First time abroad, first business trip—and it just happened to be to China.
I was a huge fan of games even before becoming a reporter. Having spent many sleepless nights watching everything from the now-defunct E3 to Summer Game Fest and Gamescom, I had a vague idea that becoming a game reporter would mean covering overseas game shows. I even remember English being emphasized during my job interview for the sake of international reporting.
"Ah, maybe my first trip will be to Gamescom..."
Not a chance.
After joining the company, I realized there were so many more game shows than the ones I had listed. Early on, my editor-in-chief said, "Let's start your first overseas business trip with ChinaJoy," and as the year cycled around, my first destination was set for China.
Although a veteran senior who speaks Chinese was coming along as my mentor, I honestly felt lost. My Chinese was limited to "Have you eaten? (你吃饭了吗)" and "Thank you! (谢谢!)"—phrases I only knew as memes from my school days. So, I just followed my senior around and stepped onto Chinese soil.
With my senior telling me, "Since you're in China, go get a feel for the place before the event starts," our pre-event exploration began.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated with the help of NC AI. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
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