"You idiot."
The moment I heard that, I couldn't help but chuckle. It had been a long time since a friend called, yet he hadn't changed at all. It was such a Seungwook thing to say first.
"…Is that really something you say to a friend you haven't spoken to in ages?"
"Isn't it true that you're an idiot?"
"Yeah, I'm an idiot. Happy now?"
Hearing that, laughter came from the other end of the line. Contrary to what I expected, talking to Seungwook after so long didn't feel awkward at all—it felt familiar, almost comforting.
"So, why the sudden call? If you're calling at this hour, it must be work-related, right?"
"Ha, that's why I hate friends who are too sharp."
I heard him click his tongue, but I ignored it. He often did that when we talked. It just showed how close we were.
"So, you've switched to Capsule streaming?"
"Yeah. How'd you know? I thought you'd stop caring after we ended the partnership."
"Huh? Of course I didn't care. What are you talking about?"
I chuckled at that. Honestly, I probably had stopped paying attention to him completely.
"Suddenly contacting me for work? That's suspicious."
"Suspicious? I called because I have a proposal for you."
"A proposal?"
The word 'proposal' made me serious. If he was calling to make a proposal, it had to be something significant. A small matter wouldn't come with preamble—it would be stated plainly. Adding the preamble meant this was big.
"Do you want to participate in the Quas Tournament this time?"
"Quas Tournament?"
At first, I didn't understand. Three seconds later, though, I realized what he meant.
"Are you crazy?"
"Is that your reaction to the proposal?"
"No, it's just… it's strange that you'd suddenly suggest this to me."
The Quas Tournament had unspoken rules. They usually selected streamers with a certain level of popularity or followers. It wasn't officially stated, but looking at previous participants, that was clear.
I met neither condition. I wasn't popular, and my followers had long since dwindled. Me entering the tournament would look weird.
"Well… it seems like you're the only one who can do it."
"What do you mean?"
Seungwook explained honestly. The streamer originally slated to participate had personal issues and couldn't join—coincidentally, they were SSR-ranked.
"I've only been on Capsule for three days."
"That's fine. We're recruiting based on physical skill first, not knowledge."
I thought back to the games I'd played so far, but no matter how I thought about it, I hadn't done anything to earn his trust like that.
"Are you sure it can be me?"
"There's time to learn the game info; you'll pick it up in time."
"No, I mean…"
"Don't worry if it bothers you. It's been long forgotten."
Seungwook's words left me silent. Part of my hesitation was precisely because of that reason.
"…I'll check my schedule and get back to you."
"Please try to do it today or tomorrow."
"Send me the tournament schedule."
With that, I hung up. This was a rare opportunity, but I couldn't answer immediately.
'I already have prior commitments.'
If the tournament overlapped with coaching, it would be tough. A short while later, Seungwook sent the schedule via chat.
The tournament officially started in two weeks, with a week of team scrims before the main event. After scrims, the actual tournament would begin, scoring players across three Battle Hill maps and one special-rule match.
The issue was timing.
'They scheduled the tournament entirely on weekends to maximize viewers.'
I intended to conduct most coaching on weekends.
"I need to coordinate the schedule with them."
I wasn't giving up. This was the Quas Tournament—a perfect stage for growth. With past recognition, participating alone could boost my status significantly. Except for prior commitments.
I immediately called Han La-san Cheonji.
―Hello, this is Han La-san Cheonji.
"Ah, this is Yoo Dongmin. Is this a good time to talk?"
―Ah! Yes, absolutely!
When I said my name, his voice brightened.
"Could you let me know how you plan to schedule the training?"
―We're basically thinking weekends for training.
"Ah…"
Two months until the tournament. That overlapped with the Quas Tournament, so I'd have to give it up. Then Han La-san Cheonji added:
―During the Quas Tournament, we'll need to shift training to other days instead of the weekend.
"During the Quas Tournament?"
―Yes. It's confidential, but Margus will be part of the commentary team then.
"Really?"
If I could free up that day, I could participate in the Quas Tournament.
"Understood."
―We plan to start training this Saturday. Does that work for you?
"Yes, that's fine."
With no external conflicts, I agreed immediately. The call ended.
"I'll announce it in today's stream."
I muttered as I looked at my meal. The budae-jjigae and rice had grown cold. I'd forgotten because of the tournament.
"I was about to eat…"
"Got a reply."
After finishing the call, Team Leader Seungwook soon received a response from Dongmin.
[Possible]
Short but sufficient. Seungwook smiled—his friend agreed.
He immediately called his subordinate.
"We've got the SSR-ranked streamer, everyone can leave."
"Really?"
"Yes. You've all worked late; go home and come back tomorrow."
"Understood!"
The subordinate left, grinning, and Seungwook chuckled. He then made a call.
"Yes, hello? Please replace YuchiaPa with this person. Thank you."
After arranging the change with the design team, Seungwook trudged to the night office. The late hours had taken a toll, and as the tournament's main coordinator, he couldn't leave early.
"After this, I'll finally rest properly…"
He muttered that as he sank into sleep.
Time passed quickly, and weekend morning arrived.
Life had been repetitive: sleep, eat, bathroom, stream, sleep again. Plans for training were made in between.
Finally, the morning of training arrived.
"So this is like a trial version, right?"
I downloaded the Kill Ground trial on Capsule. It included speed mode for coaching purposes. While it downloaded, I reviewed speed mode mechanics.
The PC version of Kill Ground had shut down years ago. Even with experience, a gap in play dulled skill—but I wasn't worried about losing.
"Time to get in…"
Coaching started at 2 p.m., and it was 1 p.m. I needed to log in early to check connections and do icebreaker talk.
As soon as the game downloaded, I entered Capsule.
"Okay… set the lobby to public… accept friend requests…"
Thirty minutes passed while setting up, and I started the broadcast.
"Pilha!"
―Pilha!
―Pilha!
―Pilha!
Within a couple minutes, viewers poured in. In just a week, my active viewers exceeded 100. Mentioning the big reveal today had made them come even faster.
"Have you all eaten lunch?"
―Not yet
―I ate quickly to watch the stream
―Recommend some food
―Just woke up
I read the chat and continued.
"If you haven't eaten, feel free to eat while watching. And for those who asked for a recommendation, order budae-jjigae immediately."
After a few minutes of talk, a whisper popped up:
[All team members are ready.]
Training officially started in five minutes. I began laying the groundwork. Introducing without context could work, but showing the setup visually would be better for viewers.
"Everyone, I mentioned something big was coming today, right?"
―Yes
―That's why I came to watch today
―Are you revealing it now?
―What is it?
"Try to guess."
The chat exploded with guesses.
―Switching to Vtuber?
―A fan meeting?
―Maybe an ad broadcast?
―What could this big reveal be?
No one guessed correctly—who would expect an interim pro-team coach? If anyone did, it'd have to be an insider.
Finally, the time came.
"There are no correct guesses yet."
―Damn
―What the hell?
―Streamer collabs aren't that big… so what is it?
―Is he lying on purpose?
The viewers pondered, but it was time.
"I'll explain after introducing these people."
―Who?
―Was it a collab?
―But he said it was big…
―What's going on?
I sent invites to all five pro-team members and their coach. One by one, they joined my lobby.
First was Margus.
"Hello everyone. I'm Kim Jae-hyuk, pro-gamer known as Margus."
―?
―?????
―Why is Margus here?
―What's happening?
The chat went wild after his intro. Then the next person joined.
"Hello everyone. I'm Bang Ju-hyun, pro-gamer known as KillingBird."
―Why is he here?
―KillingBird in his stream?
―When did he plan this?
―Crazy
One by one, the GG members joined, ending with the coach.
'Looks like they set an order to join.'
Perhaps to save time on introductions.
"Hello, I'm Song Chi-hyun, coach of GG."
With the coach introduced, I explained the content.
"Today's stream will be with the pro-gamers from GG."
I launched the pre-downloaded Kill Ground, and the bright lobby transformed into a practice area.
'I can say it now.'
I glanced at the coach, who nodded. Smiling, I said:
"Today's content is Kill Ground."
And added one more thing:
"Speed mode."