Chapter 94: Cheat Code (3)

I met Sung-shin an hour after the broadcast ended.

Since his gaming team’s dormitory was not far from my house, I was able to get there quickly.

Sung-shin.

He was the one who had created a lot of content from the first broadcast of *League of Storm*, and somehow, we ended up becoming connected.

Through the help of the pro gamers I met during the Twipod Apocalypse battle, Sung-shin successfully joined a pro gaming team.

Although the team had been promoted from the second league to the first league last season, they quickly established themselves as a strong team in the first league…

Team Unicorn.

Fortunately, they were recruiting trainees at the time, and Sung-shin was able to take their test.

From what I heard, Sung-shin’s talent was even greater than I had imagined.

Starting as a trainee, he quickly caught the coach’s eye and recently made his debut in a match.

I think that match was last week…

That was all I knew at that moment.

“Oh, Sung-shin.”

“You’re here, hyung?”

“You’ve been well… What’s with your face? Is your team not feeding you properly these days?”

I said it with a bit of teasing.

However, Sung-shin answered with a strained smile.

“They do feed me well.”

His voice lacked strength.

Was life in the dormitory tough?

Hmm.

I helped Sung-shin up and went to the counter.

“What do you want to drink?”

“I… um, honey water.”

“Honey water? Suddenly, I want honey water too. Two glasses of honey water, please.”

Honey water.

It was a traditional-style café, so they had honey water.

I expected him to order coffee, but it was kind of funny that he ordered honey water.

I had been so caffeine-saturated lately that I craved something like honey water.

After placing the order and getting the pager, I returned to the table.

Then, I smiled slightly at Sung-shin.

“You made your debut last week, so why the gloomy face? Didn’t you call me out to treat me to a meal today?”

Before he entered the practice room last time, Sung-shin had come to me several times to say thank you and promised to buy me meat the next time we went out. �

Back then, he was so full of hope that it was nice to see.

Originally, we had a bad start, but now, I could say we had become quite close brothers.

Sung-shin probably thought the same.

That’s likely why he came looking for me with such an expression.

Looking at the quiet and silent Sung-shin, I realized something was wrong.

He always tended to get overly immersed in the game, but in reality, he usually tried to smile as much as possible.

The problem was that it was an awkward smile.

But now, the smile had disappeared from Sung-shin’s face.

Bzzz.

Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, the pager went off.

Sung-shin got up and brought back the two glasses of honey water.

Cool honey water with ice floating in it.

I lifted the honey water Sung-shin brought and said,

“Thanks for bringing it, Sung-shin.”

“No problem, hyung! How about going for a meal with Jin-hyuk hyung later? It’s on me.”

“Hey. No matter what, how can I, an elder, accept a meal from you? Don’t you know that image is everything for a streamer?”

The sweet, cool honey water went down my throat.

Sung-shin looked at me blankly, then cautiously took a sip of his honey water.

Hmm.

Sung-shin’s expression didn’t seem to be someone else’s business.

Did I have that kind of expression in the past?

The look of someone who had a lot to say but was deliberately holding it back.

For someone like Sung-shin, who had a passive personality, it seemed like there was something he couldn’t easily talk about.

“Sung-shin.”

I finally opened my mouth slowly, and Sung-shin nodded in response.

“…Yes, hyung.”

“Do you have something you want to tell me? You asked for help when you called me earlier.”

I remembered that voice so clearly.

I couldn’t not come after hearing that trembling voice over the phone.

We hadn’t talked much on the phone.

Even so, Sung-shin’s voice was so shaky that I rushed out like this.

“No. I just suddenly wanted to see you, hyung. You’ve been so busy these days.”

“Hey, I can’t be busier than you, right? I know how hard it is for pro gamer trainees.”

Some people think pro gamers have it easy, making money by playing games they like.

But every job has its own hardships.

Especially if your favorite hobby turns into a job?

It’s no longer a ‘hobby.’

It just becomes a ‘livelihood.’

I had been feeling that a lot lately while doing my broadcasts.

I took another sip of honey water and smiled softly. Then, I quietly asked Sung-shin.

“Why, are the older players who joined before you bullying you?”

Sung-shin didn’t answer.

Hmm.

It seemed like the older players were giving him a hard time.

Bullying, huh.

It’s inevitable in any group where people gather.

“Should I go and give them a talking-to? Don’t underestimate me. I’ve been working out steadily since the army and have pretty good athletic skills… I can fight well too…”

“No, hyung. The senior players in the first team are really nice, except for one person.”

“Should I personally take care of that one person? Who is it? Just tell me, and I’ll crush them… in solo queue or something…”

“…Hyung.”

It was then.

Just as I was joking around, Sung-shin looked at me with tears he had been holding back.

“What should I really do? I don’t know what to do.”

Then, the story started pouring out of Sung-shin’s mouth.

6.

The conversation with Sung-shin continued for a full hour.

I sat quietly and listened to him, and I couldn’t help but sigh.

“Huh…”

“The coach is a really good person. Sometimes he pushes us hard, but he takes good care of the trainees…”

I knew well about the coach of Team Unicorn.

Although he was a former streamer, he was passionate and knowledgeable, bringing the team up from the second league.

He was the one who quickly led Unicorn from a second-league team to a top-tier team in the Korean LOS League.

“But how can he manage the team like that?”

“…The coach can’t take care of everything.”

The stories I heard from Sung-shin were quite shocking.

From eating the leftovers of the first team to other infuriating incidents.

How long had it been since Sung-shin joined the team? Two months?

It was hard to believe that so much had happened in such a short time.

“…Isn’t your team going to the World Championship soon? I heard it starts in two weeks.”

“Hyung.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore. This path is too hard for me.”

Were those words really coming from a high school student?

Hearing that, I ground my teeth and stood up.

“What are you talking about? You can join another team as a trainee. Why give up? I’ll help you…”

“The president… he said that if I can’t last half a year, I shouldn’t even think about becoming a pro gamer… He said no team would accept someone with no grit… and that everyone in this industry is his friend, so I won’t find a team to join…”

Could a human being really say such things?

At some point, Sung-shin started sobbing as he continued.

“And he said… if I talk about this to anyone, he’ll sue me. Hyung, you can’t tell anyone about this.”

Such an innocent kid.

I clenched my teeth and balled my fists.

Unicorn…

I needed to look into this after this meeting, perhaps through Sung-jae or Dong-su hyung.

Or maybe reporter Lim.

Knowing her, she might already be aware of this.

“Hoo.”

I drank the remaining honey water in one gulp, feeling a heat rising in my body.

Then I looked at Sung-shin and spoke.

“Do you have to go back to the dorm tonight?”

“Yes, I have to be back by 10.”

“Hmm, how about you stay at my place tonight? You can just say you were hanging out with a close hyung. Or should I contact them for you?”

“Who would you contact?”

“Maybe not the president, but I think I can talk to your coach in advance.”

I couldn’t just send him back with that look on his face.

I couldn’t talk to the president of Unicorn, but I could definitely get in touch with the team’s coach.

I left Sung-shin in the café for a moment and stepped outside to quietly make a phone call.

Ring.

After a brief connection tone, a familiar voice answered.

– What’s up at this hour? I saw you ended your broadcast early today.

“Hyung, do I need a reason to call?”

– You usually do, you punk. Just tell me what’s up. I’m busy.

I always felt good hearing Dong-su hyung’s easygoing voice.

I chuckled lightly and got straight to the point.

“Hyung, you’re close with the coach of Team Unicorn, right?”

– Yeah, Tae-ho? I’m pretty close with him. We used to hang out a lot, but he’s been busy lately. Why do you ask? Are you thinking of becoming a pro gamer? Tae-ho mentioned wanting to recruit you the other day.

A pro gamer…

Honestly, it’s not an appealing option. If I were starving as a streamer, I might consider it, but…

Being tied down to something doesn’t suit my nature.

Today’s query wasn’t about my career prospects.

It was all for Sung-shin.

“Dong-su hyung, I’m with Sung-shin right now.”

– Oh, that Unicorn trainee you game with often? Tae-ho mentioned him too. Said he’s got potential. He praised your eye for talent.

…That’s a bit of a stretch.

It was just by chance that I met Sung-shin and discovered his talent.

“Anyway, could you let Coach Tae-ho know that Sung-shin will be staying at my place tonight?”

Dong-su hyung thought for a moment before responding cheerfully.

– I’ll send you his number so you can tell him yourself. He’ll probably welcome it if you mention who you are.

That made sense.

Right after our call ended, Dong-su hyung sent me Coach Lee Tae-ho’s number, and I dialed it immediately.

After a brief connection tone, a voice filled with fatigue answered.

– Hello.

“Is this Coach Lee Tae-ho of Team Unicorn?”

– Yes, it is.

“Hello, this is streamer Shia. I got your number from Dong-su hyung.”

– Oh! Shia! Hello, I watch your streams. Haha!

I remembered him as a rather cheerful person even when he was a streamer.

He was a fun person too.

He was famous as a top laner.

Specifically, for having the image of a ‘top lunatic.’

“I’m with Sung-shin right now. Would it be alright if he stayed at my place tonight? We haven’t seen each other in a while and have a lot to catch up on.”

Coach Lee hesitated for a moment before answering slowly.

– Hmm, I’ll talk it over and get back to you. But I think it’ll be fine.

“I’ll treat him to some good food and let him relax. He’s a precious dongsaeng to me…”

– Haha! Sure thing. There’s no scrims scheduled, so please take good care of Sung-shin. Oh, and Shia, would you be interested in joining our team? We’re looking for a top laner…

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not considering it for now. Haha!”

– Haha, understood. Please take good care of Sung-shin. He’s our team’s future jungler.

Despite everything, there was genuine concern for Sung-shin in his tone.

I nodded towards Sung-shin after ending the call.

“We got permission.”

“Thank you… hyung.”

“Let’s go home and have some chicken while we talk more.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

We couldn’t stay at the café forever.

I got up with Sung-shin and left.

The café wasn’t far from home, so it didn’t take long to get back.

When we entered the house, Jin-hyuk, who had just finished his broadcast, greeted us.

“Oh, what’s this? Sung-shin?”

“Hello, Jin-hyuk hyung.”

“Sung-shin’s staying over tonight. Did you order the chicken?”

“Of course.”

Since Jin-hyuk knew Sung-shin, they exchanged casual greetings.

Sung-shin was always quite polite to Jin-hyuk too.

Not long after, the chicken arrived, and Jin-hyuk and I enjoyed it with some beer.

Since Sung-shin was still underage, he had to settle for cola.

But unlike at the café, Sung-shin looked much happier.

The tension had eased a bit.

As I quietly watched Sung-shin, I handed him a drumstick.

He was startled and bowed his head.

“Hyung… you’re giving me the last drumstick…”

“Eat up. We can order more if it’s not enough.”

“Ah…”

At my words, Sung-shin sniffled a bit, then happily started eating the drumstick.

Poor kid.

“Oh, right, hyung.”

While eagerly munching on his chicken, Sung-shin looked at me and asked cautiously.

“Feel free to ask.”

“Can you do me a favor?”