1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 50



Only Noblemtl

Episode 50 – The Ultimatum

“How dare you come here?”

“Boss, the first time we met was last year, and you’ve aged a lot since then.”

Kim Ho-seung shouted in a proud voice, but I said something else.

I’m not lying. In just a few months, Kim Ho-seung seemed to have aged a lot.

“What? Why am I like this… No, that’s not the point. What is it? What are you here to spy on?”

“Would a spy come looking for the boss as soon as he comes in? It’s a bit awkward to talk about it here, so let’s talk inside.”

Two large employees in the store were glaring at me. Manager Mo also looked around for no reason and seemed wary.

“Anyway, kids these days are fearless. Come in. Hey, Miss Kim! Just get me two cups of coffee.”

I followed Kim Ho-seung into the office. Cheonggye Media was no different from any other game shop in Seun, except that it was a bit larger.

But Kim Ho-seung’s office looked expensive at first glance. There was a leather sofa in the middle, and the desk wasn’t the typical office metal desk, but a high-quality wooden desk.

On the bookshelf, he had displayed all the pirated games that Gemini had made so far, as if showing off like trophies.

I took a quick look at the pirated games and sat down. The employee put down some mixed coffee and left again.

“Now there’s no one left to stand in line for electronics? Have you finally come to surrender?”

Kim Ho-seung smoked a cigarette and showed off his arrogance.

“ is being sold to large corporations, so sales are being dispersed. President Jeong is happy that it is finally starting to sell. I have also unintentionally caused some inconvenience to the stores. I came here today for a different reason.”

“What other problems?”

“This is Ha Ji-seok.”

“Who? Ji-seok?”

Kim Ho-seung’s eyes became sharp.

“Jiseok took a coding test at Starbeat a while ago. He passed with excellent scores and was hired. He is now an employee of our company, so don’t call my house again. I came here to tell him about it.”

“What is the baby?

Kim Ho-seung raised his voice in anger, then suddenly looked at me and snickered. It was a laughter.

“Seo Namjoon, you acted so smart and great, but you couldn’t help it. You took our people away? The youngest one, at that? Were you that lacking in people? You weren’t even Byungchul, so why did you gently coax that kid and take him away? Huh?”

“Let me be clear. I didn’t steal it, I came here on my own. And age doesn’t matter in programming. Oh, by the way. You don’t even know what programming is?”

“You’re funny. You were having such a good time here making games, and now you’re suddenly sending me out there? You must have been bewitching the kid with some kind of sweet talk. What about Byung-chul and the others? Since they don’t seem to listen, you’re sending the youngest one. Tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk. What’s wrong with you kid? You’ve already learned only bad things.”

Kim Ho-seung tried to gently tease me. Of course, it didn’t work on me.

“I should be the one to say thank you. If only the boss had been a little more discerning, Ji-seok wouldn’t have come to see me. As it turned out, Ji-seok was wearing a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck.”

“What? On what neck? What necklace? Are you saying I have a pig’s neck right now?”

“Jiseok comes here every day after school to make games, right? He’s here all weekend too. Sometimes he even skips school.”

“It’s natural for a game company to make games. What’s that?”

“Have you ever asked Ji-seok how his grades are in school?”

“Why are you asking that when I’m not even that kid’s father?”

“Sometimes, Ji-seok solves math problems that other people study hard for fun. Just to kill time.”

“What’s that? As long as programmers are good at making games, what does math have to do with it?”

Kim Ho-seung answered in an annoyed tone.

I sighed because this was exactly the reaction I had in mind. I have no idea how games are made, what the programming process is like, or how they are connected to other elements like math, science, literature, and movies, and I have no intention of knowing.

It seems like you really only see games as a way to make money.

How much time has Ji-seok wasted under this kind of boss, not knowing his own talent? How many other talents, other than Je-minan, have been wasted like this?

“Stop talking nonsense and give Ji-seok back. He was our kid from the beginning, and he’s still part of our company. What are you doing? You’re committing industrial espionage. Stealing other people’s talent illegally. Do you know how serious a crime that is? Huh? Do you know how many lawyers I know?”

“Are you a lawyer?”

It was so funny that I couldn’t help but laugh. Kim Ho-seung got even angrier when he saw me like that.

“You little punk? Are you laughing? Do you really want to get sued? Do you want to eat rice and beans?”

Instead of responding, I took a business card out of my pocket and showed it to him. It was the business card of our family’s legal advisor.

Kim Ho-seung was startled when he saw the business card, but he seemed to be trying to act as if nothing had happened.

“If you want to do it through law, try it. You’ll see what happens. As you can see from our business card, we are one of the top four law firms in Korea.”

“You···, you little punk.”

Kim Ho-seung’s voice trembled slightly. I took out another document and showed it to him.

“Since we’re talking about the law, let me show you. This is the employment contract that our company signed with Ha Ji-seok. It has the terms of employment written on it, and you can see the date, Ha Ji-seok’s name, resident registration number, and signature here. Is it true that Ji-seok is still affiliated with Jeminan? Do you have any evidence to prove that?”

“Employment contract? Are you even using something like this? This is really cheap.”

Kim Ho-seung still hasn’t lost his spirit.

It’s been a long time since employment contracts were standardized, so there’s no way I would have used something like that at Jeminan. Rather, I would be seen as a weirdo for using something like this.

“But what kind of contract do you make with students? Does their mother know about this?”

“Of course, I also received consent from the guardian.”

I also showed them the parental consent form. And then I asked.

“You were talking about industrial espionage earlier. If you were such an important person, you must have paid him a lot of money. How much did you pay him a month?”

“Why should I tell you that?”

“I heard that the salary wasn’t fixed but changed every month. Are you really officially hiring them? You didn’t just exploit them by using them however you wanted and occasionally giving them pocket money? Even though they’re students, there are labor laws. Aren’t you taking the world too lightly?”

“Labor law? Hey, are you teaching me right now?”

“It’s not just Jiseok. How many of the developers you met at the Bucheon Research Institute are full-time employees? Do they have health insurance?”

“They’re all in their 20s. What kind of health insurance do they need?”

“Then, since you are an employee and did not pay them their wages properly, you violated the Labor Standards Act and the National Health Protection Act. Since last year, businesses with five or more employees have been required to subscribe to health insurance. As someone who develops games, I can’t just sit by and watch. I will report you, so keep that in mind.”

“What? This guy really wants to see me?”

“But honestly, even if you report it, you’ll probably just get a small fine. Or maybe a recommendation. It won’t do much harm to the boss. It’ll just be the workers who feel bad.”

“Wow, this guy is really giving me sickness and medicine.”

“But what I’m going to talk about from now on is a little different. This is a serious conversation that will affect the lifeline of your business, so don’t just ignore it.”

I straightened my face and spoke to Kim Ho-seung.

“, currently in development. It’s a game copied from Nintendo’s , right?”

“Did Ji-seok run over and tell you? He even has a dirty mouth.”

“Jiseok, there’s no need to make excuses. There’s a rumor going around that a third season will be released in Seun too. They’re spreading the word that once it’s released, the likes of will quickly fade away.”

“Really? This is the first time I’ve heard of it? Well, I guess that’s what people think.”

“I’ll get straight to the point. Do not sell . If you are still developing it, stop it, and if you have produced it, dispose of it all. I am seriously warning you. Stop making pirated copies and make a new game. If you can successfully copy Super Mario, then you must be pretty good at it.”

“Hey! This is really cute. You can say anything because I tell you it’s cute. Who are you to interfere in my business?”

Kim Ho-seung showed his displeasure openly.

Yes, unlike the Ha Ji-seok issue, this is not something I should directly interfere with.

However, is a game that didn’t exist in the past when I was there. At that time, Gemini had started to take notice and stopped making games by copying games from giant game companies like Nintendo.

But the fact that Gemininan and Thumbsoft created this means that they were cornered because of me. So I can’t say that it had nothing to do with me.

Because this game wouldn’t have been made if I hadn’t come back.

“If you’re good at piracy, you can make a decent fortune. But as pirates say, it all ends badly. If you become too famous, you become a target of the navy.”

“Are you saying that I am stealing right now?”

“So you’re saying that’s not the case?”

“What the hell am I stealing? I have the programmers I hire develop games, and I sell the games I make. I make them legitimately, so how is that piracy? Am I just copying them? Hey, if that’s the problem, then the products that our country’s major companies sell, those are all piracy too. They’re all copied from Japanese or American products and sold. If you’re going to arrest them, you should arrest them first. Why are you saying this to a good citizen like me? Huh?”

Kim Ho-seung was talking excitedly. He seemed to genuinely believe that he had done nothing wrong.

I no longer looked at him with pity. Strangely, I wasn’t even angry. I just felt miserable.

And I felt sorry for my memories. I felt sorry for my childhood when I couldn’t play games made with this kind of mindset because they were rare.

In 1989, Nintendo and Sega will soon be officially introduced to Korea through major corporations. Nintendo’s Famicom and Sega’s 8-bit Master System.

What would be the most important title when the Nintendo Famicom comes to Korea? Of course, it would be the mega hit Super Mario.

But if Gemini releases , which is a copy of the latest Super Mario game, there is no way we can just sit back and watch.

“There’s still a chance. If I quit now and look for another direction, I can continue in the game business. But if I release that game, then there’s really no going back.”

“Am I hearing something wrong? It sounds like you’re worried about me right now.”

I also played a lot of Gemini games when I was young, having first encountered video games through Gemix. At that time, I didn’t even know they were pirated, and each and every game pack was precious to me.

There is the problem of Ji-seok, but if there had been no such bittersweet memories, I would not have come to see you today.

Anyway, Gemini is no longer an obstacle to me.

Even though it was a pirated version, I couldn’t just watch as Geminian, the first game to be made and sold commercially in Korea, went to the gallows.

Allowing Gemini to run wild felt like an insult to my memories.

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense like that, just hurry up and go. I guess I’m worried that if comes out, will be completely ruined. There’s no way. Just wait and see. I’ll erase from people’s minds with this!”

Maybe I was too naive.

Even though I told you I would give you one last chance, you still misunderstand people and continue on your path to self-destruction. If that’s the case, then I can’t do anything anymore.

When I gave up and got up from my seat, Kim Ho-seung said.

“Oh, and tell Ji-seok to be careful not to get caught by me. If he happens to run into me, it won’t end with a few slaps.”

“What did you say?”

A wrinkle formed between my eyebrows.

Now that I think about it, the situation was a bit strange back then. He asked me to lend him money, and he didn’t even have a coat. I thought he had overslept and ran out in a hurry.

“Did you hit the kid?”

Now that I understand what happened, I feel angry.

Even if it’s petty, there’s a line. You’re saying that you exploited a high school student and then beat him up?

“Kids grow up getting beaten. That kid deserves to be beaten more. He talks back all the time. He doesn’t have a shred of sense. He’s a kid without a father.”

“hey.”

I took a step closer to Kim Ho-seung and spoke in a low voice. My voice became quieter because I was angry.

“Hey? Where did you get this from, you adult? Anyway, all the kids who make games are freeloaders···.”

Without saying anything else, I grabbed Kim Ho-seung by the collar with one hand.

Kim Ho-seung’s pupils shook greatly as if he was flustered.

“Don’t be an adult. I was older than you when I died.”

“What? What are you talking about? Who died?”

Kim Ho-seung’s voice trembled violently. However, he was still showing off because of his dignity and prestige as an adult.

“Hey···, hey hey hey! You, this hand, this hand, won’t you let go?”

“I’m warning you, Ji-seok is now my employee. If you touch him even once more, you’ll have to be prepared for the company to really go out of business. Do you understand me?”

“Is this tongue, tongue, tongue, threatening? Right now?”

“Threats? You want to see if it’s threats or not? Should I just buy up all the stores here and kick you out too? Leave you out on the street?”

“Why is this kid talking nonsense…?”

“You think I can’t do it? I was just keeping it for the sake of my childhood memories, but why would you do something like that? And you’re the one who sells games to kids?”

“You, you can handle this right now?”

“Aftercare? That’s for you to think about. Not for me to think about. Just hire one of those lawyers. We’ll see what happens.”

“Where did you get a lawyer’s business card and start showing off? It doesn’t work on me.”

“Do you know where I got that business card?”

“Where?”

“He is our family’s legal advisor. And my grandfather founded Myeongseong Group.”

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, talk some sense.”

“Think about it. How did manage to get into the nationwide Myeongseong Electronics dealerships? Do you think that makes sense?”

“······!”

Kim Ho-seung’s eyes shook helplessly. He seemed to realize that I wasn’t bluffing.

Kim Ho-seung’s bravado, which he had somehow managed to hold on to, collapsed at that moment. Fear was clearly evident in his eyes.

That sight annoyed me even more.

“Because of you, a human being, all of my precious memories from childhood have been tarnished. I played a game made by a human being like this…”

“Eek!”

When I raised my hand in anger for a moment, Kim Ho-seung got scared and closed his eyes tightly. When I saw that, I didn’t even have the energy to hit him anymore.

I released the hold I had on him by the collar. Kim Ho-seung fell onto the sofa like a rotten persimmon.

I didn’t bother to deal with it any longer and just left the room. Manager Mo was standing guard in front of the door.

“Have you finished your story?”

“It wasn’t worth talking about.”

We left Cheonggye Media and crossed the Cloud Bridge. We originally planned to stop by Modu Electronics and meet Lee Gi-cheol, but we felt depressed, so we just went up to the rooftop of Seun Shopping Mall.

From the rooftop of Seun Shopping Mall, where Jongmyo Shrine is located right across the street, I could look down on the entire surrounding area without any distractions. Behind Jongmyo Shrine, the overlapping ridges of Bukhansan and Bukhansan spread out like a folding screen.

But the sky, where spring was slowly approaching, was as hazy with dust as my heart.

“Hey, Representative Seo? What are you doing here? Without saying a word.”

“Oh, sir. I have something to take care of.”

On the rooftop, people were gathered in small groups, smoking cigarettes. At that moment, the CEO of Modu Electronics, Jeong, who was on the rooftop, saw me and approached me.

“By the way, how long are you going to keep that exclusive sales policy? There are more than a few stores asking for some of the stuff.”

“Let’s just let it go now. Anyway, since we’re now in a dealership, the talk of an exclusive store is meaningless.”

“Right? I think so too. It’s annoying that people who said they wouldn’t accept the game suddenly change their faces and ask me to please accept it, but I’m going to die if they keep making such a fuss.”

I turned my head again and looked at the seedlings.

How many game companies have appeared and disappeared without leaving a name behind?

Now it was time to erase Gemini’s name as well.

“Instead, ask the game shops to make a list of their transactions with Gemini. Be as detailed as possible. It would be even better if you could take pictures.”

“What are you doing that for?”

“I think it will be useful soon.”

I looked up at the sky and said.

When I was young, this was the heyday of Gemini.

But this time, Gemini’s history will be much shorter.

***

Kim Ho-seung didn’t call Ji-seok anymore.

But in the end, my warning was ignored and was released.

And just a few days later, a new commercial started airing on TV.

– Wow! Comboy has appeared!

Finally, the Nintendo Famicom has officially landed in Korea.