EPTYoon Yong-Tae: "It's regrettable to retire...but I was happy!"
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When we interview retiring players, there are generally two different moods that we see. For players who know what they will be doing in the future, the interviews are bright and cheerful. Those who retired under undesired circumstances are often a bit more indecisive.
Yoon Yong-Tae's case was the latter. Because he still had a desire to play games and had posted good results in the past season, he had been looking forward to challenging the coming season. With the team reaching its first Proleague final (under the name Woongjin Stars), he continued practicing hard to prepare for the next season, but was shocked to hear that the team would be drastically downsizing. After a difficult waiver period, with no teams expressing interest in taking him, Yoon Yong-Tae announced his retirement. Meeting him a few months after the Proleague finals, we saw that his expression had worsened noticeably. It appeared that his spirit had suffered immensely.
After receiving the request for an interview, Yoon Yong-Tae responded in early November. After organizing his thoughts, he wished to do an interview in order to close off his progaming career and speak as he wished to the fans one last time.
Sitting in a coffee shop, Yoon Yong-Tae recalled the events of the past ten years. Although he had difficulty keeping his composure early on, as he went on telling his stories, he appeared to become more calm. At the end, he said that he had experienced many happy memories. Let us hear those stories now.
"The reason for my sadness..."
Before the current Woongjin team was created, when Yoon Yong-Tae was on the team Hanbit Stars, he had the nickname of "God of Thunder". He was the "6 Million Won Ace". The name came about because even as the Ace single-handedly saving the team, he received the same pay as when he was a practice partner, 500,000 Won per month (~500USD).
When Hanbit was taken over by Woongjin, Yoon Yong-Tae was finally able to receive compensation for his work. It wasn't on the scale of hundreds of millions of Won, but compared to his 6 million from before, it was much better.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/o5nhcDk.jpg)
But even that happiness was brief. Woongjin soon came under financial difficulty. There were even rumors that Woongjin would disband the team. This made Yoon Yong-Tae more uneasy than even his days on Hanbit.
However, with the team's encouragement, Yoon Yong-Tae and the other players approached the coming season with passion and determination. Hearing that the team would not be disbanding, he planned to put everything into the next season.
"I heard that STX Soul's players had already been told midway through the season that the team would be disbanding. But there was no such news from Woongjin. So I kept trying hard and did not even consider quitting being a progamer. After the finals, all of the players were determined to win the next time."
But in the off-season, Yoon Yong-Tae and other core players Kim Myung-Hoon (ZerO), No Joon-Gyu (BrAvO), and Lee Jae-Ho (Light) heard shocking news. While they would continue running the team, Woongjin would drastically cut all of the player salaries. Given the state of the company, it was an unavoidable decision, but for Yoon Yong-Tae and the other core players who had pushed the team to first place in the regular season, it was a difficult thing to hear.
"After hearing that we should keep up hope that the team would stay together, the sudden news that the salaries would be cut so much left us dazed. It was a huge cut, to the point where I could not continue being a progamer. Lee Jae-Ho chose to retire right then, and the rest of us said, 'there's no way we can agree to a contract with that kind of salary'. I do think that the company did everything they could. In the end, we were put up on waiver."
Although it was an unavoidable situation, Yoon Yong-Tae couldn't help but panic. He would have to leave the team that he had played with for ten years, from way back in the Hanbit days. Given his age, he knew that other teams would not take him in, and thus knew that retirement was coming.
"I did not retire because I wanted to, because I was not having fun, nor because I lost motivation. I also considered going to a foreign team. I had never thought about ending my progaming career, so I was very confused. In the current situation, just the fact that they kept the team at all is something to be thankful for. But I can't help but feel sad for myself."
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Yoon Yong-Tae, who didn't want to blame anyone, then said, "now let's only talk about happy moments".
"Whatever I do, I have the confidence to succeed."
It is difficult to keep up any activity for ten years straight. How many people are there who have worked the same job for over ten years? With that attitude, Yoon Yong-Tae look back proudly on his ten years as a progamer.
"I think it's okay to be proud (laugh). I worked hard at something for ten years and managed to achieve my own success. I will be able to tell people how I spent my twenties without shame. Plus I have built the confidence to go forward and succeed in anything."
Of the things that Yoon Yong-Tae got out of his career as a progamer, the most important was confidence. Although some might think it an easy job, there is no path more difficult than that of a progamer. It is a job where you must practice over ten hours a day for ten years with no time for yourself. Also, the level of competition makes the stress many times that of a normal office job.
"Outsiders may not know, but all progamers probably share that same feeling, the confidence to succeed in anything. I walked this difficult path for ten years; there's nothing I cannot do. Whether it's studying or working, I've gained the confidence to succeed."
Wishing to greet the fans again as a successful person in another field, Yoon Yong-Tae chose to do his best going forward to work in technology. There will probably be many who will want to hear good news from him in another ten years.
The teammates and fans that he loves
Often we cannot see the value of things that are close to us. Yoon Yong-Tae said that as well. After separating from his teammates with whom he had laughed and cried over the past ten years, he came to realize how valuable they were to him.
"I came to understand how deeply they had affected my life. Obviously, since they had always stood by me, after separating, I honestly felt lonely. No matter where they are, I hope that things go well for them and wish for their happiness."
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Yoon Yong-Tae did not forget to thank those fans who had loved and supported him until the very end. He was perhaps the first with a "Noona (older sister) Squad". He missed those fans who had stayed with him even when he did not fully understand the depth of their love.
"Are you all well (laugh)? I still remember those fans who came out to cheer for me. Without them, the current Yoon Yong-Tae would not exist. In the future, I would like it if you give me a friendly greeting when you see me on the street. I will remember them as long as I live. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
Although he had started off in a gloomy mood, we felt Yoon Yong-Tae's mood lighten up. He joked, "my only regret is that I retired before Song Byung-Goo (Stork)". We will never forget the Yoon Yong-Tae who could fight battles better than anyone else, and knowing that, he could leave with a smile.
"I want to ask those who have loved e-sports all this time to raise their voices. The StarCraft 2 teams are seeing reductions and difficulties, but I trust that with the support of the fans, e-sports can last forever. Please continue your support going forward so that I can later look back and be proud to have been involved in this place. I will wish for your health and happiness. I will do my best for my happiness as well."
Original Article by Lee So-Ra sora@dailyesports.com
