Season 3: Chapter 102: Release (3)
Today was the match between Korea and France. Like before, the Fake National Team was uploaded a few hours before the match.
[Fake National Team ep2. Release]
[Now premiering!]
The video started with members of the think tank in a dark atmosphere.
[Korea vs. Italy]
[After the Defeat]
It showed the team right after Korea lost to Italy.
"No! Bro! That's not it!"
Bang!
Chi-Seung stood up yelling.
— Holy shit.
— Oh, what?
— ??? Damn bro!
— Already…
— Is this the intro?
A close-up showed SharpSphere and Chi-Seung facing each other.
"I just said it, man."
SharpSphere's voice trembled weakly as if he was highly agitated.
"Just?! How can you just say that!?"
Chi-Seung turned around sharply. His voice sounded agitated too.
"You all listen too!"
The members gathered around the TV appeared on the screen. WaterDumpling turned around and covered her ears while the other members bowed their heads.
"If you have eyes to watch the game, you'd know! We got totally crushed! We didn't even get to fight properly!"
Emotions surged from the start.
It was painful for them, but the viewers seemed moved.
— Wow.. so intense!
— Wow, that's harsh.
— Ah, Chi-Seung was the leader, right.
— This is real entertainment!
— This is reality.
Thump!
Chi-Seung went into his room and slammed the door.
Chrrrrrk.
The screen transitioned to a dark room.
Chi-Seung's face filled the screen as he looked into the camera. He made eye contact with the viewers.
"We should probably film this..."
After staring for a while, he eventually turned away.
"We should. It's all content."
He leaned against the door and slid down to sit.
The screen tilted.
Thump.
The camera fell.
The screen was sideways as Chi-Seung murmured, "Was it just me who thought we could win?"
He chuckled to himself and answered his own question.
"… I thought so."
The screen faded to black and the intro music played.
[Fake National Team]
— Holy Moly~
— !!!
— Shit~~
— Chi-Seung, get your shit together
— I thought we'd win too!
— Wow…
— That intro was crazy.
The narrative returned to the beginning.
[Italy vs. Korea]
[During the Match]
The players appeared during the match and fought until the end. Among them, Almond eventually fell in battle and they lost.
The commentators expressed their regret.
[Defeat]
After the defeat was declared, all the players instantly returned to the game lobby in Civil Empire resembling a tavern.
Thump.
Almond collapsed to the floor as soon as he returned to the lobby. He wasn’t even interested in finding a chair since it was virtual reality. He just sat there, blankly staring at the ground.
This scene showed the viewers a side of the players that they hadn't seen before after a loss.
It wasn’t just Almond. The screen split to show many players' waiting screens. None of them were standing properly. They had given it their all.
[Summoned to This World for Feedback]
Afterward, they headed to This World for feedback.
The documentary staff also joined. They spread out to capture the scenery of This World and also interviewed players.
Among them, the camera approached Almond.
"Uh… Mr. Almond?"
Almond, usually cooperative with filming, looked unwell this time.
"?"
He silently turned to look at the writer.
"May we conduct a post-game interview?"
After a moment's hesitation, he nodded.
"Yes, let's do that."
"Is there a feedback meeting soon?"
"Yes, we do it even if we win. If we lose, it's usually longer."
"Ah… So you don't just leave the capsule right after the game?"
"That's right. It usually goes on for about three or four hours."
"… That long?"
This part was unknown to viewers.
— So that's how it is.
— It's really intense, for real.
— Wow, they're almost like professional gamers!
— Holy…
— Well, some of them are professionals...
The viewers felt surprised by the high workload. All they saw was the brief action during the game.
"Mr. Almond, it's known that you struggle with long capsule sessions. Are you okay?"
"Ah. It's just talking, not playing the game, so it's okay."
"But still, it must be hard to follow strategies and understand them."
"?"
Almond looked puzzled, as if not understanding the question.
"Do you not listen?"
"Uh? No?"
"So you don't understand even if you listen..."
"Cough..."
Almond pretended to be distracted.
Sad music played.
— LOL.
— Then why are you even there?
— Just go home and sleep, Almond.
"It's not that I don't understand. I just focus on playing..."
Among the players were strategists and combatants. For example, Carrot and Pang were strategists and Almond was a combatant.
"Then, wouldn't it be better for players unrelated to strategy to rest?"
"Still, being there might boost morale?"
"Ah. Morale..."
The writer paused. Again, sad music played.
— LMAO.
— So everyone knows but him~
— Feedback attendance reason: morale boost.
— Is he their mascot?
— Even in school, he attended to boost the teacher's morale.
— Just for morale, HAHYAHAHA.
The screen transitioned.
Interviews with other players briefly took place. Then, a scene showed Cookie giving them feedback.
"… Although we were outmaneuvered strategically, if we just focus on feedback regarding on-field decisions, the fact that we were too exposed to the enemy's trebuchets without proper dispersion from the start was the most…"
Obviously, crucial strategic feedback couldn't be included.
— Is Almond sleeping?
— He's listening, right...?
— Everyone's looking for Almond.
After a moment, Almond seemed to look elsewhere. The video moved toward its climax.
Chrrrrk.
[Think Tank Team's Hideout]
The atmosphere in the hideout was gloomy. They were watching a sports game, but no one seemed excited.
"… Ha."
"Ah…"
Some members sighed intermittently, but most had known that they had lost the game when the Roman workers escaped. Eventually, the game ended in their defeat.
"Ha…"
Everyone sat silently, staring blankly at the screen.
The scene of Chi-Seung getting up played again.
The incident started when SharpSphere tried to console them and said, "It was a good fight even though we lost."
"No! Bro! That's not it! Just because we lost to Rome and still might make it to the main round doesn't mean it's okay."
"I just said—"
"Listen, everyone!" the irritated Chi-Seung yelled at everyone, "We were completely crushed! If you have eyes..."
After ranting for a while, Chi-Seung suddenly bowed his head.
"Sorry."
The camera zoomed in, showing Chi-Seung's face filled with a sense of responsibility and frustration.
"I'm the leader. Ultimately, the final decision is mine..."
"Hey, Chi-Seung..."
"It's all my fault. Sorry for yelling."
— At least Chi-Seung is nice.
— Yeah, he apologizes.
— He must be feeling it.
Thump!
He went into a room to be alone. Of course, he wasn’t alone. A camera was there too.
"You really need to film this too…?"
He looked at the camera for a while and asked, "Am I the only one who really thought we could win?"
After a moment of silence, Chi-Seung answered himself.
"… I thought so."
— ???
— Why did you ask and answer yourself?
— No!
— Honestly, it seemed like Rome would win.
Meanwhile, Chi-Seung received a message with the profile and name hidden. It was edited with CG to appear on the right.
Ding.
[Yo■■: Hey, I need help with a group project. Can you cover my part-time job?]
[Kim Chi-Seung: No, impossible. I'm in a tournament.]
[Yo■■: Oh… there's no one else but you... It's an important group project for school… Can't you somehow make it work?]
Chi-Seung was about to respond, [This is also important…] but erased it instead.
— What's with her, really?
— The fate of our nation is at stake here! What about her group project!?
— My fist is crying, really.
— As if her group project is that important, duh.
— If she's a grad student, I'd understand, poor thing.
— Please realize it!
The chat exploded with criticism. If Chi-Seung saw this, it would probably ease his mind. However, the Chi-Seung in the video couldn’t cross time and space to see this chat. He just chuckled at the camera.
"Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the reason."
— Unnecessarily hurt...
— Well, no one appreciates it anyway.
— ??? Because it's a fake national team…
— Sad to be a fake national team.
— Is this… a national team?
More messages from his coworker continued to bother him. Chi-Seung resorted to a desperate measure.
[Kim Chi-Seung: ■■, I like you. Let's go on a date.]
[Yo■■: What???]
[Yo■■: What are you talking about, really…]
[Kim Chi-Seung: I'm serious.]
The message on the right side of the screen was tagged with [Blocked].
— LOL.
— Did he get blocked??
— What are you talking about? Really. HAHAHAHA pure cringe.
— Her punishment is your confession!?
Chi-Seung showed the message to the camera and declared victory.
"Cut."
— LMAO.
— Bug… cut!
— Am I supposed to like this?
— Crazy, haha.
— True trait: He can properly correct women.
— This is staged, right? Please say it is.
— What are you talking about? Really… <<< this is crazy haha.
The scene transitioned.
The last scene was expected to show them preparing for the match against France.
[The next day, Kimchi Stew Restaurant]
Surprisingly, a kimchi stew restaurant appeared.
"Welcome! Our traditional recipe spans many years! Okangwoo Kimchi Stew!"
— PPL, huh?
— What's this now?
— Oh, that place is really tasty.
— I'm hungry.
— Oops, lol.
Chi-Seung scooped the bubbling stew with his spoon.
"Thanks, bro."
"Yeah. Eat."
"You don't have to buy chicken just because I couldn't eat it."
"Just eat when it's given."
"Okay."
Across Chi-Seung, Almond responded indifferently.
— It’s Almond??
— They’re eating together?
— Wow, Almond eats kimchi stew too..?
"Sorry about last time. Our strategy was lacking..."
"Huh? No, the soldiers don't know anyway."
Almond dismissed the conversation as if embarrassed.
— ???
— Soldiers = Almond
— LMAO.
— Fact: Only he doesn't know.
— Kimchi Warrior eating kimchi stew??
Chi-Seung changed the subject.
"Um… Bro. I watched that video. Fake National Team."
"Oh."
Swoosh.
Almond reacted while eating the kimchi stew.
"How was it?"
"It was interesting, but…"
Chi-Seung seemed troubled by something.
"In that video, only you and Cookie confidently answered that the goal was to win."
"Yeah."
"Do you really think we can win?"
"…?"
Almond paused, put down his bowl, and thought for a moment.
"If you participate in a competition, the goal is ultimately to win."
"… Right."
"Yeah."
Almond resumed eating as if that settled it.
"But… not everyone can realize their dreams. You have to let go at some point. Did you say that just because it's our dream to win?"
To let go... That phrase also held meaning for Almond. He couldn't answer easily.
"A coach once told me something," Almond spoke indifferently while eating.
Strangely, his words sounded clear as if they had been recorded separately.
"Attach the arrow to the string and pull the string back all the way with the greatest force. We call this a full draw."
"… Yes."
"That full draw takes a lot of effort, especially if you're holding it. A beginner's hand will tremble, but there's no effort at all when you finally release the arrow. It feels liberating."
Tick, tick, tick...
Almond adjusted the fire of the bubbling stew as he continued.
"We never release the arrow until we're sure we can hit the target. Even if it means pulling back again."
"…!"
Chi-Seung's eyes widened as if he realized something.
"You can always let go, so I don't think there's any need to let go right now. I haven't even aimed properly yet."
With the fire now at the desired intensity, Almond turned away from the stove. He looked at Chi-Seung. His eyes were visibly shaking.
"Isn't it the same for you?"
That day, Korea achieved a resounding victory against France.
***
Chrrrrk.
After the victory against France, another Fake National Team video was surprisingly uploaded.
[Cookie Video]
A short bonus video was added like an extra cut in a movie. The protagonist on the screen was Chi-Seung.
— Cookie’s video but where's Cookie?
— Thought Cookie would appear in this one.
— Cookie video (not)
Chi-Seung approached the camera.
"I was wrong…"
He showed the camera his phone screen filled with numerous supportive messages stored in a photo album.
"Many others also believed we could win. Just like this."
He now bowed deeply to the camera compared to earlier when he wanted to get rid of everyone.
"Thank you."
He bowed once more.
"We'll do our best."