Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Wanna Play a Game?
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It was the season right after Proud retired.
My first season as ST's starting mid laner.
LOC's predetermined end, you fucks.
But fact is, only ST got screwed lol
[ST Gaming! Falls in the semis after all!]
[Was Proud's absence just too big a void? True fights to the end, but the Nexus falls here!]
What was the point of lying?
ST tanked the entire season.
Not just the league— invitational internationals and the LOC World Cup too.
We made it to semis consistently, but no championships that year.
The players who'd shared glory with Proud retired one after another—that was secondary. The real issue was how many roles he'd filled on the team.
I was still a rookie, and naturally, I couldn't even fill half his shoes.
The season ended, and I was deep in review sessions, sighing nonstop and forfeiting my vacation. That's when he showed up.
"Season's over. Why aren't you home?"
Proud had vanished after retiring—no interviews, no coaching gig. No one knew where he'd gone. Now he was back.
He'd dipped out of nowhere and popped up at the weirdest time. I only had one thing to say.
"Where the hell you been?"
There was nothing I'd left for him to do, but back then, things were so bad—for the team, for me—that I couldn't muster anything nicer.
"Sorry. Needed time to sort my own stuff."
"...You know that makes me the asshole, right?"
"Water under the bridge. Fans already see me as public enemy number one."
"You said you don't check communities, but you're glued to 'em."
"I'm not a player anymore."
"...Ugh."
That was one of the few times I saw his playful side as just a guy, not the pro player Proud.
Though it twisted my guts hearing it.
"True, you know that, right?"
"What?"
"I could retire because of you. If it was anyone else, I wouldn't have stepped down before finals."
"..."
Most teams keep a sixth man as dead weight, for rookie experience, or team vibes.
But that day the incident went down, he'd put his faith in me—a total benchwarmer.
Well, I'd already betrayed that faith. And spent the whole next season betraying it again.
"I've never made a wrong call on this game. Same goes for my read on you."
"..."
"You've got what it takes to carry my torch."
His eyes held zero doubt. I couldn't respond.
"Sure, you're still rough around the edges. Less experience than Plook or the others."
He sat in the empty chair next to me and casually hit the power button on my PC.
"But the reason I picked you anyway?"
—Because you're the most like me.
That was enough.
The media room vibe shifted.
"Eun-seol's totally frozen."
The photographer chuckled at my stiff pose—the one I never made for photos—and waved me aside.
Proud looked exactly as I remembered.
Wrist brace and all.
"Did I mess up your shot?"
"No! No! Not at all! Come on in, Proud!"
From makeup to the vlog camera crew.
ST's avatar descends, panic ensues—but these pros snapped back to their jobs quick.
Speak of the devil.
Suddenly, I was doing a mini-interview with Proud in the empty spot with two chairs.
Host? Coach An Jae-hoon, arms full of ST merch for my parents.
"You didn't have to go this far..."
Why the big fuss for a third-division rookie signing?
"Nonsense. We signed a celeb—gotta milk the footage."
"...Me, a celeb?"
"After Durant's stream, everyone was asking when you'd join."
Guess the ripple was bigger than I thought.
Challenger mechanics whiz, cute middle school girl joins ST.
...Yeah, fair.
Video team could squeeze four or five vids out of this easy.
"You call Proud just for me?"
"Nah. Think he'd come if we asked? Total wildcard, total prankster. He came 'cause he wanted to."
Proud playfully elbowed the coach.
"Haha. Did I shatter your idol image?"
Coach grinned sheepishly, but I nodded a thousand times. Tops have a screw loose—truth.
"Anyway, let's roll. It's casual footage; we'll edit what needs it. Relax."
With the camera right there, this was as comfy as it got for me.
They'd never seen me before. I had.
"Alright, greetings first. I'm True, your new ST3 mid laner. Third-year middle schooler. Nice to meet you!"
I bowed from my chair. Hair fell just right—thankfully styled.
"Newbie's got perfect form. Looking good."
Proud smirked.
"How'd you know to come here, Proud?"
Camera guy asked casually. Proud shrugged.
"I got all ST schedules memorized."
"True team love. Here to hype the rookie?"
"...Something like that."
Hmm.
That smile screamed ulterior motives.
"True, you watch much of Proud's play?"
"Show me any clip—I'd know the matchup and opponent."
To catch him.
To grasp even the tail of that legendary skill fans rave about. No game unanalyzed.
Plus, I had the man himself explaining intent back then.
"That deep...?"
"Why ignore the answer key?"
Proud chimed in.
"I like True's playstyle."
"You've seen her games?"
"Watched some with Jae-hoon hyung. She's good. That's why I'm here—that play stuck with me."
"High praise from a vet."
"Yeah. Think she'll turn ST3 into a powerhouse."
Room went quiet in shock.
"Hey, don't pressure the new kid. She's a rookie."
"No rookie plays like True."
"You know better than anyone it's about the game."
"Jae-hoon hyung, look at her. She looks tense."
I straightened up fast, but their chuckles meant the cameras caught it.
"You were super stiff when Proud walked in."
"Everyone's so chill. Loosened me up."
Not nerves around him—just froze reuniting. Handling him? No sweat.
"So, Proud."
"Yeah?"
Time to give the video team their scream moment.
"You came all this way for a reason, right? Spare me the 'to see your face' bit."
I know my looks pack a punch.
This'd force even that sly fox to cut the crap.
But I wasn't waiting.
"Since you're here, wanna queue up a game with me?"
"...Same team?"
"Nah. 1v1."
Bingo.
Not for nothing he dragged here.
That competitive glint? Obvious why.
A rookie playing most like me.
No pro could resist.
"Sounds fun. Truth is, that's why I came."
No more pretense needed.
Even in this changed world, Proud was king.
But I hadn't faced him yet.
"Let's go?"
Time to reset my benchmark for LOC.