This is Yoo Taeyeon of Nexple.
I will skip the preamble and go straight to the point.
1. Suspicion about the apartment purchase
I signed two project contracts with Nexple. Both titles are my dream projects that I have been developing alone for ten years.
To secure the rights I published them as e-books, and with the advance payments, the money I saved over the decade, plus a bank loan, I bought the apartment where I live.
Here are the IP contracts, the real-estate contract and my bank statements.
2. Alleged special favor
Everyone at the company knows that I, together with the Talent-Management Office, have handled almost all on-site tours and external lectures. All of my lectures have now been uploaded, unedited, to the company website. Feel free to check.
Some say that while other developers’ lectures stayed quiet, only mine get big press, as if it were unfair favoritism.
What answer would satisfy you?
For those lectures the required profile is: at least one commercially successful game as producer or director, ten years’ experience, and still working hands-on.
The candidates who met those specs were all too busy, so as the youngest recent hire I stepped up. Since joining I have already handled more than ten tours and lectures. Before that, each volunteer gave at most one or two thirty-minute talks to visitors.
Search the homepage boards for the lecture reviews.
Exactly what trick could I use to force students to give good evaluations?
3. Question about dual positions
You wonder why I serve both as Universe Studio producer and Nexple Plus development head.
Simple. I was the one who secured a contract giving us free use of Crying Soft’s Monster Eater IP and other titles.
Producer Takizawa Satoshi wanted an active dev producer–director who truly understood his game. At the request of CEO Kim Myung-wook I met him, and luckily it worked out.
For proof of my understanding, I have posted screenshots of my own game accounts, plus a photo of the reverse-design document for the Monster Eater series that I wrote long ago. Here is also a shot from contract day, where Takizawa and I did nothing but raid monsters instead of talking business.
What other evidence do you need?
I supposedly drive a Benz. I do not own one.
I supposedly date a celebrity. I do not.
Deputy Jo, with whom rumors link me, is simply a good colleague, nothing more.
Think about it. Why would some amazing person who already has everything fall for a game nerd with nothing to show? I know my place.
I did not want to reveal this, but I spend days off doing reverse-design docs; how could I even date? I have no girlfriend, no female friends or sisters. The only friend I have is Producer Choi Jonghak, my former student who has already surpassed me.
Any other misunderstandings?
Shall we create an FAQ page on the company site? Ask anything.
Anyway, I have done my part.
The author of yesterday’s accusation never replied, so after clocking in this morning I filed criminal complaints.
Begging will not help.
Besides that person, everyone who posted rumors on Reed Forest and game communities as if they were facts has also been reported with full evidence.
See you at the police station. I very much want to watch the outcome when someone tries to ruin an innocent man.
Taeyeon’s statement became a huge topic online. He provided solid documents and even uploaded all lecture footage to the official site. The unedited videos, showing both his content and the students’ enthusiastic response, played like a feature-length movie.
Two days later Producer Takizawa and the original Monster Eater development team released a video confirming every word: they decided to work with Nexple because they were impressed not with the company but with Taeyeon himself. The doubts evaporated cleanly.
…But there was a price.
“PD Yoo, you really need to make some friends.”
“Why do you have no girlfriend? Isn’t that natural for a healthy guy?”
“Work and games are fine, but try some social life. I felt so sorry reading that statement!”
Taeyeon’s male pride took a hit. Everyone he passed in the building tossed a teasing comment, and he could hardly lift his face.
Deputy Jo Seon-ah, who had been named in the post, was furious.
“Did you have to mention me like that? Now everyone keeps asking when we’re getting together!”
“…I’m sorry. I have no excuse.”
Even after she calmed a little:
“Do you honestly think of yourself as some penniless, worthless game geek?”
“Well… yes.”
“You’re the producer the execs expect the most from, and head of Nexple Plus. If you’re worthless, what does that make someone like me?”
Taeyeon realized too late she was still upset.
He thought her anger came from being treated like a spoiled heiress and vowed to be more careful
A lifelong single always has his reasons.
The investigation wrapped up quickly.
The culprit was a planning-team leader from another Nexple studio, forty-one years old with twenty years’ experience.
He admitted that jealousy drove him when a much younger newcomer suddenly became a producer and gained the spotlight. Hearing that the female systems planner he liked repeatedly requested a transfer to Yoo’s studio pushed him over the edge.
“I’m sorry. I was blinded by envy. If you forgive me I’ll consider you my benefactor for life.”
Taeyeon pressed on with the defamation and false-accusation charges. He also filed against others who had spread rumors on Reed Forest and game forums.
Posts exploded:
“My team’s junior concept artist got caught; his past comments were garbage. He’s been kicked out.”
“Feels great to see the rumor-mongers cleaned up!”
“A programmer everyone thought was nice also got nailed. Shock everywhere.”
Because Taeyeon pursued a large-scale legal action, the impact was huge. Some asked if it was necessary to go that far, but most supported him.
The story hit mainstream game media.
“Developer who has never failed overcomes crisis head-on.”
“Today’s featured dev: undefeated producer Yoo Taeyeon.”
The burden on Taeyeon grew. He did not realize how wide public interest in gaming had become: major communities draw hundreds of thousands daily, and thousands of YouTubers and streamers cover games.
The coverage highlighted new facts: every title Taeyeon had touched was a hit, with high user ratings and steady concurrent users. Attention turned to why he left Bless, what he was doing at Nexple, and the games he was making: Monster Eater localization, and as original author, director and producer of Pantheon and Pandemonium.
Demand for the e-book novels skyrocketed.
Overnight, Taeyeon was a star. He felt dazed, but Choi Jonghak shrugged.
“With everything you’ve done, you should have been famous already. This was only a matter of time.”
Leave a Reply