EPT
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@chb990310:
Are there difficulties that come from being a lefty?
A : Not in particular. I can tell you the good things about being a lefty, though. After people found out I was a lefty, alot more people have been following me. There have hardly been any lefties in e-sports history, and since I am the only one currently active, I stand out.
I can tell you another advantage of being a lefty. When
Crazy-Hydra moved to our team, he told us that using the directional keys to control your screen helps a lot, but righties either have to let go of their mouse and use their right hand, or use their left-hand without being able to use any hotkeys in the mean-time. For me, I don't have to let go of my mouse and just use my right pinky to reach them. Some of you might be curious how I set up my equipment in broadcasted matches. I don't actually swap the left and right button. I just pick up the mouse and put it on my left, and that's it. Back when I was an amateur, there would be certain PC bang's that would tape their mousepad onto the right side, and I had to learn how to cope with that, so I played with my arms crossed. Now that I'm a professional, people accommodate and set up the equipment according to my needs so I haven't had much trouble.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201112/attachments/20111230_ca17b3f791295b44873d4f52f806d2c7.jpg)
@damnONE_:
How did you feel after the wink incident? (KT players told Hoejja to do a wink ceremony after a win, so he did, and then the KT players all ran away into the back room) [LOL] Do you get pranked like this a lot?
A : Coach Lee and
Flash were then ones that coaxed me into doing it. Since I'm not too good at coming up with ceremonies, I tend to accept when people suggest one, but that day all my teammates just ran away when I did it. I felt betrayed by Coach Lee and Flash who suggested the ceremony. Like no joke, I was pretty upset (laughs). Flash never does a ceremony himself but suggests alot of them to other people, but now that he's embarrassed me I'm going to make him do one next time. He needs to know what it feels like (laughs).@rani0213:
I wouldn't dare compare anyone to a
certain someone but personally you have a very nice back too. Do you work out a lot?A : I used to do weight training pretty often. I think my back got wider then. Now I am learning yoga alongside
Stats, Crazy-Hydra, and BarrackS. It hasn't been too long sincce we started so I can't say that my body's been feeling more balanced yet, but I do feel like I am getting healthier.The hardest part is where we do leg raises. I heard it was good for making abs, so we've been doing our best, but the results haven't shown. It's an exercise where you lie on your back and lift your legs up to a 90 degree angle. Since I am not that flexible, I'm literally sweating trying to get my legs up. I have a hard time keeping them straight. By the way, it's not just me that's struggling, it's all four of us.
Having a job where you spend so much time sitting down must have made me stiff. We spend about an hour a day learning yoga and it's very difficult and exhausting, but you feel good about yourself good afterwards. Sweat's pouring down yet it feels refreshing. Also, weight training in a fitness center is more of a solo activity whereas learning yoga provides more of a chance to bond and have fun with your friends, so it's been fun.
@qkrdpal0428:
How many wins is your goal in Proleague?
A : Starting this year, Proleague has been broken up into seasons 1 and 2, and each season only has 21 matches per team. So my goal during regular season is 10 wins. Since everybody's lineup got a boost, it's become much harder to make a name for yourself if you don't practice for the love of your life. I have only managed to snag one win so far, but there are still 15 matches left so I will do my best to reach my goal.
@PLEASE_BeMyKYU:
When do you unleash the wrath of your right hand? [Translated liberally: 봉인해제 is a turn of phrase that's often used among the younger population of Korea, originating from video games and cartoons where you have to 'break the seal' or 'curse' that's been put on an evil/unstoppable force. They use it now to refer to any sort of revelation or opening, to things from news of when summer vacation starts, to the release of a new album from a popular artist. Now that I think about it, pretty much every RPG I've played has that story line, where a hero must 'break the seal' and win lol]
A : I get that question a lot. I've heard people say things like 'the day that Hoejja unleashes the beast is the day that the Broodwar e-sports scene ends. Upon hearing that, I decided not to ever unleash it. E-sports is my source of income; what will I do without it? I'm just kidding. I will be sure to leave the seal untouched and keep on doing what I do, make a lot of fans, and contribute to the development of e-sports using my left hand. Although, since I already use my righthand for hotkeys, isn't the seal technically broken?
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201112/attachments/20111230_07eff4b0e105526da0dfc4bd67335024.jpg)
@Square_Zero:
What was the most electrifying game of your career as a lefty?
A : I'm not sure being a lefty has to do much with the quality of the game. After I started being sent out more and more, I have had more chances to play memorable games. Personally, all the games I played during the 10-11 post-season were exciting. I felt so bad for my coaches and teammates, not being able to contribute wins to my team, but I felt like I made up for it somewhat in during playoffs.
I have particularly fond memories of the finals. I won and the team won, and that's when I felt like I made the right choice becoming a progamer. If I had lost my game, we would have lost 0-4. Because
Action was prepared to be sent out after me, I sometimes wonder if we would have still won if I had lost, but the moment was magical to me regardless.[moopie: Action played after HoeJJa but lost his game (it was 0-2 before hoejja, 1-2 after hoejja, and 1-3 after Action). I think he's wondering had he lost, would action have gotten more motivated and somehow pulled off a win. Assuming Action would have lost regardless, KT would have lost 0-4 had HoeJJa not won his game.]@noblesse_Y:
Do you have any episodes or mishaps from your first name being the same as
Nal_rA's full name? [Hoejja's name is Ko Kangmin, while Nal_rA's is Kang Min]A : When I entered the team as a practice partner there were a lot of mishaps. I was a student back then. I would come to practice from school and say hi, and the oldies [still younger than Nal_rA] would look at Nal_rA and say "Hey Kangmin buddy how was school?" Nal_rA would always say "Put the last name in." Also when they made me do chores or go for a quick supermarket run they would say "Hey Kangmin buddy go get us something" to me while looking at Nal_rA's face. Then Nal_rA would tell me "You make my life miserable" and take my hand and go do chores together. There was just a lot of teasing like that. I didn't mind honestly, because it gave me a chance to get closer to Nal_rA than anybody else. Also, even as a practice partner everybody knew my name, which was good.
Nal_rA moved on to commentating and is now serving the military but when he was in the KT house I received a lot of help in many ways. He taught me the mindset a gamer should have, how to treat your fans, and most importantly how to know your alcohol tolerance and drink accordingly [It's often the dad's job to do this, so Nal_rA doing this means a lot].
@eunsu111:
Among the KT Zergs, you get a lot of playing time. Do you have the best results in practice?
A : My results in practice are not that good. Actually everybody except Flash is about the same in practice. If you look at our evaluation matches everybody's rank differs by a 1 game differential. In that sense our internal rankings aren't that meaningful. The reason why I've been getting a lot of playing time might be because maps that I am confident on always seem to be played in each match.
We have four starters on our Zerg lineup. During practice, Action is good against everybody, regardless of who his opponent is or what race he plays. He is the
Jaedong of KT's practice room. He is so talented but I think he developed stage fright from losing a few games where he held an advantage. Out of the four, Action has the most potential and skill at the moment.Crazy-Hydra is a ZvZ sniper that needs no introduction. His muta micro is art. He is very skilled at harass. Perfective is very good at executing what he wants to do. But that's also all he is good at. He lacks in other aspects of the game but he is doing his best to improve on those areas.To evaluate myself, I am confident in ZvP and have been trying to overcome the other matchups in practice. However I don't even feel that comfortable about ZvP in broadcasted matches. All three races feel about the same in live games. ZvT can be especially brutal; one mistake and your opponent carries that advantage through the whole game, so I've gotten into a habit of playing very safely. That hasn't netted me very many wins, though, so it's something that I want to fix.
![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201112/attachments/20111230_66ad0991a7b86e731417111210637506.jpg)
@28BLING: Any plans of showing us a hot ceremony?
A : When I was a practice partner I would often look to Samsung Khan's
firebathero and think to myself 'I'll be showing some sweet ceremonies like him one day.' But once I became an A-teamer and received more chances to play, even coming up with a ceremony and practicing became quite a burden. I don't feel like I have enough time to even practice, so I still have some ways to go before coming up with an awesome ceremony.I sometimes do a small ceremony here and there, though. Those are all ideas that the board of administration or coaching staff have suggested. If you recommend ceremonies on KT's homepage or my facebook, I will be sure to do them, so please help!
@sophianim:
Is there one thing that you can confidently say you are the best at among your teammates?
A : In terms of talking a lot and being loudmouthed, I am definitely number one. There is a story behind it, though.
Reach often tells me "Hoejja you talk too much." All the players are tired when they come into practice in the morning, so I just start chattering away. Since I have a pretty high-pitched voice, they tell me "Shut up you mosquito", but slowly they all wake up while complaining and start playing better. In that sense I definitely think I contribute a lot to our team's performance.@_910723:
Do you go to mok-dong alot? I live in mok-dong.
A : I live in mok-dong but rarely go home. Once the season starts, I can't leave very often. We get days off but my body is exhausted and the commute is too far so I just stay in our dormitory.
@omphalos09:
In the 10-11 season finals, you beat CJ's
Hydra many times after nail-bitingly close games. What's your secret?A : I never give up. I learned that even if I am losing I have to persevere and try my best to find a way to turn the game around. I learned it from my seniors, and also through watching Flash's games. In the last two games I played with that mindset and it served me well. Even when I am losing I play with a winning mindset.
@SS_Monologuer:
You are the only one born in 1989, so excluding the oldie Reach and
Violet who is away at the moment, you are the oldest one. Do you have any anecdotes stemming from that age gap?A : In short, there is a generational gap. Especially with Reach, there is a huge disconnect. The only girl groups in Reach's mind are probably SNSD and Wondergirls. He probably doesn't even know what IU looks or sounds like. When I'm making fun of Reach like that, the young ones butt in and make fun of me, too. People like
Flash, Stats, Action, and BarrackS in particular call me out saying "I'm sure you don't even know many girlgroups."They know their names, songs, and even know the dances. Out of them, though, Barracks stands out. He knows each and every group's schedule. [Tsk tsk, more practice, less IU Barracks]
I personally enjoy watching soccer. I watch a lot of games past midnight, especially EPL games. My teammates pass out even before the first half is over.
@snupe96:
How good are you when you play right-handed?
A : I tried practicing right-handed. My mind would tell me to move my units, attack and produce back in base, but my hands just don't follow. I'm sure it would be similar to you playing left-handed.
@mtejolm:
This season in your game against Hydra, your play was hailed as 'Ko GODmin play'; how did you feel after? Did you think of going for the weekly MVP award?
A : I was very happy that day. Our team was on a 3match losing streak, and if we had lost that game, we wouldn't have been able to achieve a 50% winrate for round 1. We were also down 1:2. I thought I had to win and concentrated, so I was able to come back from a disadvantage to take the game. That day, I guess I couldn't hide my happiness as I won and my team won. My juniors were saying stuff like "Hoejja is about to take off from earth" and "grab him so he won't go into orbit." I briefly thought about going for the weekly MVP but then
Stats and EffOrt both played a tremendous game so I gave up.![[image loading]](http://img.dailygame.co.kr/news/201112/attachments/20111230_862be78084a90769070c315994780b09.jpg)
@HaNe_Dreamer:
You now have a lot of young ones in KT; who is the cutest (not in terms of looks)? Is Flash a cutiepie or scary?
A : The cutest would be Action. His cheeks are so fat and cute, and he is very shy and sometimes slow, so he rolls everyone in being a cutiepie.
Stats is pretty cute too. He says mean things with a smile on his face. He says things that can bruise or scar, and his words often come with knives, but all the while he is grinning. You can't yell at him when he has that innocent look.
Flash isn't a cutiepie, he feels like an adult. When he jokes around you can still see the childish side of him but when he is playing a game or concentrating he is scary. I sometimes question whether he is really 20. [19 years old non-Korean.]
@Balloon_ohw:
You have a lot of attention coming your way from being a lefty gamer; does it ever get overwhelming?
A : The attention is actually fading away quicker than I thought (laughs). Being lefty or righty doesn't matter. It all comes down to performance, and if I can become our team's ace, I might be able to share the spotlight. It's not overwhelming yet. I want to perform well enough for all the attention to become overwhelming.
@Bling_Sprout:
Is there someone on KT that you can say 'I can beat him in this' with confidence, and also someone who you think you'll never be able to beat in something? Please answer not just in terms of gaming, but in other aspects as well.
A : Since you said in other aspects, I feel like I have something on everybody that I can beat them in and something that I will always lose to them in. First and foremost, in terms of gameplay, all of us can take a game off of one another excluding Flash. It's hard to say who is better outside of Flash.
In terms of height, I lose to Flash and Stats. [Really? o_0 I always thought Hoejja was the tallest on KT] I thought
Mind would be pretty short but he is also very tall. In terms of looks, I will never beat Barracks. If I were a manager for a talent agency, I would like to manage Barracks. His looks are solid.@Zerg_MelOdy:
Your goals for next year? Also do you have a favorite celebrity, and what is your ideal girl?
A : My goal next year is to make KT the winner of Proleague. I want KT to win 3 in a row, 4 in a row, etc. Also I want to be a player that our team can rely on to bring home a win.
Personally I am longing to meet that special someone. Spending Christmas in practice makes you very depressed. I hope to find someone I can spend Christmas with.
Out of the celebrities, I like Moon Chaewon and Han Hyojoo. They're pretty much my ideal girls.
@drave13:
Out of the KT Zergs what is your rank?
A : 1st. In seniority (laughs).
Source: Daily E-sports
