Industrial Spy...
I know the definition: "Someone who deliberately leaks proprietary technical information belonging to their own or another company to cause damage." But no matter how much I think about it, I can't believe I've caused as much damage to Mintendo as to fall under that category.
Of course, that definition is just the crux of industrial espionage. Broadly speaking, my wrongdoing is...
Yeah, it's more like 'dual-agent,' right?
Even back in 2015 before the timeslip, there were employees doing secret coding for other companies as part-time work. It was just a small side hustle, but in my case, the scale was a bit different.
So, why? The lawyer sitting in front of me, Mr. Huse, also had a very puzzled expression.
"This is... subtle."
"Indeed?"
"For any action, there should be corresponding losses, but since there's a portion where profit is generated, it becomes quite tricky. If Mintendo says, 'We could have gained more, but we only earned this much,' it leaves us with no argument. However, it's challenging to guarantee necessarily greater profit. In this case, we might have to look into Junhyuk's employment contract terms."
"My employment contract?"
"If there's a clause in the company regulations regarding ownership of creative works by employees during their employment, it might become a bit tricky. Ah, and when creating the game 'Dragon Emblem,' did you happen to use any of Mintendo's cartridge factories or Mintendo-owned items?"
"No. As you know, Mr. Huse, I used surplus stock cartridges obtained during Triangle Soft's acquisition."
"That's good. If you hadn't used any of Mintendo's facilities, at least there wouldn't be any visible loopholes. Then the most concerning part would be the release of 'The Empty Streets' during your time at Mintendo."
"And the way out of that would be through clauses in Mintendo's employment contract?"
"Yes, exactly. I suggest going back home and reviewing the employment contract during your time at Mintendo."
Following Mr. Huse's advice, I clenched my fists, feeling tense, and asked, "Mr. Huse... is there perhaps a simpler, cleaner solution? The games I'm about to produce are more than just one or two."
"There is."
"Really? What would that be?"
"Cleanly entering into a second-party agreement with Mintendo as per their proposal. Then everything can proceed without any issues."
"...."
"Of course, you might not like that, right? Personally, I have a feeling..."
With deepening creases in his eyes, Mr. Huse, wearing a kind smile, raised both hands on the table and slowly continued speaking.
"Mintendo's President, Mr. Kamauichi, seems to want to have a conversation with Mr. Junhyuk."
"Excuse me?"
"Actually, if Mintendo had truly decided to sue Junhyuk, they wouldn't even give such a warning. They would have acted upon hearing the content immediately."
Come to think of it, Mr. Huse's words did make sense. President Kamauichi is quite decisive. For a while, I said nothing, just gazing at the phone lying on the desk.
"Um, can I make a quick call?"
"Of course. It's lunchtime, and if you wish, feel free to use the space while I'm away."
"Then, just for a moment..."
After a while, when Mr. Huse left for lunch, leaving me alone, I took out my Game & Watch from my bag.
"Phew... it's been a while since I've seen you. But I wonder if the battery is still good?"
The last time I checked the market information was two months ago...
Game & Watch used silver batteries easily available at watch stores, and surprisingly, the battery lasted quite long.
It was almost like changing fingers on both hands since I had replaced the battery since coming to 1983...
With a slightly uneasy feeling, I opened the cover and pressed the power button, and soon, a dim blue light lit up the screen.
Thank goodness. It's working fine. Huh... but wait, this interface is different from the sponsored game I saw before...?
Wait a moment, this interface is like...
"It's like Three Kingdoms!"
Indeed. Inside the Game & Watch, there was a huge virtual continent, with the currently released consoles occupying part of it.
Of course, among them, Mintendo held the most territory.
From the Family and Super Family to the Portable Gameboy, Mintendo had conquered about 2/3 of the virtual continent, resembling the dominance of Wei in the Three Kingdoms. (Now that I think about it, Kamauichi's actions are quite like Cao Cao's...) And in the lower right corner, NEGA, the second-largest console company, didn't match Mintendo's dominance but held a fairly substantial territory in the gaming world, resembling Shu in the Three Kingdoms...
And where there should have been the land of Wu, there were the aging models of console companies like PC-Engine or MSX, gathering together. Seems like it's still a time for the rise and fall of those kingdoms...
-Start CEO Game?-
Starting from an employee game, passing through the sponsored game helping various companies, and now a CEO game?
It was absurd, but having experienced the evolution through the sponsored game, it wasn't that surprising.
With a wry smile, I pressed the start button, and a tiny territory named Pentagon appeared at the edge of the continent.
This CEO game's interface was akin to the Three Kingdoms game I had enjoyed before, making it easier to adapt.
While exploring the game for a while, I soon realized an interesting fact.
It was that, like a ruler inspecting the abilities of subordinates in Three Kingdoms, the sponsored game allowed me to see the abilities of people I interacted with at a glance.
Just for the sake of it, when I clicked on Morita, various information appeared alongside his occupation, 'Character Designer,' with details like Monster Design Level 2, Cute Girl Design Level 8, and Sexy Design Level 10. Quite accurate...
While examining Morita's abilities, something caught my eye beside the skills: a flashing level-up button. Out of curiosity, I pressed it.
"To raise Morita's sexy design level, you'll need the following items: 'Yoshihara Satoshi's Holy Sword Langrissa Character Illustration Vol. 2' - Huh? Yoshihara's illustration book? The one they're selling at the bookstore right now?
I thought it'd be something huge since it's an item, but isn't this more like buying reference books for studying students?
Just out of curiosity, I clicked on Chandra this time, and just like Morita, various skill information popped up. Among them, what caught my eye before anything else was this:
- Flash Memory Development Research Lv.1 -
"Ah!!"
I exclaimed unintentionally in the empty office.
"This is it!! This is it!!"
All the information I needed the most was contained right here.
Suppressing my excitement momentarily, I decided to explore the game a bit more. If this virtual continent signifies consoles, there surely must be a place signifying game software as well, right?
And after a while, I found an icon in the game screen that seemed to represent game software.
- Ji-Jeo World... -
Just to be sure, I clicked on the icon, and Ji-Jeo World supporting the virtual continent unfolded.
This place, entwined like a spider's web with numerous game software development companies, was evidently the foundation of the virtual continent.
How did I figure it out so quickly, you ask? Well, because the connections representing 80% of Ji-Jeo World were supporting Mintendo on the virtual continent...
Among them, our Pentagon occupied a significant territory in Ji-Jeo World, holding the largest branch supporting Mintendo.
Especially, thanks to Tamago Monster of Mintendo's Portable Gameboy, it boasted the most significant contribution, and even the deserted area in the Second Super Family showed a considerable contribution.
In other words... realizing that these two branches were negotiation points with Mintendo, I raised a corner of my mouth and glanced at the phone on the desk.
After putting Game & Watch back into my bag and organizing my thoughts for a moment, I picked up the receiver and dialed. It was a direct line without going through Kamauichi's secretary.
After a few signals, Kamauichi's voice came through the receiver.
"Is this Ganggun? I was just about to send a lawsuit if I didn't get a call in the next 10 minutes. Lucky you."
As soon as I answered the call, I could sense that Kamauichi wanted to talk. I took a deep breath and spoke cheerfully.
"Timing seems to be on my side, huh? How have you been, sir?"
"You. Asking if I've been well after making such remarks at the press conference. Your audacity and impudence remain unchanged."
Fortunately, hearing Kamauichi's voice, it seemed he wanted to converse with me, just as Huse said.
He probably doesn't know about me acquiring the Latex factory through backchannels. If he did, he'd have definitely gone straight for lawsuits...
"Still, you look healthy, which is fortunate."
"Of course. Our company isn't weak enough to be shaken by such remarks."
"Absolutely correct."
At that moment, I heard a faint sigh from Kamauichi's end of the line.
"But it still hurts a bit."
"It's saddening to hear this news apart from Mintendo. Instead of discussing this important matter over the phone, wouldn't it be better to meet in person and talk?"
"Right. You do know a thing or two. Then wait for me."
"I'll come to visit by tomorrow morning. Keep your schedule clear."
After ending the call with Kamauichi, I let out a long sigh.
He's not someone to take lightly. Despite his age, he has a unique resilience.
At that moment, Huse returned to the office after finishing his meal.
"Ah, you're here?"
"Yes. Did you have a chance to talk with Mintendo while I was having my meal?"
"Yes. As Huse said, Kamauichi wanted to talk with me. We've agreed to meet at Mintendo's headquarters in Kyoto tomorrow morning."
"Is that so? Well, I hope it resolves smoothly..."
"Um... it might be resolved quite easily. Anyway, I'll contact the office around tomorrow afternoon."
"Okay. I'll be waiting for the call."
After expressing gratitude to Huse regarding the consultation, I left the office.
The next day, boarding the first Shinkansen train in the early morning, I stood before Mintendo's headquarters in Kyoto at 10 AM and lit a cigarette.
"It's been a while here, too..."
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