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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: First Subordinate (1)
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As if on cue, my developer level rose, and a system message rang out.
The five points I gained would surely come in handy for the current task.
Plus, I'd completed the mission with an S-rank, surpassing my goal of A-rank or higher. If I did well on the storyboard, I could earn another five points.
Meanwhile, Bonbujang Shin Chihwan wrapped things up.
"Good work, everyone. Let's talk again the day after tomorrow."
I released the tension that had filled my body and walked down the stairs to return to the office.
On the way, I felt a strange throbbing in my head.
It seemed a bit of burnout had set in from working so intensely.
'There will be more interruptions like this in the future.'
No matter the job, it's rare to find a place where you can focus solely on your assigned tasks, and game companies are no exception.
Even while you're struggling to meet a tight deadline, new tasks like today's constantly pop up, messing with your schedule and adding to your fatigue.
I could probably make the schedule work by pulling insane all-nighters, but my goal is to do things quickly *and* well.
Overworking yourself inevitably leads to a drop in quality.
Just then, that thought resurfaced.
'I really need to get a subordinate soon if I want to get anything done.'
I felt things would improve if I had someone who could look at my work with a critical eye from a somewhat equal footing and help with the groundwork.
"PD-nim, I'm back from the meeting. There's something about the cinematics I need to share with you."
After returning to the office, I told PD Oh Gwangseok what had been decided in the cinematics meeting.
He had given me a sincere apology yesterday, and it wouldn't make sense for the PD to be in the dark about something as important as the cinematics, so I felt it was necessary to fill him in.
At that, Oh Gwangseok's face brightened as if he were touched.
"Thanks for letting me know. Well, I'm sure the Bonbujang and Gwajang Jo will handle it just fine."
"Still, you should probably review it. I'll share the rough storyboards and documents we have so far right away. Everything's been finalized at the Bonbujang's level, and we decided to flesh out the rough storyboards a bit more today before handing them over to the cinematics team."
To prevent any potential issues, I made sure to confirm that all these decisions were made under the Bonbujang's authority.
Even if the other party had made a gesture of reconciliation, I knew I had to draw a line. The moment I let my guard down, he might try to trip me up again from somewhere.
"Will the schedule be okay, then? It seems like time will be tight if you're working on the worldbuilding, synopsis, and implementing all the in-game scripts at the same time."
Well, would you look at that. Now he's worried about my schedule. It felt almost awkward how much his attitude had changed in just a few days.
The old me would have brushed it off with empty words like 'It's fine' or 'I can do it.'
But now, I had the confidence to say what was really on my mind.
"It is a bit tight, to be honest."
"Right, then shall we talk in a meeting room for a moment?"
As soon as we found an empty meeting room, PD Oh Gwangseok spoke as if he'd been waiting for this.
"The planning department is a little light on work right now... Most of the feedback we received needs to be handled by the programmers and graphics team anyway..."
"That's true."
I couldn't be sure, but the planning department was likely focusing on minor quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes rather than major design changes. Realistically, not everyone's manpower was needed at this stage.
"So, what I'm saying is, how about we bring someone over from the planning department to act as your subordinate?"
"Would that be alright?"
Oh Gwangseok had said exactly what I was thinking. I put on a show of politeness, asking if it was okay, and he furrowed his brow and continued seriously.
"It might be a bit early to say this, but you're planning to leave after this project, aren't you? Once the game goes live, we'll need someone to continue working on the story... It seems right to start preparing for that now."
"I see."
It was a reasonable point. Even after I successfully finished the worldbuilding and scenario for *Phoenix* and left to create a new team, *Phoenix* had to go on.
Hiring someone new then would be difficult, so as a PD, he needed to prepare for the future in advance.
A win-win situation.
This proposal was a perfect deal for both PD Oh Gwangseok and me.
"So, do you have anyone in mind?"
I already had someone in mind, but I pretended to think it over, stroking my chin before speaking as if forcing the words out.
"Hmm, I'd like to mentor Daeri Son Seokjin."
"Huh? Him?"
Gwangseok's brow twitched in surprise. While Son Seokjin was a Daeri, he mostly played a supporting role to Pateujang Go Yeongmi, so Gwangseok hadn't seen any particularly impressive work from him.
'This is where a PD's incompetence shows.'
However, I believed that was Oh Gwangseok's misjudgment. Daeri Son Seokjin might be lacking in other areas, but when it came to story, direction, and concept skills, he was anything but deficient for his rank.
The problem was that Pateujang Go Yeongmi revised most of his documents in her own style before passing them on to the PD.
Thanks to that, there had been no opportunity to see his true abilities.
A frustrating situation where a middle manager was preventing proper evaluation of a team member's capabilities, and the PD was taking it at face value.
"Well, the concept guys are the closest fit for worldbuilding and scenario work, and I talked with him a bit while working late a few days ago. He seems to have a good sense for scenarios and has some ambition of his own."
"Hmm, well, if you say so. Let's give it a try then."
The PD seemed half-convinced, but he reluctantly made the decision when I pressed him. Then, he immediately summoned Daeri Seokjin to the meeting room via his smartphone messenger.
"You called for me, PD-nim?"
"Ah, Daeri Seokjin, have a seat next to Gwajang Hyunsoo."
A moment later, a tense-looking Daeri Son Seokjin entered and sat down awkwardly. Oh Gwangseok began without hesitation.
"Daeri Seokjin, have you ever thought about working on game scenarios?"
"Pardon?"
"You might already know, but Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo has a lot on his plate right now. We need someone to act as his subordinate."
"Ah, yes!"
Daeri Son Seokjin showed a happy expression for a moment before catching himself and lowering his head.
He was afraid of giving the impression that he was readily betraying Pateujang Go Yeongmi, who had been his superior until now.
One might wonder who would care about such things, but human beings are pettier than you'd think, a tendency that grows stronger in the workplace. It was wise to tread carefully.
And when the other person held the power of a Pateujang, one had to be even more cautious.
Of course, I planned to sort everything out before we started.
"PD-nim. If Daeri Seokjin were to work with me, would it be okay for him to report only to me, without going through Pateujang Go Yeongmi?"
"Ah, of course. I'll have a word with Pateujang Yeongmi."
This meant that even if Go Yeongmi held a grudge against him for this choice, the PD would cover for him.
Things might get a little difficult for him after I eventually leave the team, but that could change depending on how much Son Seokjin contributes to this project and grows during the three months we work together. The company is a jungle. I can't spoon-feed him everything.
"If you can do that for me, then I would very much like to work with Gwajang Jo Hyunsoo-nim."
As if he'd been waiting, Son Seokjin took the bait.
****
The very next day, Daeri Seokjin began working with me.
As soon as he came to work, he distributed most of his tasks to the other Daeri and staff-level employees, and thanks to the PD's consideration, his desk was moved next to mine.
It was now around eleven. It would have been nice to have a moment to catch my breath, but right now, every minute and second counted.
"Daeri Seokjin, let's have a meeting today about dividing up the work."
"Oh, should I book a meeting room then?"
"No, let's head down to the company café in thirty minutes and do it over coffee. Bring your laptop. I've shared all the documents via the company messenger, so give them a quick look before you come."
"Yes, got it."
To sprint like crazy for the next three months, I planned to assign the tasks today and create milestones based on that.
If I didn't get this first step right, I wouldn't be able to properly develop Daeri Seokjin, and he would become a subordinate who was worse than useless.
'If I'm going to do this, I have to do it right, and do it intensely.'
Fundamentally, all deliverables at a game company are work, and the entire worldbuilding, scenario, and concept for *Phoenix* had now become my domain.
Therefore, Daeri Seokjin's work would have to go through my feedback, no exceptions.
Unless we were a hive mind, feedback was inevitable.
But the less feedback there was, and the smaller its scope, the faster our work would progress.
This meeting was a way to get in sync before starting the work.
"Hrmmm."
Daeri Seokjin stared intently at his monitor, scanning the documents I'd sent.
In the meantime, I opened a Word document and listed all the tasks we needed to do, writing down the direction, points of caution, and target schedules for each item.
I planned to use this document as the basis for my explanation in the upcoming meeting.
"Let's go, Daeri Seokjin."
"Yes!"
The two of them grabbed their laptops and headed to the company café.
After getting iced Americanos, they settled into one of the smallest meeting rooms in a corner of the café.
"First, I'd like you to handle the scriptwriting for chapters one through five based on the plot I wrote, as well as the tool work to implement it in-game. I'll write a sample to give you a feel for the script's tone..."
The entire plot was already laid out.
If Daeri Seokjin could produce a first draft turning the plot into actual text—the script—and I then revised it, we would save a lot of time.
Additionally, the tool work for implementing it in-game was simple and repetitive, so I planned to entrust that to him as well.
If he could keep up, we could save at least a month's worth of time.
If he did, I could then focus my efforts on other areas to raise the overall quality of *Phoenix*'s concept.
"For now, that's everything I need to delegate. If you have any questions, let me know."
"Ah, yes, I do have a question. How will you handle the part about the Phoenix's egg in Chapter 3...?"
Daeri Seokjin poured out a series of questions he had jotted down, filling an entire page of his notebook.
'Not bad.'
For someone who'd only had thirty minutes to review the material, the quality of his questions was high.
These were questions that couldn't be asked without a certain level of understanding of the framework I had established.
Daeri Seokjin's experience in the game industry was a big factor, but this showed a fundamental talent for storytelling and concept design.
"That part was placed with future season expansions in mind. I received the post-launch new content update schedule from the PD, and I plan to use that foreshadowing to add a narrative to the siege warfare content."
"Oh, you worked on it anticipating even that."
"This is something you'll naturally have to consider in your work from now on, Daeri Seokjin."
"Yes."
People unskilled in game scenario writing often make a common mistake.
It's that a person who works on game scenarios in a company is not a 'writer' but a 'planner'.
It might sound like a strange thing to say, but there's a clear difference between the two.
For novels or webtoons, a writer is given almost unlimited freedom within the format presented by the platform.
However, for game scenarios, the number of constraints is absurdly high compared to other content.
Utilizing existing resources, ensuring scalability for game updates, determining if a certain direction is technically feasible on the device, collaborating with other teams, and so on...
The role of a planner is to consider all these factors, find a middle ground, and create the best possible scenario.
"As you well know, Daeri Seokjin, there's no such thing as *only* writing game scenarios at a game company. It'll be easier to think of yourself as a concept planner who specializes in this area."
"Understood."
Though I spoke firmly, Daeri Seokjin's eyes sparkled as if he were looking forward to my future guidance.
It made sense. Our company's games had always been overly focused on system design and balance, and that's how they'd found success.
Naturally, the system side held more sway than the concept planners, so there weren't many people who could provide proper guidance in this field.
Even when a capable planner did join, the higher-ups wouldn't give them a chance to shine.
I had keenly felt that problem throughout my time here, and I was sure Daeri Seokjin was no different.
That's why he would treasure the guidance I gave him.
Seokjin kept nodding, scribbling notes as if determined not to miss a single word of my instruction.
"In that scene, I want you to really capture the emotional line in the character's dialogue. Especially the part where the protagonist gets angry—push it hard, to the point where it feels a little over the top."
"Yes, I'll write the first draft as quickly as possible so you can review it."
After a meeting of about an hour, all explanations and questions had been exchanged.
Trying to get two people perfectly in sync in one go was an absurdly greedy wish, but judging by Daeri Seokjin's attitude, it seemed he would be a decent subordinate.
For someone in a learning position, attitude often matters more than raw skill.
If someone with a bit of skill can't accept advice and feedback from others, they can't move forward and will eventually fall behind.
I felt a strong conviction that, at the very least, that wouldn't happen here.
"That's all for the meeting. Do you have any lunch plans today?"
"No, I don't."
"Then shall we go out for lunch together today?"
"I'd like that."
Daeri Seokjin gave a subtle smile, seemingly pleased with the suggestion.
"Alright, let's both work until one and then head down."
"Yes, sir."
We left the company café.