A Quiet Move and a Loud Ambition
When the young employee lowered his voice and whispered, Manager Hong couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of tension. "Is he some kind of wanted criminal?"
"No, of course not!" The young employee practically jumped out of his skin. What kind of ridiculous nonsense was that?
"You know that pro gamer I've mentioned a few times! The one who represents Korea!"
"I haven't kept up with pro gaming since Lim Yo-hwan..."
"Ah, that's why I keep telling you to play Pan-On with me, Manager! I've been building a house in Pan-On lately..."
"You haul boxes in real life, and you want to haul boxes in a game too? You really are something else."
"It's completely different! Anyway, that's the Kim Tae-hyun I was talking about!" As the young employee made a huge fuss, stamping his feet in excitement, Manager Hong stared at him with a look of pity. Well, I suppose it's that age. Thinking back, Manager Hong realized that if he had met a player like Lim Yo-hwan in his youth, he probably would have been trembling with joy too.
"Alright, alright. I get it. Go over there, say hello, and get an autograph."
"What? No way! How could I do something like that?"
"...Did I say something weird?" When the young employee glared at Manager Hong with a look of utter horror, the manager asked back, thoroughly bewildered.
"A true fan is supposed to admire them quietly from a distance so they don't feel pressured! How could I possibly go up and talk to him?!"
"...You're a lot more high-maintenance than I thought, aren't you?" Manager Hong was surprised to realize that the young employee was far more eccentric than he let on. He was usually so diligent and quiet, so this was completely unexpected...
"Fine, then. Let's just quietly move these boxes."
"But I still really want an autograph..."
"Stop it before I smack the back of your head. By the way, is that young player already married? I suppose if he's that successful, it wouldn't be strange for him to marry early."
"They're not married; she's a player on the same team."
"Ah, really? They looked so close, I thought they were married."
The young employee snickered at Manager Hong's words. "Manager, you really don't know anything. They're not in that kind of relationship."
"..."
This little punk is starting to get on my nerves. It was absurd to be looked down upon by an unmarried kid whose blood hadn't even dried on his forehead yet. "Hey... if you have eyes, just look at them. They clearly look close."
"Ah, I'm telling you, they aren't! They're just teammates. If we're talking about who he's closest to, there's a player named Cain, and he's way closer to Kim Tae-hyun."
"I don't know about any Cain or Abel, but through the eyes of someone who's been married for a long time, that is a 'close relationship' with plenty of potential to develop."
"Sigh... Manager." The young employee thumped his chest in sheer frustration. This man was only spouting such foolish nonsense because he knew nothing about Team KL's history, matches, and players. "Manager, you need to watch a few broadcasts with me."
"Why would I do that?"
"Ah, I'm telling you, you'll understand once you watch them!"
"The movers are being exceptionally polite... It's a bit strange."
"Maybe they know who we are?"
"I suppose that's possible." Tae-hyun had always been notoriously slow to realize his own fame, but lately, things had changed. It was about time he started getting used to his celebrity status.
"But they haven't asked for an autograph."
"They probably know who we are, but they might not be our fans."
"Hmm. If they're fans of another team, I feel a bit bad. That must be awkward."
"Oh, come on... it'll be fine. They're professionals too. Surely they wouldn't bring those kinds of feelings to their work?"
There wasn't a single Korean gaming team that hadn't been absolutely demolished by Team KL. Because they beat everyone so overwhelmingly, other teams in the 1st Division practically prayed for their matches against Team KL to be delayed or canceled.
...For diehard fans of other teams, just hearing Tae-hyun's name was enough to fill their hearts with bitterness. In any case, if the movers were fans of another team, he would simply respect that. Tae-hyun shut his mouth and quietly went back to carrying boxes.
Manager Hong watched in awe as Tae-hyun carried boxes at an insanely fast pace without uttering a single word. I don't know what kind of player he is, but he's incredible! His movements were even faster than Manager Hong's back in his own prime. If he could, he wanted to recruit him on the spot. On top of that, seeing him pay the full moving fee and still help out like this proved he was exceptionally kind.
"Um, you can just sit back and rest."
"Ah... well, if we do it together, it'll be over faster. Let's just get it done."
"B-but if you get hurt..." The young employee gasped out, causing Tae-hyun to pause. Is he worried that if I get hurt, it'll give the other teams an advantage?
"Please let me carry that!"
"No, I'll carry it!"
Contrary to his suspicions, the employees practically snatched the boxes out of Tae-hyun's hands to carry them. If Tae-hyun got injured and couldn't participate in the World Cup matches, then...
Because everyone was so highly motivated and full of energy, the moving process was completed in record time.
Before leaving, Manager Hong cautiously approached him. "Excuse me, are you by any chance the player Kim Tae-hyun?"
"Ah. Yes, that's right."
"Well, it's just that those guys over there are massive fans of yours, but they were too shy to say anything. Would it be alright if you gave them an autograph?"
"Of course, that's not hard at all. Here, give it to me." Manager Hong was genuinely impressed by how readily Tae-hyun agreed. He was a top-tier player, and his character was top-tier as well. "Would you like to call them over so we can take a picture together?"
"Oh, my. Thank you so much, really."
When Manager Hong called them over, the employees were so happy they practically had tears in their eyes. Are they really that happy? Kids these days... Manager Hong felt a warm glow in his chest, glad that he had done something nice for his younger workers. However, Manager Hong had no idea that his own children were also massive fans. The moment he went home and mentioned, "I met Kim Tae-hyun while working today," they would undoubtedly scream, "Did you get his autograph?!" Of course, completely unaware of this, Manager Hong simply smiled and nodded.
"Ah, I'm fine."
"Oh, come on, Manager. You should get one too. Who knows when an opportunity like this will come again?"
"No... it would be rude for someone who isn't even a fan to take one!" Tae-hyun chuckled at their exchange, signed another piece of paper, and handed it over.
"Then you can give it to someone else, or keep it in case you become a fan later. It's totally fine if you just throw it away too."
"Oh, my... thank you so much. You're so young, yet your character is truly..."
"Right? He's on a completely different level compared to Cain."
"..."
Tae-hyun wore an incredibly complicated expression. Cain's personality isn't even that bad...! Manager Hong tucked the autograph away safely. Even if he wasn't a fan, he couldn't help but respect a player who was so considerate. I should check out one of his broadcasts when I get home.
Lee Da-bi stared at the house with an expression filled with deep emotion. The very first house she had ever owned. "What should we do first?"
"Bring in the household goods we haven't unpacked yet?"
"...That's obvious, so not that." Lee Da-bi was utterly dumbfounded by how incredibly pragmatic Tae-hyun was being. Surely there was something more romantic... something like that.
"A housewarming! How about a housewarming party?" If you moved into a new place, wasn't it practically a rule to invite people over and throw a housewarming party?
"Isn't that just exhausting for the person preparing it? Why bother..." As Tae-hyun spoke, he noticed Lee Da-bi's expression falter slightly. Even if someone knew something was inefficient and useless, there were times they just wanted to do it anyway.
"...Those who ask 'why bother' are just people who are insensitive to social customs and relationships. A housewarming party is an effective social tradition that allows us to reflect on our gratitude toward neighbors and friends we might usually forget, right?"
"Right?!"
"Yeah. Let's invite people."
Once Lee Da-bi nodded excitedly and went inside, her two younger sisters stared intently at Tae-hyun.
"What? Why?"
"...Your attitude when dealing with our sister is really completely different from how you treat the other players, isn't it...?"
"Of course I treat her differently. If the other Team KL players worked even half as hard as Da-bi, do you think I'd ever nag them?" The two sisters marveled at Tae-hyun, who spoke with absolute confidence without even blinking an eye. How could someone be so completely unshakable!
"But if they're Da-bi's friends... they'll probably be people I don't know. Who do you think she'll invite?"
"Uh..."
"Well..." The two sisters trailed off. Come to think of it, Da-bi... didn't really have many friends. She had been poor during her school days, and she had to start earning money immediately after graduation, so she never had the time to build a social circle. But if they told Tae-hyun that, even the resilient Da-bi might end up crying.
"Now that we think about it, there really isn't anyone to invite..." In the meantime, Lee Da-bi returned. Having realized the reality of her situation, her face was completely downcast.
"It's okay. I don't have many friends either."
"What about Choi Sang-yun?"
"I said I don't have many friends, not that I have absolutely none."
"There's also Lee Se-yeon..."
"Why on earth would we invite Lee Se-yeon? Besides, isn't Se-yeon closer to you than she is to me?"
"Is she?" Lee Da-bi thought about it carefully. What kind of conversations did she usually have when she was with Lee Se-yeon?
Huh? Come to think of it, Se-yeon really did seem closer to Da-bi. She usually just bickered with Tae-hyun, but with Da-bi... "See?"
"Y-yes, I guess so?"
"I told you, you two are friends." Before she knew it, Lee Da-bi had been completely convinced by Tae-hyun and nodded in agreement.
"Then we'll have to invite Lee Se-yeon to the housewarming."
"Uh... well... uh..." Lee Da-bi felt a strange sense of unease and wanted to stop him, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was bothering her. Why did she feel like this was a bad idea...?
"Forget Se-yeon for a second. Should we invite the Team KL players too?"
"Ah, yes! That sounds great."
"Should we invite all of them? If there's anyone you want to exclude, you can leave them out."
"...I'm perfectly fine with all of them, okay?" Lee Da-bi retorted, dumbfounded by Tae-hyun's bizarre attempt at consideration.
"Ah, speaking of which, should we invite Ji-soo too? It must be summer vacation for her."
"She might be busy right now, so I'm not sure if she can make it."
Kim Ye-ri, Cain's younger sister and Yu Ji-soo's close friend, was shocked by what Ji-soo had just said.
I want to try working in esports team management.
Actually, it wasn't that strange for her to be interested. Yu Ji-soo herself was an outstanding ranker, after all.
"So, I'm planning to give it a shot this summer vacation."
"Wow. Did you get accepted as an intern for a gaming team?"
"Huh? No, I'm planning to acquire a gaming team."
"..."