Season 3: Chapter 212. Treading Lightly (2)
"Japan... Please..."
Korea vs. Japan, no other phrase stirred national pride as much as these three words. Moreover, it would be a home game for Japan.
If this match happened, the expected profits would soar even higher.
Then─
"Japan advanced!?"
Ju-Hyeok jumped excitedly. Could things go this well!?
The long-awaited quarterfinal match he had inadvertently set as the break-even point was Korea vs. Japan.
‘If this happens, it might actually give Sang-Hyeon a foundation to operate without profits.’
Currently, the company solely depended on Almond. It was essentially a one-person management company for Almond.
Ju-Hyeok thought this situation wasn't good for either of them. It put pressure on Almond and rendered the company valueless.
More than anything, Ju-Hyeok disliked the lack of independence. It felt no different from relying on his father, but just living with a younger and more generous person.
He wanted complete independence. That way, his relationship with Sang-Hyeon would improve significantly. He wanted the company to sustain itself with revenue from sources other than Sang-Hyeon.
‘If this happens...’
If things went this way, that day would come sooner.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Bang!
Ju-Hyeok excitedly jumped around and stubbed his toe on the desk leg. Feeling a sharp pain, he clutched his toe and rolled around on the sofa.
“Ughhh...!”
Meanwhile, the interview continued on the TV that Ju-Hyeok left on.
“The next opponent has been decided. Have you heard the news?”
“No, not yet.”
“I see. The opponent is... Japan.”
***
Joseon had advanced to the quarterfinals. It wouldn't be surprising if every Civil Empire related community talked about this undoubtedly impressive achievement.
Indeed, such a situation occurred after the victory.
[Joseon made it to the quarterfinals!!!]
[OMG?! Is this for real?]
[HA, finally, it was worth the wait!]
[I really cried, dammit]
[Defeated the ninja loser!]
Posts like these flooded the communities.
Many people reacted in real-time whenever the highlights of Joseon's winning game played again. They kept posting and sharing their impressions while watching the highlights just like how older generations used to gather in front of the TV to watch dramas together.
However, everyone suddenly stopped watching these highlights.
[Breaking News: Joseon's quarterfinal opponent has been decided]
[Japan]
Japan appeared in large and bright red letters. This text could go viral without any further explanation or pictures.
— LOL
— So it finally comes to this
— Korea vs. Japan!!
— Amazing
— Defeated a low-level ninja, now comes the real ninja?
Korea vs. Japan would undoubtedly be a huge topic given Korea's history of being invaded by Japan, losing its sovereignty, and becoming a colony.
— LMAO It's not just Korea vs. Japan. It's Joseon vs. Japan
└ Exactly, this is crazy
└ Joseon vs. Japan... To see this in modern times! Civil Empire is truly a god game
└ Wow
In the context of Civil Empire, it wasn't just Korea vs. Japan but Joseon vs. Japan. No other wording could be more provocative in the world of sports.
[Why Civil Empire is a god game]
[Fighters trash talk and diss each other endlessly to create hype.
“Joseon vs. Japan”
Civil Empire dominates with just this one phrase]
— True
— And in the third era, do they really wear war-period costumes?
└ True
└ Japan in the third era has muskets lol
└ Insane
— LOL my brain is tingling
For Korean viewers, no matchup felt more intriguing than Joseon vs. Japan. It would attract the most viewers out of all the national battles.
The pressure felt equally high with such high excitement and interest.
— Can we handle it if we lose?
└ Overly immersed fans might resurrect An Jung-Geun
└ Honestly, even making it to the quarterfinals is amazing, but we might get a lot of hate if we lose...
└ As an old user, I'm worried about that too
└ Japan is insanely strong. They crushed the Ottomans and came first
Korean viewers naturally worried about losing given the historical context of being a former colony and how Japanese netizens would mock them.
— Even if we lose, we did well. But if we lose, the Japanese reaction will be really awful
└ Of course, Joseonjing can't match the Great Empire of Japan! wwww
└ LOL
└ Just thinking about it makes me mad
└ Joseonjing LOL (true story)
└ Now that I think about it, it’s actually Joseonjing in the game, too hahaha
The Japanese would likely mock them and bring up the colonial history, especially since the losing civilization was Joseon.
All communities heatedly discussed Korea vs. Japan or Joseon vs. Japan.
[Breaking News: The devil of interviews heard the Korea vs. Japan news]
***
"The opponent has been decided. It’s Japan. Can you share your thoughts on this?" the reporter asked while holding the microphone with trembling hands.
— Is there a bomb inside the mic?
— Why does she look like that? LOL
— LOL
— She looks like a laser is about to shoot out
Given that Almond's interviews always caused a huge stir, the reporter couldn't help but feel nervous.
However—
"Actually, we knew Japan had a high chance of advancing."
Fortunately, Almond proceeded with the interview normally.
"Oh, I see? Japan's power ranking is higher than England's, right?"
Japan ranked sixth in the power rankings, just one step below Persia at fifth. That was quite high.
"Yes. Many in our team think Japan is very strong... Some even believe the Japanese team is a winning contender."
Aside from the power rankings, the current Japanese national team lineup was highly regarded.
— Why is he talking so much?
— How much is he planning to bait us?
— Is Almond talking too much? As a Korean, I’m scared
— Is he drifting into an ad??
— Maybe he's being cautious due to sensitive issues
Maybe it was due to the deep-seated conflicts between the two countries. Almond seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
Some viewers felt disappointed by this.
— How can he always trash talk LOL just watch
— How can he diss on Japan's home ground
— That's Osaka, guys. Be realistic.
Some understood why Almond had to speak cautiously. After all, he was in Osaka. Naturally, he had to be careful with his words on their turf.
‘Veteran athletes are advised to be cautious when talking about neighboring countries as it can bring lifelong trouble.’
Sang-Hyeon was actually mindful of nearby countries. It could always be a hassle due to various political entanglements. Veteran athletes on national teams had given him this advice.
"Japan is strong, but we are confident too."
In this way, he acknowledged Japan's strength while also expressing his confidence to end it on a positive note.
"Oh. Despite that, you expressed confidence. Is there a particular reason?"
However, he didn't expect the reporter to ask for a reason.
Emboldened by his cooperative response, the reporter wanted to extract a few more words.
Sang-Hyeon was momentarily taken aback.
‘... A reason?’
He thought just saying he was confident would be enough. A reason?
Sang-Hyeon pondered for a moment. He recalled his experiences in scrims and practices for his confidence in defeating Japan.
‘Ah.’
He remembered.
"Oh, yes. Japan has an island nation faction."
"Oh...? Yes."
— Is there really a reason this time?
— Wow, now he even has brainpower! Ah! Ah! Mond!
— Did Choi Sun-Shin connect walnuts to him?!
— He’s talking well and seems smart today
— He brought an external walnut with his USB
It was rare for Almond to mention a faction directly and give a reason for his confidence.
The reporter showed more interest and brought the microphone closer.
"Due to that faction, Japanese soldiers become more agile but slightly shorter."
"Shorter in height?"
That sounded really unusual. Civil Empire sure had all sorts of quirks.
"Yes. Headshots become very easy at close range if they’re shorter, so we have an advantage."
"Shooting with a bow at close range?"
"Japan has strong swords, so they will try to get close. There will be many cases of close-range shooting."
"Oh!"
"But due to their height, our archers will find it very easy to hit their heads. We won't fall behind in close combat. I think this plays a significant role. We only need to use bows."
"Wow... Almond, I see you in a new light! Presenting such logical and persuasive reasons! I feel very confident too!"
Excited by the rare normal interview, the reporter praised Almond enthusiastically.
‘Huh?’
However, something felt off. Best Yi Sun-Shin was shaking her head while looking at Almond. She was more expressive than expected and seemed very flustered as she waved her hands repeatedly.
No, that wasn’t it.
Almond scratched his head wondering why. The reporter, feeling uneasy, glanced at the chat window. The PD also looked.
— LOL
— LOL My stomach hurts from laughing
— LMAO
— Nuts guy is crazy
— This is nuts. The island nation faction doesn't make them shorter, LOL
Apparently, the island nation faction didn’t make them shorter. What was Almond talking about?
Then, a correction report came through the in-ear monitor.
“The island nation faction gains more food from fishing, but less from hunting. Soldiers become more agile.”
What? The island faction's handicap was getting less food from hunting and not becoming shorter.
“Agility is crucial in close combat. This makes samurai difficult to deal with. There's no mention of height...”
Nothing mentioned height.
“Phew.”
No wonder Almond suddenly sounded so reasonable. It was incorrect information.
The reporter didn't know what misunderstanding led to this, but corrected it anyway.
"Haha. Almond, there seems to have been a mistake! It's not the faction that makes them shorter..."
‘Huh?’
At this moment, the reporter realized something was seriously wrong. She felt like she had fallen into a trap. However, her consciousness slowed down and her mouth moved differently. Her tongue finished the sentence out of inertia.
"It's just... that Japanese people are short...!"
It wasn't the faction. Japanese people were naturally short.
The reporter ended up saying this.
— LOL
— LMAO
— The faction was actually a fact ^^
— LOL
— Really
— Island nation faction X) They're just short
To make matters worse without any time to retract her words—
"Ah!"
Almond smiled broadly and nodded.
"That seems so. I thought it was a faction...!"
‘Huh?’
Even Almond, after saying this much, realized something was wrong.
"Hah," Best Yi Sun-Shin sighed from beside him and rubbed her forehead.
What was happening? Almond tried to clear up the misunderstanding, claiming he genuinely didn’t know.
"Oh? No, I really thought so. They are short. I mean, I wasn't trying to say it deliberately..."
The more he explained, the worse it got.
"They are really short."
— LOL
— The guy is nuts
— The interview devil strikes again. Great job today.
— Clear-minded nutjob
— He's going to be assassinated by ninjas tonight
— They are really short, LOL
— He must have really believed it
— Does he think there's a faction that shortens people?! Nuts guy haha
That day, Almond's face prominently appeared on the main page of Japan's most famous gaming site.
[A Korean player expressed confidence saying, "Japanese people are suspiciously short, almost like it’s a feature of the faction."]