Game Market 1983

Chapter 54: The Approaching 16-Bit Era

"Kang. Can you please have a seat for a moment?"

"Yes?"

Taken aback by the uncharacteristically serious tone, I looked at President Kamauichi. He slightly raised the corner of his mouth and gestured to the seat opposite him. What's going on? I have a strange feeling...

Could he have found out that I acquired LighTex? Or is he suspicious of my identity as the developer of Dragon Emblem? No, that's highly unlikely... So why is he acting like this?

"Kang Junhyuk."

"Yes, Mr. President."

"How long have we been working together?"

"It's been about 4 years."

"Right. With this year coming to an end, it's almost been 5 years in terms of the time we've spent together."

"Time really flies. Haha..."

"Indeed. In these five years, our MinTendo has transitioned from a toy store to a game company. Moreover, we've achieved remarkable success in the American game market. I believe that we've surpassed the legacy of my great-grandfather."

Why is he suddenly bragging about this? President Kamauichi took a sip of his coffee, which was placed on the table.

"And for these achievements, I think we owe a lot to Kang Junhyuk and his help. So, I have something on my mind..."

"What is it, Mr. President?"

"The thing that's been bothering me lately..."

"Bothering you?"

The person who currently holds an unshakable position as the number one in the Japanese game industry is bothered? What could it be? But if he's troubled, wouldn't it be better to discuss it with my fellow Japanese colleagues, Gunpei or Shige? Why did he specifically call on me?

After a moment of hesitation, President Kamauichi took a photo from his pocket and showed it to me.

Inside the photo on the table, an extremely unattractive woman was smiling at me. "She's my niece. What do you think?"

"Uh, she's... lovely..."

This is the first time I've ever lied to myself with such a guilty conscience.

"Do you like her?"

No way.

"Yes? Haha. But, why did you suddenly show me a picture of your niece?"

"This young lady is having trouble finding a partner. She's still single."

No wonder.

With looks like that, her destiny is probably waiting for her in the next life. But you can't just say it outright! It's the biggest crisis since the 83' time slip. Anyone can see that Kamauichi is acting as the go-between! What should I do?

President Kamauichi, with a facial expression that clearly said he didn't understand English, spoke before I could say anything.

"She's so pretty. Why are the young men in Japan not making a move? What's wrong with their eyes?"

Why don't you get your eyes checked at a hospital? Are you kidding me right now?

"So, I wanted to introduce her to a suitable young man from our company. Gunpei is already married, and Shige is too old to introduce Smiree. So, I was thinking..."

Before President Kamauichi could finish his sentence, I interjected.

"Excuse me, but how old is your niece...?"

"She's 24 years old this year, a very beautiful age."

What beautiful age... If she's 24 in Japan, that's 26 in Korea. Back in the 1980s, people got married a bit earlier, so she's at the right age for marriage, but why me?

"Kang, you're 25 this year, right? Smiree is a similar age, so you'd get along well."

"Her name is Smiree (Japanese plum blossom)?"

Tell the plum blossom to apologize immediately. Kamauichi...

"Yeah, isn't her name beautiful? She's my younger brother's daughter. How about meeting her and seeing if you like her?"

"I..."

"Yes, go ahead."

"Well, I..."

President Kamauichi was smiling with great anticipation.

I had to think fast, Kang Junhyuk! We must overcome this crisis!! But how do I get out of this situation? I should have just stayed locked in my room, creating games for the rest of my life. I'll never meet her.

Think, Kang Junhyuk. Come up with a brilliant idea that will surprise everyone and get us out of this crisis!!

"I'm a bachelor."

"What...?"

What the hell... What did I just say?

At that moment, President Kamauichi leaned as far away from me as possible, with a look of terror in his eyes, gripping the backrest of his chair. "You're single? You mean you have no interest in women?"

"That's correct."

"He's too busy working day and night. He doesn't know the charms of women. Perhaps he believes that a real man is someone who marries and builds a family."

I've heard that kind of talk when I was going to the military. When the hell do these so-called real men actually become real men?

"Anyway, do you think your stance on being single will change once you meet our Smiree?"

No. It'll probably become even firmer, but President Kamauichi doesn't seem to consider my perspective at all.

"By the way, Smiree will attend our company party early next year, so I plan to formally introduce you then."

"Oh no, Mr. President, I really don't have any intentions of..."

"You? Do you think I'm introducing you to Smiree just because I want you to try dating?"

"What?"

"If you want to take on more responsibility within the company in the future, you should understand that it's difficult to do so with your current status as a Korean. I consider you part of the Kamauichi family now."

"But I..."

"In any case, that's how I see it. You may leave now. Think about what I said in your quarters."

With a bitter smile, I bid farewell to President Kamauichi and left his office.

Looking out the window, I saw the sun setting over the mountains in the late afternoon.

I should have just told Yuki that we were dating, but we weren't even officially a couple, so I couldn't say such a lie.

Just like in 2015, my knowledge in matters of relationships with women is quite lacking.

Anyway, I need to plan a business trip during next year's company party.

The next day, MinTendo headquarters went into emergency mode with the announcement of the release of the portable Game Boy.

Thanks to a limited-time 2000 yen discount, inquiries poured in from large retailers to small merchants, resulting in all of our planned initial production of 300,000 units being completely reserved.

The announcement of MinTendo's portable game console release, which reigned supreme on the throne of home consoles, caused the next-generation NEGA Drive announced just a day earlier to be quickly forgotten.

It was only natural for people to focus on the device set to be released next month, rather than the next-generation device coming out a year later.

At that moment, Gunpei came to visit me in my office.

"Kang, I added the extra connector for two-player battles as you requested, but do you think it will be useful in the future? In my opinion, portable game consoles are sufficient for single-player games."

The completed Game Boy had an additional port for connecting to other devices for multiplayer battles. Despite cost-cutting measures, I insisted on including this feature, which everyone opposed.

I smiled at Gunpei's question and replied, "It's necessary. Absolutely."

"Well, you were unusually persistent about the multiplayer port, even though you're usually quiet. Do you think it's a good idea?"

"Let's wait and see. That port will turn the Game Boy you've created into an unprecedented gaming machine, Gunpei."

Even if we had siblings, the management believed that we wouldn't buy expensive portable game consoles for both of them. They estimated that the Game Boy might sell around 1 million units if it did well. However, this portable Game Boy would become a legendary machine, setting a record of over 118.69 million units sold worldwide, all because of one RPG game. Wondering what that RPG was? Remember the bread with a sticker of a monster that made the news for throwing away the bread just to keep the sticker?

If you still don't know, just wait a bit. I'll remind you of what it is...

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