Chapter 5
Myung-hoon's Monday morning commute was pure hell from the start.
The reason? An HR email that landed just before the golden hour of Friday's clock-out.
As a 10-year senior developer at Enson GT, personnel shifts were as routine as breathing. Normally, such an email wouldn't faze him, but this transfer was different.
Shifting someone who's only ever developed PC games to a mobile game team? Are they out of their minds?
To top it off, rumors were swirling that the development director for this newly formed mobile game team was an outsider. Myung-hoon was on the verge of losing it.
Did I screw up somewhere? I thought I was on good terms with HR...
Barely managing to push thoughts of job-hunting out of his mind, he pressed the elevator button.
Not the familiar 5th floor where the PC game development team resided, but one floor up – the 6th.
Passing through the eerily quiet 6th-floor corridor instead of the bustling 5th he knew so well, Myung-hoon knocked on the door labeled "Mobile Game Development Team."
"Come in!"
An unfamiliar female voice reached his ears.
Who could that be?
Tilting his head at the strange voice he'd never heard before, he entered to find an unfamiliar female employee organizing her desk.
About 160cm tall?
A neat mod cut reaching her shoulders,
Sharp yet undeniably beautiful features with a composed expression.
She was the kind of beauty you'd do a double-take for on the street, but definitely not a face he'd seen around Enson GT before.
"Can I help you with something?"
"Well, you see..."
At that moment, as the office door opened and people started pouring in, Myung-hoon's eyes began to tremble uncontrollably.
W-women...?
Women in front.
Women behind.
The entire office was filled with women.
Myung-hoon felt his breath catch in his throat.
***
"...What's going on here?"
Arriving at the office as instructed yesterday, I found what looked like team members crowded at the entrance.
"Don't just stand around the entrance, please come inside the office!"
After roughly directing traffic, I entered the office and started to see the faces of the team members.
"First, please check your assigned seats as per the company email sent last night, and gather in the conference room in 10 minutes!"
The team members dispersed without protest, each searching for their desk.
I exchanged a quick nod with Ye-rin, who had arrived early and was organizing her desk, before heading to the conference room ahead of the others.
Normally, a PM would handle all this setup, but since we're all meeting for the first time...
I placed copies of the project proposal at each seat, adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature, and even set out canned coffee. As I finished, team members started trickling in one by one.
The first to enter was, unsurprisingly, Lee Ye-rin, with whom I felt the least awkward.
"When you first arrived, did the other employees say anything?"
"Not really. They just asked if I was new, and when I said I was part of this team, they didn't say much else."
"Is that so? That's a relief, at least."
I'd been a bit worried about Ye-rin facing some hazing after what the Producer told me yesterday... but thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case.
"Go ahead and take a seat for now."
As Ye-rin nodded and sat down, I waited briefly before the door opened and the next person entered.
Messy yet somehow styled bedhead,
Thick, horn-rimmed glasses that made you wonder if he could even see,
A loose white collared t-shirt prioritizing comfort above all else,
A scrawny build that suggested breathing was his only form of exercise.
The clincher was how his eyes darted around, as if avoiding Ye-rin's gaze. I felt a surge of confidence.
Producer... you weren't kidding when you said you'd send an ace.
"Nice to meet you. Are you Kim Myung-hoon?"
"That's right."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Ji Ho-jin, the director in charge of the new mobile game development team."
"I'm Kim Myung-hoon, transferred to the mobile game development team."
I knew it was a stereotypical and potentially rude assumption, but... he gave off a strong "skilled programmer" vibe.
"Please have a seat and wait for now."
After Myung-hoon nodded, I seated him as far from Ye-rin as possible. Just then, the door opened and the rest of the team poured in.
"Oh, hello everyone!"
"...Nice to meet you."
"I'll introduce everyone properly later, so for now, please take any seat you like."
Once everyone was seated, I scanned the room before speaking.
"Hello everyone, allow me to introduce myself formally. I'm Ji Ho-jin, the director in charge of the mobile game development department starting today. It's a pleasure to meet you all."
As soon as I finished, applause erupted in the conference room.
"Alright, alright, let's save the applause for later... First, I'll introduce our team members one by one. Ye-rin, you're up."
At my cue, Ye-rin came forward, bowed her head in greeting, and began to speak.
"Hello, I'm Lee Ye-rin, the art director for the mobile game development team. I have a lot to learn, but I look forward to working with you all."
As Ye-rin finished and bowed her head, applause broke out just as it had for me.
I'd expected some pushback within the team, given that she was an experienced hire brought in at the director level... but thankfully, there didn't seem to be any negative reactions.
After Ye-rin returned to her seat, Kim Myung-hoon was up next.
"Hello, I'm Kim Myung-hoon, transferred to the mobile game development team as TD after working in the PC game development team for 10 years. I, uh, look forward to working with you all..."
He started confidently, but his voice grew smaller as if he was running out of breath.
Probably because all the team members in front of him were women...
After Myung-hoon received his applause and returned to his seat with some words of encouragement, the next person came forward.
"Hello everyone! I'm Kang Yu-mi, the business PM transferred from the business team to the mobile game development team! I'm 23 years old, blood type B! I'm here to support you all with everything I've got! Looking forward to working with you all!"
"......"
She received the same applause as everyone else, but the atmosphere was somehow... different.
More like a fourth-dimensional being than an E-type social butterfly...
"...Did you speak like this when working in the business team as well?"
"Of course not! Even I know how to separate work and personal life!"
"...Could you try introducing yourself in a more business-like manner?"
"Hello! I'm Kang Yu-mi, joining as the business PM for the mobile game planning department! It's great to meet you all!"
"Oh..."
Her diction was so perfect she could've passed for a news anchor, making me wonder if her earlier persona was just an act.
Once again, I could keenly feel how much the Executive Producer was betting on this project.
You weren't kidding when you said you'd fill the team with aces...
As I was inwardly marveling, Yu-mi returned to her seat, and the last team member nervously approached the front of the conference room.
"H-hello... I'm Yoon Seol, starting today as the creative director for the mobile game development team... N-nice to meet you all..."
"Let's give her a round of applause."
As the applause grew louder at my words, Seol, unable to bear it any longer, quickly bowed her head and scurried back to her seat.
Despite her height and looks drawing attention, her personality seemed to be the complete opposite – shy and introverted.
I'll need to pay extra attention to her mental care.
As I finished organizing my thoughts about the team members, I clapped my hands to focus everyone's attention.
"Alright, listen up. We've done brief introductions, but I'm sure things are still awkward. We'll get to know each other better as we work together. For now, if anyone has any questions, please raise your hand."
No sooner had I finished speaking than an arm shot up.
It was none other than the business PM, Kang Yu-mi.
"It's more of a suggestion than a question. May I?"
"What is it?"
"To be honest, we still feel a bit of distance from you, Director. I think this is because you're acting somewhat formal with us!"
The other team members seemed to agree with Yu-mi's opinion, nodding their heads.
"So, how about speaking more casually with us, like you do with Ye-rin Unnie?"
"Hmm..."
After pondering this surprisingly reasonable suggestion for a moment, I nodded willingly.
I wasn't the type to rule with an iron fist even in my previous workplace projects.
If anything, I was grateful for Yu-mi's suggestion, as I had intentionally maintained a stiff tone due to this being our first meeting.
"Does anyone object to Yu-mi's suggestion or dislike the idea?"
I waited, just in case, but no hands were raised.
"Alright then, let's agree to speak more casually with each other... Seol, could you turn off the lights in the conference room?"
After confirming that Seol had switched off the lights, I activated the beam projector.
A familiar PPT screen appeared on the conference room wall.
"It might seem sudden, but let's start the first meeting for our development project, codenamed 'Project GM.'"