Chaebol

There are several steps involved in releasing a game on the Nintendo platform.

First, you must purchase development tools from Nintendo.

Second, you need to sign an agreement to pay a portion of your profits as royalties.

Third, you must agree to Nintendo's internal regulation that the game will only be released upon final approval from headquarters.

These are rather strict conditions.

If you lack capital, you can be blocked from the very first step of purchasing development tools.

So why maintain such regulations?

It's to ensure strict quality control for games released on the Family platform.

As expected, the contract was extremely stringent.

"This is our standard form, but…"

Mr. Shigeru cautiously gauged my reaction.

"Since this is a contract with you, sir, I could make some exceptions…"

"No, just do it the same way."

"I thought you'd say that."

"But, let's add just one more clause."

"…?"

"Thirty percent of the profits will go to Mr. Shigeru."

"What?"

"You came up with the whole card battle genre, after all."

"No matter how you look at it… I just came up with one idea, and you're giving me 30%…?"

Sorry, but this is a shackle made of money.

In a sense, we're sharing equity.

The idea is that the obligation to keep helping with my brother's game will be driven by a sense of responsibility!

Even if Mr. Shigeru gets involved in the next project, it'll be the same.

No matter how busy he becomes…

Having received equity, he'll have no choice but to continue helping.

"Sir, how much are you planning for the initial production?"

"About 2 million units."

"Well, it's just that… typically, the headquarters doesn't approve that amount for rookie developers…"

"We don't need any help from headquarters."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm going to oversee everything myself: development, production, distribution, and marketing."

"That would require a tremendous amount of money…"

"That's fine. I have more than enough funds."

"Is that so… Right, I was just being unnecessarily nosy again."

After a slightly awkward laugh, Mr. Shigeru continued.

"So, we'll add those two points: the 30% profit share and the initial production of 2 million units. Is that okay?"

"Yes."

"Oh, one last thing."

"…?"

"We can discuss and adjust the settings and detailed rules to fit the card battle format, but how should we handle the overall storyline and illustrations for the cards?"

I was actually planning to find a writer right after signing the contract.

As if reading my mind, he added.

"It seems like you already have someone in mind?"

"Yes, I do."

"You're as quick as ever."

Mr. Shigeru smiled broadly at my response.

Signing the contract was my brother's job.

I'd made countless contracts in my time, but for my brother, who was just starting his third year of middle school, this was probably a somewhat unfamiliar experience.

However.

Scribble, scribble.

My brother signed his name boldly.

It's only the first step, so there's no need to make a fuss—he seemed to say.

Of course, that reaction didn't last long.

"I'll transfer the contract fee to Mr. Yoo-geon's account now."

"…Contract fee?"

"Yes. Since we've signed the contract, it's only right to pay you. Please wait a moment."

Mr. Shigeru left with the documents and disappeared for a short while.

Then, he returned about ten minutes later.

"I've deposited 500,000 yen."

Gulp.

I clearly saw my brother's Adam's apple move up and down in a big motion.

This was probably the first time he had ever earned such a large sum.

He tried to stay composed.

"..."

But things rarely go as planned.

'He really has changed a lot.'

Indeed, in just a few days, my brother had become a completely different person.

He was likely putting in a bone-crushing effort to adapt to his new circumstances.

While I was marveling at my brother's transformation, Mr. Shigeru tidied up the contract and stood up.

He then extended his hand to my brother and said.

"It's great to have a promising third party. I look forward to working with you."

Grasping his hand firmly.

"I look forward to working with you as well."

"Now that the contract is settled, shall we discuss the game settings over a meal?"

"Sounds great!"

Mr. Shigeru then turned to me.

"Sir, will you be joining us?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll have to sit this one out."

"Could it be because you're looking for a story writer?"

"I have a few other things to take care of as well."

"Aren't you pushing yourself a bit too hard on the first day?"

"As you know, I tend to be a bit impatient…"

Naturally.

While Mr. Shigeru expressed understanding, I quickly made my way out of the room.

"May I borrow the phone?"

At my request, a Nintendo employee nodded readily.

It might have been Japanese politeness, but perhaps the fact that I asked in English made them hurry to agree.

"It's an international call, is that okay?"

"An international call?"

"It won't be long."

"Sure, that's fine…"

I dialed a familiar number.

I wondered what I'd do if there was no answer… but it turned out to be a needless worry.

"Professor, it's me, Park Ji-hoon."

(Ooh! Boss!)

Jo Soo-deok's characteristically over-the-top voice.

It's hard to get used to at first.

But with time… you end up missing it, occasionally.

"Are you busy?"

(How could I be? If you need me, I'll leave in the middle of a haircut.)

Maybe because I imagined Jo Soo-deok with uneven sideburns.

I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Professor, could we meet?"

(Of course. Where are you? I'll come right away.)

"Are you sure?"

(Of course! Just say the word…)

"I'm in Kyoto."

(...?)

"I'm in Kyoto, Japan."

(Ah, I see. So you're in Kyoto right now…)

"If it's too much trouble…"

(Trouble? No! I wondered why I wasn't hungry today… Turns out, I was meant to have udon in Japan. Haha.)

I originally planned to do this alone without Professor Jo Soo-deok.

But with the genre suddenly changing to TCG, my plans had to change as well.

"When you arrive, I need you to find someone."

(As soon as I land?)

"If you're more interested in sightseeing, feel free to look around first…"

(Ahem, at my age? Sightseeing is for the young… People like us prefer to work. We hate wasting time just relaxing. Hahaha.)

"Can you take a note?"

(Just a moment, please?)

I heard the sound of him finding a notepad, and soon, he said he was ready.

On his last trip to the U.S., it was like looking for Wang from Beijing.

TL/n - Wang is the pinyin romanization of the common Chinese surname 王 (Wáng). It is currently the most common surname in Mainland China, one of the most common surnames in Asia, with more than 107 million in Asia. It is the 8th name listed in the famous Hundred Family Surnames.

But this time, he had more information.

(I think it'll take just an hour.)

Jo Soo-deok sounded quite confident.

"By the way, do you… speak Japanese?"

(Oh, if you want to make a living at a university, knowing Japanese is essential.)

Well, most academic publications in this era were in English and Japanese, so…

"Then I won't need to hire an interpreter?"

(Well… yes. I'm good at reading it, but…)

"It'll be about two hours of flight time. You can practice a bit on the plane, right?"

(Just leave it to me…)

That's where the call ended.

'Preparations are more or less done.'

I nodded to the employee in gratitude and quietly exited the building.

'There's still quite some time before the professor arrives.'

I immediately took a taxi and headed downtown.

For one simple purpose.

To see how people in Japan live.

'The second largest gaming market after the U.S.!'

If we're aiming for 100 billion won in sales… we'll need to perform well in Japan, too.

'In that case, market research is essential.'

Perhaps because it was the most prosperous period in Japanese history, during the peak of the bubble economy.

Everywhere was bustling.

Everyone seemed full of energy.

The first place I headed was a game shop.

True to Japan's focus on consoles, there was no sign of PC games at all.

Instead, the entire store was filled with Nintendo Family games.

There were so many games that it was hard to even tell what was what.

But even among them, the games displayed on the stands near the checkout stood out.

If this were a portal site, it'd be like having a spot on the main page.

'This is prime real estate.'

If I could get a game placed on this stand, it would guarantee strong sales.

Distribution and marketing ultimately mean securing these prime spots.

'North America is secure, but what about Japan…'

The pondering didn't last long.

The game wouldn't be released right away.

If I put in about six months of effort, there should be some response.

'Alright, I'll think about distribution later.'

Now it was time to investigate the game content.

True to my decisive nature, I immediately approached the store owner.

"Do you have any card games?"

I asked, piecing together broken Japanese.

Maybe that's why.

The owner responded as clearly as he could.

"What's a card game?"

"It's a style where you battle by playing cards…"

"I've never heard of it. There shouldn't be anything like that on the Family."

"Are there any board game types?"

"Board games?"

"I really want to try a card-based game."

The store owner pretended to look around but soon shook his head.

"Board games are all Monopoly-style."

Monopoly is the American board game that inspired Blue Marble.

"That's disappointing."

"Why not try Super Mario instead? It's really popular these days."

"I'll think about it."

Step, step.

So, there definitely weren't any on the console side, and it seemed the situation was similar for board games.

Assuming what he said was true.

'This is really all or nothing, huh?'

People might flock to it out of novelty, or it could be completely ignored for being unfamiliar…

The absence of a middle ground means taking on considerable risk.

From a business perspective, this is the riskiest scenario.

But what choice do I have?

I can only devise a thorough strategy to maximize the chance of success.

So, on that note…

'Professor… when are you coming?'

I have someone to find, but when will you arrive?

It hadn't been that long since I called, but I was already yearning for Jo Soo-deok's impressive ability to find people.

***

A few hours later.

Jo Soo-deok arrived in Tokyo with only a small note.

With this much information…

It's like spoon-feeding someone!

"Hehehe."

He was so relaxed that he even took time to look into what Faith Publishing was on his way over.

'One of the top publishing companies in the world?'

They publish a manga magazine called 'Weekly Manga,' which sells over a million copies every week.

Series like 'Legend of the Holy Warrior,' 'Fly, Wings,' and 'Yubi's Mysterious Adventure' are published by them.

'I don't know any of these.'

Regardless of their record.

Finding the person and heading back to the hotel in Kyoto where the Boss is staying is all that matters!

Jo Soo-deok hurriedly hailed a taxi.

"Faith Publishing, please."

He hadn't used Japanese in a while.

He'd have to focus on interpreting for the next few days.

To brush up on his Japanese skills, he decided to chat with the taxi driver.

"How's the Japanese economy these days?"

"It's good. There's still hope."

"Hope?"

"The hope that tomorrow will be better than today."

"Ah."

Vroom!

The driver handled the car roughly.

When the car in front braked, he immediately changed lanes to overtake.

"But why are you asking about the economy?"

As impatient as his driving, the driver's speech was quick.

"Are you an economic official from Korea or something?"

Luckily, most of his hastily spoken words were understandable.

Feeling confident, Jo Soo-deok smiled and asked.

"Do I look like a government official?"

"Oh, it's just… you're wearing a nice suit."

If he could have a conversation like this, there wouldn't be any problem wherever he went.

Feeling pleased, Jo Soo-deok took out the note he had seen earlier.

A background artist, huh?

'So he drew backgrounds for manga?'

Eventually, Jo Soo-deok glanced at the note he had written at the bottom.

Real name: Suzuki Yoshihiro.>

Hmm.

It might sound a bit odd, but…

'That name gives off a slightly slick vibe.'

Just then, Jo Soo-deok cast his gaze out the window.

"Sir, should I speed up a bit?"

"Do as you please."

Vroom!

The unusually high sky.

It felt like a promising afternoon, with good results to look forward to.

TL/n -

Faith Publishing => Shueisha (If you watch anime then you may know of Shōnen manga magazines, which come under this company)

Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company.

Manga magazines published by Shueisha include the Jump magazine line, which includes shonen magazines Weekly Shōnen Jump, Jump SQ, and V Jump, and seinen magazines Weekly Young Jump, Grand Jump and Ultra Jump, and the online magazine Shōnen Jump+. They also publish other magazines, including Non-no. Shueisha, along with Shogakukan, owns Viz Media, which publishes manga from both companies in North America.

Suzuki Yoshihiro => Yoshihiro Togashi

He began drawing manga at an early age, before being recognized for his talent by the publishing company Shueisha while attending college. Togashi has authored several different manga series in different genres over the past three decades. He is best known for writing and illustrating the YuYu Hakusho (1990–1994) and Hunter × Hunter (1998–present) series, which are some of the best-selling manga in history. Togashi is married to Naoko Takeuchi, the author of Sailor Moon.