APGD 38

Chapter 38

Debut: 99th Year
Pro Gamer

Choi Yeon-sik returned to the director’s office and sat back in his chair, nervously leaning against it.

“Damn it…!”

A flood of negative emotions—irritation, anger, frustration—hit him all at once.
His head throbbed, and his face burned with heat.

—“Think rationally, Director. Don’t talk about attachment or feelings. The Bears will go with more promising players, no matter who it is.”

Choi Yeon-sik’s expression twisted oddly.
The more he thought about those words, the more absurd they seemed.

“‘Think rationally,’ huh? Are you kidding me…?”

Wasn’t he the one who rejected the ridiculous request of a rookie as if it were a guillotine match?
Wasn’t he the one who refused to indulge in the fantasies of a kid who hadn’t even officially debuted yet?
Where exactly is the “rational judgment” in that?

“Enough. I shouldn’t even talk. How can I have a conversation with someone who only knows how to crunch numbers?”

Song Gi-hak’s way of handling things was something Yeon-sik had seen countless times.
Honestly, by now, nothing was surprising or unfamiliar.
Arguments or clashes with him had happened many times before.

“But that bastard, Lee Do-su… what the hell is he thinking?”

Honestly, today’s biggest wildcard wasn’t Song Gi-hak—it was Lee Do-su.
Never in his life did he imagine witnessing a rookie demanding the right to select the team roster.
Even now, he almost doubted whether it wasn’t some bizarre dream.
This isn’t a novel or manga—how could something like this even happen in reality?

“That guy’s a complete lunatic. Absolutely insane.”

Selecting and assigning the team roster was the coach’s exclusive authority.
Who would nod along if someone tried to infringe on that?
Even if there was a chance for a contract renewal next season, if he couldn’t set the roster as he pleased, it would be a completely different matter.
At some point, it might even make more sense to move to a team with a slightly lower ranking.

“As long as I’m the coach, I will never allow anyone to take away the roster authority.”

A roster entirely made up of rookies? What kind of nonsense was that?
Sure, if he were offered an astronomical salary to justify it, that would be another story…
But realistically, that wasn’t going to happen.
Guaranteeing such a high salary would mean the organization was willing to invest heavily, and that wasn’t likely.

“Actually, Song Gi-hak wouldn’t invest that kind of money in me. He’d sooner cut my salary than increase it.”

Even now, Song Gi-hak was considering replacing him as coach in the La Yeon-mok team in the next year or two.
If he were stripped of roster authority, he would have to make a tough choice.
He might even have to consider transferring to another team, even if it meant taking a pay cut.

“Phew…”

Wait a minute.

“But… do I even need to worry about this seriously?”

This only applied if Lee Do-su actually achieved a “perfect-win championship.”
In reality, he hadn’t even joined the team yet.

“True. Even if it were the 3rd division, but in the 2nd division league, such a record is impossible.”

Even with a first-team lineup from an active pro team, winning all matches in the 2nd division was not easy.
Unless every member of at least a mid-tier first-team lineup played, it was nearly impossible.
With Lee Do-su and at least three other rookies forming the roster, the probability wasn’t 50%—not even close. At most, it was less than 0.01%.
Thus, the “two consecutive perfect-win championships” that Lee Do-su claimed were nothing but delusions.

Choi Yeon-sik let out a loud sneer.

“Even a passing dog on the street would laugh at that.”

Honestly.
It was even questionable whether Lee Do-su could win against the Bears’ 3rd team right away.
Even if the 3rd team was considered semi-pro, they had still been nurtured by a professional organization and grown steadily.
The rookies weren’t likely to lose to a raw amateur team.

“We needed Lee Do-su as a tool to send La Yeon-mok away…”

At this point, the situation felt like the tail wagging the dog.
Choi Yeon-sik didn’t want any player who could cause chaos in his team.
Especially anything that could become a “variable” in his future—he wanted to eliminate it as much as possible.

“Lee Do-su? Not usable.”

The situation had changed.
He even started to hesitate to keep him just to prevent other teams from taking him.
The final decision was up to Song Gi-hak, but he resolved to do everything he could to block the acquisition.

“Anyway, La Yeon-mok’s obsession with Lee Do-su seems bigger than expected.”

La Yeon-mok was deeply fixated on Lee Do-su. Honestly, it was almost like he was possessed.
If Lee Do-su couldn’t join the team, given La Yeon-mok’s fanatic obsession, he would probably leave the team on his own.
There was no need to impose resignation as a condition.

“That guy’s really extraordinary in his own way.”

Good.
The plan was clear.

“Let’s check how the 3rd team is doing for a change.”

Now, all that remained was to proceed along that plan.

After leaving the Bears’ headquarters, I immediately gathered the team at a nearby café.
This was my “dream team,” the members who aspired to go pro together—not the tournament team.

Ding dong!

“Customer 78, your coffee is ready!”
“Thanks!”

As I carried the coffee to the table, Park Yong-won wrapped an arm around my neck in a playful tone.

“So, team leader, why did you suddenly call us together so early today~?”

I glanced over everyone’s faces before replying.

“I called you urgently because I have an announcement. We’ve got a very important match coming up.”
“Important match?”
“Yes. A very important match that will determine our entry into the pro team.”

I smiled cheerfully as I dropped the bomb.

“In two to three days, we’re going to have a guillotine match against the Bears’ rookies team.”

For a moment, everyone’s expressions froze in shock.
I started explaining to the team step by step what had happened at the negotiation table.

A little later, Park Yong-won’s jaw dropped.

“What!? I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?”
“You heard correctly. Exactly as I said.”
“Wait… so in two to three days, we’re going to have a guillotine match against a pro team’s 3rd squad? Against the highly reputed Bears Rookies?!”
“Yes.”
“Phew… Do-su, you know we haven’t even synced as a team yet, right?”
“I know. But it’s the stove league season now. No team has any slack. We have to keep up.”

From the diagonal seat, Kang Ha-neul started shadowboxing in the air.
Judging by his expression, he didn’t seem fazed at all.

“I don’t care when we play! As long as we win, that’s enough, right? Guillotine match against the Bears Rookies! Honestly, I’m kind of looking forward to it. I want to try it right now, hehe!”

Jeong Jo-jun scratched the back of his head and continued.

“Koraya Komattana… (This is crazy…) The guillotine match is one thing, but honestly, I’m more worried about the promise of a perfect-win championship afterwards.”

I took a light sip of my Americano and spoke.

“Don’t worry too much. With this team, it’s definitely possible.”
“Mattaku (Honestly)… This is so… Do-su-like, or just plain weird?”
“Well, even if we fail the promise, it doesn’t mean our goal ends there, right?”
“Huh?”
“Next year is practically just a prep period for us. 1st team call-ups are the next issue. The most important thing is how well we can improve our weaknesses and become a complete team.”

Jeong Jo-jun quickly asked again.

“The important part is not next year, but the year after?”
“Yes. We still need time to prepare and adapt. Even if we waste more time as free agents now, it’ll still be hard to join the pro team’s 1st or 2nd squad.”
“Hmm… Tashikani (Indeed). Even I just finished changing roles. I need time to adapt as a new character and a marksman.”

After scanning the faces of the remaining members, I spoke.

“So, I hope no one feels too pressured. Even if we fail the promise, my dream hasn’t changed. Whether it’s next year or the year after, I intend to go pro with this team.”
“!?”
“That’s my top priority 1-option, even if I have to give up a huge salary. No matter how much the front office tries to persuade me, I won’t compromise. Let’s achieve our dream together. Even if we move to a team other than the Bears, we’ll do it.”

For a moment, everyone’s eyes widened simultaneously.
Apparently, my words had struck a chord with them.
It wasn’t intentional, but… it seemed to have an effect.

“Omae… (You bastard…) Saying that much is overkill! Alright!! Let’s do everything we can!”
“Fuhuhu, a man’s word is his bond!! Our Do-su Ham even cut his salary to a third! Whatever happens, we’ll follow Do-su Ham! We were planning to do it anyway! Let’s crush the Bears 3rd team properly this time~!”
“Yeah, man! I won’t let you leave until we become BCK’s best mid & jungle duo!”

I nodded slightly.

“Thanks, everyone. Just trust me and follow along.”

Park Yong-won beamed, then raised his hand as if he remembered something.

“Oh, right. So, Do-su, we can’t really postpone the guillotine match, right?”
“Yes. I said two to three days loosely, but think of it as happening in two days.”
“Wait! Then we can’t just sit here! We should call that academy sub-support player and go to a PC room or something to practice. We need to sync a bit!”

Jeong Jo-jun supported Park Yong-won’s suggestion.

“Sore-na-! (Exactly!) Even if it’s the 3rd team, we’re facing the Bears, a strong team.”
“Exactly. That’s why I had everyone bring personal equipment and gather. But…”

I quickly added.

“No need to rush too much. There’s someone I need to introduce first.”

Park Yong-won tilted his head.

“Huh? Someone to introduce?”
“You’ll all know immediately once you see their face.”
“……?”

The team blinked and looked at each other, and I turned toward the café entrance.

“Let’s see… they should be here soon… Ah, perfect timing. Speak of the devil.”

I gestured toward the person entering the café.
Naturally, everyone’s attention turned there.
As always, a man with messy hair and a zombie-like appearance.

“Temporarily, this person will coach our team until the guillotine match.”

It was La Yeon-mok.