Chapter 23
As the brief lunch break ended, I headed to the meeting room where I'd arranged to meet the two of them.
In each hand, I carried a coffee carrier.
I knew how annoying it was to face your boss right after lunch, hence my choice.
Entering the meeting room slightly earlier than the appointed time, I immediately sensed the awkward atmosphere.
"Oh... Senior, you're here?"
"Y-you're early..."
"The meeting before this wrapped up quicker than expected. More importantly, did something happen between you two?"
"No?"
"N-nothing happened..."
Though they both denied it, their contrasting reactions made it clear something had occurred.
"Look, conflicts between departments during meetings are natural. Just tell me what's going on. If I can help, I'll smooth things over."
Seeing my confident demeanor, Ye-rin seemed to realize there was no point in hiding it. She sighed and explained the situation.
"So you're not exactly fighting, but your positions are so different that as you kept talking, emotions ran high and things got awkward. Is that it?"
"Yes. You've summed it up well."
"Th-that's right..."
With both of them agreeing, I approached the whiteboard mounted on the wall.
"Alright, one at a time, present your argument with supporting evidence. I'll listen, organize the points, and make a judgment."
"Who should go first?"
"Ye-rin, you start."
At that, Ye-rin began her explanation with a composed expression.
I diligently wrote down Ye-rin's arguments on the whiteboard.
"That should be enough. Seol, you're next."
When her turn came, Seol started explaining with a voice tinged with unusual confidence.
After they both finished, I pulled the whiteboard, now filled with their points, to the front.
"So, Ye-rin, you want to use the Chae-hwa High School's Enforcement Department members for the first event to capitalize on Roa's ongoing pickup and increase interest, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"On the other hand, Seol, you want to use the Capilla Academy's Student Council for the first event to connect the main story with event stories and flesh out storylines we couldn't cover due to length constraints, correct?"
Seol nodded in response.
After hearing both of their opinions, I felt like I was sinking into a quagmire myself.
Both had solid reasons for making their group the event's focus.
Ye-rin's suggestion could leverage the synergy between the Enforcement Department event and Roa's pickup, as she was the department head.
Conversely, Seol's proposal could complement the main story by expanding on plot points we had to cut and introduce new story hooks.
Caught between their expectant gazes, I found myself unable to choose and opted for an escape route.
"Have you asked anyone else besides me?"
"No."
"Asking other team members would be a bit..."
"Then how about we ask Yu-mi? The PM might be able to make a more objective judgment than me."
After a moment's consideration, both nodded at my suggestion.
I was relieved my off-the-cuff proposal had been well-received.
Before they could change their minds, I quickly pulled out my smartphone and called Yu-mi to the meeting room.
About five minutes after I called her...
There was a knock, and Yu-mi entered the meeting room.
"You called for me, Director?"
"Yu-mi, you're here? I have something to ask you. Have a seat."
"Okay."
As Yu-mi sat down next to Seol, I gestured towards the whiteboard.
"We need to decide on the main characters for our first event in the next update, but opinions are divided. Which side do you think is right?"
"Hmm... So the top is Ye-rin unni's opinion, and the bottom is Seol unni's, right?"
"That's right."
Yu-mi read the whiteboard contents with an unusually serious expression, then spoke up.
"I think Ye-rin unni's suggestion is the right way to go."
The two reacted polar opposites to Yu-mi's decision.
"Really?!"
Ye-rin had thrown aside her usual cool demeanor and looked genuinely pleased.
"Wh-why...?"
Seol wore an expression of betrayal as she looked at Yu-mi.
"Y-Yu-mi... You're joking, right...? Why...?"
Yu-mi shrugged at Seol's question and replied.
"From a user's perspective, I was drawn to Seol unni's idea, but from a PM's viewpoint, Ye-rin unni's suggestion is far more appealing."
"A-appealing...?"
Nodding at Seol's incredulous response, Yu-mi continued.
"If the event story features Chae-hwa High School's Enforcement Department, it can tie in with Roa, the current pickup character. This might make users who weren't planning to roll for Roa reconsider."
"..."
"Ultimately, increased interest in Roa will lead to higher sales. Considering the Enforcement Department's popularity, as a PM, I can't help but agree with Ye-rin unni's opinion."
Seol slumped in her chair, looking shell-shocked at Yu-mi's explanation.
"So the seniors were right... PMs are the enemy of planners... PMs are the enemy of planners... PMs are the enemy of planners..."
Seeing this, Yu-mi and Ye-rin flinched and scooted away from Seol slightly.
"S-Senior, I think Seol unni's lost it..."
"Seol unni has broken down..."
As the atmosphere grew increasingly chaotic, I decided it was time to intervene. I clapped my hands to refocus everyone's attention.
"Alright, everyone calm down. How about we do this?"
After a brief pause to ensure the room had quieted, I continued.
"For now, I think it's best if we go with Ye-rin's suggestion for the event members. I agree it's the right direction."
"...I understand. A promise is a promise..."
"However, Seol's idea is too good to just discard."
Seol, who had been looking dejected, blinked in confusion at my words.
"...Pardon?"
"I mean the Student Council story. How about we make it a separate sub-story instead of an event?"
"Um, but... we don't have sub-story content in our update plans, do we...?"
"Probably not, no."
"Then how...?"
I shrugged at Seol's question.
"It's not a particularly difficult feature to implement. If I talk to Myung-hoon hyung, he'll probably figure something out."
I felt a twinge of guilt thinking about Myung-hoon and the development team, who were likely already stretched thin with the Android version development. But there was no other way to restore Seol's morale.
"If you could do that, it would be perfect..."
"Alright, I'll talk to Myung-hoon hyung as soon as possible."
"Th-thank you..."
Relieved to see Seol's expression brighten, I turned my attention to Ye-rin.
"So, it seems we've settled the event member issue. How long do you think the work will take?"
Ye-rin pondered for a moment before answering.
"Actually, most of the work is already done. We just need to finish the banner illustration and a few event scenes, so at most 2-3 days...?"
"Wait, you've already done most of the work?"
"...I had a feeling my idea would be approved."
Seol and I could only stare in disbelief at Ye-rin's brazen admission.
"...What's the big deal? It turned out to be a masterstroke, didn't it?"
"Fine... whatever. Yu-mi and Ye-rin, you can go now."
"Okay."
"I'll finish the banner illustration quickly and send it to you for review."
"Sure."
As Yu-mi and Ye-rin left the meeting room, I turned to Seol.
"Do you have any ideas sketched out for the Capilla Academy Student Council sub-story?"
"Ah, well... yes."
"...Really?"
"I-I thought it might come in handy if I had something prepared..."
It seemed Seol, like Ye-rin, had also prepared in advance.
"Alright, there's nothing wrong with having ideas ready. Don't worry about it and get back to work."
Seol nodded, her expression brightening at my words.
Then, as if she had something else to say, she shyly raised her hand.
"Um, Director...!"
"Yeah, what is it?"
"One of our planning team members has a proposal I'd like you to look at..."
"Oh? Do you have the proposal with you?"
"Yes... here it is."
I checked the proposal Seol handed me. The title read:
"Girls Memorial 3D Modeling Project...?"
Tilting my head, I began to read the contents of the proposal.
"Let's see... So they want to use advanced 3D tools to create 3D models of Girls Memorial characters and use them for various content?"
"Yes...! They suggested we could add animations to the 3D models and create videos for simple announcements or depict the characters' daily lives in the game world."
My initial reaction to the proposal Seol handed me was surprise.
The contents of the proposal definitely showed foresight.
Considering how many subculture mobile games used short-form video platforms in my previous life, this was certainly a proposal worth considering.
"I'll review this a bit more. Do you have anything else to report?"
"N-no... That's all!"
"Alright, you can go now. Good work today."
"You too, Director...!"
Seol bowed her head and left the meeting room.
With everyone gone, silence fell over the room.
Only then could I sit down in a chair and let out a sigh.
The source of my new worry was the proposal Seol had left behind.
"Looks like I'll be busy for a while..."