"The nominated game is Night of the Full Moon."
The moment Director Zane's voice echoed across the main stage, the entire exhibition hall froze—both inside and outside the venue.
For a brief second, there was silence.
Then—
An explosion.
"What the hell?! Again?!"
"Is this still the Skybound Summer Awards, or the Northstar Summer Awards?!"
"This is ridiculous! Thirteen awards, and Northstar is taking five?!"
Murmurs turned into waves. Waves turned into noise.
At first glance, it really did look outrageous.
One company.
One summer.
This many nominations.
But before the complaints could fully boil over, Director Zane continued calmly.
"The winner is—Echo of Living."
The tension snapped.
"Oh—so not Northstar this time."
"Alright, that makes sense."
"Good. Otherwise this would've been too absurd."
On stage, a middle-aged man wearing a formal suit walked up with a wide smile, waving to the audience below as applause followed.
Truth be told, if Night of the Full Moon hadn't existed this year, Echo of Living would've easily walked away with at least two awards.
Offstage, Vivian Frost finally let out a quiet breath of relief.
For a split second, she had genuinely thought they were about to win another one.
She leaned slightly toward Ethan Reed and whispered, "See? Everyone else is dressed so formally."
Ethan glanced around casually. "Not really. Look at the hosts—plaid shirts everywhere. Programmers wear plaid. It's battle armor."
"That's different," Vivian muttered. "The representatives from other companies are all in suits."
Vivian looked down at herself.
Black suit. Clean lines. Perfect fit.
After a moment, she nodded reluctantly. "…Alright. I guess I'm dressed properly too."
Ethan shrugged. "You didn't embarrass Northstar. Don't overthink it. I'm the creative director—I could go on stage in a hoodie and nobody would care."
Most of the people attending the exhibition were managers, publishers, or sales staff.
Programmers wearing suits to these events?
That was the real joke.
In Ethan's experience, even tech CEOs who started as programmers still showed up to major events in plaid shirts and sneakers.
Comfort beat image. Always.
The unfortunate thing was that Vivian cared deeply about appearances—sometimes too deeply.
But nobody was perfect.
Ethan was messy in daily life, yet once he started cleaning, he wouldn't even miss dust in the floor cracks.
Vivian was obsessed with presentation, yet blushed easily and panicked under attention.
Logically speaking, someone like her should've been a "social destroyer."
Reality proved otherwise.
---
After the awards, Director Zane moved on to the next segment—Skybound's upcoming game projects.
Compared to trophies, this was what most players actually cared about.
Awards were nice, sure.
But new games?
That's what mattered.
Unless you were a hardcore fan of a specific title, most people didn't care who won what. They cared about what they could play next.
By 5:30 PM, the exhibition officially ended.
Ethan and Vivian stood up after sitting for hours and stretched their stiff bodies.
"Let's go," Vivian said, clasping her hands behind her back. "Let's walk around."
Ethan nodded, and the two headed toward Exhibition Hall 9.
Hall 7 was dominated by online games.
Hall 9, on the other hand, was where mobile and single-player games lived.
The moment Ethan stepped inside, he frowned slightly.
One thought crossed his mind:
Domestic exhibitions still couldn't compare to overseas ones.
Equipment, atmosphere, presentation—everything lagged behind by several levels.
Hall 9 was packed with cosplayers, but most followed the same pattern.
No custom mechs.
No full armor suits.
No experimental designs.
Instead—
Revealing outfits.
Bright colors.
Skin. Legs. More skin.
To be clear, there was nothing wrong with that.
Cosplay had no hierarchy.
Anyone brave enough to cosplay deserved respect.
And let's be honest—
Nice legs were always welcome.
Men looked.
Women looked too.
Sometimes women looked even harder.
But for someone like Ethan—an industry insider—a question naturally formed.
Are these people really cosplaying because they love the game?
Or was it simply another marketing tool?
It was a question without a clear answer.
One worth thinking about.
After finishing their walk through Hall 9, the two left the venue together.
Skybound had originally booked a three-day hotel stay, but since they were leaving the next day, Vivian had rebooked a single night herself.
So they headed to the hotel together.
"Two rooms. Booked in advance."
Vivian handed over her ID at the counter. Ethan did the same.
Rooms 712 and 713.
Right next door.
After checking in, Ethan walked to 713, then turned and knocked on 712.
"Boss."
Vivian opened the door wearing slippers, phone in hand. "I haven't ordered dinner yet. What do you want to eat? You're today's hero—you decide."
"Anything except burgers and fried chicken."
She thought for a moment. "Crayfish. Barbecue. Four beers."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Celebrating big?"
"We won awards," Vivian said proudly. "I posted the news on the Official Blog, and I told Daniel and the others to leave work early tonight. Company dinner's on me."
She patted her chest.
I am a generous boss, her expression said.
Ethan glanced—then quickly looked away.
"Stop staring."
Vivian suddenly looked up.
"…Huh? I wasn't—what was I staring at?" Ethan turned toward the wall.
Vivian crossed her arms and snorted. "Don't pretend. A woman's sixth sense is terrifying. You really thought I didn't notice?"
She wasn't stupid.
Women noticed gazes.
Always.
Ethan went quiet and followed her into the room.
Vivian sat on the bed. Ethan sat at the table.
The atmosphere turned… subtle.
Yes, Ethan had looked.
Part of it was appreciation.
Part of it was curiosity.
Part of it was simple male instinct.
Beautiful things attracted attention.
Even women looked.
But being caught was another matter.
"What's with that face?" Vivian sighed. "I'm not mad. Looking won't make me lose a piece of flesh."
She waved her hand. "Honestly, I'm used to it."
"…Really not angry?" Ethan asked carefully.
"Not angry," she said firmly. "Your gaze isn't disgusting. If I were angry, I wouldn't talk to you for days."
Ethan paused.
Then—
"So… does that mean I can look openly from now on?"
Vivian froze.
She stood up stiffly, feet together, staring at him with her mouth slightly open.
"…?"
How did this shameless man reach that conclusion?!
"No! How dare you talk to your boss like that!"
"But you said you wouldn't be angry."
"That doesn't mean you get unlimited viewing rights!"
"Then should I go back to looking secretly?"
"..."
"No! Can't you just not look?!"
"That won't work," Ethan said seriously. "Not looking goes against human nature."
"One glance is respect. Continuous looking is continuous respect."
His face was calm.
Inside, he was laughing like crazy.
Vivian's face collapsed.
Then, after a moment—
She burst out laughing on the bed.
After calming down, she cleared her throat. "Change topic. You never answered me."
"About what?"
"Why is Neon Myth IV called IV when it's the first game?"
"Internal numbering," Ethan replied. "Externally, it'll still be Neon Myth I."
She blinked. "Were you a novelist before?"
"No. I used to write songs."
"Oh," she smiled. "That explains a lot."
The food arrived soon.
They went downstairs together, carried a massive bag back up, and—unsurprisingly—ate in Ethan's room.
Because Vivian didn't want her room smelling.
Great boss, Ethan thought.
The table filled with skewers, seafood, barbecue, and beer.
Vivian popped a bottle and drank deeply.
"Refreshing!"
She raised her bottle. "To Northstar winning four awards—and free promotion slots!"
Ethan clinked bottles with her.
It felt… strange.
Still just the two of them.
Northstar now had nearly thirty employees.
Yet the celebration was still just boss and creative director.
After a few sips, Vivian's cheeks turned red.
The air conditioner blew softly.
Ethan wasn't sure if the goosebumps were from the cold—
Or something else.
---
Meanwhile – Lumen City
At Laopin Beef Restaurant, Daniel led the team, tables full of laughter and cold beer.
"To the boss!"
"To Northstar!"
"I wonder what the boss and Ethan are doing right now."
"They must be exhausted."
Daniel smiled—but suddenly felt a strange guilt.
Were they really working hard…
While everyone else enjoyed beef and beer?
He took another bite and sighed.
Somehow
The beef didn't taste as good anymore.
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