1988 Retro Game Tycoon - Chapter 58



Only Noblemtl

Episode 58 – The cheers of Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium!

At the hotel’s Japanese restaurant, I met the KBO Commissioner and had lunch with my father.

I didn’t have much experience in this kind of situation, so it was a bit awkward. Fortunately, my father was good at leading the conversation, so I waited quietly, only giving a slight reaction.

“Oh, a baseball computer game. Well, these days, kids are crazy about computer games. It’s okay to try baseball like that. But baseball is best enjoyed at the ballpark, Mr. Chairman.”

“That’s right. So my son planned a very unique and meaningful event. An event that could bring not only children who like baseball games, but also adults to Dongdaemun Stadium.”

“Really? At Dongdaemun Stadium?”

“Namjoon, explain.”

I calmly explained to the KBO Commissioner about the Stars’ Return event game. I practiced a few times beforehand, so I was able to explain it well without being too nervous.

“A match between high school baseball stars from the 70s and current high school baseball players! Wow, that sounds like a really good idea. I think it would be good to try it out in professional baseball later on. So, are the preparations going well?”

“We are working hard, but team formation is not as easy as we thought. Everyone has their own circumstances, some have been away from baseball for a long time, and some are not in Korea.”

“That must be true. Time has passed so quickly that even the mountains and rivers have changed. I really don’t know when time passed so quickly, Chairman.”

“That’s right. There’s no way to stop the passage of time. So, don’t we need an opportunity to look back on the roots and traditions of our baseball so that they aren’t forgotten?”

“Oh, of course. Of course. That’s a very good idea. I’m sure the chairman would be very proud to have such a young son with such admirable ideas.”

“To be honest, when I first heard that he was going to start a game company, I wondered what he was thinking. But these days, playing a game of with my son is a small pleasure for me. That’s why I’m saying this, Mr. President.”

“Yes, Chairman. Go ahead.”

“It’s not because it’s a plan my son created, but no matter how I look at it, it seems like a shame to end this event of returning stars on-site. Shouldn’t this kind of game be broadcast on TV so that the entire nation can watch it together? It’s a game that holds so many people’s memories.”

“Well, that’s true. People who used to love high school baseball would definitely be happy to see the return of their old favorites. I think it would be great to broadcast it on TV.”

“It’s just before the professional baseball season opens, so wouldn’t this be a good event to ignite the baseball fever? If the president can help us broadcast the game on TV, we at Myeongseong Group will also work harder to make it a good game for baseball fans.”

“Hehehehe, I was wondering what you were going to say. Okay, Chairman. This is a meaningful event for baseball fans, not just professional baseball or amateur baseball, so of course I should help out. I’ll make a call to MBS. And, did you say Namjoon?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you make a game based on high school baseball, can you make it based on professional baseball as well?”

“Of course. We can make as many as we want. If KBO gives us permission, we can make it exactly like a real professional team by estimating the abilities of the players based on their records for each team’s actual roster, not a virtual roster like .”

“Ah~, then let’s have a professional baseball game next time. Since games are so popular, we shouldn’t fall behind the times. Baseball is probably good, but professional sports are the best.”

“I will come to you separately with the license agreement shortly.”

I thought it would take a long time of persuasion and negotiation to obtain a KBO license.

While eating a meal like this, I even received an offer to create a professional baseball game.

Things were so easy that it didn’t feel real.

After finishing a meal that killed two birds with one stone and parting ways with the KBO Commissioner, my father said on the way back.

“Namjoon, work is like water. Look at water. It always flows from top to bottom. Sometimes it surges from bottom to top, but it takes a lot of energy to do that. Work is the same. It’s much easier to go from top to bottom.”

“Yes, Father. That is true.”

“The better the plan, the more you shouldn’t work hard alone at the bottom. If you do, you’ll get exhausted and won’t be able to put your energy into the work. If you think you can make money by selling Myungsung Group or my name, then actively sell it. I believe that if it were you, Namjoon, you wouldn’t use our name for nothing.”

“Thank you for your help, Father.”

Indeed, my father’s words were a hundred percent right.

The very next day, I got a call from MBS.

From now on, I’ll have to ask my father first about big things.

Of course, this incident was possible because I didn’t know that my father would be acquainted with the current KBO Commissioner, and also because the KBO Commissioner happened to be the president of MBS Broadcasting Station until recently.

However, even though I am confident in game production, there are so many things I do not know outside of the gaming world.

It’s a waste of time to struggle to figure it out on your own. There are people who are more knowledgeable about the world and have more connections than I do.

Now, it’s all up to me. Now that it’s come to this, I have to make it a national event that’s a success.

I immediately ran to the broadcasting station with Myeongseong Planning.

I thought the PD would show up, but the director of the programming department was there. Before the greetings were even over, the director asked me a question in an annoyed tone.

“I heard you’re preparing some kind of baseball event. What’s going on? I said I understood and left because you told me to meet you unconditionally.”

Ah···, Mr. KBO Commissioner. You just tossed it to the director without even explaining it properly.

Well then, that’s right. I somehow thought it was solved too easily.

But how can I meet the director of the programming department like this? This alone is like jumping over several hurdles.

“But is it really true that you came from Myeongseong Group? You said that Myeongseong Group would sponsor you. But you’re so young?”

The director asked, sitting slouched in his chair with his arms crossed.

“Yes, I am the eldest son of the Myeongseong Group.”

“ah···.”

Only then did the director sit up straight and look at me. But he still didn’t uncross his arms.

I explained to the director about the precious event matches of the stars. I had already done it so many times that it was now so familiar that it came out automatically when I said it.

“Hmm···!”

The director also began to look over the plan I gave him, his ears perking up.

“So how much time has passed since the team was formed? Has the Dongdaemun Stadium been rented out? When is the date? April 2nd? It’s really tight!!”

A storm of questions poured in.

“Please give me the list. Oh, it’s so poorly made. Hey, someone go down to the copy room and make some copies. About 20 copies. I need to check the broadcast schedule for April 2nd, but there shouldn’t be much to it. As for reruns, they can just be canceled.”

“Then is it possible to relay it?”

“I don’t know yet. But the name value is a bit lacking. In order to increase viewership, the key is to recruit more famous players. Hey, go and call a baseball sports PD.”

Two PDs quickly appeared in the conference room. They looked through the list and said,

“If I told you I could appear on TV again, how many people here would come running right away?”

“If we recruit veterans first and bring in juniors, we could probably create a decent team. But I’m not sure if we can guarantee their performance.”

PD joined and many stories were exchanged.

Director Park, who had read the mood in the conference room, whispered to me very quietly.

“It seems to be done, sir. If the broadcasting station guys are saying this much, it means they are going to do it.”

The broadcasting station staff talked amongst themselves for a while longer, and then the director spoke.

“I think the picture will come out. Let’s do it together.”

“Thank you, Director!”

Now that we have TV coverage, it’s no longer just our business.

Now, the Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium event game has become a joint project with MBS.

“The return of the stars of , sponsored by Myeongseong Group and hosted by MBS and Starbeat! A showdown between the legends of Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium and the pride of active high school baseball teams unfolds.”

MBS PD created a radio commentary on the spot to promote the game. Since MBS also has a radio channel, they decided to actively utilize radio advertisements as well as TV for promotion.

“But PD, since this broadcast is a event match, how about making the broadcast intro similar to the game screen? We will prepare the video.”

Just in case, I showed the intro screen of with the Jemix I brought.

“Wow~, this looks like it’ll come out pretty well. Nowadays, many people know what computer games are. Is it possible to draw Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium in the same way with computer graphics?”

“Of course. This is for the Gemix game console, so it can be like this, and much more impressive computer graphics are possible. How about making Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium look like a game screen graphic and showing the game, and then changing it to the actual stadium screen in time with the music?”

“That’s it! Isn’t that really good? If this is a stadium, the camera would be shooting like this….”

I exchanged ideas for the title screen with the PD.

Because time was so tight, there was no time to fight over who would take the lead. We quickly decided on what we were good at and discussed it.

After leaving the recruitment of the legendary team to MBS, the next step was to decide which high school team to make.

There were several candidates.

I was looking through the baseball team roster and was surprised. There was a name that seemed so familiar to me among the first-year students of Gongju Commercial High School’s baseball team.

– Chan-Oh Park (Pitcher/Right Fielder)

“What about Gongju Commercial High School? The Seoul team is honestly too obvious. They were also the runner-up team in last year’s President’s Cup, so they seem to have some skills.”

I strongly recommended Gongju High School, but there were many opposing opinions. I know how great Park Chan-oh will be as the first Korean major leaguer, but I couldn’t help it because other people didn’t know.

Still, I pushed through with Gongju High School and eventually decided to contact a few finalists to decide on a team. Then the PD announced an unexpected result.

“Sir, we’ve decided on Gongju High School. Why do all the coaches ask for bribes? We don’t have any money to give anyway. Gongju High School seems like it would be fine if they just take care of the accommodations. I heard there are a lot of good guys among the freshmen this year, so let’s look forward to it.”

It felt like the heavens were helping the stars return.

Park Chan-oh from Gongju Commercial High School will make his high school baseball debut on our in a nationwide TV broadcast.

I never thought I would be able to create a moment that will remain forever in the Korean baseball world with my own hands.

Now, the burden of having to make it a success has multiplied.

Now, I, and Myeongseong Planning, have been hit with a fire under their feet.

I worked with programmers including Hyunwoo Seok to create the title screen and advertising screens for the MBS TV broadcast.

“Let’s be a bit more daring with the camera work. People would be amazed if we just showed them computer graphics, but we always have to go one step further.”

While supervising the title and advertising screens, I gave Manager Choi the design concept for the outdoor promotional booth and goods on the day of the event.

MBS compiled footage from famous games that took place at Dongdaemun Stadium in the past into a trailer for the return of the stars of and played it every time it aired sports news.

Although the rough black and white screen did not preserve it well and sometimes it was difficult to tell what was going on, the sight of high school baseball players in the 70s cheering for victory and bowing their heads in defeat was heartbreaking to watch.

At the end of the trailer, the game screen of that we had shown was also shown.

Time passed so quickly each day that I couldn’t even come to my senses. I didn’t have time to write , so I left it to Ji-seok this time.

“Summarize what you did while making . How did you implement the movement of a baseball ball in the game using your high school math and physics knowledge? I’ll take a look at it later, so just write it down for now.”

Meanwhile, also sold well and went into its second and third productions. Everything was happening so quickly that everyone at the company was out of their minds.

Time flew by like a fastball and before we knew it, it was game day.

I checked in advance several times, but I still had a hard time falling asleep because I was half excited and half anxious. After having breakfast with my family, I headed to Dongdaemun Stadium early in the morning.

The outdoor booths promoting the game and hosting various events were busy preparing.

“Hello, Manager Park. But what line is already···.”

“Sir, don’t be ridiculous. I came here at dawn to set up a booth, and then people started gathering.”

In a time when there was no online reservation, tickets had to be purchased mainly at the on-site ticket booth. People gathered to see the return of the stars were lined up around Dongdaemun Stadium and all the way to the parking lot.

As the morning came, the outdoor booths opened along with ticket sales.

Similar to the Saetbyeol store, at the outdoor booth, you could experience and purchase as well as purchase related goods.

Last time, the goods were somewhat disappointing, so this time we produced a much more diverse range.

The core items were, of course, baseball caps and baseball jackets.

The Golden Sun Flag baseball cap and jacket that Manager Choi made after staying up all night for several days at Dongdaemun Peace Market were just as good as those made by professional teams, and in fact, they were even cooler.

In particular, the baseball jacket was a limited edition item, so it was quite expensive, but people said it was pretty and it sold out in an instant.

At the game experience booth, many children and adults were enjoying together.

In addition, various event windows were set up, and the event corner where prizes were given out to those who threw a baseball from a distance and hit a small doll was particularly popular.

From men selling cotton candy and hot dogs to all sorts of street vendors selling food to people, Dongdaemun Stadium was literally in the middle of a festival.

MBS also made thorough preparations for the broadcast.

Reporters and cameramen who appeared in the on-site sketch were diligently filming the event site.

“Seeing people crowded around Dongdaemun Stadium again reminds me of the old days and makes me feel sad. I will definitely show a great game today and show that I am still going strong.”

“I also enjoy playing the game with my son. But when I told him that I was a player flying around the stadium, he didn’t believe me. Today, I will definitely show him the real me of a dad.”

The legendary players of Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, who will be participating in the game, had interviews with reporters from broadcasting stations and newspapers who flocked to the stadium for the first time in a long time, and also held autograph sessions to meet people for the first time in a long time.

“I’m so happy that I can play baseball with my seniors who I used to watch on TV when I was in elementary school. At that time, whenever a baseball game was on, I couldn’t leave the TV. While watching those games, I thought that I wanted to become a baseball player, and I worked hard to achieve my dream······.”

On the other side, the Gongju High School players were also being interviewed. Judging from the unusually long interviews, I could tell who they were without even looking at them.

I waited until the interview was over to take a picture with Chan-Oh Park and get his autograph on a baseball. This will probably be Chan-Oh Park’s first autographed ball.

A large number of people were mobilized for the event.

Not only Myeongseong Planning, but also all of our company’s people were busy helping out at the event.

However, because we were short on people, we were able to successfully run various events thanks to volunteers from Myungsung Electronics and other affiliates. There are so many people to be thankful for.

“Sir, it’s about to start. Please prepare the first pitch.”

As I was walking around the venue, the game start time was approaching. Now most of the spectators had already entered, and those who had not been able to get tickets were playing the game to console themselves.

I arranged for the game to be watched on TV outside the stadium for those who couldn’t get tickets.

I also put on my baseball jacket and relaxed my shoulders a little. Ah, now that I’m actually about to throw, I’m getting nervous.

Originally, I was going to leave the poetry to my father, but my father stubbornly refused.

“No way. This was your plan, Namjoon. You did all the work, and I only helped with a little bit of money, so I can’t throw the first pitch.”

My father earnestly refused, so I ended up throwing the first pitch. While I was in the waiting area, I heard the stadium announcer’s voice.

“Then let’s invite the precious person who will throw the first pitch today. The developer of the baseball game who prepared such a wonderful event match today! The CEO of Starbeat, Seo! Nam! Jun!”

The door opened with a comment, and bright sunlight poured down.

I entered the Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium ground with force.

“Wowaaa …

The 26,000 spectators who filled the infield and outfield seats cheered loudly.

At that moment, my heart was pounding so hard I couldn’t bear it.

It was an event match arranged to promote the game, but most of the people here probably don’t even know who I am, but the fact that I arranged this match with the help of many people was enough for me.

I forgot everything: sales, success, hardships, even the game.

At this moment, there was only a huge cheer echoing through Dongdaemun Stadium.

“Seo Namjoon! Seo Namjoon! Seo Namjoon!”

Someone started calling my name, and the small sound soon became a loud one. I stood on the mound, took off my hat, and greeted the crowd.

Now, the baseball was handed to him. The home team, Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium Legends Team, was in the defensive position on the field, and the first batter from Gongju Commercial High School was waiting with his bat in hand.

“Phew~~.”

I patted the dirt on the mound with my feet a few times, took a deep breath, and shook my head a couple of times toward the catcher with a serious expression, as if I were a real pitcher. Laughter erupted from the stands.

Finally, I nodded and took a stance. For today, I hired a pitching coach and practiced. If I go out to throw the first pitch and the ball doesn’t go in, I’ll be in trouble.

I kicked my right foot up. Then, with a big swing of my arm, I threw the ball hard toward the catcher’s mitt.

Liar!

The ball was sucked into the mitt with a cool sound. The batter looked surprised and intentionally swung and missed.

“Wow~!!!!!”

The crowd cheered again as my first pitch landed beautifully. I took off my hat again, waved to the crowd, and came down from the mound.

Now my job is done. The rest is up to the players.

“Play ball!”

The referee declared the start of the Star Wars match.

The sound of my pounding heart and the cheers of people echoed in my ears.