By Jang Minseok, Park Seokhyeon, Ha Gibaek (Interviewteam.peulpo.com)
(Photo)
A shot of player 'Sense' preparing for the interview.
The year 2021 is already coming to an end.
After participating in the Heroes of Legend World Championship in September 2020—his last major event—LVS team's player Sense took a year-long break. Now, he's back.
Fans are eager to know what Sense's future looks like—what team he'll play for, and what kind of performance he'll deliver.
Q. How did you spend your year off?
Sense: Not much really changed. I did have a bit more free time compared to when I was actively competing, but I still took part in all team activities and played ranked matches. The days passed quickly.
Q. We've heard you'll be participating in the Spring tournament next year. Will you continue playing for LVS?
Sense: Yes. We'd been discussing contract extensions for a while. I initially thought it might be difficult to renew my contract since I decided to take a year off. But the coach and manager actually approached me first about extending. I really appreciated that and accepted the offer.
Q. This season, 'Tenet' filled in and played the jungle role. What's the plan for 2022?
Sense: Tenet and I will be alternating matches.
Q. We heard you're very close with 'Tenet.' Is that true?
Sense: Aside from my cousin, Coach Yoo Kyungseok, he's the person I'm closest to. We're the same age and have similar personalities, so we get along well. We've been friends since before he joined LVS—when he was still on another team—so it's been about three years.
Q. You were known as a jungler with exceptional mechanics and unpredictable plays. How's your prep for the 2022 season going?
Sense: In the 2021 season, jungle was dominated by a tank/support meta due to buffs to defensive items and utility supports. But for 2022, the meta's shifting back to aggression because of buffs to damage dealers. That suits my style perfectly. I'm preparing several champions, so I hope you'll look forward to the Spring Season tournament in March.
Q. LVS narrowly lost to team WFG in the finals of this year's World Championship in the U.S. What are your goals for next year?
Sense: Naturally, our goal is to win every tournament. With Tenet's stable style and my aggressive play, I think we can show a more refined jungle synergy than ever before.
(Omitted content)
Q. Next year marks your 4th year as a pro, counting your break. You started at 20, right? What got you into this career?
Sense: I started playing Heroes of Legend after watching an offline tournament at BEXCO in Busan when I was 18. The jungler of the winning team was amazing—even though he wasn't a pro, his mechanics and macro play were top-notch. I never liked AOS-style games before and never even looked at them, but that event made me want to learn HoL right away. I studied his match records and replays, copying his builds and playstyle. My skill improved really fast after that.
Q. So if you hadn't watched that tournament, we wouldn't be seeing you here today?
Sense: Probably not. Without that experience, I don't think I would've enjoyed HoL enough to keep playing. I actually met that player in person recently at a wedding. He was incredibly kind, listened to me, and even gave me his number. I've admired him for years, so I expected things to be awkward, but he was so thoughtful and made me feel comfortable.
Q. Sounds like a really special connection. Hope that friendship lasts. Lastly, any words for your fans looking forward to your 2022 season?
Sense: I'll work hard to live up to all the support I've received. Thank you so much.
[Comments: 58] | Latest｜Top Voted
[Best] The last two answers are so long lmao—dude must really care about that tournament winner hahaha
└ lmao the rest are like 2 lines max and then that bit goes on for like 3-4 paragraphs
└ Makes sense tho, the guy basically inspired him to go pro. I'd be hyped too if I met someone like that in person lol
[New] Been waiting for Sense to come back… Tenet's alright, but he still feels shaky;
└ Honestly, they just call him a tank-jungle player to sound nice, but the guy always ends up on tanks instead of carries. Feels like playing an RPG, not a MOBA
[Comment Translations]
└ He's a player with clear strengths and weaknesses. Sense has his flaws too, but in HoL, you can't ignore raw mechanics.
└ If the two are sharing playtime, I think it's not a bad setup.
[New] The team's overall level is top-tier, I'd say. Hmm.
└ "Top-tier" is a stretch… You never know until they play.
└ Sense taking a year off is a big deal. A year is enough time for your skill to tank completely.
[New] Sense is currently ranked 37th in solo queue.
└ WTF, 37th? After a year off? That's insane.
└ Yeah, he's been playing more lately. Up till summer, he was only playing one or two games a day lol.
└ Yup, in the summer his ranking dropped hard—down to around 100th, I think. Looks like he's climbed back up.
[New] So are they just adding Sense to this year's roster? Or is it still under wraps?
└ I think the support's contract expired this year. The finalized roster usually gets announced around the end of the year.
└ LVS probably wants to just add Sense and run it back—remember, they got 2nd at the Hold Cup.
[New] Sense is adorable lol
[New] That HoL offline tournament from 5 years ago—is that the one Kim Sehoon hosted?
└ I think so. I remember going to watch that.
└ Who won that tournament again? Wonder if there's still footage.
└ The jungler on the winning team was insanely good, yeah. But I don't think he ever went pro.
└ There are tons of skilled players who don't go pro.
└ Hobby and career are different things.
[Narration Continuation]
So Coach Yoo Kyungseok and Chaeyujung are cousins, huh.
After reading the entire comment section under the interview article, I lowered my head and pressed my fingers to my forehead.
"…Unbelievable."
I couldn't tell who to blame more—Chaeyujung for blabbing so excitedly, or the journalist for printing it all word for word.
It wasn't until I read through the article and the comments below it that I realized just how sincerely Chaeyujung had admired me.
After slowly sorting through the chaos in my head, I picked up my phone again. I dialed, and the call connected quickly.
—"…Hello? Hello?"
"Chaeyujung."
His voice came through the phone, a little shaky—clearly startled by the sudden call.
"Can you talk right now?"
—"Of course! Of course I can! Hyung, what's going on?"
I looked up and saw the night sky beyond the hallway window. The moonlight filtering through the clouds lit up the dark corridor.
Come to think of it, when was the last time I called someone this late at night? Back when I had a girlfriend, I did this often.
Leaning against the dark hallway wall, gazing up at the moon while talking to someone—it stirred a nostalgic and sentimental feeling in me. With a faint smile, I asked gently:
"You got a death wish or something?"
—"Huh?"
"I asked if you want to die."
—"What? Where is this coming from?"
Chaeyujung sounded completely flustered at my threat.
"What kind of nonsense did you spew in that interview?"
—"…Ah."
Only then did he realize what I was referring to. He hesitated before replying nervously.
—"I-I didn't say your name…"
"You think that makes it okay? You talked about the entire tournament in detail, and you think leaving out my name fixes everything?"
—"I got a little too excited without realizing it… But Hyung."
"What."
—"It's not like it's something you need to hide, right? It's true you carried the team and won that tournament. I'm sure a lot of people besides me who saw it recognized your skill. You were amazing… I even have a video of it. Want me to send it? You'll see it and think you were—"
"Enough."
I quickly cut him off with a sigh before he could keep gushing.
I wasn't actually furious to the point of cursing him out, but it was definitely embarrassing.
"Don't do that again. What's so great about winning a small tournament at nineteen that you feel the need to spread it around like it's a big deal?"
—"But still…"
"Just don't."
When I firmly cut him off again, Chaeyujung swallowed the rest of his words and went quiet. I waited silently, and soon, a dejected voice came through the phone.
—"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."
"Okay."
—"Should I contact the site and ask them to delete just that part?"
"It's already been up since this afternoon. Anyone who wanted to see it has probably seen it by now. Don't bother."
—"Sorry…"
"Yeah. Just don't let it happen again."
—"…"
"…"
A strange silence settled between us. Neither of us had anything more to say—how was I supposed to end this?
"…That's all I called to say. Sorry for calling so late. I'll hang up now."
—"Wait, hyung."
"What?"
—"Two days from now is Friday, right? Um…"
Chaeyujung's voice clearly trembled with nerves as he continued.
—"Will you be busy?"
"I have class, yeah."
—"I've got to go out during the day, and if it's okay with you… I'd like to meet in the afternoon…"
The more he spoke, the more uncertain he sounded, his voice growing quieter and quieter.
When I didn't respond right away to his unexpected suggestion, he got nervous and started rambling.
—"Of course, if you're busy, that's totally fine. I just thought even if it's just for an hour, that'd be enough. I swear I'm not trying to pressure you—it's just how I feel. I really want to see you, and it just so happens I'll be out on Friday…"
Friday, huh? My class ends around 6 p.m. that day. If I work hard on my assignments until tomorrow, I could probably take Friday off.
And I need to check Chaeyujung's schedule too.
Last Sunday, Yoochae had said she got back late because she'd been visiting her family. Now, three days later, this interview had been published. It was possible she had lied to me about the timing because of the interview. I wanted to find out for sure.
"Alright. My class ends at 6, so let's meet after that."
—"Huh? Really?"
"You said you wanted to meet, didn't you? Find a café near Korea University and wait there. I'll come."
If I met Chaeyujung and asked him more about the interview, I might be able to get something useful.
But while my mind was calmly making plans, a growing discomfort spread through my chest.
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