[TS] Obsessed Gamer: The Ultimate Return – Chapter 87

Director Choi Tae-Dal stared blankly at the fallen cigarette for a moment, lost in thought.

As the smoke began to rise and tickled his nose, his lips parted and a voice slipped out.

“…What the hell is that noise? Didn’t your mother tell you not to do that?”

“Yes.”

“Huh…”

Of course, the nature of a professional gamer often meant that those who dreamt of it were usually quite young. It was a job where one could face retirement chatter before even hitting their mid-twenties, so, naturally, the preparation time for such a career was considerably faster than any other profession.

Thus, it wasn’t particularly strange or special for parents to get involved in something as critical as a contract.

However,

In Choi Tae-Dal’s experience, there weren’t many parents who stood in the way of their child’s dreams. After all, this was a position they had fought tooth and nail to reach!

“Is that woman out of her mind?! How can she block her child from doing what they want?!”

“Still, that’s a bit…”

“A bit, what? Am I your friend? Stop with the constant backtalk.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Ugh… I’ll be out for a bit, so you convince Yujin, alright?”

Standing up, Director Choi seemed to ponder something briefly before shaking his head.

“…Never mind, just stay put. I’ve got it all covered. Don’t spout nonsense. Got it?! Just looking at you, I knew you’d screw something up.”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, what a pain…”

With that, Director Choi donned his coat and left the office.

— Crash!

Coach Park Tae-Hyung clenched his fists hard enough for the tendons in his arms to pop as he stared blankly at the forcefully closed office door.

“What a bastard.”

It was likely that Outlaw’s decision to not contract with YSG stemmed largely from the horrid conditions at the YSG 2nd team practice room. Yet, Director Choi was placing all the blame on Coach Park, which was enough to draw even the mild-mannered Park into a fit of expletives.

“If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t come to such a team either.”

Though Coach Park himself had no choice but to be here, the situation for Outlaw was completely different.

Star.

Outlaw was a star that could shine all on its own, even in a night sky stained with darkness.

It was only natural that such a team would be far too precious for Outlaw.

“…It’d be a lie to say I’m not disappointed, though.”

If Outlaw could shine in YSG, the hope that this team lacked might finally emerge.

But it was already spilled milk.

“Ugh…”

With a deep sigh, Coach Park trudged out of the office. The door stuck stubbornly shut as if it were broken.

*

Director Choi returned to the dormitory after about six hours.

“Tell Park Tae-Hyung to come in!”

As soon as Director Choi returned, Coach Park was summoned, doubting his own ears.

“Immediately draft a bill for the contract. Raise the annual salary to 100 million, and add a special clause that if the player wishes, they can suspend the contract’s validity whenever they want. Also, repeal all prohibitions related to team transfers.”

“…Yes?”

“Add a condition that if the player wants to leave at any time, they can! Can’t you understand?!”

“No, I get that, but…”

“Then why do you have so much to say! This has already been discussed with the director and CEO. Just do as you’re told!”

After hearing this, Coach Park was stunned.

If what Director Choi said was true, that meant players could just walk away in the middle of the season, right?

Even with it being a preliminary contract, to negotiate such a ridiculous clause for a rookie who was just about to debut?

“…Has he been drinking?”

Come to think of it, there was a faint smell of alcohol lingering in the air. Park couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that this embodiment of workplace stability would propose such a provocative counter-clause, only to come to his senses after the angry shouting echoed.

Normally, Director Choi didn’t yell at Coach Park like this.

It just showed how much this issue was weighing on him.

“What are you doing?! Move already!”

“…Y-Just wait a minute! This doesn’t make any sense. If you stipulate those conditions—”

“Do you think I’m unaware of that? Just do your job. If you hadn’t messed up, we wouldn’t be in this situation!”

Coach Park narrowed his eyes at the impatience radiating from Director Choi.

“…Hmm.”

A contract so disproportionately favorable to the player raised suspicion.

This was the sort of deal that could only arise if the player was literally ‘super corporate.’

“Does he really want to snatch Outlaw, even at the cost of such terms? That’s not like Director Choi…”

Professionals speak with money.

In other words, to land a superstar, one needs to provide an appropriate level of treatment.

But unfortunately, YSG didn’t have the funds to lure a new franchise star.

That left only the conditions to bet on.

From that perspective, this was an overtly favorable deal for the player.

Even if Outlaw went ahead with contracting YSG, according to the special clause, they could back out and void the contract at a moment’s notice.

“…Is he really bold enough to stack on those conditions and still think he can keep them?”

A player could leave the team on a whim?

What kind of risk would that impose on the organization?

There’s a reason organizations set a minimum period for player contracts to be at least six months to a year.

If a player is registered on the roster, shouldn’t they at least play for that season, if not that round?

“This is insane.”

Coach Park genuinely felt that way, but he couldn’t ignore Director Choi’s orders either.

“…Understood.”

“Just go. Since it’s late today, contact them politely by tomorrow afternoon.”

“…Yes.”

As Coach Park left the office, he sank deep into thought.

What on earth pushed Director Choi to propose such terms?

After revisiting the idea repeatedly, Coach Park finally settled on one conclusion.

“He’s planning to keep them as bait for the starters.”

Every professional wants a starting position.

However, the path to become a starter on teams like SY or SCV, the so-called prestigious teams, is fraught with challenges.

Only those exceptional talents in the 2nd team or the academy system make it to the 1st.

Debuting as a real professional gamer is no easy feat.

But here at YSG?

There’s competition, but it pales in comparison to other teams. Besides, Outlaw had already proven himself in this specific contest.

There would certainly be some pushback from the current starters, but from Outlaw’s perspective, he could enter with the promise of a starting role and just leave if that promise was broken.

“Director Choi wouldn’t have any reason not to start him, so there’d be no need to break that promise.”

If Coach Park’s assumptions were correct, Director Choi’s confidence made perfect sense.

A pretty big salary for a rookie.

A promised starting position.

And even if things went awry, an absolute condition to back out.

“If that’s the case… Outlaw might really accept.”

Especially given that they could potentially back out of the contract altogether.

For Outlaw, this was risk-free, and it might just provide the reassurance to give it a shot.

“Ugh…”

It was perplexing.

Holding his smartphone, Coach Park felt that gnawing anxiety he once had resurface.

He hoped Outlaw would accept.

But he also hoped they wouldn’t.

“…I’m not sure.”

Caught in a struggle even he couldn’t comprehend, Coach Park pressed the buttons on his smartphone.

*

On the day I first received the contract, back home, as I was fretting, my mother said this to me.

“‘If you can’t make a decision, just decline for now. If they really want you, they’ll offer other conditions to entice you. I looked up a bit about that company, and it’s not exactly terrible… The rumors aren’t great, though.’”

And now, a few days later.

“…They really came.”

“Didn’t I tell you?”

I received a message from Coach Park.

They offered to repeal a few clauses from the original contract and add a few special clauses. A quick glance showed even to me that those special terms were quite extraordinary.

“Hmm.”

“Why? What does it say?”

As my mother carefully examined the message, she later turned to me and grinned.

“It doesn’t look bad at all. …For now, it’s a good deal for you.”

“Really?”

If my mother said that, it meant it was probably true.

Of course, I still wasn’t thrilled about the annual salary, but you can’t expect to be full just from the first meal.

“But still, I hope you don’t go to that team.”

“Why?”

“Something feels off.”

“Honestly, I don’t want to go that much either.”

“Right?”

My mother smiled gently.

This was a rare smile from her these days, and seeing it again brought me a strange sense of calm.

– Ding!

Just then, my smartphone chimed again. This time, it was an unknown number.

[Hello. This is Director Choi Tae-Dal from YSG. I would prefer to speak to you in person, but I apologize that this isn’t possible.]

The message was from none other than Director Choi Tae-Dal of YSG.

The messages kept coming.

[You probably already heard about the changes to the contract. However, the reason I reached out to Yujin separately is that there’s something I wanted to say beyond the contract.]

[I’m aware that Yujin showcased remarkable skills during the entry test. And I have no doubt that Yujin could step onto the Red Cup stage with us.]

[If you agree to contract with us, I promise to register Yujin on the roster from the 2nd round and guarantee an opportunity to play as a starter.]

[If you look at the revised special clauses, you’ll see that if I change my mind midway, Yujin can do as she pleases. I promise to keep my word.]

[This is based solely on my high regard for Yujin’s skills, and I sincerely hope you make a wise choice. Thank you.]

‘…Starter, huh?’

I had mentally prepared to spend several months as a trainee wherever I went.

But suddenly being promised a starting role?

Thinking about the previous contract terms along with this completely shook my heart awake.

“What’s up?”

“Look at this.”

As my mother checked the content of the message, her expression turned intriguingly cloudy.

“Hmm… What do you want to do?”

“…Honestly, I feel like I want to try it. There’s no risk, right? And I want to see it for myself.”

During the entrance exam process with YSG, I had several thoughts and feelings.

I wanted to engage with a professional team to have clarity about what that life entailed.

Whether joining a ‘team owned by others’ was the right choice.

Ignoring offers from other teams after I hit Grandmaster aligned with that exploration.

I needed time to verify my feelings.

“There are definitely risks. Just wait.”

My mother took my smartphone and directly requested Director Choi to add some conditions to the contract.

One of the prominent conditions was that any video materials or photos with me would solely belong to me, requiring prior consent from me or my legal representative for use.

“…Is that necessary?”

“It is.”

My mother was resolute.

[Alright. Let’s proceed with the contract immediately. I’ll be waiting.]

The reply was quite prompt.

“It seems they’re eager. Maybe our daughter has quite some ability?”

“…Seems like it.”

Though something felt off, having accepted was no issue.

‘One week. Just one week to give it a try.’

Then I would confirm whether I truly desired to live as a professional gamer.