Game Market 1983

Two days from now.

When the action is halted somewhat and the rescue activity in the affected area is short-handed…

I found the scene with about 20 Pentagon employees volunteering to volunteer.

Normally, I would come at least a week to 10 days, but the schedule was pulled a little ahead because of the overlap of ‘personal’ matters.

“Director!! Over here! ”

As we got out of the car, we heard a good voice from a distance, when we arrived in the Awaji area that was most affected by the earthquake.

“Huh!? Isn't that Kaori?”

“Wow, Team Leader Morita is here too!! ”

When the happy staff got out of the car one or two, Kaori ran toward us with almost a crying face. Behind her, Hayashi in the hood smiled at me with difficulty.

“You don't have to rush into this...”

“But the parents of the employee I work with are hurt, so come as soon as you can.

How's your mother? ”

“You got pinched leaving the collapsing house, but fortunately, there's nothing else. ”

“Really? I'm so glad...”

“The house that I lived in since I was a child, however, collapsed very badly. Haha!”

As Hayashi was helping with the restoration, there was a black soot on her face to see if she had left a ride. We took a walk to the middle school auditorium where the refugees gathered, guided by Hayashi.

In the beginning, the scene was more severe than what I had seen on TV, so I couldn't tell where it was long and where it was.

Other employees also began to utter a word about the situation that was more serious than they thought.

“Now, that's not funny. ”

Miyazaki, backed up from the Pentagon Shop, swallowed a dry saliva as he saw 119 rescue workers crumbling through debris from all over the crash site.

“Shouldn't we just be in the way? ”

Kaori, who was walking with her, replied.

“It's okay, Miyazaki. We're not supposed to be doing rescue work here!”

Since we went to CES together last year, they've been hanging out together like sisters recently. Especially after the company finished, he ran to the Pentagon shop to help Miyazaki and entertain his guests, although he was quite popular with customers even though he was not an official salesperson.

The Pentagon operates its own premium shop, and unlike other gaming companies, it has taken a fairly open distribution approach. In addition, he was regularly hosting unique events inside the shop, but if it wasn't for this earthquake, he would have prepared a Gala Show themed "Gift of God" event at the end of February.

‘There have been many disruptions to the schedule. Thanks to you, we were able to keep up with the launch of Complete Raon. If you release a new product, will you sell it? It's perfect for a headwind…’

But my concern was very light compared to other companies at the same time.

Complicated Raon is a new product that's been getting a lot of attention from Mitch's users since last year, so even if it's a little late for launch, it won't hurt much...

However, small and medium-sized businesses had different circumstances.

Specifically, it was a survival game called 'The Saved City’, which was released next month through Raon. The 'Emerging Cities’ were the main survival adventure games aimed at surviving a major disaster, and the theme was' Earthquake ’.

Thanks to this work, just before cartridge production, the Kobe earthquake made it impossible to guarantee its release.

As CEO, I thought it was clearly the right decision, but considering the company's finances, it was a significant risk. It was such a pity that the game that I worked so hard for a year to get rid of without seeing the light of the world.

After a while. Hayashi and Kaori Couple (?), a trailer was already parked in front of the middle school auditorium containing all sorts of relief items in advance from the Pentagon.

Originally intended for street events in Akiba, this trailer had a clear pentagon logo, meaning the Pentagon Soft.

“Hey, Director!! ”

After escorting the trailer back to the other route, we met with the Kawaguchi Representative and said a quick hello and quickly started distributing relief supplies to the evacuees.

When I lowered my drinking water with the blanket I ordered in bulk from the Pentagon, some of the migrants in the auditorium came with me to help us.

A middle-aged man who appeared to be the emigrant representative approached us and greeted us.

“Thank you for coming. I was absolutely out of drinking water...”

“You seem to be devastated by the sudden disaster. I only brought what I thought I needed right away, but if you need anything else, just let me know. ”

“I'm glad you came all this way. Where are they from, by the way? ”

“Oh, we're a game developer called the Pentagon. ”

Then the evacuee representative slightly tilted his head and asked me again.

“Game development? Not a relief organization?”

“Yes, it is. ”

Even in Japan, where there are people of all ages from children to adults who play games, there are some who don't like games very much, so his reaction was not disappointing or disappointing.

At that time, a young man carrying a bucket next to us was surprised and cried out to us.

“These supplies are from the Pentagon? ”

He glanced at me alternately with the logo of our company that was clearly embedded in the bucket he was holding and looked at me in horror.

“Are you Kang Jun-hyuk? ”

Ugh... Someone recognizes me here.

Recently, though, it has been published many times in game magazines, and now when I travel around Akiba, there are a lot of users who recognize me. At that time, the evacuee representative asked the young man,

“Takuya, do you know this company? ”

“I told you before. Dad, when I graduate from college, I want to go to Tokyo and get a job at the Pentagon...”

“Was this the Pentagon you were talking about? ”

“Yes, that's right. ”

I said, "Wow, I want to be in a game company. I was worried I'd never heard of it. Sounds like a pretty solid company. ”

“Dad, if you're a gaming company, you only know Minten. The Pentagon is the number one company I want to go to right now at my age. ”

Haha... I appreciate the compliment, but I can't be happy in a place like this...

I said something to the evacuee representative while clearing the air for a moment.

“Anyway, if you need anything, please let me know or let my staff know nearby. ”

“Thank you for your attention. Can I get a business card, please? ”

The evacuee representative picked up his business card from me and opened his mouth with a strange expression for a moment.

“You're the director. That's a strange name... are you Korean? ”

“Yes, it is. ”

“I see... volunteering like this from a far-off land. Thank you so much."

“I'm going to go down with the rest of the staff. ”

“Yes, we'll help you. ”

&

During the morning, Pentagon workers who dropped off supplies along with drinking water wore aprons and rushed to lunch with migrant women.

The meal prepared simple cream stew and bread, as it was difficult to supply these people with proper meals with just a kitchen appliance installed in a mobile vehicle.

But even just that, the people gathered in the auditorium had put their hands together and thanked him several times.

I looked at the people eating for a while and left the auditorium to talk to Hayashi.

Just when I saw the Pentagon staff carrying relief supplies and simply taking off their food, I got up in a squat.

“Don't mind me. Eat. Thank you all very much. ”

“Thank you very much, Director. Have you eaten?”

“Yes. I just baked it with bread. ”

Among the Pentagon staff, the second development team members all volunteered to come here, and many of the employees I had known had followed me.

Well, the second development team is now the head of Hayashi's team, but it's only natural that he should come because his boss has been turned.

However, I couldn't find Hayashi's face either.

“Do you know where Hayashi is? ”

“She went to school to see her parents for a while. ”

Somehow, when I told you there were no patients in the refugee ward, the people who were injured in the disaster were at school.

I told the dining staff to finish their meal and headed to the school building across the playground. Soon after, however, Hayashi, who was burning cigarettes on the bench in front of the school, met me, smiled slightly and leaned against him.

“How are your parents?

“That's okay. Some of the neighbors I used to know were hurt, and some of them are dead, so I'm a little disappointed. ”

Hayashi brought the cigarette to her mouth with a bitter expression.

I stood up after preaching consolation and tapping Hayashi on the shoulder.

Maybe he just needed some time alone.

Today, on the third day of the big earthquake...

Rescuers who were still trying to save lives were busy.

I heard from the evacuee delegates that less than a tenth of the people in the auditorium today lived here.

I felt uneasy because I was recording a huge number of missing persons in the auditorium.

That's how I turned my foot towards the auditorium. I saw a child sitting alone on a swing set in the school grounds.

I was worried about the child with his head down, but I approached him and asked him.

“Why are you here alone? ”

The boy who held his head tightly in my voice lowered his head and opened his mouth.

“My brother is gone...”

“Bro...? ”

“When the earthquake hit, Mom and Dad are trying to get me and my brother out of the house, and all of a sudden his room collapses...”

“Oh... my parents...? ”

“Mom and Dad went home. I have to find my brother...”

“Don't worry too much. If you wait a little longer, the rescue workers will find you. ”

Then, the boy's shoulders slowly flutter up and down, listening to me.

“Hehe... If I had known this, I would have given it to my brother when he said he wanted to play... I shouldn't have...”

“Did you have a fight with your brother...? ”

The boy nods as he wipes his forearm with tears falling like a marble.

“It was... it was game night, and I was just... ugh...”

The boy wept in horror about what happened that day.

I stroked the boy's head for a moment and comforted him.

“Don't worry too much. You're gonna be fine, okay? If you find your brother today, ask those people in the auditorium over there and come see me. I'll give your brother a good gift. Okay?"

I just stopped crying and walked again, giving him a card and a loaf of bread that I had.

"This is worse than I thought..."

On my way back to the auditorium, I decided to take a look outside for a moment and left the school and entered the affected area.

Then I heard the voice of the paramedics scared to go outside.

“Ordinary people shouldn't be out of school yet. ”

“Yes, I understand. I'll take a quick look around and be right back. ”

I walked slowly down a long road in front of the school.

Along with the ruins of the houses on the floor, household goods were scattered that didn't even know who they belonged to. Among them was a portable gamble boy from Mintendo, who was lying on the floor with broken liquid crystal plastic.

Kneel on the ground and slowly pick it up, I sighed a little and looked up the power button.

Tsk, tsk.

Ugh... It works! Although we couldn't find where the cartridge flew to, the device was still alive.

I think it was yesterday that Kamachi threw it on the floor to make it strong, but you and I made it well at the time...

I suddenly woke up slowly, smiling in my old memory, and this time I saw Laon's cartridge case underneath my feet.

“Huh…? Dragon Emblem 1, right? ”

By the way, everything around here is just a game cartridge, right? What is it?

Was it the house of a great game collector? However, my question was immediately solved by a man nearby.

“Hah... we're screwed. Damn... What's this in a week...”