Game Market 1983
Chapter 164: Dragon Mountain - (1)

After spending several hours conversing alone with her in the hotel's business room, I realized that she possessed exceptional business management skills beyond my expectations.

As the former vice-president of the K University Student Council, if she had been born a man, she might have harbored ambitions for the presidency, considering her depth of thought and quick-wittedness.

Moreover, her appearance exuded a slightly Westernized beauty, with a refreshing straight nose and distinct eyes.

'But how does she possess such business acumen at her age?'

Her explanation about the OEM sales method made sense for Korea at this time. While looking towards the future, setting up factories in China or Southeast Asia might seem wise. However, engaging in OEM manufacturing required a certain level of technological capability.

In that sense, Korea was currently experiencing a significant growth in technological prowess, making her argument not a bad choice.

Observing the situation, big companies like Mintendo, Sensoni, Panasonic, and Nikkor were also reaching out towards Thailand with a long-term perspective. Despite being released under the same Mintendo brand during my childhood, I recalled incidents where one friend's goods were labeled "made in Japan," while another's were labeled "made in Thailand," leading to disputes about authenticity.

"So, deliberately raising the prices of goods labeled 'made in Japan' in retail stores was part of it."

While organizing the documents I brought from the meeting, I addressed Soyeon, sipping coffee.

"Starting tomorrow, Soyeon, report to this hotel's business room."

"Here? At this place?"

"Unfortunately, I don't have much time, so it'll be run on a short-term basis. Be prepared. Oh, and do you know any foreign languages?"

"I can manage English to some extent."

"Try to learn Japanese if possible. You might have more discussions with the Pentagon team in the future."

"Yes. Understood."

Pleased with her response, I gathered my papers, giving her a satisfied smile.

"All right, you're done for the day. You can leave."

"Already? It's not even 4 PM yet..."

"You've finished today's tasks. Go home, rest well, and I'll see you here again at 9 AM tomorrow."

"Yes. Understood."

---

The next day, she was waiting for me precisely at 9:50 AM in the hotel lobby.

Having relayed the reactions of Korean users about Laon from the business room that morning, I was surprised by the seriousness of the domestic market situation.

"I knew that the Korean console market isn't as big, but this seems to be a serious problem, doesn't it?"

As Soyeon mentioned, Laon was almost dying out in Korea. While in Japan and the USA, the device was in high demand except for the initial launch, in Korea, its sales were rapidly declining.

There were several reasons behind this situation. The first being the absence of exclusive software. While there were around 23 titles released exclusively for Laon in Japan and the USA, Korea had only about 10, excluding launch titles like Spa 2, Slam Dunk, and Final Frontier 4. In the past year, only seven official games were released for Laon in Korea.

Conversely, titles like Super Family, officially released earlier this year, had over 14 officially distributed games already in the Korean market.

Apart from the first-party company Pentagon, hardly any third-party companies were pushing for Korean localization. Even though Pentagon, as a first-party company, couldn't force third-party companies to localize, it was still a disappointing aspect for me.

"Such a mess... How can they claim it's 'invincible'? President Kim... if they keep slacking off, it'll be a crisis..."

And secondly, the conditions in the Korean market made it quite ambiguous to set up nationwide large-scale shops. Laon's distribution rate was equivalent to 1-2 students in an average-sized classroom. Essentially, it was becoming a luxury gaming device for affluent children.

President Kim Hansuk had mentioned that he was postponing the opening of Laon premium stores until the distribution rate increased.

"Right. It might be safe to refrain from wasting money, but... at least efforts should have been made in marketing to increase the distribution rate..."

Gripping my forehead with a deep sigh, I closed my eyes briefly to gather my thoughts.

President Kim had talent in liaising with publishers for popular games released in Japan. While I had no complaints about bringing good games to Korea, from a business perspective, I couldn't simply trust President Kim's words and continue waiting.

"I might have to personally examine the market situation."

---

That afternoon, as Soyeon finished her meal and went to the restroom from our hotel room, I changed into casual attire, opting for jeans and a hat instead of the usual formal suit. Soyeon raised her eyebrows at my appearance and asked, "Huh? Director Kang, where are you headed?"

I replied, "Yes. Why don't you come along, Soyeon?"

"Huh? Where to?"

"I thought experiencing the reality of Yongsan, known as Korea's top electronics market, might offer more insight than just numbers on a report. I've arranged for the car to wait outside. Shall we go together?"

After our meal, still digesting, I escorted her out of the hotel.

A while later, after parking near Yongsan Station, I grimaced as the sweltering air hit my face the moment I opened the car door. "Oh, it's scorching out here..."

Soyeon stepped out of the car and glanced at Sennin Arcade and Najin Shopping Center. "This is Yongsan Electronics Market."

"Yeah, it's been quite a while since I've been here..."

Was Yongsan really this chaotic in the early '90s? Despite that, memories of it being Korea's top electronics market colored my thoughts a tad optimistically.

Anyways, I chuckled, hand on my waist, as I saw her excitement, as if she'd stepped into an amusement park.

This was probably her first time in Yongsan's Electronics Market, where she'd only seen an aunt selling toast.

Surprising for her and probably for those working here too.

I hurriedly followed her, already a distance behind as she headed towards the shops.

A while later, as we arrived at Najin Shopping Center's gaming alley, we gazed into the tunnel stretching ahead.

"Wow... there are so many game stores here."

When mobile phone sales boomed in the early 2000s, gaming stores were pushed to the underground frog market. But during this period, game stores had a strong presence around Najin Shopping Center.

Even from a distance, I could see shelves in front of the stores displaying numerous game cartridges. The latest models like Super Family, Laon, and NEGA Drive's packages were prominently displayed.

As it was a weekday, the inside of the tunnel market was relatively quiet. So, we strolled in, disregarding the shopkeepers keenly eyeing us.

It felt like being called out by vendors at an African plain while an antelope was leisurely prancing into a predator's mouth.

Sure enough, before I could take a few steps, shouts from all directions started calling out to us.

"Customer, looking for something?"

"Customer, I'll assist you. Come this way. Customer! Customer!?"

Hustling behaviors, akin to hustlers, were prevalent.

Even on weekdays, customers weren't entirely absent, so I scanned through the shops ignoring their calls.

"Hey, pretty lady, what are you here to buy? I'll give you a good deal. Huh? Did you bring your girlfriend to buy games? Low-key irritating..."

Nervous from the voices around, Soyeon clung to me and whispered, "Are these really business owners? Why are they all trying to drag customers in like gangsters?"

"Well, due to the area's nature, the shop owners are mostly men, and they mainly deal with male customers, so it can get a bit rough compared to other places."

There were rumors about pickpockets and gangsters in Yongsan, so there was no need to explain how unsafe the area was.

After scanning through about 200 meters of Najin Shopping Center's long tunnel, I turned to look at the opposite row.

Super Family stock replenished. 180,000 won!! -

Portable game console Laon for 190,000 won!! -

Urgent supply. Several new games for Super Family!! -

As I glanced at promotional banners stuck outside the stores, I stopped at one in particular.

Accepting reservations for Dragon Warrior V for Super Family -

The upcoming Phoenixsa's Dragon Warrior series had high popularity in Korea. Especially this 5th installment, coming out after 2 and a half years, was currently ranked number one in expectations in Japan too.

At this time, Yongsan's game shop owners were often called 'bag traders.' They'd frequently shuttle between Korea and Japan, buying and reselling used and new games in Korea at higher prices, raking in profits.

Of course, while business is about profit, calling them 'bag traders' just seemed to underline the exorbitant profits they were making.

As we paused in front of the store, the inevitable hustling followed.

"Customer, looking for something?"

A lean man, his smile reminiscent of a goby fish, turned his gaze towards me.

I replied to his smile and asked, "Are you accepting reservations for Dragon Warrior 5?"

"Ah, yes. Of course. Would you like to reserve?"

"Yes. How much?"

Glancing at Soyeon behind me, the owner raised an eyebrow and replied, "How much were you thinking?"

"······."

Answering a question with another question was common here too. Perplexed, I chuckled and asked, "How much are you offering?"

His eyebrows twitched slightly as he replied, "Dragon Warrior series is making its debut on Super Family, and it's going to be a very hard-to-replace title even in Japan."

He elaborated on the rarity of Dragon Warrior and its scarcity in Japan. Finally, he stated the price.

"It's 180,000 won."

······.

With the current exchange rate around 700-800 won per 100 yen, how does a 9,200 yen game amount to 180,000 won?

>

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