Chapter 136 (Final)

December.

It was a time when many teams were on vacation, negotiating with players who needed to re-sign.

During this period, I was seriously contemplating my future path.

Whether I should continue my career as an active pro.

Or if I should step down and take on a coaching position to start a career as a leader.

When I told Dami and Yunseuli about these concerns, they enthusiastically recommended I switch to coaching.

“Come to our team! Our team!”

“If Oppa comes, I think we could really aim for the championship!”

The reason the girls were so happy was obvious.

It was because we could always be together without worrying about what others thought.

Of course, it wasn’t something I could just do because I wanted to.

“I can see right through you two, you know? And even if I wanted to be a coach, the team has to approve it.”

“It’s fine!”

“If we both recommend you, the Coach and the Front Office will definitely say OK!”

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

If two irreplaceable players strongly insisted, the team was highly likely to listen to their opinion.

Besides, it was common for First Division League teams to have multiple coaches for things like Scouting Reports.

That was how they could manage and train players more efficiently.

“But Oppa. Why are you thinking about retiring?”

“That’s right. Even if you keep playing next year, I don’t think there’s any player who’d be better than you.”

“Well. About that…”

What the girls said was true.

When I used the Power of the Ley Line, it was hard to find a player in the world who could be called better at the game than me.

But, how should I put it…

If there was one thing I felt after playing in this year’s World Championship, it was that my attitude and approach to the game…

Were no longer what they used to be.

Do you know what’s most important for a pro player?

It’s the competitive drive.

Without this drive, it was difficult for a player to maintain the ambition to reach greater heights, and it wasn’t easy to endure grueling training.

The me of the past.

The me before the accident had a strong competitive drive for the game.

On days I lost a game, I would lose sleep, wondering what I should have done then.

I would spend the day thinking about whether I would have gotten a different result if I had done this or that.

But in this World Championship.

Magnus ended with a 1-3 record and was eliminated in the Group Stage, but I wasn’t as frustrated as I expected.

It would have definitely been different in the past.

Perhaps after winning a championship for the first time this year.

Having achieved the lifelong goal I had dreamed of as a gamer, maybe some driving force had disappeared.

And as I realized that change, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Should I really continue my career as a player?

Thoughts like—wouldn’t it be more rewarding to teach the girls and pursue a path as a leader?

Of course, if I wanted to keep aiming for the World Championship title, I could leave Magnus and pursue a contract elsewhere.

My performance at the world tournament must have been impressive, because there were indeed famous teams sending me love calls, wanting to sign me.

Some of them were excellent teams, more than capable of aiming for the next World Championship title.

If I were to play for a team like that.

The probability of me lifting the World Championship trophy would increase significantly.

But, I don’t know.

The idea of moving to another team to win didn’t really appeal to me.

Other players might think I was being complacent, but at least that’s how I felt.

Having played for the team called Magnus throughout my career and having succeeded in bringing this team a championship, I felt I had sufficiently fulfilled my role.

My honest feeling right now was that even if I were to move teams and achieve an even greater career, I didn’t think it would be as joyful.

I honestly conveyed these thoughts to Dami and Yunseul.

The girls then encouraged me, saying they would support whatever decision I made.

“Whatever you decide, Oppa, we’ll support you.”

“That’s right. Though it would be even better if you came to our team!”

“You know we’ll always be cheering for you, no matter what you choose, right? Don’t worry too much.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Genuinely grateful, I hugged the girls tightly.

No matter what decision I made.

Dami and Yunseul would support it to the end.

That, to me, was the greatest comfort and encouragement of all.

Kato entered the country.

The strange thing was, despite the immense amount of attention focused on her.

No one knew about her arrival.

Kato Mikane, who had flown in on a private jet, visited my house on a winter day in December, reminiscent of last year.

“Hello. Father, and Mother. My name is Kato Mikane.”

Seeing Kato kneeling in our living room and greeting them, my parents had expressions that said, what is all this?

And seeing my parents’ reaction, Kato looked at me intently.

Why are your parents reacting like this?

Didn’t you give them the gift last year? she seemed to be asking.

No, I did give them the gift, but how could I possibly say that Kato Mikane likes me, that she’s the one who will be the mother of my child!

At that time, I was already getting enough attention just from Dami and Yunseul, so my parents knew almost nothing about my relationship with Kato.

They just thought that a famous player had happened to send a gift to our house.

“I didn’t know such an incredible guest would be coming.”

“We don’t have anything proper to serve you… What should we do.”

Watching Kato smile brightly and say it was fine, my parents seemed to have many questions.

The fundamental question was, why on earth did a star player like her come to our house?

My parents, who had a Pro Gamer son, naturally knew a lot about Kato.

She had faced off against Super Sylph in the World Championship Finals.

And if you had even a little interest in the UA scene, you couldn’t not know what recent remarks had brought her into the spotlight.

“Could it be…!”

It was then.

My father’s eyes widened in surprise.

“The man she said she loved, don’t tell me! It’s our son…?”

“That’s right, Father. Han Youngin is the one who stole my heart.”

“My goodness.”

At Kato’s answer, my parents looked as if they had been hit on the head with a hammer.

Why on earth our son…?

My mother’s muttering, with a face that said ‘is this for real,’ was particularly memorable.

“I know I gave birth to a fine son, but I didn’t think he was popular enough for this…”

After the articles about Dami and Yunseul came out.

My parents, though they didn’t say it to me, had received a lot of attention.

How many reporters must have visited our house trying to get a single line for an article related to me.

But now, Kato Mikane had also stepped into the picture…

They looked slightly worried about what was to come.

Whether she knew my parents’ feelings or not.

She sat up straight without a hint of nervousness and made a request to my parents.

“Father, Mother.”

My parents were startled when she called them Father and Mother.

I was surprised too.

It wasn’t a translation coming through a device, but fluent Korean.

“Would you please permit my marriage to your son? If you permit it, I will live happily with him for the rest of my life.”

“Well, this is…”

Even more so than when Dami and Yunseul came together to ask for permission to marry.

My parents were in greater shock now.

They were probably thinking the same thing as me right now.

Seo Dami, Jung Yunseul, and now Kato Mikane.

Worries about how on earth their son would live with three women in the future, and whether it would really be okay, considering the flood of public attention.

A brief silence followed.

What broke the silence was a single word from my father.

“F-First, let’s not stand around with a guest here. Let’s eat first.”

Last year it was wagashi, this year it was wagyu.

Our family had dinner with the gift she brought.

After the meal, we went outside.

It seemed she had something to say to me in private, and she brought up wanting to take a walk.

I was a little worried about prying eyes, but I grabbed a muffler, a mask, and sunglasses, and headed out.

“Wear this.”

When I wrapped my white muffler around her, Kato hummed happily, as if she was in a good mood.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Pardon?”

“About someone recognizing us. They won’t be able to today, anyway.”

Come to think of it, there were hardly any people on the streets near my house today. The few people we did encounter didn’t pay us much attention.

Considering that neighborhood folks would usually recognize me and say hello, it was a very unusual occurrence.

It was obvious to anyone that she had used some special power, so I asked if such a thing was possible.

To this, she shrugged her shoulders, saying it wasn’t something just anyone could do.

“So, have you thought about it?”

“……”

“No, I gave you a whole year, and you still haven’t decided?”

Last year, on the winter day after Christmas.

Kato Mikane had asked me to give my life to her.

It was, for all intents and purposes, a proposal.

Ah, why on earth has this trial befallen me?

You might think it would be pure bliss to have beautiful women fighting over you, but that wasn’t necessarily the case.

In the long course of a life, it wasn’t easy to take care of even two people.

Some might enjoy having multiple wives, but it seemed I wasn’t one of them.

As I was contemplating how to answer, she clicked her tongue as if she knew what kind of person I was.

“How did I end up liking a person like this. Forget it. Let’s go to a café and get some tea.”

“…Yes.”

After that, surprisingly, we had a normal conversation.

Arriving at the café, we each ordered a drink and talked.

What was I going to do next season.

Was I going to continue as a player.

Things like, our team needs a coach too, are you interested?

The funny thing was that Dami and Yunseul…

And Kato Mikane…

All of them wanted to pull me into their teams as a coach.

“It’s so obvious. I bet they tempted you, saying there’s a spot at Super Sylph, right? Those foxy things.”

Kato, who had slurped her iced Americano through a straw, made a light jab and then said to me.

“Anyway, I can’t stay in Korea for long this time either. Around the end of the year, there are a lot of things I have to handle myself.”

The things she had to handle probably meant her duties as an Onmyoji.

It seemed that most of the problems at her family home had been resolved recently.

She said she had taken direct control and become the mistress of the house.

Just hearing the story, it felt as if she had staged a rebellion within her clan.

“So I’m going to give you a little more time. But next time, you’ll be the one coming to find me.”

“What do you mean by that…”

“You’ll find out later. For now, let’s just drink our coffee.”

“Yes…”

At that time, I really didn’t know what she meant.

I only found out later.

The fact that after we had tea at the café, several hours had vanished from my memory without a trace.

For UA fans, 2078 was an impressive year in many ways.

Han Youngin of team Magnus, who had been praised for returning as a top player after a miraculous recovery, announced his retirement.

He bid farewell to his fans, saying he was so happy to have been with them during his time as a pro player and that he would now live a second life as Coach Han Youngin.

But of all teams, it had to be Super Sylph.

A considerable number of fans reacted with, is this for real?

-Didn’t that bastard Youngin join Super Sylph to date legally?

-I heard Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul strongly insisted on recruiting him?

-Fuck, is this game a joke? Huh? Do you think the team house is a motel or something!

-Booo! Die, dog Youngin!

Super Sylph fans openly expressed their anger, saying it would have a negative impact on the other players, but this atmosphere didn’t last long.

Kato Mikane shocked fans worldwide by announcing she was taking a season off.

But why?

For what reason would Kato Mikane, who was on a winning streak after a championship victory, quit being a player?

To be precise, it wasn’t retirement, but taking a season off, but either way, it was a huge shock to the fans.

Moreover, Kato Mikane was twenty-five this year.

Taking this year off meant she would return at twenty-six at the earliest, and for fans, it seemed a terrible waste for a player to spend her golden years, when she could be building her career, like this.

Someday, when the history of UA grew long.

Looking back at the past, whether a player had two or three World Championship titles would make a significant difference in evaluating their achievements.

For a player who could have been called the GOAT to stop like this was apparently hard for fans to accept.

-Why the hell is she taking a break?

-I don’t know.

-You don’t know?

-Nobody knows the reason. That’s why it’s so frustrating.

-What the hell?

-Don’t tell me it’s something like an incurable disease…

With no one knowing the reason for Kato Mikane’s season off.

A worried Han Youngin asked her personally, but she avoided answering, saying he would find out later.

And time passed, and the League season began again.

Super Sylph showed excellent Condition from the Opening Match and continued on a winning streak.

At first, the team members who had been suspicious of Han Youngin, wondering where this beast had come from…

Now had an atmosphere of complete trust in his coaching skills.

Coach Park Chaerin’s trust was particularly deep, to the point where she said that talking with Coach Han Youngin felt just like talking to Dami or Yunseul.

That was inevitable, since Han Youngin himself was the one who had been discussing and planning strategies with them all along…

It seemed he gave off an unmistakably familiar feeling.

Anyway, with the team atmosphere being good and the Super Sylph players’ skills steadily on the buff, the team went on an undefeated run, once again igniting their desire for a World Championship title.

That summer, when they thought they could really take on Kamui this year.

A huge shock that erupted from across the sea shook the team.

It was because of an article about Kato Mikane, who had declared a season off and was said to be managing the team.

「The empress of UA who suddenly declared a season off. News has broken that she is currently pregnant.」

After creating an overwhelming stir before last year’s World Championship.

Kato Mikane had been avoiding telling the media who the man was.

The reason was that she was worried about the excessive public interest it would attract.

People were really curious, but based on her story, the atmosphere was one of respecting her choice, thinking that the man Kato liked must be a non-celebrity.

If he was a non-celebrity, such a worry would be understandable.

But now, the news of her pregnancy had suddenly broken, drawing attention once again.

-Seriously, what kind of bastard gets our Kato pregnant without even marrying her?

-What a son of a bitch!

-Doesn’t the way this is going feel a bit off?

-What does?

-The way she keeps hiding the guy’s identity… Maybe they already broke up because the guy has no intention of marrying her.

-Wow. If that’s true, isn’t he a total bastard?

Reading the articles about Kato Mikane and people’s reactions, I couldn’t help but lose my mind.

It was unfair, truly unfair.

Even though I had no memory of spending a night with Kato!

For some reason, I kept getting the feeling that the child in that belly was mine.

And because of this article, our team, of course, was in an uproar.

Why did that woman, who wasn’t even married to him, get pregnant with Oppa’s child first, they said.

“Does this make any sense? If anyone’s having a baby, we should be first in line! I can give Oppa a baby too!”

Screeched Seo Dami, crying.

She didn’t seem to suspect for a moment that the child might belong to another man.

“Maybe it’s another man’s kid?”

Yunseul gave a suspicious look, as if wondering if this was a lie, but it didn’t seem likely.

Because not long after the article broke, a message arrived from Kato.

-I told you. That next time, you’d be the one coming to find me.

The message also had a photo attached.

An ultrasound photo.

It was my first time seeing one, so it was hard to make out, but regarding the photo, Kato said this.

-They say the first child resembles the father. The eyes, nose, and mouth are a spitting image, huh?

To say it again.

For UA fans, 2078 was a very shocking year.

Kato Mikane gave birth, returned to the team in October.

And achieving a second consecutive World Championship title was a truly surprising story, but what followed was her revealing the identity of the child’s father in her victory interview.

“To everyone who cheered for this victory! And to our daughter, Yukina, and to my beloved Han Youngin, I dedicate this win.”

-Han… who?

-Han Youngin?

-Why is that name coming up here…

-Holy shit;;

-Don’t tell me Kato’s man is Han Youngin?

-Eh? That guy who married two women in Korea?

-It’s that bastard;;

Kato’s bomb declaration naturally sent the UA Community into an uproar.

The reaction from Korea, in particular, was explosive.

-So… Youngin even got his hands on Kato?

-Have you ever seen such a motherfucker;;

-Wait, guys. As a Korean, shouldn’t this be good news? If Kato becomes a Korean citizen, Korea’s victory at the World Championship is a sure thing…

-Shut up!

-That’s right! If you don’t know, just shut up! We just want to bash Han Youngin!

-Youngin. I never wished for you to be this happy…

-He’s got some serious skills. What the hell is this guy.

-I just… hate Youngin…

-fr hate him;;

-His daughter’s name is pretty, though.

Unsurprisingly, Han Youngin was named the worst sports figure of the 21st century and had to endure all sorts of curses.

The fury from Japanese fans was especially immense.

Who do you think you are, taking our Kato away?

Give us back our empress!

I will curse your family for the rest of your lives! And so on.

If being cursed at extended one’s lifespan, Han Youngin would surely live until the end of the world.

As the bombshell news surrounding Kato caused a stir in the relations between the two countries, the Japanese government hastily began to revise its laws.

If things were left as they were, Kato Mikane, who had to hold a wedding ceremony, would have had no choice but to naturalize in Korea, which permitted bigamy.

To prevent the loss of such talent, Japan swiftly passed a legislative amendment.

It was an incredibly quick decision, a rare sight in Japan, which was known for its slow administrative processing.

And so, in the midst of a storm no one could have imagined.

When Han Youngin came to his senses, he was already in the middle of a wedding hall with three women.

“Alright, we’ll take the picture now. Sir, the groom’s expression is too stiff. Please smile a little.”

Unlike the brightly smiling brides, the groom’s expression was rather rigid.

“Why the long face on such a happy day?”

“Smile, Oppa.”

“Why are you so nervous? You’re so good at interviews.”

“……”

He himself couldn’t understand why he was so nervous.

Whether it was because he was afraid of the night to come.

Or because he couldn’t see even an inch into the future that lay ahead.

It was, in many ways, a nerve-wracking day.

Hearing the chiding remark that anyone would think he’d been dragged here against his will, Han Youngin forced the corners of his mouth up.

“Next time, I’m definitely giving birth first.”

“Huh, what?”

Smiling for the camera, Seo Dami said as much.

Though she wasn’t looking at her, her gaze was fixed on the small child in Kato’s arms.

“A-boo-.”

Yukina.

Although Kato Mikane had given birth to her, she was half Oppa’s, making her a truly adorable child.

Sensing Seo Dami’s strong determination, Han Youngin expressed his concern.

“Dami. If you leave, what about the team…”

“We have Yunseuli.”

“Yeah, no way. I’m going to have a baby too.”

Jung Yunseul, likewise, glanced at Yukina, her eyes sparkling as she declared she would have twins.

What in the world was this situation?

Han Youngin was still the Coach of Super Sylph.

But now, the team’s Aces were dropping a bombshell, saying they wanted to have children at the same time.

If Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul left at the same time, what would happen to the team?

They might be able to defend their domestic League champion title, but at the World Championship, there would be nothing they could do.

And it was obvious that all the blame for that slump would be directed at one man.

Han Youngin prayed, just please let me live.

Then, with a victor’s composure, Kato Mikane whispered softly.

“My, my. You look quite troubled. Our team still has a spot open. Want to come to Kamui?”

“Excuse me. Don’t you even dream of taking our Oppa.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Hm? He’s not your Oppa anymore, is he? He’s our baby’s daddy, right?”

“……”

“……”

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul trembled, suppressing their anger.

Kato Mikane hummed a little tune.

And stuck between them, the source of the problem, unable to do anything.

‘Please, I hope only happy things happen from now on…’

The miracle player who returned from death to lead his team to victory.

And at the same time, the man called the worst of the 21st century, Han Youngin.

His story, having received more love and attention than anyone else, was still in progress today.

-The End-

---

Hello, readers.

This is the first time I’m leaving an afterword like this, borrowing space from the main text.

I usually create a separate post for the afterword, but some people miss it, so I decided to change the method this time.

I wonder if you enjoyed this work that you’ve been with until now.

I feel this every time, but regardless of a work’s performance, the act of writing a manuscript is a very difficult task.

Dealer of a Hit Game.

It was a gender-bender, a rare sight in paid serials.

What kind of gender-bender is this!

This isn’t a gender-bender! There were some who said things like that, but in any case, a body-swap is a type of gender-bender.

The beginning of this work dates back to the beginning of this year.

At that time, I was debating whether to write a sci-fi story or a novel in the Pro Gamer genre.

Then I decided to try a Pro Gamer story one more time and started outlining it, but no matter how much I thought, everything that came out was too similar to my previous work.

I thought this would become a complete copy of my last work, so after much deliberation.

The result was Hit Game Dealer, which mixed Possession with an FPS Game.

When I thought of the story of the protagonist entering the heroine’s body and living together, my first thought was, “This is pretty good, isn’t it?” It didn’t overlap with anything else and seemed like it would be fun.

But you know.

As I wrote, there were some problems.

First of all, it was quite difficult to show a variety of scenes and tactics with an FPS Game as the base.

Of course, it might have been different in the hands of a skilled author, but at least that’s how I felt.

It was a feeling of, “This is going to be a bit difficult, huh?”

Besides, the initial concept was a pure love story between Youngin and Dami, so it was difficult to produce a lot of content from the start.

So I even considered releasing this novel for free.

I thought it wouldn’t matter then if the number of chapters was small.

But then I met a wonderful illustrator! And the direction was set to go for a paid serialization and try to take it to around 100 chapters!

There were often novels among paid serials that concluded around 100 chapters.

But as I wrote, I realized that even getting to 100 chapters with the original plan was an incredibly difficult task.

There was a reason for all of it—for Han Youngin to leave Dami, meet Yunseuli.

And later, even go to Japan.

Considering that what I had originally planned was up to winning the domestic League, it feels like we’ve come a very, very long way.

Looking back, I remember the parts I felt were lacking during the serialization.

If only the fairy had infinite time! I could have given you a more interesting story and a smoother development without sudden accelerations…!

But if I had written it that way, I suspect no one would be reading it by now.

The fact that the serialization pace slowed to three times a week at the end might have made readers think, “Why is this author’s serialization so slow!” but if it were any slower… it would be horrifying.

It’s a bit disheartening to see that the slowing of the serialization pace as I write doesn’t improve with each work.

Is this my limit…!

Is it really impossible to maintain a 5-chapter-a-week schedule until the end!

I’ll take on the challenge of diligent serialization again in my next work.

Today, I want to express my gratitude to the readers who followed along live until the very end.

While finishing another work.

And in getting here.

My body and mind were exhausted, but seeing the comments left by hundreds of readers and the comments saying they enjoyed it, I thought many times that I did the right thing this time as well.

I think this every time I write.

I hope my work will be remembered as a really fun piece by someone.

Just as even the most popular work can’t satisfy all readers,

Couldn’t my work also be the best work for someone?

For this work, Dealer of a Hit Game, I squeezed out my abilities to the fullest until writing the finale today.

Of course, there were parts I regret, but I still hope it will be remembered as a fun work by the readers who have read it to the end.

Ah, and…

I often saw comments asking where our Kato’s illustration went…

I’m sorry.

Kato Mikane’s beautiful appearance is left to the readers’ imagination!

To be honest, when our illustrator finished the cover, no one expected Kato’s part to become this big.

Even I didn’t know, so who could have known?

It was just a cheese strat…

A day-to-day Build-up where even I didn’t know what tomorrow’s manuscript would look like…

In the midst of that, I would like to thank the illustrator, Domi, for being able to leave behind such beautiful illustrations of Dami and Yunseuli.

It must have been a difficult task, including the cover, and I’m grateful for the truly beautiful illustrations you completed.

I think the readers who have been with the work will agree that the Hit Game Dealer illustrations are worthy of being considered one of the best of the year!

And there was something else I wanted to write.

But whenever I get around to writing the afterword, everything I was going to say disappears.

After I recover my Condition, I will return with my next work.

I don’t know what kind of work or genre it will be, but I will always do my best to create a work that readers can enjoy.

Thank you so much for being with me until now.

I wish all the readers who have been with me the best of luck, and I will take my leave now!

From,

Luck Fairy.