Shooo~~ I returned home and took a hot shower first. What just happened to me a moment ago? I wondered if I had some strange delusions due to being drunk, but on the coffee table in the living room, the Game & Watch I received from the elder was still there.
"This is strange..."
I sat on the sofa in light clothing and picked up the Game & Watch from the table. It displayed the time, indicating it was 1 a.m. If I wanted to get to work tomorrow, it would be best to sleep soon, but after the bizarre experience I just had, I didn't feel like falling asleep that easily.
"Clack."
The latch on the Game & Watch's cover happily opened. The story of how the design of this Game & Watch borrowed from the double-screen design of the reigning king of portable devices, the Nintendo 3GS, was already famous.
"It's simple, but fun. That's what games are all about."
Ding. Ding. Tick-tick.
Monotonous sound effects echoed in the living room. I found myself focusing on the game without even turning on the TV. Initially, the gameplay was so slow that I was on the verge of yawning, but as my score reached 100,000 points, the speed gradually increased. The buyer kept delaying appointments, and the owner kept wandering off for no apparent reason.
"The owner character here looks just like our company's CEO, lol."
Looking at the buyer who appeared leisurely, I added another comment.
"And this guy looks like a team leader. Always setting meeting times at his own convenience and coming in late..."
I couldn't help it. I couldn't resist. I controlled the protagonist like a maniac, so much so that my fingers felt numb. Even though it was my first time playing the game, I couldn't help but admire the level design that allowed me to adapt to the game without any tutorials.
Ping-ping-ping!! Ping!! Ping! Beep-beep-beep!!
The sound effects sped up as my finger movements became faster. Before I knew it, I had crossed 300,000 points, and the in-game protagonist was moving left and right as if performing a martial arts stunt.
"Just a bit more, just a bit..."
Beep-beep-beep... GAME OVER.
In the end, unable to pass the stack of approval documents that had accumulated due to the head's frequent absences, I had to settle for a score of 520,000 and end the game.
"Ah, my fingers hurt... What time is it now?"
I looked at my watch while massaging my numb fingers.
"2:30!? Crazy, I've been playing this for an hour and a half!"
Good games are like time machines. Time seems to fly by when you're immersed in the game. I looked at the Game & Watch with a bewildered expression. Then, a display appeared at the top of the screen, showing rankings based on the game score. My score of 528,200 put me in 3rd place. 2nd place had 800,000 points, and 1st place had 900,000 points. How do you even reach 1st place in this?
I pressed the confirmation button and moved to the next screen. Another message appeared at the top.
[Your score will be converted to a salary. In this playthrough, you have earned 5,282,000 yen.]
"Huh? Salary...? Oh, right, this was a company employee game. It converts the score to a salary and shows it to you. Interesting!"
Below the score display, there was an accumulated salary display that continued to increase based on the score I had achieved.
"I earned over 50 million won in just an hour and a half. Haha."
Though I had invested a precious hour and a half of sleep, I didn't feel bad. Even though the events in the game store still bothered me, focusing on the game made me mentally exhausted, and I soon fell asleep under the covers.
"Starting today, I'll be working with all of you as the head of the development team," Kang Junhyuk introduced himself to the new department.
It was his first greeting in the new department. The Customer Satisfaction Team was quite separate from the development department, so even though he saw the employees' faces, there hadn't been many opportunities to become close. He had been stuck in the development room during working hours, so it was difficult to get friendly with employees from other departments. In the slightly awkward atmosphere, Kang placed props on the empty head position.
"I won't bother you, just continue with your usual work. I need some time to adapt as well. Haha..."
Then, in the cramped office, he heard whispers among the employees. Somewhere, he heard the word "demotion." Demotion... Yes, that's right. Going from a team leader in the development room to the head of the Customer Satisfaction Team was practically a step-down.
During the calm morning work hours with not much to do, Kang thought about getting closer to the employees and stopped by a coffee shop below the company.
"Eight Americanos, please."
As he placed the coffee order, Kang leaned back in his chair and gazed out of the window. Eight cups of coffee for 36,000 won. It was more expensive than most meals. How much balance was left this month? Even though he lived alone and paid off his bank loan every month, he felt 36,000 won was quite a lot. Perhaps because of this coffee he bought for the employees, he might have to skip lunch for a few days.
And a little later, as Kang checked his account balance on his smartphone, he involuntarily gasped.
"What, what is this?"
Balance: 53,000,000 won
There was no way there could be over 50 million won in his account. What, is this some new scam? Kang quickly examined the transaction history.
2:32 AM, Depositor: Game & Watch 52,820,000 won.
Kang stared blankly at his smartphone, then blinked his eyes. However, the amount of money that had entered his account was exactly the same as the game score he had cleared yesterday. It was just that the yen had been converted to won.
"Hey, customer! Your coffee is ready!"
Startled by the employee's voice, Kang looked at the counter. He could see a hint of annoyance in the employee's expression; they had called him several times already.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."
Kang quickly took his coffee and left the coffee shop. However, his still astonished heart didn't calm down, so he took a moment to sit on a bench and catch his breath.
Calm down, Kang Junhyuk. Something very strange is happening to you right now. But you need to stay calm. After a while, Kang, who had barely settled his mind, returned to the Customer Satisfaction Team office with the coffee.
"Have some coffee, everyone."
"Oh, thank you."
Handing out coffee to the department employees, whom he hadn't become close with yet, seemed to ease the slightly awkward atmosphere somewhat.
&
During lunchtime that day, while all the department employees were out eating, Kang, who was alone in the office, took out the Game & Watch from his bag. He had brought it with him to reminisce about yesterday's events, but seeing it again gave him a very mysterious feeling.
"So, this is actually a company employee game that gives you a salary?"
Click. Kang opened the cover of the Game & Watch once more to double-check.
TL Note -
The Game & Watch is a line of handheld electronic games created by Nintendo. Released from 1980 to 1991, these devices were the brainchild of designer Gunpei Yokoi. Their name reflects their dual functionality: a single game paired with a digital clock (like a watch) on an LCD screen. Starting in 1981, models also included an alarm.
A massive hit, the Game & Watch series sold a combined 43.4 million units worldwide, with 12.87 million sold in Japan and 30.53 million overseas. This achievement marked the first major worldwide success for a Nintendo video game product.
The devices are powered by a 4-bit CPU from Sharp's SM5xx family that consists of 1792 Bytes of ROM with 65Bytes x 4 banks of RAM and an LCD screen driver circuit