Chapter 70: LCK Finals (8)

Victory. No matter how many times I saved the team from the brink with a super play, no matter how dazzling my individual career became, it was always refuted by those two words: “no victory.” I was even criticized for not winning the championship despite earning the regular season MVP. It was no exaggeration to say that my past life revolved around chasing that single title: victory. Even now, my feelings weren’t much different, but…

“…”

I took off my headset, and the roar of over ten thousand people in the arena hit my ears. My hands, still resting on the keyboard and mouse, wouldn’t relax. And the first thing that caught my eye was…

“Hey, why are you crying right after the game ends?”

…the face of my defeated opponent.

Since the finals setup had the five desktops lined up side by side with the trophy in the center, the opponent’s voices were clearly audible once the noise of the headset was gone.

“But still…I really wanted to go to an international tournament with this team.”

“It’s not over yet. We can win at Worlds.”

Perhaps due to his relatively young age, or maybe because he was dissatisfied with his performance today, Rope, the youngest member and support of YK, was crying.

But it was only for a moment. I averted my gaze, as it felt disrespectful to keep staring. As I slowly stood up, still gripping my trembling hands…

“Are you insane, Seo-ha?!”

Someone put their arm around my shoulder and hugged me. I looked up and saw the coach, a smile gracing his face, a rare sight.

‘Is he that happy?’

He was usually very careful not to touch me and would even separate me from my teammates if they got too close. My teammates were also hugging each other and cheering.

‘I’m happy too, but…’

A strange feeling overshadowed the joy of victory. Of course, I was happy about winning, so I joined my teammates and approached the trophy. The post-victory ceremony was also part of a pro gamer’s job.

“How should we do this?”

“All together?”

“Seo-ha should come to the front.”

“Wouldn’t she be blocked by the camera then?”

The team seriously contemplated their positions around the trophy. The conclusion they reached was…

“…Me in the middle?”

“You carried today anyway.”

“The mid laner usually takes the center.”

The team decided to surround me in the middle. After getting into position…

“One.”

“Two.”

“Three!”

We lifted the trophy together, and another wave of cheers erupted from the crowd.

[A truly amazing performance. I wonder how far ARK’s spring will take them.]

Then, I heard the commentator’s voice. Only then did the reality of our victory truly sink in.

“Did everyone change?”

The manager’s urgent voice echoed in the waiting room.

“Players and coach, please get ready to go out.”

The team and I weren’t wearing our usual uniforms, but short-sleeved T-shirts with the team logo and the word “Champions.”

The victory T-shirts.

“I ordered these in advance and wondered what I would do if we couldn’t wear them.”

The manager, checking to see if everyone had changed, expressed her relief. Since the finals were held the day after the winners’ bracket finals in the LCK playoffs, there were cases where these victory goods went unused. In my past life, there was a season where I earned the regular season MVP and we were expected to win the championship. However, we lost in the finals, and all the victory merchandise went to waste.

‘And then someone posted them on the used market, causing a huge uproar.’

Since it was during the team’s growth period, we couldn’t pinpoint who did it. However, it added fuel to the already negative public sentiment after our loss, and the entire team was subjected to criticism for almost half a year.

‘It’s a good thing we can wear them now.’

I tugged on the hem of my T-shirt, and Kim Do-jin, who was watching me, spoke.

“Is it too long?”

“Huh?”

“I thought it might be a bit long on you.”

“Ah, no, it’s not that. I’m just surprised we won.”

“I thought you would take it for granted.”

Take it for granted…

Honestly, even I thought I would win when I first went to the finals in my past life. But I failed, and then I experienced repeated failures, always falling just short.

“There’s no such thing as taking victory for granted. Reaching the finals requires skill, but winning requires luck.”

“Hearing you say that is pretty cool.”

With that, we headed back to the arena. The caster was waiting for us in front of the trophy at the center of the stage.

“Everyone, let’s give another round of applause! The LCK Spring Champions, ARK!”

Applause and cheers erupted from all directions. How many professions allowed you to be celebrated like this?

“Now, let’s interview the ARK players! First, Caster!”

Park Jin-hwan was usually the quietest member of the team, but perhaps due to the joy of victory…

“You had some difficult moments in the top lane today, but you performed incredibly well against a veteran player!”

“I think so too. There were moments where I won even in unfavorable matchups.”

“Is that so?”

“Also, I baited out a lot of abilities in the 2v1 situation in top lane. I think that’s why we won.”

“I see. You seem to be much more talkative than usual.”

“Because we won.”

Even during interviews, he usually remained silent, but today, he was uncharacteristically praising his own performance.

“Next, let’s talk to Lesser, who cleanly defeated Hunter, the so-called god of the jungle, and led the team to victory!”

“Hello.”

“Lesser, how do you feel about winning the championship?”

“I still… can’t believe it, but I’m happy.”

“When were you happier, when you were promoted to the LCK or now!?”

“Still… I think I was happier when we were promoted.”

Indeed, I also vividly remembered the excitement of playing on the LCK stage for the first time. While the memory of victory was a valuable asset, nothing could compare to the joy of finally competing in the top league for a professional player.

“Then… next is our Plea!”

“…”

“Wait, wait, are you crying?”

I looked at Jin Yu-seong after hearing the caster’s words.

‘He’s actually crying.’

He was someone who would never show weakness. If anyone were to cry after winning, I would have thought it would be Kim Do-jin. Seeing such an unexpected reaction from him was almost surreal.

“Why are you crying? We won! Aren’t you happy?!”

“Th-that’s… I feel bad for my teammates…”

“Why do you feel bad?”

“I kept losing to the enemy ADC. And we almost lost Game 2 because I died in mid lane.”

It’s true that there was a difference in ADC performance today. But honestly, the other lanes made mistakes too, and considering the opponent’s ADC was Pair, arguably the best in his current form, it wasn’t a bad performance.

“Don’t worry about it too much. You can carry at MSI!”

“I will… I’ll do my best and repay my teammates.”

“Good. Then next, we have KAI, who showed an amazing performance today as well.”

Lee Yoo-chan smiled and accepted the microphone when his turn came.

“How do you feel about winning?”

“It’s just… great, and I’m grateful.”

“Then who are you most grateful for?”

“My teammates, the coach, and of course, my parents, but I’m most grateful to Seo-ha. League truly is a mid-centric game.”

Lee Yoo-chan’s last comment drew laughter from the audience and the caster.

Mid-centric game… I had to agree with that.

After Lee Yoo-chan’s interview, the microphone finally came to me.

“Para, I never imagined I’d be interviewing you here.”

“I think this is all thanks to my teammates playing well.”

“Para, you’re still young now, but when I first saw you at VLL, you were in middle school.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you ever imagine you would win the championship after your debut?”

“I hoped for it, but I never took it for granted.”

“I see. Then do you know why you’re being interviewed last?”

The reason for being interviewed last? Now that I thought about it, the usual order was top, jungle, mid, ADC, then support. But for some reason, I was last.

“It’s because Para is the Finals MVP!”

As the caster spoke, a staff member handed me a large panel. It read, “LCK SPRING FINALS MVP.”

Finals MVP. An award only given to the winning team’s best-performing player, different from the regular season MVP.

“Para, how do you feel about receiving the Finals MVP award?”

“I’m happy, but…”

“Happy, but?”

Finally, I understood the strange feeling I had been experiencing.

“Honestly… I’m happy, but I don’t think it’s time to celebrate yet.”

“Not time to celebrate?”

“We’re going to MSI as the LCK representatives. I want to win there, and then celebrate.”

What I wanted was an international championship. To be precise…

“I want to defeat VXG from the LPL.”