1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 28



Only Noblemtl

Episode 28 – Variations on Play

“Oh, you were composing music? Are you Oppa?”

“Yeah.”

My second son, who found out the source of the ear-roiling music that he couldn’t stand after listening to for a few seconds while passing by to get a drink of water, just stared at the wall.

On the contrary, I looked out the window and saw the moonlight shining brightly. The moonlight that had seemed to give me such bright and beautiful images was now something I resented.

“Why are you suddenly composing?”

There was a moment of silence, then the second one asked.

I couldn’t bear to look at my brother’s face, so I pointed to the computer and said.

“I need background music for the game ···.”

“ah···.”

Silence again.

Unable to bear the silence, I mustered up my courage and asked.

“Was it that bad?”

“yes.”

The second one nodded and answered briefly.

What a ruthless guy. He knows that his older brother used to do it, and yet he says it’s not good out of the blue.

The youngest one always looks at you in a gloomy and indifferent way. But deep down, I was supporting you, the second oldest one!

As I was tightly shutting my eyes and making a gloomy expression like a court official who had accepted poison, my second son opened his mouth with difficulty.

“That melody development and harmony···.”

“Melody and harmony···?”

I listened intently, waiting for the next words. But the second one was hesitating.

I asked a slightly leading question.

“Don’t you think it’ll be okay if you work on it a little? Where do you think it’ll be good to work on? It’s okay. You’re a much better expert on music than I am. Be honest.”

First, try to calm down the second child. The second child is sensitive and delicate.

If I can upgrade my music like this little by little, it’s a bit of a waste, but it’s a lot more profitable.

“The melody is a bit awkward, and the harmony keeps going off track. So, after just a few bars, my ears are already tired. On top of that, the tempo gets faster as it goes on, so I feel out of breath.”

The second one cut my hopes like a knife.

Is that so? Was it music that you had no expectations of in the first place?

It’s strange. It didn’t sound bad to my ears. To be honest, it sounded pretty good.

“Did you intentionally create dissonance? To create tension in the game?”

“huh!”

I nodded reflexively. I felt a sense of crisis that if I said no to this, both my dignity as an older brother and my authority as a professional game developer would be shaken.

The second one stared at me intently. His eyes were as clear as glass, as if they could pierce right through to my heart.

Eventually I had no choice but to give in.

“No, actually, I was really happy that I was chosen so well.”

“yes···.”

The second one, who had finished confirming the kill, stood up from his seat.

“Then go on with what you were doing. I’m sorry for disturbing you.”

“No, over there. Wait a minute, Soobin!”

I grabbed my brother who was trying to leave. I had already thrown away all authority and pride.

Secondly, I had nothing left to lose. The desperation to salvage something drove me.

“By any chance, is there a way to change that ear-splitting melody into music that clears the ears? I’ll fix everything you tell me to fix.”

“No. I don’t think it’s worth trying to fix it again. No matter how much seasoning and decoration you put on spoiled ingredients, the dish is just spoiled food. It’s inedible.”

What a pitiful guy. How can you say such hurtful words so beautifully? That’s why it hurts even more.

“Okay. Let’s do this. Pick out all the damaged parts. Cut them all out. Then fix them however you want. Feel free. Music is free, right?”

“Music is freedom?”

My brother slightly twisted his head as if it didn’t make sense.

“If you don’t want to fix it, you can just make a new one. How about making a short piece of music that’s 1 minute long, or even 30 seconds long? Then you can just keep making variations on it.”

“Do you think variations are that easy?”

The second one now looked a little angry.

Somehow, I feel like I keep getting scolded by my younger sibling. Whenever the topic of music comes up, I feel like I become smaller in front of my younger sibling.

“There are so many great and beautiful variations. Oppa, have you heard Bach’s ?”

“Goldberg? I’ve heard that name before.”

“My family is really so indifferent. How can I play the piano and not know a single piece of the ? I told you this morning while eating breakfast that I was practicing that piece right now?”

“Oh? Was that so?”

I thought my life was bright after waking up in a wealthy family home, but life isn’t as easy as I thought.

The youngest gets scolded and told to hurry up and make a game. The second oldest gets scolded for not even knowing the music he’s practicing.

But when I asked you to play for me one time, you said no and that you would play it for me when you became more perfect, right?

It’s a bit unfair, but it’s also true that I was indifferent. I need to cheer up the second child first.

He always seemed so arrogant and cool, but it seems like he was actually hoping that people would pay attention to him.

“I’m sorry, Soobin. I don’t know much about music. Then, would you like to play it for me here?”

“Here? At this hour of the night?”

“Yeah, I heard from the youngest that you really cherish the piano. If you really want to play it for me later, then let me play it for you. For now, just play it comfortably here. What do you think?”

“But how about Baha with that?”

“Why? Jihye was having fun with this earlier.”

I also showed my second child the interesting functions and fun sounds of the synthesizer. My second child, who majored in classical piano, seemed to be curious about the synthesizer, as he had never seen one before.

“Then don’t play it, just have fun with it.”

“Are you playing with it?”

“huh.”

The second child, who had been hesitating, eventually sat down in front of the synthesizer. Unlike the youngest, who was obsessed with sound effects and made strange sounds, the second child listened to various virtual instrument sounds and soon began playing music.

A familiar melody flowed out over the sound of the pipe organ.

“Huh? I know this? Canon? Canon variations? Who was it? George Winston?”

“Oh, oppa, you know some music too?”

“Hey, of course, what do you think of me? I also live by listening to music.”

“The last time I saw you, you weren’t dancing at all?”

The second one smiled at me. It’s rare to see the second one smiling.

And yet, his hands continued to play without stopping. The performance was as natural as water flowing, wind blowing, and snow falling. When the performance was over, I applauded in admiration.

“Wow! This is really amazing! Okay, then what do you want me to show you next? Look.”

I used the synthesizer’s functions to press the keys to add drum beats.

Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!

I set the beat to repeat continuously, and then added a melody, also using a pipe organ.

“Huh? This music? I’ve heard it too?”

“It’s Billie Jean. It’s one of the few songs I can play without sheet music. Even if it’s just the introduction.”

“You can put in all the accompaniment by yourself? That’s amazing.”

“Then. The synthesizer has a completely different charm from the piano. There are endless ways to use it. If you want to play with it, come to my room whenever you want. The youngest comes every day, but it’s hard to see Soobin’s face except when he’s eating.”

“Well, I have to practice…”

A shadow passed over the second child’s face again. It seemed that the stress of living as a piano major in the preview was considerable.

“Is practice very difficult?”

“Practice is practice. There are so many friends who are so good at it. If it’s like this in Korea, I can’t even imagine what it would be like in the world.”

Subin’s face darkened. The youngest didn’t seem to be that stressed out because of studying. On the other hand, the second oldest seemed to have jumped into the harsh competition too early.

Myself, who starts from a blank screen with a blinking cursor, and my second self, who has to add my own unique interpretation of the music of masters who are dead and cannot even talk to me, probably have very different concerns.

After my turn, Soobin put her hands on the keyboard again.

“Then what about this song? Do you know this, oppa?”

“Oh, something seems familiar? Was it Mozart?”

“Ding! Handel.”

We continued our conversation while playing music. It’s been over a month since I woke up again, but today is the first time I’ve had such a long conversation with my second son.

“Even though I acted a bit awkward, I’m glad we became closer today, Soobin.”

“Does it seem like that every time I come into the room? Are you doing it on purpose, oppa?”

“No? It’s just the timing. And, Soobin.”

“yes?”

“I don’t know how hard it is for you. I never even went to high school. But I do know this: music is art, but it’s also play.”

“Play? Music?”

“Yeah. Did you have fun playing and playing with the synthesizer with me today? I think that not only music, but all art is originally play. Music, novels, movies, and games.”

“Games are meant to be played, right?”

“Yeah, but at the same time it’s art. Like music.”

“So, do you also have a hard time making games?”

“Me? Of course. Sometimes it’s hard, sometimes I wonder why I’m doing this, sometimes I get bored, and sometimes I hit a wall and really want to give up.”

“Why did you keep doing it? Even though no one told you to? Even though it was so hard?”

“I have yet to find anything more fun than making games.”

I answered.

“To me, making games is another game and play. Can I make a game that will surprise the world? A challenging game. Can I change the game culture in Korea? A challenging game. Sometimes I lose, but that doesn’t matter. If I fail, I can just put in another coin and play another round. I have a lot of money.”

At the end, I said it as a joke, but the second one didn’t laugh. He just looked at me with serious, transparent eyes.

The second one got up from his seat.

“It’s too late. I’m going back to sleep.”

“Oh, right. I guess I should do what I was doing too. Good night.”

I forgot about the idea of ​​enticing my second son to take charge of some music while I was playing with my younger brother. I guess it would have been a failure even if I had tried it anyway.

Still, I felt like I got a step closer to my second child through the synthesizer and music. That alone made the time worth it.

If the music doesn’t work out, you should ask Myeongseong Planning to hire a music director.

“Brother.”

“huh?”

At that moment, my second son, who was about to leave the room, turned around and spoke to me again.

“That… is game background music. Should I try it?”

“What? Really?”

“Yes, I have a friend in the composition department. I just do it for fun like you said.”

“I’m grateful. But honestly, I don’t have much time. Just don’t feel pressured and make it light. A short song is fine.”

“And you keep varying it?”

“Yeah, I like it when there’s a lighthearted vibe, one a little scary, and one tense vibe.”

“That’s a lot to ask. Okay.”

“But Soobin. Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

“Well, it’s so painful to listen to my brother compose music.”

“what?”

The second child, Subin, who kept poking my bones until the end, made me burst into laughter.

But this time, I think it’s half serious and half joking. Of course, I could be mistaken.

***

Seo Soo-bin returned to her room and went to bed. But she couldn’t fall asleep easily.

“Music is play?”

The excuse was that I came out to get a drink of water. I had been curious ever since I heard the youngest laughing and talking strangely in his brother’s room, unlike usual.

There were always a lot of interesting things in her brother’s room. However, it wasn’t easy to approach her brother, whom she hadn’t seen in years. Jihye was really amazed at how she could treat him so casually.

I couldn’t concentrate well while practicing today. I couldn’t fall asleep even when I was lying down in bed. So I went out to the hallway for a moment and heard music coming from my brother’s room. It was a song I heard for the first time, so I was curious.

I tried to go in several times, hesitated, and finally mustered up the courage to knock on the door. And then I said something that made my ears rot.

Sure, the music wasn’t all that good, but it wasn’t that bad.

At school, I found myself saying those words without even realizing it because my teacher always said, “Your ears are going to rot.” Fortunately, my brother didn’t seem too upset.

My brother showed me his synthesizer. It was a really amazing machine with so many functions. The sound can’t compare to a real instrument, but it was amazing that one keyboard key could produce so many different instrument sounds.

Playing around with the synthesizer showed me a new side of my brother.

He was the type of brother who would stay in his room and never come out, and who would constantly lower the mood in the house. He was the type of brother who always had all the attention in the house.

I was so surprised when my brother, whom I missed but also hated at the same time, came out of the room.

But he said he was going to make a game. I thought it was really typical of him to be so immature. He always thinks only of himself.

After watching and talking to him a little today, I realized that my brother still thinks and lives.

“You want me to play with music?”

Soobin quietly thought about her brother’s words.

Have you ever enjoyed music since entering high school?

No, I don’t think there ever was.

To catch the teacher’s eye, to surpass the friend next to you, to touch the heels of great musicians.

It was just about studying the scores, listening to pianists play, and practicing, practicing, practicing.

I felt so strange playing the synthesizer and laughing and talking with my brother. When I play the piano, all my nerves are on edge.

“Hurt pride.”

I was taught about music by my brother, who only knew how to play games after spending years in his room. But strangely enough, I didn’t hate it.

“I’m not good at playing the piano, and I’m really bad at composing music.”

Soobin laughed when she thought of her brother humming along to the music he composed.

She closed her eyes and recalled the scene from in her mind. The notes rolled to the rhythm. She tapped her fingers on the bed and played the notes. The melody flowed out of her mouth on its own.

Are you okay?

I wasn’t sure. But I thought it was at least 200 times better than the music my brother made.