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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 54: Preview
It didn’t take long for Hanasaka to believe that Enju and Wakayama were the same person.
After all, when Jung Junhyuk had called him out, he had also brought along the editor who could confirm his identity.
“I’m Matsuda, Wakayama-sensei’s editor.”
Hanasaka took the business card Matsuda offered with a friendly smile—and just stared blankly at Junhyuk.
“…It’s true then… The rumor that Enju and Wakayama are the same person…”
“Yeah. That’s right. But keep it a secret, please.”
“There was even a rumor that Enju-sensei was a gorgeous girl, so I really thought they were two different people…”
As expected, the moment the "Enju is a beautiful girl" rumor reached Junhyuk’s ears, it was like someone pressed his internal “auto-hunt” button—he immediately grabbed a tissue and lunged at Matsuda.
“Grr… You’re asking for it!”
“Junhyuk! Calm down! You can’t kill someone with a tissue!”
The brief chaos settled down. Once everything had calmed, Hanasaka, now having fully accepted the situation, cautiously opened his mouth.
“I’m incredibly grateful that you’re taking such an active role in the production, sir… but I just don’t understand why you’re going this far.”
Shoot'n'Gate was something their team had been passionately working on.
There was a tangible joy in the process, and if the right circumstances aligned, they were confident it could be something great.
But that same could be said of countless other game dev teams.
There was nothing particularly special about them.
And as things stood now, Shoot'n'Gate was clinging to life by the skin of its teeth—beset by misfortune from every direction.
For an outsider to get this deeply involved? It just didn’t make sense.
“Because I think the story is going to be really fun.”
“…Sorry?”
Hanasaka looked stunned at Junhyuk’s utterly casual, matter-of-fact response.
“I read the script you sent me—more than once, actually. It was REALLY fun.”
Maybe it just hit his personal tastes.
But when Junhyuk read the scenario for Shoot'n'Gate, he felt the same spark he’d felt in those brilliant, radiant stories he’d seen in that bright white room.
“It’s not finished yet, but I think the deeper it goes, the more powerful and immersive it becomes. I just… want to watch that process unfold. I want to be part of bringing it to life.”
Maybe it was just a hunch. But somehow, Junhyuk felt this was exactly what he needed right now.
He plugged Matsuda’s mouth with a tissue mid-sentence and went on—
“Honestly, I don’t know if my involvement will change much. But if possible, I want to see this finished the right way.”
“Sensei…”
Junhyuk looked over at Hanasaka with a fresh, open smile.
In stark contrast, Matsuda sat beside him, suffocating and writhing.
If it weren’t for the sheer absurdity of the moment, Hanasaka might’ve burst into tears then and there.
Instead, she clenched her fists tight.
“With you saying all that, how could I keep moping? Let’s finish this together!”
Hanasaka wiped the tears welling in her eyes.
The sudden, comet-like arrival of this miraculous helping hand made Junhyuk seem positively radiant, like he had a divine glow around him.
All thanks to—
“Mmph! Mmph!”
“This is your punishment for turning me into a ‘beautiful girl’ rumor! Accept it with dignity!”
—Of course, the mental image of Junhyuk trying to suffocate his own editor with a tissue was forcibly deleted from her mind.
To an outsider, the scene at Junhyuk’s table looked completely unhinged:
One guy trying to murder another with a tissue, the other getting strangled, and a third person passionately making vows.
It was only just before the cafe staff called the police that the situation finally calmed down.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Starting today, I’ll be joining the scenario writing team. I go by Enju, but also Wakayama. I look forward to working with you all.”
As Jung Junhyuk finished his light self-introduction, surrounded by the staff, a round of polite applause broke out.
There were about ten staff members in total, including Hanasaka.
Seeing that there were only one or two people per role, they were likely a tight-knit team who’d worked together for quite a while.
The fact that they were still here, even when the project’s future was uncertain, was proof enough of their dedication and passion.
Their sharp, focused eyes stood in stark contrast to their tired faces.
“I’m Takahashi Souta, serving as the director and overall coordinator. It’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise, looking forward to working with you.”
Despite Junhyuk being a sudden addition from the outside, no one looked especially surprised or bothered—it seemed they’d all been told in advance.
Noticing Junhyuk’s subtle glance for a read of the room, Director Takahashi smiled and said—
“The team was all for it. Everyone strongly recommended it. They said Enju-sensei has a great grasp of storytelling and a solid understanding of visuals too.”
“Ah, I see...”
Because Junhyuk had been directly involved in the adaptation of the drama CD into video, and because Utahara had praised both Enju and Wakayama in a magazine interview, the names had gained more recognition in the industry than even Junhyuk himself had realized.
Now that everyone knew the two were the same person, there was no way anyone would object to him joining the team.
“Alright then, let’s move right into the meeting.”
There wasn’t even a proper meeting room. The office they were in was just a temporary rental.
Right after introducing Junhyuk, they dove into the meeting topic: Crowdfunding.
“To be honest, we don’t have much of a presentable result to show off for fundraising.”
At Hanasaka’s words, Junhyuk and the rest of the team all nodded.
Currently, about 30% of the production was complete—
Main character concept art was finished.
Core systems (text box, choice system) were implemented as test samples.
Music and sound: two theme songs and basic sound effects composed.
Including the rough outline and planning, the basic skeleton was in place.
But that was just it—a skeleton.
They didn’t have anything substantial enough to publicly showcase.
“What we really need is a teaser and a PV, right?”
Director Takahashi added to Hanasaka’s point.
Nothing leaves a lasting impact quite like a video.
In the near future, it might become standard practice to produce animated promotional videos for games.
At that, the art lead eagerly raised their hand.
“Just a teaser and a PV won’t cut it. We should also release a teaser image and a promotional illustration as a set!”
The art lead chuckled mischievously, prompting Junhyuk to quietly take a half-step away.
“If you’ve got the bandwidth, we’d love it. But are you sure? The art team’s already got a heavy load.”
Looking worriedly toward the art lead, Hanasaka was the one concerned this time—but Junhyuk answered instead.
“I’ll help with the teaser and PV production. I’ve got some experience, even if not much.”
Hearing that, both Takahashi and Hanasaka visibly brightened.
“The PV will require some deep character interpretation too, so we’ll definitely need your input, Hanasaka-san. Are you okay handling that while still working on the scenario?”
A teaser and a PV may seem similar, but they serve different purposes.
The teaser is for teasing—dropping hints and setting the mood. It lightly implies the world, characters, and atmosphere.
The PV (promotional video) is more like a proper trailer—it includes gameplay scenes, animation sequences, and even voice lines from the cast.
“Of course! I’m in!”
With Hanasaka’s energetic response, Director Takahashi clapped his hands and wrapped up the meeting.
“Then we’ve set the direction. For now, let’s all focus on the teaser and PV. Art team, consult with UI on how we’ll handle the visuals—”
As Director Takahashi headed out to start looking into voice actors for the PV, each team began diving into their respective tasks.
＊ ＊ ＊
"These are the character concept designs, right? Let me take a quick look."
Jung Junhyuk's work ethic far exceeded the staff’s expectations.
"Would this style work for the CG? I tried drawing something with a similar vibe using existing images as reference."
"Wait…? You just drew this now?"
"Yes. Is something off about it?"
"No, not at all. It's amazing. How do you draw this fast…?"
It wasn’t just that Junhyuk was fast—his speed was astonishing.
Though this was his first time working on a game, it took him mere hours—no, even calling it "hours" was an overstatement—to fully adapt to CG illustration.
With just one trial run, he got the hang of it and began cranking out assets like a machine.
Of course, the abundance of reference material—character concept art, CG illustrations—already prepared in advance played a huge role in speeding things up.
He holed up in the white void of his workspace, going without sleep, food, or bathroom breaks, simply drawing or reviewing images non-stop.
Spending 24 hours a day immersed in art sharpened his observation and drawing skills to an almost monstrous level—as long as he had reference material.
And given that those references were of such high quality, there was no reason for his pen to ever stop.
"Hanasaka-san, how about we give this line a little more punch to show the character’s personality more clearly?"
"Hmm… Not a bad idea, but I’m worried it might make her come off a bit too abrasive in her first impression."
"Then how about adding one more panel with an extra line of dialogue? Just a half-beat longer. She is the main heroine—some distinction is probably fine."
"You're right. In that case, maybe the line should go like this—"
In the midst of all this, Junhyuk wasn’t just drawing—he was effectively serving as a supporting scenario writer too.
"Hah… I heard the rumors, so I figured he’d be good, but…"
The rumors surrounding Wakayama Jun and Enju were borderline urban legends.
Ten finished illustrations in a single day.
Storyboards that usually take a month to finalize, done in just two weeks.
Stories so over-the-top, they were hard to believe.
But seeing Junhyuk in action, the staff had no choice but to acknowledge the truth.
"Just like the rumors said… no, maybe even more than that…"
The rumors weren’t even doing justice to Junhyuk’s actual abilities.
Fired up by his dazzling performance, the rest of the team threw themselves into their work, day and night.
Thanks to that, the project advanced far more quickly than expected.
"Whew… That’s finally it, huh."
"Sure is."
By now, Junhyuk had grown close with the art team, sitting shoulder to shoulder as they both exhaled deeply.
At first, he’d found it a bit weird when he saw the art team cackling mischievously while drawing fanservice swimsuit illustrations…
But then he thought, ‘Wait, it's just a woman drawing women’s swimsuits and laughing about it... What’s the big deal?’
"Huh?"
He paused at the thought for a moment—then decided to just let it go.
"By the way, how old are you, writer-san? You've got such a baby face."
"I'm in eighth grade."
"Ahh, makes sense. I figured you looked super you—wait, WHAT?!"
Junhyuk had just casually dropped a shocking truth bomb: he was in middle school.
A round of chaos followed—
"EHHHH?! Eighth grade?! That’s the age where you're supposed to be terminally lovesick!!"
—Until Director Takahashi walked in to check the deliverables and everyone quickly pulled themselves together.
And so, with all the teaser voice clips, illustrations, and PV completed—
"Voice recording is done!"
[Something Big Just Dropped! Game ‘Shoot'n'Gate’ Teaser and PV Released—Featuring Writers Wakayama & Enju!]
Just like that, Shoot'n'Gate was unveiled to the world.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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