The planning docunt is slowly coming together.
From selecting the genre to choosing the ga engine, establishing the basic concept and gaplay chanics, creating character backgrounds and system designs, and setting the overall story of the ga.
At the mont when all of that is done, I can finally take a breath.
"For now, the concept is complete."
Now it's ti to dive into the preparations for actual developnt.
It has been a challenging process.
From budgeting to execution plans, everything has been demanding.
Ga developnt, as it turns out, isn't sothing that can be done with passion alone.
Essentially, gas are complex multidia that require intricate interactions. They need experts from various fields who work harmoniously, like parts of a single body.
Even with one-person developnt, it's the sa.
I can't do everything on my own, so I need to fill the gaps, even if it's through outsourcing.
The core aspects of developnt are planning, programming, and art.
Fortunately, I can handle two out of those three on my own.
"Planning is done. Programming, I can handle."
Programming is my university major.
It's not just any university, it's one of the top schools in the capital region. I graduated with honors.
I have a fair amount of programming knowledge beyond my major, and on top of that, I've accumulated know-how during my one-person developnt phase. So, I don't need imdiate assistance in programming.
That leaves one thing.
"...Art."
As soone not proficient in the arts, I'm in dire need of help in this area.
No matter how excellent the gaplay and structure are, a ga could appear diocre if the visuals are lacking. It's as if the ga isn't a ga.
At tis, even during the creation of [Identity], I outsourced art when developing.
And this ti, the importance of art is even greater.
"The core of this project lies in visuals."
Not only for this project but for all the projects to co, visuals are the most crucial elent.
The key is how vividly and eerily I can depict the landscapes of hell.
So, I can't just use characters thoughtlessly.
I also need a person who will stick with for a long ti.
It's best to avoid changing the art style abruptly, even for future considerations.
"Famous individuals are probably hard to get."
Even at this point, there are quite a few acclaid art directors in the horror field.
I'm far too insignificant to bring them on board right now.
So, what I should consider is soone who isn't famous yet.
But soone whose skill is sure to shine one day.
My thoughts didn't stretch too far.
Having knowledge of the future is really this pleasing.
"I've got just one person."
Not now, but in the future, there's soone who will achieve fa.
In Seoul, and not too far from here.
***
This was in the early 2020s when I hadn't fully committed to quitting my job.
"Wow, a Korean art director making it to Ga of the Year. Our national pride is off the charts."
"Well, they did make it really well."
"True, the idea might have co from the director, but that person is the one who brought it to life, right? How on earth did they co up with such descriptions?"
"That's the mark of a genius."
That year, a masterpiece that would leave a mark in the console gaming world erged.
It received praise as a masterpiece solely for its gaplay. And its impact was greater than just that.
Nonetheless, the reason it was acclaid as an unparalleled masterpiece, an achievent that no one could surpass before or since, was clear.
"Wow, the visuals are mind-blowing. Seriously."
Art.
The one reason that stood out above all others, regardless of any other elents.
It was a work of artistic brilliance that captivated players' attention every single mont through the backdrop of an open-world RPG.
There were horrifying aspects, delicate details, and grandiosity.
At every mont, players encountered new stimuli and beauty as they road through the world, interacting with all its elents.
This imrsion led to a sense of being transported into the ga world, almost as if it was a separate reality.
Players who experienced the ga all said the sa thing.
"I got so imrsed that I played the ga even in my dreams that night. It feels like I'll live this way for a while."
I felt the sa way.
I was already highly interested in console gaming, and the anticipation got hooked on the ga, affecting my progress on the project for a while.
In fact, I still reminisce about that ga.
The impact of playing it for the first ti was so profound that even now, the vividness of its landscapes piercing through my mind, I still rember the shock of that first day.
In any case, the sole creator of such a ga in the world was the art director, Han Seorim.
It was clearly an extraordinary feat that deviated from the norm.
Aren't the responsibilities for ga production usually centered around the director in charge?
Especially considering the standing the ga's overall director had in the industry, it would have been only fitting for them to receive credit for such accomplishnts. Yet, she managed to steal that attention away.
As far as I can rember, it was the first and last ti that the interest in a ga's art director threatened the status of the overall director in the gaming world.
"It won't happen again, will it? A single ga sweeping all the awards in the art category for the year."
"I can't guarantee it won't. But I don't think we'll see another one within 10 years."
For a year, she swept all the awards in the art category within the gaming industry.
Due to this historic achievent, the online community started investigating who she was, and they discovered a fact.
A Korean woman in her thirties.
Stepping foot into the gaming industry for the first ti, her debut work was none other than that ga.
She can only be described as a "genius."
Nurous overseas webzines sent lighthearted praises, saying "Korea is truly the place for gas," and major gaming companies spared no effort in trying to recruit her.
Korea, as well as the company I was at, had the sa attitude—let's at least give it a shot since there's a talented director who's Korean.
Of course, those attempts failed.
"I wouldn't go even if I were her. Why live as a salaried worker in the secluded island of the dostic gaming market?"
Korea is a market based on venomous BM (Business Model) that primarily explores the mobile and online sectors. In other words, it's a barren land where AAA-level gas can't naturally thrive.
Furthermore, the salary that dostic companies could offer her, even if she received the best treatnt anywhere she went, was pathetically low.
In any case, to put it simply, that's how it went.
She didn't go anywhere.
No, after completing that ga, she completely withdrew from the gaming industry.
The reason hasn't been fully revealed to this day, but what's important now is one thing.
Han Seorim, the mother of [Lost Kingdom].
A legend of the industry who appeared like a cot, leaving behind only one masterpiece before disappearing.
And she's the person I need to recruit.
Luckily, I didn't need to think about where to find her.
"Co to think of it, she's the sa school as our team leader."
"Sa school? What are you talking about? I've never seen her in school. We were even in different departnts from the start."
"If you went to the sa school, you're classmates."
She's my junior from the sa school.
An energetic freshman majoring in design from the class of '08.
After making the decision, I acted imdiately.
Dressed in suitable clothes, I recalled the now-faint bus route and arrived at my alma mater, Korea University.
"It's been quite a while."
I looked up at the academic building.
After rewinding ti, this was my first ti seeing the building in almost 20 years.
mories of those days suddenly surged.
Staying up all night to complete assignnts, and completing assignnts, and completing assignnts.
"Um..."
...It's probably better to stop thinking about it.
Looking back, I wasn't particularly happy during my ti at school.
As I continued to reflect on myself,
"Oh? Isn't that Yeonho?"
I heard a voice.
"Right! It's Yeonho!"
A guy's smile greeted with warmth.
Who was he again? It took a mont to rember.
"Is that Jinkyung?"
Since we hadn't t after graduating, it took a mont to recognize him.
He was the older student who was well-known as a drinking buddy in the departnt.
I rember he was popular as a rich kid from a well-off family.
"Yeah, man! Did you forget about after coming back from the military?"
Jinkyung, who had co close in a few strides, playfully slapped my shoulder.
He was that kind of person.
Unpretentious and cheerful, he got along even with loners like .
"It's been a while."
"Yeah, yeah. It's been about two years since you went to the military, right? Are you back to school now?"
"No, I'm taking one more sester off."
"Oh? But why are you here at school?"
"I have sothing to do here for a mont."
"Oho..."
Jin kyung scratched his head as if pondering.
It seed like he wasn't particularly curious about what it was.
Well, we weren't close enough to share personal stories like that.
"So, you're a fourth-year now, right? By the ti I'm back in school, you'll be graduating. Congratulations in advance."
I was about to give a perfunctory greeting and turn away.
"What nonsense are you talking? I'm adding another year."
"Huh?"
"Retaking classes. Fifth year."
"..."
Ah, that's how it was.
At the ti of my return to school, this person was in fifth year.
"Han Jinkyung! Let's go quickly!"
People who seed to enjoy drinking during the day called out to Han Jinkyung.
He responded.
"Yeah! Oh, this works out well. Yeonho, are you coming too?"
"No, I'll just finish so work and go."
"Wow, wow, is he a top student who doesn't know how to have fun? Anyway, got it. Good luck!"
Jin Kyung led the group and disappeared like the wind.
Many thoughts ca to mind, but I pushed them aside.
I just kept walking.
"Where was the Departnt of Visual Art/Design building?"
There was more urgency in dealing with my imdiate situation than worrying about soone else's life.
Fortunately, there was a campus guide that could replace faded mories.
It wouldn't be too hard to find people using the classic approach.
"Excuse , can I ask you sothing?"
"Yes?"
"Do you know Han Seorim in the Departnt of Visual Art/Design?"
The student blinked.
They looked surprised, but I didn't have any other options either.
It was an era where smartphones weren't widely available.
This makes sense.
***
Thud!
"Seorim! Han Seorim!"
A fellow student burst into the room, making a commotion.
Seorim raised her head from the desk.
"... Why?"
She was in a state of exhaustion from an all-night assignnt.
Her head was throbbing, and loud noises were particularly painful. It seed like her fellow student had no intention of being considerate.
"A guy ca looking for you!"
"What guy?"
"That, uh... Cheon Yeon... Cheon Yeonho?"
It was an unfamiliar na.
Seorim furrowed her brow, and in that mont,
The senior who had been tapping away on her phone looked up and acted like she knew sothing.
"Cheon Yeonho? The Computer Cheon Yeonho?"
"Oh? You know him?"
"I do, then! He's a top student from the class of '06! He went to the military and now he's back!"
The senior stood up in excitent and joined in with the buzz.
She was trying to make a fuss about the fact that he was a well-performing student.
But there was sothing strange.
Sure, being a top student is sothing that happens in every grade, in every major, and even in other departnts. There was no reason for him to be this famous.
"He's a top student, right?"
The senior smiled knowingly.
"Not that top? Well, he is, but he's a different kind of top."
The senior smirked.
"Top in terms of looks."
"..."
The fellow student nodded and grinned.
"Do you know each other?"
There was no doubt about it.
Like a clever cat pouncing on its prey, I could see through the situation.
Years of experience had taught this.
There was no point in opening my mouth; it would just serve as good fodder for them.
"I don't know the guy."
"Why is he looking for you, then?"
"How should I know?"
"Oh, maybe..."
The fellow student and the senior exchanged knowing glances and burst into laughter.
It seed that this TV show had ruined soone's image again.
Virtual marriages among celebrities were famous these days.
You could clearly see what was happening in those people's heads.
Seorim stood up imdiately.
"If it's about work, can't you just tell here? Unless it's sothing really important, I have a lecture soon."
I tried to brush off the excitent, but her expression suggested otherwise.
It seed like she might need to keep quiet for a while.
"I'll be back soon."
Seorim left the room quickly.
Feeling a bit uncomfortable, she realized that during my school days, she often got caught up in unnecessary gossip and didn't appreciate this kind of attention.
Naturally, her impression of Yeonho wasn't great as a result.
It was likely that her mischievous friend Han Jinkyung had asked him to co here.
If not, I would have to turn him away imdiately.
Deciding that, I walked out of the building and found myself in front of the departnt.
Without much effort, I spotted Yeonho among the passing crowd.
His presence stood out like an aura.
"Umm."
He's handso, I guess.
"Cheon Yeonho?"
A woman with her arms crossed and a slightly off-kilter stance approached .
With her short, sharp haircut and distinct features, she was unmistakably Han Seorim, the art director of "Lost Kingdom."
Seeing her face in person was quite different from the photos in my mory.
Her aura was more intense than expected.
"Is this Cheon Yeonho?"
"Yes, that's ."
"Can we talk for a mont?"
"Is this sothing that can't be said here? I have a lecture soon."
She hadn't even shaken my hand by this point.
Her guarded deanour was evident.
Well, considering I'm a stranger who sohow found their way to the departnt, it's understandable.
"Um..."
It didn't seem appropriate to stand here talking. Oh well, might as well give it a shot.
"I'll be direct. I have a favour to ask you, Han Seorim."
"What is it?"
"I'm working on a ga. I'd like you to take charge of the art departnt."
Han Seorim's expression took an unexpected turn.
"... A ga?"
"Yes."
"And you're making it?"
"Uh... yes."
There was a surge of unease within , but the answer ca back imdiately.
"... I've never played a ga before."
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