“Ah… Sion is too strong. A quadra-core at this timing is just unreasonable growth!”
“RG is putting up a fierce resistance, but it seems the game has already slipped away.”
“What a shame for RG, they definitely had a 5k gold lead in the early game in this Game 2.”
“In that situation, truly the reigning champion of LPL, VXG. They showcased insane teamfighting skills and managed to flip the game.”
“Really, LPL—this might be their golden age. They’re showing us just how strong they can be without relying on Korean players.”
“Strong.”
After the promotion tournament ended and the long vacation began,
I was home as usual, just like any other day, watching the World Finals, which could be considered the zenith of professional LoL leagues.
VXG, a newly formed LPL team comprised fully of five Chinese players, no Korean mercenaries.
Despite being rookies in their league, they leveraged massive financial backing to build a superteam that swept through every tournament like a natural disaster.
Their roster included five players all worthy of being called S-tier, but the most dangerous player on the team was their mid-laner.
“Hun.”
The pro-gamer nickname Hun—a wall I could never surmount in my previous life.
“He’s similar to me.”
The way he used his overwhelming physical gameplay to overwhelm opposing mids and take control of the game…
His playstyle was extraordinarily similar to mine today.
“VXG marches forward!”
“RG, it’s truly unfortunate. You fought well till the very end. You showcased LCK’s pride.”
“Exactly! To reach the finals in this World Tournament, where the levels of LCE, LCS, and even minor leagues have skyrocketed, is quite an achievement.”
“And with that, the Nexus is destroyed…”
“VXG takes the Worlds Championship with a 3-1 victory!”
“RG didn’t do anything wrong.”
They certainly fought well.
RG, in fact, managed to take a set from a team that had dominated their 8th and 4th round opponents without losing a single game in those stages.
But the impeccable bans and picks showcased by VXG on the blue side felt stifocating.
“From the start, their top laners were just too powerful.”
Each member individually wielded an authoritative force from the get-go; even their ADC, who usually struggled in the early game, became unstoppable in the late game.
It was a team that reminded me of our own, though with slight differences.
“If we meet, I’d lose.”
My teammates certainly weren’t bad, but this was a match-up that came too early.
Just as I was pondering if after gaining experience in the LCK and unlocking our potential, we might be able to defeat them someday…
“Isn’t VXG just playing too well?”
I received a call from Choi Eunseo, who immediately started sharing her thoughts on the finals the moment I answered.
“Right from the start, the skill gap was too huge.”
“Yeah, but I was rooting for RG, so it’s disappointing.”
“For RG? Didn’t you say you liked LPL?”
“They’re good because they’re strong! But we cheered for RG the last time, remember?”
“Just enjoy a fun match, right?”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
As this game review-like conversation was about to end, Choi Eunseo brought up something strange.
“By the way, did you check the recent LCK notice?”
“What notice?”
“It’s something related to you.”
“What is it?”
“If you’re curious, go check it out!”
And with that, Choi Eunseo hung up the phone.
Given her unpredictable nature, I shrugged it off and headed to the official SNS account to check.
“Relaxing age limit policy?”
I came across some unexpected news.
Even though the term “partial easing” made me hesitate,
“Does it mean that if you’ve played as a starter in the CK league for one season, you can compete in the LCK even if your birthday hasn’t passed yet?”
That was exactly what I needed right now.
“I was worried about what to do next year.”
I had thought I would have to spend an entire season not playing, but now it was possible to compete in the LCK from next year.
I called Coach to share the news.
“I just confirmed too, and this is great!”
“Have you heard anything from the league?”
“No specific word from the association, but maybe this is for players like you.”
Indeed.
I felt lucky, whatever the reason.
“Even so, why would they suddenly relax the age limit?”
A meeting was underway in the conference room of the Korea e-Sports Association—or ‘Kespa’—with executives from Riot Korea.
Arguments for and against the new policy were intensifying.
“Then what if we have a star player emerge and we just let him sit out for an entire season?”
“Why would we touch the age limit unless someone has given us a boatload of money?”
“Do I hear corruption? Receiving bribes is more your specialty, isn’t it?”
What was supposed to be a symbiotic relationship between Kespa and Riot Korea was more like an ongoing feud, causing a hostile atmosphere.
“So, what did HanSan throw at us to loosen the age limit they were so strict on?”
The Kespa president, Kim Hyeok-Jin, tried to calm down those around him as he asked.
“It’s not as if we’ve been paid that much. The position is simply that we can’t keep star players sitting idle.”
The man answering was Han Min-Seong, the CEO of Riot Korea, shrugging off the question as if it was unavoidable.
“Then why, after staying silent until now, has HanSan suddenly started officially sponsoring ARK and the LCK?”
“We don’t know that either.”
“Is ‘not knowing’ really an answer?”
“Well, it’s mysterious to us too!”
The increasingly grim expression of Kim Hyeok-Jin was evident. Given HanSan was a tech firm with a strong presence in Korea, Kespa had made several attempts at collaboration, only to be repeatedly rebuffed.
Now, out of nowhere, HanSan was influencing Riot Korea to relax age limits.
Clearly, there was some sort of shady deal.
“Could the Korea office arbitrarily alter the age limit policy?”
The age limit was not specific to the LCK but applied to all leagues.
Kim Hyeok-Jin questioned if the Korea office alone possessed such authority.
“According to the Riot headquarters, it’s likely that all four main leagues will adopt such changes, providing a chance to players with experience in the second divisions.”
If Riot headquarters had shifted their global policy in this way, the discussion was over.
“And take a look at this.”
Han Min-Seong stood and distributed prepared materials.
“These reflect the male-to-female ratio of ticket reservations for CK games and the recent ARK promotion tournaments.”
Almost a 5:5 split for CK games and a 4:6 for the promotion tournament.
“Generally, in-person attendance or purchasing power heavily leans towards a higher female demographic, correct?”
This is a common trend in every genre that allows intense fandom behavior.
While males dominated online gaming or viewership within homes, for events like live matches or merchandise buying, women had a stronger influence.
“However, notice that after Para’s appearance, there’s been a noticeable increase in male attendees.”
Additionally, ARK’s uniforms have predominantly sold out in male sizes—XL and L.
“So, are we really going to let a player who’s responsible for so much male attendance sit out for half a year?”
And to reinforce his point, Han Min-Seong added:
“You all know the World Championship is being held in Korea this year, right? We’ll accommodate hosting the quarterfinals and semifinals wherever Kespa desires.”
That is,
“Does this mean we can host them in the provinces without issue?”
“Simply make sure that the final is in Seoul and handle the logistics yourselves through subsidies or however you prefer.”
“Since we only need to ensure audiences for group stages and the finals anyway.”
Given group-stage matches are less popular, they could be held in more accessible locations.
However, the final demanded the largest possible venue.
“Then let’s make it happen.”
“And no complaints afterward, please.”
With that, Kim Hyeok-Jin and Han Min-Seong shook hands, sealing the deal.
LOL Gallery
Title: These guys will probably get demolished when they face LPL
That’s straight-up LPL << Chinese superiority and they're just better at LoL
Right, ㅇㅇ
agree
Nope, they'll get destroyed
Sigh… I shouldn’t have trusted the LCK this year
agree
agree
No worries. Para will win us the World Cup next year
Because of the age limit, he might not make it for the spring and thus may lose points in the qualifiers
LOL Gallery
Title: Legendary Incident occurred
(Screenshot of the official LCK SNS post)
The age limit has been partially lifted
Conditions include having played as a starter for one season in the CK league
Isn't this just special treatment for Para?
yeah, seems that way
But is this not corruption?
Who will win the World Cup without Para next year?
He’ll get trounced when he joins the LCK
Let’s win and claim the LCK title first, then we’ll see
LOL Gallery
Title: Seriously, who's stronger between these two?
Worlds champion Hun vs the legendary female player Para
If Hun wins, downvote; if Para wins, upvote
This guy got meme-d when he missed Worlds last time... wow
Oh, they sent some random players from the northeast region after Para couldn't go
Does anyone see Para as a random player?
*
"I just want to go home..."
Where did everything go wrong?
Was it my mom's suggestion of a rare vacation for some shopping?
Or was it the coincidence of bumping into Choi Eunseo at the mall?
Or was it the fact that my mom and Choi Eunseo knew each other, for reasons unclear?
I’m not quite sure what exactly went wrong.
"Mom, isn't this absolutely stunning?"
"Still, this one would suit Seo-Ha better, don't you think?"
"Ah, but Seo-Ha could..."
"Wow, your fashion sense is completely different from that of this aunt."
"My goodness, don’t call me ‘aunt’. We look like sisters, don't we?"
A peaceful Saturday evening.
Caught between my mom and Choi Eunseo, I felt like a living doll being dressed and redressed.
