Chapter 56: Main Job – Intern, Side Job – CEO
Pangyo Creative Innovation Game Center.
Ding
– Whirr
As the elevator indicator reached 7, the heavy steel doors slid open.
The central lobby featured an open space for collaborative work, while individual office spaces were located along the sides.
True to the startup vibe, even on a weekend, many developers were diligently typing away on their keyboards, wireless earbuds firmly in place.
[Studio SH, Room 704]
Knock knock knock
“Come in.”
– Click
“Hello, I’m Song Dae-woon from Buksan Ventures, the one who contacted you yesterday.”
As I opened the door and stepped inside, the entire office came into view.
A long table pressed against the wall held three computers lined up side by side.
Scattered papers surrounded the keyboards, creating a cluttered yet somehow organized chaos.
Still, the expansive view of Tancheon River through the floor-to-ceiling windows alleviated the otherwise stuffy atmosphere.
Three bespectacled figures, seated at the table, turned their gazes toward me.
Judging by their haggard appearances, it seemed they hadn’t slept in days.
Their weary faces radiated a subtle but unmistakable intensity—a look that screamed, ‘These guys must be great at making games’.
Studio SH’s CEO, Song Si-ho, shot up from his seat with a welcoming expression.
“I can’t believe you actually came on a Saturday… Shall we move to the meeting room?”
As Song Si-ho opened the door and stepped out, the two remaining individuals silently followed him without a word.
They seemed like the reserved type, someone who was reluctant to break the ice.
The atmosphere grew even more awkward once we entered the meeting room.
A palpable pressure hung in the air, as if someone had to speak up to dispel the tension.
“You’re all working really hard, even on a weekend.”
I finally said, falling to the pressure to say something.
“Hahaha, is there really a difference between weekdays and weekends for startups? By the way… how did you end up here? You mentioned we didn’t need to prepare a business plan or IR materials (IR materials refer to Investor Relations materials. These are documents and presentations used by publicly traded companies to communicate with their investors), so we were just… waiting.”
I took out three business cards from my wallet and handed them to the group.
[Dylan Song, Investment Team 2, Buksan Ventures]
“My name is Song Dae-woon or Dylan, and I’m currently working as a VC intern at Buksan Ventures.”
The three of them fidgeted with my business card, their expressions betraying mild disappointment upon hearing the word ‘intern’.
Realizing it might come off as impolite, they quickly composed themselves and handed me their own business cards with smiles.
“I’m Song Si-ho, CEO of Studio SH.”
“I know. I was quite impressed by your presentation at the B-CAMP Demo Day.”
At my words, Song Si-ho scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“It was a total disaster, but thanks for saying that… Though, if I may ask, what brings you to us?”
What should I say?
Even though I had seen something promising in their work, I hesitated to bring up the topic of investment.
“Was it ‘Hunting Pig’? That game left a strong impression on me. It’s been on my mind, so I decided to come see it for myself.”
My lukewarm comment made the three bespectacled developers turn beet-red in unison, scratching their heads awkwardly like mirrored reflections.
“Thank you for the kind words. So, uh… do you think there’s any chance of investment?”
“Well, as an intern, I’m not in a position to make any investment decisions.”
“Of course, that makes sense, hahaha… Honestly, we believe our game is the best, but… I know, it won’t be easy. There are so many talented people out there…”
The three bespectacled developers all slumped their shoulders in unison, their expressions dejected.
“Still, I can tell your game isn’t ordinary. By the way, may I ask how the three of you met?”
“Us?”
They exchanged glances, their silent communication almost comedic.
I was briefly reminded of a trio of goofy figurines dangling from a car mirror, and it took all my self-control not to burst out laughing.
Suppressing my laughter with extreme restraint, I waited for their response.
“Actually, the three of us met through a game.”
“Really? Through a game?”
“Do you happen to know a game called Apple Pie?”
“…?”
Since I wasn’t particularly interested in games, I answered with silence, which they took as an implicit ‘no’.
“It’s no surprise you don’t know it. Hardly anyone played it. We stumbled upon it when we were in middle school and got completely hooked. We even skipped cram school just to keep playing.”
The other two nodded in agreement, a nostalgic gleam in their eyes.
“It wasn’t popular, but we loved it. The characters were adorable, and the story was surprisingly engaging. That’s how I met these two—we were in the same guild.”
“It was so much fun.”
“Yeah, I’d go back to those days if I could.”
It was the first time I’d heard the other two speak, and I was surprised by the deep, manly tones, contrary to my expectations.
“But then the game announced it was shutting down. A game we’d been playing for three years was suddenly gone. Honestly, I cried like crazy in my room. It wasn’t just about not being able to play the game anymore; it felt like all the memories we’d made through it were vanishing too.”
“Same here. I cried under my blanket.”
“I went to Mapo Bridge and sat there. A passerby gave me a hug and told me to stay strong.”
These people were more passionate about the game than I had anticipated.
Their sincerity caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily at a loss for words.
“Feeling regretful, I left a message in the guild chat on the last day before the service shut down. I wrote, ‘This game may be ending now, but one day, when we’ve grown up, let’s make a game like this ourselves.’ That’s why I decided to attend a specialized gaming high school. I even moved all the way down to Wanju in North Jeolla Province.”
“So, to sum up… The three of you met in a game during middle school. When that game shut down—no, ended—you were so disappointed that you decided to create your own game. And that’s what brought you all the way here?”
“As expected of a VC, you’ve summarized it perfectly.”
“Apple Pie… It was fun. Why did it shut down?”
“Exactly! Sigh. But it’s okay. Now we have ‘Hunting Pig’.”
“Heh heh. By the way, how far did you get?”
“Stage 12. You?”
“Damn, you stayed up all night glued to your phone and got that far? I’m still on Stage 10.”
“Just Stage 10? Man, you’ve lost your touch.”
These guys… No, these ‘Jokers’.
They’d created this game purely for their own enjoyment.
Pushing his glasses up, Song Si-ho suddenly turned to me with an oddly meaningful look.
“Hey, by any chance…”
“Yes?”
“Have you tried Hunting Pig before?”
Of course I hadn’t.
His unexpected question caught me off guard, and I hesitated, unsure of how to respond.
“Knew it. You haven’t, have you? Then why don’t we play a round together?”
“Uh… sure, I’ll give it a shot.”
I couldn’t exactly refuse outright.
Before I could react, Song Si-ho grabbed my phone and installed Hunting Pig like it was his personal mission.
“Well… just so you know, I’m not really into games…”
“It’s fine. Hunting Pig is designed to be a game anyone can enjoy effortlessly. Alright, it’s installed. Let’s play a round together. Hey, Eui-gyeong, create a room.”
“Already did.”
“You’re only quick when it comes to stuff like this, you bespectacled jerk.”
Watching the three bespectacled developers simultaneously grab their phones, I felt a wave of reluctance.
‘What’s with this sudden gaming session… And of all things, such a childish-looking game…’
But I had no choice but to pick up my phone as well.
An hour passed like that.
[Clear! Next Stage]
“Yes, got it!”
My fingers, which had been tapping away furiously at the screen, froze as a rush of triumph filled my eyes.
On the screen, a cute black cat character, resembling a briquette seller’s mascot, stomped triumphantly on a giant boar and smiled brightly.
“Oh! Nice! Dae-woon-ssi, you’ve got a knack for gaming!”
“Agreed. You’ve got some solid gaming sense.”
“Taking down the man-eating boar? This is a first for us too, isn’t it?”
“As expected, Hunting Pig is best enjoyed with friends.”
I exchanged a loud, enthusiastic high-five with the trio, the sound snapping me back to reality.
‘What am I even doing here right now…?’
“Fun, right?”
“Oh… Yeah, it’s really fun.”
I couldn’t help but nod.
To my surprise, Hunting Pig turned out to be far more entertaining—no, outright addictive—than I had anticipated.
It was engaging enough to fully absorb even someone like me, who rarely found games interesting.
‘But why is this so fun?’
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what made the game so enjoyable.
When I was first customizing the cat character, I was honestly unimpressed.
But the moment the pig hunts began in earnest, I found myself completely absorbed, as if being sucked into the game’s world.
Contrary to the childish appearance, the gameplay required surprisingly good control.
Each cat character had unique skills that encouraged players to devise their own strategies.
Defeating villainous pigs earned ‘tusks’, which served as an in-game currency.
These tusks could be used to unlock new skills or purchase a variety of items.
‘How strange…’
Watching the promotional video, the game looked utterly boring.
But now that I’d played it, I realized just how entertaining it could be.
This realization made me think: promoting a game like this would be challenging.
Getting people to download it in the first place seemed like a real uphill battle.
“It’s so fun… so why isn’t it popular?”
The trio of bespectacled developers, understanding the underlying intent of my words, showed faintly disheartened expressions.
“It’s probably because it doesn’t align with current trends… Games from major companies like MCSoft, Maxon, or NetMobile look far more sophisticated in comparison…”
“Has no other VC shown interest in this game?”
“Not a single one… So, when we got a message from Buksan Ventures, we were over the moon…”
Even if no one had reached out, they should have at least claimed someone had! These guys were hopelessly naive when it came to business.
Their game development skills might be stellar, but in terms of business acumen, they had a long way to go.
“Even though I’m just an intern, I see real potential in Hunting Pig. I’ll make sure to bring it up to the higher-ups.”
“Just hearing that means the world to us…”
Despite their gratitude, they didn’t seem particularly hopeful.
Would anyone listen to a mere intern?
After leaving the Pangyo Game Center, I returned home with my thoughts even more tangled.
Tucking the small parcel left at my door under my arm, I punched in the door code.
– Meowwww!
– Meow-ow!
– Mew!
The moment I opened the door, three little black fluffballs enthusiastically greeted me.
Their cries, as if scolding me for being late, instantly cleared my muddled mind.
This was why people kept cats.
I usually spent most weekends playing with my black cats, but today, I had work to do.
I owed them some overdue quality time.
Gripping two feathered cat wands in both hands, I sat on the sofa and waved them enthusiastically.
– Nyahhh!
The black furballs, captivated by the feathers, swatted their fluffy paws at them, chasing with earnest determination.
“Well, aren’t you an impressive one?”
Their attempt to look fierce while locking eyes with their prey was more amusing than intimidating.
After playing with them for a good while and feeding them some treats, I finally finished my homework for the day.
“Phew, I’m beat.”
Though I hadn’t done anything particularly strenuous, my entire body felt heavy, as if weighed down by lead.
I sank into the sofa, melting into its embrace, when the thought of Hunting Pig suddenly popped into my mind.
Why had that golden light appeared around Song Si-ho earlier?
When he first stepped onto the stage, nothing had been visible.
Clearly, some variable had come into play, but I had no clue what it was.
“The game’s honestly really good…”
Thinking about Hunting Pig made my fingers itch.
I wanted to challenge new stages and customize my cat hero character.
“But what’s the point? No venture capital firm is interested…”
The harsh reality was that Hunting Pig wasn’t unique enough to stand out.
In a world where astronomically funded games launched almost daily, what chance did it have?
“Ugh… I can’t figure this out. Maybe I should just ignore the golden light this time.”
No matter how much I mulled over it, I couldn’t see a way forward.
The sheer exhaustion of overthinking left me drained.
Deciding I’d better stretch out and get some sleep, I began to rise—when I suddenly remembered.
“Oh, right! The package.”
I retrieved the small parcel I’d tossed aside earlier and opened it with a pair of kitchen scissors.
Inside was a compact plastic case.
“Oh! My business cards finally arrived.”
[Sprout Investment CEO Song Dae-woon]
Seeing the title ‘CEO’ printed on the card made me chuckle.
At Buksan Ventures, I was just an intern, but in my alternate persona, I was a venture capital CEO.
“Wait… hold on.”
That’s when a brilliant idea sparked in my mind—a perfect solution to my dilemma.
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