“Write your resignation, Mincheol.”
At the sudden sound, Mincheol opened his swollen eyes wide.
“……yes?”
“I get it. Don’t make me say it again and again. Just write your resignation.”
Because he still didn’t quite understand the situation, Mincheol took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, put them back on, and looked ahead.
A sleeping room inside the company.
After working all night, I fell into a deep sleep, but they suddenly came and woke me up, saying something like this.
The opponent was Kyunghee Lee, the head of the management team.
She was crossing her arms proudly as usual and glaring at Mincheol with her signature confident gaze.
The management team and the development team have never been on good terms, but they are still team leaders and at the same level.
You came to me in the morning and told me to stop.
I thought I misheard because I was tired from working all night last night, but it didn’t seem to be the case.
Mincheol pointed at himself with a trembling hand.
“Resignation… ? Why me?”
“Why do you keep doing this when you already know? It’s because of the deteriorating performance of ‘Wings Online.’”
Kyunghee shot back coldly.
“Minchul, you told the board that if sales don’t increase by the end of this quarter, you’ll resign, right?”
“No, I did say that back then… … .”
“Rather than improving, sales have actually decreased compared to the same quarter last year. The number of concurrent users has also decreased significantly, and community opinion is the worst.”
“That’s true, but… … .”
Mincheol just opened his mouth to respond to the continuous barrage of facts.
Kyunghee let out a deep sigh.
“We made a decision at the board meeting this morning. Starting with this update, ‘Wings Online’ will change its payment policy… and we will also change the director.”
“… … .”
“You’ve worked hard for a long time, Mincheol. Rather than holding out for no reason and making each other blush, the director said to leave on a good note when he gives you a big retirement allowance.”
“No, over there, just a moment!”
Mincheol got up in a hurry.
“Season 6 update is coming soon! You know it’s a huge update! Users will come back and sales will go up!”
“… … .”
“I made this game from scratch. It’s like my own child. I’ve been working on it for years, but the results haven’t been great… … .”
“Mr. Mincheol.”
There was a sharp edge to Kyunghee’s voice that continued on and on.
“The game is not your personal creation. It is a ‘product’ that our company and all of our employees created together. That product is losing its competitiveness because of you.”
“… … .”
“I can no longer afford to listen to your outdated development philosophy.”
Kyunghee nodded outside.
“I’ve packed all my luggage. You can just take it and go.”
There was a box at the entrance to the bedroom, and it contained all of Mincheol’s office supplies.
Kyunghee greeted Mincheol, who was opening his mouth slightly, as if she was driving a wedge into him.
“Thank you for your hard work. I will accept your resignation online. Okay.”
Kyunghee turned around and left.
Mincheol, who had been blankly blinking, lifted his box placed at the entrance to the sleeping room. Then, as if they had been waiting, two members of the company’s security team approached him and nodded.
Mincheol had to walk all the way to the company entrance on his own feet.
Napalm, the largest game company and publisher in South Korea.
The day I started working here 15 years ago.
Mincheol, the head of Development Team 2 and director of Wings Online, was cut.
I was kicked out of the workplace where I had devoted my youth and dreamed of pursuing my dreams.
“… … .”
Mincheol stood blankly in front of the company building, holding a box full of luggage, and then quietly said something.
“What the f*ck.”
* * *
2038.
In an era where capsule PCs and head connectors that can access virtual reality are becoming widespread, and half of the world’s population is enjoying virtual reality games.
An announcement has been posted on the official homepage of ‘Wings Online’, a virtual reality MMORPG that is entering its 5th year of service.
Here is GM Eunhasu, who will succeed GM Anchovy as head of development and operation of Wings Online.
GM anchovy.
That was Mincheol’s nickname.
Mincheol read the notice with dull eyes.
The new director, Eunhasu, wrote at length about his thoughts and aspirations, as well as how the game will change in the future.
There was a comments window at the end of the notice.
As expected, the comment section was filled with insults directed at Mincheol.
– You damn anchovy-sized bastard, lol. You’re finally getting your ass kicked.
– When you tell someone to fix a boring, boring date, they should have figured it out and changed the director. They’re finally changing it now.
– In fact, isn’t this anchovy bastard the one who ate Wings? Why didn’t he do it sooner?
– Mr. Anchovy, you’ve suffered for a long time, and I hope I never see you again.
– I’ve been swearing at Anchovy since season 3, but then he threw a shield at me and then his attitude completely changed lol
– There are more than one or two problems that Anchovy has neglected. It needs to be fixed from the very beginning. Napalm is the same, so it must have been the original director who hit the nail on the head.
——————
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“… … .”
As I continued reading, my heart started to ache.
Still, I looked into it further, hoping to find even one good thing to say.
– Yeah~ Even if you change your mind and struggle, the game is already a crappy game~
– Haha, that shitty game still has the most users? Wings is still going strong.
– The difference with 2nd place is only a hair’s breadth, lol. Are you still bragging about being 1st place? Are you not getting what you deserve?
– RTS is the trend, guys. Stop playing MMOs and come play the great game Battlecraft.
– The storm of time and space is always waiting for you!
– Rising Star King Hwang Sang Game Aurora Round~ Is there anyone who hasn’t played it yet? ㅋㅋ
There really wasn’t any.
There wasn’t a single person who missed Mincheol who had left or asked him to come back.
They’re just having a keyboard battle among themselves.
Mincheol wiped his forehead with a bitter taste in his mouth.
Even though I’ve been a director for 10 years, including the development period, why isn’t there a single person who feels sad about me?
“No, it’s been 10 years… … .”
Has so much time passed that I no longer feel any resentment?
“Ugh… … .”
I let out a deep sigh,
Ding dong ding dong.
Suddenly the doorbell rang.
Surprised, Mincheol looked at his watch. It was almost 11 o’clock at night.
“Who is it at this hour?”
He grumbled as he got up and walked towards the door.
“Yes, who are you?”
“Hey, anchovy! Open the door! It’s us!”
It was a familiar voice.
It was these guys. Mincheol didn’t feel like giving in, but he unlocked the door and opened it.
Standing in front of the door was a long-haired woman wearing large horn-rimmed glasses and a plump, bear-like man.
“Are you here?”
As Mincheol muttered thickly, the two of them covered their mouths at the same time and let out a suppressed voice.
“pooh…….”
“Big… … .”
“… … ?”
Immediately afterwards, there was an explosion of laughter.
“Poohahahahaha! It’s cut! It’s cut! The little anchovy has finally been cut!”
“Keuheuheu! My brother always sang the song ‘I’m going to hit you, I’m going to hit you,’ and now he’s getting hit! How many times do I have to tell him to pay attention to office politics? Keuheuheueu!”
In the end, the two people collapse in front of the door, unable to contain their excitement.
“Poohahahaha!”
“Khuhhhhh!”
“… … .”
Mincheol’s face became troubled.
As I watched these evil devil kids laughing happily while my friend got fired, I began to wonder how wrong my life was.
Soon, the two people who were laughing heartily came into the house without permission.
“Hey, hey, that’s enough! Let’s go in and talk. Let’s go in.”
“For my brother who got really ‘paeng’ (a type of sea squirt), we bought some ‘paeng’ (a type of sea squirt) salad~.”
“Who are you to come in without permission? Ah, get out. Get out!”
“Hey, don’t be so cruel~ You’re already fired so you have nothing to do, right?”
“I’ll order chicken too~ Okay, let’s go in!”
Mincheol glared at the two people who came into the house without permission, then sighed again.
These two people move to Seongsinji and Idoha.
Nicknames are GM Raw Hair and GM Big Size.
They were the leaders of the graphics team and QA team of Wings Online respectively.
* * *
Mincheol, Shinji, Dongha.
Nickname: Anchovy, Raw Head, Big Size.
The three were high school classmates.
We met at a high school specializing in programming and started making games together in our first year of high school.
Mincheol wrote the scenario, Shinji drew the pictures, and Dongha took care of schedule management and other miscellaneous tasks.
The three of us did the programming together.
RPG Wings is an amateur indie game that was developed over three years and released when I graduated from high school.
It was the trio’s first work.
Although it was a rough game in many ways, it garnered a lot of attention for its classic story and solid system.
Napalm, who showed interest in this game, scouted the three, and they grew as developers while working on various projects for five years.
Afterwards, two development teams were formed with the three people at the center, and the game they developed as the director and team leader was Wings Online.
Five years in development.
Five years after service commencement.
All three are now in their 30s and working, and the game they dedicated half their lives to, Wings, has now grown into the game with the most users in the world.
Now, Wings has become a huge culture that has a powerful influence on reality.
The director lost his job today though.
“f*ck you, napalm bastards!”
Mincheol shouted with a red face after downing his fourth can of beer. Shinji laughed and held out a grilled squid in front of him.
“You’re finally coming to your senses, our former director!”
“I’ve been working on Napalm for 15 years, 15 years! Who made Wings Online? Who made the #1 game in the VR world right now? It’s me, GM Anchovy! And, f*ck, you’re going to fire me?”
In front of him, Dong-ha, who was pouring beer and soju into his large 1-liter special cup, spat it out.
“I’m saying this after I got fired, but you really were the type that your superiors would hate.”
“What is it?”
“In this day and age, a flat monthly fee system is a bit anachronistic, bro. That’s the way it was 40 years ago.”
Dong-ha drank the cup in one gulp. He ate it so well that no one would call him a big guy.
Shinji, who had a squid leg in his mouth, laughed heartily and agreed.
“The cash items are just cosmetic items, there aren’t any of those common gachas, and sales are dropping~ and your money is dropping~.”
“Hey, stop talking about balls.”
“There, your balls are rolling, over there! Degurururur~.”
Shinji rolled the beer can on the floor. It hit the empty beer cans piled up in the corner and they fell down like bowling pins.
Shinji and Dongha burst into laughter, and Mincheol put his hand on his aching head.
We do not add cash items that affect the in-game balance. That was Mincheol’s belief as a director.
In the early days of its service, it was praised as a conscientious god game, but it didn’t last long.
The sales did not match the number of users, the higher-ups were nagging, and the cash items that were added forcibly were being criticized… … .
As several big and small accidents occurred during its operation, it was only a matter of time before Godheung Game was criticized as a crappy game.
The market share of Wings Online, which was in the undisputed first place, has plummeted, and is now only a few percent different from the second place game, ‘Aurora Round’.
Even in this situation, Mincheol did not try to change the cash item policy, so it was natural for the board of directors to make such a decision.
“Damn… … So, what does the Milky Way say?”
“… … .”
“… … .”
When Mincheol asked, Shinji and Dongha simultaneously shut their mouths.
GM Milky Way.
He is the youngest son of the Napalm chairman and is a famous paratrooper within the company.
He was competent for a parachute.
Anyway, he was a kid who knew very well how to make money from games.
The problem was, that was all I knew.
“With the Season 6 update, the monthly subscription system will be abolished. The fee system will be changed to F2P (Free to Play). A large number of cash items will be added. You expected this, right? Well, that’s what’s going to happen, but among them… … .”
When Dong-ha, who had been speaking fluently, hesitated and could not speak any more, Shin-ji suddenly blurted out.
“Sale of confirmed reinforcement rights.”
Mincheol’s eyes widened.
“what?”
“They’re selling a cash item that gives you a 100% chance of success in strengthening. It’s only for a limited time, and it’s really expensive.”
Mincheol’s mouth fell open.
“What the hell are you talking about? Why would you sell something like that?!”
I thought I had misheard because I was so drunk, but Dong-ha drove the wedge in.
“Our company has been investing a lot here and there lately. It looks like we need some cash.”
“No matter what, you’re selling cash items like that that ruin the game balance? Are you crazy, Milky Way?!”
“Anyway, the season update is coming up soon, so even if you strengthen it a lot right now, it will be useless once Season 6 equipment is released… … That seems to be the calculation.”
Dong-ha, who was trying to speak from the company’s perspective, eventually closed his mouth.
He knew better than anyone that it was all bullshit.
This cash item will probably make a ton of money, and it will ruin the game ecosystem and lower the users’ trust.
There have been countless similar precedents throughout gaming history. Selling such items was an act of self-destruction, blinded by immediate profit.
But it was also obvious that this would make money.
“What were you doing without stopping me!”
Mincheol jumped up from his seat. The beer can that had hit his knee fell over and spilled onto the floor.
“You guys who are supposedly original members, you knew that if you sold those cash items, the game would be ruined! Why didn’t you stop them?”
“How can we stop it?”
Shinji let out a long sigh.
“It didn’t make any profit, anchovy.”
“… … .”
“In that name, the director, your neck was cut off… … What can we say?”
Shinji’s voice was weak, but each word pierced Mincheol’s heart.
“What good is it if you have the world’s largest number of users and tens of millions of viewers for martial arts competition e-sports? It doesn’t generate as much revenue as the game with the fifth largest number of users… … .”
“That, that is… … .”
“The plan is all done. Approval has been completed. Confirmed reinforcement coupons, draw kits, mileage, VIP system. Anything that makes money will be added.”
Shinji swallowed a can of beer and roughly wiped his mouth.
“Wings, it’s an online game. It’s not a work of art. It’s a product… … The company wants to make money from it. That’s all there is to it.”
“No matter what, the game is broken!”
“Yeah, the game will break. It’ll have a shorter lifespan. But it’ll make money. They’ll continue to encourage people to pay like this.”
Mincheol clenched his teeth. A cracking sound came from his interlocked molars.
The fire broke out.
It was shocking to be laid off after devoting so much time to the company, and to see the masterpiece I had created my entire life ruined.
“Do you think I’ll just stay still?”
“what?”
“It’s not enough that you kicked me out after being loyal to me my whole life, but now you’re trying to ruin the game that my dreams were a part of. Do you think I’ll just sit back and do nothing?”
“Then what?”
Shinji looked up at Mincheol with a pitiful look.
Mincheol raised his trembling hands in front of his eyes.
His own hands were bruised and calloused from hard work and had undergone two surgeries for carpal tunnel syndrome.
This is a game made by hand.
It’s a world of my own creation.
therefore,
“I… … break it.”
“what?”
“You took me too lightly… … You took Nam Min-cheol, the director of Wings Online, too lightly. You should give him a piece of your mind.”
Mincheol clenched his fist.
“… … I’ll show you the bad ending.”
Dong-ha tilted his head.
“Bad ending? In an online game? How?”
“By any means necessary… … bugs, cheats, hidden items, unfinished bosses, dummy data, GM powers… … anything, I’ll use it all… … .”
Shinji frowned.
Dong-ha was caught in a sare and started coughing.
“Yes, even if I have to become the ‘final boss’… …!”
Shinji and Dongha, who were looking up at Mincheol with wide eyes, eventually looked at each other and nodded.
And then he lifted Mincheol and laid him on the bed.
“You’re really drunk. Grow up.”
“Brother, I’ll come back tomorrow! Don’t be too upset and get some rest. Okay?”
“… … .”
The two laid Mincheol down and started cleaning up the messy room.
Mincheol, who was watching the scene, muttered quietly.
“I’m serious, you little shits… … .”
Mincheol’s eyes, which had been open, flashed fiercely with determination.
