165 - The Fisherman Hooking Rumors
└ Yeah, middle school 2nd year?
└ Eek pedo
└ (OP): You idiot, she was like 1st grade, exactly like NoName's main avatar!
└ Reporting you, bye
└ No, the nurses—the nurses!
└ (OP): Face I could chalk up to prosopagnosia, but I remember super long hair too.
└ Born to Inbang addict parents lololol already feels bleak.
└ For real? Which one?
└ Didn't ask.
└ How'd you know elementary?
└ Could tell at a glance.
Rumors don't spread linearly. They're like flying fish lurking silently beneath the surface, suddenly leaping out. And reporters were fishermen who specialized in hooking those flying fish.
They had to snag them before anyone else noticed, or they'd go hungry—that was a reporter's fate.
"Mr. Jang, the editor-in-chief is looking for you."
"Me? Why?"
"No idea. Maybe he caught you playing AR games during work hours, stealing salary like Lupin?"
"Shit, how'd he know? Am I really getting fired today...?"
QBS Game Magazine reporter Jang Seongmun took a deep breath and faced his boss. He rarely dealt directly with executive level, and he was quite satisfied with his job overall.
"Ah, Jang. In this morning's meeting, while sorting viewer tips, I found something only you could handle."
Not a resignation demand—he inwardly sighed in relief.
"Yes, sir."
"Everyone says you're the expert on character investigations too."
"Character investigation...?"
Asking him for that meant internet streamers only. Last year, the entertainment desk chief had ordered him to snag an interview with Seol Yunseul right in front of him, and he'd openly refused—leading to a huge performance review hit. Bad memories surfaced.
"Chief, actually, my main job is game reviews, not investigating people..."
Character digs were always a side gig.
"Really? But your juniors and seniors testified you recently investigated that 'NoName' girl?"
"Ah, NoName?"
Why her? As Jang puzzled, the editing chief explained the morning meeting highlights.
"Heard she's fourteen."
"Yes."
"A genius too."
"Oh yes, total genius, a genius."
"Uploaded something huge on VTube recently? You see it?"
"No, Chief, been swamped with work. What was it?"
A lie. Jang pulled all-nighters on Resonance scenario quests.
"I wouldn't know! Humanities major, haha! Anyway, if you write it up well, it'll go on the News Talk show too. Details from your section chief. Work hard, got it?"
"Yes, sir...! But Chief!"
"Yeah?"
"Isn't there an unwritten rule in the industry not to put talented kids like that on TV?"
After the "Ham Chorong murder incident," all Korean news outlets tabooed solo kid features. Not law, but audiences hurled stones at stations for exploiting children, birthing an implicit rule. Only long-running variety show Genius Scout Team held the privilege to cover that territory.
"Ahaha. That was 30 years ago—30 years! Those bad-commenters from back then are half-blind, can't even read articles properly. And this has tons of viewer tips for solid justification. Got it?"
"Yes, sir, I'll do my best!"
"Good attitude. Have a good day!"
Back at his desk, watching NoName's VTube, Jang tore at his hair.
[#1 Brocard’s problem (1876)]
[#2 Erdős–Straus conjecture (1948)]
[#3 Weaire–Phelan structure optimization (1993)]
[#4 Collatz conjecture bound further to n^0.737 (1937)]
[#5 Moving sofa problem upper bound improvement (1966)]
[#6 Twin prime conjecture (1849)]
[#7 Strong Goldbach conjecture (1742)]
"I'm humanities too, fuck..."
If NoName's proofs held, it was scoop material—her subscribers kept tipping off the station. Jang Seongmun mobilized every contact to verify it.
Contrasting NaMe's creaky team in World of Arceria, the 5 Challenger LoL squad was preseason favorites. LoL qualifiers started 5 days before Arbyeol due to prelims. 32-strong and 16-strong rounds nearly done—just one step to 8-strong main bracket.
"Waaaaaaah! Is this! Even! Possible?!"
"NoName! NoName! NoName won't stop! NoName's charging! NoName's beating Orun to death!"
"From 8k gold behind early! Now only 1k gap! Not just catching up—it's a reversal!"
"You tank? Too bad, I'm DPS! Late game DPS rules! Champ! Who'd guess that 10-kill mountain Orun would crumble so helplessly!"
The stadium roared. Thrilled crowds and hoarse casters fixated on the final qualifier spot.
35 minutes, 50 kills total. Eye contact meant fight—both teams turned it into a maze.
One side: 3 ex-pros. Veteran pressure crushed NaMe's top and mid, cornering them. But even with split top limbs severed, jungle starved 15 minutes straight, teammates trusted NaMe, focusing solely on ADC growth. Team crushed, ADC barely scraping gold.
One teamfight flipped it.
"Looking at NoName now? Machine-like. Our top solo-killed thrice? Fine, 12 CS/min. Mid sniped sidelane? Fine, killed their vision-support. Endless optimal calls saving the team from crisis—who knows how many times!"
"Yes! Terrifying. Zero fear. 'Trident' team's shrunken for sure. NoName just front-moves? They flinch, flash wasted."
"Interval gauging masterful. NoName's Arceria ADC artisan, right? Ranged DPS so tricky!"
"Yes! Banned out till now, 2-tier champ but NoName picks? Metamorphosis fear—no safe release."
"Too late, but don't give NoName long-range ADCs!"
"Another teamfight brewing! Eye contact, growling already! Again!"
10-man brawl. Ground quakes, smoke rises. Cannon-shouldered NoName emerges from flames. Baited all-in focus, induced skill dumps.
"Aaaaaaaah! Miss NoName here and!"
"This goes wrong, it's over? More deaths no—right as I say, NoName mercilessly sweeps kills! Quadra!"
"This team's strong... especially NoName. Main bracket foes, brace up. Back stronger lately."
"We're off to 8-strong main! Long game ends 41:30!"
"“GG!”"
NoName (Kaluya) - 16/1/7
Total Damage Dealt - 43.8K
Adrenaline-spiked senses left no room for victory savoring. NaMe's dazed teammates stared at crumbling enemy nexus amid crowd cheers piercing skin—finally sharing main bracket joy.
"Shiiiiiit, we did it!"
"Huuuung, that game sucked... never top again..."
"You with 8 deaths got nerve, Minjun oppa... Hiiing."
"Good work, NaMe. Banpick dragged us bad."
"Win's a win."
Qualifier foes were top contenders. Pure team comp? Arguably better. But NaMe's improved over time, perfect last fight stomp.
"Interview prep!"
One winner pick, but NaMe had to skip.
"Gotta scrim WoA right now?"
"Yeah. Match dragged, gotta rush."
"You live so busy."
"What if one more set? Confidence where?!"
"Losing prelims? Unthinkable. See ya."
No private room breather—NaMe boots WoA.