SMNTCERR, Chapter 30 Cyan #3.
Jaeyoung had everything prepared. In addition to the first draft that he put all his physical and mental effort into, there were two more backup drafts, totaling three, and the project plan was printed and neatly arranged with page numbers, stitched together perfectly. He even paid attention to his outfit. Even though Chu Sangwoo would never notice, let alone appreciate it.
“Hmm…”
While Sangwoo was struggling to endure examining the project plan, he wondered what thoughts were going on under that hat! Although his expression seemed indifferent, his cheeks looked slightly raised. Jaeyoung didn’t want to be caught worrying deeply, so he sat back in his chair and put on a proud face.
“Sunbae, are you good at English?”
It looks like the other party is checking the game name. Even though
Jaeyoung didn’t plan to continue this project, he accepted the name ‘Vegetable Master’. It’s not true, so he came up with a new name ‘Veggie Venturer’ which can be abbreviated as ‘VV’.
“That’s good enough.”
“You did better than expected.”
“You speak two languages.”
“That’s right. Korean and Chinese.”
“Korean and programming languages are different, both Native[1].”
Sangwoo didn’t understand why Jaeyoung was mimicking him. He sat puzzled for a moment before lowering his gaze when the call came in.
“Stop saying meaningless things. How many programming languages are there? If you count like that, it would be six languages already.”
The gaze of the other party returned to the plan, the first sheet passed without comment, and the next sheet didn’t bite anything. Jaeyoung noticed the other party’s slight facial expression change, and he became even more nervous than when waiting for the competition results he had been waiting for half a year.
Sangwoo’s face changed while inspecting the character design, his lips that used to be smooth curled up into a small smile almost indistinguishable, and his eyes looked scary, narrow, and dreamlike.
“This character looks just like you, hyung.”
“Where exactly?”
“Somewhere, I guess.”
Sketch number 1 is a scientist, number 2 is a spooky skeleton, and number 3 is a character, SD[2] 2, which confused Jaeyoung… Sangwoo lowered the plan documents in his hand. Jaeyoung looked at the other party and saw a new expression. In those slightly widened eyes, excitement shone through.
“You did really well.”
The moment of acceptance he had been waiting for, both simple and easy, was surprising. Even though the other party only spoke a sentence, a sense of pride quickly surged in his heart simply because it was a word from an intense and non-human game developer.
Sangwoo’s face returned to calmness in an instant, looking at Jaeyoung.
“The character has reached the third image already.”
“Found it?”
The disappointment faded away. Jaeyoung quickly picked up the project plan and flipped to the page featuring one of the characters he had spent hours and effort creating. He was a brilliant scientist with large hands and feet, thick glasses, and messy white hair. His torn lab coat revealed well-defined muscles that he meticulously shaded for an hour.
As he turned two more pages, he came across the third sketch, which depicted a pair of male and female characters he hastily drew in just five minutes to fulfill the quota. The male character was modeled after Sangwoo, resembling him in every aspect except for not wearing a hat. He had fair skin, fierce-looking eyes, and a slim physique concealed in a loose-fitting outfit.
“Here it is. This is you, hyung?”
Sangwoo pointed to the female character and spoke. Jaeyoung squinted his eyes and could only guess whether the other side was teasing or being serious.
‘Tricked and cussed me at the same time.’
The character had orange hair, eyes that occupied more than half of the face, and was unmistakably similar to Jaeyoung himself.
“But I prefer the first sketch.”
“I like the third sketch better.”
Jaeyoung sighed. Despite being an unconventional guy, he was an artistic designer who appreciated aesthetics. He designed it that way to cater to a customer who liked colorful designs. At the same time, it had a monotone and minimalist touch. He explained for two minutes why the first sketch suited the concept the most and was the best option. Sangwoo listened until the end and uttered a single word.
“Understood. I’ll go with the third sketch.”
“The scientist character is more suitable for an adventure than the teenage male and female characters.”
“That’s right, but I prefer the third sketch.”
“Why?”
“Judging from the overall picture.”
Sangwoo summed it up briefly. It didn’t fit him and he was ready to move on to another topic. It was clear that he was fixated on the character SD.
“Hey, just take the first one.”
“No, I won’t.”
No matter how hard he tried to persuade, the other side remained unshaken.
“Fine, take it then.”
After several rounds of argument, Jaeyoung gave up his determination. However, regardless of the current situation, he had achieved his goal, and he intended to withdraw from the project.
Sangwoo slowly placed the project file down and turned his body to face Jaeyoung once again.
“When converting a physical shape into a digital image, please consider the animation process and separate the organ parts. The senior version has kept the original files. Then send me the resized PNG file. If you have finished the guidelines, I will send them to you via email along with the spectrum and size table. Please follow that. As for the game name…”
Jaeyoung sat down and rested his chin on the table, while his gaze remained fixed at the moving edges of his lips. The sound emanating gradually grew distant, and he couldn’t distinguish whether it was the sound of birds or the cry of animals. However, in the midst of it all, Sangwoo stopped talking, and Jaeyoung regained his consciousness.
“Are you okay?”
“No.”
“Hyungnim, you worked hard, so your physical condition doesn’t seem great, you look a bit tired. Please remember to read and understand what I sent you today.”
“Oh.”
Jaeyoung felt a bit tired. Was that so? He had just heard Sangwoo speak formally for the first time. Jaeyoung always thought that Sangwoo didn’t like socializing, but from what he observed, it didn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps the other party simply refrained from speaking meaningless words.
“And… Can you come for a moment?”
The unexpected remark made Jaeyoung raise his eyebrows.
“Why?”
“I wanted to inform you in advance. You did a good job, hyung. So, I’d like to express my admiration.”
At that moment, Sangwoo stood up hesitantly and extended his arm. Jaeyoung glanced at the other’s fingers as they approached, and the hand came close to Jaeyoung’s face before gently stroking it with a robotic-like gesture. Once, twice, three times. Then, it quickly disappeared.
Jaeyoung closed his eyes tightly, unaware of himself. Since he was young, this was the first time someone had done something like this to him. Jaeyoung’s face turned red, and as he raised his hand to cover his mouth, the sound of the door closing grew louder.
Jaeyoung took a deep breath when he was sure there was no one else in the conference room. “What was that?”
⌘W.
As he left the meeting room, Jaeyoung felt like he had been deceived by a fox. It was a continuous attack, calling him ‘hyung’ and tugging at his shirt collar. And the act of stroking his head was like a knockdown. He felt an itching sensation that made him want to open his mouth, as if sensing some kind of energy.
When he stepped out of the library, he was surrounded by a sky that stretched infinitely, a surreal cyan color that seemed unbelievable. Although his body was tired, his heart still beat strongly, and the corners of his lips formed a smile. The color of the sky transformed into the indigo shade of a clear sky. Jaeyoung erased the thought of withdrawing from the project from his mind.
Even though he seemed confused like a defeated gambler, at the same time, he concealed a sharp touch as sharp as a detective because he felt a small contradiction. In his heart, even though it was meant as a compliment, does the other person have to do something that goes against himself in such a world?
When thinking about Chu Sangwoo’s thought process, it wasn’t incomprehensible; it could be explained. The moment Jaeyoung dodged a few times, that action must have been input into his thought process, speculating ‘That person probably likes that kind of action’ so he did it back.
It was just a feeling that bothered Jaeyoung, conflicting feelings within his heart, uncertainty of when this tranquility would collapse, the serenity devoid of responsibility for damage, because it was one-sided. At the same time, there was also a difficult-to-handle excitement; these were complex feelings.
In the office, Yoona was with Songjin. Yesterday he let Yoona wait. When he saw Jaeyoung, Yoona became furious. Jaeyoung listened as the other side complained into his left ear, piercing through and leaving through the right ear.
“And then, well, that atmosphere, once it was over, I signed the CD.”
“It was fun.”
“You missed out by not coming, in summary, so what are you doing?”
“I had work to do. There is no need to invite me to talk again.”
When he heard Jaeyoung speak in Chu Sangwoo’s manner, Yoona looked at him as if seeing an alien. At that moment, he saw Songjin, the owner of the adjacent seat, putting the computer screen into a box.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going to the army, sunbae.”
“To find?”
He heard that the other side had entered into a relationship with a woman he liked but was dumped and had no motivation to continue living. He dropped out of college and would be entering the army within this month.
Yoona, who was getting angrier, began to imitate Songjin with a stern face.
Jaeyoung himself couldn’t stay calm, so he promised to treat him to dinner. Song Jin sniffed and started explaining his feelings, but after about five minutes, Jaeyoung went to open the computer.
‘Suddenly, it feels like I’ve become Chu Sangwoo.’
He wondered when he had become a person who prioritized work like this.
He didn’t really know, but Jaeyoung felt that he was being influenced by Sangwoo’s magic, but he had no way to resist. Jaeyoung scanned the sketches into the computer, then opened the graphic design program and began to transform those images into digital files.
⌘W.
“I have to go home now. Aren’t you coming back?” Yoona asked.
“What time is it already?”
“It’s almost midnight.”
Jaeyoung blinked his dry eyes and looked at his wristwatch. Time had passed like this since when? He had gone out to have dinner with Song Jin outside the university and returned around one in the morning. After that, he had been working non-stop. As laziness crept in, exhaustion seeped in as well.
“You are very hard working these days. What’s up? Let’s share something good.” Yoona showed interest in his work.
‘How should I explain…’
Jaeyoung pondered for a moment and responded in the most concise version.
“Mobile game.”
“You are really into it, it’s really addictive and fun, isn’t it?”
He couldn’t say that it was because he wanted praise from the programmer, so he just paused and received it with a smile. While he was thinking of grabbing a cup of coffee and going home, a message came to his phone.
[Employer: Only 5 minutes until midnight. I haven’t received an email yet, so I came to remind you_11:55.]
Although the content seemed similar to the previous message, Jaeyoung was now trapped in Chu Sangwoo’s world. Even though the message appeared to be work-related, he felt excited. This time he was focused on his work, and he had already gathered the necessary information. He opened his email inbox. As he was about to attach a picture file, he hesitated.
Suddenly, another plan emerged in his mind. Instead of sending the email, he leaned back in his chair and hugged himself, sitting with crossed legs, staring at the phone for three minutes. When it was exactly midnight, a call came in as scheduled. Jaeyoung waited for six seconds before answering the call, adjusting the volume to the lowest…
“Oh, Sangwoo.”
[…Yes?]
“Why did you call?”
[Um… time’s up… it’s already midnight… I haven’t received any emails… so I called.]
“Ah, I forgot, thank you for calling. I’ll send it right away.”
[…]
“Have you had dinner?”
[Yes.]
“What did you eat?”
[At the cafeteria. Why?]
“What’s on the menu?”
[Chobap[4] tofu soup with Chinese cabbage, kimchi, sausage, stir-fried vegetables, stir-fried anchovies, yogurt. Why do you ask?]
“I want to hear your voice.”
[…]
“I like listening to the way a person speaks.”
[It’s a strange and good hobby, that’s all.]
Jaeyoung was about to cut the call before he could answer anything. He tilted his head back and forth, the result of the experiment being the tone of his voice. If Sangwoo had a mind to indulge him, he probably wouldn’t have responded and hurriedly hung up like that.
‘Did I misunderstand?’
If that’s the case, he must be lucky. Yoona, who was behind him, murmured softly.
“Oh my goodness. What were you doing just now?”
“What?”
“Why is your tone of voice like that? I want to throw up.”
“Butt off and throw up somewhere else”
Sangwoo might not know, but he understood his own situation well—the symptoms of being in love, the state of not being tied down. There was only the exhilaration of freedom. In this relationship of an unknowing affair, he enjoyed this moment the most. If the feelings developed beyond this point, the situation would become more complicated, murkier, and even more dangerous. But as long as he maintained this ‘line’, there was nothing to worry about. Jaeyoung was confident because he had never lost control due to his emotions.
‘But even so, it’s frustrating to wipe the fruits without tasting them.’
Jaeyoung looked at the tightly packed picture in the folder with a bitter smile. If only Sangwoo hadn’t come and played the role of a cute little hubaenim, he wouldn’t have been spun around helplessly like this.
Jaeyoung opened his email and attached the work file he had intended to do.
Email sent. Job done.
⌘W.
________________________________________.
[1] Native, Speaker.
[2] SD stands for Super Deformed, which refers to distorting the proportions of a character’s body from reality, making them appear deformed. It is often drawn in a ratio of 1:3 of the actual size.
[3] Cyan is one of the primary colors, located between green and blue.
It is one of the colors used in the CMYK color system for printing.
[4] Showbab, cooked white rice mixed with wild rice.