Ranker's Return

Chapter 683

At 7 o’clock, Jeong Cheolmin appeared in the arena. Jeong Cheolmin was an ordinary man in his early 20s.

“Hello, Jeong Cheolmin-ssi. It is nice to meet you.” Hyeonu approached Jeong Cheolmin and reached out a hand.

"Yes, yes. Hello. I am Jeong Cheolmin.” Jeong Cheolmin carefully held Hyeonu’s hand.

“Today’s interview isn’t a big deal. You don’t have to be too nervous, Jeong Cheolmin-ssi.” Hyeonu tried to release Jeong Cheolmin’s tension. Hyeonu did this because he knew that Jeong Cheolmin was a decent person through the short call they'd had a few hours ago.

‘He is the most determined to be a professional gamer.’

Out of the 10 applicants that Hyeonu had called, Jeong Cheolmin was the most desperate.

“In fact, there is nothing to call it an interview. Just think of it as a light conversation,” Hyeonu said.

"Yes, yes. I understand,” Jeong Cheolmin replied.

Hyeonu smiled at Jeong Cheolmin, who still couldn’t let go of his tension, and started to ask the questions he had prepared in advance. “Jeong Cheolmin-ssi, why did you apply to New Moon?”

The start was the motivation behind the application. The application only had the personal information and specifications of the Arena character, so Hyeonu asked things that were unknown.

“I want to be a pro gamer.” Jeong Cheolmin barely managed to answer Hyeonu’s question. The sweat that was flowing on Jeong Cheolmin’s forehead showed how nervous he was.

“You want to be a pro gamer? What is the reason for that?”

It was a typical answer to a typical question. Even so, Hyeonu continued to ask questions without minding it.

“It has been my dream since I was a child. In fact, I sent the application while feeling that this is my last chance. I would’ve given up if I hadn’t made it.”

Jeong Cheolmin’s answer was quite moving, but it was an answer that could be heard at almost all auditions. However, the sincerity in Jeong Cheolmin’s voice made it not as obvious to Hyeonu.

‘Real, it is real.’

“Is that so? So if you become one of the last survivors of New Moon and join Crescent Moon, how long do you intend to play for?” Hyeonu continued to ask Jeong Cheolmin questions.

“I want to play for as long as possible. Of course, if I need to retire due to a lack of skills… I will retire. I want to try it even if it doesn’t work out.” Jeong Cheolmin looked depressed. Perhaps he was imagining a time when he couldn’t even come here.

"I understand. I’ll finish the interview with this. I will contact you separately for the next schedule.” Hyeonu confirmed Jeong Cheolmin’s expression and declared the end of the interview. It was enough even if they didn’t continue the conversation. Jeong Cheolmin was already number one in Hyeonu’s mind.

‘He will go to the end as long as there are no problems.’

Jeong Cheolmin was confirmed to participate in New Moon. He would be able to stand in front of viewers and be judged by them.

"Yes, I understand. I’ll see you next time, Alley Leader. It was an honor to meet you.” Jeong Cheolmin bowed his head and left, regardless of whether he knew Hyeonu’s heart.

“If that is acting, he should quit the game right now and go become an actor.” Hyeonu muttered when he saw Jeong Cheolmin disappear.

***

Hyeonu continued the interviews after Jeong Cheolmin. The interview time was never long. Hyeonu didn’t have a talent for understanding people perfectly, but he could get a minimal sense of them. Were they serious or pretending to be serious?

‘It is finally the last one.’

Hyeonu had met nine people so far and finished nine of the ten scheduled meetings.

‘I don’t know if I have good or bad luck…’

Out of the nine people he met so far, eight were very healthy young men. They were those who wanted to be professional gamers but couldn’t.

‘I’m glad there is a slight difference in desires.’

However, their desires were different. Some people, like Jeong Cheolmin, really wanted to be professional gamers while others were just interested. If there were many people remaining at the end, this difference would be the basis for deciding whether they passed or not.

‘He came?’

Hyeonu’s ears heard the sound of sand being stepped on. After a while, a man appeared. He was a man with sharp eyes like those of a snake, giving off a strong impression.

“Hello, I'm Gang Hyeonu. Choi Bongjun-ssi, right?” Hyeonu greeted the man as he had done so far.

“Yes, I am Choi Bongjun.” Choi Bongjun, the man with sharp eyes, approached Hyeonu and smiled. Despite that, Hyeonu felt uneasy due to Choi Bongjun’s smile. This person was obviously smiling, but it didn’t feel like it.

‘Why?’

Hyeonu soon figured out the reason. It was because Choi Bongjun’s mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

“Today’s interview will be just a few really simple questions. You don’t have to worry or be nervous,” Hyeonu repeated what he had been saying so far to Choi Bongjun.

‘My feelings might be wrong.’

Hyeonu couldn’t discriminate against this person just because he felt bad. It had been like this so far.

"Yes, I understand." Choi Bongjun nodded without erasing his smile.

“Choi Bongjun-ssi, why did you apply to New Moon?”

It was the first question that Hyeonu had asked everyone. What motivated them to apply?

“I signed up because I want to be a professional gamer.” Choi Bongjun’s answer was the same. Like the other nine, he said he applied because he wanted to be a professional gamer.

“Have you applied to other teams?”

“Yes, I have.”

“How many times have you applied?”

Choi Bongjun thought about it for a moment before answering with: “It seems to be around 10 times.”

‘10 times? He applied that many times?’ Hyeonu hid his surprised feelings at the number that was more than expected.

“How many out of the ten did you pass?”

Choi Bongjun’s specs were the best out of the 10 applicants. He wasn’t too far behind compared to other professional gamers.

‘Considering the slower growth rate compared to pro gamers… I think it should be possible to be chosen…’

In any case, entering a professional team and acting as a player boasted a faster level-up speed than what could be gotten from hunting in a large guild. If so, Choi Bongjun would’ve had the level of a professional gamer in the past.

“I passed twice.”

“Two times? If you don ‘t mind, can you tell me the reason for leaving the team?”

“I left because I didn’t match the team. There were no big problems.”

“Are you referring to both teams?”

“Yes.”

Hyeonu nodded at Choi Bongjun’s decisive answer. Choi Bongjun said this, and Hyeonu chose to believe it for now. ‘I will investigate separately later.’

“Can you tell me the names of the two teams?”

Knowing this would tell him more about Choi Bongjun’s past. South Korea was small, and the professional world was even smaller. Everyone knew each other as long as one or two bridges were crossed.

‘Supervisor Kang and Coach Jeong will have enough contacts.’

There was only one reason why Hyeonu did this. It was that… something about this just felt strange.

“It isn’t difficult to say. One was Big Stars, and the other was the Charlotte Dragons.” Choi Bongjun spoke the names of the two teams without hesitation.

‘Big Stars?’

A familiar name appeared again. Big Stars was Cho Yeonghun’s former team before he joined Crescent Moon and also the predecessor of Crescent Moon.

‘It will be easier to hear about it than I thought.’

Cho Yeonghun would know something about Choi Bongjun. Or at the very least, he would know someone who knew Choi Bongjun. He had been in constant contact with the other players even after leaving Big Stars.

"I understand. Then I’ll stop the interview here today. I’ll email you about the results.” Hyeonu ended the interview. This was enough. The rest would be heard from someone other than Choi Bongjun.

“Yes, I’ll see you next time.” Choi Bongjun disappeared with a dull expression. It was because the interview ended in a simpler manner than he had expected.

‘Now… Is it time to eat?’ Hyeonu watched Choi Bongjun leave before checking the time. It had taken him a bit over an hour to meet 10 people. The interview time was so short that it didn’t take long to get through them.

‘I should make a phone call.’

Now, it was possible to make a call.

***

Hyeonu exited the cube and immediately found his smartphone to make a call. Of course, the target of the call was Cho Yeonghun.

-What's going on, Hyung?

Perhaps Cho Yeonghun was eating dinner because he answered the phone in a vague voice that was hard to understand.

“I’m sorry I disturbed you while eating. I have something to ask you, Yeonghun.”

-Yes, please speak.

“Do you remember Choi Bongjun from when you were in Big Stars?”

-Choi Bongjun…? Wait a moment.

Cho Yeonghun stopped talking for a while.

The name 'Choi Bongjun'—Cho Yeonghun was definitely familiar with it. However, their relationship wasn’t good enough for him to remember instantly.

-Ah, I remember. That sharp-eyed guy, right?

“Uh, yes. It is him.”

-There is nothing special I can tell you, Hyung. He entered and left between leagues. We weren’t very friendly.

Choi Bongjun joined Big Stars after the end of last year’s Winter League when the Spring League was taking place. It was exactly a year ago.

“Just tell me what you remember. He applied for New Moon. I’m a bit worried.”

-I remember that he is a bit stubborn and greedy for money? That’s about it… Is this important?

Cho Yeonghun’s memories of Choi Bongjun were truly fragmented. In fact, he wasn’t properly involved, so he had nothing more to say to Hyeonu.

“It is quite important. He just might become a new teammate.”

-Then can you wait a minute? I’ll call the other kids and ask them. No, I’ll go to the floor below and ask. Don’t hang up.

In Crescent Moon, Cho Yeonghun didn’t know much about Choi Bongjun. However, Moon Doyeong had accepted the players of Big Stars as streamers for Crescent Moon when he acquired them and created Crescent Moon. It was a type of management until the players could be independent. They were still in the shadow of Crescent Moon, and their dormitory was downstairs in the same building. Before Hyeonu could answer, he heard through his smartphone the sound of a door opening, the sound of slippers slapping against the ground, and then the sound of wind.

-Hey, do you know Choi Bongjun?

-Choi Bongjun? I know him—the one with small eyes.

-Why are you asking all of a sudden? How can you remember him?

-How was he when he was in our team?

-What is this jerk suddenly saying?

Several voices were mixed together.

Hyeonu focused on those voices. It was because someone would definitely tell him accurate information about Choi Bongjun.

-Him? He is stubborn. Stubborn. He doesn’t accept feedback at all. Honestly, even if the coach was rubbish, his vision was okay, and he was pretty good at giving advice. Yet Choi Bongjun didn’t improve at all. They tried to fix his problem in front of me, but it was still the same after 30 minutes. Later, he would do it again. He is a frustrating jerk. You can tell what he is like just by looking.

-That person wasn’t bad. But honestly, it is a bit iffy to play with him as a teammate. There won’t be any good grades.

The story that Hyeonu was waiting for came out. It was about what Choi Bongjun was like in the past.

‘I will start with nine people.’

He decided on the New Moon applicants to be released on the live stream. The number was nine, not ten.