Chapter 66
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 66
[Thank you for first place! Ah… wait, I’m the one who earned this, so I don’t need to be thankful? No, first of all, I want to thank our Noeul.]
“He’s an idol, through and through.”
“A total pro~.”
As Kim Seong-hyeon’s winner’s interview played on the screen, the main vocal of Black Call returned, chuckling.
“Wow, kids these days have different stamina.”
“Jeong-woo hyung, you’re basically an old man now.”
“I grew old fast thanks to someone….”
Ju Woo-seong, who was sitting with his legs stretched out and shaking them, gave a sheepish grin.
The atmosphere around Black Call was exceptionally mellow. From the start, they didn’t seem particularly greedy for first place. It was the relaxed confidence of those with such overwhelming recognition that they didn’t need to struggle for even a second of extra screen time like other groups.
“What’s next? Rhythmic gymnastics?”
“Yeah, and then archery after that.”
Since none of our members were participating in rhythmic gymnastics, we took advantage of the setup time to slip away to the waiting room and collect some boxes directly from our manager.
They were the reverse tribute lunchboxes we’d been preparing since yesterday.
“The fans probably haven’t eaten yet….”
“Exactly.”
Usually, the agency handles this kind of thing, but the members were terrified the company would provide shabby lunchboxes—just like how they treated the group—so they insisted on paying out of their own pockets. As we approached the Noeul section carrying the boxes, a cheer erupted. We set the boxes down with smiles and greeted them.
“You’re hungry, right? It’s already 9:00.”
“Hey!! You guys must be hungrier!”
“We managed to grab a bite earlier.”
Seong Ji-won deftly opened the boxes and began carefully handing out the lunchboxes one by one. We’d prepared relatively light sandwiches for the morning, but since they were all handmade, the effort was evident.
“I hope they taste good….”
The Noeul fans almost let out a string of curses from sheer emotion as they received them. It was because the members had handwritten a short message on every single lunchbox.
“You guys barely have enough time to practice as it is….”
“Sorry it’s nothing fancy. We should have given you something tastier.”
“I snuck a bite earlier, and it was delicious!”
“You ate one?!”
Seong Ji-won covered Jeong Da-jun’s mouth and bowed his head repeatedly. This triggered a burst of laughter among the fans.
We spent a good amount of time chatting, but one fan’s voice stuck in my ear.
“It’s okay if you don’t get first place today, just don’t get hurt!”
“Of course!”
Jeong Da-jun nodded with a bright smile.
As the rhythmic gymnastics segment showed signs of starting, we quickly returned to our seats.
An idol of a similar career length to ours was performing rhythmic gymnastics—specifically, the ribbon. Between the flashy costume and the tension visible down to her toes, it was clear she had come prepared to give it her all.
Well, I came here with my teeth clenched too….
Jeong Da-jun stood and clapped for a long time before sitting back down. The idol returned backstage with a proud expression after confirming her satisfactory score.
The next event was archery. However, there was a sudden stir among the staff, and they began moving hurriedly.
“Huh? What’s going on?”
“Isn’t archery next?”
The commentators checked a note handed to them by a frantic staff member. Like pros, they didn’t panic and naturally flashed broad smiles.
“Well then, everyone, the next event is eSports!”
“Eh?”
Ah, is it because of the time distribution….
They had been squeezing eSports qualifiers in between the setup for other sports, but it seemed the actual playtime differed from their estimates. They were pushing the game forward even if it meant delaying archery.
Clicking my tongue, I looked back to see Kang Yi-chae, who was competing in the last group of the semifinals, smirking.
“Ah… is it my turn?”
“…….”
Kang Yi-chae, who had been obsessed with a strange concept for the past few days, tilted his head back arrogantly.
“Then, shall I head out?”
He gave a sharp grin, swept his hair back, and went around giving high-fives to every single member. Even the Black Call member sitting next to us got swept up in the mood and gave him one.
This guy isn't afraid of anything….
The eSports team consisted of Seong Ji-won, Jeong Da-jun, and Kang Yi-chae, plus one member each from Refined and Nightmare.
Ju Woo-seong, who was sipping juice next to me, asked, “You’re not going?”
“I was eliminated immediately when the team was picking candidates. What about you, Ju Woo-seong-ssi?”
“I’m naturally bad at games. Seong-hyeon too?”
“…I thought I was good.”
“Haha, well, you won the gold medal in the 100m, so that’s enough.”
When Kim Seong-hyeon spoke with a slightly dejected tone, Ju Woo-seong slapped him on the back and laughed heartily. Seeing Seong-hyeon look genuinely happy at a simple compliment made the other Black Call members chuckle as well.
For the semifinals, the Refined member was at the very front.
Since the previous eSports qualifiers were only going to be edited into short clips, there were no separate interviews or commentary.
Perhaps because of that, the commentators looked puzzled as they received the information for each team.
[Oh! What is this ‘The Dawn-Na-Ri’ team? It looks like The Dawn is the main group, but what’s the ‘Na-Ri’ at the end?]
[It stands for Nightmare and Refined. Only three members of The Dawn are participating, and they filled the remaining two spots with members from other groups.]
Sensing a fun interview opportunity, the announcer approached them to ask why.
“Player Yi-chae, The Dawn has five members, so you could have participated as a full team. Why didn’t the other members come out?”
Kang Yi-chae raised one corner of his mouth as if he’d been asked a question with an obvious answer.
“Because a member who is a ‘minus one person’ is not a member….”
“Wow, that’s a bit harsh, don’t you think?”
As Kim Seong-hyeon and I booed while giving him thumbs-down, the camera didn’t miss it and swung toward us.
[Yes! We just witnessed Kang Yi-chae’s quick disownment of his teammates. Then, shall we hear from the opponents, Refined and Nightmare?]
The remaining members of Refined, looking like they’d chewed on something bitter, poured out their grievances toward the member who had joined The Dawn’s side.
“He abandoned his own members just to win.”
“What do you think about that?”
The announcer thrust the microphone toward the Refined member who had joined The Dawn. He responded with a relaxed expression.
“There is a saying: ‘Do not let the white heron go where the crows play’….”
Laughter erupted from the audience at the Refined member’s witty retort. It seemed bickering was a daily occurrence for Refined as well, as their fans didn’t look particularly surprised.
[Refined team, The Dawn-Na-Ri team. Please take your seats!]
“With a man’s ‘pride’ on the line… the battle is ON.”
“Sure~!”
Even at Kang Yi-chae’s cringe-worthy gamer lines, Seong Ji-won played along kindly, waving his hand with a constant, bright smile.
[Alright, the first qualifying match begins now!]
The announcers stepped back, and the professional gaming commentators took their seats. The commentators didn’t exactly look like they were expecting much.
[Ah—, the players are heading to the towers from their respective sides. Seong Ji-won has chosen ADC, and Kang Yi-chae has chosen Support. Are they trying to show off The Dawn’s teamwork?]
[Kang Yi-chae’s pre-submitted rank is quite high. But Seong Ji-won… there’s no rank listed for him?]
[He said he didn’t submit his ranked history.]
[Ah…….]
The commentators burst into laughter. It was their way of saying, ‘I guess we shouldn’t expect much,’ but since even the fans who knew Seong Ji-won well didn’t have high expectations, it didn’t matter.
However, as the game progressed, the look in the commentators' eyes changed.
[Oh! Right now, the opposing Refined jungler is coming down. It’s a gank, but unfortunately, vision is limited up there. This might actually work.]
“Ji-won hyung.”
“Yeah, I saw.”
Yeah, I saw?
At that moment, Seong Ji-won’s mouse movements became a blur. As his character’s brown hair fluttered brilliantly, he dodged a grab flying out of the darkness and began weaving basic attacks and skills.
[Whoa, whoa, whoa!]
[Seong Ji-won dodges and trades damage at the same time!]
[Simultaneously, Support Kang Yi-chae moves in! He’s giving him a movement speed buff!]
[The Refined members are panicking and retreating! They should have committed boldly here!]
[First Blood!1) Seong Ji-won takes First Blood!]
Seong Ji-won spoke calmly, without even a hint of excitement over getting First Blood.
“Yi-chae, should we dive?2)”
“Yup.”
[A dive here? Boy, they’re going in much more aggressively than expected!]
[The Support’s health is too low for a dive! He’ll die in no time!]
Just before entering the enemy turret’s range, they killed an enemy, used the experience to level up a skill, and deployed it right where the Refined members were entering. Beside him, Kang Yi-chae poured magic damage into the incoming enemies, and in an instant, the opponents' health evaporated.
[Refined! They’re going into the Refined turret!]
[The Support’s health is so low! No, The Dawn is going in! They’re going in!]
Click-click-click-click!
The moment Seong Ji-won entered, he unleashed a barrage of basic attacks and skills.
[‘The Dawn Seong Ji-won’ Double Kill!]
One died instantly, and for the other, a summoned pet chased them down and finished off the player who had barely any health left.
[‘The Dawn Seong Ji-won’ Triple Kill!]
As the turret’s attack flew toward them, Kang Yi-chae miraculously timed a heal and a speed buff perfectly as they retreated. They took damage, but both survived.
[Woooooah! What a play!]
[Seong Ji-won! He gets the first Triple Kill!]
[If Kang Yi-chae hadn’t cast that heal just now, he would have been picked off! If his reaction time had been even 0.5 seconds slower, it would have been over! Honestly, in that situation, it would have been a win even if Kang Yi-chae died! But he survived!]
[Wow, The Dawn’s teamwork is incredible. This is getting very interesting~!]
The commentators grew excited as the game turned out to be far more thrilling than expected. It probably felt like pros watching an amateur match and actually finding it entertaining, but regardless, they were riding the momentum.
[The bottom lane has been completely pushed. They haven’t even leveled up their ultimates yet….]
“They’re giving out ice cream, want one?”
“Yeah, a Ba-X-Ba.”
“They don’t have those.”
“…Then whatever.”
Being the petty people we were, we were just lounging around, sucking on ice cream and watching. In the first place, I didn’t know much about games… and of course, the hyped-up commentators didn’t care about the reactions of the others.
“Hyung, come this way.”
“Okay.”
[It seems Kang Yi-chae is handling the overall macro play, right?]
[Yes! But wait, in the top lane, Refined’s Yeong-jun just quietly picked up a kill! He’s pushing the top lane completely!]
[And back to bottom! The Dawn’s bottom lane isn’t even bothering with wave management; they’re determined to end this fast! They’re showing strong will as they destroy the turret!]
Kang Yi-chae’s mouse clicked rapidly.
[What is that mini-map movement from Kang Yi-chae? Did he just check everything at once?]
“Gank.”
“Got it!”
[Seong Ji-won! He’s heading toward the river! Wait, but he’s been spotted! The Refined player saw him! They’re rushing over, but the difference in mechanics is overwhelming! Kill! Kiiill!]
[‘The Dawn Seong Ji-won’ is on a rampage!]
[Seong Ji-won, this is unbelievable!]
[This is pure natural instinct! Instinct!]
The commentators leaped to their feet. The Noeul fandom was already in an uproar.
Kim Seong-hyeon and I just lazily waved our slogans while devouring our ice cream.
“Go team~.”
The main commentators, not the game-specific ones, burst out laughing.
[Those remaining members of The Dawn… are they cheering or not?]
[It looks like they’re thinking, ‘Go ahead and try to win without us’!]
The Dawn-Na-Ri team, having wiped the floor in a team fight, destroyed the inhibitor in the enemy base and then took down the final nexus in just 20 minutes.
[Ah!!! The Dawn-Na-Ri team takes the victory! Victory!!]
[Wow! Man, Seong Ji-won and Kang Yi-chae really stood out in this match.]
Even as the commentators continued, Jeong Da-jun threw off his headphones and came running out excitedly.
“Hyung! Yi-chae hyung! Ji-won hyung~!!”
“…Target, neutralized.”
What a hardcore guy….
Even in this moment, Kang Yi-chae’s tilted-head concept remained unshaken.
“That was so amazing just now!”
The Dawn-Na-Ri team was in a frenzy, hugging and crowding each other. In stark contrast to that heat, the mood between Kim Seong-hyeon and me remained sour.
“So they’re in the finals?”
“I keep wanting to say something snarky….”
We sat crookedly in our seats, pouting and grumbling.
*
1) The act of killing an opponent player for the first time in a match.
2) An action where a player jumps into the enemy's territory despite the risk of being hit by the enemy turret.