Practice Begins (1)
"A~~~~~ What the hell?! Is Director Hong Suyeon committing to a bot lane carry setup?!"
"That's right~ Among the available supports, Saryami is indeed the best pick, but as far as I know, player Haneul has only just reached Emerald?!"
"Will this turn out to be the right choice? And right on cue, Director Cheon Gi-yong jumps into the bidding war!"
Cheon Gi-yong. A former pro ADC turned broadcaster, now in his mid-30s. Before retiring due to his aging curve, he'd dominated the ADC role and built a solid career, always stirring up controversy. His playstyle could be summed up in one phrase: ADC universalism. He was the only one on his team with world-class skill, so the whole squad revolved around sacrificing for him. That even sparked a meta where everything was thrown at the ADC carry.
Now a full-time streamer, he mostly did viewer gameplay reviews and feedback, still clinging to his belief that ADCs could end any game. As a tournament director, his core pick was naturally Relshin, a Grandmaster-tier ADC. From the start, his goal for this event was to usher in a new era where ADCs ruled supreme.
"49 coins! Ah~ Even at Master tier, is it really worth spending that much on a support?!"
"We'll need coins for other players too~"
"It's like she's dead set on not backing down—the bidding keeps climbing! Now at 57 coins…!"
"Uwaaa…."
Nam Haneul watched the broadcast, fidgeting and trembling her fingers. Spending a fortune on a support? And that ADC was her? She dreaded the stares if she choked and they lost. She couldn't handle the flood of criticism and piercing glares. And honestly, it was just too much pressure. She liked and appreciated Hong Suyeon, sure, but this special treatment felt scary instead.
The viewers were just having a blast. Whoever got the spotlight didn't affect them anyway. And even with all the hype around Nam Haneul, her career was too short to build a solid fanbase. No one was truly worrying about her burden.
Except for one. Her manager, Sin Yesul, was the only one who understood and empathized with that weight. Nam Haneul bit her lip reading the chat, then let out a deep sigh. And prayed.
"Bid failed… lose the auction…!"
May Cheon Gi-yong's stubbornness win out! May Hong Suyeon give up and invest elsewhere!
"Uh… h-hello~?"
"…H-hi."
And just like that, her prayers went unanswered. Hong Suyeon shelled out a whopping 66 coins to snag Saryami. Even Saryami herself was stunned— she hadn't expected her market value to be that high. With the auction wrapping up successfully, the directors who burned through coins and the leftover players were sorted via minigames. In the end, Nam Haneul's team shook out like this.
"Hellooo~!!"
Top: Gonggogi, Bronze tier. A male streamer pushing a vegetarian concept about the greatness of veggies. Despite his hardcore shtick, his cute looks drew a ton of female fans.
"Whoa~ Two blooming flowers in the house?"
Jungle: Butang, Platinum tier. He'd hit Diamond back in the day, but now got called washed-up. In his late 30s, he still tried flexing his fitness on stream, but his concept was all about hilariously failing at it every time.
"Nice to meet you~"
Mid: Solti, Silver tier. The least known on her team right now. A male VTuber with a menhera concept. Not super popular, but he'd gone viral once doing a live stream calling his ex nonstop until she picked up.
…And support: Saryami, Master tier. The exact reason Nam Haneul was stressing out.
Nam Haneul racked her brain over being the second-highest tier on the squad.
…Should I have bumped up my intellect and charm, or started with game stats first?
With her job change mission in progress—and tied to the tournament, no doubt—good placements would probably help. But she'd prioritized looks and smarts because she hadn't foreseen this. She'd figured they'd focus elsewhere, she'd pop skills at key moments, and they'd win. Never imagined she'd be the one carrying the whole game.
She could tell now that Hong Suyeon had some affection for her… but still, building the team around her? No way. Hong Suyeon had to know her skill level wasn't there.
Whatever. The team was locked in. After the auction stream ended, Nam Haneul hopped into the team MissCode voice channel. Everyone exchanged greetings, and finally, Hong Suyeon joined.
"You all getting to know each other?"
"Y-yeah!"
"Yup~ Of course."
Only Nam Haneul, with her prior connection, and the older Butang could reply to Hong Suyeon right away. The rest were too tense just sharing the voice chat with her to speak up.
"Great. Our comp says it all—strategy's simple. ADC carry."
"Wh-wh-why?! S-Suyeon, I can't carry…!"
"That's why I got you Saryami, right?"
"Even then…!"
As the chats pointed out, it wasn't just Saryami's issue. Top laner Gonggogi played tanky for team utility, and mid laner Solti favored champs needing ally synergy. Outside Nam Haneul, no one had carry potential or aggressive play.
"Heh~ So we just believe in Haneul?"
"Don't do thaaat…!!"
"Hmmm~"
Nam Haneul shuddered at the pressure, horrified. Hong Suyeon had straight-up declared she was the carry. Through the MissCode voice cam feeds, she saw the team: Gonggogi frozen stiff in tension, Saryami sweating bullets but smiling awkwardly while scratching her cheek.
"Still, just in caseee, let's try our best, okayyy? All of us."
She encouraged Nam Haneul in her soft voice. That was Saryami's streaming vibe—girl-next-door, friend's mom charm. Warm and inclusive to everyone. It meshed perfectly with the "support is ADC's mom" image, pulling in fans. Her drawn-out, gentle tone amplified it. And oddly, her tiny stature and flat figure fueled a cult following despite clashing with the concept.
"Ugh… I have no confidence…."
Nam Haneul was on the verge of tears now, eyes glistening and ready to spill.
"Ah, why are you cryingyy?"
"Puhaha! That shaky?"
"I-I'm not crying."
Nam Haneul pouted and wiped her tears with her sleeve. Unbeknownst to her, the crying clip was already being recorded live and spreading across sites. Her pretty face plus tears? Double the charm.
"Anyway, team's set for today—if you're all free, how about a few games together?"
Hong Suyeon gazed at the adorable Nam Haneul, then smoothly continued. The auction stream hadn't been short, so everyone was past two hours of airtime.
"I think I can do it~"
"If the director says so, we do it!"
Saryami nodded softly, raising one hand. Butang crossed his arms, humming and nodding.
"…I can too."
Nam Haneul flushed at the attention but nodded first. She'd planned a solo Rel stream before bed anyway.
"I'll, I'll do my best!"
Gonggogi swallowed hard and saluted sloppily—he was a 21-year-old who hadn't served yet. But with half his fans being women, it just came off cute.
"…You won't ditch me if I suck, right? It's okay to suck?"
Solti, the only one using a virtual avatar, muttered with shrunken pupils. Nam Haneul thought his concept ran deeper than expected.
"Buuut~ Are we sharing mosts or anythingyy~?"
Saryami raised her hand like they were in person. Hong Suyeon nodded at the question.
"We'll play a bit first, plan and practice later. First match is in three days—no need to rush."
"Sweet! Let's queue up right now~"
With that, the five logged into Rel for free rank. Hong Suyeon crossed her legs, watching their play… and smirked.
Better synergy than expected.