The video abruptly ended.

— …

— Wow...

— What was that…?

— No wonder he kept staring at Cookie…

— I’m crying…

— Oh no…

— So sad…

Viewers, seemingly shocked by Almond’s final scene, continued to chat even after the video ended.

Ju-Hyeok was no different. He didn’t type in the chat, but replayed the scene in the video much like Sang-Hyeon did.

‘… He missed them?’

It was a side of Sang-Hyeon that even those close to him didn’t know. Perhaps if it wasn’t for this observational documentary, no one would know even if they saw him every day.

Ju-Hyeok had no way of knowing what Sang-Hyeon did when he wasn’t around. He had no idea Sang-Hyeon missed them this much.

‘He could meet them if he wanted to.’

Since starting his streaming career, Sang-Hyeon had reconnected with old colleagues. He had met with Dong-Soo and Hyeon-Ju a few times. If he wanted to, he could meet them again.

‘Maybe he misses that time.’

Sang-Hyeon probably longed for that time or perhaps someone he could only see then.

‘So that’s her.’

Ju-Hyeok saw a face he had never seen before. Despite the video’s poor quality, one face shone brightly. A girl with the sparkle only a young girl could have.

Ju-Hyeok’s eyes were momentarily captivated by a girl who was no longer in this world before moving on to the other members.

‘Come to think of it, did he say he met the coach after that?’

A middle-aged man with a strong presence silently watched from the back, apart from the cheering squad.

Ju-Hyeok recalled that the coach had helped Sang-Hyeon with his rehabilitation and sent him to Ah-Sung. If the coach cared that much, Sang-Hyeon probably considered him a significant benefactor too. However, Ju-Hyeok had never heard of them meeting after that. Ŗ𝔞ꞐօᛒΕș

“Hmmm…”

The title of today’s Fake National Team episode was

[Moment of Victory]

. The scene of Almond was undoubtedly a moment of victory. Even the video he watched at the end was a moment of victory.

It was odd. Sweet, yet it also left a bitter aftertaste.

“Well, anyway… did the advertisement do well?”

Ju-Hyeok wiped his eyes briefly after removing his glasses and returned to his main job. He had to check the ad for Monster, the sponsor of the Fake National Team. To verify if an ad did well on an internet broadcast, checking community reactions would be most effective.

Ju-Hyeok first went to the

Civil Empire

community, Embul. Recently, they had been posting announcements about expanding the server. Did they finally expand it?

As Ju-Hyeok entered Embul’s issue board, he noticed something odd.

‘Huh?’

He tilted his head at the unfamiliar feeling. Then—

“What is this?

Pfft!”

Ju-Hyeok let out a snort of laughter.

It had felt strange since earlier. The Monster logo covered the entire background of the Embul site, but the transparency had been set high enough for it to not be immediately noticeable.

Next to the large site name, Embul, there was:

[All Embul members support the 211 Monsters]

That number included the think tank team, reserve players, and related personnel. Such a specific number could only come from a community that knew of the national competition.

It felt sincere.

“To go this far…”

At first, Ju-Hyeok found it funny. Now, something warm seemed stuck in his throat.

Of course, Embul hadn’t received a penny from Monster. They showed this kind of courtesy because it was the first brand to sponsor the national competition.

The server was always crashing due to overcrowding, so they could earn a lot if they took proper ads. They probably hadn’t earned much from the site so far.

However, the first large-scale ad they ran was a free ad to cheer on the national team.

With Monster logos all over, related mentions naturally popped up in the posts.

[Monster appearance!]

[Legendary background lol]

[Well done, Embul.]

[Almond was so funny yesterday lol]

[??? Monster… Aah…]

[Almond, well done]

Many posts talked about Almond doing the Monster pose during his stream.

1. Almond’s Monster Transformation Scene Yesterday

The top post was Almond’s Monster drinking scene. It ranked at the top most likely due to the active support from the site administrators. They allowed frequent mentions of Monster and decided to purely support the national team without any personal gain.

Then, Ju-Hyeok realized something.

‘This isn’t just a game. It’s a cultural phenomenon.’

It differed from when Treevy viewers and streamers had fun during the

LIL

competition.

Civil Empire

started as a game, but that didn’t mean it would end as one. It would surely become more grand.

All sports began as mere games. Maybe they wouldn’t be called the Fake National Team in the future.

***

Meanwhile, the second match between Italy and Korea had started on the broadcast channel.

“Thank you for waiting! Today’s match is Korea vs. Italy. Who will advance as Group E’s top seed!”

Korea’s advancement to the finals had already been confirmed, so the caster and commentator raised the atmosphere in a lighter mood.

“Yes! If Italy wins, they’ll secure first place. If Korea wins, there will be a rematch to determine the top seed!”

“Exactly! Given the difference in wins, starting in first place puts them at a slight disadvantage.”

— God Rome, holy shit.

— They’re so close.

— This will be tough.

— At least they made it to the finals!

Realistically, Korea winning two consecutive matches against Italy to advance as the top seed was incredibly challenging. Even if they advanced, it was uncertain whether it would benefit them. To beat Italy twice, they would have to reveal some cards.

The commentators focused more on Korea’s advancement to the finals.

“But we saw it on the Fake National Team series, right? Our Korean team is thriving after making it to the finals!”

“Yes! With sponsors and increased viewers!”

“This could become a sport that the entire nation is interested in!”

After advancing to the finals, the Korean team’s atmosphere had completely changed. It felt like a graph flat at the bottom had started to rise.

— Cheers?

— Chi-Seung’s viewers are in the thousands, holy moly.

— Don’t be ridiculous lol.

— OrangeKing, don’t get your hopes up.

— Have you abandoned LIL? LIL fans are ruthless lol.

— Not the whole nation, lol.

It sounded like a joke right now, but no one could predict the future. The Korean team could receive even more love if they did well in the finals or perhaps experience something even greater.

“Ah, OrangeKing, we’re heading to Osaka soon, right? It must be tough for you with a new baby!” the caster suddenly asked a sharp question.

OrangeKing replied without changing his expression, “Ah, it’s tough. I wish it was on the other side of the planet instead of Osaka.”

— ??

— ?

— LOL.

— Huh…?

— Madam! He’s right here talking shit about you!

“Ah, seems like staying at home is uncomfortable~”

“No! I mean, if we’re going, let’s go far! We can go to Japan often, right?”

“Yes, I’m glad it’s close. OrangeKing wishes it was further. Let’s move on. The players are ready! Let’s watch!”

***

“Oof…!”

Thud.

A young man unloaded a wheelchair with familiar motions.

“Is this the place? Check before you send the taxi away.”

“Take your time. I’ll wait.”

The taxi driver, who helped unload the wheelchair, smiled and wiped his sweat. He had unloaded and loaded it several times already, looking enlightened now.

“Hm. It’s right.”

“Don’t just eyeball it! Check properly!”

“… Then, give me the map.”

Sa-Rang opened the map application, entered the address, and handed the phone to Popcorn.

“… Check it for me.”

“?”

“Check if it’s right.”

“Can’t you see? You were so precise with the minimap.”

Surprisingly, Sa-Rang was terrible with Google Maps.

“Just check!” Sa-Rang yelled.

“… Fine.”

Popcorn scratched his head and checked the map. It didn’t take long as he just pressed the location button.

“It’s right. Is this Cookie’s house?”

“Yes.”

Sa-Rang paid the taxi fare, including the tip, and moved forward.

Bzzzz.

“Thank you!” the driver said from behind, seemingly delighted.

She probably tipped quite generously.

“Are you okay? Asking me for help… means your family doesn’t know, right?”

“Well… they know, kinda.”

“Very reassuring.”

Popcorn chuckled and followed her wheelchair. There was no need to push her on flat ground.

“Wow. He lives in a nice house. Even if it’s the outskirts of Seoul…”

Hui-Chul insisted on living in a townhouse due to health reasons. It was hard to find, but it felt very nice once they arrived.

“You could live here too if you give up Gangnam.”

Popcorn and the members who teamed up with Sa-Rang were among the wealthiest of their age group. This was natural since they had once been at the top of the

LIL

pro scene.

“No way. I’m still young. I need to live in the bustling city!”

“You just want to meet girls.”

“That’s the same thing!”

“

Shh.

I’m ringing the bell.”

As Sa-Rang reached to press the doorbell—

“No need to ring! I’m right here!”

Someone popped out of the garden. It was Chi-Seung.

“Hello! Best Commander Yi Sun-Shin! I’m Kim Chi-Seung, the leader of the think tank. We had a strategy meeting here today.”

Sa-Rang smiled like a different person.

“Ah, yes. I’ve seen you a lot in videos. I’m Choi Sa-Rang.”

Chi-Seung blushed.

“Sa… Sa-Rang. What a lovely name!”

“Huh?” Popcorn chuckled as if he didn’t know anything.

“Mr. Chi-Seung, were you waiting for us? You didn’t have to. I have a friend helping.”

“Oh, no. I just came out for some fresh air and happened to see you…”

Popcorn bowed slightly.

“Hello. I’m Ok Soo-Han. Just a jobless guy, so I’m helping my friend like a servant.”

His tone sounded somewhat robotic.

Chi-Seung looked at them curiously.

“Ah… are you two…?”

Soo-Han waved his hand.

“No, it’s not like that. I owe her, so I’m working off the debt. Jobless people have lots of debts.”

“Ah…

haha!

I see!”

Chi-Seung thought they made an odd combination, but he led the way regardless.

“Please come in. The test capsule is ready. Shall I push you?”

“Oh… um…”

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Swish.

Sa-Rang raised her index and middle fingers.

“I need a smoke break first.”

She added that she felt nervous.

“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

Chi-Seung led them to a sideyard covered in stones.

“People usually smoke here.”

“Okay. I’ll be quick. You can go in first.”

“No, I’ll wait. I’ll get some more fresh air.”

After Chi-Seung moved away, Sa-Rang took out a cigar.

“You still smoke that strong stuff? Just do regular cigarettes.”

“I can’t help it when I’m nervous.”

Sssss.

She lit it and exhaled.

“It smells better than cigarettes.”

“Cigarettes are good these days.

Phew.

”

Soo-Han exhaled the hazy smoke into the clear sky and reminisced.

“

Hah.

It reminds me of the old days. We used to smoke a lot before matches.”

“...”

“You were always quiet before matches. I did all the talking.”

“...”

“Oh. Still the same now.”

“...”

Soo-Han stopped talking because he saw Sa-Rang’s hand shaking.