're outta here!"

"Are you two going in early? Are you heading home when the sun sets?"

"Get lost!"

"Kekeke!"

The two left without being able to fully suppress their playful side.

Seorim felt apologetic for the sudden tiredness she was experiencing and apologized to Yeonho.

"Sorry, I guess things got a bit lively?"

She felt like a mother apologizing for her child's behaviour.

But that feeling didn't last long.

"It's fine."

"Huh?"

"I can only smile for now because it'll be the last chance."

Suddenly, Seorim embraced Yeonho, trembling.

There wasn't a significant change in his expression.

In the first place, Yeonho was typically expressionless.

However, the frightening thing was...

"Will I have time to tease you once we start working?"

Because Yeonho was someone who didn't tell lies.

And because he was someone known for an intense work ethic.

Seorim felt strangely relieved and anxious at the same time.

It was right after that moment passed.

"... But sunbae, what are you up to?"

Yeonho had been typing on his computer since the two left, moving his mouse with click-clack sounds.

Seorim wondered what he was doing that he didn't even look up from his conversation with the two who had left. She asked, and Yeonho replied.

"Looking for employees."

"Huh?"

"Looking for someone to work with."

Seorim's eyes widened in surprise.

So, they were looking for employees aside from the two of them!

Her curiosity surged, and her body was already moving toward Yeonho's seat.

And on the screen...

"Is this what looking for employees means?"

Seorim was dumbfounded and burst into laughter.

"No, this is a game."

Yeonho was playing a game.

Not just any game, but a game that Seorim knew well.

Displayed on Yeonho's monitor was the familiar Mushroom Village and a character with round eyes and a simple design.

"Oh, you know this game too?"

"Yeah, my brother played it, so I know. This is 'Maple Saga,' right?"

Maple Saga.

A game where you capture cute monsters, level up, and have an adorable character with round eyes.

But what did that have to do with hiring employees?

She thought about it for a moment.

"You're right, it's about hiring employees. I happened to find someone."

As Yeonho's tightly-clad character paused in a gathering of three Wheat Jirbs in Mushroom Village, his finger pointed at the screen.

"Her, the employee we're looking for."

On the screen was a female character that clearly looked like she needs money.

She was standing there with a speech bubble that said:

『Looking for a female partner for AYOUNG S2 : 17 F Seeking M@@』

17, Female, Seeking Male.

Leaving aside the last part, the first two were quite strange.

With a mixture of disdain, Seorim stared at Yeonho and asked,

"This is the employee?"

Yeonho didn't change his expression and nodded.

"Yeah, she's going to be our sound director."

Is he crazy?