[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 232

Except for the fact that the opening ceremony of Legends of League Challengers Korea was just around the corner, it was an ordinary day.

Busy as usual,


intense as usual.

Except for one twist.

“Hmm…”

A friend request popped up.

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[Friend Request] [Accept/Decline]


GRS Jang Seok-Hwan


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That ID felt somehow familiar.

‘Hmm.’

It must be because of that game from a while ago…?

It was such a familiar situation that I could guess why Coach Jang Seok-Hwan sent me a friend request.

‘Should I just ignore it?’

It wouldn’t be odd.


My friend request list was always full at 50, and there was never an empty slot.


So if someone sent me a request, it was normal for it to get ignored.

But for some reason, it bugged me today, and just when I was about to decline, Coach Jang Seok-Hwan from GRS sent me a request.

‘This is something…’

Should I call it fate at this point?

‘Come to think of it, he contacted me using my number last time.’

When I was a Prisoner, my number circulated among the teams, but that’s not the case now.


In other words, if I don’t accept this friend request, it’s likely I’ll get contacted by Baek Seong-an, who holds the OLZ’s contact network.

‘Let’s just end it at this.’

I didn’t want Baek Seong-an to catch wind of anything and hear gossip about offers from other teams during this critical time.


There was no need for the club owner to shake up the team’s atmosphere at such an important time.

[Accept]

I accepted the friend request, and within minutes, a 1:1 chat came in.


I had no idea when the request came in, but it was evidence that someone was monitoring in real-time.

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: Hello. I’m GRS Coach Jang Seok-Hwan. Is this a good time for you?]

[Me: Ah, yes.]

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: The thing is, our club has been closely watching your activities as an Outlaw. So, we wanted to reach out to offer you a broader stage and better opportunities.]

That was the pattern I expected.


It was a long-winded way of saying they wanted to recruit me.

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: We believe that with you on our team, you could secure a starting position this summer season and also have the chance to participate in the Red Cup together.]

The mention of the Red Cup made my shoulders twitch involuntarily.


I hadn’t even thought about accepting, yet somehow they knew exactly what I wanted.

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: Of course, I know you’re already part of another team. You don’t have to transfer immediately. Even if you can’t participate in this year’s Red Cup, you can wrap things up this year and join us next year. If you do decide to transfer now, our club will cover the transfer fee and other expenses. I promise the best terms and treatment.]

[Me: Best terms…?]

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: A basic annual salary of 4.5 billion KRW. Of course, bonuses will be separate based on streaming and performance. Additionally, the club will handle separate tax matters.]

…What?

How much?

‘Crazy.’

This is insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane. Insane.

If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have reacted much, no matter how much it was.


I didn’t understand the value of money back then.


But looking at it now, no matter how hard I tried not to react to money, I couldn’t help it.

‘4.5 billion…’

I can’t wrap my head around it.


That’s just an enormity of a number.

‘And if there are bonuses based on streaming and performance…’

I had heard several times about the vast potential of the Chinese streaming market.


In other words, based on how I performed, I might receive a mind-boggling amount in just one year.

‘…Ugh.’

What a waste.


It’s so enticing that it’s driving me crazy.


But I know what being part of a team feels like.


GRS offering such a hefty sum alongside various conditions meant they saw substantial value in me.

‘Besides… I can’t leave this team.’

It’s the team I built.


How could I shamelessly abandon it for another team and live the high life?


I can’t do that.

[Me: I’m sorry.]

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: No, it’s alright. We knew we were making an unreasonable proposal. You don’t have to worry about it. If anything, we’re the sorry ones.]

[Me: Thank you for saying that.]

[GRS Jang Seok-Hwan: But if you ever change your mind in the future, you know, like next year, feel free to contact me. My number is…]

And just like that, GRS’s sudden second recruitment proposal ended.


I couldn’t help but feel they gave up a bit too easily, perhaps because I was currently part of a team and in a special position as its owner.

‘…It’s a shame, but.’

Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief,


“What’s up?”


“Eep!”

Baek Seong-an looked at my screen with a puzzled expression.


Fortunately, I had hidden the chat window with superhuman speed right before.

“Why are you so surprised?”


Did he see?


He couldn’t have seen it, right?

“Oh, it’s nothing.”


“Nothing, my foot.”


“It’s really nothing, I swear.”


“What’s going on? Are you hiding a boyfriend?”

At that comment, I felt the gaze of Seo Yeon-woo next to me suddenly turn to me.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”


…What even?


“No, I don’t! Why is that coming up all of a sudden?”

Then Seo Yeon-woo’s gaze naturally turned to Baek Seong-an.

“Is it because you were acting shady?”


Baek Seong-an said, and Seo Yeon-woo responded.

“Is there something you’re hiding from us?”


“I’m telling you, there’s nothing!”


“What is it?”

I could feel the stares from both of them.


What the heck… how did it come to this?

‘Should I just say it?’


I got a huge offer for 4.5 billion KRW and turned it down for your sake, so work hard for 4.5 billion worth?

‘…No.’


If it were anyone else, maybe, but knowing the personalities of my team members, they would feel guilty if I told them I turned down a huge offer because of them.


In the worst-case scenario, they might even propose leaving the team first.


How could I let the team I built get ruined like that?

“Wait!”


“Huh?”


“What?”

In the end, the method I chose was to avoid.


“I, uh, have an appointment.”


“Appointment? What appointment?”


“Something like that!”

I hurriedly fled the practice room.

*

Baek Seong-an, left behind in the practice room, casually remarked,


“What? Did she really go to meet a boyfriend?”


“Could that be…?”

Seo Yeon-woo stared blankly at the entrance of the practice room.

*

Despite an unexpected series of events, thankfully, nothing major happened.


‘…Well, that wouldn’t be a reason for anything to go wrong.’


The last few days had been pretty hectic.


With the upcoming Legends of League Challengers Korea summer season, we were busy prepping for interviews, filming, and more, so the whole team was on edge.

Dozens of cameras were rolling, but the surrounding eyes were a bit too much…


During interviews, my words got tangled up so often that it felt like we recorded it dozens of times.

‘But now it’s over.’


And finally…


That day had come.

“Is everyone ready?”


I asked the team members, who were each slinging their bags over their shoulders, and they responded in turn.


“Yes.”


“Ready.”


“I’m all set!”


“Ready to go.”

At last, the opening ceremony for Legends of League Challengers Korea and our first match day was upon us.

*

SY Practice Room.


Even though summer season was just around the corner, Ryu Jin-hyuk was watching Red TV instead of playing solo queue.

“Eh? What are you doing, Hyung?”


It was absolutely rare for Ryu Jin-hyuk to be doing something distracting right before the season.


The sight was so uncommon that GuineaPig Yoo Sang-hyun stopped right in front of Ryu Jin-hyuk’s seat.

Only then did Yoo Sang-hyun realize what was on Ryu Jin-hyuk’s screen.


It was the Legends of League Challengers Korea.


The opening ceremony for the second division.

Since it was part of the same Legends of League competition, it was hard to dismiss it as mere distraction.


“Oh, right. Today is the Challengers opening ceremony. The match today is probably…”


“Against OLZ and BLH.”

The most likely candidates for victory among the existing Challengers Korea teams versus a newly emerged team that stormed in like a whirlwind.


It was selected as a big match for the opening ceremony that needed to draw the audience’s interest.

“Oh, right.”


Yoo Sang-hyun couldn’t believe that Ryu Jin-hyuk had such interest in a second division match, so he stared blankly at the back of Ryu Jin-hyuk’s head.

“Who do you think will win?”


Without a moment’s thought, Ryu Jin-hyuk answered.


“OLZ 2:0.”