Taeyeon’s reason for choosing to buy a used car was simple.
Would there really be any need to buy new? How about just getting a clean, not-too-old used car?
Because Yuna suggested it.
So Taeyeon, with help from Choi Jonghak, who knew cars well, went to the famous Yangjae used-car market and bought a late-model German SUV.
“You worked hard. I’ll treat you to Hanwoo as a finder’s fee.”
“Wow, look at the big spender. But what got into you to buy a car out of the blue?”
Driving, Taeyeon only smiled without answering.
A little later, the two of them arrived at a barbecue place in Seopan-gyo.
After ordering a generous amount of top-grade Hanwoo, Taeyeon said,
“Truth is, there’s someone I wanted to introduce you to, so I specifically dragged you here.”
“Introduce? Who?”
Looking bewildered, Jonghak was left speechless when Kim Yuna appeared a moment later.
She greeted him shyly.
“Hello. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“H-how…!”
As Taeyeon drove, he told the still-gaping Jonghak how he and she had met.
All through the meal, Jonghak couldn’t get his bearings.
“I’m telling you first. I haven’t even told my parents. We decided to go see them next weekend.”
“I see. Wow. I’m still reeling. Feels like I got smacked upside the head. I mean, our lifelong single older brother who’s never dated once is seeing the queen herself…”
Stealing a glance, Jonghak asked cautiously,
“Um, would it be okay to ask for an autograph and a photo later? I’ve been a real fan.”
“We can do it now. I can do that anytime, so just say the word.”
Having his wish granted on the spot, Jonghak beamed like a fool.
Something occurred to Taeyeon, and he said,
“Don’t go around bragging about this carelessly.”
“You think I’m stupid? I’m not even on social media, so don’t worry.”
Calling it an old albatross that needed replacing, Jonghak hugged his phone like a treasure. Taeyeon laughed at the sight.
“I’ve got plans this afternoon, so I’ll get going. You two have a nice time.”
As soon as they finished eating, Jonghak suddenly remembered something urgent and took off somewhere. Unfazed, Taeyeon turned to Yuna and asked,
“It’s the first day with the car—how about a light drive? Sound good?”
Studying his face, Yuna narrowed her eyes.
“Oppa, did you pressure your brother with your eyes and shoo him away just for this?”
“Hey now, our Jonghak isn’t the type to live watching other people’s faces.”
“Liar. I saw you making a silent threat with your eyes earlier.”
“Something got in my eye, that’s all. Seat belt on. Shall we?”
Taeyeon cracked a joke as he started the engine, and Yuna couldn’t help but laugh.
In three weeks, Monster Eater Online’s OBT would begin. The CBT results were very good, and the big game community sites were already filling up with impressions, guides, and videos—responses were heating up.
What’s more, HQ at Nexple was already blasting out ads, so it was certain a lot of users would flood in at OBT.
Just because the CBT ended without incident didn’t mean they could relax. A fair number of minor bugs had piled up, and three weeks might not be enough to fix them and finish testing.
As for Pantheon, they were on the verge of completing the alpha build to show the company executives.
At present two player characters could run through zones and fields and carry out simple quests. Every developer was doing their utmost on their tasks to finish the scheduled alpha build.
Testing was on them as well.
For Project D, the worldbuilding had been organized and work on the main scenario was underway. Taeyeon and the writer Bae Su-hyeon were doing that together.
The three storyboard artists were turning the text Taeyeon had approved into drawings. It was still in the draft stage, so they weren’t rendering the boards with fine detail yet, but since all three were veterans with great teamwork, even the roughs were impressive enough to inspire admiration.
Graphics implementation was proceeding based on the animation resources handed over by Disney, so the pace was very fast.
In terms of graphics work alone, results were coming out faster than Pantheon. Because of that, they were moving up the schedule to hire planners and programmers.
Going over the timeline, Taeyeon let out a heavy sigh.
Within two months Monster Eater Online will go live… I’m going to be swearing I’m dead for the next few months.
Once OBT starts, the six months after launch will be a whirlwind.
You have to run live service while preparing new content updates.
If it weren’t a publishing title, he wouldn’t even dream of developing in parallel like this.
Which means I’ll have less time to see Yuna…
Another late night today.
When everyone else clocks out, he has two rounds of status-and-schedule meetings with the senior developers. After that, he meets HQ’s business team and President Kim Myeong-uk to check ad schedules and drafts.
When that ends, it’s nine p.m.
Does he get to go home then?
Only then does he log into the Monster Eater Online developers’ intranet to check issues and give approvals.
Since even the senior developers have been put on hands-on tasks, reviewing the work and giving final sign-off is solely on him. Only after that can HQ QA test and report back the results.
There’s more to do beyond that, but today the line is there.
By the time he finishes and steps out, it’s between ten and eleven p.m.
And can he go home then? Not that either.
Even just for a moment, I’ve got to see Yuna’s face.
It’s the most important time of his day.
Truth is, these days he’s gritting his teeth and holding on for that last item on the schedule alone.
I just want to hurry up and get married.
Coming home from work to Yuna greeting him.
If there were a child who took after her, he couldn’t ask for more happiness. Wouldn’t all his fatigue just wash away?
Soaking briefly in that happy daydream, Taeyeon pulled himself together and got back to work.
It was only four in the afternoon.
Seven hours to his scheduled quitting time.
“Let’s see if I can move quitting time up somehow.”
His hands on the keyboard and mouse began to speed up.
On the weekend, Taeyeon picked Yuna up early in the morning and drove to Yeosu.
It was afternoon by the time they reached their destination.
“Do I look okay? Anything off?”
“You look beautiful. My parents will love you.”
“I’m more nervous than I was during the Olympic competitions. I can’t calm down.”
His parents’ place was on the outskirts of Yeosu, up in the hills where there were hardly any people.
A neat two-piece outfit with light makeup.
She was even wearing earrings and a necklace she normally wouldn’t.
Taeyeon, too, had dressed politely in crisp casuals.
After one last careful check of each other in the car, they went into the old apartment building.
The moment they pressed the doorbell, an excited voice rang out.
—Taeyeon, is that you? Wait just a second!
“That’s my mom.”
“…”
Taeyeon squeezed Yuna’s trembling hand and whispered.
A moment later the door flew open, and a kindly-looking middle-aged couple appeared.
“My boy, come on in!”
“Did that punk Taeyeon really bring a girlfriend? Hard to believe. How on earth could a kid like him…?”
His mother rushed out in three steps; his father grumbled as he followed.
Stiff as a board, Kim Yuna bowed hastily.
“H-hello. I’m Kim Yuna, and I’m dating Taeyeon oppa.”
“I’ve seen you somewhere before…?”
“Huh? Wait a second…?”
Soon enough, his parents began making a fuss.
They’d recognized Yuna.
“She’s the gymnastics queen! The Olympic gold medalist!”
“No doubt about it. I saw her on TV!”
Flustered, Yuna whispered to Taeyeon.
“Oppa, you didn’t tell your parents about me?”
“Nope. I wanted to surprise them.”
“Honestly…”
He gave her a smile as she rolled her eyes, then said,
“How long are we going to keep her standing outside? I’m starving to death here.”
“Oh my goodness, what am I doing. Come in, come in. I made all your favorites!”
“Whoa—!”
His mother quickly regained her composure, but his father, staring at Kim Yuna, still seemed out of it.
That’s how shocked he was.
Kim Yuna was Korea’s pride, the queen of gymnastics and a sports hero.
Her renown was well known even to a country couple making their living in a small town.
“Shall we eat first? You haven’t had anything, have you?”
“Right. We left early so we could eat Mom’s cooking—we didn’t even stop at a rest area.”
“Good. Let’s eat first. We’ll talk after.”
His mother jabbed his still-dazed father hard in the ribs and scolded him.
“Are you going to pull yourself together? Are you going to keep embarrassing yourself in front of the girl?”
“What? When did I embarrass myself? And why are you hitting me? That really hurts, you know.”
“That hurts? Honestly, pathetic. Tsk tsk.”
Smiling at his parents’ familiar back-and-forth, Taeyeon leaned toward Yuna’s ear and whispered,
“Chaotic, right? That’s just how my family is—thanks for understanding.”
“Mhm.”
In that boisterous atmosphere, the meal began.
For Yuna, it was a family vibe she was experiencing for the first time.
They chatted and chatted, and before they knew it, it was dark.
Reluctantly, Taeyeon said,
“I think we should get going.”
“Already?”
“Won’t you stay the night?”
His parents were disappointed at the early goodbye.
Taeyeon grinned.
“How about you move up to Pangyo? Then I could see you often.”
“Mom has to mind the flower shop.”
“If you’re not going to take over the rice business for me, keep quiet.”
If only he had a lot of money…
Taeyeon always carried that little ache.
If he did, he could have set his parents up not in a shabby place like this but in a nice neighborhood like Pangyo, gifting them a great home and a storefront, and seen them all the time.
How big will the bonus payout be if Monster Eater is a hit?
Even as head of development, a studio head, a PD, in the end he was a salaried man bound to the company.
What’s more, it hadn’t even been a year since he’d emptied his savings and taken out a loan to buy a home.
“When I make a lot of money, I’ll bring you to Pangyo. There are tons of nice apartments there. Plenty of prime storefronts, too.”
“I like Yeosu.”
“All our friends are here—what would we do in Pangyo? We’re staying put.”
Yuna watched quietly as the Taeyeon family traded their bittersweet feelings.
On the way out as they saw them off,
Standing before the car with the engine running, his father cleared his throat and asked,
“So when are you getting married?”
Mom was interested, too.
Only Yuna didn’t know what to do with herself.
Taeyeon said casually,
“We’re not going to let the year pass.”
“Good. That’s how it should be.”
That was the end of the farewell.
After taking one more look at his parents’ reluctant faces, Taeyeon hit the road.
A few days later, at Yuna’s father’s request, Taeyeon carved out time in the evening and went over to Yuna’s house.
“May I make one proposal?”
“Yes. Please go ahead.”
“I’d like you and Yuna to enter university and study.”
“U-university… sir?”
“I’m not setting conditions. Even if you refuse, you won’t suffer any disadvantage. I’m just making the suggestion because it would be a shame otherwise.”
Taeyeon listened in silence to Professor Kim Hyowon.
“You and Yuna both started working far too young. It looks like you’re both racing down the road to success in your respective places, but you’re still very young. People need to learn. The world opens up in proportion to what you know. From where I’m standing, the world the two of you see is still too narrow.”
Taeyeon felt something stir at those words.
“Especially you. You’re someone who will do bigger things than now. If you want to accomplish more than what’s on your plate, you need to study. Same for Yuna. Since retiring, she doesn’t know what to do and is just burning time and money. Life is only beginning now… Do you understand where my heart is?”
“Yes.”
Taeyeon nodded earnestly.
After a moment’s thought, he answered,
“It would be difficult right away. I have too much on my plate.”
“I’m not saying right away. I’m recommending you do it when you have some breathing room.”
When would that be possible?
Taeyeon considered the schedule for a moment and set that period as three years later.
Pantheon’s launch.
Resigning as PM of Monster Eater Online.
And Project D’s official release.
There’s now less than two years left on my stint as PM of Monster Eater Online… If I wrap that as fast as possible and jump straight into making Pandemonium…?
Professor Kim quietly sipped his tea and waited while Taeyeon sorted his thoughts.
At length, when Taeyeon spoke,
“It’s hard to give an exact date… but three years from now. When the projects currently underway are finished, I’ll set an academic schedule starting then.”
He spoke with sincerity.
“Even if things get tangled and the schedule slips, I will make sure to present both Yuna’s and my university diplomas to you and Mother.”
“Good. That’s enough.”
For the first time since getting to know Taeyeon, Professor Kim nodded with a satisfied face.
Witnessing that, Taeyeon carefully brought up something he’d been keeping in his heart.
“And, apart from that, there’s something else I wanted to say to you…”
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