A World-Class Reputation
Seeing the party leaders hesitating to speak, Cain roared in anger. "Aren't you guys taking this too far?!"
"!??"
The teary-eyed party leaders surrounding Tae-hyun turned their heads to look at Cain. *Huh? Why is he angry?*
"Yeah! You guys prepared this in secret and failed! But even so, how can you shift the blame to Kim Tae-hyun? You should be the ones apologizing to the production crew!"
"...What is he talking about?"
"No idea. I have no clue."
The party leaders whispered among themselves in confusion. They had absolutely no idea what Cain was on about.
"Wait, aren't you asking us to go explain the situation and apologize on his behalf because Kim Tae-hyun pulled an eat-and-run?"
"No, we're not."
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Did you really think we were those kinds of scumbags?"
Several of the party leaders glared fiercely at Cain. *Who are you calling trash!*
"Ah, n-no. I just thought that's what it was. There are so many shameless people in Pan-On these days, you know."
He's not talking about me, is he? Tae-hyun thought for a fleeting second. He had been rather shameless in how much he squeezed out of Nittinger, after all.
Once Cain apologized, the party leaders let it slide. They had come to express their gratitude to Tae-hyun for saving their lives, so they couldn't afford to get too worked up over Cain.
Let's not curse too much in front of Kim Tae-hyun.
What did he take us for... but since we're in front of Kim Tae-hyun, I'll hold back.
If we give Cain too much of a hard time, Kim Tae-hyun might get angry, so let's just let it go.
Hmm. Why are they being so generous to Cain? They could totally trash him a bit more, Tae-hyun thought.
While Tae-hyun was having those thoughts, the party leaders continued. "Since things turned out this way, the production side is in a real bind. After all, there's a narrative flow to consider."
The Nittinger Raid was slated to be the very first movie based on Pan-On. For streaming platforms and investors, it was a golden opportunity to gauge how this massive intellectual property would unfold in the future.
In such a situation, no one could simply say, "Well, the Nittinger Raid failed, so what can you do? Let's just end the movie with a defeat in the second half."
Moreover, the situation had taken an unexpected turn. While the production crew was panicking, wondering how on earth to wrap things up, Tae-hyun had appeared, led the vanguard, and successfully cleared the second raid.
Naturally, the streaming companies and investors reacted with: *Perfect! We just need to talk to Kim Tae-hyun and wrap this up!*
"So, we were hoping Player Kim Tae-hyun and the others could make an appearance..."
Thud!
"??"
Hearing a loud thud from behind, everyone turned around. Cain was standing there, blinking rapidly.
"I-I'm going to be... in a movie?!"
"No, not you, we meant Player Kim Tae-hyun—"
"But I'll still be in it anyway, right?!"
"Well, technically yes, but the important person is Player Kim Tae-hyun—"
"W-we absolutely have to do this! This is a must...!"
Cain shouted in a trembling voice, but Tae-hyun cut him off instantly. It was a cool, detached attitude that showed he didn't care about Cain's feelings in the slightest.
"Hmm. Sorry. Any spare time I have right now is being poured into preparing for the league matches."
"!!!"
Cain flailed his arms, his mouth agape. He looked like he was letting out a silent scream.
Seeing Tae-hyun remain completely unfazed despite the dramatic display right next to him, the party leaders were deeply impressed. *Wow, as expected of someone who founded and runs his own esports team! He's built different!*
"K-Kim Tae-hyun...! I'll work hard! I'll work really hard!"
"People who actually work hard usually show it through their actions before they open their mouths. You, on the other hand, do not."
Team KL's schedule was simple but rigorous. They primarily invested their time in Pan-On, and during their breaks outside the capsules, they watched videos of other teams and engaged in various tactical discussions.
In truth, calling it a "tactical discussion" was a stretch; it was closer to Tae-hyun tutoring the other team members.
"Cain. Assuming the enemy team is the opponent, two damage dealers have penetrated our backline, and one of them has fully stacked their buffs. What is your move in that situation?"
"U-Uh... wait. If you're there, how did two of them manage to penetrate our line in the first place? Wouldn't they be dead already?"
"...Cain, you're surprisingly sharp."
"But I think that answer deserves a smack."
Since there was practically no one on the team with analytical skills on par with Tae-hyun's, this burden fell entirely on his shoulders!
Vincent, Team KL's agent, desperately wanted to get the players onto foreign talk shows, broadcasts, and commercials, but Tae-hyun was uncompromising in this regard. He only permitted commercials that recycled existing Team KL footage to avoid wasting time. While this alone generated an astronomical income, Vincent couldn't help but feel it was a waste of potential.
Other players would kill to appear on these shows, and they would gladly pause their gaming to do so...
"Well, I suppose that's exactly why Team KL is able to stay at the very top. I'm rooting for you, Player Kim Tae-hyun."
"I thought you'd be a bit more disappointed?"
"No. While making money for my players is my job, maintaining their careers is also my duty. And honestly, for someone of your caliber, it doesn't matter whether you appear on broadcasts or not. Unlike first-rate players, world-class players in this industry can truly do whatever they want."
While first-rate players had to appear on shows and do various activities to maintain their reputation, world-class players could just sit still. A world-class player was someone who created a reputation simply by existing!
...Or so Vincent thought. Cain's thoughts, however, were entirely different. A movie!
"I'll do whatever it takes!"
"!"
Choi Sang-yun and Jeong Su-hyeok watched in awe.
"Look at the look in Cain's eyes! That gaze of absolute determination!"
"It is impressive... but shouldn't he be showing that kind of determination on a regular basis?"
"Exactly! That's the most amazing part about him. If he put in even half that effort normally, Tae-hyun wouldn't have to nag him so much!"
Meanwhile, Cain clung to Tae-hyun's ankles with all six of his arms.
"Waaah! I'll do anything! I won't be lazy! I won't search for funny Pan-On videos on YouTube during my breaks!"
"So that's what you've been watching?"
"I won't even search my own name anymore!"
"..."
Cain had truly been wasting his time in a spectacular variety of ways!
The party leaders, who had been listening from the side, spoke up hesitantly.
"Um, Player Kim Tae-hyun. Given our situation, we're hesitant to ask, but it won't take up much of your time. As you know, this is more of a documentary based on Pan-On, so the only extra thing we'd need to shoot is an interview."
The original premise of the movie was simple: introduce the rankers and players participating in the Nittinger Raid, showcase just how powerful of a boss Nittinger was, and depict the preparation process to take him down...
And finally, wrap it up with an emotional climax of defeating him!
The narrative would completely shift from a tragic failure to a miraculous success, but who would care about that now? No one had any complaints.
"If it's just an interview..."
"It won't be long at all. After all, you don't need to explain how amazing you are yourself, Player Kim Tae-hyun."
There were already so many clips of him that the editors would have a hard time choosing which ones to use!
"All you'd need to do is share your thoughts on Pan-On, what plans you have for the future, and what was going through your mind when you stepped up to defeat Nittinger."
As he spoke, the party leader pictured the interview in his mind.
"When the first raid failed, every player in the vicinity fled. The rankers did the same. Yet, you stepped forward, Player Kim Tae-hyun. Why did you do it?"
"Because if we had left it alone, countless Pan-On players would have suffered. I believed it was my duty to help them. Above all, such challenges have always been the goal of my life. Everyone tried to stop me, but I was confident I could defeat Nittinger."
This is it! A noble, confident hero! The party leader felt a swell of pride at his own vivid imagination. He nodded to himself repeatedly.
"Is that all?"
"Huh? Yes, yes. That's all it takes."
Hmm. Telling them I planned to throw Nittinger at the Auston Kingdom if I couldn't defeat him probably wouldn't fit the movie's vibe.
"Uh, what about us?" Cain asked, sounding flustered.
The party leaders looked at him.
"I suppose you could talk about how amazing Player Kim Tae-hyun is and how much you've learned from him?"
"...Not that! Something else! Isn't there a cooler role for me?"
"You've already shown plenty of action in Pan-On. What else is there to shoot?"
The Nittinger Raid itself was already packed with cool moments. Mind-boggling action, spectacular magic, and a feast of skills! Everything they needed was already there. All it needed was a bit of Kim Tae-hyun's narrative to make it perfect.
"Hmm. Then how about using this opportunity to clear the air? Like explaining why you never do any chores and just freeload..."
"My friend was actually shocked, wondering how you haven't been kicked out of the house yet despite living like such a slacker in Korea."
The party leaders threw out these remarks coldly. Every single word flew like a dagger, stabbing deep into Cain's heart!
As Cain stood there speechless, tears welling in his eyes, Tae-hyun nodded and spoke.
"Alright. I'll think about it. But don't get your hopes up too high. The league schedule is about to enter its second half, so I plan to focus more on that."
They're already in an overwhelming first place, what more is there to focus on...?
Aren't they already doing more than enough?
Honestly, they could probably just slack off a bit.
To be frank, even if they lose every single match from now on, they'd still make the playoffs.
The party leaders had these thoughts, but they didn't dare utter them aloud. After all, they were the ones indebted to him! Instead, they put on bright smiles and spoke.
"That's a wonderful idea!"
"As expected, Player Kim Tae-hyun is so thorough."
"You're absolutely right. The league is long, and you can't let your guard down just because you're doing well now. You have to give it your all until the very end!"
At those words, the other party leaders whispered to each other.
"Hey, tone it down. I'm a fan of his. If Kim Tae-hyun tries any harder, we're going to get absolutely destroyed the next time we face him."
"Yeah, me too. I'm a fan, but..."
Having finished their business, the party leaders spoke once more.
"Player Kim Tae-hyun! Giving your all is great, but please don't forget that resting is also important!"
"But of course, we'll be rooting for you to get great results! Fighting!"
"And please give the movie some serious thought!"
"Sure, sure. Thanks for the offer. And don't feel too burdened—I only fought Nittinger out of my own greed anyway."
Tae-hyun saw the party leaders off. They bowed repeatedly as they departed. In the end, only Lin Zhipeng, the raid leader, remained.
Lin Zhipeng bowed his head deeply and said, "Player Kim Tae-hyun. Once again, thank you so much."
"I told you, it's fine. I'm not joking when I say I did it for my own greed. It's not like you're new to Pan-On, so why feel so burdened over this?"
"I understand, but even so, the fact remains that you helped me immensely."
Unlike the other party leaders, Lin Zhipeng, who had led and organized the entire operation, had carried an unimaginable amount of pressure and responsibility. Even if Tae-hyun had jumped into the raid out of self-interest, gratitude was still gratitude. Especially when the raid in question was of such extreme difficulty that every other ranker had fled!
"I will never forget this, and I will repay this debt. If you ever need my help or the help of my friends in the future, please just call on us."
"Oh..."
After speaking, Lin Zhipeng blushed in embarrassment. To say such things in front of Tae-hyun felt like trying to teach Confucius how to write. Tae-hyun's performance against Nittinger had completely transcended everyone's expectations and imagination!
"Of course, someone of your caliber probably won't have much use for our help, but..."
"No, actually, I do. I'm always happy to receive help. Players of your level would be more than enough—"
"Haha. There's no need to be so considerate."
Is this guy backing out because he thinks it'll be a hassle now that he's said it?
[Carbanog says that doesn't seem to be the case.]