After Becoming a Pro Gamer
Siwoo's daily life changed dramatically after he became a pro gamer.
For starters, he no longer woke up early in the morning.
It was just the nature of the job, really.
A pro gamer's routine went something like this: practice matches and solo sessions until 4 a.m., then waking up at noon. Their entire schedule was shifted late by default.
The reason? Match and stream timings.
Most official games happened in the evening or at night, scheduled so fans could watch after work or school. Pros aligned their rhythms accordingly.
Practicing at match times was the most efficient approach, too.
Anyway.
He'd wake at noon, head to the Kaiserst HQ cafeteria for the chef's home-cooked meals, hit the gym lightly, then dive into solo practice.
Come evening, a post-dinner digest and straight into team scrims—a life devoted solely to the game.
It wasn't bad. Being able to focus purely on gaming was a plus, honestly. Kaiserst's facilities were top-notch, after all. They had pretty much everything.
That said, great facilities and welfare didn't change the team's dire straits.
……
Siwoo stroked his chin as he read the file Han Jiyeon had sent.
I heard about it from Jiyeon, but... the team's situation is worse than I thought.
Kaiserst's history was flashy.
Total defeat last season. The undisputed weakest in OCK.
A team lost in past glories, blind to reality—if not for the franchise system, they'd have been relegated ages ago. Just a paycheck club.
Nicknamed "ManU" after some overseas soccer team on the other side of the world. Fans called them "Mangust" in response.
That was Han Jiyeon's summary of Kaiserst's current state. They thrived in other games but floundered specifically in Overlant.
Not easy.
Siwoo let out a deep sigh.
League sweep, OCK's punching bag.
They'd rebuilt big-time and things were changing, but the pressure lingered. He was a Kaiserst player now, after all.
A debut loss or a bad start would tangle everything ahead.
Fans would say:
"Kaiserst being Kaiserst, huh."
Siwoo didn't want to disappoint them. Constant wins were impossible, but he wanted to keep their hopes alive.
It was his first team, after all. Dreaming of a championship was par for any pro.
Whatever. I'll deal with this later. Need to clear my head.
After a long study session, Siwoo headed to the first-floor lounge for a drink. It was the in-house cafe for players and staff.
He ordered his recent favorite, a blueberry smoothie, and zoned out while sipping when someone approached.
"Hey, Siwoo."
"Coach?"
It was Coach Shin Seung-hyun. He grabbed an iced Americano and plopped down across from Siwoo like it was routine.
"What're you doing by yourself?"
"Haha, just... overthinking stuff."
Siwoo gave an awkward smile and took a sip of his smoothie.
"And you?"
"Took a break from analysis."
Shin Seung-hyun wet his throat with his iced Americano.
"So, what's this 'overthinking' about?"
"Oh, nothing big."
Siwoo explained his worries: Kaiserst's record weighed on him, that sort of thing.
"I get it. Simple fix. Just win."
Shin Seung-hyun shrugged.
"Break the losing streak, change the weak-team image. What matters is craving victory nonstop and never getting cozy with defeat."
Easy to say, but spot-on. Kaiserst had overhauled via rebuild, after all.
"So don't sweat it. Keep doing you. Scrim results aren't great lately, but we're improving, right? How's the team's vibe?"
"No issues."
"Yeah. They know it's scrims—real matches will be different. Chan-seong's struggling a bit, though."
Shin Seung-hyun took another sip of his iced Americano.
Siwoo had noticed it during negotiations: the coach was straightforward.
Even now, he talked like worries were nothing once you had a solution.
"Debut's tomorrow, so every random thought's hitting me. Hope I can pull it off..."
Siwoo scratched his neck with a sheepish grin. He'd been confident about going pro, but debut nerves were real.
"You can. Why do you think I signed you first? Your skill, and the potential to shine brighter."
Spotting Siwoo's doubts, Shin Seung-hyun patted his shoulder.
"I've coached North American second-division and academy teams, seen tons of players. Some with standout talent."
Shin Seung-hyun continued, "But among them, you're the best raw talent I've seen, Siwoo. Haven't played a pro match yet, but I know you'll crush it. You did in the Series Cup, right? Same deal. OCK or Series Cup—doesn't matter."
It wasn't empty hype for morale. He meant it.
"...Thanks for saying that."
Siwoo grinned awkwardly. Praise always felt good but embarrassing.
"Haha, not buttering you up. Dead serious. Trust my eye—I've scouted so many pros."
Shin Seung-hyun could vouch for it.
He'd nurtured prospects in North America's second league, some now aces in the top division.
"Anyway, no big worries. Gotta finish analysis—heading up. Take your time."
"Got it."
Shin Seung-hyun stood with those final words.
Hmm.
Alone now, Siwoo sipped his blueberry smoothie, mulling the coach's words.
Was I overthinking?
Yeah. Win, and it's done—like the coach said.
Break the streak, shed the weak image.
That's why he'd synced with the team and scrimmed nonstop.
And.
I can do this.
Jiyeon and his friends, the new teammates, the coach—they believed in him.
Can't let them down.
Siwoo clenched his fist.
He'd live up to every expectation.
Unfortunately, scrim win rates stayed low. They'd faced strong teams mostly, but team synergy was still a mess. Not much time had passed, so it was expected.
At least Shin Seung-hyun's calls had streamlined orders, smoothing engagements and macro. Games felt way easier now, tempo stabilized.
Thus, the day before season start.
Kaiserst got a day off before the opener. Coach's philosophy: rest the brain a full day pre-match.
Banned from too many solo queues, Siwoo had nothing to do.
He'd reviewed past games and Jiyeon's info, but that was done.
"Got my debut tomorrow."
Boredom won; he called Jiyeon.
It was 6 p.m.—right after school, heading home.
"Finally here. How you feeling? Nervous? Scared?"
She picked up instantly. Hope he wasn't bothering her. She seemed thrilled, though.
"Not nervous. Just wish tomorrow came faster. Body's itching—I can't sit still."
"Ooooh, saying that? You're that confident?"
"Obviously. Honestly, don't think we'll lose."
Even losses felt winnable for him.
Siwoo's pro-level assessment.
He was adapting to pro pace now. Real matches would accelerate it.
So he had faith.
Faith in not losing tomorrow.
"Can't wait. Weekend, so live viewing it is."
"Uh, about that..."
Siwoo paused mid-sentence. Ask her to come? They weren't that close—was he getting ahead?
Might burden her.
Still...
He wanted her at his debut. Not just a crush— she'd made him a pro.
Win debut under her eyes. Show her she was right, her support meant everything.
Go for it.
Siwoo exhaled softly, mustered courage.
"...If you're free, wanna come tomorrow? Got tickets from coach."
"Really?!"
Her voice boomed through the phone.
"Definitely! Was gonna go anyway, but opener tickets were tough. Yours solves it!"
"Oh, cool?"
"Yup! First match—gonna drag everyone. But three tickets? Hard. Glad I get one."
Good call asking.
"Haha, sending ticket deets. See you tomorrow."
"Yessir! Early dismissal, camp out if needed!"
"No need to go that far..."
Her enthusiasm was off the charts.
Maybe she had waited longest for his debut?
"Fan meet entry too?"
She asked about the fan meeting.
Unlike traditional sports, esports had post-match player-fan meets. Drew more fans efficiently.
Win required, of course.
"Should be. Player-requested tickets are premium—includes fan meet."
"Whoa, for real? Gonna make you do weird stuff then! Hehe. Hyped for tomorrow!"
Her watching live? Siwoo chuckled.
Gotta win.
First foe: EG. Tough, but he'd take it.
And snag MVP.