The Trap of the Giant
"Is there no secret strategy to defeat Kim Tae-hyun?"
"I believe that is precisely the trap that teams face when going up against Team KL."
"..."
"Why must you target the strongest player in a five-on-five match? If you watch Kim Tae-hyun when he fights, he always goes after the easiest target first."
Every team trying to conquer Team KL thought they had to take down Tae-hyun first. The core, the pillar of the team! But in Sabet's eyes, that was highly inefficient.
"I believe Kim Tae-hyun's wild rampages paradoxically highlight Team KL's weakness. The other players simply aren't that strong."
"But the other players of Team KL are all considered top-tier..."
"Once you enter the Arena, the stat normalization makes everyone's stats nearly identical. It's easy to be misled by their impact inside Pan-On, but the rest of the players aren't actually elite technicians. Excluding Kim Tae-hyun, none of them are particularly good at adapting on the fly. They are entirely beatable."
The interviewers were deeply impressed by Sabet's eloquent explanation. That confidence! Indeed, an S-class coach was cut from a different cloth.
"Then, Coach Sabet, are you saying that if we give you the players of Yuseong Gaming, you can defeat Team KL?"
"Pardon? Ah, no. This is strictly a methodology. To be frank, the actual probability of pulling it off is..."
"..."
"..."
As the conversation deflated right at the climax, the interviewers' faces stiffened.
Still, that was a remarkably good point.
Above all, it's realistic and shows an accurate grasp of the situation.
Indeed. The coach we interviewed before was just...
The interviewers grimaced. It wasn't just the coaches who had complaints; the interviewers had plenty of their own. There were truly some bizarre characters among the applicants.
Candidate: "As a coach who has been active since before Pan-On, leveraging my experience of multiple championship victories, I can lead Yuseong Gaming to the championship if I am appointed as head coach. Fufu."
Interviewer: "Oh... What kind of plan do you have?"
Candidate: "First, please recruit player Kim Tae-hyun."
Interviewer: "..."
Interviewer: "...Coach, you truly are a remarkably talented individual!"
The interviewer spoke coldly, but the coach failed to notice.
Candidate: "I know. I am well aware of my own nickname. Do you know the 'Championship Contractor'?"
Interviewer: "I believe that was your nickname from about ten years ago..."
Candidate: "Once a Championship Contractor, always a Championship Contractor. Fufu."
Interviewer: "What if we fail to recruit Kim Tae-hyun?"
Candidate: "Failure is not an option. Kim Tae-hyun is absolutely essential to my plan."
What kind of crazy son of a...
Who invited this guy?
If I had Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon, even I could be the coach.
"Coach Sabet. That was an excellent interview. We will contact you as soon as a decision is made."
"Whew... Thank you."
Sabet replied with a face that looked half-resigned. Yuseong Gaming was a massive conglomerate, after all; he didn't think they would actually hire him.
The interviewer asked, looking puzzled, "Is something the matter? You look concerned."
"Ah, no. It's just... I've caused some trouble in the past, and I was worried that might be an issue."
"What kind of trouble...?"
"Did you take kickbacks or get involved in illegal gambling?" the interviewers muttered, completely in the dark.
Suddenly branded a shameless criminal, Sabet jumped in surprise.
"Not that! I mean the friction I had with my previous team!"
"Ah. That? Haha. It's fine, it's fine."
"Why worry about something like that? Coach Sabet, you worry far too much."
"????"
Seeing the interviewers laughing so warmly, Sabet's eyes widened. Did I walk into some fake, bootleg gaming team instead of Yuseong Gaming?
No, this is definitely the Yuseong Gaming interview room...
Was this some kind of prank?
"Uh... Doesn't the parent company... doesn't the parent company care? Usually, corporations are highly sensitive about their public image, and someone like me..."
"It's not like you did anything wrong, Coach Sabet. In fact, most of the public is cheering for you. You don't need to worry about those things at all."
"But the higher-ups..."
"Ah, it's perfectly fine."
Where on earth does this confidence come from?
Sabet was utterly bewildered. The interviewers were just salaried employees too, so where did they get the guts to say that?
Aren't they going to end up writing apology letters to their bosses at this rate?
Sabet found himself worrying for the employees rather than his own job. Getting fired was a breeze if you fell out of favor with the executives...
"What is Pan-On to player Kim Tae-hyun... Hmm. Isn't it just a game?"
"Don't you think we need a cooler answer than that?"
"Answering honestly is what's important. Why do we need a cool answer?"
"Of course we do! I've been agonizing over this since yesterday!"
"...You were agonizing over the interview, not the match?"
"A-Ah, no. That's not what I meant."
Cain stammered. Currently, the players of Team KL were gathered together, drafting answers to interview questions.
The promise they had made last time!
"Uwahhh! I'll do whatever you say, just let me be in the movie!"
The promise to let him appear in the touching documentary film. Since Cain had worked incredibly hard, Tae-hyun had decided to grant his wish.
The raid footage could just be submitted as-is, but they needed to provide additional answers to interview questions.
Q. What is the reason the players of Team KL play Pan-On?
Tae-hyun's Draft: "Is there a reason to play a game? You just play it..."
Cain's Draft: "The reason I play Pan-On... is because Pan-On is there...?"
"No! A cooler answer! Something with more flair!"
Cain was horrified when he saw Tae-hyun's draft. How could an answer be so utterly devoid of style!
"Then what are you going to say?"
"The reason I play Pan-On... is because Pan-On is there...?"
"Lame."
"Cliché."
"Sounds like plagiarism, even."
Torn to shreds in an instant, Cain slumped dejectedly.
"Don't waste your energy on stuff like this. Just answer honestly," Tae-hyun said as he flipped through the draft video sent by the production team.
It was just a basic rough cut, but it was still highly entertaining. It explained what kind of game Pan-On was in the beginning, introduced the famous players, showed what kind of monster Nitinger was, and detailed how they challenged him...
Normally, it should have ended there, but it took an unexpected turn.
🎥 DOCUMENTARY ROUGH CUT
"The Nitinger raid party was wiped out, but there was another raid party in Pan-On. This party, known as the Kim Tae-hyun Raid Party, was led by Kim Tae-hyun, a top ranker from Pan-On 1, and boasted legendary achievements..."
It actually is pretty fun.
Looking back, he realized they really had cleared an absurd number of quests. No wonder people called them a monster party!
Q. Does Team KL have a goal for the future?
Tae-hyun's Draft: "No matter what quest we face, I hope we can all tackle it together without wavering."
Tae-hyun decided to go with that. An answer so touching that anyone who heard it would be deeply moved!
Q. Who was the most troublesome player in Team KL?
Tae-hyun's Draft: "I have to say Cain."
An incredibly honest answer!
Bae Jang-wook, the veteran and star PD of the game-specialized broadcasting station MBS!
He was a seasoned producer who had hit home runs with countless programs, but right now, he was completely flabbergasted. Because...
"Is it not possible?"
"How could that not be possible?!"
"??"
"My apologies... It was so unexpected that my tongue got tied."
Bae Jang-wook cleared his throat. The reason for his panic was the Pan-On player standing right in front of him: Tae-hyun.
Incredibly, Tae-hyun had been the one to contact him first. Usually, Tae-hyun was a superstar where calling him a hundred times might yield a single, "I'm sorry, I don't have the time..."!
"Um, PD. I'm a bit sorry to ask this favor... but could you introduce me to a celebrity? You have a very wide network, don't you?"
"What?!?!"
Bae Jang-wook was utterly shocked. He was shocked that Tae-hyun had contacted him first, shocked that he wanted a celebrity introduction... honestly, everything about it was shocking.
"I don't know if it will be enough of a return, but in exchange, I'll diligently participate in whatever program you want me to shoot. Is that alright?"
"How could that not be alright?!"
If Tae-hyun agreed to appear, Bae Jang-wook was prepared to invent a brand-new show on the spot. He was confident he could hit record-breaking viewership ratings even with a broadcast of Tae-hyun just sleeping!
Of course, he wouldn't make such an extreme broadcast, but the potential material was truly endless. Just sitting him down to talk about the tournament would easily fill an entire episode!
Look at how a single mention of Beijing Fighters during his last interview had generated thousands of articles. While Beijing Fighters fans fumed over the humiliating nickname, everyone else was ecstatic. If they made this longer and more detailed...
"Hehe, gulp..."
Before he knew it, Bae Jang-wook felt his mouth watering.
Tae-hyun stared at him with a look of sheer disgust. Is this guy okay?
"But which celebrity are you referring to?"
"Well, actually... it's Nam Woo-yeon from the idol group Maple Mint."
"Ah. I know her well."
She was one of the most popular female idols lately. Aside from her easygoing charm, she was famous for being a hardcore Pan-On addict. In fact, it was hard to find a celebrity who didn't play Pan-On these days, but very few of them were high-level players. Nam Woo-yeon was one of those rare high-level players!
As expected of a young man, Kim Tae-hyun is interested in dating after all!
Bae Jang-wook thrilled at this new discovery. The fact that he was the only one who knew this made it even more exhilarating. To think Kim Tae-hyun trusts me this much...!
Even though he ignored 99 out of my 100 calls, he still trusted me in the end!
It was deeply moving that the world's greatest player hadn't forgotten their past connection and placed his trust in him.
Is this guy drunk? Tae-hyun wondered inwardly. The man was trembling and stuttering... did he show up drunk?
But there was a reason for Bae Jang-wook's emotional overload. Among entertainment reporters, Tae-hyun was known as the Wall of Despair and Lamentation.
— Reporter_A: "Why does that crazy bastard never change his routine?!"
— Reporter_B: "Home, gym, home, gym, home, gym, home, gym, home, gym! He must be running a macro!"
— Reporter_C: "Is that a human or a machine?!"
The reporters who had staked out his place, desperate to squeeze some clicks out of the hottest star Tae-hyun, had retreated with tears of blood. A Wall of Lamentation where nothing ever came out, no matter how long they waited or knocked!
And now, that very person was sharing a secret exclusively with him. How could he not be moved?
"Leave it to me, Player Kim Tae-hyun."
"Ah. Yes. I'll count on you."
Tae-hyun nodded. There was a very simple reason Tae-hyun was doing this.
Lee Da-bi seemed to be a huge fan of Nam Woo-yeon.
She always made sure to watch Nam Woo-yeon's broadcasts.
No matter how he looked at it, she had to be a fan! Tae-hyun planned to meet Nam Woo-yeon and introduce her to Lee Da-bi. Lee Da-bi would surely jump for joy.
"Tae-hyun, you're going on a broadcast yourself?!"
"Yeah."
"...T-Tae-hyun. If Cain is blackmailing you into doing this, please talk to me..."
"..."
"..."
"There's no such thing! ...Right?" Cain asked, casting a sideways glance. Surely, some slip of the tongue he wasn't aware of hadn't been caught on camera...
"Nothing like that. It's just a good opportunity, so I decided to do it. You should come with me."
"Ah! Is that really okay?"
"Yeah. It's a lighthearted program."
Listening to their conversation from the side, Cain wore a gentle smile and kept his mouth shut.
Seeing this, Jeong Su-hyeok asked in confusion, "Aren't you going to ask to go too?"
"Foolish junior."
"?"
"That's a trap. If you say you want to go, your meat side dishes will be confiscated for a week."
"...!"
Jeong Su-hyeok was deeply impressed. This guy really is growing!