1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 46



Only Noblemtl

46 – Coding Test

Two weeks ago.

“Will that work? Wrap it a little tighter.”

Members of the Korea University of Science and Technology’s computer research club, Tobagi, gathered to submit their applications to Starbeat.

They went through and revised their handwritten resumes and self-introductions together, and Park Geon-hyung wrote an introduction about the Tobagi club as the representative, and Hyun Woo-seok wrote an explanation book for the game .

He put the carefully folded documents into a large envelope, and finally, he put in a floppy disk containing the MSX2 vertical scrolling shooting game they had developed, Moon Force.

At first, I wrapped the floppy disk case in a handkerchief, but then I wrapped it tightly again in a towel just in case the disk broke due to any impact.

“Okay, so I didn’t miss anything? Then let’s go check it out.”

After checking the post office box address on the envelope more than ten times, Park Geon-hyeong finally sent the application form by parcel from the post office.

“Whew…! Everyone worked hard. Now let’s calmly wait for the results.”

The members who followed me to the post office felt like they had overcome a huge mountain. They were still college students and had never applied to a company before.

After completing the registration, each day felt very long for the members of Tobagi.

“Geonhyung! Pick up the phone. What company is it?”

Finally, a call came to the dormitory looking for Park Geon-hyung. It was a call from Starbeat.

“Congratulations. Mr. Park Geon-hyung and four others have all passed the first round of document screening.”

“Eww!”

“Yay!!!”

When Park Geon-hyung drew a circle with his hand, the other members of the group cheered. The sound was clearly heard by Manager Park Chung-shin on the other end of the phone.

Manager Park Chung-shin gave Park Geon-hyeong detailed information on the interview method, schedule, location, etc.

“The test time is quite long. Please prepare well in advance.”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

“Then I’ll see you at the interview.”

“Thank you! Thank you, Manager.”

Park Geon-hyeong kept bowing his head and greeting people even though they couldn’t see him.

However, unlike the other members of Tobagi who were smiling and enjoying themselves, Park Geon-hyung’s face after he hung up the phone was very serious.

“Brother, why are you like that?”

“Aren’t we stuck together?”

“The documents are attached. So, let’s all prepare for the interview now.”

“Right now?”

“Yeah, it’s not a regular interview. It’s a coding test.”

“Coding test? What is that?”

“Isn’t it like a computer competition? They give you a problem and you have to solve it by coding?”

“It’s similar. If you’re given a problem, you code it within a given time, save it on a diskette, and submit it. The language is MSX assembly or C. You can choose one of the two. So it’s similar to a competition.”

“Wow, seriously. The interview is like a competition? That’s amazing. But what about the computer? Do we have to take it?”

“No, they said they’d be ready for the interview? We just need to show up. But they said the exam is long so they’ll be taking it all afternoon.”

“I don’t have to bring a computer. That’s a good thing. But it’s a bit awkward because it’s not my computer.”

“I need to go quickly and get used to it in advance.”

“What kind of problem will arise, Hyung Geon?”

“I don’t know about that. But whatever it is, it won’t be easy.”

“I guess so.”

All the members nodded.

“Let’s go. Let’s go over the basics of assembly again. Let’s show the pride of a science and technology college student!”

“Let’s show it!”

“Come on! Come on!”

They gathered in front of their computers again. Their curiosity and awe for the company grew as they heard that they would be tested on coding in the form of a computer competition.

All members were filled with a burning desire to pass.

***

“Congratulations. You have passed the document screening. I will guide you to the interview.”

Manager Park Chung-shin spent hours on the phone, calling each person who passed the document screening. In the era before the Internet, the only way to notify successful candidates was to post their names on a bulletin board or call them one by one.

It reminds me of when I went to college.

Since it is possible to apply to multiple universities, the college entrance exam is not completely over even after taking the CSAT and completing the regular application period.

Because there are students who pass but do not register, there was still a chance for students on the waiting list with high scores among those who failed.

Friends with higher numbers couldn’t leave their phones from then on. If they didn’t answer the phone when it was their turn, their turn might go to the next person in line.

It wasn’t just one phone call, but even so, if I was unlucky and didn’t get a call, I might not get into college. That one phone call was that important.

Even though it seems inefficient, it is an inevitable thing in this age before the Internet. You can’t visit each person, and if you notify them by mail, you won’t know whether they received the notice or not. In the end, the best solution is to call.

Now our company is also busy preparing for interviews.

I was planning to conduct a coding test to weed out the candidates.

There was a lot to prepare for taking a coding test for dozens of people. You needed a space to take the test, and you needed computers and monitors for the number of people.

We mobilized as many computers as we could, borrowed what we needed, and purchased a few more because that wasn’t enough. After all, once we recruited developers and art staff, we’d all need computers.

I also became busier several times over. While planning , developing , and checking the progress of the office building interior, I thought about the coding test problems.

Since this is a test that we have prepared for with great difficulty and know what kind of mindset the people applying to our company have, we could never give the questions lightly.

– I was impressed by the fact that such games are possible in our country. I’m embarrassed to say this, but I don’t have money to buy a computer, so I go around to computer stores and touch them. You don’t have to pay me a salary. If you just let me work, I won’t even mind cleaning toilets. I really want to work.

– I still remember the first time I played Space Invaders at the Jongro arcade when I was a college student. I was as nervous as when I met my first love, Miyoung, in middle school. Even after I got a job at the computer company of my dreams, I always felt something was missing, and now I know why.

– I like computers more than eating or sleeping. I was often told to stop using computers at home. However, I liked computers so much that I couldn’t stop. What I like better than computers are computer games. showed me that my dream was not wrong. I want to burn my whole body and make games!

I, too, have been blinded by games since I was young. I only lived my life focusing on game development and even regressed after I died, but even in this day and age, there are people who truly love games and computers and are serious about game development.

However, Korean games had to wait a long time for the Internet era to arrive for various reasons, such as the time was not yet ripe, the technology gap was too large, there was a lack of capital, and people’s perception.

In that gap of time, countless talents would have failed to blossom properly and disappeared without being discovered.

I was excited to come back to this era and have the chance to pursue my dreams. But when I looked through people’s application forms, I realized that it wasn’t just my dream.

The world was not mine alone.

Not only for me, but there were so many unfulfilled dreams in the world.

Now that I have been given the authority to look closely at the pieces of that dream, I cannot afford to neglect them. I must gather the pieces that fit me and challenge myself to a reckless dream that transcends the times.

Maybe that’s why I came back.

I worked hard to create coding test problems. I mainly created problems that required mathematical thinking along with programming skills, mainly by creating parts of the game myself.

Just as we put our best effort into making games, developers should also put their best effort into selecting their own players.

It’s a way for the world to repay a little bit of what it’s like to be born into a wealthy family and run a gaming company with such luxury.

***

Sunday morning with a StarBeat developer coding test.

Ha Ji-seok woke up in the Gemini Game Lab with a grumpy face.

I came straight to the lab after school on Saturday and worked all night on a game. I filled up my weekend quota in advance so I could leave work in the afternoon and go to the Starbeat coding test.

I applied half in doubt, but my mother called to tell me that I had been accepted. Since Ha Ji-seok had already formed a club with his friends and created games in middle school, his mother was already in a state of utter confusion in front of her son.

The agreement with my mother was that I should do whatever I wanted, but please finish high school because I didn’t want to go to college.

Hearing that there was a coding test, Ha Ji-seok started looking through programming magazines and books again. Seeing Ha Ji-seok like that, Jeong Byeong-cheol asked.

“Jiseok, why are you so enthusiastic these days? Your coding speed has suddenly increased, and you’re looking up books diligently. I heard that game development isn’t fun.”

“Oh, that’s because the interview was scheduled.”

Ha Ji-seok, who was young and clueless, answered the question exactly as it was asked. After saying it, he felt ashamed of himself.

“Oh? Oh, so you applied in the end. That’s amazing that you got in. As expected, Ji-seok’s skills are really amazing.”

“I don’t know yet. I took a coding test during the interview. I have to pass that to pass.”

“Coding tests? Do you look at those too?”

Ha Ji-seok answered honestly since the topic had already been brought up. Jeong Byeong-cheol, who had been asking questions about this and that, ordered Ha Ji-seok to keep his mouth shut.

“Don’t tell anyone else about this. The team atmosphere is already tense, and if you go to Seo Namjoon instead of somewhere else, everyone will be shaken up. You definitely shouldn’t tell the CEO. Just stick with it and leave quietly.”

“Yes, I will never tell the boss.”

Even though he was oblivious, Ha Ji-seok nodded, knowing that much. After the coding test schedule was set, Ha Ji-seok worked several times harder than before.

was also nearing completion. Although it was a copy of a Nintendo game, it was still something I had been doing, so I wanted to finish it as well as possible even if I had to leave.

But today, strangely, a meeting was scheduled late on Sunday morning. While Jeong Byeong-cheol was checking the work history, President Kim Ho-seung showed up at the lab.

“Hmm, that’s okay. I think we can release it soon. How about trying it with Thumb? Is it not as good as you thought?”

“Yeah, that’s kind of true.”

Kim Ho-seung looked satisfied as he turned the game around. Ha Ji-seok opened his mouth.

“That boss.”

“Hey, why Ji-seok?”

“What if I add one more stage to the game?”

“Extra stages? Is there a hidden stage we couldn’t find?”

“No. That’s not it. It’s an original stage that doesn’t exist in the original game. Since we’re making it, we thought it would be fun to add our own content. How about transforming into a mushroom? It would be fun to transform into an enemy you’ve been fighting. I’ve been thinking about a way to do it…”

“No. Don’t think about it. Don’t even think about useless things like copying what’s already there and making it well.”

“uh···.”

“This isn’t a game that we’re making alone. If we add something like that and it delays things, it’ll be a huge loss. And since it’s a game that we’re making by copying anyway, what’s the point of asking for originality? Okay, let’s all have lunch together. Should we order Chinese food?”

Kim Ho-seung cut off Ha Ji-seok’s opinion with a single stroke. Jeong Byeong-cheol, who had said that Ha Ji-seok’s idea was good yesterday, became a dumb person who had eaten honey and only called the Chinese restaurant.

The food arrived within minutes of calling. We laid out newspapers on the floor, turned the jajangmyeon over, and set the table in an orderly manner, and finished lunch in 10 minutes.

Ha Ji-seok had only eaten about half of his food, but everyone else seemed to be finishing their meals and cleaning up, so he put his chopsticks down.

Kim Ho-seung was sitting on the sofa, picking his teeth while reading a newspaper spread on the floor. Ha Ji-seok steeled himself and approached Kim Ho-seung and spoke.

“Excuse me, boss.”

“Why again?”

“I think I’ll have to go out this afternoon because I have something to do at home. I’ve already done everything I had to do this week. I even checked with Byung-chul.”

“Really? If you finish your work quickly, you should take care of other people’s work too. That way, you’ll finish it faster. Why are you the only one who gets left out? Why are you always so selfish?”

“No, I just have something to do at home today···.”

“What housework? What’s going on?”

“That’s because my mom asked me to go somewhere with her. To a relative’s house…”

“Are you going to your relative’s house for an interview?”

“yes?”

At that moment, Ha Ji-seok’s body froze.

The fact that he was going to Starbeat for an interview was known only to Jeong Byeong-cheol at the company. He even told the CEO to keep it a secret.

Ha Ji-seok felt like he had been hit in the back of the head with a hammer.

“That kid. I thought you were working hard these days, but anyway, you really are a selfish kid. Where are you going to get away by yourself? Hey! Do I look like such a retard to you? Huh? Where did that kid who learned from me and ate with me go to Seo Namjoon?”

“I didn’t learn much. I did eat, though.”

“What the? Hey, this kid is for real!”

Kim Ho-seung raised his hand and slapped Ha Ji-seok on the cheek.

There was no room to avoid it.

Clap! With a sharp sound, Ha Ji-seok’s thick glasses flew to the floor.

Ha Ji-seok was surprised and fell over.

“This little brat! Are you going to repay the favor of raising me with enmity? You little brat of the world!”

“Oh my, boss! Please be patient. The child is still young!”

When Kim Ho-seung kicked Ha Ji-seok, who had fallen, Jeong Byeong-cheol quickly ran over and stopped him.

“That little punk. Anyway, guys like that who grew up without a father are a piece of cake. Hey! Everyone, listen to me!”

Kim Ho-seung spoke loudly and grumbled to the programmers.

“Today, Ji-seok and everyone else can’t leave here even once. I’ll be here working, so check what you’ve done again later tonight. And Ha-ji-seok, don’t even think about going out! What? Starbeat? That’s so funny and ridiculous.”

Kim Ho-seung confiscated Ha Ji-seok’s bag and wallet. Then he sat down on the living room sofa and opened up the ledger and started looking through it.

Ha Ji-seok couldn’t even protest and went back to his room and sat in front of the computer.

I felt heat on my cheek where I was hit, and my body started to tingle.

But I didn’t really feel the pain. I had no idea what was going on, how it happened, or why it happened.

Instead, a sense of betrayal, sadness, and inexplicable resentment boiled up inside me.

Ha Ji-seok sat in front of the computer and shed tears without realizing it.

He couldn’t tell whether the tears were because of Jeong Byeong-cheol, Kim Ho-seung, or Star Beat who had blown the opportunity. The tears just kept flowing.

Ha Ji-seok croaked, trying not to cry.

Other programmers came into the room and sat down in front of their computers. They were all looking at their own monitors, but their attention was focused on Ha Ji-seok.

Jeong Byeong-cheol, who had been trying hard to ignore the sound, picked up Ha Ji-seok’s glasses that had fallen in the living room. He checked Kim Ho-seung’s expression, closed the door gently, and handed the glasses to Ha Ji-seok.

“Really…, hyung did that?”

Ha Ji-seok, who had received the glasses, asked with a sob. Jeong Byeong-cheol turned his head away, unable to answer.

“Don’t cry, Inma.”

Jeong Byeong-cheol offered him a tissue, but Ha Ji-seok just pushed it away. And then, unable to hold it in any longer, he just started crying out loud.

Jeong Byeong-cheol just watched the scene quietly, and the programmers just sighed.

Jeong Byeong-cheol, who was watching Ha Ji-seok, got up from his seat and handed him something.

“Jiseok. Stop crying and take this.”

“No need.”

“It’s not toilet paper. It’s money.”

Ha Ji-seok looked up at Jeong Byeong-cheol with a face full of tears and asked what he meant.

“You know? There’s no security window in this room. I told the boss that there’s no security window in this room, so let’s put one up, but he said, why spend money on something so useless? Who would come and go here when the window is so small? But you know, Ji-seok, you’re small.”

“yes?”

“If you really want to go, go. I thought this was for you. But today, I don’t think it was. Here, I’ll give you ten thousand won, so use this for transportation. Do you know how to get there?”

Ha Ji-seok received the money while wiping away his tears. None of the other programmers opened their mouths.

“Don’t worry about it, go. I’ll take care of the rest. I’ll go out and get the boss’s attention, so open the window and go out. Then go and take the test and pass confidently. It’s too late for us to turn back now, but Ji-seok, you won’t be able to do it yet.”

“Brother Byeong-cheol···.”

“I’m really sorry. Really. Stick with me.”

Jeong Byeong-cheol patted Ha Ji-seok’s small shoulders with both hands and left the room.

“Sir, I have something to tell you. Is that okay?”

“What is it?”

While Jeong Byeong-cheol was continuing to tell Kim Ho-seung trivial stories, Ha Ji-seok folded ten thousand won bills, put them in his pants, quietly opened the window, and went outside.

The window was small and narrow enough for even a skinny Haji-seok to get out, but his brothers helped him out from behind.

“Go well. Stay close.”

The programmers whispered to Haji Seok, who had gone out into the hallway through the window.

Ha Ji-seok ran without a coat or shoes. Then, as soon as he got out, he caught a taxi and headed to the interview room.

“Sir, hurry! Hurry! I’ll give you all of this!”

“Oh, man. Got it! Hold on tight!”

The taxi Ha Ji-seok rode in raced down the road like crazy without even turning on the meter and arrived at the interview location in no time. It was in front of the headquarters of Myeongseong Group.

[Starbeat Developer Coding Test Location: Basement Auditorium]

At the main gate, there was a sign and an arrow-shaped sticker on the floor. Ha Ji-seok gave the taxi driver ten thousand won and quickly ran down to the auditorium.

His feet were wet and muddy because it had snowed a few days ago.

“I’m here! Ha Ji-seok! It’s Ha Ji-seok!”

“Hey! You came here like that? How did you get here? And your shoes?”

“The shoes are, uh, the boss is in the living room.”

“Boss? What are you talking about? It’s still cold outside. You don’t have a coat. And what’s wrong with your face? I have a few hours left to take the test.”

Manager Song, who was at the reception desk, put the scarf he was wearing around Ha Ji-seok.

“Here, put these on too. It’s a good thing I brought extra slippers. I can just put on my shoes.”

Manager Song took off the slippers he was wearing and gave them to Ha Ji-seok. The slippers fit Ha Ji-seok perfectly, despite his small stature.

“Ah···, thank you.”

“You’re still a student, but judging from the documents you’ve submitted, you must be very talented. Hurry up and go in. The test will start soon. Cheer up. Fighting!”

“Fighting!”

Ha Ji-seok followed Manager Song, clenched his fists, opened the door, and entered the underground auditorium.

The auditorium was lined with dozens of computers on rows of desks, and people sat nervously in front of them, waiting for their coding tests. There was one empty seat in the corner.

“Oh, the last person has arrived. Please take the empty seat.”

Everyone turned their heads to look at Ha Ji-seok. Ha Ji-seok sat down in front of the computer with a pounding heart.

A black Jewoo Electronics MSX2 computer. Although Ha Ji-seok didn’t know it, it was the computer that Seo Nam-joon used at home when developing .

“It’s Seo Namjoon, Seo Namjoon.”

“It’s the real Seo Nam Joon.”

When he heard people talking, he raised his head and saw a familiar face on the podium holding a microphone.

“Hello. Thank you to everyone who came all this way to participate in today’s coding test. I am Seo Nam-joon, the CEO of Starbeat.”

When Seo Nam-joon greeted them, the people applauded loudly.

“There are many problems in the coding test. You can solve them all, or you can solve only the ones you are confident in. Solving them all unconditionally does not mean that you will get a high score. Rather, the way you approach and solve the problems is important. We will look at whether you can see the structure of the program, whether you understand mathematics properly, and whether you can apply it to programming. Of course, we will select those with outstanding skills, but we also plan to hire those who show potential in the future. Please show us your true skills without hesitation.”

Manager Park Chung-shin distributed copied test questions to people.

Manager Park Chung-shin nodded after checking that the test papers were properly delivered to everyone.

Sunday, 2:03 p.m. Seo Nam-joon declared.

“Now, let’s start the coding test.”