GJOW 8
by soapaHow could they take Yoon Chorong and fail to utilize him like that? It was nothing short of heartbreaking for anyone watching to see him tied to a team rumored to have so many internal problems for two years.
“Finding a balanced athlete optimized for team play isn’t easy. If he could just be polished a bit, he’d be really great.”
As Whisper had said, in Ryu Sunghyun’s eyes, Yoon Chorong’s skills stood out especially. He showed no hesitation in situations where he needed to deal massive damage, and above all, he quickly grasped the opposing team’s tactical strategies.
You could see it in the game against Amazon during the regular season. Knowing that Amazon, a team specialized in macro play, would focus on the top lane from the start, Yoon Chorong placed a ward in the enemy’s bush to secure vision. As soon as the enemy jungler was spotted, he abandoned his own lane and roamed to the top. For a laner, who typically dislikes losing out on their own lane, this wasn’t an easy move. Yet, miraculously, his CS numbers barely differed.
Choi Jeonghyeon was an athlete who enjoyed physically dominating opponents rather than focusing on macro play. He shone in skirmishes and team fights, and if his team was at a disadvantage, he’d immediately kill the opposing team to even the score.
Just kill them all and rake in the gold. That was his style, but players like him needed strong support from the team. In Coach Whisper’s view, Yoon Chorong was exactly that kind of player.
If Choi Jeonghyeon was a high-risk, high-return type of athlete, Yoon Chorong was stable. He minimized risks while maximizing gains. He didn’t often showcase flashy plays—not because he couldn’t, but because he chose not to—and he was the kind of athlete who set up critical fights and smoothly resolved stalled lanes.
“He’s so tempting…”
Watching the gameplay footage closely, Ryu Sunghyun’s desire grew stronger. With just a bit more nurturing, Yoon Chorong could become another game-dominating force. He could be a super player in a slightly different sense from Choi Jeonghyeon…
“Coach.”
A knock and a voice interrupted, and Ryu Sunghyun turned around. Choi Jeonghyeon, wearing a padded jacket, stood at the door.
“I’m here.”
Entering the coach’s office, Choi Jeonghyeon pointed at Ryu Sunghyun’s phone and asked, “Any contact?”
“Nope. I told him to take some time to think, so…”
The previous day, after Ryu Sunghyun’s words, Chorong had been silent for a while before finally speaking.
‘Time… Please give me some time to think…’
‘How much time do you need?’
‘Just a little…’
‘You know we need to finalize the roster before K-CUP, right?’
K-CUP was a tournament hosted by the Korea e-Sports Association. Most WKC teams participated to test their synergy before the regular season. Usually held around late December, this year it was scheduled for January. Since the regular season, typically starting in January, was pushed to February due to overlapping with the holidays, K-CUP was also delayed slightly.
As a result, the stove league, which should have ended earlier, was unintentionally extended. However, to participate in K-CUP, player registration had to be completed by December 27. This meant Yoon Chorong’s contract needed to be finalized by the morning of the 27th.
“I told him we can’t wait too long.”
“…”
“I sent a long message just now too.”
Ryu Sunghyun checked his phone.
“Hmm, he hasn’t seen it yet.”
“…”
“He replied pretty quickly after checking the KakaoTalk I sent last night. The vibe doesn’t seem bad.”
Ryu Sunghyun smiled and approached Choi Jeonghyeon, looking at him.
“Worried?”
“About what?”
“About him not coming?”
“…”
“If you’re worried, say so.”
“What am I supposed to say?”
At Choi Jeonghyeon’s reaction, Ryu Sunghyun laughed as if amused.
“It’s not your problem anyway. I jokingly asked if he’d come if I scolded you, and he said that’s not the case.”
“…”
“But if something’s bothering you, talk to me. Saying ‘Did you think you’d win?’ to someone you just brutally defeated was a bit harsh.”
“…”
“You’re not the type to say stuff like that. That’s not who you are.”
“What do you mean, who I am?”
“I’m saying you’re not as cold as the public thinks, Choi Inseong.”
“…”
Ryu Sunghyun looked at the expressionless Choi Jeonghyeon for a moment before chuckling.
“Go on, get out of here.”
Leaving Ryu Sunghyun behind, Choi Jeonghyeon exited the coach’s office and entered the streaming room. Today was a scheduled broadcast day. Taking off his padded jacket and sitting down, Choi Jeonghyeon tapped the table with his fingers while waiting for the computer to boot up.
‘He said that’s not the case.’
He recalled Yoon Chorong, eyes wide, looking up at him after Ryu Sunghyun’s words.
‘Why do I have to say that?’
‘Are you really Master-tier?’
Yoon Chorong, who had shown hostility toward him.
“I’m already labeled the worst.”
What to do about this.
🎮
December 17, 20**
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
It’s Ryu Sunghyun hyung.
Save my number!
Sure, hello.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
We just parted, and you’re greeting me lol.
Get home safely.
Okay.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Wanted to buy you dinner.
Next time.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Then you’re eating with me later.
Okay.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
If you have any questions,
contact me right away.
Even in the middle of the night is fine.
If something’s worrying you,
let’s talk it out!
Got it!
🎮
December 18, 20**
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
You didn’t stay up all night, did you?
No.
Oh, hello!
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Hey! Morning, Chorong.
Thinking hard?
Uh… yeah… haha.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
No questions? I’ll tell you everything.
;;;
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
If you’re worried about a position change,
you don’t have to do it.
I’m confident in my eye for players,
and Jaewoo, the god of the jungle, is here too.
Jaewoo’s our dedicated jungle coach this time.
He’s been singing your praises,
and Jeonghyeon seems to be waiting for you too.
The other kids are also asking when you’re coming.
(sweating emoji)
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
(shaking toy emoji)
I’m shaking it hard.
Don’t do that ㅠ
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Why not?
Don’t you want to lift the World Cup with me?
I’m going to bed now ㅠㅠ
Good night.
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Alright, sleep well.
🎮
December 19, 20**
Coach Ryu Sunghyun
Chorong,
You up?
“You said you’d have time tonight, didn’t you, Coach Jjamong, you idiot?”
Ko Jehoon, who had taken over Chorong’s bed, lightly kicked Yoon Chorong’s shoulder. He was supposed to return the following Monday, but Ko Jehoon had stormed into Yoon Chorong’s house early that morning.
Just… what if I refuse?
Unable to contain his anger after seeing the KakaoTalk message Yoon Chorong sent the previous day, Ko Jehoon said he’d waited at the airport until his flight and flew straight over. He grabbed Chorong, cursed him out, and snatched his phone.
“But what’s with you? ‘Tonight might be tough’? You crazy? You’ve got nothing going on tonight, so just go out, get a free meal, and come back.”
“…”
“When Ryu says something like this, it means he’s really interested! Are you actually insane?”
Jehoon, fuming, scrolled through their recent conversation. Chorong, watching silently, suddenly climbed onto the bed and grabbed his phone back.
“I told you not to look.”
“You didn’t flat-out refuse, so I guess that’s something. What am I supposed to say, you moron?”
“Yeah, I’m an idiot and a fool.”
“What? You know that and still act like this?”
“…”
“What’s with that look? Huh? Don’t you know what you’ve done? Don’t you know what Hansung Gaming is? Hansung Gaming! The e-sports team run by the Hansung Group! They started with StarCraft, when pro-gaming culture was just beginning, and they’ve been growing their team ever since!”
“…”
“They also have sports teams for soccer, baseball, volleyball, and more, but right now they’re heavily investing in their e-sports team!”
“…”
“The WOH team was established in 20**, and it was fully formed the following year. Since then, it’s been a top-tier team with great results! Their symbol is a blue diamond crystal with HS engraved in it, and their team color is blue! They compete with GX as the top one or two teams that pro gamers most want to join!”
Ko Jehoon shouted Hansung Gaming’s introduction as if reciting it.
“Team color blue! Internationally, they’re tied with GX for two World Championship wins! In the domestic league, they’ve lifted the most trophies! That kind of team! Join them, and your future’s set, and you’ll be rolling in money!!!”
“…”
“You know what my mom said? She told me to go spank you!”
“Your mom wouldn’t say that.”
“Oh, really?”
Jehoon clicked his tongue and showed Chorong his phone screen.
50sBeautyLady
Persuade Chorong well.
He’s just soft-hearted.
Don’t be too harsh,
and don’t game with Chorong too late.
50sBeautyLady
Got it? Why no reply?
“She said not to be too harsh.”
“Is that the point right now?”
Jehoon let out a dumbfounded laugh and got off the bed. Sitting across from Yoon Chorong and meeting his gaze, Jehoon hesitated before speaking.
“Look at what you’ve done. You made me come all the way from Jeju to Seoul for this.”
“…”
“What is this? What kind of opportunity are you throwing away? HS! Not just Korean players, but every WoW player is waiting for an offer from this team!”
“I know…”
“Then why are you blowing it? When Coach Ryu Sunghyun calls you this desperately, you should go sign the contract right away!”
“I can’t hide it and join.”
“Hide what?”
“I might not be able to play in matches…”
“That’s something you figure out by trying! You did fine in the promotion-relegation matches.”
Yoon Chorong gave a bitter smile. After WKC’s second regular season, Phoenix’s ranking was 9th. With ten teams in the first division, 9th place meant the lower ranks.
The 9th and 10th teams faced the 1st and 2nd teams from the second division in promotion-relegation matches. It was a chance for the first division to avoid relegation and for the second division to earn promotion. To avoid sending his team to the second division, Yoon Chorong gave his all during the three matches in early September.
“That was the last time.”
“…”
“That was the last time, so I gritted my teeth and played. I don’t have the confidence to step onto the stage again.”
“I don’t know. Damn it.”
Jehoon, as if all his energy had drained, let out a heavy sigh and flopped backward. Lying flat on the floor, he stared at the ceiling, then suddenly rolled over, threw off his jacket, and crawled onto the bed.
“Fine, what can we do if you don’t want to?”
“…”
“That’s why you need to pick a good first team. I told you Phoenix wasn’t it, didn’t I? With that measly salary and those ridiculous contract terms!”
“…”
“But what can you do? That’s just your personality. Stupid enough to kick away a golden opportunity. There’s no cure for that.”
“Jehoon.”
“I’m sleepy. I’m gonna nap, so wake me up later.”
“…”
“And let’s stay up all night gaming.”
“…”
“Let’s just have fun. Order chicken and pizza tonight. Spread out all the food in the living room and game like degenerates. How’s that?”
“Alright.”
“Man, I’m still pissed.”
Jehoon, unable to contain his frustration, kicked his feet a few times and cursed before passing out minutes later. Glancing at the snoring Jehoon, Yoon Chorong stared blankly at his broken computer.
The two left the house at lunchtime. They ate burgers nearby and headed to a PC café. The plan was to hang out at the PC café until evening, stop by Jehoon’s place to grab his console, and then go back to Chorong’s to play—a pretty packed schedule.
Taking a spot in the corner and taking off his jacket, Jehoon ordered food first. Despite just eating a burger set, he ordered a bunch of snacks, and Yoon Chorong, caught up in it, ordered some chips too.
“You’re paying for this. Let’s get ramen later too. I need to run a raid first, so you do something else.”
“Got it.”
“Come on, why don’t you play Classic too? I’ll carry you.”
Seeing Yoon Chorong shake his head, Jehoon muttered under his breath and logged into the game. Meanwhile, Yoon Chorong, taking the food brought by the part-timer, glanced at the time. It was 3:15 PM. Usually around the time JamongJuice would log in.
After hesitating a few times, Yoon Chorong pushed the snacks on the desk aside, took a deep breath, and logged into [WOH]. As expected, a ton of messages were waiting, along with plenty of friend requests. Ignoring them all, he checked his friend list and, thankfully, saw that JamongJuice was online. It had been so long that he hesitated before sending a greeting, but a message came first.
[JamongJuice: You’re here.]
At the same time, a party invite popped up, and he hit the accept button.
[JamongJuice: Thought you’d never log in again.]
[JamongJuice: How many days has it been?]
[winterchild: Hello.]
[JamongJuice: Hey.]
[JamongJuice: Been busy with something?]
Did JamongJuice not know what had happened to him over the past few days? According to Jehoon, a video titled [Choi Jeonghyeon’s Humiliation] from the mid-lane match had been posted everywhere.
[JamongJuice: Why’d you go radio silent for so long?]
[winterchild: Some stuff happened.]
He’d heard it was uploaded to YouTube and that gaming sites were going wild over the incident… Did JamongJuice maybe not see it? Since he’s a working adult, maybe he missed it… If so, what should he say? While pondering, JamongJuice typed again.
[JamongJuice: It was a big deal, huh.]
[winterchild: Huh?]
[JamongJuice: I got messages too.]
[JamongJuice: Asking if I’m close with you.]
[winterchild: What?]
[JamongJuice: AG, I think. That team.]
[winterchild: Whoa.]
AG was his former team, Phoenix. They’d sent him messages too, and now to JamongJuice as well. Just in case, Yoon Chorong glanced at Jehoon.
“Hey, Jehoon.”
“What?”
“Among the teams that contacted you… was Phoenix one of them?”
“Those bastards, I was so pissed off.”
Suddenly, Jehoon’s typing on the keyboard got aggressive.
“They asked if I could give them your contact info? So ridiculous, they’d flip if they knew who you are!”
“You didn’t tell them who I am, did you?”
“What?”
“…”
“Of course not!”
Jehoon grinned.
“That’s something they should find out through a news article to really spike their blood pressure, right?”
“…”
“I just said you’re set to join HS. It’d be hilarious if you went to HS… Man, I want to see BlueMoon’s face explode from rage. Total humiliation. Ugh… Just imagining it is thrilling.”
“Yeah…”
“So what are you doing? If you don’t go, it’s over.”
As Jehoon’s glare sharpened, Yoon Chorong quickly turned away and typed in the chat.
[winterchild: Sorry ㅠㅠ]
[winterchild: I got you into trouble because of me ㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuiceCOLON What are you sorry for?]
[winterchild: You got bothered because of me ㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Not really.]
[JamongJuice: I blocked them all.]
[JamongJuice: They stopped after a few days.]
[winterchild: Still ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Having played together for nearly a month, chatting with JamongJuice felt comfortable.
[winterchild: By the way, I’m thinking of making a smurf account.]
[JamongJuice: A smurf? Why?]
[winterchild: This account is kind of…]
[JamongJuice: Why? Is someone harassing you?]
[winterchild: No, it’s not that.]
[JamongJuice: Then why?]
[winterchild: Uh… well…]
[JamongJuice: You don’t really need to do that.]
That made sense, in a way…
[JamongJuice: So, have you decided on joining a team?]
[winterchild: Huh?]
[winterchild: Oh, no…]
[JamongJuice: Got any offers?]
[winterchild: Yeah, I got some offers…]
[JamongJuice: From where?]
[winterchild: A few places.]
[winterchild: But I don’t really get it.]
[winterchild: It was just a fluke win in mid-lane…]
[JamongJuice: Because you’re good.]
In the pro scene, that wouldn’t mean much. He thought it but couldn’t type it out.
[JamongJuice: It’d be great if you joined.]
[winterchild: …]
[JamongJuice: HS is a prestigious team.]
[JamongJuice: I heard they treat their players well.]
[winterchild: HS?]
How did he know about the offer from HS?
[winterchild: Did HS contact you, Jamong?]
[winterchild: ?????]
[JamongJuice: Uh.]
His reply was a bit slow.
[JamongJuice: You’re joining HS, right?]
[JamongJuice: I’ll cheer hard for you when you debut.]
[winterchild: Oh…]
[winterchild: I’m… planning to decline.]
[JamongJuice: What? Why?]
[JamongJuice: For what reason?]
[winterchild: Well…]
[winterchild: Um…]
[JamongJuice: Is it]
[JamongJuice: because of Choi Jeonghyeon?]
[winterchild: Huh? No, that’s not it.]
To be honest, it wasn’t entirely unrelated. His feelings toward Choi Jeonghyeon weren’t exactly positive. But that wasn’t the only reason.
[winterchild: It’s not exactly because of that.]
[JamongJuice: Really?]
[winterchild: Yeah.]
[JamongJuice: Then why?]
[JamongJuice: Hansung’s supposed to be the best place for player treatment.]
[winterchild: Um…]
[JamongJuice: Is it hard to talk about?]
[JamongJuice: Maybe I could help if you share?]
[JamongJuice: I’m your gaming buddy and hyung, after all.]
[JamongJuice: Aren’t we close enough for that?]
Yoon Chorong hesitated. He hadn’t been able to say this to people who knew him. But with JamongJuice, it felt oddly easier. Maybe because they’d played together, or maybe because he knew they’d never meet face-to-face.
[winterchild: The thing is…]
[winterchild: I’m not sure if I can play in matches.]
During the 20** regular season, which ended in a mess, he’d played the promotion-relegation matches thinking it was his last shot. He’d already expected he couldn’t stay on the team. And he lacked confidence. He was dragged onto the stage to avoid relegation. That was the only way he could explain it.
He’d wanted to run away from that stage, but he couldn’t, so he forced himself to sit and play. He didn’t know how much he sweated during the game. His palms were so sweaty that he ended up keeping a towel nearby to wipe them while playing.
His heart raced so much that after the match, he ran to the bathroom and threw up. That’s when he knew. His career as a player was over.
So, the moment his contract ended, he stopped logging into the game and changed his phone number. Since his performance had completely collapsed in the latter half of the season, he thought no team would make him an offer.
He went radio silent because he was afraid someone might try to contact the pro gamer Yoon Chorong. He wanted to erase that version of himself completely.
[JamongJuice: You’re saying you’re not confident about competing for a starting spot?]
[winterchild: No, it’s not that…]
[winterchild: It’s]
[winterchild: I don’t have the confidence to step onto the stage…]
[winterchild: I’m afraid I’ll get criticized again…]
[winterchild: I keep thinking that.]
[winterchild: And my hands get sweaty.]
[winterchild: What if I join and]
[winterchild: ruin the team’s vibe?]
[winterchild: My grandma used to come watch my matches sometimes.]
[winterchild: Now she can’t, and that makes me sad.]
[winterchild: I love gaming, but]
[winterchild: I’m scared.]
[winterchild: I have too many issues…]
[winterchild: If people knew who I was, they’d be shocked.]
[winterchild: They’d say someone like me doesn’t deserve to aim for a place like that.]
[JamongJuice: Who are you?]
[winterchild: Huh?]
[JamongJuice: Who are you.]
[JamongJuice: You said everyone would be shocked if they knew who you were.]
[winterchild: Uh…]
[JamongJuice: Tell me. Who are you?]
[winterchild: …]
Yoon Chorong stared at the chat window. Should he reveal his identity? After hesitating, he started typing, but a message came up.
[JamongJuice: Chorong.]
“Gasp!”
Chorong’s eyes widened so much they nearly popped out. The mole under his right eye twitched.
[winterchild: What??? How??]
[winterchild: You know me??]
[winterchild: How do you know???]
[JamongJuice: I saw it somewhere.]
[JamongJuice: That winterchild is Yoon Chorong.]
[JamongJuice: Your smurf during your pro days was WinterCarol, right?]
[winterchild: Whoa…]
[winterchild: Wait, then…]
[JamongJuice: Most people didn’t seem to believe it.]
[JamongJuice: But I did.]
[JamongJuice: You were good as a pro.]
[JamongJuice: It was just bad team luck.]
[JamongJuice: Chorong?]
Yoon Chorong didn’t know how to respond. He’d been prodded, and he’d admitted it was him. Swallowing hard, he bit his lip and typed.
[winterchild: It’s not me.]
[JamongJuice: ?]
[JamongJuice: Now you’re denying it?]
[winterchild: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Liar.]
[winterchild: It’s not true ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[winterchild: I’m telling you it’s not me ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Chorong.]
“Ugh.”
I’m such an idiot. Making a weird noise, Chorong covered his face. He’d let his guard down because it was someone he didn’t know in person. Blaming himself for his stupidity in getting found out, Chorong calmed himself and checked the screen. Would JamongJuice mock him too? His breathing grew rough with fear.
[JamongJuice: What’s the big deal?]
[JamongJuice: When you debuted, people said you were promising.]
[JamongJuice: I watched your matches too.]
[JamongJuice: You were good. More than good enough.]
Surprised by the unexpectedly positive response, Chorong’s big eyes rolled.
[winterchild: That… that was only at my debut. You know what they said about me after.]
[winterchild: World’s worst.]
[winterchild: How dare he try to beat a Master.]
[winterchild: Crybaby.]
[winterchild: No matter how hard I tried, just a relegation-tier mid-laner.]
[winterchild: That’s me.]
[winterchild: All I got was ridicule everywhere.]
[JamongJuice: Family provider.]
[JamongJuice: You had that nickname too.]
[JamongJuice: They said if you focused on you, you’d win. Does that make sense in a team game?]
[JamongJuice: With teammates like that, how could you win?]
[winterchild: Still…]
Yoon Chorong bit his lip. His teammates.
‘Think you’re something because you’re a little good? Others are way better than you. If you’re gonna be good, be as good as Choi Jeonghyeon.’
‘You missed the kill angle there! Damn it!’
‘He plays so freaking bad, what’s that guy doing out there alone? That’s why I got cut!’
‘How’s that guy supposed to be our team’s star? So annoying.’
‘Why are we getting the hate? Family provider? Damn it, hey, you little punk. You like standing out alone? You happy we’re getting trashed? You love hearing people pity you?’
‘Why does the coach only like you? What’s the reason? How great are you supposed to be? You’re the one ruining the team vibe.’
Recalling the teammate who hurled insults at him in the WOH Park stadium hallway, Yoon Chorong’s hands trembled.
[JamongJuice: Even Choi Jeonghyeon couldn’t do it.]
[JamongJuice: You can win a lane, but not a match.]
[JamongJuice: WOH is a team game.]
[JamongJuice: You can do better.]
[JamongJuice: I believe in you.]
Chorong held his breath. JamongJuice’s words, saying he believed in him, made it hard to look away.
[JamongJuice: Are you going to]
[JamongJuice: let those evaluations define you?]
[JamongJuice: Even with this opportunity?]
[JamongJuice: Everyone’s calling you GreatWinterChild now.]
[winterchild: But ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Or is HS not good enough?]
[winterchild: No way ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Didn’t you do tryouts a few days ago?]
[JamongJuice: Playing ranked with their players.]
[JamongJuice: I saw it on the forums.]
[winterchild: Yeah ㅠㅠㅠ It got posted?]
[winterchild: I went to their office for a bit.]
[JamongJuice: Did it feel off playing with them?]
[winterchild: Huh?]
[winterchild: No! Not at all!]
[winterchild: The coach was such a great person.]
[winterchild: Everyone was so nice.]
[winterchild: The games were fun too.]
He had genuinely enjoyed playing the games. To be honest, he could count on one hand the number of times he’d had that much fun gaming recently. Playing with JamongJuice was fun, but teaming up with pros brought a different kind of thrill. That’s why he stayed there until late at night…
[JamongJuice: That’s great.]
[JamongJuice: If you had fun, that’s enough.]
[JamongJuice: Did you meet the coach?]
[JamongJuice: What did they say there?]
[winterchild: They said they want to play together…]
[winterchild: The coach told me to believe in myself.]
[JamongJuice: Still hesitating?]
[winterchild: I’m afraid I’ll mess up ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[winterchild: What if I ruin the match again ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[JamongJuice: Chorong.]
[winterchild: Yes.]
[JamongJuice: Nobody’s always at their best.]
[JamongJuice: Even now, slumps happen.]
[JamongJuice: When results don’t meet expectations,]
[JamongJuice: there are moments I want to run away too.]
[JamongJuice: But I have to hold my ground.]
[JamongJuice: Because I have a job to do.]
[JamongJuice: And above all, I want to do well at what I love.]
[JamongJuice: You love WOH, don’t you?]
[JamongJuice: You said gaming is the most fun thing in the world,]
[JamongJuice: and you want to be good at it. You said you’d definitely lift the trophy.]
[JamongJuice: So, be brave.]
[winterchild: …]
[JamongJuice: Don’t stay stuck in yesterday.]
[JamongJuice: Who you’ll be tomorrow,]
[JamongJuice: nobody knows.]
[JamongJuice: But one thing’s certain.]
[JamongJuice: If you do nothing today,]
[JamongJuice: tomorrow’s you will do nothing too.]
[winterchild: …]
“You’re right, you fool.”
Hearing the voice beside him, Chorong turned his head. Jehoon, sitting close, looked at the conversation and patted Chorong’s head.
“I know it’s cheesy to say, but Grandma really wanted to see you win.”
“…”
“She was so happy watching your matches with me.”
Looking at Jehoon, Chorong checked the new messages coming in.
[JamongJuice: Be brave.]
[JamongJuice: I’ll cheer for you.]
[JamongJuice: I’ll be your biggest fan.]
[JamongJuice: And, you know, it’s okay to mess up a bit.]
[JamongJuice: Choi Jeonghyeon will handle it.]
Chorong, who had been teary-eyed, let out a small laugh before pausing. Oh, but when I met Choi Jeonghyeon at the HS office… he said something like that… uh… will it be okay?
[JamongJuice: Don’t worry about Choi Jeonghyeon.]
[JamongJuice: You can just ignore him.]
[JamongJuice: Join and crush him in style.]
[winterchild: Are you taking my side?]
[JamongJuice: Of course.]
JamongJuice’s words eased the tension in his heart. A sudden sense of closeness washed over him. Even though he didn’t know this person’s face or much about them, their promise to cheer for him gave him an oddly powerful boost.
[winterchild: JamongJuice-nim ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[winterchild: (இдஇ; )]
[JamongJuice: ٩(๑`^´๑)۶]
[winterchild: lolol]
[winterchild: That doesn’t suit you.]
[JamongJuice: I know.]
🎮
December 20.
With Christmas just a few days away, carols echoed countless times as Yoon Chorong headed to HS’s office in Yeoksam-dong. Leaving Ko Jehoon, who offered to come along, behind, Yoon Chorong entered the office alone and reviewed the contract in front of him.
The contract was for 1+1, a total of two years. The salary was 90 million won, with separate incentive clauses. There was even a condition allowing for salary renegotiation after one year, which made him think there was a mistake at first, but Kang Yuju looked overly apologetic.
“You don’t have much of a career yet. But as you can see here, if you perform well in the league, you’ll get additional incentives.”
Yoon Chorong listened quietly to Kang Yuju’s explanation, who had mistaken his surprised expression. When he signed his first contract with Phoenix, his salary was 25 million won. It was a two-year contract with no renegotiation or incentives. Compared to that, this was a huge amount.
“Let’s renegotiate after winning the World Championship next year!!”
A good performance at the World Championship could skyrocket a player’s value. He’d heard Choi Jeonghyeon’s salary was in the billions with separate incentives. Since Chorong had no domestic league titles, this salary was the front office’s best effort.
The contract itself wasn’t bad. In the e-sports world, where standard contracts didn’t exist, Hansung Gaming’s was decent. If anything, it showed their intent to nurture him. Of course, there was a clause allowing the team to refuse renewal after a year, but that was inevitable if his performance didn’t measure up.
After reading it thoroughly, Yoon Chorong took out his stamp. Still legally a minor, he needed a guardian’s consent for the contract, but fulfilling and taking responsibility for it was up to him.
Stamping here would make him an HS player. To claim the spot every athlete dreamed of, Yoon Chorong firmly pressed his stamp next to his name. Kang Yuju took the contract, filed it, and placed Chorong’s copy in a folder.
“The official announcement will go out at 6 PM. The article will drop then too. For now, I’ll handle Yoon Chorong’s schedule. Nice to work with you. You can call me Manager Kang!”
“Yes, Manager…”
“To think I get to manage Yoon Chorong’s schedule… I must’ve worked hard my whole life for this moment.”
“Uh… thank you…”
Feeling awkward under Kang Yuju’s joyful expression, Chorong glanced away, and Ryu Sunghyun, watching nearby, spoke up.
“There’s a lot to go over… but we’ll do that later.”
Ryu Sunghyun grinned and extended his hand to Yoon Chorong.
“Chorong.”
At the call, Chorong stiffened with nerves.
“Congratulations on becoming an HS player.”
Holding his trembling breath, Chorong stared at Ryu Sunghyun’s hand, stood up, and clasped it.
“Yes, thank… you.”
He was now a player for Hansung Gaming, the HS team.
🎮
HS WOH @HS_WOH · December 20
Hello, everyone! We have exciting news! The final player to join HS has been confirmed! winterchild Yoon Chorong has joined the team! Please join us in celebrating the start of Yoon Chorong as HS’s jungler!
[Photo: Yoon Chorong posing next to the HS emblem]