Chapter 88

### Chapter 88: YSG (2)

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The YSG dormitory, which I had visited after a few days, had a similar yet strangely different atmosphere.

How should I put it... It seemed a bit busier somehow?

Considering that the YSG dormitory usually exuded a peculiar, almost lifeless atmosphere with little visible vitality, it was quite a strange scene.

‘Is something going on?’

Of course, I couldn’t know just by looking, so I simply passed through the hallway, which was bustling with activity.

As I passed the front desk, Coach Park Tae-hyung, who was loitering in the lobby, greeted me.

“Ah, you’re here?”

“Hello.”

“Yeah. Come in quickly. The coach is waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

Although I had been in and out of YSG’s practice rooms for some time, this was my first visit to the coach’s office.

*knock knock*

“Coach, it’s me.”

“Come in.”

As I entered the coach’s office, the first thing that greeted me was a pungent smell of cigarettes.

“Ugh...”

Having lived a life strictly managed by my mother for a long time, I had little immunity to any kind of harmful odors, including cigarette smoke.

For some reason, my expression naturally turned sour the moment I faced Coach Choi Tae-dal.

“Hello...”

“Welcome.”

After a brief greeting, Coach Choi Tae-dal got straight to the point.

“Have you thought about the contract?”

“Yes, I think the conditions you mentioned earlier, along with the newly added clauses, are not bad.”

“You’ve thought it through well. Here’s the contract. Take a look. It’s the same as what we agreed on before.”

I took the contract from Coach Choi Tae-dal, glanced at it, and then put it away.

“Hmm, it seems so.”

“...What about the signature?”

“I’ll review it at home and sign it later. If the terms are as you mentioned, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

This was a part that my mother had repeatedly emphasized, so it was important to stick to it.

Although it was unlikely that they would play tricks with a contract that had already been agreed upon, it was always good to be prepared for any eventuality.

“...Hehe. Right. Do that.”

Coach Choi Tae-dal’s attitude suggested that he wasn’t entirely pleased, but since I was the one with the upper hand, he didn’t openly show his dissatisfaction.

‘Hmm.’

It was just as I had simulated with my mother and younger brother.

When I suggested that my mother should come along, she said it would be better, but as I mentioned before, it would be a bit embarrassing to show up with my parents at this age.

‘...Or have I already shown it?’

I don’t know.

I’ll just go with the flow.

“Ah, I’ve kept you too long. Coach Park Tae-hyung.”

“Yes.”

Coach Park Tae-hyung shifted his gaze to me.

“Then, we’ll consider the contract finalized. Since time is short, how about starting practice today?”

“Sure.”

“Good thinking. Let’s head to the practice room then.”

Following Coach Park Tae-hyung, I realized we were heading to the first-team practice room, not the second-team one.

“Are we going this way?”

“Yeah. You already know, right? You’ll be starting from the second round when the roster changes. Naturally, you’ll join the first-team practice from now on.”

Apart from the contract details, I could understand why Coach Park Tae-hyung was in a hurry.

The official LoL Champions Korea Spring season had been underway for quite some time.

YSG’s current record was 0 wins and 2 losses.

If that was all, it might have been manageable, but they hadn’t even won a single set.

In other words, YSG was currently on a 4-game losing streak in terms of sets.

‘Can I do it?’

My heart raced with a different kind of excitement as I entered the first-team practice room.

Although I had returned to YSG temporarily to confirm my team affiliation, the first-team scrim had a completely different significance compared to the second-team and trainee scrims.

‘The first-team scrim is like playing against actual other teams.’

I would be teaming up with and facing off against active professional players.

Of course, I had teamed up with and faced them countless times in solo queue, but the meaning of solo queue and scrims was entirely different.

‘Even the trainee internal scrims weren’t easy.’

Although I had achieved an unbelievable record of winning all the tryout matches, I didn’t think the process was easy at all.

‘I almost lost quite a few times.’

I didn’t carry every game from start to finish.

There were times when I performed relatively poorly, and in those moments, it was the other team members who supported me.

‘That’s what team games are about.’

As I was lost in these thoughts, Coach Park Tae-hyung opened the door to the first-team practice room.

It seemed they were waiting for me, as several pairs of eyes immediately focused on me the moment the door opened.

Despite the tense atmosphere, it was clear that they had been discussing something, which confirmed the rumors about the recent harsh environment.

“Everyone’s been waiting for you. You know the faces, right? This is Outrow, Yoo Jin.”

“Hello.”

I saw the faces of the YSG players.

Although I had encountered them before, this was the first time I was seeing them up close.

“Eh, um, ah...”

“Ah, hello.”

“...Hello.”

Indeed.

The reactions of these young men when they saw me were all the same, and I had become quite used to them.

“As you’ve probably heard, Outrow will be joining the first-team practice from today.”

At Coach Park Tae-hyung’s announcement, YSG’s captain and oldest member, YSG ManGi, Kim Man-gi, asked a question.

“Is this a call-up?”

“Yes, you can see it that way. Just to be clear, it’s a call-up based purely on skill, not any other factors. The other players have also been informed of the tryout results.”

“...Yes.”

Although it felt awkward to say it myself, the story about me had already become a big topic within YSG.

The external factors like my appearance and gender were obvious, but more importantly, my 100% win rate account and the 100% win rate in the tryout scrims made it impossible not to be a topic of discussion.

Naturally, this information had reached the ears of the first-team players, and some of them had even secretly observed me from a distance.

‘They thought I wouldn’t notice, huh?’

But I pretended not to.

If I had met their eyes, I would have turned red and lost sleep for days, which would have affected my performance.

“Coach, I heard Outrow’s position is the jungle... Is that still the case?”

The question came from YSG’s jungler, YSG DieHard, Choi Woo-jin.

Given that I had participated in scrims as a jungler, he was the most sensitive to this.

“Initially, yes, but it could change depending on the situation. I understand your concerns, but you don’t have to worry about being unfairly replaced. It will be strictly based on performance and skill.”

“...Yes.”

Although Coach Park Tae-hyung said this, Choi Woo-jin’s expression didn’t seem very bright.

Seeing this, I felt a strange sensation.

‘...Of course, it’s a secret.’

Although it would be ridiculous to openly tell an existing player to leave because another player is promised a starting position, I didn’t expect him to confidently lie about it.

I thought Coach Park Tae-hyung would try to dodge the question or avoid answering.

For some reason, Choi Woo-jin’s expression towards me seemed quite hostile.

‘He’s looking at me too intensely.’

Choi Woo-jin said in a deflated voice.

“...I’ll prepare for practice.”

“Ah, sorry, but today we’ll be doing individual practice. We’ll have Outrow participate in today’s scrim as a test.”

At Coach Park Tae-hyung’s words, Choi Woo-jin bit his lip.

“...Yes. I understand.”

With that, Choi Woo-jin returned to his seat.

Next, my gaze met YSG’s mid laner, YSG GoGoSing, Go Jung-hwan.

“Wow, meeting you like this. I watched your replays. They were really... unbelievable. Nice to meet you.”

“Eh, um. Yes, yes.”

His sociable nature made me feel a bit awkward, unlike the previous two.

‘Is this... an insider?’

While many former pro players were like this, it was quite rare among recent trainees, so I had to work hard to handle it.

“I heard from Min-su. Ah, the Min-su you know. We’re quite close. Should I say there’s something that connects mid laners? Ah, I’ve talked too much. I look forward to working with you!”

“Ah, yes, yes. I look forward to it too.”

“Hey, speak more casually. You’re much older than me.”

Although I felt a sense of defeat from his words, I decided to accept them as they were.

Next, I greeted YSG’s ADC and support.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.”

ADC YSG JuWon, Kim Ju-won.

Support YSG YYYSSS, Park Chan-sung.

Compared to the impressive first impression of the mid laner, the bottom duo was quite unremarkable.

No, they were so ordinary that their presence was almost invisible.

‘The problem is that this is the same in-game as well...’

The journey ahead wouldn’t be easy.

‘But, it’s not immediately important.’

Even though I had decided to join YSG, I didn’t feel a strong sense of belonging.

I was prepared to leave at any time, as per the contract.

‘Think realistically. If my heart moves, I’ll stay; if not, I’ll leave.’

While I was sorting out these thoughts, Coach Park Tae-hyung clapped his hands.

“Alright, let’s start today’s practice. Do you know who we’re facing today? You’ll need to be on your toes.”

On the schedule in Coach Park Tae-hyung’s hand, a familiar team name appeared.

SCV.

Along with SY, SCV was one of the top teams in the Korean league, known as one of the best in the world. They had finished second in the previous season and even reached the semifinals of the Red Cup.

They were my first scrim opponents.

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