Early in the morning, Taeyeon reached his desk and, seeing coffee and a sandwich placed on it, made a puzzled face.
Who could this be?
A note was stuck to the coffee.
“Thank you. Thanks to Producer Yoo, I barely saved face in front of my staff.”
The writer did not reveal who he was.
Although the subject was missing, the meaning was obvious, so Taeyeon let it pass with a smile.
And that was only the beginning.
“Team-leader Yoo, thank you.”
“Please take this.”
From time to time someone would come, set down drinks or snacks, then vanish as if fleeing.
Most of them were heads of departments now facing salary negotiations.
When this kept up, Team leader Lee Yeongae came over and asked, “Producer, what on earth have you done behind our backs? Out with it honestly!”
Assistant-director Hong Minseok, seated beside her, said nothing yet fired a sharp gaze that told him to confess.
“At this rate you could open a convenience store. Why are you so popular, Producer? What on earth is happening?”
Even the programming team leader approached, smiling while applying pressure.
They looked ready to stay until they got a proper answer.
Taeyeon let out a sigh.
“Let’s go to the cafeteria.”
No one from other departments around, right?
This required secrecy.
“Listen carefully and keep it to yourselves.”
Then, making a deliberately fierce face, he threatened, “Don’t go blabbing. Don’t post anonymously on the intranet or employee apps. If it leaks, it’s on you.”
“My, aren’t you talkative!”
“Fine, now tell us what happened!”
“You don’t trust us? Wow, that hurts.”
After glaring at each of them in turn, he finally opened his mouth.
“Here’s what happened…”
Taeyeon recounted the salary-negotiation story.
Of course, he omitted the confidential part Chairman Yoo Jin-seong had stressed.
Yet while speaking he unintentionally ended up flaunting, “See how much clout I have.”
It was embarrassing even as he spoke.
“That’s roughly it.”
Cries of admiration burst out.
“Wow, Producer, we see you in a new light!”
“So not just anyone becomes a star developer! You have to negotiate with the chairman and raise everyone’s pay by several percent to earn that title!”
“Ugh, I could never. How can you say that to the chairman’s face? Amazing!”
Taeyeon looked dismayed, but the others agreed Team leader Lee’s words were right.
With the topic suddenly shifting to praise of himself, Taeyeon sighed under the weight.
I really hope this ends quietly…
Before long the large-scale salary negotiations took place.
As always, there were likes and dislikes; those dissatisfied protested or, at worst, prepared to leave, yet compared with last year it passed fairly quietly.
Then, at some point, a strange rumor began spreading among employees.
Originally salaries were to be frozen, but Producer Yoo Taeyeon stepped up and persuaded the chairman.
Taeyeon’s fear had come true.
Posts verifying the rumor’s truth even appeared on the Bamboo-Forest app and Nexple’s internal board.
Here we go again.
After the last uproar, Taeyeon had come to detest being discussed this way.
But a branded mark does not fade easily.
“If the rumor is true, should we suspect family ties between Chairman Yoo Jin-seong and Producer Yoo?”
“Once departments besides the dev studio related firsthand help and feats they had received from Taeyeon, the suspicions quickly died down.”
Truly, no one can live alone in this world.
Still, he wished his name would not appear outside pure game matters.
Will a day ever come when I can focus only on development?
A month later Taeyeon boarded a business flight to the United States.
Chairman Yoo Jin-seong accompanied him, along with several escorting staff.
Only then did Taeyeon hear the purpose of the trip.
“You know Gwacheon Super-land, right?”
It had once ranked among Korea’s top three theme parks but had grown dilapidated and all but forgotten.
Now New World Group was leading an acquisition.
“Reason?”
“In short, we’re expanding our IP business.”
“Ah—so a larger business portfolio.”
Yoo Jin-seong continued.
“The initial plan was to lure Disneyland, but with parks in Japan and two in China, a third site is unlikely.”
“Then Universal Studios?”
“There’s already a huge one in Beijing and another in Osaka. They’re not interested.”
“Then what?”
“We’ll talk to Disney anyway.”
Taeyeon frowned.
“You just said no Disney.”
“When did I?
“Disney keeps swallowing content companies after buying Fox. They need new parks to showcase fresh IP.”
“So you want a brand-new style of Disney theme park.”
“Exactly, and I think we can win.”
Taeyeon nodded slowly. “The key will be localization and distinctiveness.”
New World’s consortium included Disney headquarters and the Seoul metropolitan government, aiming to build a world-class tourist complex.
This project would cost at least in the trillions of won.
“And what am I supposed to do there?”
“Just do what you’re best at: events and map design.”
Taeyeon blanched.
“I’m confident, but theme-park design is not exactly my field.”
What was the real reason he was brought here?
While passing through Disney headquarters he still could not guess.
Maybe there was another hidden motive.
Their car stopped.
I don’t know.
Disney executives came out to greet Chairman Yoo; at the front stood Ellen, Disney’s first female CEO, hailed for completing the Empire.
She flashed a smile as bright as the sun.
“Welcome, we are delighted to have you.”
It was a meeting of two giants representing Korean and American content.
Watching from up close, Taeyeon’s heart began to pound loudly.
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