In the darkened conference room of the eSports Game Association, someone was giving a briefing with a projector set up in front.
“This is the predicted attendance for this year’s opening match.”
As the man’s hand gestured, the presentation was displayed.
Seats arranged in a semi-circle from A to G were glowing red in various spots.
“What are those red ones?”
“Those are the seats that were booked but later canceled.”
“Are there really that many people canceling their attendance? Did they not like their seats?”
“Looking at the cancellations, it’s not just the corner seats A and G but quite a few across the board.”
“…the league’s status has fallen to the ground.”
A middle-aged man let out a disgruntled sigh.
His name was Park Jin-cheol, who had gained power within the association following a recent large-scale purge.
The staff in the association regarded Park Jin-cheol as a new beacon and were aligning themselves with him.
But what was the use of that? The whole organization was crumbling.
‘It’s not like I made this mess, but I have to clean it up…’
The opening match for Eo War Spring League was just a week away.
Normally, I would have received calls from acquaintances asking if they could save a few seats, and there would be many fans lamenting that the seats were already fully booked by now.
The current situation, however, was the complete opposite.
In a way, it could be considered a boycott. Or it might just be a temporary rejection from people disappointed with the Eo War League.
“The league sounds like it deserves to be in the third division…”
Park Jin-cheol muttered to himself in self-deprecation.
When Eo War was first released, the American League led the international scene.
However, shortly after its release, the Korean League claimed the throne.
Living up to its reputation as a nation of skilled gamers, the Korean League became dubbed the “Golden League,” preventing any other leagues from stepping into its territory.
The golden years of the Korean League, often referred to as the promised five years.
As the entire league rose to a new standard, the Korean League had no choice but to relinquish its absolute throne.
‘All the players have been sold overseas…’
If you can’t win, join them.
This was particularly true for the Chinese and American leagues.
They started using our country’s skilled players as mercenaries for their teams.
The leading Korean League produced promising talents every year.
However, only a select few were able to shine among them. The rest didn’t even make it to the top rankings in their domestic leagues or those who weren’t used as starters.
Overseas, they promised no ill-treatment to those players and brought them to their teams.
The Chinese team IE Dragons, who won the championship last year, had three Korean players on their roster.
The reasons Korean players went abroad were simple.
Foreign conditions were much better than those at home.
Particularly, the high contract prices and salaries.
This was an unavoidable aspect rooted in national competitiveness.
Although the internet is relatively fast worldwide and PC bangs are common on the streets, at the same time, a shutdown system is also in place, and the country does not officially encourage eSports.
While things have improved somewhat now, first-generation pro gamers still faced views that they were abnormal people addicted to gaming.
The Korean League that has lost its throne now finds itself pushed by both China and the USA and is now coldly regarded as a third division league.
It’s always more frustrating to lose something you once had than never to have had it in the first place.
Fans of the Korean League desperately wished for their domestic league to once again be called the “Golden League.”
While their domestic league standings were important, they yearned for their players to show something on the international stage, united and cheering for one another.
‘With such conditions, such an incident occurs…’
Even as they tried to grow stronger, they lost a talented player.
Upon investigation, it turned out there were similar instances in the past that had gone unnoticed.
It was only natural for fans disappointed by corruption to turn their backs.
‘What am I supposed to do about this?’
Park Jin-cheol wanted the fans to love the league again.
As a former first-generation pro gamer who loved the game, he knew how miserable it could be for players of the sport who felt abandoned by the people.
Of course, they wouldn’t fall that far since the foundation had been sufficiently laid, but just the current situation simply didn’t sit well with him.
‘The kids are practicing so hard.’
He regularly attended matches and knew how much effort his juniors put into the game and how much they loved it.
He hoped that people would recognize their efforts even just a little more and that they would love the league in return.
‘Isn’t there a clever solution?’
Park Jin-cheol was deep in thought.
“I have a good idea.”
“What is it?”
The head of the promotional department spoke up.
Park Jin-cheol, slightly hopeful, asked back.
If two minds think together, they might come up with a better idea than thinking alone.
“We’ll invite Streamer Mollu to the league.”
“Are you kidding? After what happened? Would she even come? Would she still want to play?”
That wasn’t it.
Park Jin-cheol looked at the promotional head with a cold gaze.
The promotional head waved his hands in a fluster.
“No, I mean, let’s bring her in as a guest commentator.”
“Guest commentator?”
“Yes, Streamer Mollu is a victim of the eSports corruption gate and a key figure. If she steps forward, it’s expected that the perception of the league will improve a bit.”
That made sense.
Park Jin-cheol nodded for him to continue speaking.
“Being a guest commentator isn’t a burden since it’s not a role for a caster or a professional commentator. In the past, the former pro and streamer Vita lit up the spot.”
“If she’s at a pro level, she must have a good eye for the game. What tier did you say she is?”
“As of yesterday, she’s ranked 16th in Challenger.”
“That’s more than enough…”
Park Jin-cheol clicked his tongue.
It wasn’t an exaggeration that a female gamer with unprecedented talent had emerged.
Challenger tier is ranked among a mere 300 players. Those in the upper echelons are considered paragons of the game.
Given her tier, she must have frequently encountered pros and would probably have stories like, “This player did this when I faced them in ranks.”
As a guest commentator, she could serve her role as the perfect spice.
While Park Jin-cheol’s mind turned rapidly, simulating potential outcomes…
“And… the promotional impact will be tremendous.”
“You said she’s a streamer? She must have a lot of viewers.”
“Take a look at this.”
As the promotional head presented his phone screen, Park Jin-cheol’s eyes widened in shock.
“This is from her broadcast yesterday. She hasn’t even revealed her real identity for a week yet.”
“Wow, Park Kyung-tan wasn’t just being selfish for nothing.”
Anyone with such an appearance would draw attention and fans.
Even promising her to appear a few times would surely revive the atmosphere of the league.
“Okay… I think this is the best plan we have; do we have a way to bring her in?”
“That’s something the sales department should work on. If they want to keep getting paid, they have to do this much.”
“Haha! That’s true. They’re the experts; they should know what to do.”
The promotional head only had to relay to the higher-ups of the association the potential outcomes of Streamer Mollu participating as a guest commentator.
“I hope it goes well.”
Park Jin-cheol gazed at the photo of Mollu on his phone.
He earnestly wished that this beautiful gamer would save the league.
*
In the broadcasting world, streamers focus on various primary content.
Some streamers stick to one game alone, while others specialize in outdoor broadcasts, and some are so good at storytelling that they’ve earned the title of nolgaeri, or storytelling streamers.
As for me, I would describe myself as a general gaming streamer, although the balance might be a little skewed.
My viewers often say that the essence of my stream lies in Eo War.
I somewhat agreed with that.
It was the game that led me to start streaming and the one I had invested the most time in.
Not long after the new season of Eo War had begun.
I spent most of my streaming time climbing the ranked ladder.
“I hit 15th place.”
I had reached rank 15 in Challenger.
Given that the pros were busy scrimming before the opening match, a vacant house is understandable, making my rank relatively high.
However, I’m still feeling very hungry.
The number 15 still felt inadequate as I was deep in my desire to reach the heights.
As I was about to queue for matchmaking again…
<AgentofWar_kr has donated 100,000 won!>
-Can we talk privately for a moment?
As far as I knew, that ID belonged to the official broadcast covering the league, so I wondered what was going on.
It was the first time I had seen someone from the official broadcast donate to someone else’s stream, so I was startled.
[What’s public service?]
[Is this for real?]
[Ah lol, are you falling for it again? It’s obviously fake.]
[I’m seeing if it’s a public service?]
[The ID looks like it is, but…]
“Ah… it’s fake, isn’t it? Don’t mess with me.”
My startled heart quickly calmed down.
Having been through a similar situation recently, I wasn’t about to fall for it again.
Honestly, it shouldn’t be fake. If it were real, they’d approach me via formal email or something.
<AgentofWar_kr has donated 100,000 won!>
-It’s not fake 😭 It’s urgent; you didn’t respond to my email, so I’m sending a donation. Can we talk after the broadcast ends?
…This time it seemed genuine.
After about an hour of ranked climbing, I received an unexpected proposal during our follow-up contact.
“Guest commentator?”
They were asking me to take part as a commentator for the pro league.
