EPTNow this entry will contain a little less of pure Starcraft material and will focus a bit more on people I was with at first then, a few fun stories, and somewhat of a tour of what my early life in Seoul was. If you have any specific enquiry, feel free to PM me.
Aside hanging out with Grrrr..., I would spend now that I was alone, most of my time in N.E.T. The staff got very close with me within the first two weeks, and even closer, as I would spend my first 3 entire months in Seoul, basically living there. The staff of N.E.T. was very unique as in the way most of their head staff were graduated people, with quality college degrees, meaning they could somewhat speak english. The younger part of the staff, very shy at first, got used to my presence and, as I’m not of the quiet kind, me going up to them, to discuss, exchange, and ask tons of questions about Korea. I’ll do a quick description of the most important people for me there.
Due to the respect of his age, and his head position in this huge PC room, I’ll start off with Shina (that was his game handle not his name, often I’ll go with game handles, as they were easier than their Korean name to use for me, and they would introduce to me using those most of the time).
Shina meant “having fun” or “enjoyement”. This 55 years old Korean man, used to have a high position in SK telecom before, but, as the opportunity of managing the biggest pc Room of Seoul was offered to him, he promptly accepted, as he was a fucking hardcore gamer. Yes, 55 years old, and he was basically playing Diablo II all day long. He was kind, calm and extremly funny. He had studied in U.S.A. when he was young, and had a decent english. He was small and very skinny, always wearing a cap and sweater, and from far away, you could’ve just thought he was a teenager. All the time I was there, I never saw him arguing even once, or getting into a fight with his subordinates. This man, as you will learn later on, is the person that prolly did the most for me at first in Seoul. He basically arranged meetings for me at N.E.T. with possible sponsors that he knew, and finally got me one. But that’s for another chapter. So, out of pure kindness, this old man devoted some of his time, to give me what I needed the most : someone that actually cared about me, and a honest try at helping me out financialy. He would often, late night, show up with a drink and ask me about France, to tell him about northern sea side, Paris and all kind of things, while telling me about his sons and Korea after. His generosity seemed to know no limits. He was carrying his cellphone (just like many people) around his neck, and combined with the rest of his attitude, he looked like a kid, especially when his wife would call him and yell at him because he wasn’t coming back home. Late night, as we would stay up playing until 4 or 5, he would want to keep up with us, but as he was older and kind of weaker, he would just fall asleep in his chair.
You then had Mr. Lee, who was always piercing tiny holes at the bottom of his cigarets to make them lighter. He just got out of the army and his national duty at that time, and was finishing his thesis in economics. He had a very good english, and was as all others, a very cheerful person, open minded. However he was not much of a gamer. Whenever an important matter had to be discussed with me, he would act as the interpreter. He was always very busy doing all the paper and business work for N.E.T. Shina and the others wouldn’t do because they were playing. He was also sorting out the server and technical issues of the Pc room. This guy was awesome. He was dating one of the girls working there as well, and they got married later on. He was about 28 at that time.
Another great individual, that however, couldn’t speak english that well, was BlueSorce (handle coming from his Sorceress in Diablo II). He basically was the Diablo II gang leader there, as he had the no1 ranked Sorceress of the ladder. He was about 26 or 27, and just as nice as one can get. He was quite a good looking guy, and others were often making jokes as he had a reputation of dating mutiple girls same time. It’s true that very often, hot chicks would stop by and he would take them out on this huge green, sport motorbike. He was gearing my loosy lvl 80 paladin up, with some of the finest stuff one can get from farming 10 hours / day long, last act in Hell mode.
There were three chicks in full time position over there. One was a tall very dark haired woman, Mr.Lee’s girl friend. Had I wished for a hot Korean mother, she would’ve just perfectly fit the role. She was always making sure I was eating enough, or would go get me medecine the times I was sick.
Another tall one, had died hairs, and didn’t communicate that much. She was always at the cash register, or bringing food from the Sandwich place. She was also a kind person and for some time was dating Bbark, that I will tell you about right after.
Last but not least, of these different divine figure of my early asian pagan dream, was the youngest of the three. Some kind of hot doll like Korean girl. She was about 18 like me. Just as cute as it gets. Another time, another place, another me (the future one), I would’ve just hit on her with all I could, but N.E.T. at this time was feeling much like a pure Sanctuary, from where all these kind of thoughts and possibilities were banned.
N.E.T. was a heaven, and the common world had stayed outside.
The two persons left, were Han and Bbark.
Han was a tender and sweet looking asian guy, Bbark was tall, weird and dark. The third day already of my arrival, Han couldn’t contain his excitement of having foreign gamers at his place. This guy loved Starcraft, and just ditched his tasks and responsabilities to play with us, and pay us some meals.
At first, when we had to pay to play at N.E.T., late night he would tell Shina to go to sleep or leave, saying that he could handle the pc room alone. He would then proceed to close the damn place, in order to turn the whole first floor into his gaming paradise. Han has to be, along with IloveU (heo jaeyong), of the purest kind of Korean heart, I’ve met during the whole time of my life in Korea.
He was from a poor family, and didn’t do well at school. He wasn’t dumb by any mean, but thought he would just work in a nice place until national duty calls, and that, once his military time would be complete, he could get a degree along with a work much more easily. During these early times, Han was my close friend. I even discovered later, he had bought books and was studying english at his place, so he would be able to talk freely with me. I loved this guy as a true brother, and the time I agreed to come sleep over his place, because he had been asking me for a whole week, upon waking up, I discovered that he had planned this since a long time with his parents, that basically feeded me with the most excellent cooking for a whole day, and behaved just like I was some kind of very rare and important guest into their home.
Bbark on the opposite side, was, I thought at first, some kind of enemy. He wouldn’t want to talk to me, or would just babble at me in Korean, in a way I thought he wanted to mock or make fun of me. I couldn’t be more wrong. Bbark was the tough bevahing kind. Often at first I would ask others why he was pissed at me, or didn’t like me, but everybody would always answer the same way : he was a very kind person, he just had a big deal of expressing his feelings.
With time, and as he was quite a fine Starcraft player (he would often be able to keep up with pros and take some games), he sooner or later, joined Han and me in the late night Starcraft fun. They would take turns trying to beat me, and while Han would never succeed, Bbark was one hell of a terran player. However, each time he would lose, he would get pissed and go outside to smoke and act back in the PC room as he had something better to do, but after a few games of me tearing up poor Han in every possible fashion, he would sit at the very opposite side of the room and curse and yell in korean, telling me to bring my sore ass in his game, so he could kick it.
Bbark had a very sad story to tell. As we got slowly to know each other better, I remember once that upon telling him my father died when I was 11, his rude eyes behind his fashion glasses starting to tremble and water a bit. He then told me, that he was an orphan since he was 13, and that his brother, his sister and his both parents, had all died in one car accident, while he was waiting for them to pick him up at his grand parents house. Han told me that’s why Bbark was acting rude, and pissed most of the time. But the reality was, he was just a very sensible, generous and concerned beeing.
What you guys have to know, is that for all the time I was staying in N.E.T., I would be living, eating, and sharing my life with these people. At diner time, I would never go out to eat, because Shina would order big assed meals to be delivered at the place. And all of us would eat to our content in front of the huge TV, most of the times watching Starcraft games. In the morning, as I often slept in a sofa, or even on a camp couch they had set up for me in the back office, one of the three girls would order my favourite sandwich and bring it to me. When I couldn’t pay it, they would. Later on, once I got sponsored and started getting nice money, I went there to pay back every single dime, several times. They never accepted. Oh ! man, these were the times...
That’s enough of a description I guess. I’ll resume now with a fun story, of me, Han and Bbark going out and have some fun.
So Bbark and Han showed up to me, full of excitement, asking if I would like to come with them on date they had set up with three girls. Obviously they had to fill the last spot and thought it would make an impression on the girls, if they’d bring along a Frenchman. I of course accepted, and I went to the hotel to get ready for the date. The plan was to meet them near lotte world, not far away of the place two of the girls lived in. They would pick us up there, and we’d go have dinner and drink at their place.
Short disclaimer : I won’t talk very often about girls in my stories. As I could as well only talk about my dates, that were numerous. But there’s absolutely no point of detailing my sentimental life, but for the times of fun stories, or when it actually mattered and influenced alot my stay in Korea. I might just add, that when you’re good looking and not a complete prick, it’s somewhat very easy in Korea to find girls and get along.
So there we were, all three perfumed and dressed as the three finest young men of Seoul. All the way to the meeting point, Bbark and Han would take turns making jokes on me, saying that we’d witness tonight if I was either an accomplished nerd, or taking the girl matter as serious I took the gaming one.
The girls came to pick us up with their car, I have no idea, where my friends knew them from, but the chicks were very good looking so it was very fine with me. They weren’t embarassed by my presence, eventho I was foreigner, more curious than anything else, and prolly because my two friends had told them about me before.
We got to their place, wich was a nice 4 rooms appartement. The girls were University students, and living on their own. Upon entering the living room, I discovered a table filled with all sorts of cold food, and an equal if not superior quantity of beer and soju bottles displayed in a very attractive fashion.
What can I say ? As we sat, an awkward silence showed up the first 3 minutes. But as soon as the first Soju bottle opened, we just started to behave like long lost friends that grew up in the same neighbourhood.
I was furiously possessed with the partying spirit. The three girls could barely speak english, but Bbark and Han, upon seeing what a good fellow I was when it came to aclool, discussion and partying, provided all the language and communication support needed for me to entertain everyone in the most stupid ways possible.
As we got dragged into the deep drinking, because food started to deplete off the table, I started doing what I’m the best at in these types of situation : getting everyone drunk. And to show the proper way of doing, getting myself of course twice as much drunk than the others.
That meant then, proving them my good will at becoming converted to Korean society, by trying to replace my blood with Soju only. The more they’d ask for mercy, the more their cups would be filled. I’m absolutely unstopable on this topic. Stories, jokes, stupid mimics, any mean is good to make one rise his arm with an empty glass waiting to be filled.
Around 2 Am, Bbark and his girl friend left, he had to go to the dentist in the morning, because of a hurting cavity. Han who was dating one of the girls already, after kissing her, turned to tell me the plan was that we would there tonight.
Soju was depleted, and him and his girl went to their bedroom to sleep.
And there I was, in front of that one cute, small and cheeky Korean girl, that, as a fine gentleman, I had absolutely no plan to abuse the drunken state. How naïve and foolish was I ! I prolly was the most drunk between us two, and she, perfectly aware of what was going on. As I stood up and asked while she opened the door of her room, where was a sofa, or a couch, or just a proper location on the ground for me to lie and rest, she went to me and grabbed my hand, and softly in the most natural move, dragged me into her room.
Needless to say I was suprised and I still thought she had an extra bed in her room, that she wanted me to sleep on, until she closed the door, showed me her bed, and getting closer in my arms, sitting there together, started to kiss me.
Now this could’ve been all romantic and shit. But I was terribly drunk. I had drank about 6 bottles of Soju myself, and I wasn’t really a heavy drinker back then. In France I’d always favor any sort of drugs over alcool. So, like, that night, I wanted to act tough, and I got actually owned by the divine power that hides behind the bad taste of the Korean drink.
As we were naked, and were getting into debating more serious matters in a very realistic way, the mere biological fact that I didn’t have any sexual intercourse since I left France, mixed with the help of alcool and the fine talents displayed by the girl, made my body feel he had to empty a part of it’s stomach in order to properly accomplish the required task. That’s how I puked on myself on my first Korean date.
Now you can imagine, how bad I was cursing at myself, highly pissed that just fucked up what was starting as a very good night.
What happened then was surreal. The girl helped me taking off the shirt that was the last thing I was still wearing, and that I had puked on, and then proceeded to go and wash it, with her own hands. Then after setting it up to dry, and me going to the bathroom to make my whole self clean, she came back in the room and resumed the course of actions, where my own weakness had stopped us.
Now that alcool power had lowered, and furiously animated by the good will of thanking her for such a display of patience and kindness, I lived to my trueself and my strenghtfull young age, and spent the 3 next days with her, barely leaving her bedroom.
I then was convinced that some evil power, had hidden me from this country all the other years before, and that this place, was the true land I belonged to.
For the record this relationship didn’t last, and actually never quite existed. We seen each once more after that, but she was too busy with her exams, and me with my shitty yet fun pro gaming life, to really take care of each other.
However, soon after these events, I met my first Korean love, in the name of So jee. This relationship would last for a fair while. I will maybe talk about it later, as the way we met was pretty fun and awkward, and worth telling. But you guys aren’t here to read up on Asian romances, and I’m perfectly aware of that.
So I’ll go on with the pro gaming story, and how I ended up ditching the nice and faithful Hong suh, my manager, sunday church teacher, and internet video game company worker. That event was actually what set myself into motion, like an aimless ball through the huge and bizarre city of Seoul.
Truth was Hong suh didn’t have nor the time or the money to manage me. He was providing me with some cash, but I knew this situation however wouldn’t last. His basic plan was that I would win the KBK upon my arrival, and from there on he would easily get me a sponsor and himself a nice salary. But everything went wrong as you all know now. I wasn’t showing any expectional skill to any extent, and I wasn’t getting either much of a chance to prove myself. He wasn’t registering me for any lan event, tournaments, whatsoever, that were numerous and that I was hearing about through battle net. On the other hand Grrrr... wasn’t playing in those, as he only cared about TV games and leagues. So there I was stucked to Hong suh, without any other way to survive alone by myself.
What I did back then was the most risky and crazy thing I could’ve done, as well as the only option I had. I asked Hong suh to give one whole month money at once, and just end the thing right there, as the contract we had signed together would state he had to sustain me for 2 more months. So we cut the deal half and wished each other farewells, and thats how I ended, at 18 years old, alone with little money and no support, 11 000 kilometers away from my hometown, in a country I didn’t speak the language.
That’s also how my greatest time in Korea began, as I had to make a move deeper into Korea, and use the Korean ways of living, as the short money I had didn’t offer me any alternative.
That’s where started a life of randomness, with my companions of gaming misery, in the persons of Jaeyong (IloveU), Su yon, his protoss girl friend and Cezanne.
That’s how I finally met Korea.
Next chapter will be about Grrr...’s team moving to N.E.T. and how I became friend with the most talented and gifted Starcraft player I ever knew. How I made a brother of that friend. The first GameQ world championship, with a sad battle report of yet another broadcasted rape, given by the quirky Samjjang himself.
From there on, the pro gaming tales, will “really” begin. As you will hear and learn stories of us roaming Korea up and down, from tournaments to tournaments with absolutely no money, our hearts driven by nothing else but the warmth of friendship. And how later, lucky and undeserving me, got sponsored.
Hope you enjoyed !
