The Great Soo-pil Show
After the first set ended in victory for the Elan Guild, the broadcast cut to commercials and a brief rest period.
Baek Seong-jae quickly handed Lee Shin a drink.
“Great work out there. You must be exhausted. Here, have this at least.”
“Thanks. I didn’t make any mistakes, did I?”
“Mistakes? You were absolutely brilliant.”
“That’s a relief. Our vice-guild leader kept warning me not to mess up… I was so nervous.”
“Ah, the vice-guild leader worries too much. Look at this—chat’s already on fire. Massive hit. Here, have some chocolate too. Can’t have your mouth going dry.”
Choi Moon-sung refused to be outdone and offered chocolate as well. The two of them were practically feeding Lee Shin by hand. The PD and staff could only stare in disbelief.
Normally these people would be on their phones or napping with eye masks on, yet in front of Lee Shin they turned into perfect butlers. The staff grumbled that they wished everyone received this treatment, but the two casters simply clung to Lee Shin’s sides and continued grooming him.
“I don’t startle easily, but today I was genuinely shocked. How do you read the game so perfectly move by move?”
“Exactly! Even after the momentum shifted in the mid-game, you were calling everything from the very start—and you were right every time. Look, I’ve got goosebumps.”
“Personally, I was most impressed by your player analysis. I study hard as a caster, but standing next to you made me feel embarrassed to even speak.”
“Seong-jae, who do you think this is? This is the Great Emperor Mir Guild’s representative! Of course he has data on every opponent. He must have prepared overseas matches in advance too. Am I right?”
Honestly, while the commentary team was now making a huge fuss, they had felt both excited and burdened when Lee Shin first joined as a guest commentator. They knew from experience that this seat was no easy place to sit. Even top experts often went silent here, and even big corporate YouTubers would stutter and make mistakes. Yet Lee Shin, despite not being a professional, had delivered a flawless performance—more than flawless. He had put on a one-man show.
‘This was a stroke of genius!’
‘What? Lee Shin might cause trouble, so don’t let your guard down? I’m going to find whoever sent that anonymous email.’
Even without the hype, Lee Shin’s commentary was already creating massive buzz in real time. For example, when the Panther Guild was about to gank mid in the first set, Lee Shin suddenly said, “He’s dead.” No matter how well-timed the gank was, the Elan Guild mid laner’s condition was too good to die instantly. Yet three seconds later, he died exactly as predicted.
On major objectives, when Lee Shin said, “The Elan Guild set up their formation well. They’ll take it,” the objective went to Elan. Conversely, when he said, “Panther will take this one,” it happened just like that.
One fan even commented:
Of course, every time the praise flew, Lee Shin humbly deflected.
“It’s a rookie league with few variables. Inexperienced rookies don’t stray far from their stats. Especially when both coaches have clear tendencies.”
In short, the movements of these inexperienced kids were all within the palm of his hand. But if it were that easy, everyone would be an expert.
Naturally, the commentary booth had turned into a nonstop praise machine.
“As expected of our genius representative!”
“Kuh! Even humble! I, Choi Moon-sung, am in awe of the Great One’s vessel.”
Perhaps that was why it happened.
The words that should never have been spoken were spoken.
“Please feel free to commentate the second set however you like. Just speak naturally, the way you normally would.”
“That’s right, don’t be nervous. Just relax~”
“Ah, but still……”
“It’s fine. This isn’t even the regular season. You’re being so careful that it’s actually a shame—we’re missing out on the real charm of Representative Lee Shin.”
“Now that I think about it, you joined as a guest commentator to cheer for Soo-pil, didn’t you? Go ahead and let loose.”
“…Is that really okay?”
Ha. Is it okay to lick him that much?
Lee Shin blinked like an anime cat character and asked, and the two casters pounded their chests.
“Of course!”
“Between us we have forty years of experience. Don’t worry—just let it all out. We’ll back you up.”
Yes.
That was the moment the reins Chae Dong-ha had tied were finally loosened.
“Choi Soo-pil’s single body-paint play turns the Panther Guild into fools!! Incredible! He shut down Joachim’s offensive before it even began. Since the damage trade itself never materialized, the Panther jungler who should have come top is left floating. This gave the Elan Guild jungler breathing room, which even reached the mid laner who needed time……”
You made a mistake.
“Choi Soo-pil!! With one cover play, he completely flips the flow of the game! This is huge, isn’t it? If we compare the confrontation to a turn-based game, this was clearly Panther’s turn. Even their movements suggested they were willing to give it up. But! The Great Soo-pil found the tiniest opening and seized the opportunity. And how big is this?……”
Did you really think you could control Lee Shin?
Even Chae Dong-ha, an SS-rank genius guild leader, couldn’t do it. Did you think you could?
You made a truly enormous mistake.
So now…
You must be punished.
“Real Great Super Play!!”
“Representative, please calm down.”
“Let go!”
“You can’t stand up! Where did your glasses go again?!”
The only saving grace was the viewers’ reactions—more precisely, the Yongbung-i’s reactions.
Honestly, from the Yongbung-i’s perspective, Lee Shin in the first set had been abnormal. A cautious, restrained Lee Shin? That didn’t make any sense.
When he let loose—whether with his waist, his mouth, or his wild energy—when he went all out like there was no tomorrow, that was when he shone brightest. That man, whose name was Lee Shin, was their representative and their beloved troublemaker.
“Choi Soo-piiiiil——!!!”
The genre had already changed.
Documentary to variety show? No. This was a musical.
A solo monologue performed by the actor named Lee Shin. The song title was probably “The Canyon’s God, Choi Soo-pil.”
“The Panther Guild retreats before Choi Soo-pil’s advance!!”
“Choi Soo-pil’s perfect vision control!!”
“Choi Soo-pil’s spine-chilling gank avoidance!!”
If this continued, they would probably start praising him just for breathing. No—they definitely would.
Verse one, verse two, verse three, brain-melting verse—he had entered the realm of pure art. He had reached the point where he treated himself and Choi Soo-pil as one entity.
Of course, some viewers found the situation uncomfortable.
But—
As expected, the overwhelming majority were enjoying themselves. The fact that it wasn’t a regular season match helped, and De Gaulle’s defensive style being boring to casual viewers also played a role. A fifty-minute game needs some kind of show, after all.
More importantly, it couldn’t be dismissed as baseless brain-melting commentary. Because it was genuinely informative.
Hidden within Lee Shin’s casual remarks were the core truths of the match.
“There’s a famous saying: ‘Offense draws the crowd, defense draws victory.’ It’s a valid point, and as a representative I agree. But I’d like to offer you a slightly different perspective.”
“If offense is perfected by talent, then defense is perfected by effort.”
Attackers usually hold more options, while defenders must craft a winning plan with fewer cards. What completes that plan is hundreds of video reviews, thousands of repetitions, and the sweat shed in the training room. At first glance it may look like they’re just holding a shield and defending, but defensive strategy is the very essence of effort.
Lee Shin was explaining this in a way that viewers could easily understand.
Thus, Lee Shin’s commentary dedicated to Choi Soo-pil finally reached its climax—at the 55-minute mark, during the decisive 5v5 teamfight that would decide the match.
“The Elan Guild and Panther Guild mids are facing off. Elan Guild is the first to form their formation.”
“The key point to watch is Choi Soo-pil. His eyes are busily scanning the surroundings. He’s skillfully choosing the battlefield while also adjusting the defensive line. On top of that, he even covers his mouth so the enemy won’t notice—such detail! Incredible.”
“Panther Guild is also measuring the distance.”
“Joachim and the entire Panther Guild look visibly impatient. It’s because they’ve been dragged around by Choi Soo-pil this whole time. Their lack of real-match experience is clearly showing, and Choi Soo-pil is relentlessly exploiting that weakness.”
The same situation. The same pattern.
The same shield wall. The same wall that must be broken through.
“Joachim and Panther Guild are hesitating to attack, perhaps remembering their loss in the first set.”
“Some of them already look anxious, as if they’re thinking about defeat.”
“It’s because of Choi Soo-pil!”
“……?!”
“Again!!”
The true strength of the Maginot Line was mental fortitude.
The unshakable belief that as long as you don’t break, you win.
That was why the win rate was higher in the second set than the first, and higher in the third than the second.
And Lee Shin claimed that this Maginot Line was being moved by Choi Soo-pil.
“Coach De Gaulle’s defensive strategy! The core of the Maginot Line is undoubtedly the defensive line. The shield line formed by support, jungler, and top. As you can see, the mid laner’s magician is specialized in formation control and zoning rather than direct damage. The marksman is surviving in the very back.”
“So who is moving actively here? Only one person—the standard-bearer, Choi Soo-pil. In the end, every movement of the Elan Guild right now is being created by Choi Soo-pil!”
And at that moment—
As if answering Lee Shin’s cry, Choi Soo-pil drew his glaive instead of his hammer.
“Choi Soo-pil raises his flag! The flag flutters, the trumpet summons, the fanfare resounds!”
“He’s going!!”
“Go go go go!!”
The Elan Guild charged forward like a bulldozer with Choi Soo-pil at the front.
Amid the flood of kill notifications, Choi Soo-pil’s glaive finally pierced through Joachim.
‘Choi Soo-pil’ has slain ‘Joachim von Bismarck’.
“Panther Guild is wiped out! The game is over! The game is over!! The second set also ends in victory for the Elan Guild!!”
“Dae-Soo-piiiiil!!”
Lee Shin howled at the top of his lungs.
Thus, after delivering the maximum possible amount of praise a human could give to Choi Soo-pil, the second set also concluded with the Elan Guild’s victory.
And with it, Lee Shin’s first guest commentary came to an end—dragged away by a bright-red Chae Dong-ha.
“Come on, hurry!!”
“Haha, see you later!”
◈ Elan Guild Victory (+3 Points)
◈ Total Match Time: 3 hours 26 minutes 41 seconds
◈ MVP: Choi Soo-pil (Rating: 9.9)