author's note: so maybe dade is really like this, but I'm not 100% sure. he's kind of just a fluffy little baby, but he's super comptetitive. I really missed him throughout this world championship. with worlds being almost over, I have a lot of one shots coming up, thanks to the interviews and everything. but for now, here's dade. title from bigger than love by my favorite highway.

World Championship 2014

He was supposed to be a champion. He was supposed to be able to beat pawn and the rest of the Samsung White squad. He knew his former team like the back of his hand.

Instead, he was clapping for Samsung White as they held their championship trophy above their heads.

He felt as if he would cry. That should have been his place. He was the General, the one who should’ve been able to lead his team, his Samsung Blue, to a remarkable victory, like he had once before. He should’ve been able to carry his team on his back, even if it broke his spine.

But no.

dade had been unable to lead Blue out of the semifinals.

And it was shameful.

shame

dade was unable to face his shame. He ran through solo queue over and over, but even in victory, he felt nothing. Maybe League was just no longer fun. He loved it, but there was no more love that he could give to the game.

Maybe it was time to move on.

As he sat in front of his computer, watching the queue timer tick away, thanks to his crazy high elo, he peered over the top of his monitor. Another monitor was back to back with his, and, sitting at that monitor, was his girlfriend.

Inhye looked up from whatever it was she was doing. She quirked an eyebrow, as if wondering why it was that he was looking at her.

He quickly returned his gaze to his queue. He could’ve sworn that she was laughing at him, the way she always did when he was doing something stupid.

He allowed himself one small smile as he entered Champion Select.

parting

He didn’t know what made him leave.

Maybe it was the lack of ability he swore he saw. Maybe it was the changes to the Korean rules. Maybe it was the fact that he was still unable to face his team. Maybe it was everything piling down on him.

But by the end of October, dade had left Samsung, following in the footsteps of the rest of the Samsung boys.

sorrow

The offers came in from everywhere, like they always did.

But this time, dade was actually considering accepting one of those offers. On his place on his bed, he stared at his phone and the email he was open to. He had no team, no affiliation. He wasn’t obligated to say yes, but he wanted to bring something to the table again.

He wanted another shot at being a champion.

From her spot next to him, where she was playing the newest Pokémon game, Inhye looked up at him. She didn’t have to ask for him to tell her that he was going to leave Korea. But he didn’t see the way her smile faltered before she told him just the thing that she needed to hear:

“You should go for it.”

And so, he did.

By the end of November, he joined Team WE Academy, as did his former teammate and former rival, Looper. By the beginning of December, he’d moved into the dorms in China. And by the end of December, Team WE Academy had become Master3.

forget

dade had only been in China for a few days when he realized that he hadn’t called Inhye at all, despite the fact that he’d promised her that he’d call her as soon as he landed.

He remembered this fact in the middle of practice, while they were in queue. He had a few minutes, more than enough time to call her. He glanced at his phone, which was sitting next to his mouse. His right hand hovered over his phone.

Looper looked over to him and asked if something was wrong. His hand retreated back to rest on the mouse as he replied that everything was fine.

Internally, he reminded himself to call her once practice was over.

That reminder slipped his mind within the next ten minutes.

LPL Spring Split 2015

As it turned out, every single one of the Samsung boys had gone to China.

dade faced many of his friends on the Rift. But no longer were they friends. They were his rivals, his enemies. And he had to destroy them in order to win.

There was no room for sentiment.

It was time to win.

longing

The Spring Split wasn’t going too well for Master3. They were losing games left and right, and dade found himself aching inside.

He missed Korea. He missed the food and the people. He missed his family and he missed his friends. He missed his girlfriend, who had faithfully stayed with him when he had decided to pursue his dream of being a pro gamer.

Glancing at his phone, he wondered if it was too late at night to call her. It was around eleven for both of them, so he figured it was okay. He opened his Kakao for the first time in what felt like a century.

A heavy feeling of guilt settled over his heart when he saw that the last time she’d tried to talk to him was over a week before the Spring Split began. There was a long string of messages asking him how he was doing and telling him that she missed him. The last message nearly tore his heart in two when he read the words that he’d never thought she’d say to him.

I’m sorry if I did something wrong… I’ll leave you alone now.

She’d kept to her word, the word that he hadn’t seen because he just hadn’t looked at his Kakao. All of her messages had gone unread, and she’d assumed they were over.

It wasn’t true.

He still loved her.

Desp