The World of Pros (2)
"P1..."
To Park Jimin right now, every professional team was something special. An unfamiliar, mysterious world.
But the one that loomed largest was still P1.
Even without trying, the name kept slipping into his eyes and ears. It was the team his friends rooted for, the one viewers reacted to with fierce intensity for all sorts of reasons.
"If you're thinking of going pro, you can wear the P1 uniform. Of course, you'd start in Academy as the second team, but it won't take long to climb to the first team."
"Academy?"
"Yeah. It's P1's development organization and second squad, with the best training system in the world. Even a short stay will help you a lot."
"..."
Honestly, Jimin still didn't really grasp what any of it meant. Anyway, it seemed he wouldn't be jumping straight into big matches like last Sol Cup qualifiers. Something like that, right?
"Jimin."
"Yes, hyung."
"P1 has far more influence in Korean Summoners of Legends than you realize. If you claim a first-team spot here like I say, I'm certain it'll be the best possible choice for you as a pro."
"Yes."
Jimin trusted Hochang quite a bit. So regardless of how much he actually understood, he was already half accepting it.
But...
This was not a decision to make lightly.
"There's someone I want to introduce you to."
"Huh?"
But the other party seemed pretty aggressive about it.
"Nice to meet you."
"Hello..."
Jimin greeted him awkwardly.
"This is a hyung I've known a long time, and he's been appointed as P1's head coach this time."
"Whoa..."
"Wow, advertising already when it's only a verbal agreement?"
"You were going to tell him anyway, right?"
Jang Yaohwan—Lamar—who had coached the Sensekai team through last season's Japanese SCJ Spring. A man who, as a coach, had always set the free-agency rumor mill on fire for years. Of course, to Jimin he was still just a man in his early thirties he was meeting for the first time.
"..."
Today he had finally met Song Hochang—Whata—in the flesh. And now he was meeting the man who would become P1's head coach on top of that. Jimin felt like he might die from nerves. The wheel of his life seemed to be spinning far too fast.
"Looking at you in person, you're polite and cute."
"Yes, haha..."
A low voice and easy gestures. To Jimin's eyes, if Hochang was the neighborhood hyung who wandered around in comfortable clothes, Yaohwan looked like a sharp, stylish gentleman dressed to the nines.
Sluuuurp.
An extremely expensive-looking café in Gangnam—private rooms, even. He could only sip his iced tea out of sheer awkwardness.
"Actually, I've known about you for a while."
"M-me?"
"Yeah."
Yaohwan smiled as he spoke to Jimin.
"I showed him videos of your play."
"Ah..."
"This guy doesn't say things like that often, but he was going completely crazy calling you a real genius."
"..."
Jimin looked down a little, embarrassed.
"Jimin."
"Yes."
Yaohwan's tone grew noticeably more serious.
"Hochang told me you haven't played Sol for long, and before that you barely cared about it."
"Ah, yes, that's..."
"It's a bit much to say myself, but I'm pretty well-regarded in Sol. Being P1's head coach isn't a job just anyone can take."
"Seems that way."
"He's really saying it out of his own mouth."
"Quiet. There's a kid here."
Yaohwan shut down Hochang's teasing.
"If you fully draw out your potential, you could become the best player in the world someday."
"..."
World's best. Jimin found it amazing that anyone could say something so terrifying so casually.
"Was the comparison a bit broad? You know Maker, right?"
"Maker?"
"You don't know?"
"..."
Am I not allowed to not know?
Jimin was a little flustered.
"Ah—no, I know. I heard about him once before."
His friends had gone on and on about old Maker this and that, so he knew. Sometimes when he watched Sol videos on YouTube the comments mentioned him too?
"You 'heard about him before'?"
"Hyung, this kid is beyond imagination."
Hochang snickered. Yaohwan looked utterly incredulous.
"Wow. It's been five years since Maker retired and now there are kids who don't know him."
"No, Jimin's the weird one..."
"Then do you not know who Hades is either? He's a top laner."
"I've heard the name."
"I'm going crazy."
Sluuuurp.
The gentle, serious demeanor from earlier had vanished; Yaohwan now wore a face of pure disbelief. Jimin simply kept drinking.
"Um... is it a problem if I don't know?"
"The police won't come arrest you, but if you say that on stream a lot of people will be shocked."
"Ah."
Hochang laughed. Jimin thought it was fortunate nothing like that had happened yet.
"Simply put, this year is Sol's twentieth Worlds. There was no Korean team in the first tournament, but anyway."
"Yes."
Hochang suddenly started explaining with hand gestures.
"And out of the past nineteen tournaments, the team that won a full six times is P1."
"Whoa..."
Jimin had seen it clearly last time. Just qualifying for the Sol Cup was incredibly hard. Yet winning that tournament six times...
"And all six of those were during the Maker era."
"..."
"Doesn't seem to hit that hard. Anyway, Maker is still a legendary player that no one in Sol doesn't know. P1 is still called the world's top prestigious organization because of him."
"I see."
"And right before Maker retired he won three Worlds in a row. The top laner with him then was a player named Hades. He's currently rated the best top laner in the world."
"World's best top laner..."
Just hearing the title, it was an incredibly cool moniker.
"Not just top—right now he's called one of the best players period, alongside Hebei's ADC Dexter."
Yaohwan cut in.
"Hebei?"
Jimin said it like he was asking what that even was.
"Ah, Hebei Gaming is a Chinese team. Hades is also playing for the Chinese team AIG."
"Ah..."
The world's best top laner. And a player comparable to him was also in China? Jimin made a faintly disappointed face.
(Anyway, the good players in China are all Korean players.)
(That's always been the case.)
Jimin recalled the conversation between his friends Lee Jonghyun and Yoon Sangcheol.
"Jimin, I digressed a bit, but do you know why I brought up Maker?"
"..."
Yaohwan began speaking to him again.
"The greatest player in Summoners of Legends history. That's what the name Maker means. And the team that won three consecutive Worlds with Maker. The strongest roster of all time. Called the strongest team of all time."
"Yes."
Gulp.
World's best, all-time best, all-time strongest. Those expressions kept pouring out every time he spoke.
"I believe a man should naturally dream of being the best of his era in his field—and beyond that, the best of all time. I don't know if P1 expects that much from me right now, but of course until my career ends, I'll aim for that name."
"..."
No matter how he looked at it, the man was completely sincere.
"Everyone knows P1 has been struggling lately, but when they offered me the coach position this time they promised to invest properly."
"Yes."
"If what I'm picturing in my head comes together, just one year. I believe I can build the strongest team in one year."
"One year... ah, then—!"
"You get what I mean? I'm talking about the moment you properly learn in Academy for a year and come up to the first team."
"Ah."
"A player who will play on the strongest team that surpasses even that roster called the strongest of all time. That will be you."
Slurp.
The drink was already empty.
"Iced tea?"
"Huh? No, I'll go order."
"Just sit. Lemon?"
"Ah—no, same peach."
"Okay."
"Thank you."
Rattle.
Hochang opened the door and left.
"Keep listening. It might sound weird saying all this about being the best right from the start, but anyway P1 will be a huge opportunity for you."
"..."
"You can do much better than you are now. And P1 Academy is also a place that has raised the best players so far."
"Yes."
"Hmm."
Yaohwan eyed Jimin, who was avoiding his gaze.
"Seems like something's holding you back?"
"Ah..."
He didn't miss the naive eighteen-year-old's eyes.
"Actually, I'm still wondering if going pro is the right thing."
"Because of streaming?"
"You know?"
"I said I know about you."
"Ah..."
"There are quite a few streamers like you who say they won't go pro because of streaming."
"I see."
"You can still stream even if you go pro. Of course it won't be as free as now, and it's hard in Academy, but once you reach the first team it's possible. With P1's name you'll probably get even more viewers."
"What if I never make it to the first team?"
"Huh?"
"If I never make first team, get released, and when I return to streaming later people don't watch..."
"That won't..."
Yaohwan tried to speak as if guaranteeing it, but Jimin's gaze was so firm the words wouldn't come out. By his standards it was over 99 percent. But just like the miracle of this kid sitting in front of him, no one who wasn't a god knew 100 percent what would happen going forward. At least from the perspective of someone a few years past thirty, he hesitated to dismiss even a less-than-1-percent possibility to this eighteen-year-old.
"Well, if that happens, it'd be a big loss for you."
"..."
"But Jimin, you're going to go pro anyway. Even if not me and Hochang, someone will keep trying to make you a pro. Because you have that much skill and potential."
"There are still hundreds better than me just in our country..."
"No. Pro is different. As far as I know, there's no amateur right now with the kind of promise you have."
A grateful compliment. But Jimin still hesitated.
"Well, from my position I really want you, but it's still your life, Jimin, so I won't force you right away. I'll give you my contact—reach out anytime. If that feels awkward, contact me through Hochang."
"Yes."
"But streaming's doing well enough at that age that you're hesitating over going pro? Even if you're good at Sol, that's impressive. Your mom must be proud."
"Haha..."
Jimin scratched his head.
"But if you keep having interest in going pro—"
"Yes?"
"Soon there's a tournament in our country gathering Asian second-team pro organizations. It's called the Asia Challengers Championship."
"A tournament?"
"Yeah. You could call it the Worlds for second teams? It's Asia, but right now Asia is much stronger than Europe or NA."
"..."
"P1 Academy is also participating in this tournament."
"Ah!"
P1 Academy!
"If you're interested I'll book seats in advance so go check it out. That guy will be there too."
"Ah—no need to go that far."
"It's nothing. Taking this isn't forcing you to join, so just go once. I'd like to go with you, but a few days later Hochang and I have to leave the country to watch Worlds."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
Yaohwan was every bit as aggressive as Hochang.
That guy?
But who on earth was that guy?
"Got him."
Jimin, playing Vladimir, spoke. At the end the hemophage damage burst and he took down the enemy ADC Kai'Sa.
"Oh, really? Thanks for the ₩1,000 donation. I like Vladimir too."
Chatting happily with viewers and even getting donations on top of it.
"..."
A clean win. While queuing again, Jimin picked up his phone. High-elo queues took longer to find matches than lower ranks.
P1 / history
Maker / player career
Hades / playstyle
Lately Jimin had been spending more and more time looking up P1 and the players Yaohwan and Hochang had talked about.
"Ah, but."
It wasn't just reading with his eyes.
"I've noticed for a while that we have a lot of P1 fans in the stream."
Jimin said it with an awkward smile.
"Thanks for the ₩1,000 donation. Uh, yeah, hehehe. Not sure."
It hadn't been completely absent before, but ever since he hit Challenger it felt like someone asked every single stream.
"..."
What should I do?
Honestly, he was torn. He'd looked it up—if you became a pro and got highly evaluated, you could make a ton of money. On top of that, the feeling he'd gotten watching P1's Sol Cup qualifiers... He'd found himself wondering what it would be like if he were standing there. Dressed in a sharp uniform, playing under the roar of a crowd. It had looked so cool.
Knock knock.
"Oh."
"I told you not to stick your neck out so far."
"Yeah."
Mom came into the room.
"Here."
"Thanks."
A plate of neatly sliced apple was set on Jimin's desk.
Crunch.
Stream or no stream, he started eating right away.
"Ah, yes, it's apple."
Late at night, Mom had brought him a snack.
"..."
Not the future—right now he could already make good money. In just a few months he planned to save up and give it to Mom. And now this life might suddenly change? By his own hand?
From a young age Jimin had never been a kid who chased only his own desires.
Still.
The Asia Challengers Championship Yaohwan had offered tickets for. He was going to go watch that.
Two tickets.
"..."
The person he wanted to take. Someone he secretly wanted involved in this dilemma.
Dahye nuna.
The reply came fast. The reason he was agonizing over this once-in-a-lifetime decision—that Dahye was part of that reason—he couldn't say out loud. Not yet.