Chapter 1

"Lee Sang-hyuk, Lee Sang-hyuk, wait a moment!!" In Gwangju Science High School, South Korea, students were leaving the campus in groups after school. At the door of Class 2-3, a girl with a ponytail was panting and shouting to a boy who was walking ahead.

"What's the matter?" Lee Sang-hyuk turned around, slightly frowning. The face that met his eyes was handsome and delicate, not at all inferior to the pretty boys in the currently popular idol groups.

The girl was clearly taken aback by such a strikingly handsome face, and for a moment, her tone became somewhat nervous as she said, "You, you haven't joined any club yet. I'm the class president, and everyone else has already joined a club. We're just missing you."

Upon hearing this, Lee Sang-hyuk slung the single-shoulder bag he was carrying over his shoulder and waved his hand, saying, "Sorry, I have something to do after school, so I don't have time to join a club."

The girl with the ponytail, upon hearing this, stomped her foot in a hurry, not knowing what to say.

A few boys from the class passed by and saw this scene. One of them, a tall boy named Choi Kyung-phil, said to the girl with the ponytail somewhat resentfully, "Soo-jung, don't bother with him. Look at his arrogant attitude. He's the national champion of the Mathematical Olympiad, he's probably busy studying."

Upon hearing this, Jung Soo-jung suddenly remembered that the boy leaving with a single-shoulder bag was a top student in the school. Since high school, he had always been the student representative speaking in front of the entire school. For a moment, her tone became somewhat hesitant, "But, but..."

Choi Kyung-phil nudged a slightly chubby boy next to him. This chubby boy, named Kim Dong-min, immediately understood and said to Jung Soo-jung, "Come on, Soo-jung, today is the release day of Watch's new MAD. Let's go to the music store quickly."

Choi Kyung-phil also chimed in, "Yeah, Soo-jung, Watch is hailed as the strongest jungler in this year's OGN. His new MAD is sure to be very popular. You like Watch a lot, right? If we go late, there won't be any left!"

Jung Soo-jung looked at Lee Sang-hyuk's back, hesitating for a moment. In the end, she decided to buy Watch's new MAD first.

Lee Sang-hyuk clearly heard what the classmates behind him were saying. He couldn't help but touch his nose with a bitter smile. A mysterious穿越 brought him to a parallel world similar to his previous one. He never expected to be reborn as a high school top student named Lee Sang-hyuk in South Korea. In his previous life, he was a complete underachiever, dropping out of high school to pursue a ridiculous e-sports dream despite his family's objections. The only thing to be grateful for was that he had some talent. He quickly reached the peak of all e-sports players in the game called League of Legends with his exceptional awareness and skills. However, just before he was about to win the S-series finals, he received the news that his father had passed away due to a heart attack because he hadn't returned home for a long time.

At that moment, he remembered many childhood scenes. Unlike other Chinese families, his was a single-parent family. His parents divorced when he was three, and he lived with his father. His father was very indulgent and protective of him when he was young. The only time he faced strict opposition was when he decided to drop out of school to play e-sports. At that time, he was in his rebellious teenage years and thought his father's views were outdated. After negotiating a contract with a club, he left home resolutely. He always remembered the look in his father's eyes when he left, which was devoid of emotion, but he understood the disappointment in them.

So, in his previous life, he trained harder and longer than other players, playing on the Chinese server until he got tired, then switching to the Korean server. Soon, several of his alt accounts were among the top ten on both the Chinese and Korean servers. The ID that always topped the high-ranking lists was "smile," his professional ID.

All he did was for one purpose: to prove to his father that he was right and his father was wrong.

On the eve of the S-series finals, after hearing the news of his father's death, he quietly packed his bags and left the dormitory. He wandered aimlessly on the streets of a strange city, his mind full of the things he had done in the e-sports world over the years. How cute, proving? Who could he prove to now?

In his most disheartened moment, a mysterious穿越 brought him to this parallel world in South Korea, reborn as a high school top student named Lee Sang-hyuk. Perhaps it was fate, but in this life, he still lived in a single-parent family with only his father. The only difference was that in this life, he had a younger sister named Lee Mi-ah, and his father was named Lee Dong-in, a warehouse manager at a supermarket. Like in all melodramatic Korean dramas, his beautiful mother left his father and remarried when he and his sister were very young because she found him poor. Over the years, his father supported both of them with his meager salary. The difference was that in this life, he was his father's pride.

It took him about a month to adapt to life here. Soon, he discovered that the e-sports industry in this parallel world's South Korea was not only still thriving but even more advanced than he could have imagined.

In this life, South Koreans were very averse to the term "computer games" because, in their eyes, e-sports was a serious industry. This industry brought in billions of dollars annually to South Korea, with many high-earning professional players whose popularity rivaled that of sports and entertainment stars. The South Korean government even had a dedicated department for game management. There were over 25,000 professional players and staff in the industry. Many South Koreans had credit cards with the images of famous professional players. Before each match, players were carefully made up by makeup artists, and both the hosts and fans eagerly awaited their appearance. Moreover, there were 95 secondary vocational schools, including one that specialized in game engineering and related courses.

In this life, well-known media platforms and TV stations like MBC and SBS broadcast large-scale e-sports matches during prime time. Professional players had the same level of fame as entertainment and sports stars. They could earn substantial income through endorsements or by releasing MADs (personal highlight reels from games or matches, edited and paired with original songs by famous singers, sold in a format similar to albums).

Watch, as mentioned by Jung Soo-jung and the others, was a rising jungler in the summer season of the OGN Masters, known for his handsome appearance and strong personal skills. After the summer season, the club quickly arranged for him to collaborate with G-Dragon, the leader of the popular Korean group BIGBANG, to create an original BGM for his MAD, which was then released.

Thinking about the release day of Watch's new album, Lee Sang-hyuk tightened his single-shoulder bag and quickened his pace. He had a part-time job at a music store.

When Lee Sang-hyuk arrived at the music store near his home, he found a long queue outside, with many students still joining. He quickly entered through the side door and changed into his employee uniform at the storage cabinet.

"Finally, Sang-hyuk, come help me. My aunt and I are swamped. That boy, Ji-cheng, is hiding in the back room playing games and won't come out no matter how many times I call him," the store owner, Park Seok-beom, a middle-aged man in his forties with a gentle personality, said. He lived nearby and knew about Lee Sang-hyuk's family situation, so he gave him a part-time job in high school to indirectly help his father.

"Sure, I'll come right away," Lee Sang-hyuk hurriedly replied, glancing at Park Ji-cheng, who was hiding in the back room playing games. He thought of his previous life and couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head as he walked over.

Lee Sang-hyuk's main job was to restock the shelves with new albums or MADs from the warehouse. However, today, with the release of Watch's MAD, many of his fans and G-Dragon's fans came to buy it, causing a shortage at the front counter. He had to frequently go to the warehouse to restock, and his aunt, Kim Yoo-suk, was also busy at the cash register.

As Lee Sang-hyuk was carrying a box of albums from the warehouse to the front counter, he unexpectedly saw some familiar faces in the long queue, including Jung Soo-jung and a few boys from his class.

"I told you to hurry up. Look, all the music stores around the school are sold out, and we had to come all the way here to buy it. Do you know how popular Watch is now?" Choi Kyung-phil, looking at the long queue, complained to the chubby Kim Dong-min.

Kim Dong-min looked at Jung Soo-jung, who was covering her mouth and giggling.

"Look, isn't that Lee Sang-hyuk?" A boy named Lee Young-jae, who was with them, suddenly noticed Lee Sang-hyuk, who was restocking the front counter.

"Yeah, that's him. Hmph, I knew he wouldn't join the club. He's using his free time to earn money here. No wonder he's a top student; his brain is better than ours," Choi Kyung-phil said sarcastically, pointing at Lee Sang-hyuk, who was busy.

"Don't say that. What if he has some difficulties at home?" Jung Soo-jung, who had a good impression of Lee Sang-hyuk, defended him, "By the way, I remember seeing on the student registration form that Lee Sang-hyuk is from a single-parent family."

Choi Kyung-phil was speechless for a moment but didn't say anything more.

Lee Sang-hyuk, of course, was aware of their pointing and whispering, but in this life, he didn't care about the opinions of a group of high school students. After a month of adaptation, he had finally determined his goal in this life: to become his father's pride. Since fate had given him a second chance as a top student, he would try to make up for the regrets of his previous life and maintain his father's pride.

After buying the MAD, Jung Soo-jung and her group quickly left without saying anything. However, Jung Soo-jung's hesitant expression when buying the MAD made Lee Sang-hyuk chuckle.

As dusk fell, the crowd in front of the music store gradually decreased. Finally, when Lee Sang-hyuk announced that the last MAD was sold, a few people who didn't get one left with regret.

At this moment, Park Ji-cheng came out of the back room, his voice full of excitement as he clenched his fist and said to Lee Sang-hyuk, who was tidying up the shelves, "Bro, I finally reached the Silver tier, hahaha!"

Lee Sang-hyuk couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time, but he saw Park Seok-beom walking out from behind Park Ji-cheng, looking at him with a strange expression.

Park Ji-cheng, seeing Lee Sang-hyuk's expression, patted his head and said, "Oh, I almost forgot. You don't play this game, Ah! What a pity."

Park Seok-beom suddenly grabbed Park Ji-cheng's ear from behind, "You brat, saying such dirty words. What a pity? Your brother is a top student at Gwangju Science High School. If you could be half as good as him, your father would be satisfied!"

"What? I told you I'm not cut out for studying. How can I be like my brother? And didn't you say you would support me in becoming a professional player?" Park Ji-cheng, very dissatisfied, struggled to free himself from the grip on his ear.

"I want to support you, but are you the right material? You're far from the level needed to become a professional. No club would even take you as a trainee!" Park Seok-beom gave Park Ji-cheng a hard knock on the head.

"Ouch, that hurts, Dad! I told you I'll try!" Park Ji-cheng, rubbing his head, jumped up in dissatisfaction.

Seeing the playful interaction between the father and son, Lee Sang-hyuk felt a warm sensation in his heart. Thinking of his father and sister waiting for him at home, he interrupted, "Uncle, I've finished organizing the shelves. I'll go home now if there's nothing else."

"Sure, be careful on your way. You don't have to come so early tomorrow. Gwangju Science High School is the best high school here, and the workload is heavy. Make sure to finish your homework first," Park Seok-beom said with concern.

"Got it, Uncle. I'll go now." Lee Sang-hyuk found his clothes in the storage cabinet and changed.

The winter in Gwangju didn't get dark too early. When Lee Sang-hyuk got home, he was carrying pork belly from a nearby hot food store and a bottle of soju, which he had bought specially for his father.

After unlocking the door and entering the house, his father was bent over a desk, carefully logging the inventory of the warehouse. His sister, Lee Mi-ah, was sitting on a simple sofa in front of the TV, waiting for dinner.

"Bro, you're finally back. I'm starving. Did you bring anything good to eat?" Hearing the door open, Lee Mi-ah perked up, turned around, and ran over to Lee Sang-hyuk.

"No, I only bought a bottle of soju for Dad." Lee Sang-hyuk deliberately hid his left hand behind his back and waved the soju in his right hand.

"Hmph, I don't believe you!" Lee Mi-ah suddenly ran around to Lee Sang-hyuk's back and snatched the box of pork belly, looking triumphant.

"You! Go wash your hands and call Dad for dinner." Lee Sang-hyuk affectionately ruffled Lee Mi-ah's hair.

"Hey, I'm already in my third year of middle school. You're only two years older than me, so don't touch my head!" Lee Mi-ah, dissatisfied, dodged Lee Sang-hyuk's hand.

During dinner, his father casually asked about Lee Sang-hyuk's studies, but his eyes were still on the inventory list on the table.

"Dad, have you been busy lately?" Lee Sang-hyuk couldn't help but ask.

"Huh, look at me, let's eat." Lee Dong-in looked up, paused, and then realized, "Not really busy. Your sister is about to start high school, so I took a part-time job organizing the front desk records to earn more and prepare for your and your sister's tuition fees."

"Okay." Lee Sang-hyuk responded, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Look, bro, it's Piglet! Wow, he's so good!" Lee Mi-ah, who had been staring at the TV, suddenly exclaimed.

Lee Sang-hyuk looked up and was surprised to see that SBS was broadcasting the current top rankings of League of Legends on the Korean server. The screen was showing the ADC Viern, known as the best Viern on the Korean server, with Piglet operating Viern to perform various impressive kills. The familiar kill sound effects from the TV made Lee Sang-hyuk feel something stirring in his blood for a moment.

The screen then switched to a fair win rate statistics table for high-ranking Viern players on the Korean server. At the top was the ID "Piglet."

"What's the 'E-100' after the ID? It's the same name as the mineral water we usually drink," Lee Sang-hyuk asked, puzzled.

"Bro, you're so outdated. That's a sponsor. Many professional players on this list are endorsing a brand. Piglet is the best Viern on the Korean server, and E-100 Corporation paid a high endorsement fee to get him. No wonder my favorite Piglet is the best, hehe!" Lee Mi-ah, talking about her idol, immediately became animated.

"Oh, that's interesting." Lee Sang-hyuk said thoughtfully, looking at Lee Mi-ah's worshipful expression at the TV, feeling the influence of e-sports in this parallel world's South Korea.

"How can you like a kid like Piglet? The girls in my class all like Watch, who is so handsome!" Lee Sang-hyuk teased Lee Mi-ah.

"Hey, don't call my idol a kid. He's very talented, you know. Hmph, what's so great about Watch? He's just handsome. Hmph, is he more handsome than you?" Lee Mi-ah said, very dissatisfied.

"Uh, I see." Lee Sang-hyuk, somewhat speechless, touched his face.

The body he had been reborn into was indeed astonishingly perfect in every way. According to the memories of the previous owner, he would receive invitations from various entertainment companies to become a trainee when he was in middle school.

However, the previous owner was a complete bookworm and had no interest in becoming a trainee at an entertainment company.

After dinner, his sister, very considerate,