EPT
HiyA: "I want my days as a progamer to remain as good memories"![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_b919f37d6c4826f69d61179b416cc258.jpg)
Earlier this month, on Novemer 4th, Kespa posted the progamers that used to belong to the disbanded Hwaseung OZ, MBCGame HERO and WeMade FOX. Posting is basically a draft conducted by the six other corporate-sponsored teams, excluding ACE. Players state a minimum salary, then a desired salary, and if they negotiate a deal somewhere in between with a team, they are drafted.
Hiya, the terran ace of Hwaseung Oz, participated in the posting as well. He was planning on continuing his career as a progamer if a team picked him up. However, none of the teams wanted him. Rumor has it that his minimum salary was much higher than what the teams had expected.
When
Shine, who was a big fish among those who failed to post initially, was later picked up by Samsung KHAN, we were curious of Hiya's status. Daily E-sports visited Hiya on the 16th at his house and conducted an interview.DE=How have you been?
Hiya=The first few days after I failed to post, I thought alot about my future, and came to the conclusion to tie everything up. I have no plans of continuing on as a progamer, so I haven't reached out to other teams either. To be honest, I am enjoying this break away from progaming.
DE=Alot of things happened after Hwaseung Oz disbanded.
Hiya=The news of our disbanding broke after the season ended. I packed my luggage and came home with a heavy heart. One day, I even went onto an e-sports news site and F5'd all day to see if any corporations wanted to sponsor a team. For about two months, I did nothing but wait for the good news. They were very unsettling times for me. Then, to top it off, my father passed away last month, weighing even more heavily on my heart.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_50d702f2b5a772881b5f07e572d1e83b.jpg)
DE=We heard he passed away in October. How was the funeral.
Hiya=Alot of e-sports personnel visited and tried to cheer me up. My father loved to drink and he was admitted to a hospital for Liver Cirrhosis a few months ago. He was let go after being treated, but he suddenly collapsed, so he was readmitted. We were so shocked because he passed away not two days after re-admittance. Our relatives said he probably knew he didn't have much time left, and wanted to pass away quickly to reduce medical bills. I was still trying to comprehend what had happened, but with my older brother and mother's efforts, we were able to have a successful funeral.
DE=You are now the head of the family [가장=one who brings home the bread]
Hiya=I'm the younger brother, so I'm not the head. My older brother, who is 7 years older, is our head now. Even during our funeral, he managed everything and I just helped him. He must be overwhelmed by the responsibility he now carries.
DE=I remember you saying 'I hope things start to look up after October.' It is now November, and things are still looking gloomy for Hiya.
Hiya=I expected things to flesh out after October. I waited for our team to find another sponsor, then heard that wouldn't be happening. I participated in the posting on the 4th, and I was planning on entering a team that wanted me. But they must have thought my desired salary was too high.
I heard Shine, who also failed to post initially, entered Khan. I am happy for him. Coach Han of team8, and ex-coach of Hwaseung Oz, said he would try to find me a spot in another team, but after 2 days, I told him that I would like to retire. To be honest, after I failed to post on the 4th, I gave up continuing on as a progamer.
DE=What have you been up to recently.
Hiya=I've been streaming on Afreeca. I guess it's because I used to be a progamer, but over a 1000 viewers log onto my channel at times.
DE=The viewers must have alot of questions regarding your whereabouts and future plans.
Hiya=Yea. Alot of them ask me if I have plans of continuing as a progamer. I answer them honestly.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_475bef666419bc36820942a684fc868d.jpg)
DE=Afreeca doesn't necessarily have the best reputation at the moment.
Hiya=That bothered me too. There are alot of people who disapprove of ex-progamers who had been involved in match-fixing streaming on Afreeca. I was worried I would get involved in that mess somehow. But the viewers all gave me words of encouragement, and only had positive things to say. Since [Starcraft] is all I know how to do, I am happy that I can still earn some money, however little it is, through streaming.
I wanted to enjoy the game without the title of 'progamer.' When I was on the team, sometimes it was a pain to practice according schedule and live by tournament schedules. However, now I am just having the time of my life playing [Starcraft] and talking to my viewers. This has been the happiest time of my life.
DE=There is speculation that you may transfer to Starcraft 2.
Hiya=It would be a lie if I said I hadn't thought about it. After Hwaseung disbanded, I tried SC2 at home for a week. I hit diamond very easily. I thought it might be possible, but then I played against
fOrGG who recently switched to SC2, and I got absolutely demolished. He was off-racing as Zerg at that, so I gave up right then and there. I am planning to join the military rather than to play SC2. [NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO]DE=
Lomo is joining the police sooon.Hiya= I went down to Pusan about a week ago with
Sky, Bee, sHy and Ryul2. When my father passed away, Lomo came up all the way from Pusan. It meant alot for me. That's when I heard of his plans to join the military as a police officer. I decided to return the favor by going down to Pusan and throwing him a good-bye party, while getting some fresh air as well. I told him to take care and come back safely.![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_616c081851ad1a26d2d5f29cf3ebdd77.jpg)
DE=Are you jealous of players who joined team8.
Hiya=It was cool to see the ace players from 3 teams, such as
Jaedong, Sea, Killer, BaBy, beatace OR Jaehoon and Tyson, together. It's pretty obvious that this team will do well. I thought 'only if I had performed better in the 10-11 season, then maybe I could have joined too' but it is a thing of the past and there is nothing I can do now. Since there were alot of us Hwaseung players who were close to Coach Han, we visited him in Itaewon. I went with
Alone and Bee. We wanted to talk about future plans, but we got there late so we couldn't talke much. Itaewon is far from Boochun and we started to worry we wouldn't have a bus home. I hope team8 does well. DE=Did your father's passing away have a impact on your decision to retire.
Hiya=When I was packing away my father's belongings, I realized we didn't have a single family picture. My father worked in Japan to earn our family money since I was very young. I never saw my father in elementary and middle school. When he came back, I was already part of a team and living in a dormitory, so I never saw him.
Before my father passed away, he suggested that we go on a vacation to Jaeju island. He suggested it when he was healthy, but then was admitted to a hospital and passed away in less than a week. We missed the opportunity to go on our first family vacation in 20 years. [T_T.. this is so saddening.. RIP]
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201111/attachments/20111116_6b87eb5097142c147f0ea93cc3ac0858.jpg)
After my father passed away, I realized the importance of family. I am now trying to spend as much time as I can with my mother and brother. It played a big part in my decision to retire. I want streaming on Afreeca to be a hobby, and use the time that is left to spend one more hour, have one more conversation with my family.
DE=You mentioned that money is not a big motivator for you in one of the past interviews, that you play for fun.
Hiya=Yea. Even my decision to become a progamer was not based on the money. I was good at what I did, and I found fun in being good. It would have been ideal to earn money while doing what I enjoy, but for now, spending time with my family is priority number one.
When I was a progamer, I thought 'I should retire after becoming the best'. I dreamt of announcing my retirement after winning an individual league title. But I guess becoming the best wasn't that easy. I didn't want to become a thing of the past and retire because I had to. In the 10-11 season, I didn't have the best results, but I think I put up a good fighting. I think now is a good point to walk away from it all.
DE=Any last words to your fans.
Hiya=I often talk about my status and life when I stream on Afreeca. They support [my decision to retire] and empathize, so I am thankful. But some viewers try to over-analyze or fixate on one aspect of what I say and blow it out of context. I hope they don't put words in my mouth and post it all over the internet in the future.
The days I spent as a progamer remain as dear and fun memories. Now we have parted ways, but you can never tell what will happen in life. When we meet again in the future, I hope you will still remember me as the 'funny progamer Hiya.'
Source: Daily E-sports
*I have one request for all the readers: please do not turn this into a Savior/match fixing flame war.
Hiya's streaming thread
.
You were one of the best personalities in the scene, you will be missed
