Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Frontline (13)
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The caravan heading to the tournament venue.
Inside it, Seon stared up at the sky with lifeless eyes.
The blue sky, oblivious to anyone else's mood, looked no different from the one in Europe.
'I used to get excited about coming to Korea.'
Back then, there had been people to meet here. Long trips never felt boring.
Pondering whether to apologize to her parents, dropping by to see Seol-i's face, chatting away with that guy who was always around.
...Yeah. Looking back, those were happy times.
Thinking of her brother, who was surely still lying there in his hospital bed, Seon closed her eyes.
'In my opinion... there are no recorded cases of someone in a complete vegetative state—a total loss of consciousness—waking up after three years.'
Why were the doctors' words surfacing in her mind right now?
Seon frowned.
It was an old story she barely remembered clearly, but vegetative patients weren't all the same—they were divided into those with unconscious states and those with some awareness.
Even cases where they reacted to light or showed faint signs of consciousness had people opening their eyes after seventeen years, but...
For true complete unconscious vegetative states, there were almost no cases of recovery after even one year. The longest record was around three years.
'Unless a miracle happens.'
Even if he opened his eyes, it wouldn't mean he was truly alive.
All of Europe's renowned doctors had warned the same thing: her brother would never come back. They shouted that there was no possibility.
Seon recalled four years ago.
Her immature days. The shocking defeat at a time when victory had felt like a given.
The day Landrox, hyped as the favorites, hadn't even made it to the world stage. The day it all fell apart because she'd lost a crucial 1v1.
『Fuck, Frontline that girl gamer struts around bragging about her skills, and in the end, she drops us out.』
『Korean girl got hyped too much online 'cause she's a chick—must've buckled under the pressure, right?』
『Shock! Landrox's downfall—Frontline chokes in the final clutch. Is this the end of the Myth?』
The flood of arrogant, insulting, sensational articles, comments, and posts that plastered the internet still haunted her like a nightmare.
After that, Seon had cut off all internet access.
She lived like a total shut-in: sleep, wake up, watch only pre-recorded DVDs, and grind games.
Her brother had fallen into a sleep with recovery odds approaching zero—no, flat zero.
Her family was basically estranged after constant fights, and the fans she'd trusted were cursing her out.
『But wasn't Landrox's loss not on Frontline, but the teammates who all got wiped?』
『Without Frontline, they wouldn't have even reached that tournament.』
Of course, the haters were a tiny minority, and most fans still believed in her and supported her.
But that's the world—no, humans are creatures who get their hearts torn apart by a single hate comment amid ten thousand praises.
Her mentality crumbled.
A foreign land with nowhere to lean on.
Seon was breaking down bit by bit.
"Alright, everyone off. We'll go in the back door, straight to the waiting room, then right up on stage. No need to tense up too much. This isn't your first world stage, right?"
"Yep. We're the finalists from last year who took the win. We'll snag it clean again this time."
"Good energy there, Riseng. Just keep that up."
"Thank you, Coach!"
Gazing at the massive e-sports arena before her, Seon let out a sigh.
As soon as she stepped out of the caravan, the familiar Seoul air hit her nostrils, and she felt nausea rising.
Seven years. Seven years.
Seven years of running from everything. Terrified that if she faced her parents again, they'd blame her.
Terrified that her brother was still asleep.
Terrified that the internet was still ripping her apart.
Seven years cowering like a rat on the company rooftop. Seven years of youth wasted, trapped in that space of fear and despair.
She had no courage to step out.
She just wanted to stay forever in that comfortable darkness.
"Senior Seon, why the death glare? It's Korea—gotta show the fans your cool side."
"You show 'em plenty."
"Got it!"
Riseng—his gamer ID, real name Seong Yujin. Seon let his words go in one ear and out the other as she headed to the waiting room.
"Hey, Tommy. Put up that barrier straight this time? If you screw up and it blows my head off again, you're done."
"Shut it, Duke. If I'm collapsing from lack of heals again, you're first on my kill list."
"Heh. You two suck but fight like that? Frontline'll carry anyway if we just sit tight."
"That's why you didn't snag last season's MVP. Don't expect handouts—we gotta pull our weight too."
"Plus, Frontline has this weird habit of choking hard in Korea matches. We gotta hold the line properly. Hey, Frontline? You gonna choke this time or what?"
"...Dunno."
As they entered through the arena's back door, they walked the quiet corridor.
Unlike the main stage shaking with cheers, the backstage was eerily silent—for the players' sake.
The teammates, who'd been rowdy and joking, fell quieter under the hush.
The tension they'd masked with humor swelled, and no one felt like talking.
'...The arena. Did Mom and Dad come watch?'
She hoped they hadn't.
Just imagining her parents somewhere in the crowd brought cold sweat, her heart pounding wildly.
Her complexion was always poor, so it didn't show much, but Seon's face had gone deathly pale.
...Her fingertips trembled visibly enough for Olivier and Landrox's coach, Lainen, following behind to notice.
"Everyone else to the waiting room first. Olivier, keep the kids out of trouble. Frontline, you stay—let's talk alone."
"Yes, Coach."
Olivier wordlessly led the rest of the team ahead to the waiting room.
Behind the stage, in a dim alley no one visited, where even the lights avoided shining.
The coach—a first-generation Highwatch pro gamer who'd made a name for himself—turned to Seon.
"Frontline."
"Yes."
"I've watched you a long time as coach, but we've hardly ever talked one-on-one."
Was that true?
Seon's hazy mind dredged up memories amid the dizziness.
Aside from her entry interview, yeah, pretty much never.
"I haven't talked much with you, but a guy picks up on things. I can tell you have no good memories of Korea—some trauma. And that it's tied to family."
"...Wasn't the deal that we don't talk about this stuff as long as I'm on the team?"
Hmph.
Lainen snorted.
"What am I, part-time? I've gotta do my job. Seon, if you're not okay, say it now. We can bench you for main and put someone else—even at this stage. Opponents have the world's toughest defense. Any crack in our main DPS, and we can't break through."
"I'm fine."
"Fine with those shaking hands? Looks like you haven't even noticed you're trembling."
Seon looked down at her hands.
...Since when? They shook like aspen leaves.
She gritted her teeth.
"I can... do it."
"...Won't decide yet. Sit, think till ban-pick. Tommy could handle main no problem."
"...Understood."
"Catch your breath, go wash your face in the bathroom. You look rough."
The coach headed to the waiting room after that.
Whew.
Seon wiped the cold sweat from her trembling hands and made for the bathroom.
"Alright, it's about to start. All players to the underground below the arena! Just like rehearsal—elevator'll bring you up from there."
"...Time's up. Let's go. Landrox—you're today's champions."
Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!
With the men's thunderous roar, they left the waiting room.
Following the arena's secret passages, they saw countless mechanical setups.
"Whoa, we really BAAM right up from here? Gonna be so cool."
"Korea's dead serious about stage production. Kinda like old Michael Jackson."
"Won't shoot up that fast. It's just an elevator—don't jump and break it."
"C'mon, anything from our fearless leader?"
...Damn it.
Steadying her own breathing was hard enough.
The kids' eyes turned to Seon. Whew. Whew. Hiding the sweat, forcing her breathing even, she barely opened her mouth.
"...Just do it like always."
"Whoa! 'Like always' she says!"
"Hell yeah! World finals at last!!! Time to grab that trophy again!!!!"
Thrilling.
Excitement.
Tension.
Fear.
Beneath the stage, amid the chaotic mix of it all, the elevator finally began to rise.
World finals were too grand and symbolic for her usual earplugs and blindfold routine.
The elevator rose, and suddenly her view burst open.
In the overall dim e-sports arena, countless people waved glowsticks and phone lights, waiting eagerly for the players to ascend.
Waaaaaaaaaah—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The roar from thousands hit like a physical shock, prickling her skin.
Skin tingling, breathing way too fast, heart hammering, cold sweat pouring—Seon's eyes desperately scanned the crowd, praying they weren't there.
『And now, at this moment! The teams clashing at the pinnacle of the world have arrived!!!』
The caster's shout. The crowd's cheers.
Seon hated this moment with every fiber of her being.
To others' eyes, she might look like a great pro gamer, but really, she was just a scared kid running away.
Under all those gazes, she felt dissected, sickened.
True to world finals, massive highlight reels played on the screen behind them.
The ten minutes of the ten players standing silently on stage amid cheers and applause, waiting for the match to start, felt eternal.
New champ reveals, new map unveils, singing idols—she barely held on through it all until her ears caught—
『And finally! Family interviews with our ten heroes!』
—news like a bolt from the blue.