A Father's Pride and a Son's Block List
As the laughter subsided and Kim Su-a wrapped things up, Tae-hyun finally let go of Do Dong-su's shoulder. "You bastard...!" Clutching his aching shoulder, Do Dong-su glared at Tae-hyun.
The moment had already passed, and with the cameras rolling, he couldn't even make a scene! He had been thoroughly played by Tae-hyun, but that only made Do Dong-su more certain. His suspicion jumped from 100% to 120%. That guy was, without a doubt, the real Kim Tae-hyun from Pan-On 1!
"Whew. Is it finally over?" Tae-hyun had endured all sorts of events during the opening broadcast. He couldn't even count how many times he had thought, Ah, I just want to go home and play games! As the closing remarks finished and the studio lights began to dim, Tae-hyun let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Hang in there. There's one last thing."
"What's left?"
"The photo event. You take a picture with the winning fan. Once that's done, you can go home."
"Is there really anyone out there who'd actually want to take a picture with Cain?"
"Why do you always bring up Cain... No, never mind." Lee Se-yeon gave up trying to argue. Despite his constant grumbling—complaining about how he didn't want to do it, how annoying it was, how bored he was, and asking when it would end—Tae-hyun had actually done an incredible job with the opening. Every time he spoke, he effortlessly captured everyone's attention. His natural, relaxed demeanor on camera, completely devoid of stage fright, proved he had a genuine talent for broadcasting.
"Number 109! The lucky winner who will get the chance to take a photo with the Korean team is number 109!"
"Number 109? Wait, 109 is..." It was the number they had heard earlier. It belonged to Lee Da-bi. Tae-hyun looked utterly dumbfounded. "Why is her luck so ridiculously good in useless situations like this?!"
"Look who's talking. Besides, look at the people next to her," Lee Se-yeon said, pointing in Lee Da-bi's direction. The fans sitting next to her were whispering something to her.
"What is it? Are they picking a fight?"
"How on earth does that look like picking a fight...? No, they're probably asking her to transfer the winning ticket."
"By force?"
"With money! Do you think this is Pan-On?!" Lee Se-yeon snapped. It was a chance to take a photo with the Korean team, the most popular team in the tournament. It was only natural that other fans who missed out would want to buy the ticket, even if it cost them a fortune. And knowing Lee Da-bi... She's definitely going to sell it. It was as clear as day.
Surprisingly, Lee Da-bi shook her head and turned down the offer. She raised her hand and walked down to the stage. As the Korean team and Lee Da-bi lined up to take the photo, Tae-hyun leaned in and whispered.
"What happened back there?"
"Pardon?"
"Weren't they asking you to sell the ticket? Or was it something else?"
"How did you know?!"
"I knew it. But why didn't you sell it?"
"...I felt it would be a bit of a shame."
"?" Tae-hyun tilted his head in confusion. "A shame? Why?"
"Since I'm not participating in the tournament, I wouldn't have another chance to take a photo like this."
"I could have just asked the staff to take one for us later, though?"
"...Just take the picture already!" Lee Da-bi gave Tae-hyun's back a sharp smack. Sensing the sudden spike of emotion in her gesture, Tae-hyun wisely shut his mouth.
Lee Da-bi thought to herself. What she had just said was merely an excuse. In truth, she simply didn't want to give this opportunity to anyone else. She couldn't quite explain why. Considering her family's debt, she should have saved every single penny she could, but she chose not to this time. Surely, just this once is fine, right?
Standing right next to her, Tae-hyun spoke in a low voice. "I'll give it to you."
"What?"
"The offer from those people who wanted to buy your ticket. I'll pay you double whatever they offered."
"Why would you do that, Tae-hyun?"
"Because it feels like you turned them down because of me. In the future, don't worry about it and just sell it. Money is king, after all."
"..." Lee Da-bi felt a sudden surge of emotion welling up inside her. It was that same inexplicable feeling from earlier!
"Actually, do you want to know how much they offered...?"
"Don't even think about inflating the price. I'm going to go ask them later."
"...Fine."
Over at MBS, the staff were screaming with joy. The opening ceremony of the Arena Tournament had completely shattered the station's all-time viewership records. Bae Jang-wook high-fived his junior, Cha Su-han, in celebration.
"Yes! This is exactly what I'm talking about!"
"It's all thanks to you, senior!" Because everyone had been so confident of success, the two of them had actually been under immense pressure. The higher the expectations, the greater the success they needed to deliver.
"To think we're getting this much attention before the matches have even begun..."
"I can't even imagine what it'll be like once the tournament actually starts."
"Aside from the tournament sponsors, I heard there's a flood of inquiries about sponsoring the teams themselves?"
"Yes. If this is what we're seeing on our end, there must be countless more offers being made behind the scenes."
"At this rate, we'll see a few official teams form before the tournament even ends." Several corporations were already moving swiftly to target the player teams that had advanced to the main stage. They were preparing official pro-gaming teams for the upcoming Pan-On Pro League! Instead of amateurs banding together for tournaments like they did now, players would receive corporate sponsorship, live in team houses, and undergo systematic training and practice. It was a dream scenario for any player.
"We'll probably see some official announcements after a few matches are played."
"Testing the waters first?"
"Most likely." While some companies had already made contact, others were waiting to see the results of the matches. Naturally, it was far more profitable to sponsor the winning team. Since this was the very first tournament of its kind, no one could say for sure who the strong and weak contenders were.
"However, there is one exception."
"?"
"The Korean team. The one with Lee Se-yeon and Kim Tae-hyun that you put together, senior."
"What about them?"
"Unlike the other teams, the Korean team isn't really a 'team' in the traditional sense. We just invited them individually to generate hype."
"That's true."
"And yet, they're treated as the absolute favorites to win... From a scout's perspective, they're practically drooling over them." To recruit any other team, sponsors had to take the entire roster into consideration. Those teams had formed naturally, and having survived the grueling qualifiers, they boasted incredible teamwork. Trying to pluck just one player from such a tight-knit group was next to impossible. But the Korean team was the sole exception. They were a team with absolutely zero sense of camaraderie!
"Do you know what kind of questions I've been getting? Someone actually asked me, 'I heard the players on the Korean team get along so poorly that if we only recruit one of them, the others won't even care. Is that true?' Isn't that a bit too blatant?"
"I appreciate the honesty. Honestly, that might be for the best. It just shows how desperately companies want to sign them. They'll definitely get top-tier offers."
"Senior, aren't you sad to see them go? A team like this..."
"It is a shame... but it's not like this team was ever meant to last. We have to view it as a one-time thing for this tournament." Lee Se-yeon, Kim Tae-hyun, and the other players were all highly coveted talents for any newly forming pro-gaming team. Especially Lee Se-yeon and Kim Tae-hyun! That was why Bae Jang-wook fully expected the team to disband once the tournament concluded. It was regrettable, but inevitable.
Click. "Ah, Director!"
"What are you two discussing so intently?"
"Haha, we were just talking about the opening broadcast."
"You've both worked incredibly hard. It's all thanks to you." At the director's praise, Bae Jang-wook and Cha Su-han looked sheepish. It wasn't every day you saw middle-aged men acting so bashful.
"Oh, no, not at all. We barely did anything..."
"I heard that Kim Tae-hyun fellow stole the show again?"
"Yes. Your eyes don't deceive you, Director. He's a guy who stands out no matter what he does."
"Was he really that good?"
"Absolutely. While the other players were stiff with nerves, he was completely relaxed, answering questions with ease... Plus, he's got the mask for it," Cha Su-han said, gesturing toward his own face.
"The mask?"
"His face, I mean. His looks."
"...??" The director tilted his head in confusion. He hadn't actually watched the broadcast yet. The photo of Tae-hyun he had seen before certainly wasn't what he'd call handsome... It was downright terrifying!
"He's handsome?"
"Yes. Haven't you seen? Half the comments on the articles are talking about his looks..."
"Hmm... Then the photo must have been bad. Perhaps he's just not photogenic?"
"T-This is a scam!" Kim Tae-san watched the broadcast, utterly speechless with disbelief. To think Tae-hyun would look like that on screen!
A flood of text messages! Just as Kim Tae-san was dumbfounded, his friends who had known Tae-hyun since childhood were equally shocked. No matter how they looked at it, that wasn't Kim Tae-hyun! It was just something that resembled him!
Kim Tae-san beat his chest as he read the articles. "Aigoo, aigoo! The whole world is being deceived! How does this make any sense?!" Looking at the comments made him even more flabbergasted.
"Sigh..." Kim Tae-san stared at the screen with a complex expression. Still, he wasn't in a bad mood. His son was carving out his own path doing what he loved. He was undeniably proud. But the compliments on his looks... I absolutely cannot accept this... He could praise Tae-hyun's skills all day, but accepting compliments on his appearance was a bridge too far. Kim Tae-san had spent his entire life being told he looked terrifying, so how on earth was Tae-hyun the only one getting called handsome?!
Kim Tae-san felt a surge of indignation. Granted, he had tricked Tae-hyun into the broadcasting trap in the first place, but how could the boy not tell him about something this important? Business was business, but family was family! A major life decision like this was something he should have discussed with his father!
"You rascal!!"
"??" Tae-hyun, who was just about to climb into his capsule, stared in utter bewilderment at Kim Tae-san, who had suddenly burst into the room. "What are you doing?"
"Aren't you being a bit too much?! How dare you try to keep your own father in the dark!"
"...Wait. I've kept so many things from you that I have no idea which one you're talking about. What is it this time?"
"..." Kim Tae-san was about to blow a fuse, but he barely managed to hold it in. If he lost his temper here, he would only get swept up in Tae-hyun's pace again. He had to stay calm!
"I heard you received invitations from pro-gaming teams! Don't try to hide it! There's no way you didn't get any! You definitely did!"
"??" Tae-hyun looked genuinely clueless. "What are you talking about?"
"...You didn't?" Reading Tae-hyun's expression, Kim Tae-san scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit sheepish.
"I've never received anything like that."
"R-Really? That's strange... The others all got offers, so why didn't you...?"
"Ah, now that I think about it, I did get some weird phone calls lately..."
"What?! From where?!"
"They said they were from ST and KG, so I figured they were telemarketers trying to sell me phone plans."
ST and KG. Both were massive, household-name conglomerates. They were also corporations that actively operated top-tier pro-gaming teams. The problem was that both companies also ran major telecommunications networks. So, when Tae-hyun received their calls, he had simply said, "No thanks, I'm not switching plans," hung up, and immediately blocked their numbers.
"You idiot!!!"