EPT![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/fyl2ndk.jpg)
If you were to ask people who is the hottest StarCraft 2 player at the moment, the answer would probably be EG's Lee Jae-Dong. Having played for Team 8 (now JinAir) and then leased to EG, this season he confirmed his complete transfer to the EG team. For Lee Jae-Dong, it was a once in a lifetime decision. But choosing to leave Korea to compete primarily in foreign leagues was not an easy decision.
In 2013, Lee Jae-Dong went through continuous transformation as a progamer. Though unseen to outsiders, he went through many difficulties and hardships, and went through a decade's worth of growth in a single year. Now he is able to laugh and smile, but the struggles in those times were beyond imagination.
Through those countless hardships, Lee Jae-Dong did not forget his love of progaming and the Korean fans who supported him. Now let us hear about his various experiences and things he is thankful for from over the past year.
Please join us in listening to the fun but honest stories of a more cheerful and composed Lee Jae-Dong.
"In terms of second place, I am a step above Hong Jin-Ho"
Though Lee Jae-Dong has been the champion many times in the past and even leads in all time individual league winnings, one thing is unavoidable in discussing his career. That is the curse of the 'Kong Line'. From the days of StarCraft: Brood War and following after the switch to StarCraft 2, he has accumulated a large number of second place finishes.
Lee Jae-Dong has already fulfilled the conditions for entering the 'Kong Line' first started by the king of second place, Hong Jin-Ho (Yellow). Particularly in StarCraft 2, he has already surpassed Hong Jin-Ho in number of second place finishes.
"Even Hong Jin-Ho was not able to get a second place grand slam, right (laugh)? Last year I came in second at every official StarCraft 2 tournament, a 'grand slam' if you will. That was second place in WCS America, the Season Finals, and the Global Finals all in the same year. Calling it 'Kong Line' is perhaps not enough (laugh)."
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The Lee Jae-Dong who had adamantly denied his entry into the 'Kong Line' due his his own numerous championship wins was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he pushed to start his own 'Dong Line' rather than the 'Kong Line' of old.
"In the past, I disliked the 'Kong Line' title (laugh). In StarCraft: Brood War, I came in second many times but I did have more first place finishes. Also, since I only came in second to Lee Young-Ho (Flash), the 'Kong Line' label always gave me a bad feeling \[t/n: I guess forGG doesn't count\]. But now? Rather than the 'Kong Line', I think that 'Dong Line' is more appropriate (laugh)."
Lee Jae-Dong's continued to tell his stories. Although 'Kong Line' founder Hong Jin-Ho had finished second in many tournaments, his many wins in smaller event matches and leagues is another condition for entering the 'Kong Line'.
Lee Jae-Dong also has a strong history in event matches. Last June, he won an invitational event match in America, and this December won the ASUS ROG Northcon event.
"When I won my first event match, my first thought was to keep the result hidden. I thought that if this news got out, I would never escape Hong Jin-Ho's grasp (laugh). But after receiving and invitation to the ASUS tournament and winning it, I decided it was okay to let it be known (laugh). I've won twice in event matches already (laugh)."
We could understand why Lee Jae-Dong wanted to create his own 'Dong Line'. Coming in second all of the major tournaments, six consecutive second place finishes, and winning two invitational tournaments are records surpassing those of the 'Kong Line' and Hong Jin-Ho. It seems this record is unlikely to be broken going forward.
"Although someone may eventually surpass me in tournament winnings, I'm confident that no one will ever beat my second place records (laugh). Since we've also shifted to StarCraft 2, those players who come in second twice in a row should be inducted into the 'Dong Line' rather than the 'Kong Line' (laugh). Do I need to get a license for that?"
The Lee Jae-Dong who was so depressed at his second place finishes that the very words 'Kong Line' would trigger immediate rejection was now able to calmly joke with us like this. The passage of time has made his more easy-going, but these changes are not from time alone. Going through many changes and decisions has made him mature more than anyone else.
Thinking over the EG transfer
Many people considered the transfer to a foreign team to be a good opportunity. When the complete transfer to EG was announced, the common sentiment was, "good choice", or "going to a foreign team is an obvious choice".
But was Lee Jae-Dong happy with the decision? After joining EG on lease, he went through pressures and hardships that he had not encountered before, even to the point of temporarily stopping play and practice. This is the same Lee Jae-Dong who used to practice through 40 degree (Celsius) fevers.
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Up until about halfway through this year, Lee Jae-Dong had trouble adapting to his new team. The sudden change in environment was one factor, as was a dejected feeling from the events surrounding the lease, and finally an apologetic feeling toward the Korean fans, all contributed to a difficult period.
"Change is always difficult. Even after Hwaseung Oz disbanded and I joined Team 8, I always had a team surrounding me. The team always took care of me and even when I traveled overseas, the team and support staff always helped me. But after joining EG, I felt that those protections and comforts had disappeared. Foreign teams operate very differently from Korean teams."
Foreign teams do not interfere with the players' practice or lifestyle. They are expected to take care of themselves. In return for freedom, they have the responsibility for managing their own lives and schedules. After each meal, the players have to decide what to do individually.
It sounds easy, but it was a difficult change for Lee Jae-Dong, who had lived with the guidance of a team for so long. Whereas before he had not had to pay any attention to anything outside of the game, being faced with taking care of everything in his life was intimidating. On top of that, uncertainty about his return to Team 8 and feeling out of place in his new surroundings made for a arduous time for Lee Jae-Dong.
However, the single toughest thing for Lee Jae-Dong was watching the fans leave in the wake of the StarCraft 2 switch. Watching fewer and fewer fans come in for the live games and feeling the uncertainty about his teammates' futures took a toll on him. Going back to the days of wholly devoting himself to the game seemed unlikely, and time that would have been used for sleep instead became time to think and worry.
"It was difficult. Instead of a rookie who could only worry about his own life, I was at the age where I would worry about e-sports as a whole. Concerns about the future and about my progaming life lost me a lot of sleep."
At that time, Lee Jae-Dong concluded to do his best at the matters at hand. First, he sought stability by resuming the practice that he had been neglecting. By putting his worries aside and focusing on building his skills, Lee Jae-Dong was also able to come to a conclusion regarding his future.
"Focusing on the immediate tasks rather than worrying about the future turned out to be more efficient. Sometimes by working hard on each task one at a time can lead to problems working out on their own. Nowadays? I am in a lighthearted mood. Since I am prioritizing winning an official league, I will handle my other problems later (laugh)."
Although he has not worked out all of his worries, Lee Jae-Dong seems happy. He is playing a game he enjoys and finding success, and above all, is living the way he wants to. Still receiving the love of many fans, he stands among the top progamers.
"I am sorry to the Korean fans"
Choosing to fully sign with EG was not an easy decision. The reason was because of the Korean fans. For the past six months, Lee Jae-Dong found success in his play and was enjoying the appeal of a foreign team. There appeared to be no reason for him to return to a Korean team. His salary on a foreign team was much higher, he was more free to live as he pleased, and had the flexibility to enter foreign tournaments, so it seemed that the possibility of returning to Korea was small.
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However, Lee Jae-Dong did consider returning to a Korean team. The reason was because of the Korean fans who supported him. He still considers the Korean fans to be his foundation. Without them, the current Lee Jae-Dong would not exist.
"After joining EG, it seems that I will have almost no chances to see the Korean fans. Since they weren't sending a combined team to Proleague like last year, I was very worried. I considered returning to a Korean team even if it meant a drop in salary."
But in Korea there were almost no teams that could have received Lee Jae-Dong. Also, EG strongly desired to keep him with them. After much thought, he chose to stay with EG. It was not an easy decision, but one that came after much consideration.
"Even now, I am very sorry to the Korean fans. Like a fish bone stuck in my throat, I feel uncomfortable in the corner of my mind. But if I am able to use a better environment and conditions to work hard, then I hope that I will be able to repay them. I will work in order to be able to meet them again in the future. I am also thinking of setting up my own fan meeting."
Lee Jae-Dong, determined to win the WCS Championship this year for his Korean fans. Although we can only watch from afar, we will continue to cheer for you as you represent Korea across the world.
"The 'Dong Line' thing is half-joke, half-serious, but I want to quickly win a championship to silence that talk forever (laugh). I will work hard to present Korea and progamers in a way that we can be proud of, so please continue to watch. You'll keep cheering for me, right?"
Original Article by Lee So-Ra sora@dailyesports.com
