Game Market 1983 Chapter 40

Chapter 40 : Unique Marketing (3)

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A moment later. The place that Yuki brought me over to was a korean restaurant in s.h.i.+buya. The name of the store was ‘Mother’s Table’, a bit strange t.i.tle.

“This is…?”

“You’re a korean, Mr. Junhyuk. I asked my Korean friends and they said this was the best place in Tokyo, I thought you’d like it…”

“Ah~”

My chest tightened with grat.i.tude in response to Yuki’s thoughtfulness. I felt like a loser for arriving without any preparation and having work-related thoughts on this date…

“Do you not like Korean cuisine?”

“Not at all~ It’s a welcoming change of pace for me. There aren’t many korean restaurants in Kyoto so my meals are filled with Udons or Ramen. You’ve put a lot of thought into this, thank you,”

In response, Yuki smiled and muttered to herself.

“It’s a relief…”

As Yuki and I stepped into the restaurant, the nostalgic aroma of bean-paste soup and the sizzling Bulgogi in the grill started to pervade my dietary track.

I’ve only had a noodle bowl for lunch because of the meetings with the magazine companies, so I was in a famished state.

“Welcome~”

‘Mother’s Table’ had the unique tradition of greeting customers in Korean; With a sentimental mind, I also greeted in Korean to the lady behind the counter.

“h.e.l.lo~”

“Ohh~!! You’re a Korean~”

“Yes, my date here brought me to this place recommending it as the best eatery in Tokyo.”

“Aiigo~ Thank you very much~ It’s so welcoming to see a fellow Korean in a foreign land~ I’ll add an extra serving of Bulgogi to your table. Enjoy~”

“We will, thank you.”

As we were conversing in Korean, Yuki was staring at us with a blank expression and twinkling eyes.

“The lady said she was happy to meet me.”

“At~ Is that so. She seems to like you.”

After we sat across the table and poured each other a gla.s.s of water, we ordered 2 servings of Bulgogi and bean paste soup. Seeing the seemingly basic meal, Yuki asked with a worried expression.

“Would that be enough? You told me you’ve only had a bowl of noodle today.”

“This is your first time at a Korean restaurant, Ms.Yuki?”

“Yes. I’ve only heard of it from my friends; this is my first time.”

“Just you wait~ A shocking event will happen soon.”

A moment later. Seeing the table being filled with side dishes, Yuki asked the server in confusion.

“E..Excuse me, We haven’t ordered these?”

“These are all Okazu (Side dishes). These come along with the main course, don’t worry~”

“These…these are all Okazu?”

Mmm… Is the owner from the Chollado region? Food from that region tastes delicious and meals are fulsome~

On the table, acorn jello, Kimchi pancake, Kalbi and other side dishes were being brought in.

“Wow… Do Koreans really eat this much?”

“Ah… It’s not always like this, but we do have a higher side dish count than j.a.pan.”

“That’s amazing ~ The food delicious too~!!”

Thankfully, Yuki must have liked the food as a continuous stream of food was entering a mouth.

She had a coughing fit when eating the bean-paste soup which was a lot spicier compared to j.a.pan’s miso soup, so I quickly handed her a gla.s.s of water.

“Sp…Spicy.”

There is a clear difference from j.a.pan’s bean-paste soup~ Yuki was trying her hardest to suppress her coughing fits.

With the addition of Bulgogi being placed onto the sizzling grill, the table was filled to the brim with no s.p.a.ce to spare.

“They serve so much food, yet it’s only 380 yen per person…”

“Koreans naturally have a lot of generosity~”

I was overwhelmed by the nostalgic taste of Korea that I haven’t experienced in a long time, and hurriedly began shoving food into my mouth.

“Mistress~ One more rice bowl please~”

“Oh my? You’ve already finished it? I’ll bring it over in an instant.”

The head server nodded her head and took my order.

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“Ah~ I’m full.”

“Didn’t you eat too much? You’ve ate almost three servings of rice…?”

“I must’ve been too greedy after not having seen Korean food in a long time.”

“I’m feeling great after seeing you eat so well too, haha.”

“All thanks to you. You’ve brought me to this wonderful restaurant. Here, I’ll take care of the bill.”

“What? Why would you?”

“Mmm…? I mean, well… because…”

“I have money too? Excuse me, please give us a split bill.”

Not giving me any chance to speak, Yuki headed to the counter with the receipt. Mmm… I thought we were supposed to pay for the first date, I guess there is a slight difference in customs.

After we split the bill and stepped out, it was already dark. We’re both full, but what was the point of leaving after a just a meal…

“Should we go get some coffee to cool our stomachs down? I’ll buy the coffee.”

“What? Why are you trying to buy everything…”

“I ate three servings~ We split the bill in half so you suffered tremendous losses Yuki; let me buy the coffee.”

In response, Yuki stifled a laugh and nodded her head. Gah~ It’s so hard to buy her a cup of coffee…

Soon after, we moved our bodies to a nearby coffee shop.

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“Have a nice time~”

The waiter handed us the coffee and left holding the platter. Hmm… A luxurious coffee shop like this actually serves their coffee in a cup and a waiter serves it… This is something that couldn’t be imagined in the cafes in the 2000s.

There is definitely a difference in atmosphere from picking one’s order after they called your name… And seeing the coffee that was served in a ceramic instead of a paper cup truly differentiated the mood of the 1980s…

“How busy are you lately? After your first call, you haven’t contacted me for a while…”

“Ah… I’m currently in the process of developing a game.”

“A game? Wow~ What type of game is it?”

“Ah, that’s… Um…”

No!!! I can’t say it~!! How am I supposed to explain the theme of s.e.xy female characters traversing the skies while getting half their clothes ripped off when they’re hit~!!

In the end, I took out the picture of ‘Ryuwha Young’ (Who had the most conservative attire out of the characters) and showed it to her.

Yuki was the first person to see this image, as I haven’t released it to anyone else yet.

Ryuwha Young was a covert character that wore a black outfit with a mask that covered half her face.

Below the mask was a perky lip and a gorgeous bodyline enhanced by the skin-tight outfit, making her my favorite character in Psychic Battle.

The main characters of Psychic Battle: fireworks mage ‘Azesha Ren’, martial artist ‘Helena’ and tempest caller ‘Aoi Chaibasa’ were already finalized, but after a player beat the game, they were able to play as the enemies that appeared in story and battle mode.

The 2nd boss, telekinetic user ‘Catherine’, 5th stage boss, explosion boss ‘Jennifer’, and especially the last stage 8 boss, ‘Ryuwha Young’ was personally designed by Morita and I.

I felt a greater attachment to Ryuwha than even Azesha Ren and planned to give her a set of cheat-like abilities deserving of the last boss.

“The character is really pretty, is she a female main character?”

“Actually, every single character in this game are female. The game is a type of shooting game that focuses on the battle between psychic users.”

“Ah, is that so. If it’s a shooting game, there’s flying around everywhere and shooting missiles, right?”

“Mmm, you got the gist.”

“I love aircraft games so much~ I frequently visit arcades to play ‘1942’ too; I must! play your game after release.”

I looked at Yuki who was talking with a determined expression on her face and muttered in a tiny voice.

“Haha… You don’t have to do that…”

“What did you say?”

“It’s nothing… I was talking to myself. By the way, do you still have the Dragon Emblem cartridge that I gave you?”

“Ah~ right.”

Yuki took out a copy of Dragon Emblem and its cartridge and placed it on the table.

“I’ve had a great time playing it thanks to you. As you already know, I’ve also had the opportunity to enjoy the additional scenarios. I want to give it back to as repayment.”

“You want me to take it back?”

“Yes, I’ve enjoyed the game so much~ You might not have had the chance to play because you’re so busy.”

It’s not something like a ring or a necklace. Asking me to safeguard a game cartridge with care, I feel a bit strange. I awkwardly smiled and asked her a question.

“What kind of job do you have, Miss Yuki? Last time I saw, you were great at gaming? You were one of the last to survive amongst the various players in the Dragon Emblem.”

“I enjoyed playing chess since I was young; I used to play with my father quite often. As soon as I saw a game called Dragon Emblem, my curiosity led me to buy it straightaway. Ah~ and I work at a broadcasting station.”

“A broadcasting station?”

“Yes, but I’m only the provisional scriptwriter for now.”

“Excuse me, but do you mind me asking your age…?”

“19. My birthday was last week.”

“Ah, it’s late but happy birthday.”

Nineteen… It should be about 21 in Korean age? It’s definitely an adult, but the tender age of 19 greatly perplexed me. I nodded my head in acknowledgement as I moved the coffee cup to my mouth.

“How about you?”

“I’m… 25.”

I briefly recalculated my age in my head before replying. Now that I think about it, four years have pa.s.sed since I had set my age to 21 and time-travelled to the year 83… Time is flying by quickly.

“Woah.. You’re younger than I’d expected?”

“Pfft… You think I look old?”

“Something about you seems a bit different from the 20 years olds that I know…”

“How am I different?”

“A normal person in their 20s would be clueless in society after just graduating from college, but you have a mature air about you? In all honesty, I thought you would be in your late 20s at the youngest estimate.”

Were my mannerisms from 2015 interpreted like this? On the outside, I was 25 years old, but 38 on the inside. Yuki isn’t wrong at all, I smirked and nodded my head.

“There’s only one month left until the end of this year, the 88 olympics are being held in Korea next year, do you plan on returning?”

“I don’t know. My job is in j.a.pan, so I wouldn’t be moving back. I plan to get a brief vacation to visit.”

“Are your parents in Korea?”

My hands which were raising the coffee cup stopped at Yuki’s question. Parents. How were they doing…? When I get my vacation, what would it be like to visit my hometown? I was 7 years old in the year 88… I was probably living south of Seoul at this time…

“Mr. Junhyuk…?”

“Yes, my parents are in Korea. I’ll be stopping by to visit them while I go to the Seoul olympics…”

As I replied with a grin, Yuki stopped asking about family matters. Instead, she took out a diary from her bag and started writing something.