I Can Do It (Taekook)
#1
November 2nd, five o’clock in the afternoon, there was a fine drizzle in Seoul.
The area outside Gocheok Sky Dome was filled with people holding banners and LED signs printed with e-sport teams’ logos. They were currently lining up in an orderly fashion to enter the arena, and every person’s face was filled with excitement and anticipation. The rain didn’t seem to affect them at all.
Today, the semifinals for LoL’s S10 World Championship Series were being held here. The two teams participating in the competition were the HT team and the TTC team from Korea’s LCK division.
The team who emerged victorious here would receive the opportunity to participate in the World Championship finals next week.
Since TTC had the home ground advantage, just from a cursory glance around, one could see that nearly all the merch the fans were holding were printed with TTC’s crown logo.
A bus pulled to a stop at the right side of the stadium, and a white crown logo was printed on the body of the gleaming black bus. Seeing that, security quickly stood up to do their jobs, blocking all the media and fans who wanted to rush up and crowd around the bus door.
The door of the bus opened slowly, and TTC’s members disembarked one by one, smiling as they waved or nodded amidst the fans’ screams.
When the last member got off the bus, the surrounding screams clearly grew even louder, and the fans waved their LED signs even more energetically.
With many people, it was hard to prevent an accident from occurring. A sign with TTC written on it suddenly fell to the ground, followed closely by a girl’s shriek and the sound of security yelling at her to stop.
？？？
Sorry, sorry… someone pushed me just now, I’m really sorry. Can you help me pick up the LED sign? Please
security
I’ll help you pick it up in a bit, back up a little…
Right after the security guard said that, someone bent down and picked up the sign before handing it over.
The man who picked it up was wearing a black and white uniform. His hair was a little casually messy, and if you looked closely, you could see that there was an impression left behind at the corner of his slender and narrow eye from sleeping while leaning against something. Below that was a tall and straight nose and thin lips that were slightly pursed.
The girl looked at him for a few seconds, dazed, before she looked down at the LED sign he was handing over.
His fingers were long and slim.
The man gave a tiny nod before he turned around and walked into the competition arena.
The girl only absent-mindedly collected her thoughts after the image of the man’s back had completely disappeared
She tightly hugged her sign before suddenly spinning around and grabbing the clothing of her friend next to her. She screamed excitedly
？？？
That was Road! Kim Taehyung! God Road nodded at me!! And he even touched my sign, ahhh—
Backstage in the break room, everyone in TTC evidently looked much more relaxed.
TTC’s support, Jung Hoseok, sat down in a chair and took out a mirror to examine the hairstyle that he had messed with for a long time before leaving.
Hoseok
That girl’s voice just then was way too powerful. The reason Korea’s soccer team didn’t win championships is definitely because they were lacking her support
The team’s manager and coach smacked his head firmly with his notebook
coach
"Don’t speak nonsense"
The coach then turned to look at Kim Taehyung, or Road, who had just sat down. Kim Taehyung held his phone in his left hand and was scrolling down the screen. His right hand was propped against the armrest of the chair, and he was currently lightly curling and uncurling his fingers.
Half an hour before the competition began, the coach started to give everyone pre-match guidance.
At the very end, the coach glanced at the team’s mid laner and abruptly called him out.
coach
You remember everything I told you before, right?
Minho(Kan)
*The person who was called out took half a second to respond*
Minho(Kan)
Ah… oh, of course I remember. I won’t make the same mistake as before
Taehyung(Road)
*swept a glance at him. After the coach finished saying everything, he stood up and said*
Taehyung(Road)
Going to bathroom
As the water rushed over his hands, it brought a bone-chilling coldness with it.
Taehyung(Road)
*Hearing that voice, lifted his head and looked through the mirror at the coach standing behind him*
Taehyung(Road)
*A few seconds later, turned off the tap and drew out some paper towels to dry his hands. Calmly, he met the coach’s gaze*
Taehyung(Road)
As long as I’m allowed to go up, I can win.
AfreecaTV’s LoL livestream channels. Currently, the official broadcast room already reached over 800 million popularity points, solidly occupying first place among the other LoL channels. Following behind were the channels of previous professional players who began streaming after retiring.
As far as one could see, all the streaming room names were worded with titles like “S10 Semifinals,” “Passionate Commentary,” “TTC Must Win"
On the first page of rankings, the room name at the very bottom of the list became a breath of fresh air.
[taking a lazy day. —Soft]. The livestream room had 130 million popularity points.
Jeon Jungkook came back carrying takeout. When he saw that the host was still chatting away in the livestream, he unwrapped the takeout packaging.
Since it was raining outside, the takeout was almost half an hour late, and he was absolutely starving.
[No way no way, you’re making us sit here and watch you eat takeout?]
[Inactive livestream, reported.]
[Whatcha eating?]
Jungkook(Soft)
Zhajiangmian
Jungkook(Soft)
*just woke up not too long ago, so he spoke lazily*
Jungkook(Soft)
If I’m not full, how will I have the strength to explain things for you guys?
[Okok, eat some more, I’m afraid you won’t have the energy to flame people later.]
[Left the LoL pit for many years, I want to ask who is this streamer? Why so popular? Is he also a retired player? So handsome?]
[This is a LoL streamer famous for pissing people off.]
[Dirty mouth streamer.]
[Noob streamer.]
Jungkook(Soft)
Room mod, please block the one who called me a noob… never mind, I’ll block them myself.
Jungkook(Soft)
*put down his chopsticks and arranged a speaking ban package for the person who called him a noob.*
After chatting casually with the audience for a while, the two teams finally went on stage to prepare for the match.
Jungkook sat cross-legged on the gaming chair, holding the bottom of the takeout container with one hand. His chewing slowed down a bit as his gaze unconsciously floated over towards the person sitting second from the left.
TTC’s jungler Road had already taken a seat and was currently adjusting his equipment. It seemed like he had just washed his face, as the tips of his bangs were a bit wet.
The broadcast started to give each player a close-up shot. When it was Road’s turn, the camera clearly lingered a bit longer on him than the others, and the commentator immediately changed the subject to Road.
Commentator A gave an introduction. “Next up, the camera is focused on TTC’s, and I could even say our LCK’s, ace jungler, TTC · Road! Kim Taehyung is as handsome as ever today.”
？？？
Commentator A gave an introduction. “Next up, the camera is focused on TTC’s, and I could even say our LCK’s, ace jungler, TTC · Road! Kim Taehyung is as handsome as ever today.”
？？？
Commentator B, “That’s right, and what’s more, he doesn’t look nervous at all.”
？？？
“As expected of TTC’s stabilizing rock. Wherever he sits, I feel especially at ease.”
？？？
Commentator C laughed, and as the camera’s focus changed, he said, “However, the mid laner seems to be quite tense today.”
？？？
Commentator B, “A little bit. Reasonably speaking, he shouldn’t be though. He’s already fought in the World Championship four times now. I hope that Kan adjusts quickly and does his best to relax before the game starts.”
Jungkook(Soft)
*glanced over the barrage and swallowed his noodles before answering*
Jungkook(Soft)
Who do I think will win? Dunno, depends on the condition of the teams. If TTC wins, will I send red envelopes? It’s not like I’m TTC’s brand ambassador, why would I send out red envelopes if they win? … is Kan stronger or am I stronger? I am
The long-time fans instantly sent out a cascade of “666.” They had long since grown accustomed to Soft’s style.
Soft entered the livestreaming platform two years ago, and he had exploded in popularity just a few months after joining. There were many reasons for it, but if one had to pick the most important ones, it would be: one, he was strong and his stream quality was high, and two, his personality was arrogant and he dared to say almost anything.
But there were also a few new audience members who still didn’t like it.
[You can only run your mouth in a livestream anyway.]
[You think that you’re all that just because you solo killed Kan a few times? Kan is a farming-team-fight type player, not like you, the kind of idiot who plays Child Zed and Scammer Suo.]
Jungkook(Soft)
I don’t know what a ‘farming-team-fight type player’ is. All I know is that the winner is the one who can kill the other person and send them back home
Jungkook(Soft)
Who made that compilation of me solo killing Kan while playing ranked last time? Share a copy with this fan.
[…is this streamer really this conceited? A Kan anti?]
[Nope, don’t misunderstand, he’s like this towards everyone, not just your Kan. But Kan really has been pretty trash this season.]
[For the time being, I really can’t think of a famous player that hasn’t been roasted by Soft before.]
[There is one! He’s never roasted Road before!]
Jungkook(Soft)
Enough, the match is starting
Jungkook(Soft)
*interrupted the barrage’s rhythm and adjusted the location of his streaming interface on the screen*
Jungkook(Soft)
Is this video window covering up the competition interface? I’ll close it for a while
[Close it my ass! This old lady came just to see your face! If you close it I might as well go watch the official broadcast!]
[Don’t close it, I’m depending on that blue-colored thing on your head to keep me awake.]
When Jeon Jungkook just started streaming, he had once been placed by the livestream administrator into the “Beauty category” because he was too good-looking.
His skin was fair, his eyelashes were thick and long, his eyes were even brighter than a girl’s, and there was a tiny mole right below his lips. As long as you muted him and went to look at the person in the video, you would discover that he was at most seventeen or eighteen years old.
But the main reason Jeon Jungkook got placed into the “Beauty category” was because he had dyed all of his hair blue.
The aqua blue color contrasting against his skin made him seem even paler, and it felt like he could spin around and debut as soon as you placed a mic over his ears.
However, Jeon Jungkook didn’t stay in the Beauty category for very long, precisely because a complaint had been filed against him after he insulted the audience. After being complained to several dozen times in a row, the administrator obediently put him back in the LoL category.
All in all, the mental endurance ability of the little brothers and sisters in the Beauty category was still too weak.
Jungkook’s statement just then obviously wasn’t actually seeking the audience’s opinions. After he finished talking, he swiftly closed the video.
With the video on, he didn’t even feel comfortable eating.
He ignored the barrage’s protests and completely got rid of the video interface before he concentrated on watching the match.
The competition used a BO5 format, five games and three victories. Not only did it test the players’ strength, it even more so tested their mental fortitude and endurance. But none of the people sitting on stage were new to the professional scene; every person was in a very stable condition.
In the first game, TTC targeted the enemy’s top lane and successfully counterganked the enemy jungler twice, easily seizing the win in just thirty-five minutes.
In the second game, TTC’s bot lane created a huge advantage from the start and was the first to break through to the enemy base from the bot lane. But because Kan died twice in a row from sneak-attacks, he gave the other team an opportunity, and unfortunately TTC lost the game after forty-five minutes.
The barrage flew by furiously. Everyone was roasting Kan for being trash, and there were also a few people who asked Jeon Jungkook why he wasn’t insulting Kan anymore.
Jungkook(Soft)
Got tired of insulting
Jungkook(Soft)
*looked at the stats from the previous game and said,*
Jungkook(Soft)
8,300 damage… in forty-five minutes, he only did 8,300 damage. If I put a Rift Scuttler in the mid lane, the Rift Scuttler would do even more damage than him
[All you ever know how to do is bbbbb in the livestream room, if you’re that great then you do it!]
Jungkook(Soft)
If you’re that great then you do it
Jungkook(Soft)
*could see that phrase in the barrage thousands of times in one day*
He was too lazy to respond, and he leaned back in the gaming chair to pay attention to the third game.
If one were to say that Kan was still being reasonably trash in the first two games, then in this game, after Kan flashed mistakenly and became first blood for no good reason in the first five minutes, he was truly abnormally trash.
But luckily Road pulled through as always. In the mid-late game, he used Camille’s ganking advantage to kill the other side quite a few times in a row with TTC’s top laner, managing to secure the win with much difficulty.
The fourth game was even longer.
Kan finally behaved properly for once in the early game, and nothing happened in the laning phase. But during the team fight phase in the mid-late game, he actually ended up sacrificing his teammates and fleeing with half health twice.
Perhaps some players who weren’t skilled enough might feel that Kan running away twice was excusable, but Jeon Jungkook knew very well that if Kan had done enough follow-up damage during those two team fights, he could have completely taken down two or even three people from the other team.
Never mind a professional player, if a Platinum-rank player fought in such a team fight, not even they could possibly choose to betray their teammates and run away.
After fifty-two minutes, TTC lost the fourth game, and the score was 2:2. It was the match point for both sides.
The moment the fourth game ended, Road stood up and walked backstage without looking back once; he didn’t spare a single glance at Kan, who was sitting beside him.
[Why isn’t the streamer saying anything anymore?]
[My empathy is too strong, I already helped Road beat up that piece of crap Kan.]
[The streamer actually hasn’t insulted Kan for two entire games now!]
Jungkook was quiet for a short while, all the way until the camera focused on Kan.
Kan was a big, tall, and slightly pudgy fellow, and he had a clean appearance, one that seemed very easy-going. At that moment, his head was lowered, and he wore an extremely remorseful expression.
Jungkook(Soft)
You guys, take a guess at what he’s currently thinking?
[Must be sad, after all he’s getting old, he’s already 24 this year. Both his APM and mind can’t compare with a younger person’s anymore…]
[Kan wasn’t all that great even when he was young, OK? The most useless one in the team is him.]
[Hater, watch your words, Kan has also helped the team win quite a few times before.]
Jungkook(Soft)
My guess is that he’s thinking… ‘I acted so well during the last two games, I’m going to have to make the gambling banker give me some more money later
After he said that, the antis and fans alike were shocked, and the barrage was instantly full of question marks.
The meaning behind Jeon Jungkook’s words were very clear: he was secretly mocking Kan for putting on a show and cooperating with gambling bankers.
Naturally, after the LoL competitive scene grew to its current scale, it was impossible to avoid its fate of being used as gambling fodder. Many teams had been suspected of “matchfixing” before, but that was all just the audience’s private roasting. No one would say it publicly.
As soon as Jeon Jungkook said that, his screen was basically filled with comments attacking him.
[Usually, when you badmouth a player it can be taken as a joke, but now that you’re slandering someone’s reputation, that’s a little much.]
[I fucking called and reported you, this streamer is so disgusting]
[Saying this kind of thing without any evidence at all, okay…]
Jungkook couldn’t be bothered to argue with the barrage. Watching the last four games made his head hurt, so he decided he might as well get up and grab a can of iced coffee from the fridge.
By the time he was back, the starting roster for both teams had been announced for the fifth game.
There were two substitutes for TTC. One was the substitute mid laner, swapping out Kan, who was in a “poor condition.”
The other was the substitute jungler, swapping out the team’s backbone, Road.
666: Chinese slang for great/awesome/amazing ^
Derogatory term to refer to the champions
Counterganking: ganking is essentially a surprise attack on an enemy champion, usually in coordination with the jungler to outnumber/overpower the enemy. Counterganking is when you try to gank and the other team ends up ganking you. Here’s a good explanation for both ^
bbbbb as in spew BS/flame others ^
APM: actions per minute; measurement for hand speed ^
#2
As he watched two unfamiliar-looking players walk onto the stage wearing TTC’s team uniform, Jeon Jungkook momentarily forgot to take a sip of the canned coffee he had just opened. Question marks flooded the live barrage so fast that Jungkook’s streaming interface lagged for several seconds.
Never mind the audience—even the two TTC substitute players who had just appeared on stage looked visibly confused.
Especially the one replacing Kim Taehyung (Road).
All three commentators froze for half a beat, then exchanged awkward, professionally strained smiles
？？？
TTC… must have some tactic in mind, right?
？？？
After receiving the cue, another quickly nodded. “They must’ve prepared some kind of new ultimate maneuver. But if I remember correctly, this is the first time TTC’s substitute jungler has ever played on stage?”
？？？
“That’s right. He’s known for team-fight engagement, but actual stage experience is… limited.”
The match hadn’t officially started yet. Jungkook didn’t feel like listening to that brand of broadcaster coping, so he muted the official OGN-style broadcast and asked casually
Jungkook(Soft)
Since when did TTC even have a substitute jungler?
Truthfully, this wasn’t the first time TTC’s substitute jungler had come up.
Back during roster registration, fans had noticed an unfamiliar name buried at the bottom of TTC’s lineup. Rumor said he’d been pulled straight from the trainee program the moment he met the age requirement. That alone had been enough to set TTC’s official accounts on fire—more precisely, Road’s fans had blown them up.
After all, TTC had Kim Taehyung.
Since Taehyung joined, TTC had never once fielded a substitute jungler.
[This sub’s been registered since summer split.]
[If they’d subbed mid last match, maybe TTC wouldn’t have lost.]
[So the jungler sub finally shows up after warming the bench all season.]
[What kind of move is TTC pulling?]
Jungkook(Soft)
*lifted an eyebrow, unimpressed*
Even if TTC had prepared something secret, there was no rational reason to bench Road and throw a first-timer onto the semifinals stage.
His phone vibrated. Jungkook unmuted the broadcast again and openly picked up his phone, slouching back in his chair like he had all the time in the world.
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
Big bro, how do you have the guts to say whatever you want?💬
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
You basically implied Kan was match-fixing on stream. In front of millions. Are you not scared of his fans?💬
Jungkook(Soft)
I’m not scared of him. Why would I be scared of his fans?💬
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
*paused, thumb hovering. He’d almost typed you’re insane, before remembering Jungkook had always been like this.*
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
You should seriously restrain yourself. One day the LCK players are going to hire someone to beat you up.💬
Jungkook(Soft)
I wasn’t flaming Kan. I was praising him.💬
Jungkook(Soft)
Before, he was trash, but at least Diamond-level trash. Today? There’s no way to play like that unless your brain’s been oxygen-deprived for ten years. If I say he’s match-fixing, I’m basically complimenting him—saying he should be way better than what he showed.💬
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
*locked his phone with a wooden expression.*
He wasn’t going to argue with a troll over what was right and wrong.
Jungkook was right about one thing, though.
TTC hadn’t prepared any miracle tactics.
Five minutes in, TTC’s substitute jungler got solo-killed while casually pathing through his own jungle.
Twelve minutes in, he tried to gank mid—only to be counterganked. The enemy mid and jungler picked up a clean double kill.
With their pillar benched and two starters shaken, the remaining three looked completely out of sync. When the first major team fight broke out at twenty minutes, TTC was wiped.
Jungkook glanced at the gold difference and already knew there’d be no comeback. He stopped explaining altogether and opened his barrage helper, ready for some “friendly interaction.”
[TTC is garbage.]
[Why isn’t the streamer flaming anyone?]
[Now I get why this jungler never played last season.]
[Road was carrying—why sub him out?]
[Road’s washed anyway. TTC’s all trash. He should retire.]
Jungkook(Soft)
*flicked his finger and blocked the last account.*
The person immediately reappeared on a burner.
[You block people over nothing? You flame players all the time—why don’t you block yourself?]
Jungkook(Soft)
If you piss me off, I block you
Jungkook(Soft)
*lazily, leaning back*
Jungkook(Soft)
If you don’t like it, hold it in.
Jungkook(Soft)
*adjusted into a more comfortable position and continued, voice calm and sharp*
Jungkook(Soft)
The substitute jungler is bad. But it’s his first ever stage game in a deciding match—fine, that’s excusable. He clearly hasn’t scrimmed much with the starters. And it’s not like the rest of the team is playing well either. Just think of it as watching a Diamond-ranked solo queue game
Jungkook(Soft)
The substitute mid is okay, though. Barely more useful than Kan was in the last four games. Obviously still not as good as me—don’t ask dumb questions
At thirty-two minutes, the match ended.
TTC was crushed.
HT forced their way into TTC’s Nexus and spent nearly thirty seconds dismantling it on the big screen.
The TTC break room was silent.
Staff members moved carefully, cameras raised, breathing shallow. Multiple close-ups landed on Kim Taehyung.
Taehyung sat on the sofa, posture relaxed, expression unreadable. His features were sharp and sculpted—straight nose, defined jawline, eyes dark and deep-set beneath long lashes. His team jacket hung loosely off his broad shoulders, sleeve swallowing his hand as it rested against the armrest.
Kan sat in the corner, lips chewed raw. Watching the screen, watching his teammates fall apart, he finally cracked.
Minho(Kan)
I said I could’ve played.
Kim Seokjin, the team captain, didn’t even look at him.
Minho(Kan)
Even if I didn’t play well before, but—
coach
Don’t say another word
Minutes later, the rest of TTC filed in. Heads down. Shoulders heavy.
This wasn’t just a loss—it was humiliation.
Even veterans who’d stood on Worlds stages couldn’t stop their eyes from burning.
The coach gave them a few perfunctory words, then stepped out to call the team bus and request extra security. The fans outside were already boiling.
In the suffocating quiet, Seokjin finally moved
Seokjin
*picked up his cap, pulled it low, and said evenly*
They stood and filed out.
The substitute jungler—seventeen, freshly promoted—walked at the very back, gripping his equipment bag so tightly his knuckles went white. The noise outside bled through the walls, and for a moment he imagined his ID being shouted, mocked, drowned in jeers.
He stopped walking.
A firm hand landed on his shoulder—twice.
Seokjin
Practice harder when we get back
The boy broke down, nodding as he buried his face in his sleeves.
TTC’s bus returned straight to the base.
After disembarking, the coach repeatedly warned everyone to uninstall community apps before entering the meeting room with Taehyung.
coach
I’ve contacted the league
coach
*setting down a cup of hot water*
coach
They're on their way
coach
What if it’s really what you think it is?
Taehyung(Road)
Then we handle it by the rules
coach
*frowned* Kan’s been with TTC for seven years.
coach
How’s your condition? The doctor’s on his way. I should’ve brought him to the arena.
Taehyung(Road)
*slid his sleeve back.
His right hand trembled*
Taehyung(Road)
It's better
coach
It’s been this long and it’s still shaking?
Taehyung(Road)
The middle games dragged on
coach
Don’t joke. You used to practice ten hours a day. Now fifty minutes is too long? You definitely overtrained
coach
You’re resting. No practice. No game
Taehyung(Road)
Any progress on a mid laner?
coach
We’ve shortlisted trainees, ladder standouts, expiring contracts. We’ll screen them
Taehyung(Road)
Send me the list
coach
But remember—we’re recruiting a teammate, not a wife. Stop being so picky. Everyone you rejected last time got signed elsewhere
Taehyung gave a quiet acknowledgment.
If finding a teammate were as easy as finding a wife, he thought, this wouldn’t take so long
#3
The next afternoon, right after waking up, Jeon Jungkook saw several unread messages on his phone.
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
Awake yet, big bro?💬
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
Heard the platform’s about to roll out another major reform. Tone it down a bit in your streams lately—don’t flame so hard.💬
Jungkook(Soft)
*rubbed his eyes and replied with a perfunctory Got it, not taking it very seriously*
Whenever streaming platforms “reformed,” it always boiled down to the same handful of rules. He wasn’t doing anything explicit or hacking games, so it wouldn’t affect him.
Since it wasn’t time to stream yet, Jungkook opened Weibo to kill time.
The moment the app loaded, the same name flooded his screen.
Because he only followed esports-related accounts, his feed was nothing but competitive news. Several topics had already climbed into the hot search and refused to budge.
#Road rumored to retire#
#Looking back on Road’s five-year pro career#
#The end of Road’s legend?#
Jungkook(Soft)
*blinked, the last traces of sleep evaporating.*
Jungkook(Soft)
*rolled onto his side and slowly scrolled*
The topic of Road’s retirement had surged to number one, surpassing even last night’s semifinal discussion. The engagement numbers were absurd.
But it made sense.
Who was Kim Taehyung (Road)?
From the moment he joined, he had dragged TTC out of the lower leagues and into the LCK spotlight. The following year, he lifted the World Championship trophy, then won Most Popular Player two years in a row. He was TTC’s backbone—and the most visible star in the Korean competitive scene.
On a normal day, even a short interview could trend. Retirement rumors were gasoline on a bonfire.
Marketing accounts had already published long retrospectives, milking sentiment. The comments were filled with crying emojis and fans insisting they didn’t believe it.
Jungkook didn’t believe it either.
There were only a few reasons a pro retired: poor performance, declining mechanics, or slowing APM. Judging from Taehyung’s play yesterday, all three were nonsense.
He checked TTC’s official account. The most recent post was still last night’s match report.
Taehyung’s own page was even quieter—last activity was a commercial shoot from a month ago.
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
You on Weibo? Everyone’s saying Road’s retiring.💬
Jungkook(Soft)
Saw it. Source?💬
Eunwoo(Shiliu)
Supposed insider info. Saying he has a hand injury.💬
As Jungkook brushed his teeth, Taehyung’s expression from last night flashed through his mind.
Jungkook(Soft)
That was someone with a hand injury?💭
He clicked into a few of Taehyung’s posts. The man hadn’t said a word, but the comments were already overflowing—supportive fans mixed with venomous antis.
"Road should’ve retired ages ago. Trash gameplay. Didn’t even play the deciding game last night—clearly setting up a scapegoat if they lost. His fans are just face fans anyway. Who knows how strong the new junglers are now."
Jungkook(Soft)
*spat out toothpaste and immediately tapped reply*
Jungkook(Soft)
Who’s stronger than him? List them. Dad wants to see.
Only after Kim Taehyung woke up did he discover that he had apparently “retired.”
He washed up quickly and opened the door—only to find a small, slightly round figure sitting guard outside, back hunched, looking inexplicably pitiful.
Hearing movement, the person snapped around. It was Jung Hoseok, the team’s support, who had joined TTC the same year as Taehyung.
Hoseok
You’re… retiring?*bit his lip, eyes red, voice muffled*
Everyone on the team knew about Taehyung’s hand. Even though the doctor said it hadn’t reached a point where he couldn’t play, the anxiety never went away.
Hoseok
*A thousand pleas flashed through his head, but all that came out was*
Taehyung(Road)
Two or three years.
coach
Enough, stop scaring him
coach
*walked down from upstairs, notebook in hand.*
Taehyung(Road)
*slid one hand into his pocket*
Taehyung(Road)
How did the rumor spread?
coach
It started as talk about your hand
coach
Then someone claimed league officials came to the base last night. It snowballed
Taehyung(Road)
Auntie made breakfast. Eat first
The base cook was used to their hours. At three in the afternoon, breakfast was already waiting.
Hoseok
Kan messaged me*lowered his voice*
Taehyung(Road)
*didn’t pause while cutting his ham. Kan was just one of dozens of unread messages*
Taehyung(Road)
What did the league say?
coach
They’re investigating. It’ll take time
coach
What if we’re overthinking it?
Taehyung didn’t answer.
For matters like this, false suspicion was better than letting someone slip through. And if Kan was innocent, the league wouldn’t convict him without proof.
coach
Let’s drop it for now,
coach
You’ve got a week off. Plans?
Taehyung(Road)
Staying here
He needed acupuncture and moxibustion daily. Going home was inconvenient—and he didn’t want his parents knowing.
coach
I’ll tell Auntie to come regularly.
The coach pulled out a sheet of paper.
Six names.
Each ID was annotated with rank, stream channel, past achievements, and internal evaluation scores.
coach
We clipped some gameplay
coach
The first two are decent. I’ll send the videos
Taehyung(Road)
*gaze stopped at the bottom of the list.*
A name had been crossed out in black ink.
coach
That one’s called Soft. I ruled him out. He’s a streamer—not suitable
Taehyung(Road)
What’s unsuitable?
coach
Everything *frowned*
coach
Honestly, I wondered if one of his fans snuck him onto the list. His champion pool—Zed, Yasuo, Talon. All benchwarmers in pro pla
They were assassins—high mobility, high burst.
Deadly in solo queue. Disaster if mishandled.
On the world stage, their weaknesses were amplified: short range, poor poke, extreme reliance on early leads.
Those champions hadn’t appeared in Worlds drafts in years.
Taehyung(Road)
*raised an eyebrow*
Taehyung(Road)
Champions can be trained
coach
But the streamer himself? Bad fit
Taehyung(Road)
He has flaws?
coach
He’s an entertainment streamer. Mostly Diamond, sometimes even Gold. Inconsistent opponents—no way to judge real strength. And he loves insulting people.
Taehyung(Road)
The platform allows that?
Last time Hoseok cursed on stream, the channel was muted within seconds.
coach
He avoids explicit language. Trades insults with chat. And he flames pros
coach
He’s flamed every LCK player
Taehyung(Road)
... except me?
Back at his computer, Taehyung watched the clips.
Compared to trainees, they were steadier—but bland. Safe rotations, no spark.
Taehyung(Road)
*After pausing the video, he turned to Hoseok beside him.*
Taehyung(Road)
Do you know soft?
Hoseok
That blue-haired troll? The one who tried streaming in the beauty category, insulted people, and got chased back to LoL?
Taehyung(Road)
Judging by his tone, there was history.💭
Taehyung(Road)
You know a lot
Hoseok
You’re laughing because you don’t know how annoying he is,
Hoseok
So many people hate him someone made a forum just to curse him
Taehyung(Road)
What level are you?
Hoseok
*opened SoftBar and handed over his phone.*
Why isn’t this trash streaming yet? I’ve been waiting half an hour.
If I don’t insult him for a day my heart feels empty.
Been hating this dumbass forever. Bros, am I doing it right? [pic]
"Soft Dumbass Streamer sent a Sea of Stars in Soft’s livestream"
That night, Taehyung finished watching all the footage.
He closed the software and slid the list into a drawer—then paused.
Black ink.
After a moment, he opened StarTV, typed Soft, and entered the livestream.
The streamer was typing with his head lowered. From the camera angle, only blue hair, long lashes, and pale cheeks were visible.
The RGB keyboard flashed like a nightclub.
Taehyung watched the screen.
[No Way You’re So Trash | Zed]: Flaming support—check your KDA first. Jungle sleepwalking and you think you’re good? If your mom saw this she’d yell “what on earth.”
[No Way You’re So Trash | Zed]: Thirty minutes rolling in the jungle—digging your own grave?
[No Way You’re So Trash | Zed]: Just AFK already. Stop feeding. Let your dad relax.
The moment he sent it, the enemy support appeared.
The streamer finally looked up.
Jeon Jungkook’s face came fully into view—sharp eyes, clean lines, expressive brows. His features were striking in motion, arrogance written into every flick of his gaze.
Seconds later, the enemy support dropped.
[Streamer stop flaming, it’s your promo series!!]
Jungkook(Soft)
*swept messy bangs away, eyes bright and unapologetic.*
Jungkook(Soft)
Keep in mind, if you lose in the promo series, you can still keep playing, but if you let a dumbass slip by, then you can never curse them out again, understood?
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