The Birth of Team KL
Whether Kane babbled on or not, Tae-hyun was looking around the place, mapping out his plans. It has fewer rooms than the penthouse, but it should be fine for us to crash in. It was only "smaller" when compared to a penthouse; the apartment was easily over three thousand square feet. Even if several times their current number piled in, there would be plenty of space.
We can put the capsules here, and use this room for personal quarters...
"Hey, Kim Tae-hyun! Where do I put my clothes? Where's the hanger?"
"There's a separate walk-in closet inside the room."
"..."
Kane quietly walked into the room. Then, he let out a shriek.
"There's a bathroom in the bedroom?!"
Starting with Kane, Jeong Su-hyeok and Choi Sang-yun also began arriving at the dormitory. Upon hearing Tae-hyun's announcement that he had chosen High Palace as their base, Choi Sang-yun wore a look that said he knew this day would come.
"You've finally decided to throw your money around!"
"I only chose it because there were no other vacant buildings."
"...Whatever the case!"
Choi Sang-yun shook hands with Kane. Looking at Sang-yun's friendly, handsome face, Kane felt himself shrinking. A strange, inexplicable sense of defeat washed over him!
"Hello there."
"H-hello."
Come to think of it, what kind of player is this guy in Pan-On? Kane wondered to himself.
Choi Sang-yun smiled and said, "I've seen you a lot on broadcasts. Since you've been hanging around Tae-hyun... *cough*. You must have gone through so much..."
Kane felt a sudden surge of emotion. Sang-yun's eyes were filled with genuine, deep-seated sympathy. If there was one thing Sang-yun knew better than anyone, it was that playing a game with Tae-hyun meant suffering immense hardships. Why... why are my eyes tearing up?
"The salary is around this much, and you'll be active as part of the team during the following events..."
"Wait, you already got a sponsor?" Choi Sang-yun asked, looking bewildered. Normally, esports teams started by individuals without corporate backing were bound to be dirt poor at first. Until a source of funding was secured, they had to scrape by on their own, regardless of salaries or dorms!
"No, I'm paying out of my own pocket."
"Ah. Right. Of course."
Choi Sang-yun nodded, his expression saying, Well, that settles that. After all, Kim Tae-hyun's family was wealthy enough to run several esports teams if they felt like it!
"Senior, but is it really okay for someone like me to join?"
"What's wrong with you? Have some confidence. Just look at Kane over there."
Tae-hyun pointed at Kane. While everyone else was sitting around the table having a serious discussion, Kane was busy bragging to his younger sister, who had just arrived.
"See! I wasn't lying! Who do you think I am?!"
"But Oppa, aren't they having a serious conversation over there? Is it okay for you to be slacking off here?"
"Gasp! T-Tae-hyun! You can't start without me!"
"You're the one who wandered off, what are you talking about?"
Kane rushed back over. Kane's younger sister, Kim Ye-ri, bowed politely.
"Hello. Thank you for taking care of my brother."
"Your sister is incredibly sharp. Unlike a certain someone."
"Hey, I'm standing right here!"
Kane pouted at the praise his sister was receiving. He knew all too well how much she loved to nag him...
"You're a high school senior, and the CSAT is right around the corner. Why are you hanging around here? Go home and study! Shoo, shoo!"
"You're a senior?" Tae-hyun was suddenly reminded of Yu Ji-soo. Since Ji-soo must also be preparing for the CSAT, Kane's sister was the same age as her.
"Yes. But I've already finished all my preparations, so it's fine."
"Oh, really? Where are you aiming for?"
"The Department of Education at Hankook University."
"Whoa..."
Tae-hyun looked at Kane's sister, then back at Kane. They have the same parents, so how is the gap this massive...
"You're cursing me out in your head right now, aren't you?"
"Man, you've gotten sharp." Tae-hyun was genuinely impressed. For Kane to have this level of intuition was a miracle. "Your sister must be really smart."
"Well, of course... my talent lies in gaming..."
Kane trailed off. Come to think of it, wasn't Tae-hyun also a student at Hankook University? The world is so unfair!
"Um, this is for you..."
"...?"
Kim Ye-ri pulled out a gift set of bottled drinks and handed it over.
"I brought this because it seems like my brother is causing you a lot of trouble."
"...!!"
Tae-hyun and Jeong Su-hyeok stared at Kim Ye-ri in shock. Such thoughtfulness! It was unbelievable!
Feeling anxious, Kane began rummaging through his pockets.
"I-I brought a ballpoint pen..."
"...Just put it away."
"...Okay..."
Although Kim Ye-ri was Kane's sister, she was incredibly mature and capable. She asked about the team's treatment of players, future activities, and plans. She was the polar opposite of Kane, who had stamped his contract without even reading it properly!
"By the way, are you interested in Pan-On, Ye-ri? You're asking some very sharp questions. Unlike a certain someone..."
"You can just call me Ye-ri. And no, I've never played Pan-On. I just looked into it because my brother decided to make a career out of it. As you know, he has a habit of rushing into things without doing his research..."
"Truly...!"
"Unbelievable...!"
"Cut it out, you jerks!" Kane yelled, exasperated by how they compared him to his sister every time she spoke.
Just then, Lee Da-bi walked in.
"Hello... Oh? Who is this?"
"Kane's younger sister. She's incredibly smart."
"Oh? Really?"
What a concise explanation! Kane had half-given up. Letting out a deep sigh, he suddenly realized something was off.
"Huh? Lee Da-bi. Have you been here before? Aren't you amazed by this place?"
"What? Ah, well..."
While Kane had been awestruck the moment he saw this vast, luxurious space, Lee Da-bi had entered with a completely calm and familiar attitude. Tae-hyun scoffed at him.
"You're the only one who's amazed."
"I-Is that so..."
Lee Da-bi debated whether she should mention that she lived in the penthouse upstairs, but decided to quietly take her seat instead. So she's his younger sister... Lee Da-bi looked at Kim Ye-ri with curiosity. Just how capable was she to warrant such high praise the moment she arrived?
"Looking at this, the sponsors... and if he goes on broadcasts or does personal streaming... Ah, I see. Well, my brother probably won't be able to do those anyway..."
The younger sister asked detailed, meticulous questions!
"Wow!"
"Right? See?" Tae-hyun gave Lee Da-bi an 'I told you so' look. Lee Da-bi nodded in agreement.
"She really is... quite a sister..."
"No, not at all. I only pay attention because my brother doesn't. I'm just an ordinary high school student."
"Usually, ordinary high school students don't introduce themselves like that... but sure, I get it."
"It's true. Actually, once I finished asking about this, there was something else I wanted to ask."
"Like what?"
A mischievous glint flashed across Kim Ye-ri's face.
"The boys in my class were really curious. Are you dating Lee Se-yeon?"
"Ah, right, that! I wanted to ask that too— I mean, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."
Excited by the sudden shift in focus and the chance to attack Tae-hyun, Kane chimed in. But the moment his eyes met Tae-hyun's, he instantly lowered his head.
"We're not dating."
"Really? Everyone in my class was cursing you out, Tae-hyun Oppa. Even the kids who are usually your fans."
Although they were normally Tae-hyun's fans, the moment the dating rumors with Lee Se-yeon broke, the students were shaken by a deep sense of betrayal.
A sense of betrayal that completely wiped out any loyalty from long-time fans! Regardless, Tae-hyun simply shrugged.
"I've always had more haters than fans since Pan-On 1 anyway."
"More importantly, did anyone mention me?"
"There are actually quite a few kids who like you, Oppa."
"Really?! What do they say when they find out you're my sister?" Kane's eyes sparkled with excitement.
But Kim Ye-ri replied coldly, "I don't tell anyone at school that you're Kane."
"W-Why? Are you embarrassed of me?"
"...Now that you say it, I think I might start feeling embarrassed. But no, it's just because they'd bother me if they knew."
Lee Da-bi exchanged a look with Tae-hyun. She really is sharp.Right?
"Freedom to appear on broadcasts, freedom to stream personally, shooting commercials wherever we want... Hey, I know you're the owner, but is it really okay to be this lenient?" Choi Sang-yun asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
The contract terms Tae-hyun had drawn up for the team were overwhelmingly revolutionary. Normally, players joining an esports team had to accept various restrictions in exchange for the team's support—broadcast appearances, commercials, and even personal streams. It was only natural. Yet, Tae-hyun had imposed absolutely no restrictions.
"Well, do it if you want to. I don't care. But in exchange, I can kick you out whenever I want. If you don't want to get kicked out, you'll watch your step. Just don't cause any trouble."
In an instant, everyone's eyes darted toward Kane before quickly looking away.
"W-Why are you all looking at me?"
"Is it okay for me to keep running Power Warrior?"
"Do whatever you want."
"Can I feature the team members in my videos?"
"Do whatever you want. You're a player too, after all."
"What?! Me too?!"
"Why else do you think I explained all of this to you?"
Tae-hyun looked at Lee Da-bi as if she were asking the most obvious question in the world. Kane tilted his head in confusion.
"Huh? When did you explain things to Lee Da-bi separately?"
"...Anyway, you're going to play as a player too."
"B-But my class is a Merchant...?"
"Knowing Tae-hyun, he probably has something in mind." Choi Sang-yun shrugged. Tae-hyun was a master at finding ways to utilize even the most garbage classes. He was, so to speak, a garbage class specialist!
"By the way, what's our team name?"
"We have to decide that starting now."
"..."
"I put a temporary name on the documents, but we're not keeping it. Anyone have any good ideas?"
Jeong Su-hyeok raised his hand.
"Oh, Su-hyeok. Got a good idea?"
"Since you're the one who created it, Senior, how about 'Team Kim Tae-hyun'!"
"..."
"Isn't that a bit much?"
"Agreed."
"No, I think it sounds pretty good?"
"...?!"
Lee Da-bi was the sole supporter!
Tae-hyun was briefly lost in thought. Usually, in tournaments or broadcasts, they would drop the word 'Team' and just use the name...
A shiver ran down his spine!
"...No, let's go with something else. That's definitely not it!" Having caught a glimpse of a disastrous future, Tae-hyun quickly changed direction. "Let's choose a more generic name. Something that doesn't sound like it has anything to do with me."
"...?"
"...??"
"Why a name that has nothing to do with you?"
"That's not important. Let's just hurry up and decide."
"If we're talking generic... letters of the alphabet are the way to go. Let's start with 'K'! Kim Tae-hyun starts with a 'K', and my nickname starts with a 'K' too! Plus, 'K' gives off a 'KING' vibe, doesn't it?"
"Wait, Oppa, wasn't your nickname taken from Cain in the Bible?"
"Yeah, it was."
...Then shouldn't it start with a 'C'? However, Kane's sister chose not to say it out loud. Absolute consideration! Meanwhile, everyone else was exchanging looks that said, Wow, he's still making up cringey, chuunibyou nicknames at his age.
"Next is 'L'! The 'L' in 'Lezend'!"
It's Legend with a 'G', not a 'Z'...!
"Then if we combine them, how about 'KL'? It'll be easy to explain when people ask for the meaning later."
"Huh? Are we really going with that?" Kane was taken aback when Tae-hyun readily accepted his suggestion. Were they really going to name the team so half-heartedly?
"Well, it's not like we're being sponsored... and this team name has one major advantage."
"...?"
"If the team's performance is bad, we can just say the 'K' stands for Kane."
"..."
"Come to think of it, isn't there a word starting with 'L' called 'lapin'?"
"What does that mean?"
"Haha. Look it up later if our results turn out bad."