The Art of the Bluff
"...!"
The two coaches spoke at the same time, then stared at each other in shock.
So he didn't recruit him!
They had both suspected that the other had already snatched Cain up, but judging by their reactions, that wasn't the case.
Then where did he go? It's impossible that no one recruited him.
Could it be China or America?
"Ahem. I thought you had recruited him, Coach Han, but I guess not," Coach Yang said, realizing that his rival hadn't signed Cain either.
Suddenly, a wave of temptation washed over him.
Should I bluff a little?
Unable to resist, Coach Yang decided to put on a show.
"Ahem. Well... we did receive a positive response from him."
"?!"
Coach Han was startled by Coach Yang's words. Was Coach Yang really on the verge of signing Cain?
No, wait. If they were that close to a deal, there's no reason he would have asked me if I recruited Cain in the first place.
Realizing the truth, Coach Han stared at Coach Yang.
This guy is bluffing!
"Ah, yes. I'm sure you did. We also received a positive response from him."
"?!?!"
This time, it was Coach Yang's turn to be shocked. Seeing the smirk playing on Coach Han's lips, Coach Yang realized he had been caught red-handed. His face flushed bright red.
"..."
"..."
"Shall we stop this?"
"Ahem. Let's do that. There's nothing to gain from it anyway... But just to be clear, you really didn't recruit Cain, right?"
"I didn't. And if you backstab me later and announce his signing..."
"That's my line."
The two coaches finished confirming the facts with each other. That left only one question.
"Then who took Cain?"
"Could it be LK Lions?"
LK Lions was an esports team backed by a massive telecom conglomerate, just like ST Five and KG Wizard. However, both Coach Yang and Coach Han despised LK Lions. Or, to be more precise, they despised LK Lions' Coach Ju.
Coach Yang and Coach Han had a long history of bickering as rivals, which meant that even though they disliked each other, they still respected each other to some degree. But Coach Ju was just plain annoying.
The man had never even played a game in his life, yet he had suddenly transitioned from corporate management to lead an esports team, and they were constantly winning. On top of that, his personality was cold, analytical, and flawless. It was enough to make both of them sick with jealousy.
"Actually, I have an acquaintance at LK Lions and checked secretly. They haven't recruited Cain or Kim Tae-hyun."
"Then... as expected..."
"It must be China or America."
The two coaches nodded. Currently, the regions moving the most capital in esports were undoubtedly China and the United States.
In truth, Coach Yang and Coach Han were among the lucky ones, given that major conglomerates sponsored their teams. Not every esports team had a massive corporation backing them; in fact, the vast majority of teams operated under much harsher conditions. Yet, even with corporate backing, they felt completely outclassed when compared to Chinese and American teams.
It wasn't that ST or KG invested too little. It was simply that China and the US spent far too much! Even in games before Pan-On, there had been countless cases where Chinese and American teams poached top-tier Korean players with astronomical sums of money.
"No team has announced signing Lee Se-yeon either, right?"
"There's a rumor she's negotiating terms with an American team..."
"No matter which team takes her, Lee Se-yeon is a highly coveted talent."
"If we lose all of them to overseas teams, it's going to be tough for us..."
The two coaches let out a heavy sigh. This tournament had essentially revealed the true caliber of the current Pan-On players. Even if new players emerged in the future, they doubted they would match the skill of the rankers who had already made a name for themselves.
"We have to bring in Cain somehow."
"It'll be hard. I heard about the offers from the Chinese side... whew. Even in the past, they easily threw around starting salaries in the hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Given Pan-On's current popularity, they'll spend even more, not less."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. The coaches are generally correct. Among esports teams, China and the US have the strongest investments."
"I see."
Seeing the two coaches stop their petty bickering and talk seriously, Chairman Yu had told Jung Ji-yong, "Can you find out what those guys are talking about?"
And Jung Ji-yong had immediately wiretapped them.
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE YUSUNG GROUP!
"Hmm... Mmm... How much would it take..."
"Who are you thinking of recruiting, Chairman?"
"Hmm? Ah, no. No one. I wasn't thinking of anyone."
Caught, Chairman Yu quickly changed the subject.
"More importantly, why aren't they talking about Kim Tae-hyun?"
That was his biggest question while listening to their conversation.
"Ah, Kim Tae-hyun."
Ever since he started playing Pan-On with Chairman Yu, Jung Ji-yong had spent hours every day watching Pan-On broadcasts and reading forum posts. He prided himself on knowing Pan-On better than anyone else in the conglomerate.
"Well, they're already worried about losing Cain and Lee Se-yeon to America or China. Wouldn't they think it's even more impossible to get Kim Tae-hyun?"
"That punk... I mean, ahem. Kim Tae-hyun is going to America or China?"
"Isn't that highly likely? Realistically, those two regions will offer him the best treatment."
I don't think so... Chairman Yu fell into thought.
First of all, Kim Tae-hyun was already rich. He wouldn't be swayed by salary conditions. It was far more likely he'd say, "Ah, I can just play the game in Korea, why would I go all the way to America?" rather than leave for money. He couldn't imagine Tae-hyun going overseas just because they offered him more cash.
"Oh, actually, China might be out of the question. I'd say his chances with China are fifty-fifty."
"Why is that?"
"Because of what happened with the Chinese national team during this tournament."
The PK incident outside the arena! Naturally, many Chinese gamers loathed Tae-hyun. Chinese teams had to be mindful of their local fans, so they would likely hesitate to recruit him.
"True. Then isn't it almost impossible?"
"No, it's about fifty-fifty. While many hate him, he also has a massive fan base..."
"What? Even after what he did?!" Chairman Yu was shocked.
"Because his gameplay was so overwhelming that it overshadowed his actions."
"I suppose..." Chairman Yu had to agree.
Even after PK'ing their own national representatives, his gameplay was so mesmerizing that it captivated them. The plays Tae-hyun showed in the tournament could charm even his haters.
"Furthermore, bringing him in would guarantee a massive spike in win rates. Few teams could resist that temptation."
"..."
Chairman Yu fell deep into thought.
What if he directly recruited Kim Tae-hyun, whom everyone assumed would go overseas? And at the same time, resurrected the Yusung Group's esports team!
It seemed like a perfect plan that would steal all the spotlight. It was so perfect it almost scared him.
Hmm. Why do I feel a sudden chill?
Because he was busy planning the charity tournament and the re-establishment of the pro team, Chairman Yu hadn't been logging into Pan-On much lately. Consequently, he had no idea what was currently happening in Tae-hyun's territory.
Shaking off his worries, Chairman Yu stepped forward. Having invited everyone, it was time to play his role as the host.
"The Chairman is coming out!"
"Oh!"
Coach Yang and Coach Han quickly straightened their postures. Neither of them suspected that Chairman Yu had just been eavesdropping on their conversation.
"Hello, Chairman!"
Coach Yang bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.
Seeing this, Coach Han's eyes flared with competitive fire.
How dare this guy play dirty and bow first! I'll bend to 110 degrees!
T-this old man is acting so petty, competing over the angle of a bow... Fine, then I'll bend to 120 degrees!
The two coaches bent lower and lower.
Watching them, Chairman Yu stepped back with a look of disgust.
"Can I really trust the words of guys like them?"
"Despite how they look, they are among the most capable coaches in the domestic scene."
"They won't cause trouble at the charity tournament, right? It's a charity event. Image is everything."
"They aren't that lacking in discretion... probably..."
"Wow, amazing! I've never seen anyone play games as well as you!"
"Hehe, hehehe..."
"Ah, of course, I've seen plenty of people better than you in videos."
"..."
"But still, it's my first time seeing it in person! So that's how you chain combos!"
Cain was in absolute bliss. The reason was Ha-yeon, who was sitting right in front of him.
Ha-yeon, who had been interested in Pan-On because of Lee Se-yeon, had started playing the game herself due to recent events. And she had fallen completely in love with its charm!
Seizing the opportunity, Cain had successfully asked, "I-I'm pretty good at Pan-On, want me to help you?"
It was all thanks to them meeting up, clearing up the misunderstandings, and bonding over trash-talking Tae-hyun.
Kim Tae-hyun... thank you...! Sob! Thank you!
He had never felt this grateful to Tae-hyun in his entire life. He was even more grateful now than when they won the tournament. If Tae-hyun heard this, he'd probably smack Cain on the back of his head.
Ha-yeon's skills were average—the typical beginner. But in Cain's eyes, she was a rough diamond with infinite potential.
"But I heard Pan-On rankers are super busy. Is it really okay for you to spend your time like this?"
"It's fine, totally fine!"
Cain peeked at a video.
The end of the video showed Tae-hyun summoning a Black Dragon and wiping out the rankers.
Cain had been worrying, Should I go help Tae-hyun? and What if he dies against so many of them? But after seeing that video, his worries vanished.
Ah, that bastard will survive just fine even if I leave him alone!
Cain really thought he had figured Tae-hyun out by playing with him, but he never expected him to summon a Black Dragon and wipe everyone out.
"It doesn't look fine, though? Are you sure you don't have work?"
"I told you, I don't!"
"Well, I do, so I have to leave in a bit."
"..."
Currently unemployed, Cain felt those words stab deep into his heart.
"Oh, right. Come to think of it, there are articles about it. Have you received any offers from gaming teams?"
Being close friends with Lee Se-yeon, Ha-yeon knew that Pan-On rankers were flooded with recruitment offers. From her perspective, as a member of the winning team who had performed incredibly well, it wouldn't be surprising if Cain had received multiple offers by now.
"Uh... well... uh... haha, I'm just waiting for the right moment...!"
"Really? I knew it. You must have received some."
"..."
Cain shut his mouth.
He himself had no idea why no offers were coming in.
Did I do something wrong?! Was I too brutal when we beat up Do Dong-su, making me look like a heartless monster?! Was using the chains too much?!
In reality, after Cain had unknowingly rejected ST and KG's initial feelers, the major corporate teams assumed, "Cain must have already received massive offers from China or America." Meanwhile, the smaller teams concluded, "There's no way we can afford him. Let's just give up."
The Chinese and American teams were still preparing their offers, and Cain, completely unaware of this, was growing anxious just looking at the domestic gaming news.
Sob... I should've beaten Do Dong-su up more gently...
Cain was regretting his actions for a completely unrelated reason.