Game Director from Hell - Chapter 22: Boss Design (2)

The next day, Seorim woke up quite early.

Looking at the clock, it was 6:30 in the morning.

Considering that she had gone to bed around 2 in the night after a night of contemplation, it was a disastrous amount of sleep.

She frowned as she got up from her bed.

“Hurry, off to work… Ah.”

Today was her day off.

The day she had scheduled to meet with Yeonho outside.

There was still plenty of time until lunch.

Seorim flopped back onto her bed.

She stared blankly at the ceiling, replaying her conversation with Yeonho in her mind.

-Being obsessed with it, huh? If you don’t get some fresh air, it affects your overall perspective.

Her pride had been hurt.

To think that she, the expert in this field, had heard such words from Yeonho.

But it was an undeniable statement.

Lately, Seorim had lost her way.

The pressure of having to design the core of the chapter, the boss, all on her own was quite heavy.

Her thoughts were getting tangled again.

At the end of it all, Seorim finally closed her eyes.

“For now, let’s get some sleep.”

She didn’t really feel like going outside in her current state.

Fortunately, falling back asleep was easy.

It seemed like fatigue had piled up, as her mind became hazy as soon as she closed her eyes.

***

She woke up again at precisely 10:40 AM.

After washing up and getting ready, it was noon.

She received a text from Yeonho.

[Ready?]

She replied, [I’m leaving now.]

[OK, let’s meet at the agreed-upon location. It’ll take me about 30 minutes to get there.]

Honestly, what’s up with his texting style?

Seorim couldn’t quite get used to it even after reading it several times.

With that feeling of unfamiliarity, she left her house.

The meeting place was a crossroads near the school.

Seorim easily spotted Yeonho.

“Did you come?”

He was dressed rather neatly, which didn’t suit him.

Seorim suddenly felt self-conscious.

Come to think of it, this was the first time in a year that she had met Yeonho for a reason other than work.

There was a bit of awkwardness in the air.

“It’s rare to see you dressed up. Was this a date request?”

Yeonho joked as she tried to relax.

“It’s not a date request. And I have to dress neatly for where we’re going.”

“Huh?”

“Here.”

Yeonho took out two tickets from his pocket.

Seorim chuckled dryly.

“An art exhibition? Senior, do you think I like these kinds of things?”

“No, I have no idea. But I thought you might like it.”

“On what basis?”

“Isn’t that because you’re studying design.”

“Studying design is different from liking art exhibitions.”

Yeonho’s lips tightened.

It was somewhat amusing.

Still, she didn’t feel too bad since she thought he had put in some effort.

Seorim brushed her bangs to the side and said, “Ah, well, let’s just go.”

Sure, it’s to clear my mind.

Regardless of what it is, Seorim felt the need for some rest, so she decided to spend the day without any particular thoughts.

The exhibition venue wasn’t too far away.

About a 20-minute walk.

Despite the approaching summer and the scorching sun, a refreshing breeze made it feel like a leisurely stroll.

[Classic and Modern Ensemble]

She saw a pamphlet for the exhibition.

Seorim suddenly asked, “Did you know what kind of exhibition this is when you bought the tickets?”

“No.”

“Well, it’s not like you would have any art history knowledge, right, sunbae?”

“Explain it to me then.”

“Alright, never mind. It’s just painful to explain. Let’s go.”

It must have been about two years since…

The last time she went to an exhibition was during her third year of high school because of her mother’s work.

Well, it wasn’t really for appreciation; she went mainly for social reasons because of her mother’s business connections. But the memories from that time were still quite vivid in Seorim’s mind.

It felt somewhat strange.

Seorim shook off those thoughts and began to walk slowly from the entrance.

Yeonho remarked, “It’s quiet here.”

“It’s an art exhibition.”

Yeonho was focused on the few people appreciating the artworks.

Seorim said in a low voice, “In reality, there aren’t many people who come here to actually look at the paintings. Most come either to feel cultured or for business networking purposes.”

“Sarcastic, aren’t you?”

“But it’s the truth. The value of an artwork is mostly determined by the artist’s reputation, scarcity, and the history of the artwork itself. The inherent charm of the piece is usually lower in priority.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Can’t help it. That’s how artworks are. They’re not just for tax evasion.”

Seorim chuckled dryly.

She suddenly found that fact quite amusing.

“Anyway, that’s how it is. The evaluation is what ultimately determines the worth of a piece.”

When you think about it, isn’t life somewhat similar?

From personal appearance to beliefs, preferences, and internal factors like talent, the judgment of the world sorts them into rankings, doesn’t it?

For example, in the past, the standard of beauty was being plump, but in modern times, it has shifted towards being slim.

There were other examples as well.

“Why, even something as simple as using chopsticks. Why should you have to change it to fit the norm if you can use it just fine the way you are, regardless of how others perceive it?”

That was Seorim’s story.

When she was young, Seorim held chopsticks like she was holding a fist, and her mother had corrected her grip over quite a long period of time because she was worried it would be seen as a flaw by others.

It was quite a challenging process back then.

She couldn’t understand the reason behind it.

Among those memories, there was a crucial event that helped with the correction.

It was when she was severely teased by her classmates in elementary school because of her chopstick grip.

“Seorim can’t even hold chopsticks properly!”

At the time, she was a child who normally thought highly of herself.

Being surrounded by other children making fun of her in such a way made her realize that people could be quite cruel.

And that event helped her understand that people could be harsh judges of others.

Seorim thought that evaluation shapes a person.

The way people judge others can be painful and critical.

So, one should be careful not to reveal their vulnerabilities.

“To live well, you have to consider external opinions.”

After all, today’s friend could become tomorrow’s enemy; that’s how human relationships work.

As she finished speaking, she looked somewhat proud.

Seorim scratched her cheek and forced an awkward smile.

“Well, I didn’t expect the conversation to come this far.”

As she spoke, she turned her head.

Suddenly, her body tensed.

The reason was that Yeonho was looking at her intently with an expressionless face.

Seorim’s mind flashed back to the events of the previous day, and she narrowed her eyes, saying, “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“Just.”

His expression was impossible to read.

Seorim felt uneasy.

She tried to hide her discomfort, raising the corners of her mouth and speaking, “What’s the matter?”

“It seems like you’re too focused on community reactions.”

Seorim’s eyebrows twitched.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re sensitive to evaluations, aren’t you? Especially yours.”

“Well, I have to be. It’s a product.”

“You’re more sensitive than just managing a product.”

It was an unsettling remark.

It made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Seorim didn’t want to show it, so she raised the corners of her mouth and replied, “What do you mean?”

“You seem to be overly concerned with what others think, and that’s affecting your judgment.”

It was an indisputable statement.

Despite that, Seorim couldn’t come up with a counterargument.

“Me?”

Perhaps, as Yeonho said, it might be true.

While she was contemplating this, something surprising happened.

In the corner of her heart, she found herself admitting it to herself.

But out of pride, she didn’t want to admit it outright, so Seorim said, “No.”

“Is it not true?”

“No, it is. But what’s wrong with that? We’re creating a game to sell, after all. It’s only natural to consider the customers’ preferences and adjust accordingly. What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s not a bad thing. You’re right.”

However…

Yeonho added something to that.

“I’ve been thinking. Even in commercial art, it should be guided by perfection. There’s no attraction in creating something solely for the sake of selling it.”

Seorim felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Her friend’s thoughts were difficult to understand.

After a pause, Yeonho continued, “I believe that even commercial art should be guided by the artist’s ego. A true artist isn’t just concerned about selling something. Commercial art should maintain a balance between being artistic and appealing to the masses, and it’s the designer’s intuition, worldview, and mindset that add depth to it.”

As Yeonho looked at the artwork, his gaze eventually turned towards Seorim.

“Being a creator is like that. You’re not someone who hesitates in front of the public. You should be the one who shakes their hearts, makes them feel thirsty, and makes them admire. And I believe you can do that.”

In the end, Yeonho concluded with these words, “But you seem to be trying to erase that. In my opinion, it’s because you only see what’s visible in evaluations.”

In front of those words, Seorim had to feel a lump in her throat.

Wait, was she really upset?

She wasn’t sure.

She just felt like crying deep inside.

Seorim swallowed hard and blurted out, “So, what should I do, then?”

“Um…”

“What if I do things my way and it fails? This game has a production cost in the millions. Do you really understand that? The responsibility? It’s not on me. It’s all on you as the senior.”

She refrained from continuing her words.

Anything more than this would only result in emotional words.

Reasonable minds make a conversation.

So Seorim just glared at Yeonho with determination, and he replied, “Then I’ll take the blame.”

Suddenly, Seorim’s body froze.

“That’s why I set up my own studio. If it fails, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

It didn’t immediately make sense to her.

His words were not meant to be said lightly.

Unbelievable.

She wanted to laugh bitterly.

“…Really? You’re saying I can do whatever I want?”

“Yes, don’t worry about the evaluations.”

“But what if I produce something terrible?”

“That won’t happen. That’s why I chose you.”

“What…?”

“I already told you. It was because I had confidence in you, even with just a few scribbles on your homepage. That’s why I sought you out.”

She remembered.

Yeonho had said something similar when they first met.

As her mind went blank, Yeonho continued, “You can do it. The work created by your ego will undoubtedly amaze others.”

Seorim suddenly found herself in a state of confusion, unsure of what expression to make.

What was the reason?

Was it the complete acknowledgment of others? A solid trust?

It wasn’t quite like that.

However, one thing was clear.

“This conversation got lengthy. I came here to clear you mind, but maybe I made it more complicated than it needed to be. Sorry.”

Her stomach felt strangely comfortable.

All from just a few words.

Awkwardness surged.

For some reason, her body itched, and strangely, it didn’t feel bad at all.

Seorim pursed her lips and chose her words carefully.

However, there wasn’t much that came to mind.

And even though she struggled, what came out were just meaningless words.

“…It’s cringeworthy.”

“Hmm?”

“I mean, that statement. Well, isn’t it just a cliché, like ‘I’ll make you the best person even if you can’t do it’?”

But this guy wouldn’t just let it go, would he?

“I won’t make anything. I’m not good at it.”

Yeonho shrugged. “I just think you’re amazing. I got you because you’re so talented. Confidence comes from that.”

Suddenly, her face flushed.

“…Gross.”

Seorim took a step forward.

“Hey, come with me.”

Yeonho followed.

So she adjusted her pace.

“Why is this exhibition so long?!”

She screamed inwardly and only casually glanced at the artworks as she moved.

Step by step—

And then, something grabbed Seorim’s footsteps.

Unintentionally, she stood still and stared at the artwork.

It was a painting placed in a somewhat secluded corner of the exhibition.

“Ah…”

The moment Seorim saw it, she felt like a storm was raging inside her head.

Thunder struck.

Her eyes widened significantly.

She felt like she knew something.

In the midst of this, Yeonho caught up with Seorim.

“Hey, why are you walking so fast?”

“Sunbae…”

Seorim made an absentminded sound from her lips.

“Yeah?”

“We have to get back to work.”

Whoosh! Seorim grabbed Yeonho’s arm and hurriedly left the exhibition hall.

“Hey, wait, what’s going on…”

She ignored Yeonho’s words.

***

Upon arriving at the office, Seorim immediately turned on her computer.

The urgency stemmed from the need to create something tangible before the inspiration faded.

“Sunbae, quickly turn on the computer and start the printer!”

“Um…”

“Don’t just sit there, hurry up!”

Tap, tap!

Seorim accessed a portal site and immediately entered a search query.

“Depictions of gods in various religions.”

She went into the image tab and began saving each image one by one.

Meanwhile, Yeonho controlled the printer.

“Bring me all the printouts!”

Whoosh!

As soon as the printer started working, Seorim rushed to a conference table and spread out the printouts.

In her mind, she reiterated the keywords Yeonho had thrown at her.

“A feeling of ‘god’ should be the primary focus, indefinable…”

Now she finally understood.

It had to be expressed as a ‘technique.’

“What are you planning to do?”

“Like this.”

Seorim stacked the printed images on top of each other and…

Rip!

She tore them apart.

It wasn’t a one-time action.

Snap, rip, rip!

A4 sheets became A8, which turned into A16, and beyond.

Irregularly, and in a way that you couldn’t fully grasp the shape from just the fragments.

Proper work only began shortly thereafter.

Seorim meticulously pieced together the fragments of torn printouts on a wooden board.

The most iconic items were added to depict the human form.

When it was completed, she remarked, “This is…”

“It’s a god.”

Thud!

Seorim tapped the table with her palm and laughed confidently.

“I didn’t specify any particular religion, did I? So, we can mix them all. Then, just abstract it into the form of a person!”

Mosaic and collage.

A combination of classical and contemporary art.

The glued pieces had varying colour saturations.

Different painting styles and textures.

But they all shared one common identity: ‘God.’

“I’m processing this! We’ll keep the differences in texture and unify only the saturation and contrast. Should we make it dark? It’ll be more eerie if it looms like a shadow on the canvas! And… like this!”

Introduce some overall noise.

Like the static on a malfunctioning TV.

Seorim felt her body heating up.

“Wait a moment. I’ll try drawing this.”

Seorim carefully moved the board.

She returned to her seat, opened her design program, and began sketching.

What she completed was quite satisfying even from Seorim’s perspective.

It depicted a radiant smile full of abundance.

She asked Yeonho, “What do you think?”

“…”

She didn’t need to hear his response.

The astonishment on Yeonho’s face spoke volumes.