[T/N] I apologize for grammar mistakes and incoherencies
Chapter 28 Cyan #1.
When he opened the door to the meeting room, he found Chu Sangwoo already waiting, dressed in a blue shirt and dark jeans. Jaeyoung intentionally sat as far away as possible from the other side and looked at the brim of his cap to avoid eye contact.
“You’re not late today.”
“...”
“Just twelve minutes.”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Sangwoo’s mouth while Jaeyoung only managed a wry smile in response. He didn’t say anything.
Although Jaeyoung quickly dismissed the unbelievable proposal, he felt relieved. Could he encounter Chu Sangwoo in this state? Where would this relationship lead? At least it was better to stop here than to continue, that’s why he arrived at the university one hour before the meeting time.
“I prepared it for you, hyung. Please eat plenty.”
Yes... Sangwoo bought pastries and water and prepared them on the table. It didn’t suit him to be the one who brought them, but each item looked unusual and peculiar. Rice water, mung bean cakes, fried potato wedges with honey glaze, yakgwa [1]...
‘Is this some kind of special occasion?’
Jaeyoung picked up a mung bean cake and put it in his mouth according to etiquette.
“Thank you.”
He chewed on a pastry quietly, glancing at Sangwoo with a cool expression, as if they had just met for the first time. Jaeyoung felt unable to speak, thinking ‘Is this the person who approached me and persuaded me to make a game together?’ Yesterday, Sangwoo’s eyes were bright and his voice was soft. Did he change?
“If you want to work with me, please be careful about two things.”
Sangwoo immediately got to the main point without any unnecessary words.
“I can’t stand not keeping deadlines, and being late for meetings is the same.”
“...Um.”
“I won’t allow sloppy work.”
“...”
“If you think you can’t do these two things, you can withdraw now.”
Jaeyoung found it increasingly difficult to control his facial expressions. Chu Sangwoo came to his workplace just because he wanted to work with a ‘competent designer’ but Jaeyoung’s heart couldn’t accept it. Sangwoo wasn’t just a ‘skilled programmer; The extraordinary atmosphere of the previous day seemed to have disappeared somewhere.
“I assume you don’t have any objections.”
Sangwoo finished summarizing and took out a sheet of A4 paper from a folder when he received the paper from the other side. Jaeyoung was speechless. When the other side talked about creating a huge game within four months, Jaeyoung thought it was just a conversation. No matter how skilled Sangwoo was, students had their limitations, and it was almost impossible to develop a game in such a short time with just two people.
But this crazy guy was serious. In Sangwoo’s plan, he considered every step meticulously, from the flowchart drawn in the project planning stage to the QA [2] after development.
“It’s too dense, especially your schedule.”
Writing plans and designing weren’t much, but programming wasn’t child’s play. The timeline was short, and there were plans to release on multiple platforms like PC, iOS, and Android simultaneously. Last month was especially called the ‘death rehearsal.’ There were server connections, network system testing, security system testing, performance testing, and performance optimization for compatibility on all devices. Jaeyoung didn’t know much about programming, but just by looking at the text, he knew it wouldn’t be easy.
Sangwoo spoke as if it wasn’t important.
“I’m okay. Is there any problem with the graphic design table?”
Jaeyoung frowned. The design side hadn’t finalized their plan yet, so there were still many gaps. But in the initial stages, character designs, items, and maps were planned on a daily basis. He didn’t know how the other side saw designers as automated vending machines that could draw graphics every day, three things a day, or something like that.
“So I will assume there’s no problem...”
This time, Sangwoo moved on to the next topic according to his own whims... The other side sat close to Jaeyoung and stared at him, making Jaeyoung feel surprised as if he were facing a real robot.
“The profit sharing ratio is 8:2. Hyung you are the 2.”
Jaeyoung didn’t care much about the benefits, even a little. This project was just an excuse to meet Chu Sangwoo again. Instead of letting it go, he pushed himself with full force, feeling the need to reduce that energy a little.
“Shameless merchant.”
“I’ve heard this word many times before. The plans are complete. It’s not difficult to draw a few lines, is it? And you’ve already used the time you wasted following me to code to work.”
“You nerdy boy don’t think anymore.”
Whether he intended to provoke or not, Sangwoo was pushing Jaeyoung, seeing him as a dry-hearted artist. Jaeyoung wouldn’t give in. He sat hugging his chest, leaning back on the chair.
“It hasn’t even started yet, right? I don’t know when it will collapse. And what’s the point of talking about profit sharing? I don’t intend to design such plans again.”
Even though he spoke forcefully, Sangwoo replied without batting an eyelid.
“Then what should we do, hyung?”
“Just fix the plan, idiot. Don’t bother asking me.”
“If it were you, how would you fix it, hyung?”
“If it were me, I would start over. How can we work with a plan like this?”
“Okay, then. How about changing the plan here? It would be difficult. So, the seniors should fix the plan until the next meeting. Since the seniors have a part in the planning. I will adjust the sharing ratio to 5:5.”
“What?”
Jaeyoung fell into a pit. He had to take responsibility for writing the plan without having time to prepare. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sangwoo didn’t give him that opportunity. The other side handed Jaeyoung a document summarizing the initial concept of the game, the same document he had seen before.
“Wasn’t it not fun before, hyung? So, then you should make it fun. If it’s not done by the next meeting, I’ll stick to the original plan. Please send the plan to the email address written there by midnight before the meeting day.”
Jaeyoung checked the schedule and only laughed. The next meeting was tomorrow, so that meant there were just seven hours left until the meeting.
“Are you a workaholic or something?”
“The schedule is tight. I can’t allocate any more time for planning.”
Sangwoo spoke coolly, collected the documents on the table, and put them in his bag. He got up without even glancing at Jaeyoung. Chu Sangwoo was the host of this meeting. Jaeyoung could guess that it wouldn’t be as he had imagined, but he didn’t expect it to be so formal.
“Are you leaving?”
“I have a reason for not staying long.”
“Why?”
“...I don’t want to tell you.”
Sangwoo never avoided answering questions with an evasive attitude like this before. Although Jaeyoung had sharp eyes, he couldn’t figure out why the other party was in such a hurry to leave. Before he knew it, he heard the sound of the meeting room door opening.
‘Well, it’s good. It’s refreshing to just talk about work and be done with it.’
Jaeyoung grumbled silently in his heart. At the same time, he felt disappointed.
“Oh, there’s one more thing...”
Sangwoo’s words made him raise an eyebrow, and the eyes hidden under the dark shadow of his cap looked down at Jaeyoung.
“From now on, please refrain from physical contact without giving prior notice. It makes me very uncomfortable.”
Those words were not spoken because he knew something, but they struck a chord in Jaeyoung’s heart, revealing a hidden desire.
“Especially things like head-patting, wrist-grabbing, and whispering in the ear. Please be cautious.”
“Of course.”
“Then see you at the next meeting.”
“Why not say it… it’s tomorrow. Just say that the next meeting is in two or three days.”
“My business.”
With those final words, Sangwoo left. In the meeting room where Chu Sangwoo had spoken with an indifferent attitude on one side, he was now gone. Jaeyoung sat there amidst pastries, his face looking as if he had been slapped.
‘What on earth is this?’
He didn’t care about mobile game development. It wasn’t urgent enough to resist changing the schedule that was already packed. He accepted the proposition without real interest because he was fond of the word “hyung.” However, the person who appeared in the meeting was not a cute junior but a crazy workaholic.
‘I really don’t feel like doing this.’
Because he was busy dealing with the food prepared by Sangwoo, Jaeyoung ended up being late for their dinner appointment.
⌘W[3.]
“Just the two of us within four months? And studying too?”
His friend shrugged. Then he assumed a new stance, as if he had come up with a new move. He positioned his feet and arms on the pool table, ready to strike the ball beautifully.
“That’s impossible, right?”
“It depends on the quality. If you use talented engines, you can create games like Galaga[4] in just one day.”
“One thing for sure is that coding skills pay off big time, maybe tens of millions.”
“Ha, no way. You’re being duped.”
“Oh, really?”
Having heard that, Jaeyoung smiled quietly, holding the cue stick. He assumed the correct posture, placed the cue stick between his fingers, preparing to strike, but then he heard the alert sound from his mobile phone in his shirt pocket, breaking his concentration. The continuous notification sound rang twice. So, Jaeyoung put down the cue stick for a moment and picked up his mobile phone to check.
[Unsaved number: Only 5 minutes left. _23:55.]
[Unsaved number: Haven’t received the email, so I’m here to remind you. _23:55.]
Jaeyoung put his mobile phone back in his pocket, annoyed. When he saw the message, he remembered the frustrated face that had been with him all along, as if they had nothing to do with each other.
‘It’s not a big deal for you.’
Jaeyoung gripped the cue stick tighter than necessary, assuming the posture, spun the white ball, and struck it hard. The white ball collided with the red ball, rolling across the table. Then it sank into the hole effortlessly.
“Oops... a fluke.”
“I have impressive skill, you ass.”
He looked at his friend’s eyes again, and this time he made the best shot as always. Then he asked.
“You said that kid is my junior. What’s his name?”
“Chu Sangwoo.”
“I don’t know, but whatever. It’s been a long year... If you know the new kid who just joined school, it’s strange.”
“It’s only been two years, you should know... The new kid at the Third Year reception said, ‘I’m good at drinking, but I don’t want to drink the alcohol from you, sunbae’“
“Oh, that nerdy guy? Yeah, now that you mention it, I remember. He’s a programming genius, but can he work in a team?”
“I guess so.”
Jaeyoung didn’t respond and played another shot. The junior who worked in a team didn’t get along with the senior who had an attitude because of being called ‘hyung.’ He thought this was a really cool combination. He took a strong shot again, sinking the striped ball into a complicated circuit hole. It seemed like luck was on his side, just as his friend said.
“You’re not going easy today, huh?”
While he was about to answer, the phone rang loudly. Jaeyoung frowned and picked up the communication device that was lying awkwardly on the side. The number displayed on the screen was one that he hadn’t saved anymore. It was clear that he was considering whether to answer or not.
Jaeyoung chose to ignore the call.
They were playing pool silently for a while. Even though his friend followed him closely, it seemed like Jaeyoung was comfortably winning the bets in this game, and it wasn’t long before the phone rang again. Jaeyoung thought it would be Chu Sangwoo, but this time the number on the screen was a landline number, which Sangwoo’s apartment didn’t have, and sometimes his grandfather who didn’t use a mobile phone liked to call from hotels or something like that. So Jaeyoung answered.
“Hello.”
[This is Chu Sangwoo.]
“...”
[I noticed it’s already noon, and I haven’t received an email. So I called... Is there any reason why you couldn’t meet the deadline?]
The dry voice sounded piercing, actually, it could have ended with just saying he didn’t want to do it, but Jaeyoung kept his cool only because the other party was Chu Sangwoo.
“Uh, I’m a bit busy.”
[Hyungnim.]
“What?”
[I heard the sound of billiards.]
The flat tone showed no sign of reproach, but Jaeyoung couldn’t speak.
“I just have to give it to you tomorrow, alright?”
[Next time, please manage your time better.]
He heard the sound of a crying child breaking through the silence of Sangwoo’s place. It seems like the other side went to borrow the phone from the neighboring house.
“Just this much, then.”
[Okay.]
Jaeyoung put his mobile phone in his pocket and took a deep breath. The situation now was that he didn’t want to work but couldn’t withdraw. He had even lost interest in playing games.
“I’ll pay for this one, go ahead.”
“Yeah, right. Not fun at all.”
Jaeyoung let his friend complain boredly and headed back home.
[I’ve started working on what you left_02:47.]
- [Han Sooyeong: How’s it going??_02:47.]
[Really?_02:48.]
- [Han Sooyeong: 555555555555555_02:49.]
- [Han Sooyeong: 555555_02:49.]
- [Han Sooyeong: When should we go out for a drink?
Jaeyoung^^_02:49.]
[At least explain why the framework turned out like that_02:53.]
- [Han Sooyeong: Do you think I made it like that from the beginning?? He’s so stubborn. He told me to fix it completely, so I did what he said^^; You also helped me fix it. Think of it as a good experience_02:54.]
[Just forget about it_02:55.]
- [Han Sooyeong: Sorry~~_02:55.]
He had no idea where to start fixing the “Vegetable Man” framework. While working on this and that late at night, Jaeyoung started feeling angry deep inside. He started feeling stressed after receiving a project that was difficult to fix, all while being stuck in the frustrating situation of seeing Chu Sangwoo as a helpless kid.
‘Damn it, no, this is not it.’
If he didn’t want to do it, he shouldn’t have done it. But he endured seeing the poor quality work with his own name hanging on it. And if he wanted to come up with a new concept, it’s not something that can be done within a few hours, and he didn’t have the motivation to do it. What’s the use of that pillow? Why did he have to go all out for someone who saw him as less valuable than their own toenail?
Chu Sangwoo... When he thought of that frowny face, he took another breath. He didn’t know he was stuck with someone who thought designing a game could be done in a day.
‘I don’t want to see his face, but I still do want to see him.’
Jaeyoung’s stance was unclear. He clenched his pen with frustration. He didn’t want to do it at all, but he couldn’t just walk out of the meeting empty-handed. Therefore, Jaeyoung uncapped his pen.
⌘W.
________________________________________.
[1] Yakgwa: A type of Korean deep-fried pastry made by kneading together honey, oil, flour, and printing it into shapes using a mold. It is then fried or deep-fried in oil.
[2] Quality Assurance: QA. It refers to systematic actions planned in advance to ensure confidence that a product or service will meet specified requirements.
[3] ⌘W: Symbol for ⌘, the command button “cmd.” on MacBook and iMac. The command ⌘+W closes the window. Here, the author used it as a scene break, similar to “return 0;”.
[4] Galaga: A game where players control a spaceship located at the bottom of the screen. Enemies gradually fly onto the screen in formations, preparing to attack the player.
Chapter 29 Cyan #2.
“I thought it would be different, but maybe I had too high expectations. I shouldn’t have hoped for anything.”
He had prepared himself, but the words were still too harsh. Jaeyoung suppressed his frustration, pretending not to be affected, and sat back in his chair.
“The game name and the plan are the same as before. Only the characters have changed. Does this picture really fit our concept?”
Sangwoo placed three sheets of paper with character drawings on the table. His fingers stole a glance from Jaeyoung, and the finger with its protruding bone could be considered beautiful. Despite that, Jaeyoung thought about grabbing those fingers and using his tongue to lick each bone, then gently tucking the wings of the hat down again under the table.
“I already said it’s not a game for little kids. The target audience is parents who are still young. If their brains were normal, they wouldn’t let their children play something like this.”
Jaeyoung regained his composure and looked into the half-covered eyes of Sangwoo.
“Which one then?”
The corner of his mouth, once smooth and straight, revealed a hint of dissatisfaction. Sangwoo’s finger reappeared, pointing at the first character.
The nail on that finger was short, as if it had been recently cut. A crescent moon shape in white was clearly visible at the base of the nail.
“This long eggplant-like character looks like one of those misfits with poor
IQ. No, it’s not a horror game, okay?”
Sangwoo moved the paper to the side and pointed to the second character.
“Is this lettuce or Chinese cabbage? I can’t tell, really. You can’t make an educational game like this.”
Then it came to the queue where the third character was distorted.
“This potato is walking back and forth with a young sprout. Besides not following the spiritual essence correctly, it looks scary. Well, is this the best way to move?”
Jaeyoung couldn’t say anything but laugh. Seeing that the plan could be fixed, he thought Sangwoo was just inexperienced, but Sangwoo had his own standards. Furthermore, every word he said made sense, so Jaeyoung couldn’t play around.
Jaeyoung looked at his own sketch quietly. The part of the long eggplant looked exquisite because it reflected his personal taste. The original drawing of the potato was well done too. He didn’t know how to deal with the legs, so he drew a young sprout sticking out. While drawing, he thought it was profound, while for the bok choy, he just drew it casually to complete the three pieces. However, he also had something to say.
“You just gave me one day, what are you expecting? You devil.”
The total time spent on drawing was seven minutes, not even a full day, not even an hour, but Jaeyoung still pounded the table and spoke. Squeezing people to work according to a tight schedule was evidence that the other party did not understand this industry well, but Sangwoo responded without a hint of embarrassment.
“I didn’t expect it to continue endlessly. But because it’s you hyungnim.”
“...”
Those words hurt Jaeyoung more than before. If he were scolded, he would have fought back vigorously, but hearing words like that, the force in him disappeared abruptly. Jaeyoung wasn’t sure what to call it, but he felt a tightness, as if his heart was being squeezed, a work that he didn’t fully complete. No matter how he spoke, Chu Sangwoo probably wouldn’t listen.
“The plan will be carried out according to the original plan.”
“No, it won’t.”
“Then is there any other option?”
Sangwoo looked at Jaeyoung with cold eyes, half of his narrowed eyes hidden under a hat. Today was the only day that Jaeyoung felt grateful for that hat.
“I’ll come up with a new plan, from scratch.”
“There’s no time for that anymore.”
“Make it finished before the next meeting, isn’t that enough? What day is it... Monday, right?”
Jaeyoung sighed inwardly. How could someone schedule meetings every single day like this? When he examined the detailed schedule, apart from Saturdays and Sundays when Sangwoo had to work overtime, the remaining days were filled with meetings. It seemed like they should switch to email correspondence soon, at least for the other party. It appeared that Jaeyoung couldn’t trust him enough and had to check every day.
Jaeyoung’s gaze fixed on Sangwoo’s full lips. If he presented satisfactory results, would those tightly pursed lips finally loosen up and speak gently?
“I’ll contact you later, hyung.”
Sangwoo’s voice suddenly softened, a level gentler than anything Jaeyoung had ever heard before. In that short moment, Jaeyoung was completely taken aback.
Jaeyoung shook his head to shake off the dangerous memories.
“If you’re not satisfied. I’ll give you the weekend.”
Sangwoo spoke loudly, saying that adding just a few more days would result in excellent work.
“Send the plan to my email by noon on Sunday...”
“I won’t send it. No need to call and ask.”
“Why?”
“That’s not my style. Sometimes I can’t draw anything at all. And yet, I manage to finish it with just a few hours left.”
Sangwoo’s small eyes narrowed, a look that indicated displeasure with those words.
“It’s like a ticking time bomb, you never know when it’ll explode.”
“If you can’t handle different working styles like this, you’re not fit to be a leader, are you? I’ve seen cases like this, and I never miss the deadlines for important projects.”
“So, how important is this project?”
“I don’t know. It depends on your actions.”
“That’s all the answers you’ll get.”
Sangwoo gathered his documents with a neutral expression, indicating that today’s meeting would end soon. He packed his belongings into his backpack and swiftly zipped it up. Then, he slung the bag over his shoulder and walked towards the door without even glancing at Jaeyoung. As he opened the door halfway, he turned around.
“See you at the next meeting.”
“You’re in a hurry again, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t want to tell me the reason?”
“You know it well.”
Bang, the door closed again.
After Sangwoo left, Jaeyoung sat staring at the empty chair. It was impossible for the two individuals who were so different as day and night to work together. It was clear that they clashed on everything, and he would have to endure constantly seeing their differences. Chu Sangwoo only spoke as a formality. If he even pretended to be friendly, he would surely face rejection. Jaeyoung walked into the pit that Sangwoo had dug himself, unaware of the hidden intention behind it. He didn’t know what he regretted so much to still be stuck here, even though he heard something disappointing. No matter how you looked at it, withdrawal was the best option, but his pride refused to let him give up now.
‘Wait and see.’
Jaeyoung imagined the moment when Sangwoo’s eyes lit up upon seeing the character he had designed. In his imagination, the other side eagerly spoke with excitement.
‘It’s amazing, Jaeyoung-hyungnim!’
The altered voice echoed in his ears. Jaeyoung laughed bitterly, folding the rejected figure in half. It seemed like he had the motivation to focus on his work.
⌘W.
However, the figure that would satisfy the employer couldn’t be easily drawn like spoken words. Even though he sat down at the table to work, when he thought of Sangwoo’s rejected face, he became frustrated and lost focus. No matter what he drew, he felt that Chu Sangwoo, who thought that merely sketching a few lines would result in a complete picture, would say ‘This won’t do, I’m really disappointed. I’ll stick to the original plan.’
On Friday, Jaeyoung’s new character was abandoned after just a few sketches. He lost his focus and went out with his colleagues, starting with going to a nearby university and eating three-layered pork barbecue at Soju’s restaurant. Then they moved on to cocktails at a bar near Yonsei-dong. After that, they went clubbing and drank a couple of beers. When he returned home, he had no strength left to hold a pen.
On Saturday, Jaeyoung only regained consciousness halfway through due to a lingering hangover. In the evening, after having hangover soup, he managed to regain some composure and watched two movies before sleeping soundly and waking up late. On Sunday, he picked up a pen again. Then inspiration struck him, and he tried sketching and writing rough ideas. The resulting drawing was quite usable. The androgynous character with red, curly hair tied up in a bun held laser guns in both hands, in an adventure survival game set in a postapocalyptic steampunk world.
From there, Jaeyoung drew another picture, depicting a scene where the character descended amidst exploding buildings. Then he drew an evolved version of the wings and a jaguar from a developed version of the game. Comparatively, the human cyborgs of Han Sooyeong’s creation were still embarrassing. Even if Chu Sangwoo criticized it to some extent, he wrote a brief concept and storyline on a sticky note and pasted it on the paper.
Ready for the meeting.
Jaeyoung went out to have a satisfying dinner. He went to his high school friend’s newly opened spicy stir-fried squid restaurant. After finishing the meal, he went to watch a live performance by an indie artist at a small theater.
⌘W.
“It’s suitable for computer games.”
‘Hmm.’
Once again, his work was rejected. Sangwoo opened a file and took out a document.
“This is a game analysis ranking in the app store. It’s 68% and includes simple mini-games like arcade games, fighting games, puzzles, and RPGs. The map that the senior proposed to make into a mobile game for two players within four months didn’t make it.”
“Who said we should support every concept we want to try?”
“There has to be boundaries.”
Sangwoo moved Jaeyoung’s draft aside with a composed expression, while Jaeyoung felt somewhat shaken as he didn’t expect to be rejected so easily. He sat there in silence.
“Hyung, have you ever tried making mobile games before? I understand.
Now we’ve wasted enough time. Let’s focus on the original plan.”
“No.”
“What’s next then?”
Sangwoo spoke irritably. Jaeyoung couldn’t understand how he ended up feeling so low. Why did Sangwoo, who was responsible for scheduling, have to become the person who rejects him? He felt helpless, as if he had turned into an inexperienced and incompetent designer. Jaeyoung stood up, placing both hands on the table.
“I won’t say much.”
Sangwoo remained seated in his original position, looking up slowly.
“Give me just one more day.”
He requested it as a formality, because whether the other party agreed or rejected, he would still stand firm in his own thoughts. But Sangwoo averted his gaze slightly and took a deep breath.
“Understood.”
‘Oh, I thought he would reject it immediately again.’
Is Chu Sangwoo really that soft-hearted when faced with Jaeyoung’s gaze? As Sangwoo wiped his documents, Jaeyoung secretly glanced at the side of his face, the rectangular fingers and the clearly visible wrist bones of the other party, before regaining his composure and walking towards the door. Just as he was about to leave the meeting room, Sangwoo’s voice became louder.
“Working with you is really tough, hyung.” “Who knows exactly how to speak like that.” No need to ask when the next meeting will be.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Around five o’clock.
Originally, Jaeyoung was supposed to go out for dinner with friends and then go clubbing, but he headed straight to the office. His sudden appearance surprised the neighboring desk owner because Jaeyoung had only registered to use the workspace but rarely came by lately since there wasn’t much work to do. He turned on his computer, which had been sitting on the table for months, untouched.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“There’s work to do, where is Choi Yoon?”
“I don’t know. I’ve just got here now.”
While waiting for the system to boot up, Jaeyoung checked the rankings of mobile games in the App Market[2]. Among these exciting games, there was no way they were suitable for kids. Besides, the concept was like clothing that didn’t fit him. When the desktop appeared, he immediately opened a word processing program and started typing. Then he typed in the heading.
‘Project Outline.’
If they liked that kind of plan, he would make it happen. Jaeyoung just didn’t give it much importance, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t follow the plan.
[
Chapter 1, Market Research and Game Trend Analysis.
Chapter 2, Proposal to Change Game Genre.
Chapter 3, Proposal to Change Game Title.
Chapter 4, Concept and Plot.
Chapter 5, Scene Drafts, Characters, Weapons, Mobs[3].]
His fingers moved quickly, his eyes switching between the mobile screen and the computer screen. At the same time, one side of his brain analyzed while the other side thought about a new project idea. Amidst all this, a twisted sense of pride screamed that it shouldn’t be like this in the darkness.
Jaeyoung finished analyzing the game market in the blink of an eye and decided to change the genre of the game to ‘Side-scrolling Shooting Game[4]’. He attached a description stating that it would be a platformjumping action game and left the game title blank, maybe because he was deeply lost in thought and his head was spinning with special ideas.
He imagined a large farm invaded by extraterrestrials, contaminated with substances from outer space. Only mutated vegetables, influenced by the extraterrestrial forces, could withstand the attack of bizarre-shaped mutant animals. And the story of a passionate scientist striving to win the Nobel Prize in the field of biology brought him closer to the research center of the farm.
Jaeyoung took a sheet of paper, drew a picture of a scientist holding a measuring tube as a weapon. As his mind raced, various ideas followed suit— his head became a hammer, corn became a long-range gun, seeds became bullets, pumpkin became dynamite, sweet potato became a hand grenade, and lettuce became a detonator.
The pen moved frantically. Jaeyoung worked diligently, unaware that someone was calling him. Seojin, the person sitting next to him, tapped his shoulder and informed him of an incoming call. Without looking, Jaeyoung responded.
“It might be Choi Yoona, tell her I can’t go.”
“Sure! Oh, hello? Sunbae. I’m Seojin. Jaeyoung-sunbae said he can’t go... I don’t know why. It seems like he’s focused on doing something... I have no idea what it is... No, really. I’m not crazy like him. Sunbae, you want to talk to
Yoona?”
“Tell them I’m not going.”
“Sunbae, Jaeyoung-sunbae said he can’t go... I don’t know either. Why are you cussing at me? Okay. I don’t know either. Seriously, sunbae... That’s all... Just this... Okay... Okay.”
Seojin plugged in the cable and handed over the phone.
“Yoona said she’ll kill you, sunbae.”
Jaeyoung received a phone call and quickly checked if there were any similar concepts in the marketplace app. Yes, there were. How would this new project turn out? He returned with a confident face. At the same time, Sangwoo walked over and expressed his admiration.
“Wow, that’s cool. What is it?”
“It’s my study abroad scholarship.”
Jaeyoung chuckled silently because he felt amused by his own mistake of missing an appointment with a friend and being engrossed in work. Chu Sangwoo, who could easily pull a graduate student who used to have fun every day out of his laziness, was truly amazing.
This time, Jaeyoung was extremely confident. He was sure that praise would escape from the mouth that only made demeaning gestures, no doubt about it. The young man gritted his teeth and tightly grasped the pen.
⌘W.
________________________________________
[1] Steampunk is a world that combines historical elements with the wonders of technology. It is different from Cyberpunk, which is a futuristic world created entirely by technology, and Dystopia, which refers to communities, societies, or places that are in a terrible state, such as being governed by oppressive regimes or facing natural disasters.
[2] App Market, a mobile app download source, such as Play Store for Android or App Store for iOS.
[3] Mob, short for Mobile, refers to characters controlled by the computer or commonly known as NPCs.
[4] Side-scrolling Shooting Game is a shooting game where the screen scrolls in one direction, such as the game Contra by Konami.
[5] Platform Jump Action is a game where the character can jump between platforms, overcome obstacles, or both to progress in the game.
Chapter 30 Cyan #3.
Jaeyoung had everything prepared. In addition to the first draft that he put all his physical and mental effort into, there were two more backup drafts, totaling three, and the project plan was printed and neatly arranged with page numbers, stitched together perfectly. He even paid attention to his outfit. Even though Chu Sangwoo would never notice, let alone appreciate it.
“Hmm...”
While Sangwoo was struggling to endure examining the project plan, he wondered what thoughts were going on under that hat! Although his expression seemed indifferent, his cheeks looked slightly raised. Jaeyoung didn’t want to be caught worrying deeply, so he sat back in his chair and put on a proud face.
“Sunbae, are you good at English?”
It looks like the other party is checking the game name. Even though
Jaeyoung didn’t plan to continue this project, he accepted the name ‘Vegetable Master’. It’s not true, so he came up with a new name ‘Veggie Venturer’ which can be abbreviated as ‘VV’.
“That’s good enough.”
“You did better than expected.”
“You speak two languages.”
“That’s right. Korean and Chinese.”
“Korean and programming languages are different, both Native[1].”
Sangwoo didn’t understand why Jaeyoung was mimicking him. He sat puzzled for a moment before lowering his gaze when the call came in.
“Stop saying meaningless things. How many programming languages are there? If you count like that, it would be six languages already.”
The gaze of the other party returned to the plan, the first sheet passed without comment, and the next sheet didn’t bite anything. Jaeyoung noticed the other party’s slight facial expression change, and he became even more nervous than when waiting for the competition results he had been waiting for half a year.
Sangwoo’s face changed while inspecting the character design, his lips that used to be smooth curled up into a small smile almost indistinguishable, and his eyes looked scary, narrow, and dreamlike.
“This character looks just like you, hyung.”
“Where exactly?”
“Somewhere, I guess.”
Sketch number 1 is a scientist, number 2 is a spooky skeleton, and number 3 is a character, SD[2] 2, which confused Jaeyoung... Sangwoo lowered the plan documents in his hand. Jaeyoung looked at the other party and saw a new expression. In those slightly widened eyes, excitement shone through.
“You did really well.”
The moment of acceptance he had been waiting for, both simple and easy, was surprising. Even though the other party only spoke a sentence, a sense of pride quickly surged in his heart simply because it was a word from an intense and non-human game developer.
Sangwoo’s face returned to calmness in an instant, looking at Jaeyoung.
“The character has reached the third image already.”
“Found it?”
The disappointment faded away. Jaeyoung quickly picked up the project plan and flipped to the page featuring one of the characters he had spent hours and effort creating. He was a brilliant scientist with large hands and feet, thick glasses, and messy white hair. His torn lab coat revealed well-defined muscles that he meticulously shaded for an hour.
As he turned two more pages, he came across the third sketch, which depicted a pair of male and female characters he hastily drew in just five minutes to fulfill the quota. The male character was modeled after Sangwoo, resembling him in every aspect except for not wearing a hat. He had fair skin, fierce-looking eyes, and a slim physique concealed in a loose-fitting outfit.
“Here it is. This is you, hyung?”
Sangwoo pointed to the female character and spoke. Jaeyoung squinted his eyes and could only guess whether the other side was teasing or being serious.
‘Tricked and cussed me at the same time.’
The character had orange hair, eyes that occupied more than half of the face, and was unmistakably similar to Jaeyoung himself.
“But I prefer the first sketch.”
“I like the third sketch better.”
Jaeyoung sighed. Despite being an unconventional guy, he was an artistic designer who appreciated aesthetics. He designed it that way to cater to a customer who liked colorful designs. At the same time, it had a monotone and minimalist touch. He explained for two minutes why the first sketch suited the concept the most and was the best option. Sangwoo listened until the end and uttered a single word.
“Understood. I’ll go with the third sketch.”
“The scientist character is more suitable for an adventure than the teenage male and female characters.”
“That’s right, but I prefer the third sketch.”
“Why?”
“Judging from the overall picture.”
Sangwoo summed it up briefly. It didn’t fit him and he was ready to move on to another topic. It was clear that he was fixated on the character SD.
“Hey, just take the first one.”
“No, I won’t.”
No matter how hard he tried to persuade, the other side remained unshaken.
“Fine, take it then.”
After several rounds of argument, Jaeyoung gave up his determination. However, regardless of the current situation, he had achieved his goal, and he intended to withdraw from the project.
Sangwoo slowly placed the project file down and turned his body to face Jaeyoung once again.
“When converting a physical shape into a digital image, please consider the animation process and separate the organ parts. The senior version has kept the original files. Then send me the resized PNG file. If you have finished the guidelines, I will send them to you via email along with the spectrum and size table. Please follow that. As for the game name...”
Jaeyoung sat down and rested his chin on the table, while his gaze remained fixed at the moving edges of his lips. The sound emanating gradually grew distant, and he couldn’t distinguish whether it was the sound of birds or the cry of animals. However, in the midst of it all, Sangwoo stopped talking, and Jaeyoung regained his consciousness.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Hyungnim, you worked hard, so your physical condition doesn’t seem great, you look a bit tired. Please remember to read and understand what I sent you today.”
“Oh.”
Jaeyoung felt a bit tired. Was that so? He had just heard Sangwoo speak formally for the first time. Jaeyoung always thought that Sangwoo didn’t like socializing, but from what he observed, it didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps the other party simply refrained from speaking meaningless words.
“And... Can you come for a moment?”
The unexpected remark made Jaeyoung raise his eyebrows.
“Why?”
“I wanted to inform you in advance. You did a good job, hyung. So, I’d like to express my admiration.”
At that moment, Sangwoo stood up hesitantly and extended his arm. Jaeyoung glanced at the other’s fingers as they approached, and the hand came close to Jaeyoung’s face before gently stroking it with a robotic-like gesture. Once, twice, three times. Then, it quickly disappeared.
Jaeyoung closed his eyes tightly, unaware of himself. Since he was young, this was the first time someone had done something like this to him. Jaeyoung’s face turned red, and as he raised his hand to cover his mouth, the sound of the door closing grew louder.
Jaeyoung took a deep breath when he was sure there was no one else in the conference room. “What was that?”
⌘W.
As he left the meeting room, Jaeyoung felt like he had been deceived by a fox. It was a continuous attack, calling him ‘hyung’ and tugging at his shirt collar. And the act of stroking his head was like a knockdown. He felt an itching sensation that made him want to open his mouth, as if sensing some kind of energy.
When he stepped out of the library, he was surrounded by a sky that stretched infinitely, a surreal cyan color that seemed unbelievable. Although his body was tired, his heart still beat strongly, and the corners of his lips formed a smile. The color of the sky transformed into the indigo shade of a clear sky. Jaeyoung erased the thought of withdrawing from the project from his mind.
Even though he seemed confused like a defeated gambler, at the same time, he concealed a sharp touch as sharp as a detective because he felt a small contradiction. In his heart, even though it was meant as a compliment, does the other person have to do something that goes against himself in such a world?
When thinking about Chu Sangwoo’s thought process, it wasn’t incomprehensible; it could be explained. The moment Jaeyoung dodged a few times, that action must have been input into his thought process, speculating ‘That person probably likes that kind of action’ so he did it back.
It was just a feeling that bothered Jaeyoung, conflicting feelings within his heart, uncertainty of when this tranquility would collapse, the serenity devoid of responsibility for damage, because it was one-sided. At the same time, there was also a difficult-to-handle excitement; these were complex feelings.
In the office, Yoona was with Songjin. Yesterday he let Yoona wait. When he saw Jaeyoung, Yoona became furious. Jaeyoung listened as the other side complained into his left ear, piercing through and leaving through the right ear.
“And then, well, that atmosphere, once it was over, I signed the CD.”
“It was fun.”
“You missed out by not coming, in summary, so what are you doing?”
“I had work to do. There is no need to invite me to talk again.”
When he heard Jaeyoung speak in Chu Sangwoo’s manner, Yoona looked at him as if seeing an alien. At that moment, he saw Songjin, the owner of the adjacent seat, putting the computer screen into a box.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to the army, sunbae.”
“To find?”
He heard that the other side had entered into a relationship with a woman he liked but was dumped and had no motivation to continue living. He dropped out of college and would be entering the army within this month.
Yoona, who was getting angrier, began to imitate Songjin with a stern face.
Jaeyoung himself couldn’t stay calm, so he promised to treat him to dinner.
Song Jin sniffed and started explaining his feelings, but after about five minutes, Jaeyoung went to open the computer.
‘Suddenly, it feels like I’ve become Chu Sangwoo.’
He wondered when he had become a person who prioritized work like this.
He didn’t really know, but Jaeyoung felt that he was being influenced by Sangwoo’s magic, but he had no way to resist. Jaeyoung scanned the sketches into the computer, then opened the graphic design program and began to transform those images into digital files.
⌘W.
“I have to go home now. Aren’t you coming back?” Yoona asked.
“What time is it already?”
“It’s almost midnight.”
Jaeyoung blinked his dry eyes and looked at his wristwatch. Time had passed like this since when? He had gone out to have dinner with Song Jin outside the university and returned around one in the morning. After that, he had been working non-stop. As laziness crept in, exhaustion seeped in as well.
“You are very hard working these days. What’s up? Let’s share something good.” Yoona showed interest in his work.
‘How should I explain...’
Jaeyoung pondered for a moment and responded in the most concise version.
“Mobile game.”
“You are really into it, it’s really addictive and fun, isn’t it?”
He couldn’t say that it was because he wanted praise from the programmer, so he just paused and received it with a smile. While he was thinking of grabbing a cup of coffee and going home, a message came to his phone.
[Employer: Only 5 minutes until midnight. I haven’t received an email yet, so I came to remind you_11:55.]
Although the content seemed similar to the previous message, Jaeyoung was now trapped in Chu Sangwoo’s world. Even though the message appeared to be work-related, he felt excited. This time he was focused on his work, and he had already gathered the necessary information. He opened his email inbox. As he was about to attach a picture file, he hesitated.
Suddenly, another plan emerged in his mind. Instead of sending the email, he leaned back in his chair and hugged himself, sitting with crossed legs, staring at the phone for three minutes. When it was exactly midnight, a call came in as scheduled. Jaeyoung waited for six seconds before answering the call, adjusting the volume to the lowest...
“Oh, Sangwoo.”
[...Yes?]
“Why did you call?”
[Um... time’s up... it’s already midnight... I haven’t received any emails... so I called.]
“Ah, I forgot, thank you for calling. I’ll send it right away.”
[...]
“Have you had dinner?”
[Yes.]
“What did you eat?”
[At the cafeteria. Why?]
“What’s on the menu?”
[Chobap[4] tofu soup with Chinese cabbage, kimchi, sausage, stir-fried vegetables, stir-fried anchovies, yogurt. Why do you ask?]
“I want to hear your voice.”
[...]
“I like listening to the way a person speaks.”
[It’s a strange and good hobby, that’s all.]
Jaeyoung was about to cut the call before he could answer anything. He tilted his head back and forth, the result of the experiment being the tone of his voice. If Sangwoo had a mind to indulge him, he probably wouldn’t have responded and hurriedly hung up like that.
‘Did I misunderstand?’
If that’s the case, he must be lucky. Yoona, who was behind him, murmured softly.
“Oh my goodness. What were you doing just now?”
“What?”
“Why is your tone of voice like that? I want to throw up.”
“Butt off and throw up somewhere else”
Sangwoo might not know, but he understood his own situation well—the symptoms of being in love, the state of not being tied down. There was only the exhilaration of freedom. In this relationship of an unknowing affair, he enjoyed this moment the most. If the feelings developed beyond this point, the situation would become more complicated, murkier, and even more dangerous. But as long as he maintained this ‘line’, there was nothing to worry about. Jaeyoung was confident because he had never lost control due to his emotions.
‘But even so, it’s frustrating to wipe the fruits without tasting them.’
Jaeyoung looked at the tightly packed picture in the folder with a bitter smile. If only Sangwoo hadn’t come and played the role of a cute
little hubaenim, he wouldn’t have been spun around helplessly like this.
Jaeyoung opened his email and attached the work file he had intended to do. Email sent. Job done.
⌘W.
________________________________________.
[1] Native, Speaker.
[2] SD stands for Super Deformed, which refers to distorting the proportions of a character’s body from reality, making them appear deformed. It is often drawn in a ratio of 1:3 of the actual size.
[3] Cyan is one of the primary colors, located between green and blue.
It is one of the colors used in the CMYK color system for printing. [4] Showbab, cooked white rice mixed with wild rice.