MAX 23

“Isn’t it cute? They say this is a limited edition item you can only get in Hawaii.”

Han Jiho accepted the doll Seo Jaeyoon held out with a reluctant face.

The cat doll, slightly smaller than the size of a palm, had two pink shells attached to its chest and was wearing a skirt made of leaves while doing a hula dance.

“It is cute, I guess.”

While he was squeezing the soft and squishy face of the doll, the sound of photos being taken erupted beside him. He wasn’t sure how many pictures were being snapped, but the continuous shutter sounds were like the noise of a bill counter.

“Whoa. As expected, when the model is good, the pictures come out great even if I just snap away.”

He didn’t know exactly what the photos looked like, but Seo Jaeyoon’s expression seemed quite satisfied. It was a photoshoot that completely disregarded the subject’s consent.

Then, Jaeyoon took the phone back, fiddled with it for a moment, and held it out to Han Jiho.

“Take a look. It came out well, right?”

Han Jiho took the phone and checked the screen. There was a photo of him touching the doll.

“What do you mean ‘well’…”

Han Jiho, who had secretly been expecting something, pouted at the sight of his usual, ordinary self.

Maybe I should have changed my clothes before taking it.

He felt a slight pang of regret. It felt a bit embarrassing to think he was showing his fans a side of him wearing a plain white T-shirt and black sweatpants.

“Write whatever you want to say.”

“What should I write?”

“Just anything. Write what you want to say to your fans.”

Something he wanted to say to the fans.

Han Jiho pondered for a moment before tapping on the keypad.

Hello. This is Han Jiho…

Tap, tap.

“Here.”

“Is this it?”

“Yeah. Why? Should I write more?”

“Never mind. Phew…”

Letting out a deep sigh as if he shouldn’t have expected anything from him, Seo Jaeyoon registered the photo and began fiddling with his own phone.

Glancing over to see what he was doing, Jiho saw that Jaeyoon had picked one photo out of the many where Jiho’s face wasn’t visible and was uploading it to his own SNS.

Soon, as if the upload was complete, Seo Jaeyoon showed his phone to Han Jiho with an intrigued face.

“Look.”

(Photo)

seo.jaeyoon In★stagram Launch Commemoration Gift

#Han Jiho #HANZIHO #HawaiiCat

#YesItIsThatHanJiho

And on the cat doll in the photo, Han Jiho’s SNS ID, ‘theziho,’ was tagged.

Seo Jaeyoon pulled down the screen to refresh repeatedly. Every time he did, the number of likes, which had started at zero, grew exponentially.

5,000, 17,000, 40,000, 130,000, 320,000…

At the same time, Han Jiho’s quiet phone began to vibrate incessantly. The vibrations were so continuous, like an incoming call, that he eventually had to turn off the notifications.

Han Jiho stared at his SNS with a face that shifted from surprise to being completely overwhelmed. The follower count, which had been zero just a few minutes ago, was increasing by thousands every time he refreshed.

“Insane, right?”

Seo Jaeyoon’s face looked extremely proud. It was because his promotion had been a success.

“…It’s a bit scary.”

“It just means there were that many people who wanted to see you, man.”

Giving Han Jiho a playful nudge on the shoulder, Seo Jaeyoon put down his phone and stood up, gathering the empty dishes and utensils.

“I’ll do the dishes, so you just sit there and enjoy the attention.”

“…Uh-huh, thanks.”

“If you’re thankful, just appear on my MeTube sometime later.”

Breaking into a smirk at that remark, Han Jiho looked back at his phone. Even though the sudden flood of public interest was frightening, he couldn’t take his eyes off it.

And that day, Han Jiho was unable to play EoE with Seo Jaeyoon. It was because he had underestimated the influence he possessed.

His phone was literally on fire. It felt as if he were trapped in a phone hell. As soon as he finished one call, another came, and calls even came in while he was already on the line. The phone battery had long since been drained; he had connected a portable power bank, but even that was barely enough.

Messages and SNS were beyond mention. Countless acquaintances asked about his return, and countless fans wailed for him to come back. There were even news articles. And it was Seo Jaeyoon who showed him those articles.

Top News | News & Issues

[Genius Pro Gamer Han Jiho, Whom Even ‘Cheat Allegations’ Couldn’t Stop, Reveals First Update Since Retirement]

[‘World’s Strongest Healer’ Han Jiho Opens SNS 6 Months After Retirement; Fans Stir Over ‘Return Rumors’]

[Former GenPho Pro Gamer Han Jiho of ‘Cheat Allegations’ Fame, Rumors of a Return Rising]

“Wow. Han Jiho’s still got it.”

At the cringeworthy modifiers like “Genius Pro Gamer” or “World’s Strongest Healer,” Han Jiho’s face flushed red.

He had simply posted one photo with a little bit of text, but the ripple effect was so enormous that he was flustered. He felt regretful, wondering if he had acted too thoughtlessly.

“Hey. Just enjoy it. It’s not like you caused a scandal, so what are you worried about?”

Beside him, Seo Jaeyoon, who was lying leisurely on the sofa playing a mobile game, dismissed his worries and regrets with easy-going words. He was telling him to just accept the situation as it was.

“…”

But even if he tried to accept the situation as it was, the calls just kept coming and coming. As soon as he hung up the thirty-fifth—no, he couldn’t even remember if it was the thirty-sixth or thirty-seventh—call, the phone rang again.

This time, it was an idol member he had become close with during his player days, when he briefly worked as a commercial model for a luxury brand that sponsored the team and they had shot a pictorial together.

As soon as he picked up,

— Hyung, have you been well? I’m sorry I couldn’t reach out first, I’ve been so busy. I saw that you opened an In-star. Are you coming back? I really hope you come back. I want to see your matches again…

At the words pouring out without a pause, Han Jiho could only offer a hollow laugh. Everyone who called said the same thing. Having to say dozens of times that he had no intention of returning was giving him a headache.

“Yeah, let’s have a meal sometime later. Contact me when you’re free. Yeah, okay.”

Once again, he ended the call with a non-committal promise. Han Jiho collapsed onto the dining table with a tired face, and the phone, which had been quiet for a moment, began to vibrate again.

The person calling this time was the coach of his former team, ‘DAWNRAY,’ Yoon Seong-ho.

“Ah…”

Seeing that, Han Jiho let out a deep sigh in spite of himself. It was expected, but actually receiving the contact made his heart feel complicated. Even though quite a bit of time had passed, it was because the hard feelings from back then hadn’t completely vanished.

“What is it?”

“The coach is calling.”

As soon as the word ‘coach’ was mentioned, Seo Jaeyoon’s expression twisted into a fierce scowl.

“Coach? Who? Don’t tell me it’s that fucking bastard Park Seong-jin?”

“No. It’s been ages since he was fired. It’s Coach Yoon Seong-ho.”

“Ah, if it’s Yoon Seong-ho, then… are you not going to pick up?”

At the question from Seo Jaeyoon, whose expression had softened instantly, Han Jiho bit his lip with a pensive face.

He had actually been on decent terms with Yoon Seong-ho until the very end. He was almost the only one who had taken his side and respected his extreme decision to ‘retire.’

Well, he did feel a great sense of betrayal later when he realized that, in the end, that too had just been a way to cut ties, but anyway.

“No. I should pick up.”

Taking a short breath as if to steel himself, Han Jiho gave a light smile to Seo Jaeyoon and then pressed the call button.

“Yes, Coach. Yes. Have you been well? Ah, yes. I’ve been doing well too.”

Perhaps his emotions had diluted over time, as Yoon Seong-ho’s voice, heard for the first time in six months, felt somewhat welcoming. But at the same time, a reluctant discomfort remained in a corner of his heart.

The call lasted about ten minutes.

Han Jiho ended the call after saying they should meet up sometime. Seo Jaeyoon, who had been playing games on his phone, was now staring at his face silently with his chin propped on his hand.

“What’d he say?”

Rubbing his ear, which had become hot due to the heated phone, Han Jiho replied in a low tone.

“He just asked how I was doing. He said he’s busy too. Since the league isn’t far off. But it seems Ji-hoon keeps causing trouble, so he’s having a headache.”

“Bullshit. Why is he telling you that?”

Seo Jaeyoon snorted irritably. He looked very displeased.

“So why did he say he called? Did he ask if you’re coming back?”

Han Jiho hesitated for a moment at the blunt question before shaking his head.

“Well, he didn’t ask outright like that. He said he saw I made an In-star and asked what my plans are for the future.”

“And what did you say?”

“I said I’m going to rest comfortably. Doing what I want to do. He asked what games I’m playing lately.”

“Ah, is that why you mentioned EoE earlier? I wondered why EoE came up all of a sudden.”

“Yeah. He told me to have fun gaming.”

“Hmph. Whatever.”

“And he said to contact him right away if I ever have any thoughts.”

“What? What thoughts?”

“About returning, obviously.”

“What? Is he crazy? There’s a limit to how shameless a person can be, but he says that kind of utter nonsense out loud? Isn’t he insane? If you’re going to go crazy, do it gracefully, fuck. Truly disgusting.”

Watching Seo Jaeyoon pour out curses as if he’d been waiting to do so, Han Jiho let out a sigh. It felt like sighing had become a habit now.

“Hey. Stop swearing so much. You’re a celebrity; why do you swear like that?”

“No, it’s just so fucking annoying that he’s talking nonsense now after acting like that before. Aren’t you pissed?”

Was he pissed?

“I am.”

He was human too, so how could he not be pissed?

But even so, it was already over. He didn’t want to waste his emotions on something that no longer had any value. It was because he realized that cursing them out only ended up eating away at his own heart.

“But I just don’t want to care. I just won’t contact them. It’s not like that’s the only team out there.”

“…Huh?”

Seo Jaeyoon wore a dazed expression at the significant words that had slipped by lightly. Han Jiho was fiddling with his phone with a face lost in deep thought.