Season 3: Chapter 177: Pandora’s Hope (3)
“Student Sang-Hyeon.”
The doctor once told him something in the last week of physical therapy.
“Medical technology... is always advancing.”
The doctor felt sorry for him while attending the final therapy session. At least, Sang-Hyeon thought that at the time.
“Things that are impossible now might be possible in five to six years. It’s hard even for doctors to predict what will be possible in ten years.”
Sang-Hyeon remembered just nodding at the time.
“So don’t lose hope and keep yourself informed.”
“It’s okay.”
“...”
The doctor had stared at Sang-Hyeon with surprised eyes. He probably hadn’t expected “It’s okay” instead of “Thank you.”
“I think it’s better this way.”
“Sang-Hyeon...?”
“I’ll come again tomorrow.”
With those words, he left the consultation room.
The doctor had stared blankly at the closed door for a while without calling the next patient.
Sang-Hyeon kept repeating to himself while walking quickly through the hospital corridor.
‘It’s okay this way.’
He decided to stop using the association’s support funds for treatment and used them instead to forge his own path. He never regretted that decision. He had betrayed the archery team and So-Yeon was no longer in this world.
Continuing archery in such a state was a stretch. It would be better if his arm didn’t heal at all.
If his arm did heal and he stood alone on the Olympic stage, Sang-Hyeon would probably shoot himself first.
‘It’s already too late.’
If his arm was going to heal, it should have healed while So-Yeon was still in this world.
“It’s boring, so I’m quitting.”
Sang-Hyeon clenched his teeth when he recalled those words. Even now, he clenched his fists when he thought about that time.
‘Is there really a way to treat it now?’
A dream had undoubtedly come true, but he felt confused now that it was before him.
‘Am I understanding this correctly? That there’s a way to treat it... that we’ve found a lead...?’
Judging by Sa-Rang’s reaction and the doctor’s explanation, the scenario his former doctor had discussed seemed like a reality now.
“In ten years, even doctors can’t predict what will be possible.”
And now, the current doctor said, “Modern medical technology is constantly advancing. Many patients who have lost hope are finding it again. I thought our turn would never come, but now it’s finally our turn.”
The doctor firmly fixed her eyes on Sang-Hyeon and Sa-Rang.
‘So I understood correctly.’
Thud...
Something seemed to collapse within his chest and a great tremor reverberated.
“So this isn’t just a hypothesis—”
As the somewhat excited doctor continued speaking, Sang-Hyeon hung his head low.
‘It was already too late back then.’
“Ha.”
A heavy sigh escaped him.
“Sang-Hyeon?”
“It’s...”
She had left him a long time ago. Alone, he muttered as if only he could hear it.
“It’s far too late.”
***
Even though Sang-Hyeon had mumbled softly, the person beside him heard it clearly. It was Choi Sa-Rang.
‘What?’
She had expected him to be overjoyed, but he looked pained instead and said it was too late. This bothered her.
‘Too late...?’
She repeated his words in her mind. What was his situation? She didn’t know all the details of Sang-Hyeon’s circumstances, so she couldn’t guess.
‘Has too much time passed for him?’
Maybe because their paths in life had been different despite sharing the same illness. Sang-Hyeon had been poised to spend his prime years as an athlete using his arm while Sa-Rang already had leg issues when she reached the top in virtual reality gaming. What they longed for and aimed to achieve was different.
‘I see.’
A barrier of time blocked Sang-Hyeon’s goal. Even if he returned, no one would be there.
Sa-Rang had never thought about that.
‘Even if I return, nothing might be there. Maybe it’s the same for me...’
It wasn’t just someone else’s problem. Even if she struggled to climb back to where she fell from, what if nothing remained for her? What could be more despairing?
What did she hope to find if she returned? Another championship? The cheers of fans? Or...
“If you leave, how can we keep going? It would be over.”
Her teammates?
***
After listening to the doctor’s explanation and heading back to the dormitory…
‘It doesn’t feel real.’
Sang-Hyeon felt restless at the thought that his arm could be healed. Every day, he had dreamed of winning an Olympic gold medal.
‘Can I really?’
Now, he felt only doubt when facing the situation. Even if his arm healed, could he return to archery?
“It’s not determined how far the treatment will go, but improvement is certain.”
Nothing had been decided yet. They still didn’t know the extent of the recovery. Could his right hand return to its former sensitivity and perfect state of holding and releasing a bow?
‘Probably not.’
That seemed impossible no matter how he thought about it. Any improvement would likely only restore functionality to his daily life and gaming. The probability of that was high. Even if his arm perfectly healed and he could return to archery...
‘What would be there?’
Would he find salvation there? This question lingered on his mind.
He shook his head to dispel the thoughts.
‘No.’
Thinking too deeply always harmed the mind.
‘This is good enough.’
Yes, even being able to game without issues would greatly improve his quality of life. He was a streamer now and a player in the National Championship. He could find solace in that.
For now, that was what he decided to think.
“Legend Tale still has some time before it launches. You can take it slow. Just don’t overexert yourself in your current activities.”
Legend Tale hadn’t launched yet. He could participate as a beta tester, but the doctor recommended waiting for the official stable launch. Unlike other users, Sang-Hyeon and Sa-Rang’s issues were health-related. Any errors could be fatal.
Until the game launched, Sang-Hyeon’s daily life wouldn’t change much.
“Hey? Where have you been?”
Pang woke up already inside the dormitory.
“Ah, someone came to see me...”
After some vague words, Sang-Hyeon sat on the bed and tried to calm his restless mind. He tried to shake off his thoughts, but they kept piling up.
‘Hmm...?’
“Sniff, sniff…”
Strange sounds of sniffing could be heard from Pang.
Pang didn’t have rhinitis. Moreover, he awkwardly turned his back.
‘What’s this?’
Sang-Hyeon felt puzzled.
‘What’s he hiding?’
Out of curiosity, Sang-Hyeon approached him stealthily.
“Hey, what’s up? Don’t come.”
“...?”
Pang turned away as Sang-Hyeon approached.
When told not to go any closer, it made Sang-Hyeon want to peek even more.
“Hey? Are you crying?”
Pang’s eyes were wet.
“What are you talking about? I’m not crying.”
“Why are you suddenly crying?”
It wasn’t like they had just won a game. Why was Pang crying now?
Pang didn’t want to answer, but he finally admitted it under Sang-Hyeon’s persistent questioning.
“Ha... No, Hui-Chul’s interview.”
Commanders often gave interviews even if they weren’t MVPs, especially with game webzines showing great interest in this championship. Interviews happened frequently.
‘What’s he talking about?’
Sang-Hyeon didn’t completely understand even after watching the interviews. He couldn’t find what made Pang so emotional.
“The content wasn’t much,” Pang said as he put away his phone, “It just reminded me of the old days when Hui-Chul first became commander. There was a lot of talk. They said he was the most promising rookie. That was true... but no one thought he’d become commander immediately, at least not internally.”
Pang had just joined the National Championship team then. Still, he could sense the team’s strange atmosphere.
“Hui-Chul later told me that many members favored and trusted another candidate more.”
“Ah...”
Sang-Hyeon couldn’t imagine another commander other than Cookie. The idea of Cookie not being trusted was unthinkable now.
“So Hui-Chul worked himself to death. He had to prove he was better.”
Pang didn’t know why Hui-Chul had been chosen. He only heard that the previous commander chose Cookie for unknown reasons.
“But now it’s been proven. We haven’t won in the main tournament before. He proved it after five years of effort... thinking about that made me emotional.”
So it was that. They didn’t just have external trust issues, but internal problems too. Cookie had carried all that burden to get here. Frankly, the path had been filled with scars with no financial gains, internal distrust, and poor performances.
Reversing Korea’s status seemed almost hopeless at the time. Why hadn’t Cookie given up? What kept him from giving up?
Sang-Hyeon didn’t know because he had given up.
‘Why…?’
Recalling his physical therapy days, Sang-Hyeon grew curious about Hui-Chul’s story.
***
Time passed and the day of Joseon’s round of sixteen match arrived.
Almost every gaming community seemed to be in a different atmosphere compared to when Joseon faced the Vikings. Back then, they hoped that Joseon would win despite the odds. Now, many openly expected it.
[Reasons why Joseon can handle Persia]
[Honestly, my elephant is stronger than Persia’s elephant, lol]
[Joseon to the quarter-finals!!]
They didn’t have much basis for their belief.
“Now we have to admit it?”
A post on Big featured a picture of the Korean team entering the stadium in white uniforms.
[These guys are just good lol.]
— Really lol
— True
— Cool~
— The thrill of that scene lol
— Seriously, admit it now
— Ready for the Persian match~
— Perhaps Joseon is actually good?
Of course, many still predicted Persia’s victory and considered Joseon the weakest team.
[Persia’s problem isn’t just elephants, but archery too]
[Beating the Vikings doesn’t mean Persia is easy?]
[Even Almond said fashion was the key to victory lol. Who thinks they can beat Persia???]
Those who knew the game well shared the same sentiment.
However—
[You never know until you try]
All games needed to be played to know the outcome.
— “The ball is round”
— You need to play to know if you’re a master
└ Can you not play if you know? lol. Give up?
└└ 22222 lol really, what to do?
└ Coolheaded people, please go away
— Wow
A new notification popped up with an hour left for the much anticipated matchup.
[Fake National Team ep.7 Inspiration]
The timing of the Fake National Team episode coincided with everyone’s anticipation.
— Wow, what’s the upload frequency?!
— Here comes my drug
— This is it
— Cool~
— The dinner party episode was fun but felt like a side story. This is what I missed~~
— Look at Almond’s channel booming lol
With each victory in the National Championship, interest grew and the Fake National Team viewership hit a record high.