Chapter 159
‘He didn’t seem busy.’
Of course, Seo-jun didn’t actually think that.
But after looking into it, it turned out that pro gamers were currently in a break period, and although they say their training schedule is still tight.
‘Since I taught him, missing some training should be fine.’
Lee Dong-soo had actually said that.
‘Or, should I just make him practice with the team members? Since he’s grateful for the help?’
Seo-jun nodded, thinking of conditions that would make Lee Dong-soo refuse to coach if he heard them.
And after a brief silence,
the team members’ reactions exploded.
“You mean Lee Dong-soo? The real Lee Dong-soo?”
“Whoa, crazy. We’re meeting an active pro gamer? That’s a first.”
“Um, Seo-jun-nim. You’re not talking about an ordinary college student named Lee Dong-soo who lives next door, are you?”
“It’s exactly the Lee Dong-soo you’re all thinking of.”
-LOL
-Is he really just gaming as a hobby?
-No lol, that’s impossible. How did you get close?
With the shift to virtual reality, streaming grew.
And pro gamers grew even more.
Of course, pro gamers aren’t unfamiliar.
They don’t communicate much and have few public schedules, but they do stream sometimes, and many players choose to become streamers after retiring,
but an active pro gamer, especially from a team that aimed for world first, can’t be familiar.
They are stars.
From the talented, they select a very small number, and select again.
Those gathered then compete again, and only a few teams can aim for the top.
No matter how much one talks about pro-level, if you ask people seriously, you’ll see the deeply rooted perception that active pros are an insurmountable wall.
-No lol, was the streamer really a pro?
-There’s no way that voice and face go together. Seriously, that’s a face that got plastic surgery? lol
-Please recommend the plastic surgery clinic
-Alright. I’ll definitely expose your identity!
What nonsense are they saying.
And.
Seo-jun turned his gaze away from the chat window.
He saw team members who had somehow come close, eyes shining, leaning their heads toward him.
“Please! Please! I beg you, be our coach! Please!”
“Not four days later, how about we just start lessons tomorrow?”
They seem to want autographs more than lessons.
“Hehehe. Our team won! Did you all see that, viewers? Even so, am I wrong for having picked Seo-jun?”
Ha Yoon-ho was still talking about the auction.
-lolololol
-Meeting Lee Dong-soo alone made the auction price worth it
-No, it’s worth it just for having Lios compete
-They could basically get eliminated now lol
The funeral-like atmosphere turned into a party.
Should I have said this from the beginning?
Anyway.
“Then I’ll try reaching out to him.”
“Ah! So it’s not confirmed yet?”
“Well, you see. He offered to help me first, but I said I’d see how things go.”
-Crazy lol, he offered to help first?
-Is he the son of a big corporation like Ohsung Electronics?
-Why on earth?
-Is Lee Dong-soo into guys?
-Gasp
As far as Seo-jun knew, Lee Dong-soo had an unpublicized girlfriend he’d been dating since middle school.
Since it’s a secret, he didn’t bother to correct them.
“Given what I saw today, I think I’ll have to ask him.”
“Thank you, Alpaca-nim. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”
Lumi quickly spat out the words.
“Thanks to Alpaca hyung getting totally destroyed, utterly wrecked today, we get Lee Dong-soo as a coach...!”
Baramgeom too, innocently egged Alpaca on.
Of course, Alpaca seemed fine with it.
“It feels bad but also somehow good!”
Hmm.
Is that so?
I’m not sure.
“Got it. I’ll contact him.”
* * *
After the game ended and the broadcast finished, Seo-jun contacted Lee Dong-soo and expressed his intention to invite him.
[...That’s what happened.]
[Kkk! So the day has come that I get to help hyung! Could you let me hit you just once?]
[No.]
[Yes. But actually, I already knew the situation from watching the stream.]
See.
He’s got free time.
[Oh, and as I mentioned last time, the team’s front office guaranteed me total free time.]
[You’re sure they actually allowed it?]
[Of course. They probably told me to wring whatever more I can out of hyung... They’re really watching in amazement, you know? Why do my skills improve so noticeably? All I do is get hit.]
[Good. I was planning to train you as thanks anyway.]
[Hyung. I have a pro’s pride...]
[Your front office told you to, right.]
[Then at least don’t make me roll with just your team members...]
[...]
[Alright. Anyway. So our front office is asking again.]
Lee Dong-soo gave up quickly.
He knew Seo-jun well.
[What.]
[Whether you have any intention of becoming a player, or a coach.]
I’ve lost count of how many times this is.
[Tell them I’m fine.]
[This time they offered three times the profit. Probably surpasses the industry’s highest.]
[Forget it.]
[Okay. I’ll pass that on.]
The offer itself felt like it treated Seo-jun very well.
Seo-jun had received many offers from pro teams until now.
Because anyone could see he had potential and a high chance of success.
But top-tier teams usually asked if he could come for a test.
That meant they weren’t in a hurry.
But Freefall just jumped straight to contract terms.
Even though their starting roster was already full.
It felt like they wanted to snatch Seo-jun that badly, but.
‘Yeah, I’m not doing it.’
Too bothersome.
If I wanted to make money, I could have done it in plenty of other ways. The talents from my past life carried over to this body.
More precisely, since I had memories from my past life since childhood, and because I was reincarnated, my brain’s motor nerves seem to have developed quite a bit.
[So, see you in 4 days? Where do we meet? What should I teach you?]
[We’ll talk later. And thank you.]
[Yep.]
Seo-jun ended the voice chat and turned around.
The team members were looking at him with desperate eyes.
“He says it’s possible.”
“Whoa!”
“And, is there anyone who wants to do morning exercise with Lee Dong-soo?”
Seo-jun grinned.
“Me!”
“Of course we should!”
“As expected of a great player, so diligent from the morning.”
“Really? From today, I’m definitely sleeping early.”
It was a go. Even using his name was fine.
Seo-jun gave the gym location, and surprisingly, it was within a reasonable distance for everyone.
Alpaca said he’d drive his own car, and Lumi and Ha Yoon-ho were nearby so they could come together.
‘I didn’t even need a car.’
Finally, Baramgeom.
He was hesitating.
The agony in his eyes was visible.
Baramgeom well knew that morning exercise was a trap.
But there was no way he could not go when Lee Dong-soo was joining.
But if he said he’d go, the lie about living in the countryside last time would be exposed.
Seo-jun chuckled and said.
“Baramgeom-nim. Just come. We all know you live in Seoul.”
Baramgeom looked startled. He soon scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, then smiled and answered.
“Haha... Yes. Well, is exercising going to kill me? Can’t miss Lee Dong-soo.”
Thus, Seo-jun’s fishing came to an easy end thanks to the premium bait called Lee Dong-soo.
* * *
Meanwhile.
From today’s scrim results, many topics were floating around, but there were two main ones.
One was Seo-jun’s karmic retribution.
[Lol, and with this you’re going to win?]
[Getting completely torn apart by one jungler?]
[He really doesn’t make mistakes, incredible guy]
But this one didn’t have that much firepower.
Because.
[So Dokkaebi <-- This bastard, why didn’t he gank mid?]
It was because of Dokkaebi’s mid-lane gank boycott.
Everyone knew that Dokkaebi didn’t go to eat the jungle because he was hungry.
And the center of the controversy eventually,
[Is it really to the point that A and B would avoid a 2v1?]
[Maybe they just tested it?]
was Seo-jun.
[Still, they didn’t fail to win, so he didn’t break his word, guys]
[It’s just a scrim anyway!]
[What are you saying lol, if you lost, get out!]
[The Wealth Disparity team probably won’t even get a single win lol]
[What kind of confidence made you talk about winning?]
However.
When Seo-jun mentioned the coach, the situation flipped.
[What confidence? It’s Lee Dong-soo, we have!]
[Any fools suddenly betting points on Wealth Disparity winning? Moo~]
[No, why is Dong-soo coming up here???]
[What. What connection! Is it real!]
[He’s not a pro, dammit lol]
[No way, do you believe this?]
[Don’t others have connections! Hey!]
“The situation is getting weird and interesting. Really, why is he popping up?”
Baek Do-yul propped his chin and scrolled down his phone. He had a general grasp of the situation.
The coach sitting across the table spoke.
“It’s probably just the player’s personal thing? Not a team move.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah. What would the team gain by doing coaching for a streamer tournament? It’s not an official position.”
“I guess so. But strangely, doesn’t it look fun?”
“What? Coaching? Hey. No matter how amateur the match, do you know how hard it is to help others?”
“True. But you can pass on know-how, like setting strategies. Ban-pick too.”
“That’s true.”
“Should I do it too?”
“Do what.”
“Lios’s coach.”
“Why?”
“Just looks fun.”
Baek Do-yul, who had become a Heavenly Demon after donating a large sum, burned with competitive spirit.
Meeting through Mubi Soft seemed a bit awkward.
Should I try sniping first?
* * *
The day after the scrim with Dokkaebi.
Seo-jun’s team formulated strategies, studied the jungle, and had practice games with streamers brought by Ha Yoon-ho.
It was the same as before.
Actually, this was the right way for Lios to proceed.
Here, with a coach added, it becomes a bit more systematic, and they just point out what’s needed from an outside perspective.
Of course, people are expecting something different if the coach is a pro.
Lee Dong-soo hasn’t made his appearance yet.
Because of the unspoken rule that coaching happens after scrims.
The next day.
Ha Yoon-ho’s team faced off against the team Mental.
-lol, you’re not losing again, are you?
-Still, the opposing mid laner is Mental, I guess.
-The problem is Alpaca still hasn’t opened his eyes in the jungle lol
-Baramgeom really shows that he can only play Kael, can’t use other heroes much lol
-Another loss is basically confirmed lol
After losing the last scrim, the chat had been like this constantly.
As if they were trying to vent their grudge.
Geez, I really didn’t do anything usually, why are they like this.
“You’re all doing this because you know you won’t get another chance to tease me like this, right? Everyone.”
No matter how I look at it, that’s the only reason.
-lol sure you are
-Yes, loser’s delusion~
-Let’s talk after you win, after you win
-With two teammates doing 0.5 person’s worth, how will you win?
“Ah, I can just do 2 person’s worth.”
To be precise, Seo-jun was planning to play a hero that literally becomes two bodies today, not just do 2 person’s worth.
Shadow Artist Zen.
-But still, it’s 5-person team vs 5-person team, right?
-Can’t do math
-Math... frame
“Why 5 person’s worth? The enemy mid won’t be able to do 1 person’s worth because of me.”
It was so obvious I didn’t mention it, but you don’t know that?
-lolol the opponent is also a challenger, man!
-If it’s Pado, he might be able to endure?
-Let’s have a real pride match!
-Mid lane A-class pride battle, shudder