Chapter 176 – 176. Tiger’s Den (1)

The match against the Costume Play Cats was over too easily.
He was also an opponent who had never suffered defeat in a scrim match.

These days, it was not easy to lose even if Neto was introduced, but with Kang Yul, the result was obvious.

“Today’s MVP?!”

Yuna Han, who even cosplayed as a nine-tailed fox and played the actual nine-tailed fox, took the MVP in both sets.

She was in the 3rd division, or even until the 2nd division started, I never thought that Hanyu would become the ace of our team. I had become an incomparable player.

We are preparing for a long time to return home.
I focused on what the narrator and caster were saying.

“Finally, the first round is over.”
“It has been a very challenging journey. Who would have known that the outcome would turn out this way even before the start of the first round?”
“The biggest surprise among them is, of course, the Battle Angels, who played their last match today. This is because the team that started with two losses against Dragon Knights and Hercules Blackforce is winning consecutively at a terrifying pace.”
“Isn’t the second round a very exciting situation?! Then let’s watch the first round settlement together!”

Eight teams appearing on a large screen.

ACK Challengers League Week 4 Ranking
1. Dragon Knights 7-0, +14
2. Hercules Blackforce 6-1, +9
3. Battle Angels 5-2, +5
4. Nami Marines 4-3, +1
5. Mad Lion Gaming 2-5, -5
6. Costume Play Cats 2-5, -5
7. Dongkwang Anarchy 2-5, -6
8. Shooting Star 0-7, -13

Eight teams played once each, for a total of seven matches.

The final score our team got was 5 wins and 2 losses.
All teams except for the Dragon Knights and Hercules Blackforce, who met at the beginning of the season, brought victories.

‘With this momentum, it’s possible to win the second round.’

Moreover, our team was still getting stronger.
Like Yuna Han, who swept MVP awards like today, or Seo-yoon Ryu, who only woke up after the fight with Hercules.

Even in the scrim match against the Dragon Knights, the win rate was gradually increasing.

The narrator and caster’s words continued.

“Dragon Knights, the number one player, is what many fans expected, right?”
“Winning round 1… All I can say is that it is absolutely overwhelming. Even the set scores are all 2-0, a team that has literally never lost.”
“Even second place Hercules Blackforth was expecting it to some extent.”
“Yes, that’s right. The really surprising team is from 3rd place. That’s Battle Angels. When did this team come up here?”
“It’s a team that is really growing day by day. I started to gain momentum as I faced a strong team, and now I can say that I am a strong team!”
“On the other hand, there are some teams that are a little underpowered this season. Donggwang Anarchy.”
“It was a team that had not bad results last season, and it showed good performance until the beginning of this season. Strangely, his form gradually declined after the match against Battle Angels.”
“That Donggwang Anarchy is the 7th… Who would have guessed?”

I got up from my seat while listening to the voices of the narrator and caster that continued continuously.
The players who were ready were waiting for me.

“Let’s go home.”

###

‘Fuck you. I’m fucked…’

Arena Inside reporter Han Ah-reum was calming her anxiety by shaking her legs.

How did things turn out this way?

Because of coach Kim Jeong-soo, who entrusted her with her important mission to her?
If not, is it because of his clumsy technique her following in the footsteps of coach Jung Pal-soo?

‘If that’s not the case, should I have begged for it instead of being shameless when I was caught?’

I don’t know why things went this far, but one thing was certain.
Now she will have a painful time like she has never experienced in her life her!

‘I never thought I would meet Chairman Kim Yong-dae… ‘

While fiddling with her cell phone, she pondered whether she should tell coach Kim Jeong-soo all the facts.
However, she soon puts her cell phone down.

It was because I remembered Director Jung Pal-soo’s threat.

‘If you’re thinking of contacting the coach, you’d better not do it. If you don’t want to see things get complicated.’

‘He was a really scary person.’

If a tiger ate mugwort and garlic and became a human, would it have felt like this?
Indeed, it was a feeling of being overwhelmed by that momentum alone.

As Han Ah-reum brushed her spooky body her, she thought of her first meeting her with him.

When she was under the command of coach Kim Jeong-soo, she was conducting a background investigation of coach Jeong Pal-soo for a while.
She was waiting in front of director Jeong Pal-soo’s house for him to come out.

“Sister, what are you doing here?”

The one who found her was none other than her, a girl around the age of 10.
Han Ah-reum looked at her in surprise.

Did she do anything suspicious?

It couldn’t have been.
Although she was a journalist specializing in game magazines, she was also a master of living acting.
In the eyes of a 10-year-old girl, she couldn’t have done anything suspicious.

Han Ah-reum looked around her.
Strangely, however, she had no one but herself whom the girl could call.

“… Did you call me?”
“Yes! You were looking at our house all along.”
“…I’ve never been like that before.”

Han Ah-reum looked over her girl slowly.
Only then did she notice.
Her girl was the daughter of director Jeong Pal-soo, whom she was tailing.

“Does my little girl like anything?”

Han Ah-reum decided to divert her girlish attention to her by changing her rough subject to her.

Her innocent girl was lost in her thoughts her for a moment with her head up.

“Hmm… Game? I want to try arena! My dad won’t let me play games!”

‘This is an opportunity.’

I don’t know how this little girl realized her purpose for her, but if she was the daughter of director Jeong Pal-soo, she could have been an opportunity instead.

If we get to know each other a little, we might be able to dig up some information.

“What is the name of the little girl by any chance?”
“Me? Are you elite!”
“Then yes. Do you want to be our secret friend?”
“Eh? My dad told me to be very careful with people who say things like that…”

A little boy who gives a glance of suspicion.
Han Ah-reum quickly shook her head, realizing that she was a formidable girl.

“But I heard that my dad didn’t let me play… If you want to play games without your father’s knowledge, the only way is to be a secret friend?”
“Oh…!”
“What do you think? If you and your sister are secret friends, you can play games together… Are you really not going to?”

As if it was a waste, Han Ah-reum took a step back.
Then the girl impatiently grabbed her by the hem of her dress.

“Do! Secret friend! But are you really going to play me?”
“Then! If you have nothing to do, would you like to go right now?”
“Like!”

So the two women headed straight to the capsule room.

After that, the two become close friends right away while playing arena without noticing the passage of time.

“Yena, is this your first time playing arena? But why are you so good at it? Out of all the teenagers I know, you’re the best?”
Hehe… Actually, I watched a lot of New Tube videos! I watch a lot of arena streamers and competitions… “
“Somehow it is. Well, these days, everyone studies with New Tube first and then starts playing games.”
“I am a Battle Angels fan! One day I will join the Battle Angels.”

Han Ah-reum, who had talked to that point, realized.

‘This child, does n’t he know that his father is the manager of Battle Angels?’

If so, there probably wasn’t much information to be gleaned there.

After playing the game for hours, the two left the capsule room and entered the cafe.

Han Ah-reum bought her a chocolate smoothie, and she asked quietly.

“Do you know what your father does?”
“Ugh… I don’t know. Dad doesn’t talk about himself very well.”

‘I guess so.’

Even after that, she asked more persistently about director Jeong Pal-soo.
However, it was not easy to come up with a satisfactory answer.

It was a pity, but her relationship with her seemed to have no choice but to remain her secret friend her.

Hehe…”

But at that time, the girl looked in one direction and smiled.
Han Ah-reum felt a strange sense of incongruity.

“I’m sorry, sister.”

A word from her girlish mouth let her know that she had fallen into her trap.
Han Ah-reum let out an absurd laugh.

She was ‘hit. She’s like a clever kid…’

Before she knew it, director Jeong Pal-soo was standing behind her.

“Thanks for playing with me, sister!”

###

Ye-na, the daughter of director Pal-soo Jeong, went back to her house her, and reporter Han Ah-reum sat face-to-face with director Pal-soo Jeong in a cafe.

“Why have you been following me for the past few days?”
“… That’s really too much. Are you giving your daughter that role? Are you still the father?”
“Don’t turn around, speak straight. It’s not like I caught you with a good heart, even showing her daughter’s face her.”

Han Ah-reum took a sip of the coffee on her desk.
Even if she goes into the tiger’s den, she will live as long as she comes to her senses her, she said.

Obviously, director Jeong Pal-soo must have heard everything he and his daughter were saying.
If so, he must have known that he had asked questions to get information about director Jeong Pal-soo.

‘I’ll have to mix lies and facts in moderation.’

“I am this kind of person.”

She took her business card out of her arms and held it out.

It was a business card with information about Areum Han, a reporter from Arena Insight.
However, accepting the business card, director Jeong Pal-soo’s expression was blunt.

“You know that much. I am also the director of the gaming team.”
“Then the story will be fast. Why is it that the reporter is after the director?”
“……”

However, director Jeong Pal-soo did not seem to understand at all.

“Isn’t that the reason?”
“…Then what do you think is the reason? Why did you think you were a spy and cut your back?”
“I don’t have the knack for turning words around, so let’s talk right away. Didn’t the young master send you?”
“……”

Han Ah-reum swallowed her saliva.

It was a part that director Jeong Pal-soo could have guessed.
She knows that she and Coach Kim Jeong-soo have a relationship, and if she knows Coach Kim Jeong-soo’s intentions her, she will investigate from behind the coach at first.

‘Did I think it was too easy?’

Han Ah-reum felt the hair on her head, her stand out from her tension.

She knew to some extent about director Jung Pal-soo because she was doing background investigations.

A former gangster, he is currently serving as the right-hand man of Chairman Kim Yong-dae.
Rumor has it that the number of people who sank to the bottom of the Han River because of him has exceeded the triple digit number.

‘I’m sure it’s an exaggeration to some extent, but no, there won’t be any smoke blowing from the chimney.’

Reporter Han Ah-reum hid her nervous face and looked at director Jeong Pal-soo’s face.
However, unexpected words came out of the director’s mouth after a short sigh.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. Would you like to meet Chairman Kim Yong-dae?”
“Yes?”

Me? Why?
Han Ah-reum, who was about to say that for a moment, managed to shut her mouth her.