High views, no comments.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2aWSsqQyO
Plenty of comments, no views.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivfZmarDuc
A collapsing production crew is holding a meeting.
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It’s a data debrief, not a tears debrief.
Three days after the wrap party ended.
The crew gathered once again in that same meeting room—6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJY49oE9Qfz
the air conditioning still too cold, the chairs still too hard,6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡud7UV0SwY9
and the coffee stains still very much not wiped clean.
A few breakfasts sat on the table, untouched.
The AC hummed steadily, and the air was thick with a suffocating blend of resentment and coffee beans.
The art lead slammed her bag onto the floor and fired the first shot.
“Only a few days off? We only got that many days off?”
Dark circles rimmed her eyes, the lingering red of exhaustion—6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHdzlbA8WSU
clearly someone who had only just crawled out from under a mountain of sleep debt.
“What kind of sweatshop crew is this? I’m quitting.”
The screenwriter adjusted his glasses while glaring hard at the boss,6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfNtPMALQ7
as if calculating which force would make throwing a script hurt the most.
The manager nodded silently.
The director slumped back against his chair, posture like someone who had just been knocked down by life—again.
If there were subtitles at this moment, they would probably read:
“If I died right here, would anyone notice?”
The boss seemed completely unfazed by the chill in the air, smiling brighter than ever.
Clapping his hands, he kicked things off in an almost aggressively cheerful tone:
“Alright, alright—just two discussion sessions today. Once we’re done, you’re free to go~”
Then he dropped his gaze, rubbing his index fingers together, eyes flickering.
“Y’know… the company just got started… funding’s a bit tight…”
“So I was thinking—since the first project just wrapped—we should strike while the iron’s hot and move straight into the second one…”
The manager looked up, voice calm but cutting straight to the point.
“Whether the funding’s tight or not, I don’t know.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gxJYFhoup
But what you really want is for your CP to come back as soon as possible.”
The air went dead.
The art lead and the screenwriter both felt veins pop at their temples, something ominous igniting in their eyes.
Alarm bells blared in the boss’s head. He burst out laughing first, trying to smother the tension:
“Hahaha, am I really that kind of person? Hahaha…”
In a flurry, he fumbled a folder out of his bag and shoved it toward them, fingers visibly shaking.
“Let’s—let’s get started with the meeting! Hahaha!”
Once everyone had a copy of the documents in hand, the boss took a deep breath and slipped back into presenter mode.
“What you’re holding now are the performance metrics and audience responses for Guiltbound across platforms.”
“At the moment, we’re operating on four main platforms: Penana, Popo, CxC, and Vocus.”
The screenwriter flipped through the pages and nudged their glasses up the bridge of their nose.
“Looks like the audience profiles vary quite a bit between platforms.”
Then, frowning: “Penana has the highest view count, but the audience response is basically nonexistent.”
The manager nodded and added,
“Vocus has the best engagement—comments, likes—but the view count is relatively low.”
The art lead scrunched up her face, unable to resist chiming in:
“Popo and CxC are… honestly kind of disastrous.”
“Early on it was basically throwing everything into the void. Why are we still investing in them?”
The director didn’t look up, answering in a calm voice everyone had already heard before:
“I asked him that too. He said Popo has fans of his favorite CP, and as for CxC…”
A brief pause, then, in the tone of someone revealing a truth that might shave years off their life:
“He said the interface is pretty. He really likes it.”
The room fell silent.
The art lead and the screenwriter both turned to stare straight at the boss in disbelief.
The manager, meanwhile, wore an expression that clearly said I told you so.
The boss hurriedly raised both hands, words tumbling out faster than before.
“Wait—listen to me! Let me explain!”
“Okay, yes, I have my personal bias, but Popo genuinely has readers leaving comments on The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn. I don’t want to lose them!”
Gripping the cap of his pen, his voice dropped a notch.
“As for CxC… I really have nothing to say…”
“But The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn is already halfway through its run there. If we finish airing it and still get no response, I’ll reevaluate.”
When he finished, everyone quietly redirected their attention back to the documents in front of them.
This time, it was the director who spoke first.
“Overall, I don’t think Guiltbound performed that badly.”
“Especially considering it’s a heavy, somber story—the audience was always going to be niche.”
The screenwriter nodded in agreement.
“I agree with that.”
“Honestly, setting the numbers aside, the experience we gained from this project is something we can carry forward into future works.”
“And I pulled off a full payoff of every planted thread—using a delayed, dual-track narrative, no less.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSB7HY7OCjl
The fact that it ran to completion at all feels like divine mercy.”
The art lead flipped to the next page of the report, their tone softening a little.
“On the props side, Guiltbound relied more than any other project on repurposing existing resources. The visual language was deliberately restrained.”
“At this point, just making it to wrap already feels like a miracle.”
The manager circled a few key figures, voice steady and practical.
“For a company that’s just getting off the ground, these numbers are actually very solid.”
Watching everyone complain and analyze with equal sincerity, the boss suddenly felt a sting at the bridge of their nose.
They drew in a deep breath, eyes already glassy.
“W–wow… you guys… you guys are really making me emotional!!”
“I’m the happiest boss in the world!!”
The art lead gave him a thoroughly unimpressed look. The screenwriter turned to stare out the window, expression completely done with it.
The director simply smiled and nodded.
Meanwhile, the manager quietly pulled a few tissues from the box and set him within the boss’s reach.
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The morning meeting came to a close amid a blend of reality and tears, professionalism and emotion.
The next meeting was scheduled for two o’clock in the afternoon.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0p2xsZVxA3
The title read:6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrfkiLJyjSi
6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW021WAW1z
“The Hidden Moon and the Sea of Dawn — Pre-Return Integrated Planning (Draft):6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMvdOrkbDl
Project Relaunch & Audience Interaction Strategy6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKmgOw0bSe
(Including the Lil' Pink Easter Egg Release Plan)”6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ83pZJ34XoF
6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF5150AYgZ7
Everyone lowered their heads at the same time, staring at the document title, momentarily stunned.
The same thought surfaced in all their minds—
Here it comes.6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNlyb9jqy0
The boss’s happiness is finally making a comeback.
and then Add to home screen.