Chapter 11: Am I not doing well?

I am 23 years old this year—22 in international age. It’s quite a young age.

At this stage of life, most people don’t have much money. Unless you’re born into wealth, it’s only natural. There’s simply been too little time to work and earn.

However, I’ve completed my military service. And these days, military salaries have increased quite a bit.

By avoiding spending on frozen meals and sticking to a strict budget, I managed to save a little over 20 million KRW (~$15,000). With that amount, I could afford to live comfortably for a few years.

So, I didn’t *exactly* spend those years recklessly… but in the end, I did take it easy.

After all, a game developer whose games don’t sell is no different from being unemployed.

Me: “Why is my bank account suddenly thriving?”

Money: “Parting makes reunion all the sweeter!”

Blinking, I was reminded of *The Musical of the Game Director Who Became a God*.

And just like that, my account balance hit rock bottom.

Something’s off. How did I already run out of money? I was sure I’d planned things to last at least two years.

Feeling uneasy, I went to my computer and did a quick search.

The girls’ band anime that dominated the season came out two years ago.

Which means… it’s been exactly two years since I was discharged from the military.

Time sure flies.

When’s Season 2 coming out?

Out of habit, I started looking for related info, but then gasped and quickly shut the computer.

This wasn’t what mattered right now.

I crossed my arms and sank into thought.

This month would be fine, but next month would be a problem. Rent was one thing, but I’d also be short on food expenses.

It’s funny how I don’t need to sleep, but I still have to eat.

But wait—wasn’t my streaming going pretty well?

If I remember correctly, my last stream peaked at almost 4,000 viewers.

Even though I don’t know much about streaming, I knew that 4,000 viewers was quite a lot. Most of them were probably transient viewers, not loyal fans, but even if I could secure just a fraction of them, I’d likely cover my living expenses.

First things first, I checked my recent streaming revenue.

The revenue, including ads viewers saw upon entering and donations, totaled 130,000 KRW.

Since 100,000 KRW of that came from Moss’s donation, removing it left me with around 30,000 KRW per day. It wasn’t much, but with careful budgeting, it was enough to get by. Plus, the potential for growth wasn’t bad.

If the viewer count increased, 20,000 KRW would be nothing—earning 1 million KRW a day wouldn’t be far-fetched.

Alright.

With my worries about living expenses sorted, I started the stream right away.

**[Road to Master Rank Stream]**

About an hour later, I checked the viewer count.

**[76 viewers]**

Hmm.

What kind of part-time jobs are popular these days?

For me, game development is the top priority.

Although I stream, that’s ultimately to promote my games.

So, I don’t need to earn a lot from part-time work.

As long as I can cover my immediate living expenses, I’ll soon become the world’s greatest game developer and be rolling in money. Really.

“Hello.”

I decided to take a part-time job at a nearby movie theater.

These days, the game industry seems to be making genre-blending games, like *”I Thought It Was a Game, But It Was a Movie?!”*

I thought, *”If that’s the case, why not just make a movie?”* But still, I came to the theater to follow the trend.

I could work part-time and gain input for game development at the same time—two birds with one stone.

“Movies? Usually, we can’t watch them.”

“Aren’t part-timers supposed to watch the movies with the guests in the screening room?”

“If you work in the screening room, that’s different. Usually, you just pop popcorn or something.”

Input? What input? The point of a part-time job is to make money.

Did you think it would be easy to take someone else’s money?

Just sell tickets properly.

I was assigned to the ticket booth.

These days, most people book tickets online, so there wasn’t much to do.

However, those who came to the ticket booth had their reasons, and in those cases, I struggled quite a bit asking about discount vouchers or government employee IDs, which I still didn’t know much about.

Break time. I brought a coffee and handed it to a man.

He was my senior who had helped me every time I stumbled today.

“Thank you.”

Kim In-ho took the coffee with both hands and drank from it.

I sipped my coffee and sat down in a chair.

The staff room was suddenly engulfed in silence.

Kim In-ho’s gaze was piercing. He glanced at me almost every five seconds.

I could guess why he was acting that way.

It seemed like a conversation was needed.

I wouldn’t mind if the silence lasted for a hundred years, but it looked like Kim In-ho wasn’t the same.

Kim In-ho had just returned from the military and was a fresh-faced 21 years old. He was younger than me. Here, being two years older, I should take the initiative to speak first

I was right.

“What are your hobbies?”

“Excuse me?”

“I asked what your hobbies are.”

Using a classic small talk tactic, I initiated the conversation, and Kim In-ho looked at me with a blank expression.

Is this not what he wanted?

I asked for clarification.

“Weren’t you wanting to talk?”

“C-conversation?”

“I thought you were trying to give me hints with all those sidelong glances. Sorry about that.”

“Oh, right. Yes, I really wanted to talk!”

Kim In-ho answered almost desperately.

Who’s going to take him away? Why is he so startled?

After calming his racing heart, Kim In-ho spoke in a small voice.

“Gaming is my hobby.”

I narrowed my eyes and scanned Kim In-ho.

I looked at him with the scrutiny one might have when assessing a potential daughter-in-law.

He likes games, huh?

What kind of games does he enjoy to make such a claim?

Could it be *League of Legends*… no, could it be *Eternal World*?

“What game do you like the most?”

“Uh…”

Kim In-ho hesitated to answer.

The conclusion was clear.

So you’re one of those guys who claims to be a gamer but doesn’t even have a Steam account?

Go grab some drinks and play *League of Legends*… or rather, *Eternal World* at a PC bang.

“Uh…”

Kim In-ho opened and closed his mouth, looking pitiful. I decided to speak up.

“If it’s tough, you don’t have to say it.”

“…I really like *A Magician’s Night*.”

Did he feel the pressure from my tone? Kim In-ho squinted his eyes and spoke up.

…*A Magician’s Night*?

“Are you talking about *A Magician’s Night* by Nasu Kinoko?”

“Do you know that?”

“Of course, I know it. I like it too.”

Looking again, I found Kim In-ho’s character quite impressive.

“Really? You know it?”

“I told you I do.”

After confirming it several times, Kim In-ho muttered in disbelief, “Why?”

Not sure why, but soon after coming to his senses, Kim In-ho excitedly continued speaking.

“I also like *Steins;Gate* and *When the Seagull Sings*.”

“So you like visual novels?”

“Yeah, when it comes to picking the best, I always lean that way.”

Kim In-ho’s face and voice brightened, reminiscent of a brother meeting a younger sister he hadn’t seen in almost a decade.

“When I was younger, I didn’t have money, and some games weren’t even officially released, so I ended up playing illegally, you know? I felt bad about it, so when *Fate/Grand Order* came out, I spent a ton of money on it to atone for my past. I probably poured hundreds into a game I didn’t even play.”

“I understand.”

Just so you know, even if I play all the upcoming Type-Moon works for free, I’ll still have some change left over.

“I’ve played a bunch of games besides that, but the one that really sticks with me is *A Magician’s Night*.”

“Everyone has that one special game.”

“I also want to make a visual novel…”

“So, you want to be a game developer?”

“…Yes.”

I didn’t expect to find a kindred spirit here.

“Are you working at the movie theater just to get some input?”

“Not really. How can I watch movies while working part-time?”

“Fair enough.”

I smiled and asked Kim In-ho something I was curious about.

“How many games have you completed?”

“…I haven’t finished any yet. But I’ve almost created all the frameworks, so now I just need to outsource the illustrations and music.”

He had made more progress than I expected.

Indie game development is lonely work. Creating something on your own is inherently isolating, but games take it to another level. There’s just so much grinding involved.

Meeting a fellow creator in such circumstances is quite refreshing.

So, I decided to reveal the truth as well.

“I make games too.”

“No way. Even Yoorim noona?”

“Yes.”

But I never told him to call me noona. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.

I puffed out my chest and boasted,

“I’ve made not just one, but two games!”

“Two games?”

“*Fantasy Life* and *Excel Busters*.”

Kim In-ho shut his mouth.

Well, he wouldn’t know.

“The sales for both were so poor that it’s understandable if he hasn’t heard of them.”

“I’ll definitely check them out when I get home.”

Did he really promise? If the download numbers stay the same, I might cry.

Kim In-ho let out a cheerful sigh as he finished his coffee.

He seemed to be in a good mood after our satisfying conversation.

By the way…

I stared intently at Kim In-ho.

A young man whose dream is to become a game developer, working part-time at a movie theater, and whose favorite game is *A Night of Magic*.

He didn’t stand out much, but he had a character depth that could be useful someday.

Just in case, I should mention it.

“Kim In-ho.”

“Feel free to call me ‘noona.’”

“In-ho.”

“Isn’t that already casual?”

“Can I use you as inspiration for a character in my game later?”

“…Me?”

I nodded, genuinely serious about my offer.

Seeing this, Kim In-ho answered firmly.

“I’m fine with it. I don’t have any demands. We’re both developers, after all. We should help each other out and support our customers.”

“Of course I have to survive.”

“What do you want?”

At my question, Kim In-ho’s eyes widened, as if he was expecting a grand request.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and spoke.

“Can I use you as a reference for my character design?”

“That won’t work.”

“… Is that not allowed?”

“I’m already using it. Oh, but you can change the hair color or eye color. In visual novels, those two changes usually make the character feel like a different person, right?”

“That could work.”

Kim In-ho stared at me with his mouth agape. I stood up from my seat and said,

“You have to let me know when your game comes out!”

Today’s harvest:

A suitable friend for character inspiration—secured.