Chapter Text
"We want to announce that tonight will be S.Coups last game for a long time. Our player will be away from his activities due to a hand injury. S.Coups chose to speak to the fans after the game to clarify his situation. We are sorry and ask for your understanding and support."
#SVT1FIGHTING #SVT1WIN
The announcement was shocking. The internet was going crazy. The comments were burning with the amount of fans reacting. Many fans were crying, some asking for a better statement, others saying that this was a big loss for the scenery. There were a lot of reactions, but neither was as bad as they thought it would be.
But it didn't compare to the situation the gaming house found itself in—the pure tension between all the players.
Minhyuk, the top laner, was sitting by the coach looking worried at Woozi, the jungler, who had been in complete silence since the news. Seokmin, the support, was on the verge of crying, lips trembling and hands shaking. Wonwoo, the mid-laner, was like Woozi, but his silence was cold. And S.Coups, the ad carry, was worried and hurt in front of his teammates. He didn't want to retire but he knew he couldn't play for a long time until his hands recovered properly.
Jeonghan, the manager, was behind S.Coups, looking at the boys, trying to think about what to do and how to manage their reactions. He already knew about Seungcheol's choice to stop playing and asked for a last game. The boys deserved one last game with their leader. But Jeonghan was afraid. He couldn't think about how the team would recover from this loss, not only because of the team's balance in the game but the team in general. S.Coups was like the glue that held them together. The crank that made them work.
But now, Jeonghan, as their manager, had a mission. Find someone good enough to be in S.Coups place.
"A lot of fans are crying. Others are asking for a better statement. And some say this will be a big loss to the scenery. But they are, mostly, respecting your decision and waiting for your speech" Seungkwan, Jeonghan’s secretary and right-hand man, said, holding his tablet tightly. "It's not bad, but you need to make a real statement, hyung."
"I will. After the game, I will explain everything." S.Coups said, touching his temples.
The room went silent again and Minhyuk was hugging Seokmin now, while Jihoon was reading something on his phone, still in silence. Wonwoo looked at his clock and got up.
"I'll be getting ready to go."
S.Coups tried to reach him, but Wonwoo walked fast, ignoring the older.
"Let him be. You know how he is. He will be okay, just give him some time." Minhyuk said and S.coups breathed deeply.
"I know it's harder for you, hyung. But it's hard for us too, especially for him." Woozi got up and walked past Cheol, going the same way that Wonwoo did.
"I'll get going. Kihyun will walk you guys to the gymnasium." Jeonghan said, looking at his phone.
"Where are you going?" Seok was wiping away his tears.
"Mingyu and Cheol found someone good. Really good. I will talk to him before the game. See you soon." Jeonghan smiled, pressing Cheol's arms.
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
Horangi:
JUNNIEEEE
JUNNNN
JUNHUIIII
MOON JUNNN
Shua hyung:
What is happening??
Horangi:
Junnie's muse is retiring, today will be his last game T_T
Junnie will be devastated :(
WHERE IS HIM???
JUNNNN
HaoHao:
he is with shua hyung, i think
Shua hyung:
He is playing.
I will be meeting him in 10. I'll break the news.
Horangi:
T_T
HaoHao:
good luck, hyung.
Junhui was indeed playing. Like always. And he was winning. Like always.
Jun's daily life consists of taking care of Huihui, his cat, and playing League of Legends - and being the legendary MoonHui on ranked. He is so good that teams tried to contact him, but he never had an interest before because the only team that would be able to sign him is SVT T1, his favorite team.
Joshua put away his phone and entered the cyber cafe and quickly found Jun. He was playing and a lot of people were behind the gaming room gasping and talking about him while watching the game from the big screen. Junhui playing at that cafe was always an event. Everyone was always amazed by his skills and they used to question why the boy hadn't become a professional player yet. Junhui never responded. He would just say ‘Thank you for the compliments’ and go home.
"Is he finishing?" Joshua asked one of the boys.
"Yes! His team is dead and he has already killed four from the other team. It is one vs one now. He is coming for his pentakill." The boy responded in excitement.
"Good." Joshua smiled. Jun is the best, he thought.
Seconds later the group of boys started shouting Jun's summoner's name. He had just given the pentakill and ended the game, making his team win. The public was cheering fervently.
Like always, Joshua was amazed by his best friend. And proud too.
Jun came from the gaming room with a shy smile on his face and thanked everyone who was congratulating him and calling him a legend. He soon spotted Joshua and ran to his friend, hugging him.
“Hey, Junnie.”
“Let’s go, please. I want tea before the game.’’
“Okay, let's go. I need to tell you something.’’
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
After making sure Jun was relaxed and enjoying his iced tea, Joshua took a deep breath and started thinking about how he would break the news to his friend. He soon concluded that it would be better to say it all at once.
"Hey," Jun looked at him. "SVT dropped a statement. Today will be S.Coups last game. He has a hand injury." Joshua held his breath.
Jun stayed in silence looking into his cup of tea and Joshua just waited for him to digest the information.
"Will he stop forever?" Jun’s voice was so low that Joshua almost didn't hear him.
"I don't know. They only said that he will stop for a long time, but Scoups will give a speech after today’s game."
"Oh, okay."
Jun went back to his tea.
Unknown:
Are you Moon Junhwi, the legendary MoonHui?
I'm Yoon Jeonghan, SVT T1 manager. Can we talk? Our team wants to make an offer. Let me know if you are interested.
Jun just stared at his phone without knowing what to do. It wasn't the first time that a team had tried to get in touch with him, but it was the first time that someone from SVT had sent a message wanting to offer something.
"Yoon Jeonghan from SVT sent me a message. '' Jun said as if it was nothing and Joshua almost choked. "I don't know what to answer."
"Man, just say anything. It’s Yoon Jeonghan from SVT."
Yes! I’m MoonHui.
You can call me Junhui
and yes, we can meet.
Hi, Junhui. Thank you for answering!
Can you meet me before the game? At the studio.
Are you coming to watch the game?
Yes, I can!
I’m coming to see the game. I’m just eating.
Good! See you in 20? Works for you?
Yes!! See you. Thank you for reaching me.
Thank you, Moon Junhwi!
‘’Okay, I need to get to the studio in 20 minutes.’’
‘’Okay, I'll pay and we can go. Today is on me.’’
Joshua smiled and got up to pay for their meal.
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
Jun was standing in the middle of the studio reception where the game would be held, waiting for Yoon Jeonghan. Joshua tried to insist on staying with him, but Jun asked his friend to save their seats and said that he would be fine waiting for the SVT manager alone. He needed to think a lot about what Jeonghan wanted to propose to him and he would think the best alone.
When Jun started to play, he didn't think about being professional. He just wanted to have fun and play games. When he saw S.Coups playing for the first time, he could only think about how amazing it was to see him playing. He became obsessed and started to watch the league. S.Coups's skills were known by the community and he was known as one of the best AD Carry in the history of the league. Junhui quickly became a fan of him and his team.
“Wen Junhui.’’ A voice called him and Jun looked back.
A man with long blond hair and a blue suit was behind him with a bright smile. Jun smiled back and got close to him.
“Mr. Yoon.’’ Jun bowed.
Jeonghan looked at his watch. “Can we sit? We have thirty minutes before the game starts.”
Jun just nodded and walked with Jeonghan. They sat facing each other and Junhui waited for the older one to start talking. He was too nervous to start any conversation.
“I will go directly to the point, because of the time, but we can talk before the match about the details,’’ Jeonghan said, putting his hands on the table and looking at Junhui, who was still trying to control his nervousness.
“Okay.’’ Jun nodded again and looked at the man.
“We need you in our team. S.Coups chose you and we decided to believe in him and his judgment.’’ Jeonghan was convicted about what he was saying, showing that he truly respected his player’s choice and was confident in it.
Jun was speechless. It was like an alternative universe thinking about how S.Coups, his favorite player of all time, saw him play and thought that he was the one to sit on his throne.
“I know you usually decline team’s offers, but if I can ask you that, I want you to think about our offer. You have time to think and to decide. We will respect your choice.’’ Jeonghan smiled and Jun felt his kindness through that smile. “Just know that we value you and we truly believe that you’re the right choice for us.’’
Jun was feeling lost but impressed. He still couldn't believe that the team of his heart was choosing him to be in the place of one of the best players in the world. All this information was making him dizzy.
“I have to go now. I hope you enjoy the game.’’ Jeonghan held Jun’s hand firmly and gave another comforting smile. “Reach me when you have your answer.’’
“I promise I will think about it.’’ Jun smiled back and got up. “Thank you for considering me. I’m flattered.’’
“You are the best, Junhui. Just know that.’’
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
The game was frenetic. The other team, DRX, was doing better than SVT T1 and Jun was almost jumping off his chair because of his nervousness. Joshua was trying to hold the boy so he wouldn’t have a heart attack.
Then, the decisive fight of the game begins. SVT T1 starts the dragon and DRX’s team starts to take the flank, to interrupt their play. DRX gains too much space in the fight and then starts to kill SVT T1 players and gets the dragon.
As DRX kills three players of SVT T1, they maintain control and begin to push into T1's base. SVT T1 attempts to defend, but DRX's superior team fighting and objective control prove too much to handle, as there are only two players still alive, S.Coups being one of them. Despite the efforts of T1's players, DRX destroys the nexus, winning the game and guaranteeing their trophy.
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
Trying to hold back his tears, Seungcheol walked to the center of the stage, giving a quick glance to his team behind him, and stared at the crowd in front of him. The words were floating in his mind, trying to find the best ones to start his speech.
“Today, I have to apologize to you. Some of you may already know I decided to say goodbye to the stage for the time being.’’ Seungcheol starts talking and the stadium gets in a mortal silence. “A few years ago, I was just a newcomer to a professional team. And I was the same age as you. At that time, to most people, playing e-sports was not a proper job and it had no future. Of course, my family thought the same. They asked me, what’s e-sports? Is there a future for e-sports? I really didn't know how to answer it at that time. But I didn't want to give in when I saw the looks on their face. My heart told me that this was my dream. So, I got on a train to Seoul, came to SVT T1 headquarters, and became a professional e-sports player.”
“In this time of struggle, I’ve fallen and got back up with Wonwoo, DK, Woozi, and Min Hyung in our team.” He looked at his teammates with a shining and hurting smile. “I’ve also defined and oriented myself through these honors and setbacks in my life. Unfortunately, I have to put my dream down today. The reality of losing today’s game meant that it is time for me to let go of the persistence that may have only touched myself, and to give way to the young generation. Although I can't make it, I know that as long as the dream lives on, there will always be someone to take my place on this stage and go on the path carrying my dream. I hope that his person can make a decision soon.”
“I hope that one day when SVT gets the trophy, I'll still be here. You guys, as well. Now. I, Choi Seungcheol, a team member of SVT T1, officially register to retire after this spring final.”
The audience starts clapping for S.Coups, but everyone is mourning.
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
Jun was looking at his reflection when he decided to accept Jeonghan’s offer.
After S.Coups discourse, Jun found himself in the bathroom washing his face to try to stop his tears.
S.Coups words truly touched him. Even more so after hearing Jeonghan say that the player himself chose Junhui. If he was sure of Jun's abilities, then he would follow his favorite player's words.
Jun got his phone out of his pocket and called Jeonghan.
“I’m in,’’ Jun said firmly and he swore he heard Jeonghan squealing.
“Are you saying you accept to be part of the SKT T1 as the AD Carry?’’
“Yes, Mr. Yoon.”
He waited a few seconds before going out of the bathroom and when he opened the door, his body collided with another one. Jun was ready to say sorry when he turned his head and saw a familiar face.
“Junnie.’’
“Yanan.’’
It wasn't surprising his ex-boyfriend was there, in the stadium, because he was the mid-laner from the DRX team.
They stared at each other for some minutes and Jun decided it was enough contact with the other, so he got ready to walk away, but Yanan held his arm and pushed him. Junnie tried to get himself out, but Yanan just held him tightly.
“What do you mean you’re part of SVT T1 now?” Yanan asked with a serious face and firm voice.
“What?” Jun was shocked. “Were you eavesdropping? What the hell, Yanan?” Jun was shocked.
“Just answer, Junhui.” Yanan was still holding him stead.
“I don’t have to give you any explanation.”
Junhui let go of Yanan and ran away, so as not to give the other a chance to reach him.
☾✦ ᗢ ✦☽
“We found a new player and he is coming tomorrow morning,’’ Jeonghan said, looking carefully at all the players, who were sitting on the couch of the gaming house. S.Coups was by his side, smiling.
No one reacted for the first seconds, but then Seokmin smiled, trying to make Jeonghan and S.Coups feel safe about their decision. Minhyuk did the same thing, trying to act like the older one, and Wonwoo stayed in silence, not looking at any of them. His eyes were glued to his phone. Woozi was stoic, but he was the first one to break the silence.
“Who it is?’’ Woozi asked, looking at his ex-leader.
“MoonHui.’’ S.Coups smiled again, feeling proud of his choice.