A Tailored Surprise
Cain tried to slip away quietly. However, the world wasn't filled only with fans who didn't know him. Logically speaking, he had just appeared on broadcast right before the tournament, so how could there be no fans who recognized him!
"Ah! It's Cain!"
"Yeah, there are a lot of Cains here."
"No, not the cosplayers! The real Cain over there!"
"Huh?"
When one fan who recognized Cain pointed at him in surprise, others turned their heads as well. Wait, was that really Cain?
"Isn't it a cosplay?"
"It's way too realistic for a cosplay..."
"Besides, how would you even cosplay that?"
"True, there's no reason to cosplay as his real-life self instead of his game character."
Who the hell was that?! Cain felt a surge of anger. What did they mean by that?
"Are... are you by any chance player Cain?"
"...Yes, I am."
"It's player Cain!"
"Waaaaah! Kyaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaah!"
"Eek."
The fans screamed so wildly it felt like they were going to eat him alive! Cain was utterly flustered, never having imagined he would be this popular.
"Player Cain! An autograph, please!"
"Move, you jerk! I'm first!"
"No! I'm first!"
"I cosplayed as Kim Tae-hyun! Let's take a picture together!"
...I should definitely avoid that guy. Cain slowly backed away. Why did he have to take a picture with someone cosplaying as Kim Tae-hyun of all people!
"Player Cain! An interview..."
"I finally thought of it!"
"Thought of what?"
"Gasp! A new way to make money?"
"Our Guild Master must have thought of a way to scrape up some gold! Everyone, come kneel and listen!"
The members of the Power Warrior Guild made a huge fuss. However, Lee Da-bi shook her head.
"Not that. A gift for Tae-hyun."
"Ah... is it a bomb?"
"Must be a bomb."
"A bomb?"
The guild members accepted this explanation with lightning speed!
"It's not a bomb!"
"Then an even bigger bomb?"
"...I'm not giving you guys any game items..."
Lee Da-bi looked at her guild members as if they were pathetic. At this, the guild members looked extremely aggrieved.
"Wait! Our Guild Master, who used to risk her life for game items, is acting like this?!"
"Exactly! You said when we try to rest, reality is outside the game!"
"Boo! Game items are good gifts too! Game items are good gifts too!"
Ignoring her guild members, Lee Da-bi turned her thoughts back to her idea.
A suit. I think a suit would be best.
In fact, among the team members, Tae-hyun was the one who did the most official activities. Running the team, securing advertisements, meeting with representatives of sponsoring companies, appearing on broadcasts, and meeting separately when scout offers came in...
Yet, unless it was an absolute necessity, Tae-hyun always wore whatever comfortable clothes were within arm's reach.
It was so bad that rumors spread that Prosdas, the fashion brand sponsoring Team KL, had hung a framed photo of Tae-hyun in their executive boardroom. Every time they sent him their products, he'd just wear them of his own accord. Where else could they find such a perfect model?
Thanks to this, the partnership between Prosdas and Team KL was considered one of the most successful marketing cases in the fashion industry. The advertising effect was astronomical!
When others hesitated or complained, asking, "Pro-gamers? There are plenty of other fields, why sponsor something we don't even know?" Kim Team Leader had strongly pushed for the contract with Team KL, staking his own name on it. He had since been promoted to Director.
Countless other companies who had scoffed when Team KL was first founded, saying, "Well... there are plenty of prestigious teams, is there really a need to sponsor a small team just because Kim Tae-hyun is a star? They'll probably go bankrupt soon. Let's look at other teams," were now kicking themselves in regret.
Now, Team KL's status after winning the international tournament was incomparable to when they first started. Now, even if companies wanted to sponsor them, they had to line up and go through interviews!
But that was that, and Lee Da-bi wanted to get Tae-hyun a custom suit.
"Do any of you know a famous fashion designer in America?"
There were quite a few Americans in the Power Warrior Guild. Of course, that didn't mean they had those kinds of connections.
"Guild Master, you might as well ask if we know the chairman of a conglomerate."
"Yeah, same difference."
They were far from having such connections. Lee Da-bi sighed.
Does anyone know...
Team Leader Choi Myung-sung brought Yoon Ju-hwan along after receiving a call from a Team KL player.
Actually, other staff members could have handled this, but Choi Myung-sung snatched the task, saying, "Get out of the way, I'll do it!" I'm a good boss who even does his subordinates' grunt work!
"But Team Leader," Yoon Ju-hwan said.
"...?"
"Uh... there's no guarantee that the one who called us is Kim Tae-hyun, right?"
"You fool. Why would the Team KL players call us separately? They must have called because they want to do something together."
"...?"
Yoon Ju-hwan checked the internet broadcasts on his smartphone. Titles like Real Player Cain Appears, Cain Interviewing, and Cain's Impromptu Fan Sign Event were popping up everywhere. It looked like Cain was hanging out by himself.
"...Cain is somewhere else, though?"
"...It's probably just him."
The other four must be together! Kim Tae-hyun will be there too!
...That hope vanished five minutes later. Choi Myung-sung became dejected.
Yoon Ju-hwan was impressed. Choi Myung-sung was a true professional. Despite his disappointment, his facial expression control was incredible.
"Haha. Player Lee Da-bi. How can we help you?"
"Uh..."
Lee Da-bi was puzzled. She had called a staff member to get an explanation of the surrounding area, so why did the Team Leader show up?
Though puzzled, she explained her reason for calling. Hearing it, Choi Myung-sung nodded seriously, making "hmm, hmm" sounds.
Seeing this, Yoon Ju-hwan asked, "Oh... do you know someone famous?"
"No."
"...Then what was with that serious attitude just now?"
"There's always a way. Originally, things like this should be handled by experts."
Game development by game development experts. Matches by pro-gamers. And the players' trivial errands? They were handled by agents!
With incredibly fast hand movements, Choi Myung-sung manipulated his smartphone under the table and sent a message to the agent, Vincent.
"Ah! I wish an outstanding player would just roll down from the sky to sign a contract!"
"Please do some work."
"I am working!"
Vincent, who was lying on the sofa praying, grumbled at his secretary. Vincent prided himself on being a top-tier agent.
Always do your absolute best with sincerity! Securing the best contracts for both the team and the players...
Indeed, Vincent's reputation was well-known in the industry. But what did that matter? In the end, he couldn't even sign a contract with Kim Tae-hyun!
I'm not top-tier. Sob.
Vincent had personally experienced the reasons why other team scouts said, "Kim Tae-hyun? He's great. But give up."
It really was... an incredible contract...
An acquisition offer worth $100 million from teams like the New York Lions. If successful, Vincent would be happy managing a top-tier player like Tae-hyun, and Tae-hyun would be happy sitting on a pile of cash...
But Tae-hyun showed no reaction. In the end, even the tournament ended.
Vincent turned on the dungeon raid tournament video again. He had watched it countless times, but he could only marvel every time he saw it.
"I can hear a sound. I can hear a sound."
"What sound?"
"The sound of Kim Tae-hyun's value doubling."
"......"
"Ugh... why did Kim Tae-hyun have to start his own team, making it so awkward to sign an agent contract..."
"Team Leader Choi Myung-sung has contacted you."
"Huh? Mr. Choi? Sigh. This guy doesn't pay me, but he sure makes me work."
Vincent stood up, complaining. He had known Choi Myung-sung for a long time.
An agent had to be able to do absolutely anything. If a Korean player in America wanted to eat a specific brand of Korean ramen, they had to find it. If they wanted to see a sold-out concert, they had to get tickets. Whether you can do that or not separates the first-class from the top-tier! A top-tier agent had to show outstanding ability even in areas outside of contracts.
Knowing this well, Choi Myung-sung always contacted Vincent for help whenever he encountered a problem he couldn't solve. Since they had known each other for a long time and Vincent had also received help from Choi Myung-sung before, he stood up to help this time as well.
"I don't really know why you keep helping this gentleman."
"Mr. Choi is my friend. But what is it this time? I hope it's something meaningful."
"He says it's player care."
"Really? Did he meet a player he wants to help? Ask him who it is."
"Uh... they belong to Team KL..."
Thud!
The secretary looked up with startled eyes. But Vincent was already gone. He had kicked open the door and run out.
"A custom suit! That much is a piece of cake! Just leave it to me."
Vincent held back his laughter at how easy the task was. A piece of cake!
"How about the designer Martin Kim? He's a long-time close friend of mine, and since he's of Korean descent, he should be famous in Korea too."
"Ah. I've heard of that name."
Lee Da-bi had also seen the famous designer on the news once or twice.
"I'll leave it to him. Player Kim Tae-hyun will love it."
"Ah, n-no. I didn't say it was for Tae-hyun."
"Ah. Is it not?"
"...Well, it is."
"But if you want a custom order, it would be best for him to come in person."
"Ah... I wanted it to be a surprise gift. I know all his measurements, so wouldn't that be fine?"
"Hmm. Let me ask if that's okay. If it's Martin Kim, he might be able to pull it off."
Vincent nodded, but then felt a sudden wave of curiosity. How does she know his measurements?
"Eat up, girls."
"Yes!"
Tae-hyun brought Lee Da-bi's two younger sisters to a restaurant. Team KL, where absolutely no one had anyone to hang out with!
"What's so funny?"
As Lee Da-saem giggled while looking at her smartphone, Tae-hyun became curious.
"It's a video of player Cain."
"...Cain being shot out of a cannon might look a bit funny, but that wasn't his fault, I was the one who shot..."
"Huh? No. The interview."
"?!"
Tae-hyun checked the video on the smartphone. Cain was being held by a crowd of people and forcibly tossed in the air.
...He looks terrified, though?
His face looked like he wanted to tell them to let him go but didn't dare say it! That was how many fans were packed into the streets.
"Hmm. If he's still like that after we finish eating, I should go rescue him."
"Rescue... him?"
"Yeah."
"Uh, isn't player Cain an adult too?"
"Haha. You'll understand when you grow up."
The customers who entered the restaurant whispered when they saw Tae-hyun's face. Tae-hyun lightly nodded in greeting. Seeing that, the fans' faces brightened.
"Should we go talk to him?"
"No, he's eating. Let's ask next time."
A dignified meeting between a player and fans! It was a stark contrast to Cain down there screaming, "Let me go! Argh! Put me down!"
"So, girls."
"?"
"What would be a good gift for Lee Da-bi?"
"Choke."
"Cough, cough."
The two younger sisters, who were eating deliciously, choked and coughed.
"Did I ask a difficult question?"
"Ah... no. We just didn't expect you to ask that..."
"Her very existence is like a gift... Ah! Why did you poke me!"
"Are you blind? Shut up! Before I tell Sis later."
"P-please, not that..."
"??"
Tae-hyun was puzzled by their conversation. What are they talking about?
"I noticed Lee Da-bi seems to be worrying about what gift to give me to celebrate the end of the tournament. It's fine, really."
Tae-hyun was different from Cain. Cain wasn't sharp even in useful areas, but Tae-hyun was sharp in these useless areas!
"Uh, why didn't you just tell her it's fine?"
"I didn't say anything because she might feel disappointed. A gift is about the thought, so stopping her would be a bit rude."
The two younger sisters looked touched. What a thoughtful mind.
"Hmm. But thinking about it, as the team owner, is it okay to receive a gift from a player? It feels a bit like mixing public and private matters."
"......"
The two younger sisters immediately revoked the emotion they just felt.
"You absolutely can!"
"It's an established academic theory that you can receive it! I learned it at school!"
"R-really? That's the first time I've heard of that."