Chapter 27: If you want to do it, you should do it

‘A fox.’

Not because she played Ahri.

But her gameplay bewitched people, her star power made people want to root for her.

That was Kim Hanseong’s assessment of Para, Yoon Seo-ha.

‘Winning with that roster is already the end of the story.’

Last spring season, the team led by Kim Hanseong, Ark, had scrimmed against the “Retired But Still Good at LOL” team and lost.

That was how much the “Retired But Still Good at LOL” team maintained their pro-level skills.

To win against such a team with a group of Grandmaster streamers?

Her skill was as good as verified.

‘If only I can take her and get promoted.’

For the next season, aside from the mid lane position, Ark had almost completed their roster as Kim Hanseong desired.

To take a female player with such star power and get promoted?

The team’s popularity would be guaranteed.

‘Another all-nighter.’

Kim Hanseong had been working overtime, doing various behind-the-scenes work before the season started.

Because of that, he had planned to go home before 11 PM this weekend at the very least.

But the fan meeting ended well past midnight.

Still, having waited so long, he approached Yoon Seo-ha when he saw an opportunity, but.

“What is this about?”

Her voice was as sharp as her gaze.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

As he handed her his business card and approached.

‘She’s insane.’

She still had some baby fat, giving her a slightly rounded appearance, but in a few years, she would surpass even mediocre celebrities in looks.

On top of that, a middle schooler aiming to go pro showed not even a hint of nervousness in front of a pro coach, even if it was from the second division.

Kim Hanseong erased the conditions he had just been considering offering Yoon Seo-ha from his mind.

‘I have to go with the best conditions, no matter what.’

From his past pro days until now, Kim Hanseong had worked with and taught countless students.

Thanks to that, he could tell at a glance that Yoon Seo-ha was different from ordinary students her age.

“We would like you to join our team as our mid laner. We can offer you conditions comparable to the top of the second division, or even the lower end of the first division.”

From his experience, he knew that with people like her, it was better to be sincere from the start rather than trying to gauge them.

As such, the conditions Kim Hanseong offered were shocking, to the point where other teams might call him crazy.

“Um…I’m a minor.”

“Then right now, with…”

“I’ll talk to my parents and get back to you.”

Faced with a polite but firm refusal, Kim Hanseong could only stare blankly at the closing elevator door.

****

‘It’s quiet.’

In the car on the way home, the atmosphere was unusually subdued, and I kept quiet as well.

I had expected my mother to say, ‘Our daughter was so cool today!’ and hug me and make a fuss.

But the quiet atmosphere continued even after we arrived home.

“Daughter, are you going to bed right away?”

“I have something to do. I’m going to stay up a bit late today.”

“Okay? Then your dad and I will go to bed first.”

Only after my parents went into their room did I go to mine.

After changing into my pajamas and washing up, I turned on the computer.

And then I entered a title for my stream on the streaming platform.

[ON-AIR]-Para (VLL Victory Celebration)
Just chatting

[?????]
[Sudden stream at this hour?]
[Seo-ha~]
[The legend has arrived]
[ChallengerVLLCarryMachineWinnerMiddleSchoolGirl…]

Streaming just because I won an event tournament.

It was something I wouldn’t have done in my past life.

Was it because I started having fun since the collaboration with Hanbyeol, or had I grown attached to streaming?

The reason didn’t really matter.

“I turned on the stream today to celebrate the victory. You all watched it live, right?”

[Yesyesyesyesyesyes]
[What else would I do on a Saturday evening besides watch VLL (I really don’t know)]
[Yeah, yeah, I went to the venue and even took a picture with you]
[So envious]
[No proof, no belief]
[Are you not doing a separate fan meeting? I want to go too]
[Please give us your thoughts on the victory]

In response to my question, viewers flooded the chat with messages.

It was fun and fascinating to watch, so I just stared at it without saying anything.

{Donated 10000 won}
Why are you just staring, is the streamer scary? Are you planning to do a sword dance or something?

“Sword dance?”

[It means banning all the offensive chats]
[But the water quality is good today]
[There are almost no trolls like before]
[Probably because her mom showed up]

I wondered what they were talking about.

‘Well, if the team decides to sue later, it can’t be helped.’

If the team decided to take legal action later, there was nothing I could do about it.

But I had no intention of banning anyone on my personal stream.

Unless they really crossed the line, I was grateful that they came here, whether they were trolls or not.

As we were chatting, a noticeable donation came in.

{Donated 3000 won}
So is the streamer really going pro?

[Oh]
[She could]
[She could seriously shake up the 5 mid laner structure]
[LOL, those guys have been at it for years]
[The fact is, even the most talented geniuses hit a wall in the LCK and end up in 10th place]

“Pro? Of course, I’m thinking about it. I even got an offer.”

[Oh]
[You got an offer?]
[Which team?]
[NK could be a good fit]
[TB also has an open mid lane spot]

“I can’t say which team…but I’ll probably start in the second division.”

[?]
[Second division?]
[Is there even a point to the second division? The team that won today beat a second division team in scrims]
[What are scrims? They won in the Worlds event match]

When I said I was considering joining a second division team, most of the viewers expressed doubts.

It felt good that everyone thought so highly of me.

“I have an age restriction.”

[Ah]
[Right, you have to be in high school for the first division]
[Is there no age limit for the second division?]
[I think it’s 15?]
[Isn’t your birthday in May?]
[Then you can play in the summer]

After that, we talked about various things for about an hour.

“Okay, that’s it for today’s stream.”

[?????]
[It’s only been an hour?]
[It’s past 3 AM, if you don’t sleep now, you won’t grow taller]
[Your sleep schedule is messed up LOL]
[Seo-ba~]
[Bye]
[It was a good hour-long stream]

I ended the stream and lay in bed, taking out the business card I received earlier.

I thought I wouldn’t have any connection with them in this life.

I made a plan to talk to my parents in the morning and fell asleep.

****

The next morning, my mother, who often went to work even on Sundays, was home.

‘What’s wrong…did she not sleep well last night?’

There was a subtle tiredness in my mother as she prepared breakfast.

Feeling something was off, I waited for the right moment to speak while eating a somewhat late breakfast/lunch.

Just as my father and mother finished eating, I was about to speak.

“Mom.”

“Daughter.”

My words were cut off by my mother’s serious tone.

She told me to speak first, but I insisted she go first.

“Do you not want to study?”

“Huh?”

“You want to be a pro gamer, I saw it in the interview video before the match yesterday.”

I vaguely remembered sending a video like that because they said they needed it.

Was that why she was in a bad mood yesterday?

I thought about what to say, but decided to be direct.

“It’s not that I don’t want to study. But I want to be a pro gamer.”

I said, looking up at my mother.

A beauty that hadn’t faded even in her late 30s, black hair like mine with reddish eyes.

A career that everyone would be envious of.

She was an impressive person no matter how you looked at it.

“Then do it.”

“?”

“You’ve always done well in your studies, so I made you do it, but you should do what you want to do.”

“Really…?”

“You have to do what you want. You looked like you were having fun yesterday, whether you were losing or winning.”

Saying so, my mother stretched my cheeks.

“Who did you get this love of games from? It’s my fate to marry someone like that just because of his looks.”

My father scratched his head with an awkward smile at her words.

Even I could see that my love for games was genetic.

“…A team contacted me.”

In the softened atmosphere, I brought out the business card I received yesterday and showed it to them.

“Ark? I’ve never heard of them.”

“They’re a second division team.”

“Second division? Isn’t that a bit…”

“I can only play in the second division this year because of the age restriction.”

My mother said, ‘I’m sure our daughter will do well,’ and told me to contact them to set up a meeting.

Coach Kim Hanseong showed his enthusiasm by saying he would come to our house right away today in response to my call.

And so, a few hours later.

“Y-You came from Daehan…?”

Coach Kim Hanseong probably intended to negotiate a contract that wouldn’t disadvantage the team, even if he pretended to be lenient.

“And, for now, we have minimum requirements on our end.”

“A-All of this…? Even so, we have our circumstances…”

“Do you dislike it?”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Then we’ll have to discuss the details.”

“Huh? Then these terms…?”

“Didn’t I say it? It’s the minimum requirement.”

There was no way an elite lawyer dealing with corporations would just stand by and watch.