Game Market 1983

Oh~ Yeah~!! Oh oh oh wow~!!

"Wow... what is this..."

As 'Demon King' Shin Haechul's voice resonated through the cramped office alongside the boiling excitement every time the chorus played, everyone in the office, including Mr. Terada, instinctively turned toward the speakers.

In the midst of our hectic lives,

We feel so sorry for each other~

I want to spend the many days still left to me

Sharing them with you~

Even if I lose everything I've loved~!!

I can't give up on you~!!

"Wow... what kind of song is this, Director? Just listening to it makes my fingertips tingle."

Morita, seated beside me, exclaimed in awe, turning to ask me.

"It's a song that won the grand prize at a university festival in Korea back in '88."

"It's quite something, isn't it? It feels completely different from Japanese music, cheerful yet so poignant."

"Does it?"

I smirked, understanding that even if he couldn't grasp the lyrics, it didn't matter. Music is a universal language, after all.

As if proving that point, Mr. Terada, frozen in front of the speaker, continued to immerse himself in the infinite orbits of the song.

"Was music like this born in Korea in '88?"

"Currently, it's led by a group called N.EX.T. I'm a huge fan of them as well."

"Even though I don't understand Korean lyrics, the immersion from the opening is incredible."

After listening to a few more songs, Mr. Terada, who had joined us on the opposite couch, remarked, "I was genuinely impressed. Music indeed has the power to move hearts. Thanks for introducing such a great song. LOVE & PEACE."

Out of the blue, saying "LOVE & PEACE," Ueno is quite an eccentric person, as she speaks standard language but occasionally displays hints of a regional dialect, making communication tricky at times.

However, when he received the profiles of the contestants who made it to the final round of the 'Virtual Idol' audition, he began to show his true colors more as a producer than a musician.

After reviewing demo videos of each contestant, he separately numbered a few girls who showed potential after a second look at the tapes.

But surprisingly, some contestants who received high praise from our Pentagon staff were excluded from his assessment.

"Weren't numbers 4 and 7 decent? Their voices were good, and they handled high notes quite well..."

To that, Mr. Terada gave a simple, unexpected answer.

"They lacked smiles."

"Huh?"

"An idol is in a slightly different position than a typical singer. There are many singers who sing better than idols. But who's always in the top ranks of album sales?"

"Why is that?"

"The public doesn't pay much attention to idol groups' songs. Unless it's at a level of 'I absolutely can't listen to this,' they usually overlook it. But there's something they genuinely want to see."

"What's that?"

"Appearance."

Huh? Where did this curveball come from?

Uchimura, surprised, asked Mr. Terada.

"But what about number 7, who was just eliminated, or number 13 from earlier, even though her voice wasn't great, she had exceptional looks?"

"As I mentioned before, those I eliminated have one thing in common."

"What's that? I don't quite get it, do you, Junhyuk?"

Glancing at me with a question tossed by Morita, I spoke up to Mr. Terada.

"The contestants you excluded didn't smile at the camera."

As I finished my sentence, suddenly, Mr. Terada exclaimed with a flick of his finger.

"Exactly~!! You have a keen eye, indeed~!!"

Ugh... so loud. My ears are ringing. Why is this person so overreactive when it's right in front of them...

"The word 'idol' means 'idol,' carrying the meaning of admiration. Appearing on TV and moving people with your voice is something any singer can do. But an idol needs to show something beyond their voice. No, they absolutely must. The excitement and thrill for those who watch them beyond the TV~!!! And for that, a smile is crucial. Not losing that smile even in the face of adversity is the first condition for an idol."

Almost preaching like a religious sermon, he passionately explained, requesting water from an office worker, and continued.

"In that regard, these 11 contestants I've marked here fit my criteria perfectly."

Receiving Mr. Terada's paper note with a confident expression, I quickly scanned the numbers he had checked.

"Phew... Thankfully, number 9, Kanna, made it through. Well, it's kind of expected, isn't it?"

Kanna was somewhat of a 'wild card,' already recommended as a potential candidate by the organizers, me being one.

Under the condition of never revealing one's face, but only the voice for street performances, I obtained approval for shooting. During the final evaluation, I presented information about her to the staff. As a result of unanimous agreement among key figures gathered in the meeting room, Kanna made it to the audition finals, including Mr. Kawaguchi.

In fact, there were whispers circulating within Pentagon even before the audition. Rumors spoke of a singer-songwriter already within Pentagon, putting lyrics to the ending song of 'Gift from the Gods.' Perhaps her passing the audition was already a foregone conclusion.

While reviewing documents at that moment, Mr. Morita cautiously asked me, "But, Director, with these 11 individuals... how many characters will they be voicing?"

Seemingly, Morita, faced with more people than expected, began to worry about his workload. So, as always, I smiled warmly at him and responded, "All 11."

"Eleven... all of them!?"

Then, Mr. Terada silently applauded my decision.

"A very fitting choice. These 11 possess uniquely captivating charms, each of them."

Even from just watching the videos a few times, Mr. Terada exuded immense confidence.

With Morita starting to worry about workload, he tried to convince me, but each time, Mr. Terada's counterarguments thwarted his efforts, eventually leading to me being solely responsible for the 11 illustrations.

Within the cramped office, Morita's cries of distress echoed out of the window as the sun began its descent.

Later, driving Morita back home, he was murmuring to himself while gazing out the window.

"Hehehe... Uchimura, let's bury ourselves in Pentagon's second development team..."

Haha... so he chose a difficult path in the end, eh? Well, they say if you can't avoid it, enjoy it...

Thinking of Uchimura, oblivious to everything, I tilted my head left and right.

---

Upon returning Morita home, Yuki greeted me at the door, holding Seolhyun in her arms.

"Welcome back, Junhyuk. Seolhyun wants daddy~"

The house that had felt eerily empty during Yuki's hospital visits now seemed vibrant.

As I took Seolhyun's little hand and playfully swung it up and down, she giggled happily.

"Quick, freshen up. I've prepared dinner."

"Yeah... were you startled by the earthquake earlier today?"

"Don't even mention it. I seriously considered just grabbing Seolhyun and dashing out. It's fortunate Haru wasn't here. If Haru was, I might have had to carry both on my arms..."

Our cat, Haru, has been staying at my in-laws' since Seolhyun was born. Although they say cats usually don't harm babies, it was still an unknown, so sending Haru away was the only choice.

After putting Seolhyun to bed and returning, Yuki asked, taking my suit, "Did Kanna pass the final audition advised by Mr. Terada?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Oh, that's a relief. So, as Junhyuk mentioned before, will Kanna be the inspiration for the 'Complete Laon' game alongside 'Future Idols'?"

"Probably. But it looks like aside from Kanna, about 10 more were selected, so it might end up as a group of 11..."

"Ele... eleven?"

Yuki, too, seemed astonished by the number of people beyond imagination.

I gently stroked her head for a moment and headed to the bath.

As I immersed myself in the hot water Yuki prepared, a relaxed sensation enveloped me. While envisioning the Pentagon team working on the 'Future Idols' project, thoughts of the morning earthquake resurfaced.

'It's a natural disaster, not human-made. Depending on various environmental factors, the occurrence time might differ. But considering the periodic nature of seismic activities, maybe the Kobe earthquake, a major disaster, might happen in the next few days...'

And my prediction was exact.

At 5:28 AM the next day, it came to pass.

>

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