Work Text:
Wonwoo sighed, for who knew how many times that evening. He massaged his own wrist as he watched the VOD of the last game match where SVT T1 lost 2-0. Everything that happened in the last match was a complete mess. Their coordination was a chaos. The team's communication didn't work well. Not to mention the many mistakes each person made, including himself. As the leader, he felt a multiplied burden. The restructuring and changes that were happening in the SVT T1 organization, had a psychological impact on Jihoon, Mingyu, Seungcheol, Vernon and even on himself. They played like they weren't the SVT T1 who was the World Champion last year.
Suddenly, the room's lights turned on.
“It's almost 3am. Why aren't you home yet?” Minho pulled up the chair next to Wonwoo and asked. “Jeonghan just went abroad, right? Are the kids home alone?"
Wonwoo smiled weakly. “Jeonghan is invited to Paris Fashion Week. How did you know?”
“The news is trending on social media. How about the kids?”
“They've been staying at their grandparents' house all week.”
“Your parents must be so happy,” Minho said with a chuckle.
“The kids are really spoiled there.”
“Hahaha... Uncle Jeon's cold heart can only melt for his grandkids.”
Minho patted Wonwoo's shoulder, saying, “It's getting late. Go home and get some rest.”
“It won't be long Hyung. Just a little bit more. I need to review this.”
“Wonwoo-yah... I think, right now, what all five of you need, is not a match review. But a heart-to-heart talk.” Minho then stood up and continued, “Fifteen minutes. I'll give you fifteen more minutes and if you're still here, I'll drag you home.”
***
"...They come from every angle! Won TP into his death and the other SVT T1 members are scattering...."
" ... another charm is going wide. Ming has to flash away. But hey ... there is no safe place for them. SVT T1 clearly will go down as the nexus explodes."
The voices of the two casters soared, accompanying SVT T1's defeat in this match.
Defeat struck again. Even Mingyu, the most positive person in SVT T1, looked down too. But this time, the defeat affected Wonwoo and Seungcheol the most. During the time in the car on the way back to basecamp, not a single person spoke. Everyone looked tired and bore the heavy mental burden of this defeat.
After being stopped 2-1, then losing 2-0, and this time they lost 2-1 to a group in the bottom three. The defeat this time really caught everyone by surprise.
Silently, Wonwoo reviewed the VOD of their defeat. Meanwhile, Vernon and Jihoon seemed to have fallen asleep. And at the very back seat, Seungcheol was busy reading comments from fans and also antifans respectively.
Seungcheol realized that his performance had been declining lately. He also tried to train hard to get back into shape. However, it wasn't as easy as words.
“I don't know where things started to go wrong like this,” Seungcheol muttered as he stared out the window of their car.
"GGWP," Minho patted the back of the five players one after another to encourage them.
***
Jeonghannie .... do you think I should retire?" asked Wonwoo during their daily video call session today.
Jeonghan widened his eyes, surprised at Wonwoo's words. "Wonwoo-yah... should I go home on the closest available flight?" Jeonghan asked, sincerely worried.
"Eyy... I was just asking. Nothing serious."
"..."
"Erhmm... so, the new players in LCK right now, they're all young. There's even a difference of almost twelve years with me. So ... I'm thinking of ... retiring."
Jeonghan sighed deeply. "Jeon Wonwoo, I'm your mate. That kind of excuse won't fool me." Jeonghan gave Wonwoo a sharp glare.
“I... well, I just...” Wonwoo glanced at Jeonghan. Then finally in a quiet voice Wonwoo confessed, “I feel burned out.”
“Wonwoong...”
Then Wonwoo locked his gaze on Jeonghan and said, "I feel like lately, a lot of things aren't going my way. The communication within the team isn't going well either. It feels like we're stuck in a place where the fans' expectations are overwhelming. I don't know... blablabla..." Like a broken faucet, Wonwoo let out his grievances at full length. "By the way ... Stop it Jeonghannie!"
Jeonghan grinned like a thief caught in the act.
"I know you're looking for a plane ticket to return home as soon as possible, right? Don't! It'll only make me feel worse," Wonwoo insisted.
"Sorry."
"I understand what you mean and I'm very grateful for that. But, what I need now is just to be listened to. After all, you're going home..." Wonwoo glanced at the calendar on his phone, “ ... err in two days, right?”
Jeonghan sighed. "I want to hug you tightly right now, Wonwoong. And I believe, The GOAT Won, will definitely find his form back soon."
Wonwoo smiled, looking at his mate on the screen.
“Eheyy... what kind of disbelieving expression is that?” Jeonghan accused. “I'm Yoon Jeonghan, who has the ability to read people. I am also the symbol of good fortune.”
"Hahaha... yes , my dear Jeonghannie. I do believe YOU, my love."
“Jeon Wonwoo! If you can't trust yourself right now, just look at me and trust me, eung.”
“Arasseo... I trust you.”
“When is the next match?”
"Hmm... the day after tomorrow. Therefore, I have to go scrimming again in a little while. Let's end the video call now. Jeonghannie saranghae."
"Na do saranghae. Wonwoong Fighting!!!" Jeonghan shouted as they ended their video call.
***
"..."
"..."
"Guys... we need to talk to each other!" Mingyu expressed his frustration because after a few moments, there was only silence. Jihoon, Mingyu, Wonwoo, Seungcheol, and Vernon gathered there to discuss the state of their lackluster team these past few matches.
"If no one wants to talk, let me start,” Jihoon said. “Champion Bot's range, it needs to be expanded. This Fearless draft really forces us to expand our champion pool. If bots continue to rely solely on certain champs, we'll definitely get slaughtered in BO5.”
“What do you mean Jihoon-ah. I'm useless, is that it?” Seungcheol rose to his feet and advanced towards Jihoon.
“Cheol Hyung... we're not here to fight. We're here to find out the root cause of our team's poor performance that keeps losing like this.” Mingyu immediately stood in front of Jihoon, preventing Seungcheol and Jihoon from fighting.
"I'm sorry." Wonwoo's words drew everyone's attention to him. “Lately, I've been busy with my family. Missed scrimming a lot, my champion pool is lacking too... *sigh.”
“Then I'm no better, either,” Mingyu chimed in. “I've been busy taking care of my wedding preparations. I apologize too.” Mingyu bowed to the SVT T1 team members, one by one.
Hansol stood up so suddenly that the folding chair he was sitting on fell over. “Wonwoo Hyung is wrong because as the GOAT, Hyung is forbidden to under perform below the perfect limit,” Hansol pointed out. He then turned to Seungcheol, “Cheol Hyung is wrong too! Wrong because every time you get too good at one champion, your champs instantly get banned the most by our opponent.” Hansol shifted to face Mingyu, “You're wrong too! Very guilty of practicing to the point of over extension in between all of our busy schedules.” Finally, Hansol turned to Jihoon, “Hyung is at fault the most! Your genius strategies during practice are always forbidden to be played in regular matches. That's why we've all been holding back.” Hansol sighed in annoyance, “That really sucks!” with a flat expression.
Hansol's ranting made the four of them burst into laughter. Hansol laughed along with them. The atmosphere melted away quickly.
After their laughter died down, Hansol continued, “what pisses me off the most is that the five of us no longer enjoy this game like before.”
"I guess all of Hansol's words are very true,” Wonwoo agreed. “We forget that we chose this career because we love League of Legend so much.”
“And we need to bond as five,” Jihoon chimed in. “Let's go to the arcade and have fun, at least today.”
“Agr...”
RRRTTTT.... RRRTTTT... Mingyu's cell phone vibrated.
“Eung... Eomma,” Mingyu answered on his cell phone. “Eomma, I can't choose the suit today. You can just pick it out for me. I...,” Mingyu glanced at the four members and smiled. “I have more important things to do. Besides... Eomma's taste is very good and I always look good in any outfit.”
Mingyu's statement made Wonwoo turn around, Seungcheol roll his eyes, Jihoon pretend to vomit, while Hansol covered his ears, while cueing all the other Hyungs to follow him out of the room.
SVT T1 played at the arcade all day that day. They ignored the training and scrimming schedule that day.
***
Jeonghan ran fast, exiting the airport. He hoped he could make it to LOL Park before Wonwoo's game started. Hurrying, Dokyeom and Minghao tried to catch up with Jeonghan. In front of the arrival terminal, Hoshi was waiting. He purposely picked them up and would take them to LOL Park.
After his last video call with Wonwoo, Jeonghan tried his best to shorten his schedule so he could go home earlier. He wanted to be close to Wonwoo when he was struggling with burnout or overthinking. He wanted to watch the match between SVT T1 and REX at LOL Park live. Hard work certainly didn't betray the results. Jeonghan successfully shortened his schedule and returned to Seoul a day early. Unfortunately, the time he arrived in Seoul was very close to the start of the match. Therefore, he had to rush to make it on time.
"Hahh.... hahh... haaahh.... nghhghh.... Junnie... ," Jeonghan greeted, panting, seeing Jun who was already waiting to help him enter LOL Park.
"Gosaenghetda Hyung. Just follow me. I'll escort you to your seat."
Jeonghan, Dokyeom, Minghao, and Hoshi followed Dokyeom. When they entered the registration area, their presence immediately became the center of attention for all the fans watching from outside because they had run out of tickets. The presence of Jeonghan, the famous model who was also the mate of The GOAT, Won, created quite a commotion.
"Kyaaa... kyaaa....!!!"
"Omoooo... Yoon Jeonghan!!!"
"Eh... isn't that Ming's fiancée?!” Dokyeom also did not escape from the attention of other esports fans.
"Uwaaa... Why did Won's mate and Ming's mate suddenly come here?”
“Sh*t... I couldn't get a ticket because the tickets were reserved for important individuals like them! Tch...!!!”
“Is he trying to bring defeat?” There were also negative comments about Jeonghan's presence.
However, Jeonghan did not hear any of the comments. His focus was solely on giving strength to Wonwoo.
After their tickets were scanned, Jeonghan, Dokyeom, Minghao, and Hoshi were escorted inside and sat in the top row. Once again, they became the center of attention, especially since they arrived very late. In front of the stage, there was an ongoing interview with the previous POM match, and on the stage itself, there were members of SVT T1 and REX setting up their computers.
Jeonghan, sitting in the SVT T1 fan area, caused the fans to cheer, prompting the members to turn and look to see what was happening.
Jeonghan gave his widest smile when Wonwoo made eye contact with him. He could tell that Wonwoo was very surprised to see Jeonghan there. He even immediately checked the date and time on the computer.
“Do well!!” Jeonghan mouthed silently. He also conveyed a calming presence through their bond.
***
“... Won's Ahri lands a charm on Cal's Taaliyah. One by one, the enemy champions fall at the hands of Won's Ahri. And finally... PENTA KILLS!!!” shouted caster 1. Caster 2 immediately chimed in, “The most astonishing thing is that this is Won's second penta kills in his 10-year career. It's crazy!!!”
“Wait... so, even the number of his World Championship wins is way more than his penta kills. How is that possible?!!!”
Both casters were busy commenting on Won's penta kills, which he achieved during a teamfight over Baron.
Meanwhile, Won merely gave a faint smile. Only Jeonghan knew how excited Wonwoo truly was about that penta kills. Wonwoo's excitement was fully conveyed to Jeonghan, making him feel equally thrilled.
SVT T1 won the match with a score of 2-0. All the spectators praised how SVT T1 seemed to be regaining their form and synergy. They also appeared to be playing more relaxed and seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“Jeonghan-nim... thank you for coming. It feels like SVT T1 really needed the support from their closest ones to regain their mental strength. Dokyeom-nim as well.. thank you.” After the match ended, one fan wearing an SVT T1 jersey approached Jeonghan and said that. He also gave a snack package, which was presented by SVT T1 fans from overseas.
Those words moved Dokyeom. His eyes welled up with tears and his chest swelled with pride. He was recognized as Mingyu's mate by SVT T1 fans. It was a source of pride in itself.
Jeonghan was happy too. He put his arm around Dokyeom's shoulder and said, “Come on... they're waiting for us in the waiting room.”
“Yes, Hyung,” replied Dokyeom as he wiped his teary eyes.
***
“Hmmm... Ahri is really impressive,” Jeonghan suddenly said.
“What about Ahri? Did she run away from her crib again?”
“No. Not our daughter Ahri, but Ahri the Champion you used to get penta kills earlier.”
“...” Wonwoo looked at Jeonghan curiously. While holding Jeonghan's hand tightly, Wonwoo signaled him to explain his words.
“So, Kwannie once told me about Ahri's background story. Do you know it?”
Wonwoo shook his head. He didn't know. He had never read the background stories of League of Legends champions before.
"Ahri is a gumiho who lives by inhaling the essence of mortal souls and consuming their memories. One day, Ahri meets a human—a painter—who accepts her for who she is, even her monstrous side. He is even willing to give up his soul essence in exchange for love and the chance to live with Ahri. One day, Ahri accidentally drained the life essence of her lover. Haunted by guilt, she tried to find a way to erase his memories."
“Did she succeed?“
”Ahri found a way. But at the last moment, she realized that it would be even harder and sadder for her if she had no memories of her departed lover at all. She embraced her pain and made it a part of herself. This made her stronger. Well... for some reason, the ending of Ahri's story reminds me of you.”
“?“ Wonwoo pointed at himself in confusion.
”Won - The Goat, after winning Worlds for the fifth time, even though he knew the expectations and demands would grow heavier, he chose to continue his career as an esports athlete because of his love for the game League of Legends.“
”...“
”I know you've received many offers to retire and become a coach. Thus, you could retire at the peak of your glory and shed all the burdens. But, like Ahri who doesn't want to forget the memories and love for her beloved, Won and also Jeon Wonwoo, still enjoy esports despite the challenges and heavy burdens he must bear at all times.“
”...“
”I'm proud of you, Wonwoong. So... don't give up and make decisions according to your heart.” Jeonghan pulled Wonwoo's jersey jacket collar, then kissed his lips. Carried away by the moment, Wonwoo placed his hands behind Jeonghan's head and deepened their kiss.
“Ehemm... eheemmm...“
The familiar deep coughing sound startled both of them, causing them to immediately break the kiss.
”Although I'm happy to see you two getting along so well, please be mindful of your surroundings.”
In front of their open apartment door, there was Jeon Appa who used both of his hands to cover Seungkwan and Chan's eyes. Meanwhile, Jeon Eomma, smiled widely while holding the sleeping baby Ahri.
Chan innocently blurted out, "Does this mean Appa will have another baby?"
Chan's innocent words made Wonwoo and Jeonghan's faces turn bright red with embarrassment.
-FIN-
“Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.”
TRIVIA :
- GGWP = "Good Game, Well Played." This term is often used by online game players to give praise or appreciate the good performance of other players, both in winning and losing.
- Ahri Story.