“Come to STK. I promise you the best treatment.”
“What? What did you just say?”
The sheer absurdity of the statement made me reflexively ask again.
Maybe it was because he went out of his way to change locations just to say this, yet it was so out of the blue.
The event had just ended, and I was about to leave with a light heart—only to be struck by a bolt from the blue.
“Honestly, I wanted to recommend you debut as an STK pro gamer. But I know very well that you’ve repeatedly said you have no intention of going pro. So instead…”
The team leader in front of me looked slightly excited.
His cheeks were flushed red like a ripe persimmon, making it obvious that his adrenaline was surging.
The sheer intensity—like he was ready to throw himself at me—made me feel extremely uncomfortable.
“We want to recruit you as an STK content creator. I promise you the best treatment.”
I mean, I get that he’s excited, but isn’t this way too sudden?
This wasn’t even an official conversation.
The guy just came alone and suddenly threw this at me.
All I could do was let out an awkward laugh.
I’ve heard plenty about the prestige of the STK team.
They rank among the best gaming teams in the world, and even someone I personally know, Lotus Galaxy, is a pro player on their roster.
To be honest, out of all the teams, STK is the only one I have a favorable impression of, given how much I’ve interacted with them.
They’ve never been involved in any major scandals, and through Galaxy, I’ve only seen their good side.
But still, being recruited like this, out of nowhere, felt unsettling.
Deciding it wouldn’t hurt to hear him out, I stayed silent and let him continue.
“Why exactly are you so eager to bring me into STK? Don’t tell me… did Galaxy ask you to do this?”
I doubted she would do something like that, but since she was so openly fond of me, the thought did cross my mind.
If that were the case… it’d be a bit awkward for me.
Of course, even if Galaxy asked, joining a team is a completely different matter.
I wouldn’t want to create unnecessary tension between us over something like this.
Fortunately, the team leader shook his head, denying it.
“No, Lotus has nothing to do with this. Of course, if you joined STK, she would welcome you with open arms, but she’s strictly a player. She doesn’t get involved in team operations.”
“Hmm, so you’re saying STK itself wants me… Is that how I should take it? But you introduced yourself as a marketing planner. Do you actually have the authority to make this decision?”
At my question, the team leader’s expression shifted slightly.
He glanced around cautiously, as if afraid someone might overhear us.
‘What’s with him?’
I suddenly felt a slight pinch on the back of my hand—a sharp, pricking sensation.
Turning my head, I saw Dayoung giving me a knowing look.
[Shady, right?]
Well, yeah.
I never expected them to approach me like this.
In the awkward silence, as if finally reassured, the team leader wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued.
“You’re right to feel uncertain since my position is in marketing, not player management. Normally, a different team would handle this. But I was given direct orders to approach you without those usual distinctions.”
“Heh… I didn’t expect STK to be so desperate for me.”
“Is… is that so?”
“Yes. No matter how popular I am as a streamer, I don’t think my value is high enough for STK to approach me like this.”
‘If they had come to recruit me as a player, I’d understand.’
‘Maybe I was overestimating myself, but I was the solo queue warrior who defeated both Warden and Lotus.’
It’d make sense if the team was scouting a future superstar.
‘But that’s not the case, is it?’
They specifically said they wanted me as a streamer.
If that’s all this is about, their approach seemed unnecessarily excessive.
Either STK as an organization or this team leader himself was acting strangely.
‘It felt less like they wanted my gaming skills or my influence as a streamer and more like they were fixated on me as a person.’
‘Maybe I was overthinking it, but if they were die-hard fans of my content, desperate to recruit me out of personal attachment… that explanation weirdly made the most sense.’
‘If they knew what I was thinking right now, I’d probably want to curl up in embarrassment.’
“That’s…”
The team leader faltered, unable to respond clearly.
At that moment, I was just about to take my leave.
***
“There’s a reason.”
A low voice came from behind us.
The sudden shift in the team leader’s expression—like a soldier seeing reinforcements arrive in a crisis—was quite something.
Two figures slowly approached us.
One was a middle-aged man in a well-fitted suit.
The other was someone completely unexpected.
“Warden?”
Dayoung’s voice carried clear shock.
Walking toward us was none other than STK’s franchise star, Warden.
‘What the hell is he doing here?’
‘Maybe it was because his appearance was so unexpected.’
Both Dayoung and I just stared at him, blinking in confusion.
Warden scratched his cheek, looking visibly embarrassed.
I’d always thought of him as a calm and composed guy with an unshakable poker face.
Seeing this side of him was surprising.
“And the person next to you…?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Han Minseok, the general manager of STK.”
‘Oh, I’ve seen him before—on World Tree Wiki. At least, in lore I have.’
It was kind of hilarious that my only knowledge of this man came from an online database.
‘But what could I do?’
I was just a streamer—a gamer who spent all his time locked in his room, broadcasting gameplay.
It’s natural for popular figures to be remembered like fictional characters in a setting.
Still, while it wasn’t surprising for a team leader to show up, seeing the general manager of the entire gaming organization in person was definitely unexpected.
Rather than feeling nervous, I was more intrigued by the sheer unfamiliarity of the situation.
A team leader, a general manager, and their franchise star player.
‘What are these people even doing?’
At this point, my curiosity alone made me want to get to the bottom of this.
The whole thing was so ridiculous—seeing these kinds of figures gathered just to recruit me—that I couldn’t help but find it amusing.
It was certainly an unusual sight, something I wouldn’t normally witness.
Maybe because their appearance was just that out of nowhere, the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence, with all of us just standing around in a daze.
***
“Ahem, ahem! So, Team Leader Hong, General Manager, and I….”
Warden stepped in to organize the situation.
And what he said next was utterly shocking.
“We’re members of Friede’s fan café. You could say we’re the Four Heavenly Kings of the community.”
‘…What the fuck?’
Friede.
My introduction to her had been as ordinary as anyone else’s.
A solo queue warrior who pulled off incredible plays using a broken greatsword.
Her face was hidden behind a helmet, but that wasn’t an issue.
It didn’t take long before I was completely captivated by her curvaceous figure, her remarkable skills, and her unforgettable voice.
At some point, I found myself secretly browsing her fan café.
She hadn’t been streaming for long, but with her talent, there was no doubt she would attract attention.
That’s when I found it.
“Friede Love Club?”
A community managed by someone named Pepe.
At first, I was skeptical—such an exclusive, closed-off group seemed like some kind of scam.
But as I stuck around, I realized the content that Pepe released based on membership ranks was undeniably the real deal.
My secret devotion to Friede, hidden even from my teammates, eventually earned me the title of sub-manager.
Originally, there weren’t even four of us.
But I was shocked when I discovered that one of the sub-managers was none other than the general manager of STK himself.
‘Had I not accidentally caught him listening to Friede My Love Call ver.1.0 Beta—a fan-made audio track distributed in our community—this strange alliance might never have formed.’
That’s when we started sharing our hidden admiration for Friede.
After finding like-minded comrades, we brought the marketing team leader into the fan café, and eventually, our little group became known as the Four Heavenly Kings.
I might have been the first STK player to take an interest in Friede.
Of course, I never showed it on the surface, which is probably why everyone assumed Lotus was the one most interested in her.
But that never really mattered to me.
I just wanted to be on the same team as her.
And if that wasn’t possible, then at least I wanted to establish a connection through STK’s content creation team.
The long wait to get close to her.
The patience I endured for this moment.
After this tournament, I knew—the time had finally come.
All the composure I had maintained until now, all my efforts, had been for this one purpose: to recruit Friede.
***
“…And that’s how we came to know about Friede.”
After finishing his explanation, Warden—Chan Hyuk—took a deep breath.
He had laid everything bare, believing that complete honesty was the key to winning her over.
This was an all-or-nothing gamble, a desperate bid to gain her trust.
“So, you’re saying you all got to know each other through my fan café, which is run by that Pepe guy?”
“That’s right.”
“Hmm, I see. Pepe…”
Friede nodded with a neutral expression, seemingly unfazed by Warden’s confession.
I had no idea why that female streamer next to her—who I vaguely remembered as Forming—was turning red with embarrassment, but that wasn’t the important part right now.
“Friede, would you consider creating gaming content with us at STK? Both the general manager and I, as well as the entire team, are prepared to offer you our full support. I’m certain your streaming activities would become even more comfortable….”
“No. I’m not joining.”
“…Huh?”
Cutting him off mid-sentence, her blunt rejection was enough to crush all their hopes in an instant.
A cold wind swept between them.