Chapter 63: LCK Finals (1)

“I actually made it to the finals.” It had already been five years since Lee Tae-jin first held an LCK camera. In his experience, there were two scenarios where a rookie player would be seen in the finals: they either debuted on a good team, or the overall league level had dropped. But what was up with this girl?

“Relax your arm. If you hold it like that, even with editing, it’ll look stiff, and you’ll get roasted online.”

Para, Yoon Seo-ha’s team, ARK, was, to put it nicely, a team of rookies with spirit. To put it less nicely, they were a weak team of washed-up rookies. Furthermore, every LCK team this year had sharpened their blades and built their rosters with the goal of reclaiming international titles. In such a situation, seeing her reach the finals and even coaching her teammates on their posture during filming was almost absurd.

“So her confidence wasn’t just bluster.” When a player with less than a year of professional experience declared they would make it to the finals, he had been a little annoyed. He felt like she was looking down on him, a senior figure in the LCK. Now, he saw that the girl had simply stated a fact.

“The narrative is the problem.” This finals match was a confrontation between the new storm, ARK, and the traditional powerhouse, YK. Normally, he would have framed the title as ARK challenging the defending champions, YK, but…

“ARK is too dominant.” Judging by the regular season results alone, the 2-0 record showed a significant gap. They had also won in the playoffs, making ARK the clear favorite in everyone’s eyes.

“Should I go with the results? Or stick with tradition?” Lee Tae-jin’s indecision brought filming to a halt. However, no one complained. He had produced title videos without a single mistake, videos that could easily feel childish if done poorly. Everyone on set waited for his instructions.

“Let’s resume filming. ARK players, please gather here.”

Lee Tae-jin stood up and took the camera himself.

“Director, what’s the overall concept?” a new staff member asked. Lee Tae-jin looked ahead. His gaze fell upon Yoon Seo-ha, her usually tied-up, waist-length hair now styled in loose waves.

“Para.”

“Yes.”

“Are you confident?”

It wasn’t a clear question, leaving what she was confident about open-ended. Nevertheless…

“I am.” A simple answer delivered with an expression that spoke of certainty. Hearing that, a perfect image formed in Lee Tae-jin’s mind.

“What kind of stream is this today? Don’t ask the obvious, it’s an ARK cheering stream.”

[Is Para really going to win?]

[Let’s go~]

[Para is a famous finals MVP lol.]

“Everyone ordered chicken, right?” Han Byul-i’s question filled the chat with the names of various foods.

‘It might be because it’s before the game starts, but there’s not much flaming even though it’s a finals broadcast.’ The thought that this was a pretty good start crossed Han Byul-i’s mind.

“Oh, right. ARK sent me this too.” Han Byul-i stood up and turned around. She was wearing an ARK jacket uniform, with “h b r i” embroidered on the back.

“They sent it with my initials. Isn’t it cute?”

[Wow]

[hbri, not hbr, is the point.]

[I want one too.]

“Then, shall we make some predictions before it starts?”

[?]
[What?]
[What analysis can a Diamond player offer?]

“My mechanics might be Diamond, but that’s just a physical issue. My game sense is way above Diamond, how many times do I have to say this?”

[Her game sense is above Diamond lol. Maybe around Platinum?]

[Her cold, hard analysis is probably accurate lol.]

[Honestly, it’ll probably be a 3-0.]

“Honestly, I hope they win 3-0, but I think YK will take Game 1.” Han Byul-i had become a regular LCK viewer since she started doing cheering streams this season. As a result, she often watched other matches even when ARK wasn’t playing, and thanks to that, she knew that YK was also a strong team this season, even though they had been overshadowed by ARK.

[But they already got 3-0’d last week.]

[That loss hit them hard.]

[You never know in the playoffs~]

[For real lol.]

“Then let’s look at each lane.”

[Is this a serious analysis stream now?]

[Let’s go~]

“First, top lane: Caster versus Aoul. This matchup will likely come down to who gets K’Sante.”

[For real.]

[Since neither of them are good with Aatrox.]

[Pouring one out for Bon, watching the finals at home lol.]

“Then jungle: Lesser versus Hunter. Honestly, I think this is a 50/50 matchup.”

[Both are S-tier junglers.]

[But isn’t Lesser’s game sense a bit dependent on Para?]

[ㄴ What nonsense. When Para wasn’t there, Lesser was ARK’s main carry.]

[Newbies, be quiet.]

[I think Lesser, who plays AP junglers, has the advantage. He also plays tank junglers sometimes.]

“Bot lane duo… I think YK has a slight edge.”

[ARK’s bot lane is good, but Pair and Rope are just insane.]

[It’ll be fun if they both leave Aphelios and Jinx open.]

[For real, they need to play hyper carry ADCs.]

“And now mid lane, the most important lane… well, I think Seo-ha will win, won’t she?”

[God exists and her name is the Great Seo-ha.]

[Pumpkin is going to the army soon, so honestly, Para, cut him some slack…]

[Army time~]

[Pumpkin is joining the army? Isn’t he public service worker?]

[He could be if he retook the physical, but he said he couldn’t be bothered lol.]

[But fundamentally, the champion pool difference is too big;; The fact that Pumpkin can’t play Azir is a big deal.]

[For real, what’s the point of countering with LeBlanc if your fundamentals are lacking?]

“Oh, it looks like it’s starting. The title video is playing. I’ll mute the donation alerts for now.”

[Here we go~]

[Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming Something big is coming]

[Something small is coming lol… Predicting a 3-0.]

[Para’s visuals are unreal…]

[If they win today, Craftsman Interview Season 2, let’s go! Invite Para again.]

[ㄴ Good idea. The barbeque mukbang remaster needs to happen.]

The endless expanse of the Yeongjongdo coast stretched out, with Inspire Arena, the venue for the finals, visible on the opposite side. Then, YK’s uniforms appeared on screen. The players began to talk softly, amidst the faintly audible commentary.

[LCK’s superteam, YK, is defeated by LCE’s geniuses!]

[They were stronger than we thought. VXG steamrolls LCK’s kings without resistance.]

“Aren’t you tired of winning the LCK?”

“It’s strange to think we might not even be able to win it anymore. We thought we were the best this year too.”

Aoul asked, and Hunter replied with a bitter tone. One by one, their other teammates approached from behind.

“Winning is important, of course.”

“But still…”

“Haven’t we been aiming for one thing since two years ago?”

The international championship trophy, which had eluded the LCK for three years. The YK players had reunited this season to reclaim it.

“But at this rate, we might not even make it to MSI.”

“Who else would go? We’ve been there for the past two years.”

[YK cleanly takes the LCK championship!]

[YK secures the LCK’s #1 seed for Worlds!]

[Their third championship, following last year’s victory! YK does it again!]

[Two consecutive years as the #1 seed!]

“Is this the last year for this roster?”

“If it weren’t for the military service issue…”

“Yeah, it’s all my fault.”

“That’s true.”

“But it’s Tae-hyun’s (Pumpkin’s) last season. Shouldn’t we at least get him an international championship?”

As Aoul said this and raised the YK flag, the scene changed, and the ARK players appeared on screen.

[ARK narrowly misses the promotion tournament!]

In a darkened room, the four ARK players, excluding Para, watched a video of last season, when they failed to qualify for the promotion tournament. Their uniforms were not from this season but from the time before Para joined ARK. The last match, where they narrowly lost, and the promotion tournament they missed because of it; even the commentator’s voice was filled with sympathy for ARK.

“We went through that too. Now we’re in the LCK finals. How do you all feel?”

Caster asked his teammates.

“I don’t know.”

Lesser replied with a faint smile.

“I’m nervous.”

“Now you’re nervous?”

Plea admitted to being nervous, and KAI put his arm around him and laughed.

[ARK, just a bit short! They are a strong team, and they’ll become even stronger if they can find a player to lead them.]

A moment later, someone opened the door and entered the room. The ARK players turned around.

[Is this player insane! What’s with her champion pool!]

[1st in solo kills! 1st in DPM! 1st in CS difference! Para does it all!]

[Destructive power that swept the LCK regular season!]

[She’s an incredible player. And this is only her first year?!]

[A player that needs no words.]

Different from usual, Para, who always tied up her hair during matches, stood there with her hair flowing down.

“Let’s go. Let’s win.”