NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1 - What I'm Good At (1)
Chapter 1 – What I’m Good At (1)
“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!”
November 6, 2025, Chengdu, China.
The world’s largest esports event, the World Championship of SOL (Summoners Of Legends) game.
Tens of thousands of spectators filled the venue for the so-called Worlds Finals.
[ING! They can’t defend it. The top inhibitor is down.]
[They need to push harder now!]
The finals between Korea’s SCK league team P1 and China’s SPL league team ING.
With P1 leading 2-0 in the set score, P1 was on the verge of victory in the third set after breaking all three of ING’s inhibitors around the 31-minute mark.
“P1! P1! P1!”
While most Chinese spectators were stunned by the shocking game content, fans supporting Korea’s P1 were chanting their team’s name.
P1’s champions were facing off against ING’s inhibitor turrets.
Suddenly, P1’s mid-laner Maker moves forward.
[Whoooooa!]
In an instant, Maker’s exquisite skill shot catches ING’s mid and ADC in a CC.
[Aaaaaaaah Maker! Maker!]
[Moonlight Vigil!]
And P1’s ADC Kumayus’s champion Aphelios began to sweep through the enemy champions, and in a flash, the health bar of ING’s Nexus appears.
[The strongest roster in history! P1’s HaoMeKuKe did it again!]
[ING down!]
[GG!]
A 3-0 shutout.
Although P1’s momentum at Worlds was impressive, no one imagined that ING, who had dominated both SPL Spring and Summer with overwhelming results, would be defeated so easily.
On the other hand, P1, who had been mocked that only their top and jungle were carrying, saw their bottom lane improve and their symbolic mid-laner Maker come alive since the quarterfinals, losing only one set.
They had achieved an unprecedented three consecutive Worlds championships.
And with the same roster for all three years.
Everyone believed SPL would end P1’s dominance this time, but the result was P1’s three-peat.
The tearful ING players and Chinese spectators gathered in Chengdu felt as if they had seen a ghost.
Meanwhile, the P1 players embraced each other, sobbing as they concluded a difficult year.
Just when it seemed like everyone was crying over P1’s three-peat…
“I have something to say here.”
In a moment when he should be giving his victory speech, Maker, who had won his 6th Worlds championship overall, picked up the microphone with a serious face.
“This Worlds is the last tournament of my career. Thank you.”
[Huh?]
[What?]
[W-what is this…?]
The Korean commentators, who had been watching the interview with smiles at the proud victory of the Korean SCK team, were in a state of panic.
Even the interpreter couldn’t collect herself, not knowing how to translate this.
Meanwhile, the rest of Maker’s P1 teammates just nodded as if they all knew about this already.
Maker’s shocking announcement.
For the next week, Maker’s retirement news burned through the global SOL community even more than P1’s third consecutive Worlds championship.
***
August 2030
Seoul, South Korea.
“Mother, please don’t worry too much. These days, it’s not really a stigma.”
“Thank you.”
“…”
The familiar chair in the school’s faculty office.
For an ordinary student, it wouldn’t be particularly familiar, but for Park Jimin, a second-year male student at Daesang High School in Seoul, it was quite well-known.
Of course, there was the homeroom teacher trying his best to force a smile.
And his mother, unable to hide her complicated feelings.
These were images forcibly imprinted in his memory, though he wished they weren’t familiar.
“Jimin.”
“…Yes, teacher.”
“Would you like to talk with me alone for a bit?”
Park Jimin’s homeroom teacher, Yoo Jinho, asked with a kind smile.
“Ma’am, I’d like to have a brief conversation with Jimin.”
“I understand.”
Park Jimin’s mother, Kim Eunhye, nodded.
Jinho led Jimin to a small lounge inside the faculty office.
Jimin just followed along, watching for cues.
“Here.”
“Thank you.”
Jinho prepared a cup of instant coffee mix for Jimin.
He himself tried not to drink it too often because of the sugar, but he hoped that skinny Jimin would gain some weight, even if just from this.
“…”
Silence fell for several minutes.
Jinho needed to organize what he wanted to say, while Jimin had nothing particular to say.
“Jimin.”
Jimin’s homeroom teacher finally spoke after finishing his contemplation.
Strictly speaking, he was no longer Jimin’s homeroom teacher.
After all, Park Jimin was no longer a student at Daesang High School.
“Yes, teacher.”
“Everything will be fine from now on.”
“…”
A predictable statement.
Jimin was accustomed to such meaningless encouragement, so he simply nodded.
Even on the day his withdrawal from school was finalized, nothing changed.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
But today, on a day when my heart ached incomparably more than ever before, it was difficult to just listen.
“I don’t think things will go well in the future.”
Jimin hung his head low and lamented.
Dropping out of high school that everyone else attends, not out of any necessity but because there was no other choice—what could possibly go well after this?
It was a timid rebellion.
“Just because today is bad doesn’t mean tomorrow will be too.”
Of course, Yoo Jinho wasn’t one to be swayed by the mild complaints of an 18-year-old boy.
“But I don’t know how to do anything. I know how hard my mom works, and I can’t even attend school properly or study well.”
“Wasn’t Jimin doing pretty well in his studies?”
“Not well enough to get into a good school.”
Of course, Daesang High School wasn’t fundamentally known for academic excellence, but Jimin’s grades were certainly not low.
Nevertheless, due to his burden, he had absolutely no confidence in himself.
“Did you enjoy studying at school?”
“…”
Jimin couldn’t understand why the teacher was suddenly asking such a question.
Enjoying studying? Isn’t that something only elementary school students would say?
“No, I don’t enjoy it.”
“Then what does Jimin find fun and enjoyable?”
“…”
A question he had heard so often from before.
Being asked what you like is a question teenagers receive as naturally as breathing.
Of course, Jimin’s answer this time is no different.
“I don’t know.”
“Is that so?”
It seems like there have been almost no moments in his life when he’s felt he liked something or found it fun, so being suddenly asked like this makes it even harder to answer.
“Jimin.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, you won’t need to struggle to wake up in the morning, no one will scold you for being late, and you won’t have to sit in one place at a set time.”
“…”
“If you just stay still, time passes by too quickly.”
Yoo Jinho’s expression became quite serious.
Because not only encouragement but also sincere advice was needed.
At the age of 36 this year.
He had observed plenty of people in their early twenties who reminisced about their time with regret.
“If you don’t know what you like, just focus on anything that interests you even a little. And since people tend to like what they’re good at, if there’s something you feel even slightly skilled at, keep working at it.”
“…”
It was something he had never heard before.
But the fact that it didn’t resonate with him wasn’t much different.
“Jimin.”
“Yes.”
“Come see me sometimes if you have any concerns.”
“·····”
Jimin raised his gaze.
Unlike usual, his homeroom teacher had quite a serious face. Nevertheless, this man, who was at least twice his age, wasn’t intimidating to him.
***
“·····”
“·····”
The school gate growing distant.
Today marked the end of high school life for Park Jimin, a second-year student who dropped out during summer vacation.
But rather than being immersed in sentimentality, Jimin was only concerned about his mother walking beside him, just the two of them.
His mother Kim Eunhye, only 42 years old while her son was already 18.
She was just walking with an expressionless face.
When Jimin was young, he didn’t know how early she had given birth to him.
Before he could learn that, his father had passed away.
“Jimin.”
“Huh?”
Jimin was taken aback when his mother suddenly spoke to him.
“Do you want to eat jajangmyeon before we go?”
His mother asked, looking at him.
It was a truly soulless expression, one she rarely showed.
“Umm·····”
Jimin simply headed toward the franchise Chinese restaurant his mother pointed to with her finger.
Caught between lunch hour and break time, there was no one there except this mother and son.
“One large jajangmyeon and one regular, please.”
“Yes!”
His mother ordered as soon as she sat down.
Then she poured water into a cup and placed it in front of her son.
“·····”
Things seemed fine until middle school, but high school life had been difficult.
The strange symptoms that suddenly appeared in him.
At some point, everything in front of his eyes would appear like waves, his chest would tighten, and he couldn’t sit properly, so he took early leaves and absences as routinely as eating meals.
Only after deciding he could no longer attend did he resolve to drop out.
It was an extremely difficult decision for his mother, whose wish was to send her son to college.
Jimin couldn’t bear how sorry he felt toward his mother.
“Mom, um.”
“Jimin.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s talk tomorrow.”
“O-okay.”
His mother had never avoided conversation like this before·····
Mom scoops some pickled radish from the side and places it in the bowl.
The hands, worn beyond their years from busy work at the restaurant, caught Jimin’s eye.
“·····”
Today’s teacher’s words come to mind.
‘Teacher, will there really be something good happening?’
For now, it seemed like meaningless words.
“I’ll go to the supermarket first, so you go home ahead.”
“Okay.”
“Is there anything you want for dinner?”
“Something I want?”
Jimin couldn’t think of anything.
He didn’t particularly feel like eating dinner, nor was he a picky eater.
“Just anything is fine.”
“·····”
Mom nodded and headed toward the subway station.
While taking the bus is faster to get home, the subway is quicker to reach the neighborhood’s largest supermarket, which is just a few stops away.
“Haah·····”
As soon as his mom disappeared from sight, Jimin let out a sigh at the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
The frustration felt when a person is given nothing to do.
Especially for Jimin, who had little interest in hanging out for an 18-year-old.
Weeeing-!
“Huh?”
Jimin’s phone, which rarely rings, sounded.
-Hey, what are you doing?
“·····”
It was Lee Jonghyun, one of Jimin’s few friends.
“Just heading home.”
-Then come to Zero One PC Bang.
“What?”
Jimin was taken aback.
Jonghyun was one of the few people who knew about his dropping out during the break.
And now he’s suddenly asking him to come to the PC Bang?
“Well, I·····”
-Just come. Everyone’s here.
“·····”
Meeting friends feels burdensome. But he doesn’t want to be alone, and if possible, he’d prefer to be with others.
With these conflicting feelings, Jimin headed not toward home but to the PC Bang not far from school.
***
Tadadak.
Tadadadak.
“Argh, why aren’t you joining!”
The sound of keyboards and screams could be heard from all around.
It was a scene typical of an internet café near a school during vacation.
“Oh, you’re here?”
“Yeah…”
“Hi.”
When Jimin arrived at the internet café, Yoon Sangchul, who was sitting to the left of Jonghyun, cleared away the belongings placed on the chair to his left. It seemed quite crowded—had he been saving the seat?
“Do you have time left?”
“I should.”
Jimin quickly logged in.
Though it had been a while, finding his account was easy. After all, this was the only internet café he ever visited.
“Add 5 hours to that one.”
“Huh?”
When Jimin clicked on the 5-hour charging menu, Jonghyun got up and approached.
And immediately paid with a QR code.
“…”
“Want a drink?”
“I’m good.”
“Then have an iced tea.”
Jonghyun ordered iced tea, the only drink Jimin ever had at the internet café.
“…”
Though Jimin didn’t understand why Jonghyun was suddenly acting this way, he could only sit quietly as Jonghyun efficiently took care of everything.
“Wow, as expected of the barbecue restaurant ace, spending money freely.”
“That’s right, Jimin, take advantage and eat a lot.”
His friends told him not to feel burdened, even though the person in question was just sitting there quietly.
From Jimin’s perspective, Lee Jonghyun seemed quite mature compared to their other friends.
Not just because he was tall like Jimin compared to their peers, but because he was the only one in their group who earned his own money through part-time work, and even had a girlfriend who attended a different school.
“Jimin, you know how to play SOL, right?”
“SOL? I know how, but…”
“Then let’s play ranked together.”
“…”
5v5 free ranked game.
Jimin enjoyed playing games with friends, but he was cautious about joining in, afraid he might be a burden. After all, SOL was a game where being the less skilled player was more burdensome than in any other game.
“What? Looking at your level, you must play quite a bit?”
“I used to play a bit, just with the computer.”
“Isn’t playing against bots boring?”
“I find it fun.”
Jimin barely managed to answer Sangchul’s question. Admitting that he played against computers because he was afraid to play with people was quite embarrassing.
“Jimin, you go support.”
“Huh? But support is my position?”
“I’ll let it go this time.”
“That’s fine, but don’t complain if I poop in top lane.”
Jeon Jaeyoung, the support user sitting farthest from Jimin, was reluctantly considering which champion to play.
“I’m okay with it. I’ll go top.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“…”
Jonghyun, who had been planning to send Jimin to support, wore a disbelieving expression.
‘She looks like my mom.’
It was the face his mother often made when telling him not to lie and to be honest.
“Hey, anyway, ranked games are meant to be fun. Let’s just play. Jimin, I’ll help you a lot in top lane.”
“Uh… thanks.”
Jimin expressed gratitude for Sangchul the jungler’s considerate words.
“Yeah, I’ll carry anyway.”
Jonghyun, who took pride in being a royal midlaner, said with a smile.
“Hey, what’s with the Nidalee first pick?”
“I’m a carry-type jungler.”
“Ah, you crazy bastard, I told you to balance the composition.”
Jonghyun grumbled at the already messy team composition. He had originally planned to play a carry champion since Jimin was a beginner.
“Well, choose whatever you want.”
Sangchul, the principled jungler, suddenly reset his screen and started searching for something.
“…”
Jimin was unconsciously watching Sangchul’s screen while waiting for his own pick.
“Huh?”
And for a moment, he was speechless.
“Ah, who watches female streamers at a PC bang?”
“No, this noona only turning on her cam is rare?”
Ignoring Jonghyun’s complaints, Sangchul continued staring at the screen.
On the left were countless channels he was following.
“Huh?”
And Jimin was staring at Sangchul’s screen as if in a trance.
[Guys, can you help me out since I got suspended? Not that it matters if you don’t.]
A gentle voice contrasting with the stiff tone.
The woman visible on the screen.
She was a being that couldn’t be seen at Daesang High School, which was co-ed and had young female teachers.
A fair, doll-like pretty face that was hard to believe was moving in real life.
“…”
And from below the neck, quite contrasting with her cute and innocent face…
“Hey! Jimin, it’s your turn to pick now!”
“…”
“Jimin?”
“Huh?”
Looking at the 0 seconds displayed on the screen, Jimin broke into a cold sweat.
[Scout Teemo, reporting in!]
“Huh?”
A cute character smiling on Jimin’s monitor.
But at this moment, it seemed to be mocking his mistake.
“…”
“…”
Park Jimin, who was present here, was someone who needed to be taken care of.
If that’s the case, what comes to mind is swapping champions.
However, this unusual champion called Teemo is awkward in any lane.
“Is ADC Teemo good?”
“It would be better to go support.”
“Since I’m AP jungle, mid should be AD.”
“Hey, are you really worrying about that right now?”
Jonghyun, who had been thinking about an AD assassin, snapped at Sangchul’s words.
“Ah, no, I’m good with Teemo.”
Jimin wanted to stop his friends who suddenly had a lot to say, and spoke words he didn’t mean.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
‘I know the skills, so it should be fine, right?’
Fortunately, Teemo wasn’t a difficult champion.
“Okay, okay, Jimin, just have fun. You can dominate bottom lane.”
Ko Yuseok, an ADC user whose confidence was no less than the ADCs of the former P1 dynasty, said.
“Let’s go.”
“Ah…”
Jimin was glancing sideways, but Sangchul turned off the streaming screen with a crackle. He wanted to watch a bit more.
“Jimin, be careful against Renekton, he can get a solo kill at low levels.”
“Okay, got it.”
Sangchul, who still had some mental bandwidth in the early game, gave a briefing.
Although Teemo is ranged, against Renekton in top lane, one wrong move could easily lead to a solo kill in the level 2-3 range.
The voice welcoming them to Summoner’s Rift rings out.
Gulp.
Jimin found it hard to hide his nervousness at the thought of playing a game with people, especially with friends.
But once you start, people tend to do something anyway.
“I’ll gank the crab at bottom later, so apply some pressure.”
“Okay.”
With Nidalee in the game, the jungler is the protagonist.
Having fun was good, but everyone was calmly working through the early game for victory.
‘The opponent is Platinum.’
Midlaner Lee Jonghyun casually searched the top laner’s record.
Although Platinum tier has been lumped together with Bronze-Silver-Gold on the internet for some time now, to a beginner like Jimin, it would be like facing the Grim Reaper.
Regardless of how much Jimin struggles, he himself would tear the enemy mid to shreds.
[First Blood!]
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
The high school students who had been concentrating all expressed surprise at once.
“Oh, they died?”
Jimin said.
“Ah, right. Th-the enemy has no Flash.”
A timid tone for someone who just scored a kill.
When his friends looked at the top lane, they saw a champion resembling a crocodile lying dead.