The Unbalanced Venue
Kim Tae-san blinked as he arrived. The venue chosen for the charity tournament was... a bit of a mismatch.
"Uh... don't they usually rent out an esports arena or an open studio for these things? Why on earth are we in a place like this?"
"...I know, right?"
Just as soccer tournaments belonged in soccer stadiums and baseball tournaments in baseball fields, esports tournaments had venues that suited them. Even small-scale competitions would at least rent out an internet cafe.
"Why are we doing this in a hotel?"
"Well, Yuseong Group does own a hotel chain, so..."
"That's not what I'm asking, you punk!" Kim Tae-san snapped, utterly dumbfounded.
It was true. The venue for this charity tournament was a grand hall inside the Yuseong Hotel. And not just any hall, but the exclusive VIP Hall!
In fact, the players who had arrived early were standing around in incredibly awkward postures, their faces practically screaming, How am I supposed to act here? Most of the pro gamers invited had lived lives completely detached from such high-class luxury.
"Would you care for a beverage, sir?"
"Oh! Uh, can I get a Coke?"
"...I'm terribly sorry, but we do not serve Coca-Cola here..."
"Oh, then, just water! Water is perfectly fine!"
A pitiful exchange drifted over from nearby. Tae-hyun turned his head. Cain was chugging a glass of water, his face flushed bright red.
"K-Kim Tae-hyun!"
Even if Tae-hyun had suddenly descended to rescue him while he was surrounded and beaten by dozens of rankers, Cain couldn't have looked happier to see him. Looking like a man who had met Buddha in the depths of purgatory, Cain rushed over.
"Kim Tae-hyun... Oh? H-hello, sir?"
Seeing the terrifyingly fierce-looking middle-aged man standing next to Tae-hyun, Cain instantly shrank back. He leaned in and whispered to Tae-hyun, "W-who is that?"
"My dad."
"Ah, the...!"
When Cain trailed off, Kim Tae-san raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What do you mean by 'the'?"
"He's probably talking about when you were on TV, Dad."
"How long ago was that!"
"Actually, it wasn't even that long ago."
Tae-hyun was referring to the time his father had gone on a broadcast intending to badmouth him, only to end up praising him instead, eventually throwing his hands up and grumbling, Ah, forget it!
Cain had naturally watched that broadcast. He couldn't possibly ignore a show where Tae-hyun's family talked about him. Of course, he had ended up turning it off, muttering, Ah, what is this? It's just a praise fest. They totally scripted this, but...
Anyway, Cain cleared his throat and straightened his posture. He couldn't afford to leave a bad impression in front of his friend's father. And above all, Kim Tae-san just looked flat-out terrifying!
"H-hello, sir! I am Cain, a friend of Kim Tae-hyun!"
At Cain's introduction, Kim Tae-san tilted his head. "Your name is Cain? Are you a foreigner?"
"No, sir. It's my in-game name."
"..."
Hesitating, Cain shrank a bit and murmured in a much quieter voice, "I-it's Kim Deok-su..."
"Oh, that's a fine name. A very manly, cool name."
"Excuse me?"
For a split second, Cain wondered if Kim Tae-san was mocking him. If he was Kim Tae-hyun's father, it was entirely within the realm of possibility! However, Kim Tae-san looked genuinely impressed.
"???"
"My dad's tastes are a bit old-school, so just roll with it," Tae-hyun said.
"..."
Cain nodded with a highly complicated expression.
Then, Cain pointed a finger behind them. "Oh? Isn't that Lee Da-bi over there?"
"Huh? Why is Lee Da-bi here?"
This charity tournament featured professional players, famous Pan-On figures, and various others—essentially assassins hired by Chairman Yoo to take Tae-hyun down—but Lee Da-bi hadn't been on the roster. When Tae-hyun had asked her, Do you want to participate? she had coolly declined: If I don't win, there's no prize money anyway. I'd rather just stay home and play Pan-On!
"Look, look at her! She looks so awkward! She's totally out of her element!"
"You're not really one to talk, considering you just got rejected after begging for a Coke," Tae-hyun pointed out.
"..."
Cain shut his mouth, looking thoroughly dejected.
Tae-hyun waved at Lee Da-bi.
"Tae-hyun!"
"Didn't you say you weren't coming?"
"I wasn't going to, but I got a call. They said they'd pay me an appearance fee just to show up!"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
Tae-hyun and Kim Tae-san exchanged a look. There was no such thing as an appearance fee.
Was there?
Not that I know of.
Tae-hyun instantly realized what had happened. Chairman Yoo, who felt highly indebted to Lee Da-bi, must have arranged it behind the scenes.
"And it was a pretty hefty sum, too!"
"Well, that's great."
"More importantly, why on earth is the tournament being held in a place like this...?"
"We've been asking that very question since we got here."
Lee Da-bi kept looking around, clearly self-conscious about her casual t-shirt and jeans.
"Don't worry. Everyone else is dressed pretty much the same."
"I-I wasn't self-conscious at all."
Kim Tae-san watched their interaction closely. He leaned over and whispered to Cain, "Are those two really close?"
"Huh? Extremely close! Those two bas—cough, I mean, those two are always teaming up to scre—cough, I mean, tease me!"
"Hmm..."
Kim Tae-san stared intently at Lee Da-bi. Noticing his gaze, Lee Da-bi bowed politely.
"Thank you for the items last time, sir!"
"Huh? What items?"
But Lee Da-bi didn't have to explain. Chairman Yoo had just appeared.
"Ah, you've arrived."
"Gasp!"
"Eek!"
"Oh!"
Everyone was startled by Chairman Yoo's sudden appearance. And yet...
"Who are you?"
"Who might you be?"
Cain and Lee Da-bi tilted their heads, staring blankly at Chairman Yoo. Seeing this, Tae-hyun and Kim Tae-san exchanged a look.
Come to think of it, they don't know who the elder actually is, do they?
They still don't know? Well, I suppose they wouldn't expect an old man like him to play much Pan-On...
...That's not quite the reason, but...
Chairman Yoo was dressed in his usual fisherman's attire. Thanks to his shabby, casual outfit, none of the people standing around seemed to suspect that this elderly man was actually the head of the massive Yusung Group.
"I am the one who organized this tournament," Chairman Yoo said.
"Oh, if you organized it... you must be an employee! A department manager, perhaps?" Cain said, nodding sagely.
Chairman Yoo stared at Cain, utterly dumbfounded.
"You are just as dense in real life as you are in the game. I am a bit higher than that."
"Hey, who says I'm dense in the game? If you're a bit higher than a department manager... uh... a section chief?"
"...That is lower."
"Oh, right. Gasp! Are you the president?!"
Cain finally realized something was off. Wearing such casual, unrestricted clothes in a place like this—only someone with absolute authority could pull that off.
"Higher."
"There's someone higher than the president?!" Cain looked at Tae-hyun in shock.
Tae-hyun shrugged.
"There's the chairman."
"Ah, the chairman... Wait, WHAT?! WHAT?!?! WHAT?!?!?!?!"
Cain stared at Chairman Yoo, his eyes nearly popping out of his skull. Chairman Yoo met his terrified gaze with a highly pleased expression.
If only you showed me this much respect in the game...
"All..."
"All?"
"All hail! All hail! All hail!"
Cain's waist bent at a perfect, crisp ninety-degree angle! Chairman Yoo nodded, looking thoroughly satisfied.
"A young man who knows proper manners."
Seeing this, Lee Da-bi immediately prepared to fold her waist as well. Groveling flat before power and wealth was Lee Da-bi's ultimate life creed.
"Me too, sir!"
"Ah, you don't need to do that. I am the one who owes you a great deal," Chairman Yoo said.
"?"
Lee Da-bi tilted her head. She was absolutely certain this was her first time meeting him, yet Chairman Yoo was speaking as if they were old acquaintances. But before she could ask, Chairman Yoo turned and began walking away with Kim Tae-san.
"How have you been doing lately?" Kim Tae-san asked.
"Haha, as for me... Elder, have you been playing Pan-On lately? It doesn't really suit you, does it?"
"Well, that... um..."
"Anyway, I don't know who planned this tournament, but they're a bit out of touch."
"It's well-planned, isn't it? Huh?" Chairman Yoo asked defensively.
"What? No, who on earth hosts an esports tournament in a place like this?"
"...Isn't it luxurious and nice? Elegant..."
"No, still, it should be held in a computer-friendly venue."
"Still..."
Listening to the fading conversation, Tae-hyun shook his head. He was starting to feel genuinely sorry for Chairman Yoo.
"K-Kim Tae-hyun! I just spoke to the chairman!" Cain hissed, shaking Tae-hyun's shoulder.
"Yeah, good for you."
"Didn't I just seize an incredible, life-changing opportunity?! Maybe the chairman thinks highly of me...!"
"Hmm... yeah. Maybe."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The pro gamers stood awkwardly in the awkward venue. The only ones who looked relaxed were people like Tae-hyun and Lee Se-yeon. Thanks to that, when Chairman Yoo stepped up to the podium to speak, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Yes! Let's just start the tournament already! That would be way more comfortable!
"...To grace this gathering, which has come together today with such noble intentions..."
Tae-hyun let out a massive yawn. He felt like Chairman Yoo was glaring directly at him, but it was probably just his imagination.
Click! Click!
Camera flashes continuously went off as the speech continued. Tae-hyun glanced back. Reporters were eagerly snapping photos.
Well, it certainly makes for a good story.
While the players were grumbling, Ugh, why are we doing this here? the reporters found the sheer absurdity of the venue to be a fantastic scoop.
"...I wish you all the best of luck!"
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!
"Looks like it's finally over."
"Ah, they're drawing the bracket."
"Please let me be on the opposite side of Kim Tae-hyun, please let me be on the opposite side..."
"..."
"..."
Cain muttered like a prayer. Tae-hyun and Lee Da-bi stared at him with pity.
"Gasp! I'm on the opposite side!"
"Hey, but..."
"?"
"Your opponent for the third round is my dad."
"...!"
Cain's eyes widened in surprise. Then, he let out a massive sigh of relief.
"Ah, what? You scared me. But now that I think about it, that's nothing."
"?"
"People of your dad's generation aren't very good at games. Even virtual reality games like Pan-On are tough for them, but a classic RTS like Fantasy Craft? It'll be a piece of cake!"
"If you say that in front of my dad, his reaction will be quite something."
"Heh, whatever. As long as I'm in the opposite block, I'm good! Kim Tae-hyun! If possible, make a stupid mistake and get eliminated!"
Cain declared proudly before marching off toward the tournament booths with a triumphant grin. Watching his departure, Lee Da-bi muttered, "Is it normally that easy to say such cowardly things with such a confident face?"
"Well, that's just how he is."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Although he had been utterly crushed by Tae-hyun, Cain was fundamentally a highly skilled player. He easily swept through his opponents in the first and second rounds to advance to the third round.
Gulp.
"P-please go easy on me, sir."
"Sure. Let's have a good game."
Kim Tae-san radiated his usual aura of terrifying Intimidate. But Cain shook his head inwardly. Just because someone looked fierce didn't mean they would win the game!
Focus. Focus!
Cain opted for a standard, textbook strategy. He planned to turtle up, secure his defenses, accumulate massive amounts of resources, and then pump out high-tier units to overwhelm his opponent in the late game. In a battle of attrition and macro-management, a young pro like Cain held an undeniable advantage over an older player like Kim Tae-san.
But then...
"Huh?"
Cain blinked in sheer bewilderment. A massive swarm was rushing across the mini-map toward his base. It was an extreme early-game rush, consisting of basic, low-grade units produced at breakneck speed—along with every single one of his starting worker units!
This was... a Cheese Strategy!
"W-wait, what?! What?!"
Tae-hyun shook his head as he watched the spectator screen.
He's completely caught off guard.
Looking at Kim Tae-san's rugged, dignified appearance, one would expect him to engage only in honorable, frontal confrontations. In reality, however, the man was incredibly petty and underhanded. Having watched Cain's defensive playstyle in the first two rounds, Kim Tae-san had clearly calculated that a high-risk cheese strategy was his best path to victory!
"Aaaaargh! No, no, no!"
Cain shrieked, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he desperately tried to mount a defense. But it was already too late. Kim Tae-san's units and workers were already tearing his main base to shreds.
"No! My base...!"
"Bwahahaha! Bwahahahaha!"
Kim Tae-san shed all pretense of dignity and let out a booming, villainous laugh.
Tae-hyun clicked his tongue.
I literally told him this was going to be broadcast on live television...
Everything Kim Tae-san was doing right now was being captured in high definition by the broadcast cameras. In short... it was an absolute embarrassment.
He won't be turning on the TV for a while once he gets home.
The future was as clear as day. Meanwhile, Cain hung his head in utter defeat and slowly let go of his mouse.