NOVEL WEB Chapter 150 - After That
Chapter 150 – After That
* * *
[Sports // General Sports // Column]
[Lee Ji-hwan Reporter // LeeJeeHwan＠esportsonly.co.kr]
[Yoo Jin, rewriting the history of Dark Zone]
It’s no exaggeration to say that the VR FPS game, Dark Zone, is the most popular eSport in South Korea. Among the most prestigious PVP tournaments, the Apex Predator Final Championship is a gateway, and recently, one player has become a hot topic.
Yoo Jin. This user, whose age and gender are unknown, has made it to the KSM through the tournament rank, scrims, and preliminary rank within just one and a half months, and even secured an early selection in the First Phase, something unprecedented in any tournament.
Many experts have shown great interest in Yoo Jin’s unrealistic gameplay and combat skills. She has effortlessly broken the common notion that victory and defeat are determined by solid fundamentals, reaction speed, and the use of terrain.
Her play demonstrates that the type of ‘physical’ play heavily reliant on improvisation and reaction speed, considered super plays, might not be as crucial in combat. Hence, she has brought a new issue to the existing eSports scene—retirement.
eSports careers start and end quickly. It was even more evident before VR games like Dark Zone emerged. It’s common to debut in the mid-to-late teens and retire by the early-to-mid-twenties globally because top-level reaction speed is required to respond to situations changing by the second.
However, Yoo Jin is different. She is steadfast and overwhelming. Her incomparable shooting accuracy, bold and swift maneuvering, and precise visual and auditory blocking timings are all seamlessly integrated. This approach is more akin to assembling the game state as desired rather than relying on physical prowess.
Thus, she has proven that Dark Zone is less affected by external variables like age, showing that solid management and tricky combat tactics, somewhat detached from physical skills, work even in the top domestic tournaments. This aspect somewhat resembles the Japanese pro gamer Keith, the only Asian player to rank within the top 10 in last year’s finals.
Dice’s last year’s performance and this year’s performance analysis graph
Blooming’s average performance and progress analysis graph
Meanwhile, Yoo Jin’s impressive path doesn’t stop at just playing games. She is currently serving as a temporary coach at SSM Entertainment and has remarkably turned the flat trajectory of SSM’s performance upwards in just about a month.
That’s not all. Yoo Jin is also widely known for personally teaching Dice, an AP first-team user from SSM Entertainment who has been gaining popularity recently. Although the exact curriculum provided by Yoo Jin is unknown, Dice’s average skill level has significantly improved compared to last year, suggesting the impact of her guidance.
But it doesn’t stop there. Among the users taught by Yoo Jin is Blooming, also from SSM. He too has improved his skills by about 15%, stepping onto the big stage of KSM for the first time. This explicit evidence clearly demonstrates Yoo Jin’s uniqueness.
Furthermore, Yoo Jin is also famous as a streamer. Despite facing many matches and interviews, she has never shown nervousness, possibly due to her experience in dealing with large crowds. Thus, she is well-known among fans for her candid and straightforward manner.
Perhaps this is because of Yoo Jin’s calm yet clear tone that cuts through the playful words of the so-called ‘tail squad.’ However, she also has a weak spot—her embarrassing nickname. She is also known for performing wrestling moves on Dice, who accompanied her, due to this nickname.
Dark Zone has been serviced for 5 years, and the professional scene has only been around for about 3 years. Yoo Jin, who emerged in the midst of this transitional craze, why not delve into her quiet yet quirky charm?
Below is her interview from yesterday’s early selection.
.
.
.
.
.
Saturday passed, and Sunday arrived.
Except for two people, each for their own reasons, everyone had a sleepless Saturday night. However, everyone regretted it. No matter how well-prepared one was, the performance one could demonstrate was not always the same.
It didn’t take long for the frenzy of the previous day to turn into white ashes. The KSM ended just a few hours before midnight because it was Saturday. Moreover, many enjoyed it with chicken and beer, and the food coma combined with sleepiness had a devastating effect.
Even those who held out and the users who practiced till late at night were wiped out by around 3 AM. Only the ashes of the Saturday frenzy, when millions simultaneously cheered, quietly settled on the morning of Sunday.
Nevertheless, as the KSM continued, the ten teams, who woke up slightly later than usual, stretched and moved their stiff bodies. The match starting before dinner provided enough rest time for the players.
Normally, they woke up at 10 AM, at the latest by 12 PM. The sun had long risen, and as it was heading towards noon, the players, who lazily shook off their sleep, started to gather in the dining hall one by one.
Of course, Dice was one of the extremely late risers.
“…Ugh.”
The sunlight seeping through the thick curtains was still sharp, proving that summer had not fully passed. The air conditioner was working properly, letting the cold air seep into her lungs.
She gingerly pushed the thin blanket off with her foot and got up. One by one, the clothes covering her white skin fell off. She opened the bathroom door, did her business, washed her face, and then pressed the button on the wall, causing water droplets to shower down from the ceiling and soak her head.
The water was cold since the temperature couldn’t be adjusted.
“Ahh!”
Anyway, she was awake now.
Her long blond hair was getting soaked under the intense water pressure. Sitting on the pre-prepared bath chair, she started to thoroughly wet her hair, squeezed a handful of shampoo, and rubbed it in.
Since the shampoo was harsher than cleansing foam, it was crucial not to get it on her face. Tilting her head slightly to the side, she shampooed carefully. She gently massaged her scalp with her fingers to avoid irritation. When she thought it was enough, she rinsed it off, making sure no foam was left.
Even after one rinse, the shampoo residue remained, so she rinsed it two or three more times with water, applied a bit of conditioner, and then rinsed it off. As she took good care of her hair, it wasn’t in a ragged state, so she would wait a week to use treatment.
This took 20 minutes.
[Yoo Jin: Are you awake?]
“Oh, Yoo Jin.”
The voice-only channel popped up as a hologram. She figured Yoo Jin had woken up earlier. Of course, it was true that she herself woke up quite late.
Just when she was getting bored. Her hair was almost done, but she had a lot to do ahead, so it was nice to have someone to talk to. She decided to go with a simple greeting.
“What were you doing? I just woke up and am in the middle of washing.”
[Yoo Jin: I just got back from working out and was showering.]
“Wow. What kind of workout… oh, right. You must have lifted weights.”
Of course.
But apart from that, the fact that someone who had coached Blooming and other SSM users until 2 AM yesterday morning could wake up early and exercise made her wonder how strong their stamina was.
However, like herself, Yoo Jin didn’t need to participate in KSM today, except for event matches. It could be seen as the luxury of a winner.
Thinking that, she got a bit playful.
“The total prize money is 200 million won, so the first place gets about 30 million. If it’s not too much trouble, please buy me something delicious.”
[Yoo Jin: You’re also in second place, Dice.]
“Food bought with someone else’s money tastes the best, you know.”
Chatting excitedly while rubbing her hair, she noticed the conditioner was gradually rinsing off.
She pressed a few buttons to stop the water from the ceiling. She gently squeezed the soaking wet hair, like wringing out laundry—though more gently—then poured body wash on the shower ball, sprinkled water to make foam, and started scrubbing herself.
She continued talking while rubbing her body.
“Still, if it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it this far. Let’s meet up after the KSM announcement. I’ll buy you something delicious.”
[Yoo Jin: You don’t have to go that far.]
“You don’t want to meet me? That’s harsh.”
[Yoo Jin: Good grief.]
What kind of reaction was that?
Anyway, the shower was almost done. While the water from the ceiling rinsed off all the foam, she hung the shower ball back in its place and activated the ventilation system.
The steam inside the shower room was quickly sucked out. Now it was time to dry. Entering a small space inside the shower room, she sat on a chair and spoke.
“It might get a bit noisy now.”
Buuuuuu!
At the same time, powerful air blasted from the nozzles on the walls. The strong but gentle air quickly dried off all the water on her body, even the moisture in her hair.
In just about two minutes, her thoroughly dried body emerged from the shower. She tossed the thin pajamas scattered on the floor into the washing machine, put on her underwear, and randomly picked some clothes.
She wore plain black wide slacks and an all-purpose SSM T-shirt. Although the dark blue color seemed a bit mismatched, it didn’t matter since she wasn’t going out.
After applying something simple on her face, she started feeling hungry. The time was 12:30 PM.
It was time for brunch.
“Brunch. I feel lighthearted. Around this time last year, I hated playing so much that I ate
little for lunch and nearly died of hunger during the match. While the viewers can leisurely watch while having dinner, the players have to get by with bread during breaks.”
[Yoo Jin: That makes sense. Some might skip the event matches to eat. But this year, it seems like no one did. After all, with three AP soloing tournaments, everyone must have shared some tips, right?]
“Right. But it seems like there’s no one skipping the event matches this year. Now that we’ve had three AP soloing tournaments, everyone must have picked up some tips.”
The dining hall was on the first floor, and her room was on the third floor.
Interestingly, the SSM building had several escalators installed besides the elevator, so there was no need to wait for the elevator or take the stairs.
Thinking about what to eat for lunch, she continued.
“Is there any other promising user besides Blooming, Yoo Jin? Among the ones who participated in KSM from our team, there are seven others besides us.”
[Yoo Jin: Hmm. They’re not bad, but from a tournament perspective, it’s a bit unfortunate. You can’t give everyone the results they want, after all.]
“Right. The Asian qualifiers are limited to 20 participants. There are ten teams, so by simple ratio, that’s two per team. If we count you as part of SSM….”
[Yoo Jin: The higher you go, the narrower the door gets. For now, the best we can hope for is the 21st to 40th place, the national representative reserves.]
Nodding appropriately, she got on the escalator.
Soon, she reached the first floor.
“Recommend me a lunch.”
[Yoo Jin: How about my fist?]
“…I’ll just eat anything. By the way, come visit SSM sometime. Our unmanned dining hall’s bulgogi rice bowl is really delicious.”
[Yoo Jin: Didn’t you promise to buy me something expensive?]
“Just show up first. I don’t care if you’re a muscle monster lifting 700 pounds or whatever.”
So she arrived on the first floor.
Everyone had familiar faces. The only confusion was distinguishing between trainees and second-team members. She had memorized the faces of the coaching staff, the director, and the first-team members she usually hung out with, but unfortunately, she didn’t know many people from the PR or accounting departments.
Trainees wake up earlier than actual professional gamers. If they wake up around 10 AM, trainees wake up around 8 AM. They needed to practice more.
In other words, she came for brunch, and they came for lunch. Thinking like this made her feel a bit spoiled. She thought working adults lived busy lives, but it didn’t seem much different from high school vacations.
Of course, they were incredibly busy in-game.
“Oh, it’s Dice!”
“SSM’s pride! The only pre-selected from SSM!”
“Clap, clap, clap!”
“Hey, stop! That’s embarrassing!”
Clap, clap, clap, clap!
Despite her non-serious warning, applause inevitably followed. They were like cheeky kids.
The line at the kiosk quickly shortened. The food came out extremely fast. It wasn’t cooked by a chef but by a machine. The advancement of technology was astonishing in many ways.
Its performance was such that it could cook ten servings of steak simultaneously, measuring surface and core temperatures in milliseconds. Naturally, the food quality was incredible.
It wasn’t for nothing that she had boasted to Yoo Jin.
Anyway, it was lunchtime. Talking about bulgogi made her crave it. After placing her order, she sat at any random table. The serving robot would bring drinks, utensils, and food, so she just had to wait.
All that was left was conversation.
[Yoo Jin: What did you do after KSM ended?]
“Profile shooting, setting up related websites, photo shoots, appearing on broadcast programs… That’s the external stuff. The rest is just scrims, analyzing foreign team matches, applying that to play, just repetitive stuff. It might not be as fun as you think.”
[Yoo Jin: Not much different from before.]
“Still, we stick together with the other 19 selected for the finals. Even though there are only 4 spots for the finals, it feels like we can’t lose to other countries! Something like that? There’s a sense of that. Why do you ask, Yoo Jin?”
[Yoo Jin: Hmm.]
A brief pause.
Then, with a playful tone, she said,
[Yoo Jin: I have some overdue homework to do.]
“…Homework?”
[Yoo Jin: This.]
At the same time, a photo popped up in front of her.
It was….
“…You still haven’t finished the main mission!?”
Current main mission progress – 78%, and the notice for a joint stream with Harmony starting from Monday.
It was the moment when the last bit of Dice’s composure evaporated.
* * *