“PD, did something good happen?”
“You’re looking great.”
Everyone he ran into said more or less the same thing. So he tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn’t easy.
How was he supposed to stop the smile that kept coming on its own?
He was in such a good mood that the work flowed, and even the meetings felt light and bright.
If only every day could be like today.
Nexple’s marketing blitz began.
They booked the hottest Hollywood actor to shoot a commercial and pushed it out on TV, in the subway, on streaming sites—anywhere a medium existed, you couldn’t avoid seeing ads for Monster Eater.
At the top of the portal site’s main page, they even slapped on a special banner that popped an event window in the most expensive slot. Monster Eater showed up on the packaging of famous food brands, too.
It left not just players but the industry itself slack-jawed.
— Wow, Nexple’s dead set on burning cash. I heard they budgeted close to fifty billion won just for ads, and they’re really going all in.
— But Monster Eater already has the gameplay and the localization quality, so it’s going to blow up the moment it launches.
— They’ll make back the marketing + dev costs in a month and then some. If a hundred thousand people pay a monthly sub right off the bat, how much is that even? ㄷㄷㄷ
This wasn’t just importing a popular overseas title; they were actively participating in development.
It was already well known that during OBT the global version started taking cues from the Korean version’s patches.
Producer Takizawa Satoshi himself had said that Korea’s official service would kick off a big-bang level of change in Monster Eater.
Not just gamers but developers had their antennae up. There were even studios already analyzing Taeyeon’s methods and trying to implement them.
First one at the office again today—!
…or so he thought, but someone else was there.
“You’re in early, Taehee.”
“Ah, PD, you’re here?”
It was Seong Taehee from the art team—the company’s most popular figure.
She walked up to Taeyeon as he was getting set up for the day and said,
“PD, you always get here first, right?”
“Not necessarily.”
“AD and the others say the only time you can snag a coffee from PD is early morning.”
After logging into the intranet and clocking in, Taeyeon stood up.
“Shall we hit the cafeteria?”
“Thank you! I’d love some!”
Her bright smile still held a hint of that fresh, collegiate air.
Does she have something to say?
She was fidgeting with the disposable coffee cup in her long fingers. Looked like something hard to bring up, so Taeyeon spoke first.
“If there’s something you want to say, feel free.”
Maybe that gave her a bit of courage, because Taehee asked,
“I’ve had something I’ve been curious about for a while.”
“Go ahead.”
“What did you see in me, PD, that made you hire me?”
“I rated your potential highly.”
“My potential?”
“You still don’t know how our studio works? I didn’t ‘hire’ you. Your work merited hiring, so you were naturally hired. I don’t get involved in hiring.”
“Oh…”
“Why, did someone point a finger and call you a parachute hire?”
That shouldn’t have happened.
Their top hiring priority, after all, was character befitting skill.
Then again, you never know with people.
After hesitating, Seong Taehee said,
“I keep wondering if I really deserved to get in here. Whenever I try to step up and take initiative, I end up making a big mistake.”
It was the kind of worry every new hire has at least once.
Unless you’re experienced, no matter how much you learned in school or a bootcamp, once you hit real work you can’t seem to do anything.
“Everyone’s a bit lost through year two. It’s not because you’re a fool, Taehee. That’s normal, so don’t worry.”
“But Modeler Choi Yejin is so good… She even got a big compliment from AD the other day.”
Choi Yejin was from Konkuk University’s game school, one of the two fresh hires.
On paper, she couldn’t compare to Seong Taehee’s pedigree, but her passion and talent were top tier.
From where I stand, they’re about the same.
Still, as fellow newbies on the art team, with similar age and gender, it made sense that she’d feel a rivalry.
“You were treated like an ace at school, weren’t you?”
“Huh? That’s not… well…”
The fact that she couldn’t outright deny it said enough.
“You figured you’d shine at work too, and now that it’s not so easy, you’re thrown off.”
“…”
“Elite-track devs often feel lost in exactly this situation.”
A look of disbelief!
So that over-eager vibe I noticed… was this the reason?
The desire to do better than others!
The yearning to be recognized!
That was the engine driving Seong Taehee.
“What’s your dream, Taehee?”
“Me? I…”
For the first time she gave a shy, bashful smile.
“To become like you, PD.”
“Like me?”
“Yes.”
“Why do you want to be like me?”
“Because you’re the best game producer I can imagine!”
A green rookie with barely any experience saying that—
It just made him smile, but in another way it was cute; he saw his own newbie self in her.
Back then I wanted to be like CEO Kang Geon. He seemed godlike to me.
He turned out not to be that kind of person.
Dreams are made to be woken from, someday.
“You’re overrating me. I only got here by doing the work. I’m not some great person.”
“Even so, I want to be like you, PD. You know me well, right? What should I start doing from now on?”
The admiration and trust gleaming in those big eyes felt heavy on his shoulders.
What should he say?
After a moment’s thought, Taeyeon spoke.
“First, you need to understand all the duties of your current team and your part.”
“The team’s duties too?”
“Of course. I started in systems design, but I’ve got a handle on balance, level, quests—every design discipline. And beyond dev, I understand the company’s other functions too: programming, art, marketing, HR.”
Taeyeon emphasized it.
“That’s what a game producer is. That’s why experience matters. And you never stop studying. Before you think ‘producer,’ set your sights on part lead, team lead, then AD. Producer comes after that.”
He carefully laid out the path he’d climbed himself. Before he knew it, dozens of minutes had flown by.
That should be enough guidance for now, right?
“Let’s get to work.”
He was about to stand when—
“Uh, j-just a second!”
“What is it?”
“D-d-do you… by any chance…”
Face flushed, stumbling over every word, Seong Taehee blurted,
“…by any chance, do you have someone you’re seeing?”
Taeyeon wasn’t stupid.
“Yes. I’m seeing a wonderful woman, and I’m thinking about marriage.”
“…”
A look like the sky had fallen.
“Is that all the questions?”
“Y-yes…”
“Then let’s go.”
“Y-yeah…”
She rose with slumped shoulders, wobbling.
“Uh, Taehee? Did something happen…?”
“Taehee! Want to grab a coffee and talk shop…?”
All the way back to her desk, she spoke to no one.
Taeyeon didn’t spare her even a glance and focused on his work.
Hm?
Art lead and Project D’s AD, Lee Youngae, noticed how unusually dark Seong Taehee’s face was.
Even the male staff didn’t dare approach her.
Something must’ve happened.
She let it pass at the time.
“Doesn’t Taehee seem off lately?”
“Mm. She used to smile at everyone and throw herself into her tasks, but something’s changed.”
“Well… she’s getting the princess treatment from all sides, so maybe she thinks she’s really become somebody.”
Unflattering talk about Seong Taehee was making the rounds.
Lee Youngae sensed it too.
“Could you say something to her? She seems unable to focus lately.”
Lee decided it was time to step in.
Seong Taehee was sitting there, blank, staring at her monitor.
That’s definitely…
Veteran’s intuition pinged.
The face of a woman freshly dumped!
She sent a cautious message.
[Want to grab a coffee together? My treat at StarXcks!]
No response.
Her face was pointed at the monitor, but her mind was clearly somewhere else.
Only after pinging her a few times did a reply come.
Glancing around, spotting Lee, she flustered completely.
Art lead Lee Youngae stood with a bright smile.
Seong Taehee followed like someone guilty of a crime, head hung low. Even after they left the massive office building, reached a StarXcks some distance away, and finished ordering, she couldn’t say a word.
Lee offered the drink.
“Let’s sip and talk comfortably.”
“O-okay…”
Only after confirming she’d taken a gulp did Lee ask,
“Taehee, did you get turned down?”
“…!”
A sudden jab.
Her startle confirmed Lee had guessed right.
“Don’t tell me the person is PD?”
Now she looked like she’d seen a ghost.
Face gone paper-white, she stammered,
“H-how did you know?”
She soon learned a habit she hadn’t known she had.
“Taehee, you didn’t realize you act oddly different with PD than with other male coworkers, did you?”
“M-me?”
“Yes, you.”
“In what… way?”
“You’re basically kind and gentle by nature, but with other male coworkers you look at them like they’re talking gorillas.”
“Pfft!”
The unexpected metaphor made her burst out laughing.
With a serious face, Lee raised an index finger.
“But only with PD, your expression is like flowers blooming in a spring breeze. The moment I saw that, I knew. Ah! Seong Taehee has fallen head over heels for our handsome, capable PD!”
“N-not head over heels! Just, I mean…”
Hem-hawing, face blazing red, Seong Taehee forced an excuse.
“I just kind of liked him a little. A very little…”
Lee smiled silently.
Something about her infinitely gentle expression made Taehee open up without meaning to.
She just felt like talking.
“Aha. So our PD seems to have a girlfriend he wants to marry! And hearing that, you were crushed.”
“…”
“I totally get it. And it’s not just you—there are lots of people who like PD Yoo Taeyeon.”
“R-really?”
“He’s as wonderful as you think. Not only strikingly handsome in a grounded way, he’s very good at his job, and he’s got charisma…”
“…”
“It’s like how the guys won’t leave pretty you alone. Mm, now I’m really curious which lucky someone has taken our PD Yoo’s heart. Aren’t you, too, Taehee?”
“Yes!”
Crushing her straw in her grip, Seong Taehee muttered,
“How dare she beat me to the punch…”
Taeyeon confirmed that after talking with Lee Youngae, Seong Taehee’s expression had brightened considerably.
She stepped in at just the right time.
Sensitive to the office mood, Taeyeon had already heard the negative chatter swirling around Taehee. While he was hesitating because it would be awkward to get involved, Lee had taken care of it.
For a moment, their eyes met.
Much appreciated.
He dipped his head slightly, sincerely. Lee sat with an elegant smile, as if it were nothing.
Taehee quickly returned to her usual self.
Taeyeon realized one thing.
Without meaning to, Taehee had been playing the role of studio mood-maker.
A lot of the male staff were riding on her vibes.
When there’s a tree you can’t climb, best not to look at it…
But what can you do?
Not even the person concerned can control their own heart.
You can’t tell people not to like someone, and it’s not like you can ask her to dial down her “charm stat” like it’s a game…
Besides, it would be ridiculous for him to meddle in something like this.
All I can do is trust that everyone will handle it like adults. That they will.
[Monster Eater Online Korea Server Opens!]
[Not an MMORPG but a Hunting-Action Title! What Exactly Is Monster Eater?]
At last, Monster Eater Online’s official service began.
30 days: 19,800 won. 90 days: 47,500 won.
In addition to flat-rate subscriptions, there are metered plans, and all cash items are things that do not affect game balance.
Crucially, the symbolic item of Korean online games—the “random box” (loot box)—does not exist.
Before service, Taeyeon notified everyone:
“From this moment on, any resource that goes outside, even the smallest thing, must go through my sign-off before proceeding. That goes for Marketing as well.”
He could issue such an instruction because he was the overall producer for Monster Eater Online in Korea.
And the reason for that instruction was simple.
Until a stable service guideline is complete, I need to oversee everything.
Contrary to what you’d think, a lot of games lose reputation and revenue not because of internal game issues but because of external ones.
Like sliding disparaging language or imagery about some group into the promo copy.
The riskiest is smuggling in political issues.
Like subtly inserting memes that mock or insult a particular politician…
For cases like that, they needed to establish guidelines to preempt them. And they needed a response manual for when unforeseen incidents occurred.
That’s the job of the overall producer—me.
From here on, every issue during the Korean Monster Eater service was his responsibility as head.
At least for as long as I’m in charge of this game, I will make sure absolutely nothing happens.
For the smooth play environment of the users who put their trust in them and subscribed!
The first day of official launch passed in a taut, watchful atmosphere.
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