“Get everything ready!”
“…Make sure that we’re not missing anything! Tomorrow is an extremely important day! If anything happens, you’re all fired!”
“You! What are you doing? Hurry up and do one last check! See if there are any bugs with the game. We can’t afford to launch the game with any glitches or bugs! That’ll ruin our entire image.”
Matthias had been busy at work for the entire day.
Tomorrow was an extremely important day for their studio, and so they had to make sure that everything was ready for the launch of their new upcoming horror game.
With everything that they had invested in the game, there was a lot of hype around it.
“CEO.”
Stepping into the CEO’s room, Matthias saw the CEO sitting by the desk, grinning to himself as he watched several videos on his computer.
“…The influencers we’ve hired to make a review about the game have come up with some good material. This is pretty good.”
“Yes, indeed, they are.”
Matthias had also checked the videos.
They had yet to be put out on the internet, but the moment that the game launched, they planned on getting the videos released.
This was another way for them to ’spam’ the market.
A lot of the influencers in question had a good following; therefore, this was definitely going to boost sales.
“Not bad. Not bad.”
Pulling his gaze away from the computer, the CEO looked at Matthias.
“What’s going on? Is something the matter?”
“No, not really.”
Matthias replied while taking out a paper.
“I’m giving you a general forecast of expected game sales post-release. The numbers have been slightly adjusted due to a recent upward trend in horror titles. A few minor global hits have sparked renewed interest in the genre.”
“Oh?”
The CEO raised his brow before taking the paper.
Taking a glimpse of it, he soon whistled.
“Wow, this is even better than I expected. The board is going to be very happy soon.”
Chuckling, the CEO tossed the paper down before reaching for his drawer, where he took out a small wooden box and opened it to reveal several large cigars.
“This calls for celebration!”
He immediately lit up one and took a long and nice drag of it.
Matthias was just about to excuse himself when the CEO stopped him.
“About that talent from before? The one who bowed down to us in the end? When is he starting?”
“…I’ve yet to receive a reply.”
The CEO stopped.
“Still?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm.”
Malone’s bushy brows furrowed tightly before he tapped the top of the cigar and looked at Matthias.
“Lower his terms.”
That was all he said. However, Matthias didn’t need to linger any longer. He understood exactly what he needed to do.
But before that…
He needed to take care of the game.
He had to make sure that the launch was going to be smooth.
And as such, he spent the better half of the day barking orders while also calling and talking with the other departments in order to make sure that everything flowed smoothly.
Before he realized it, the sun dipped down and the moon rose.
It was nighttime.
The studio was silent, the cubicles deserted, save for the rhythmic clatter of a certain keyboard, echoing through the stillness.
Tatatatat—
Matthias wiped the sweat from his forehead as his glasses reflected the light from the screen before him.
Pausing, he checked the time.
“Just a little bit longer. Everything is almos—huh!?”
Flick!
All of a sudden, his screen flicked into darkness.
Matthias sat in silence for a short moment before suddenly shooting up.
“Fuck! Shit—!”
Curses flew out of his mouth.
“Fuck…! I was so close. Shit!”
He hastily reached for the PC power button in order to turn the computer on again, but just as he was about to reach for the button, the screen flashed again.
The light returned.
But instead of it being white.
It was orange.
…And a voice whispered from out of the screen.
“Mr. Jingles is here. Mr. Jingles is there. Mr. Jingles is somewhere. Who here wants to play?”
“…..”
Silence.
The world turned quiet after that moment.
But only for a brief moment.
“….Me.”
Matthias’s voice whispered in the surroundings as his face turned numb and his glasses reflected the dim orange lighting from the computer.
Mr. Jingles appeared on the screen.
It stood with its back facing Matthias.
“Great!”
Another figure stood in the background.
Waving with a smile.
But at the same time… looking.
Then…
“Mr. Jingles says~ Turn around.”
Mr. Jingles’s voice echoed.
Matthias turned around.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Enter the CEO’s Office.”
Matthias didn’t move.
He stood frozen on the spot.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three—
Step!
Matthias began to move.
His movements were stiff and robotic, but he soon made his way into the CEO’s office. He stopped right by the door where a keypad appeared.
Flick!
Another computer turned on.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Open the door.”
Matthias inputted the password and opened the door.
Click!
The CEO’s empty office appeared.
Flick!
The CEO’s computer flicked open, and Mr. Jingles’s face appeared right in front of it, covering most of the screen.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Turn on the computer.”
Matthias followed the instructions and sat down before the computer.
The screen turned dark again, and Matthias turned on the PC before inputting the password and logging in.
As the CEO’s right-hand man, it was only natural that he knew the password.
…And it wasn’t like the CEO had anything to hide.
He wasn’t crazy enough to do anything shady with his work laptop.
But that was of no importance.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Replace the release file with the file that you received in your email.”
Matthias’s movements paused yet again.
He sat in silence, his glasses reflecting the screen before him.
His hand trembled.
But then—
He logged in to his email and looked at the email he received.
It was from an anonymous account, and it contained a certain file.
Matthias downloaded the file and replaced it in the ’release’ file on the Dock account. He was only capable of doing this through the CEO’s computer since only through there could he replace the release file.
Dock also did not have an automatic last-minute check of the game.
Therefore, after the ’new’ file was uploaded, there was nothing else that needed to be done.
The room fell silent shortly after.
Mr. Jingles’s lips pulled into a sinister smile as the clown looked at Matthias.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Delete all your traces and go back.”
Matthias stood up from his seat and did exactly as instructed. Logged out of the computer, removed all footprint of his appearance, alongside the camera footage, before returning and sitting back down at his desk where he had been a moment prior.
Flick!
His screen flickered, and Mr. Jingles appeared once more.
The clown stared at Matthias, seeing its own reflection within his spectacles.
And then—
He waved.
“Mr. Jingles says~ Goodbye!”
Flick!
The monitor flicked back to what it was, and Matthias’s eyes snapped open.
“Hm? Ugh…”
He held his head as he did, feeling a massive headache build up.
To the point where he felt he had no choice but to sit down.
As he did, he massaged his head.
“Strange. Am I overworking myself?”
He looked at the monitor in front of him and sighed.
“…Maybe I should go back home.”
He wanted to work more, but the pain was simply too much. He had also done everything that he needed to do.
All that he needed to do now was wait for the game launch tomorrow.
And as such, standing up from his seat, he packed up his stuff and decided to head back home.
Despite the pain in his head, he felt relatively happy as he left.
But…
That happiness didn’t last for very long.
The moment he came back the next morning, the studio was in chaos.