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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: War of the Stars
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The 24th floor, the very top of NB Soft… in the main conference room adjacent to the president's office.
About ten people were gathered around a round table, their expressions grave.
The president, senior managing director, directors, and division heads.
Everyone present was from the highest echelons of management, the top executives among NB Soft's 3,000 employees.
This was the so-called 'executive meeting,' a monthly gathering where executives gave their regular reports to the president.
"Alright, now that everyone's here, let's start with the report from the Head of Division 1."
A man with a small, sturdy build and a face like a bulldog announced the start of the meeting.
His name was Oh Geoshin.
The president standing at the apex of the NB Soft empire.
As if waiting for his cue, the person sitting immediately to his right began to speak, a confident look on his face.
"Division 1's *League of War* has recovered its sales to last year's levels. The business department predicts that sales will surpass the previous peak during the upcoming summer break event."
The Head of Division 1's name was Seo Donghyuk.
The former PD of the global hit RPG *League of War*, which currently accounted for 80% of NB Soft's revenue.
Excluding the president and vice president, he was the most powerful individual, holding company shares worth hundreds of billions of won.
*'He and I are still living in different worlds, aren't we.'*
At that moment, Shin Chihwan, Head of Division 5, sat in a corner, listening quietly to Seo Donghyuk's droning with a bitter expression.
"For this project as well, we don't intend to waste effort on things like the world-building or scenario. We will focus on the business model and growth system to maximize profit. That is all."
The Head of Division 1 was a man who always operated under the principle that 'games should be games.'
This meant he was the type to focus on the rules of a game, on the fun of it as a form of 'play.'
As if he were the legendary developer John Carmack himself, he had created games while spouting words like, 'Story in a game is unnecessary garbage.'
One might call it a narrow-minded view, but it was precisely that principle that had led to the success of *League of War*, earning him his current position.
"As for Division 2, the performance of our soccer game, *F All-Stars*, has improved..."
The Head of Division 2, in charge of all sports games.
"Division 3 will now begin its report. Our puzzle games are showing a decent trend as competitors in the market are falling behind..."
The Head of Division 3, responsible for casual and puzzle games.
"Recently, Division 4 has been improving its business model structure in preparation for the government's deregulation of Go-Stop and poker-type games. Accordingly, we expect this to drive sales in the second half of the year..."
And so on, up to Division 4, which handled gambling games like Go-Stop and poker.
Each of them was bringing in money for the company, achieving successes both large and small in their respective fields.
The confidence and spirit overflowing from the division heads' faces seemed to prove it.
And now... it was Shin Chihwan's turn, the head of Division 5, which wasn't making any money at all.
"The projects in Division 5 are currently undergoing overall readjustments for launch. In particular, for the Phoenix project, we have actively incorporated the negative feedback from the FGT and have re-established the milestones..."
Just as he was dryly reporting the current situation with nothing special to add...
Seo Donghyuk, the Head of Division 1, cut in with a slight smile.
"Oh, my apologies, Head of Division 5. PD Oh Gwangseok must be giving you a hard time, right? Still, even though he lacks experience, he's a sharp kid. I'm sure if a skilled leader like yourself guides him well, something good will come of it. If my schedule had allowed, I would have loved to continue leading Phoenix myself."
He spoke as if he were concerned for Shin Chihwan, but it was obvious that wasn't his intention.
*'Sharp, my ass... You couldn't find a bigger piece of shit if you tried.'*
It was Seo Donghyuk who had placed Oh Gwangseok—a man with no skill or respect, no better than shit—in the PD position simply because he was a junior from his university.
But now that it was embarrassing, he was laying the groundwork to make it seem like it wasn't his fault.
"...Yes, I'll do my best."
But there was nothing Shin Chihwan could say in this situation.
Division 5 had been created to fix failing projects and make them viable; its future depended on producing results from them.
Complaining about the current situation would be the perfect way to get on the president's bad side.
For now, he had to swallow his anger and wait for an opportunity to build his strength.
"Right. So, what are the specific plans for fixing the Phoenix project?"
"Ah, yes. There's a guy on our project named Jo Hyunsoo. He recently made a fairly successful indie game called *Forgotten Andersen's Story*, so I'm thinking of giving him some authority on this."
Shin Chihwan played the new card he'd acquired, laying it out plainly.
At that... Seo Donghyuk threw another jab with that unpleasant smile of his.
"But the game has problems across the board. What good will changing just the story do? The story isn't even an important part..."
"We're not just trying to improve the story. However, we've determined there's significant room for improvement, as PD Oh Gwangseok was overly involved in the story before."
"Hmm... Still, a PD has his authority. Is it right to do that? Besides, I hear that guy was moonlighting. If the other team members find out, morale is sure to drop."
"Regarding that part..."
"Ah! That's just my personal opinion, so don't take it to heart."
This was clearly a remark meant to put Shin Chihwan down.
Though cloaked in polite language, it was a performance of sorts, meant to display his power as a division head and executive director.
Just as Shin Chihwan's lips twitched, about to offer some sort of rebuttal...
"Hey! Don't be so rigid about things like that, Head of Division Seo! The Phoenix project is on a tight schedule; this is no time to be picky, is it? Division heads can't get big things done if they get bogged down by trivial matters!"
Fortunately, President Oh Geoshin waved his hands dismissively, cutting Seo Donghyuk off.
"So, what specific results did that guy achieve with the game he made, Head of Division 5?"
Finally, Shin Chihwan instinctively sensed that his opportunity had arrived.
"I haven't asked for the exact figures, but it seems sales have reached nearly one billion won so far, and it's being talked about quite a bit among game community users as a game with a good story. Based on this experience, I believe he is a talent who can show great results in the business of securing 'IPs,' which you mentioned before, President."
"Oh... IP expansion, you say. Hearing you speak so highly of him, it seems worth looking forward to."
"Yes, he has already revised the entire plan for the originally planned cinematic video, and he's scheduled to be involved to some extent with the script, character concepts... and the overall visuals. I'm not sure if I should be saying this, but I think you can look forward to it."
*'You can look forward to it.'* For the youngest division head, it was an incredibly bold statement.
Fortunately, Oh Geoshin let out a hearty laugh and continued.
"Haha, is that so? I like your spirit. As soon as you have something worth showing, report directly to me."
"Understood. First, I'll prepare a report on the work completed so far for your easy review, and I'll follow up with subsequent reports."
"Yes, yes! The youngest division head should have that kind of spirit. The rest of you, work hard so you don't get left behind by Head of Division Shin. And, as I've said time and again! The world is heading into an age of IPs! Things like Marvel or Disney! We need to be creating those things in advance, you hear me!"
At President Oh Geoshin's words, the other division heads reluctantly nodded and replied, "Understood."
And... their faces, holding strangely uncomfortable expressions, shifted their gazes toward Shin Chihwan.
It seemed the recent exchange had struck a nerve with them.
*'It doesn't matter. I just have to make Phoenix... a success, no matter what. I have nothing left to lose anyway.'*
And so, the monthly executive meeting, where a subtle battle of wits, both large and small, had unfolded between the division heads, came to an end.
****
*'Ugh, did I wake up too early?'*
Monday morning, 8:30 AM. I trudged down the empty company hallway.
The official start time was 10 AM, but I had come in early to briefly prepare for today's cinematic meeting for the Phoenix project.
You might ask if it was fine since I went to bed early yesterday.
I wish that were the case, but as soon as I got home, I was busy organizing and planning out the inspiration I'd received all weekend into document form.
*'Well, even if I'm tired, coming in early lets me work alone in peace, which is nice.'*
As I opened the door with my key card, I found that, for some reason, the office lights were on.
That meant someone had already arrived and turned them on...
"Oh, Manager, you're here!"
It was Assistant Manager Son Seokjin.
"Hm? Why are you here so early?"
"Haha, I just woke up early this morning. I haven't been here long."
To say that, however, there was already a half-drunk cup of coffee on his desk.
Judging by the atmosphere, it looked like he'd arrived at the office at least an hour ago.
Was it because he had to start writing the scenario for Chapter 1 of the Phoenix project today? He seemed to have a lot of tension in his shoulders.
*'If he pushes himself that hard from the start, he's bound to burn out...'*
Well, I was in no position to nag, having come in so early myself.
Besides, if he wanted to work more, I didn't feel the need to stop him.
I gave Assistant Manager Seokjin's shoulder a light pat and sat down in the seat next to him.
*'Alright then, should I go hard too?'*
The ceaseless clatter of my keyboard and Assistant Manager Seokjin's echoed through the quiet office.
****
"Whoa, this is absolutely amazing! How did the storyboard change so much in just a few days?"
"Thank you."
Monday, in the division head's office.
Team Leader Go Jinho of the cinematics team, Head of Division Shin Chihwan, and I were holding another meeting.
We had to give the final approval here and now for the storyboard, whose quality I had raised with the help of the cinematics team.
Otherwise, we would never be able to meet the schedule for the soft launch.
"Manager Hyunsoo, how about you come work on pre-production for our team from now on? I'm not kidding, I'm serious."
"Haha, I'll take that as a compliment."
Go Jinho had suddenly made an overture, and I responded appropriately.
At that, Shin Chihwan's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Don't go drooling, Team Leader Jinho. Manager Hyunsoo has other work to do."
"Haha, I figured as much."
"So, are there any other revisions for the storyboard?"
"Well... we won't know for sure until we start working, but for now, I don't see any major issues. If any problems or necessary changes come up during production, I'll share them with you both immediately. We can deal with those issues as they arise."
As the discussion wrapped up, Shin Chihwan snapped his fingers with a 'click'.
"Okay, so this is fixed then? Manager Hyunsoo, you have no objections either, right?"
"Yes, I'm fine with it as long as you keep me updated on any changes."
"Alright then, let's end the meeting here and get back to work."
"Haha, good work, everyone!"
Team Leader Go Jinho stood up with a hearty laugh.
He was known for being honest with his emotions, and seeing no hint of a frown on his face, it seemed my work hadn't been half bad.
During the pitch, it was quite helpful to occasionally check Team Leader Go Jinho's emotional state through the 'Understanding' system and adjust my comments on the fly.
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*'God Game Maker... thank you.'*
As if to celebrate today's results, the system messages rang out loudly.