Chapter 1204

Besides, he had a reason to feel confident. Even if the big-name gaming organizations have banded together, surely they wouldn't make any unreasonable demands, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right?

Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon were on a completely different level compared to ordinary players. They were world-class rankers! Even when making absurd demands, people usually sized up their targets first. It was highly unlikely anyone would dare push them too far. After all, neither of them had anything to lose. If they didn't like it, they could simply walk away.

Tae-hyun's jaw dropped. Lee Se-yeon stared at him as if she were looking at a rare, exotic creature. Wow, so he's actually capable of making a face like that!

But Tae-hyun had a very good reason for his reaction. What he had just heard was simply that absurd.

"...Wait. I think I must have misheard you..."

"Haha. No, you heard perfectly, Player Kim Tae-hyun. Please, don't misunderstand."

The Association Secretary General replied with a genial, benevolent smile. His voice was incredibly polite and gentle, but the words coming out of his mouth were pure, unadulterated nonsense.

We will be selecting the national team roster soon. We will guarantee both of your spots no matter what, so please do not complain publicly about any of the other players we choose. Also, we will be setting the schedule, and you must unconditionally comply with it. Oh, and when you do interviews, don't forget to actively express your support for the Association.

...He was essentially saying all of this, wrapped up in a very long, winded, and roundabout corporate speech.

If it had been an inexperienced player like Cain, they might have been fooled by the sweet talk and shouted, Wow! You think that highly of me?! Sir, yes, sir! I pledge my absolute loyalty! But the two sitting here were Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon. Despite their youth, both possessed the cunning of ancient, twisted serpents. They saw right through the facade instantly.

...Is he out of his mind?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Who does he think we are, Cain?

The Association Secretary General was looking down on them. No matter how incredible they were as players, they were still young. He believed that with enough authority, prestige, and plausible-sounding rhetoric, they would eventually cave.

Once I get them to join the national team, I can run things however I want. Just play hard to get for a bit and sign the damn contract already.

Just as Lee Se-yeon had warned, the Korean Pantheon Association was a place heavily influenced by the massive corporate gaming organizations. Even before the official roster for the Korean national team was finalized, dozens of "requests" had already flooded in.

The gaming organizations that had been making generous "donations" to the Association were determined to milk this opportunity for all it was worth. Having witnessed the staggering popularity of the 1st Division, they had completely lost their minds.

Entering the 1st Division—no, even just the 2nd Division—brought massive promotional benefits and broadcasting rights fees. Normally, esports teams operated at a loss, relying heavily on investments from parent companies. But Pantheon was a completely different story. Its insane popularity meant teams were turning massive profits several times over! Naturally, the existing gaming organizations that couldn't squeeze into the leagues were green with envy.

No matter how many independent domestic leagues or event tournaments they hosted, there was a limit. At the end of the day, the public only cared about the 1st Division matches. Under these circumstances, the upcoming Pantheon World Cup was an opportunity they absolutely could not afford to miss. Sending even a single player—even just as a substitute—would be a massive jackpot! Desperate struggles to shoehorn their own players into the roster were happening everywhere.

Of course, they couldn't be too blatant about it. The public wasn't stupid. If some completely unknown player suddenly popped up on the roster, people would immediately start asking, Did you guys take bribes?! Public opinion was already hostile, so they had to tread carefully.

We absolutely need these two...

That was why they needed Tae-hyun and Se-yeon all the more. The sheer authority and prestige of these two players were absolutely essential to forming ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Korean national team. While there were many other top-tier Korean players, these two were truly irreplaceable. They were beyond elite! If the Association failed to recruit them, several heads within the organization would roll. They would be forced to take responsibility and resign.

But what if these two actively supported the Association? What if they came out and said, "This player is excellent! The Association made a great choice!" or "The Association is so kind! They're helping us so much! We're definitely not saying this because we're being blackmailed!"? The public would eat it up.

"Hmm."

Tae-hyun paused. The Secretary General stared intently at him, silently asking what he was doing, but Tae-hyun ignored him.

"But if you want us to agree that you've selected the players well, shouldn't we at least know who you're picking?"

"Haha. Player Kim Tae-hyun, the roster hasn't been finalized yet, so there's nothing we can do. The Association has to take various factors into consideration, which is causing a slight delay. But surely we will handle it properly on our own, won't we? You don't distrust us, do you?"

"Uh... Yeah. I don't trust you."

"Pfft."

Lee Se-yeon spat out a tiny bit of the water she was drinking. She began coughing as it went down the wrong pipe. What a lunatic...!

He really has no brakes!

She thought he only lacked them in Pantheon, but to think he was like this in real life too...!

"P-Pardon? You don't trust us?"

"Of course I don't. It's not like we know each other, I haven't seen the roster, I don't know who the head coach is, and I don't even know the selection criteria. How am I supposed to know if you'll pick good players or not?"

"Well... we have a track record of everything we've done so far..."

"That's that, and this is this. If you want me to support you in interviews, bring me a proper roster."

"Player Kim Tae-hyun. We have our own duties to perform. If you're going to be this unreasonable..."

"And what else was there? Ah, the schedule. If you want us to cooperate with the schedule, you should actually make one. Why are you asking for cooperation when you haven't even planned it out? We need to know how things are going to run before we can cooperate."

Stung where it hurt, the Secretary General flinched. There was a reason they hadn't drawn up a concrete schedule. Once the national team was finalized, they planned to drag Kim Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon to as many promotional events as humanly possible. It would be foolish not to exploit their fame for publicity! Of course, they couldn't openly disclose such a grueling schedule here, which was why they had claimed it 'wasn't decided yet'...

"Even a gaming team like Team KL plans and prepares their schedule in advance. Why doesn't an association have one? This isn't some school club."

"We have a heavy workload, and we're currently understaffed..."

"Then hire more people. Also, you asked us to do interviews where we unconditionally agree with whatever the Association does."

"No, that's not what I meant..."

"Then can I criticize you guys in public?"

Lee Se-yeon bit her lower lip to keep from bursting into laughter.

"...Well, that's not quite it either..."

"Can I criticize you or not? Please answer with a yes or no. Come on, quickly."

"You see, the thing is..."

"Ah, please answer quickly. Yes or no?"

"...No."

"See? What I said was correct."

"No, if a national team player criticizes the Association, the management..."

The Secretary General sensed that things were going horribly wrong. If he didn't pivot now, he would be in serious trouble.

"Player Kim Tae-hyun. Of course, our policies are still being refined, and there may be some immature aspects that cause you dissatisfaction."

"I don't think they're unrefined or immature. I think you guys just don't have a conscience..."

The Secretary General pretended not to hear him and spoke with solemn gravity.

"But please, think of the fans. The fans are eagerly awaiting Player Kim Tae-hyun's participation in the national team. How do you think they will react if you don't join?"

"They'll probably be sad and disappointed?"

"Exactly! You don't want to see your fans sad and disappointed, do you? Playing to meet the expectations of the fans—isn't that what being a player is all about?"

The Secretary General slammed the table, shouting passionately. As the words left his mouth, he felt they sounded quite convincing, which only fueled his fervor.

"Let's walk this path together, Player Kim Tae-hyun. We will correct our shortcomings as we go. We will take your words very seriously as we move forward. So please, do your best to work with us..."

"Mmm. I guess there's no other choice."

The Secretary General's face brightened at Tae-hyun's words. No matter how tough he acts, he's still weak to emotional appeals!

"Then, you'll be participating..."

"No. I mean there's no choice but to disappoint them."

"?"

The Secretary General froze. What...? No...

There's no choice but to disappoint the fans!

"?!?!"

As the realization set in, the Secretary General's face turned pale.

"N-No, you can't do that!"

"Ah, but I'm a very busy man. I have quests to clear in Pantheon, levels to grind... Right now, some rankers have already surpassed level 300 and are shooting up. If I fall behind, are you going to take responsibility for that?"

Beside him, Lee Se-yeon flinched. She felt called out.

"On top of that, I have to run a gaming team, plan schedules, devise tactics and strategies, and do housework. If I have to dedicate that much time to this, it's only right that I give it up. If I can't commit to it seriously, wouldn't that be disrespectful to the other players?"

Housework?

Lee Se-yeon tilted her head, wondering if she had just heard a very strange word slipped in there.

"There are plenty of great players in Korea, so they'll do just fine without me. Well then, fighting!"

Tae-hyun pumped his fist in encouragement. To Lee Se-yeon, it looked like pure, unadulterated mockery.

"P-Player Lee Se-yeon. Please, help me persuade him."

"Me?"

Lee Se-yeon asked back, utterly dumbfounded. Me, persuade Kim Tae-hyun?

He has literally never listened to a single word I've said...

"Who am I to persuade him, and how would I even do that?"

"Aren't you two rivals carrying the future of Pantheon on your shoulders? You recognize and respect each other..."

Lee Se-yeon stared at him as if he were speaking gibberish. But Tae-hyun nodded solemnly and spoke up.

"Of course, we do have that kind of relationship."

"????"

Lee Se-yeon whipped her head around to look at him. Did he drink alcohol instead of water just now? Honestly, hearing Tae-hyun say that made her feel a mix of happiness, slight embarrassment, and a strange, ticklish sensation that was hard to put into words...

"So, I think you can discuss the rest with Player Lee Se-yeon."

Of course, Tae-hyun only said that to make his escape. With the arrow suddenly pointed at her, Lee Se-yeon took action. She didn't headbutt the issue directly like Tae-hyun did. Instead, she responded with far more grace and politeness.

"Since I am the captain of Yuseong Gaming, I believe I will need to consult with my team first."

"N-No, surely someone of Player Lee Se-yeon's stature wouldn't need to..."

"We are a team, so we must share our opinions. Please contact Yuseong Gaming directly."

Lee Se-yeon planned to report the situation the moment she got back and then block their number. The rest could be handled by the Yuseong Group!

Listening to this from the side, Tae-hyun wore a subtle expression.

...If the Chairman hears about this, he's going to absolutely lose his mind...

You had to size up your opponent before trying to make a deal. Yuseong Gaming wasn't just any ordinary team; it was a team that the Chairman himself took a personal interest in and constantly monitored. Trying to pull a "Hey, send us your players lol, we'll give you great publicity in return lol" on a team like that was never going to fly. If it were a team run by some manager who only cared about money and had zero affection for the players, maybe. But Chairman Yoo's problem was that he had too much affection. He would probably summon everyone from the legal team to the strategy team, flip tables, and cause an absolute scene!