Game Market 1983

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

The man who muttered to himself with a disdainful look, he naturally met me and headed toward the portable gamble boy in my hand.

I hurried to stop thinking I might be mistaken for a thief.

“Oh, well...”

“Never mind. You can't even sell a broken product anyway. It's rubbish now.”

The man looks sad and stares at the Gameboy for a moment, then sits down on a broken plank that was nearby.

This is a very strange situation...

I looked at the Gameboy for a moment and approached him.

“Did you run a game store here? ”

The man who was about to light a cigarette was shaking the lighter nervously, whether he didn't even listen to the lighter.

Then I lighted him up with the lighter I had and asked him again.

“Are you the owner of this item? ”

He glances back at the portable gambler I gave him, and his eyes turn red.

You may laugh at the fact that all grown-ups smell like children, but once they're really open and in just a week, everyone's left to their own fucked-up reality...

He frowned and took a deep cigarette and accepted the gamble I gave him.

Then I turned up the same broken Gameboy power switch as I did.

Heave-ho!

Even though the plastic screen was broken, the sound of a clear effect sounded to the ears as if he was still alive, and the man swallowed a ridiculous smile.

“I'm surprised it worked after all this trouble...”

“We made it strong because it's a toy that kids play with. ”

Then the man opened his mouth, staring at me.

“Sounds like you just made this...? ”

“Yes, that's right. I made it with Gunpei when I was working in Mintendo. ”

“Ugh…? So you work for Minten, too? ”

“No. I quit Mintendo and work for the Pentagon now. The last super family we built in Mintendo or LaTemperature is pretty sturdy, so if you look around, there might still be some intact products left. ”

“Now, wait a minute... what if I worked at Mintendo and then moved to the Pentagon... and developed a super family? ”

As the owner of the gaming store, how well do you know the industry news?

He seemed to know who I was with just a few clues at once.

“Yes, this is Kang Jun-hyuk from Pentagon Soft. ”

“Ah... I see. By the way, what brings you here to Pentagon Soft at the scene of the disaster? ”

“One of our employees is from here. I ran as soon as I heard what I had, but I was also worried about the staff and wanted to bring relief supplies to help the affected area. ”

“So the soup and bread from lunch was from the Pentagon? ”

“Well... I don't mean to brag, but yes. ”

“I thought I was from a government aid organization. It was the Pentagon. It was so chaotic, I didn't even check where the relief supplies came from. ”

“You don't have to worry about that. I heard you talking to yourself a while ago, and you must be devastated. You look like you've only just opened the shop...”

The man smiled at my comfort and took out another cigarette and asked.

You know, if there's a gas leak anywhere around here, we'll both be on the express train to Hwangcheongil...

I was anxious, but if it had happened and this much time had passed, the city's gas pipeline would have been locked...

The man stares at the end of the cigarette burning as black as his insides, and after a moment, he opens his mouth with a burst of white smoke.

“You may not remember, but I've actually seen that one before. ”

“Me? Have we met before? ”

“It's been a while since I met you. It was because of him that I touched you. ”

I rolled my head for a moment and replied to the man looking at the portable gamble boy, crushing the cigarette filter.

“Did you come to the launch ceremony of the portable gambler…? ”

“Yes. It was a snowy winter day, and it was cold all the way from the day before.

My mouth was frozen and I couldn't speak. And just then, as you were passing by, you gave me a warm cup of coffee. I wanted to thank you properly, but my mouth froze shut... ”

“Oh, you mean the one who said, ’I'd appreciate it...' when I got the coffee? ”

“Huh? You remember? ”

I couldn't remember his face, but I could not believe it was him. I almost burst out laughing in front of this situation.

“Of course. I never thought I'd see him here. ”

“I'm sure it's Kang Joon-Hyuk, but I've heard a lot about you in magazines since then. You were recently married...”

“Oh, yes. I recently had a daughter. ”

“Haha... That's nice. Time flies. I was a bachelor then, too, but now I have a three-year-old son who's married. After beating up a good company, he said he would do what I love and set up shop just 10 days ago…”

The man sighs, gazing helplessly at the place where his shop had collapsed.

Phew... The story is back to square one...

But if you've come to see this broken shop, your wife and son are safe.

I looked at the silent man for a moment and asked him.

“What are you going to do? ”

“Well, we should wait for the government to take action. I don't know how much of this is going to cost me, but I think it's going to cost me a fortune. Once you get your reward, you'll need to set up a home near you and get a job again. ”

“Aren't you going to reopen the shop? ”

Then the man swallowed a laughter and said, "Are you tired of me asking you to set up shop again?"

“Do you have any money left to set me up in this situation? ”

Of course there won't be any. But that doesn't mean there's really no way.

“I don't know about the other companies, but at least our Pentagon has decided to compensate our Pentagon owners who run gaming shops in Hanshin, Awaji and Kobe for 100 percent of their gaming cartridges. ”

“Yes...? You'll reward me 100%? ”

“At least as much product as we ordered from the Pentagon means it can be recovered. We'll return 50% cash to the owners who fold up their stores. ”

In the beginning, Kawaguchi cried out for such a dramatic proposal.

Even though my proposition to publicly distribute the new console was clearly outrageous in the face of mass manufacturing soon…

However, the owner of the shop next to me, unlike Kawaguchi, said to me with a stuttering voice, wanting to catch a straw.

“Y-you sure? You're returning 50% of the order...? ”

“He still looks like he's a director at Pentagon Soft. I'm not in a position to make promises that I can't keep to a CEO who's been affected by a disaster. ”

“Th-that would be unfair of me to take a breath.”

“By the way, like I said before, when you get paid in cash, would that be okay with you? When you get your inventory back, you'll be 100% rewarded. ”

“I'd love to, but even if I get my stock back, I still need a store to display and sell it in... if I'm going to move to another area, it's going to cost a lot to settle there, but I don't have enough money to get it back. ”

“What if we get you a shop instead? ”

“Yes? What did you just say...? ”

“If we were to get the store for you, would you accept the product you bought from us again? ”

“Well, if you're going to do it, then I have no reason to refuse, but... why are you so...? ”

The man asked again, starting to look anxious about my proposal.

Even if you're too good for no reason, you're suspicious.

I replied with a slight smile toward the store owner who looked odd.

“There are a few conditions instead. ”

“Condition…? ”

At that time, an employee in a Pentagon uniform who had left the school's front door shouted my name whether he was looking for me.

“Director Kang Jun-hyuk!! Where are you!! ”

Is that Kaoringa?

As I sat with the man on the pile of ruined debris, I slowly got up and shouted toward Kaori.

“Over here!! Is something wrong? ”

“Ahhh!! Director! Mr. President is looking for you!! Reports from the station!! Oh, and Jun Pyo, a pammy reporter, is here too! ”

“Okay. I'll be right back!! ”

After speaking with Kaori from afar, I still open my mouth to the man with the strange look on his face.

“Let's go back to the evacuation center for more details. ”

After dusting off the clothes, I gave him a business card and ran to the place where Kaori was waiting.

“Th-thank you!! We'll be in touch!! ”

The voice of the man coming from behind my back is a little brighter than the first time I met him.

&

After a while, after returning to the school hall with Kaori, a happy face greeted me for a long time.

“It's been a long time, Kang Jun-hyuk. ”

“Huh, Misato? What are you doing here? ”

“What's going on? Isn't it natural that a news reporter is on the scene? ”

“Oh, right. Yes…”

As she scratched her back head and smiled softly, Jun Fei waved her hands at me behind her back.

“I'm here, too!”

However, I asked Misato, ignoring Junpei's greetings lightly.

“So it was Mr. Misato who requested an interview with our Pentagon? ”

“Yes, that's right. I know you're busy, but could you give me a minute with Jules? Kawaguchi said he really wants to do an interview with Junhyuk. ”

“Oh, it doesn't matter. So, shall we go where Jules is? ”

“Hey! Hey! I'm here, too! ”

Jun Fei keeps talking back to us, smiling face to face.

“Hey, Mossimo! Can't you hear me? I'm here, too!”

“I heard from Jules briefly that the Pentagon will not spare the aid and support of the displaced villagers. Is that true? ”

“Of course, we also have a little bit of a backup plan for the gaming shops and the self-employed people we can help out with the game. ”

“Oh, that's interesting. ”

“Of course, I'll tell you more about that too. ”

“Hey, man!! Kang Jun-hyuk! I'm here too!! Pretend you know!!! ”