2 Swapping Circumstances

Once back in my apartment, I lay down on the bed and scrambled through the employment websites I had used before graduating. At the time, luck seemed to be on my side when several respectful game companies were hiring, but that didn't end well.

The fact that none of the companies whose games I loved wanted to hire me was a tough pill to swallow. I had been told I was a programming prodigy ever since I was a teenager. It shouldn't have taken me this long to realize that those words were meaningless.

Now, only poorly paid and start-up jobs were available. My savings were enough to survive for a couple of months, but I didn't want to risk going back to live with my parents; their Internet couldn't even handle an HD video.

After the company shut down, I didn't care anymore and sent my CV to every offer I saw posted by game companies, including start-ups, the very thing everyone had told me to stay away from because they were a gamble.

The only thing I could do was wait. I called my parents to tell them about what happened and, as usual, they were overly concerned. They asked me to come back home while searching for a job to save even more money, but I politely declined. They also offered me money, which I refused. They weren't in a position to waste money on me. That was the other reason why I needed a job as soon as possible.

…

A week went by, along with a lonely Christmas. No reply had arrived. I had done nothing more than play, eat instant food, and smoke every time my breathing sped up. Games used to be my distraction to prevent that from happening, but now not even games were able to save me from dying.

The dizziness and chest pain were such that I didn't know what I was doing in the game anymore. I had to close it after a seven-hour session and step out onto the balcony. My vision gradually darkened like a tunnel, colors grew lifeless, and my hands quivered as I tried to light a cigarette. Somehow, I managed to do it.

I stared down at the empty street as drops of sweat ran down my forehead despite the cold. Cold…. It was supposed to be cold, yet I didn't feel it. I didn't feel anything more than a sharp pain every time I tried to catch my breath.

Knowing that touching freezing metal would hurt, I wrapped both of my hands around the banister of the balcony. Nothing happened at first. Then, the numb pain of touching something freezing increased slowly. It was the first time I was relieved by feeling pain.

Before I realized it, the pain caused by my breathing was almost gone and I could see colors again, but the pain in my hands was becoming uncomfortable. I tried to lift my hands from the banister to no avail. I tried a few more times before pulling as hard as I could. It worked, but my palms were now slightly bleeding on top of burning.

Fuck. This isn't normal.

I walked back inside, put the cigarette down on the ashtray atop the desk, and headed to the bathroom to wash my hands in the sink.

I should've received something already. Ishikawa hasn't emailed me either. My savings won't last forever.

I stepped out of the bathroom and picked up my phone from the bed to read the notifications for the first time since I had started playing. Apart from the usual junk of gacha rewards, one caught my attention.

A company replied! Shit, it's a start-up. Ah, who cares?

They asked me to come to their offices the next day if I was still interested. Of course, I was, but as a video game lover, I needed to make sure they were a decent company before replying.

BoodieGames, a video game company only two months old. Before that, they were a group of four people who created a successful platformer with a boodie as a protagonist: Boodie Buddy. The reviews were very positive, so I had to try it myself.

Although I wasn't a fan of platformers, I could still appreciate the responsiveness of the controls and the seamless combination of the visual effects with the combat. The 2.5D graphics weren't great, but they didn't have to be the best in the first place. The art style was colorful, reinforcing the humorous yet captivating story.

The sound and music lacked the most quality. It was barely acceptable and they weren't that memorable, which almost ruined the tense moments of the game.

It was also very short, although that saved me from spending all night playing it and going to an interview sleep-deprived.

In summary, it was a solid game.

…

I arrived at the address the next morning. A sign advertised a discount on the rent of floors, indicating they didn't even have their own building.

I took the elevator up to the ninth floor and looked for the door with the number that matched the address I had been given. Beside the door hung a plaque with the name of the company.

Here it is. BoodieGames.

The glass door allowed me to see a narrow hallway leading into an area with computers. Unlike my former company, there were no cubicles. The desks were close together and people talked with a smile on their faces. I began to feel a bit nervous, so I took a deep breath before stepping inside.

There's not even a reception desk.

A dark-haired woman approached me. Her attire consisted of a gray blazer with a purple shirt underneath and a high-waisted gray slit skirt.

"Welcome to BoodieGames," she greeted with a deep and clear voice. "Is there a reason for your visit?"

"Yes. I applied for the programmer job and I was told to come today."

"In that case, please wait here. I'll call the directors."

I nodded and she walked away in the opposite direction.

She's hot.

With nothing to do, I leaned my back against the wall and observed the work atmosphere. There were four people focused on their monitors, sometimes chatting with each other. Every desk was decorated, except for three, and the windows rose from the floor to the ceiling.

At least I'll get some sunlight. Aren't four people too little for a game company? The place looks dead with so many empty desks.

A tall and slim guy stepped inside through the glass door. Our gazes crossed for a moment before he approached me.

"Excuse me, do you work here?"

"No, I just applied for a job and I'm here for an interview."

"I see. I applied for a job as well; designer."

"Really? I applied for the programmer job. It's weird seeing someone looking for a job these days. Did you lose your job?"

"I didn't. I'm about to graduate and I have some time to spare, so I wanted to secure something as soon as possible."

"Commendable. Well, I lost my job a week ago, so I applied for every job I could find. To be honest, I didn't know about this company until last night."

"I'm sorry for making you wait," a man said behind me.

He was one of the two owners of the company. I saw their photos on their website last night, and I couldn't believe they were twins.

"I'm guessing you're Ms. Rie Minami?" he continued.

"Yes. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. Thank you for receiving me."

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Minami."

The man who had just arrived bowed.

"I'm Koji Araki. Thank you for receiving me as well."

"Thank you for applying for the jobs. I don't like to admit it, but we're quite in need of a more solid workforce. And please call me Mr. Yutaka to avoid confusion with my brother. You can distinguish between us because I always wear a pink tie and he wears a green one."

We both nodded.

"I don't want to steal more of your time. I was told that Ms. Minami was the first to arrive, so I'd like to talk with her first. I hope that's no problem, Mr. Araki."

"Not at all."

"Splendid. You can take a seat beside our office while you wait. Please follow me."

We walked behind him through the open area of desks. A couple of people greeted him with what seemed like a genuine smile, although I couldn't be sure. We arrived at a door and Araki sat on the green couch next to it.

Mr. Yutaka and I stepped into the office. There were two desks close to each other—a strange sight—neither of which had someone sitting behind it. He asked me to take a seat in one of the two chairs in front of his desk before sitting down himself.

"Very well, Ms. Minami. Let me start by praising your curriculum. Your grades are exceptional, but I care about the portfolio the most."

"Really?"

Can he take that privilege even though they are a start-up? He also just said that they needed a stronger workforce. Maybe this is why they don't have many employees yet.

He nodded. "There are dozens of projects and each one has outstanding quality. Since when have you been building your portfolio?"

"Since I was thirteen."

"It shows. You have created many games and all of the code looks well organized. However, the concepts all seem rather basic and short in content."

Is that why I was rejected by the other companies? Did they ask me to come just to be made fun of in my face?

"Could you explain why that is the case?" he questioned.

It took a couple of seconds for an answer to form in my head amongst the building rage.

"I'll be honest, I'm not that good at coming up with creative ideas. I also didn't socialize much, so I didn't have friends to collaborate with. Then I entered university and got a half-time job; I barely had time to work on side projects."

"That makes sense. It doesn't matter. We're not here to judge those things."

Huh?

"We're here to judge your coding skills, and I realized they are great by looking at your projects. Our job posting only mentioned that we preferred someone with video game knowledge, but it seems that this is going to be your dream job. You won't have to worry about the creative side and I'm sure you'll get along with the rest of the team in no time."

A smile formed on my face and I was able to breathe again.

Good thing I didn't mention I spent all my free time playing games…. Should I have? This is a game company, after all.

Mr. Yutaka added, "You'll also gain valuable experience in leadership."

"Leadership? What do you mean?"

"We'd like you to fill the lead programmer position."

Wait, what?

"Excuse me, Sir. As tempting as it sounds, I'm not qualified for a critical job like that in a video game company."

His eyes opened wide. "It's fine, Ms. Minami. This is the perfect opportunity to learn."

He's implying that the quality of the job doesn't matter.

"You just need to use your current knowledge about game development like engines and that stuff. You'll learn the rest quickly."

I barely have any knowledge about it!

I remained silent for a second.

"Can I ask something?"

"Please do."

"How many programmers are there working here?"

He hesitated to answer.

"One."

Are you…?

"Can I ask why the previous lead programmer left the company?"

He hesitated once again.

"Personal reasons. They wouldn't tell us either."

He's lying. I need a job, but I don't wanna work in hell again, and I don't wanna risk being publicly bashed for something I could do better. Gamers can be brutal. I know because I'm one of them.

I stood up.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Yutaka, but I don't think this is going to work."

"Wait!"

He walked around his desk to approach me.

"Please think about it. You have the opportunity to be one of the most important people in a future hit, all while learning and gaining invaluable experience."

"I'm sorry, Sir. It's impossible to predict a future hit."

"I promise it will be; I can show you. I'll send you the script."

Why won't he let me go? Is it because no one has applied for the job in a long time? Also, I don't know how to read a script, but if that's gonna let me escape from this….

"Okay. Send it to the email I applied with."

"Splendid, I'll send it right away. Please reply as soon as you make your decision."

After nodding with a fake smile, I stepped out of the office and let out a long sigh.

"How did it go?" Araki asked me.

"Not very well, but I'm sure you'll be better. Good luck."

"Thank you. Have a great day."

We exchanged smiles and he entered the office. I turned around and headed to the exit. I looked around the desks and saw the woman from earlier. Our eyes met for a moment before I walked out through the glass door.

I hadn't even gotten on the train when I received the notification of Mr. Yutaka's email. I closed my eyes and sighed.

Once back at home, I lay down and opened the email. I was skeptical about it, but I gave it a read since I didn't have anything better to do.

Before I realized it, I had spent the entire afternoon reading the script. It was amazing. The story, the characters, the cutscenes, the quests…. Everything seemed coherent and had the potential to be a great game, but I couldn't be sure of it. I lacked game development experience, yet I knew that ideas could sound better on paper than when executed.

…

I spent the next couple of days pondering about it while waiting for another reply to my applications. Nothing arrived, so I hesitantly decided to give them another chance. I replied to Mr. Yutaka's email in the morning and he asked me to come to the office the same day to sign the contract.

I arrived at the building and walked through the glass door. Something on the wood floor caught my eye: a pen. Confused, I crouched down to pick it up, but another hand slid in from behind the corner at the same time. I moved my hand away as soon as I touched the other person's hand and the other person did the same. I looked up to see the same woman who had welcomed me two days ago.

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

She slid the pen into the case of the tablet she held.

"No, I was distracted and dropped the pen. I should be the one apologizing," she replied. "Welcome back. Are you here for the job?"

"Yes. Mr. Yutaka asked me to come to sign the contract."

"Great. Please follow me."

The following was routine. I stepped into the office and greeted Mr. Yutaka. Mr. Yoshihiko, the other owner, was there this time, so I introduced myself.

Mr. Yutaka explained the contract overall and he let me read it over for several minutes. My only requirement to sign was not to be the lead programmer. He agreed and I became a BoodieGames employee. The salary wasn't as high as my former job, but it was good enough.

My first shift would begin the following day, so I headed home and played as much as I could before returning to the hell that was having a job. However, my eyes wouldn't stop closing on their own for the rest of the afternoon. I fell asleep in the chair a few times yet the drowsiness wouldn't go away.

I had slept well and I didn't want to sleep too early so I didn't ruin my schedule right before starting work. Somehow, I survived until the evening and fell dead at nine o'clock.

…

I hadn't even opened my eyes when my head started to spin. The dizziness was so extreme that I felt bile coming up my throat. Fortunately, it only lasted a few seconds, which made it even weirder. I tried to grab the blanket to move it away, but there was no blanket.

Did I kick it down?

I turned my body to sit up but my leg hit the wall.

What? I guess I was so tired that I slept upside down.

Finally, I sat up on the edge of the mattress and stretched. As soon as I stood up, the dizziness hit again and made me sit down.

Please don't tell me I'm getting sick.

After taking a few deep breaths, I carefully stood up and walked towards the light switch. However, I hit my pinky toe against a table.

Son of a…. What is a table doing here?

Unable to see anything in the darkness, I turned around to grab my phone but it wasn't on the bed. Instead, it was on a nightstand next to it.

No.

I picked up the phone and tried to unlock it, but the password was incorrect. It wasn't even the same brand.

I refuse.

Luckily, the same gestures worked and I shook it to turn the flashlight on. I found the light switch and turned on the lights in the room. I couldn't recognize anything. The bed was on the opposite side of the room, there was carpet on the floor, a dreamcatcher hung on the wall, the desk was smaller, and there was an office chair in front of it. There was no ashtray anywhere to be seen.

With my blood cold, I looked down to see myself wearing a black tank top and only panties instead of my pajamas.

Where did my tits go?!

I instinctively ran into one of the other rooms thinking it was the bathroom and it was. I stood in front of the mirror and my heart dropped to the floor; I was the dark-haired woman from the BoodieGames offices.

What the fuck?!