"When KT gave me the call I ran my ass up without giving it a second thought. I was desperate. I feel like I just won the lottery."
Perfectman was lost when Hwaseung Oz disbanded abruptly. He wasn't drafted during the posting process, so 22-year-old perfectman had to give up his dream as a progamer, and enlist himself in the labor forces for manual labor jobs. Perhaps that explains why perfectman looked much thinner than when we had met him five months ago.
"It wasn't because our house is poor (laughs). After ending my career as a progamer I had nothing to do. I didn't want to sit at home and do nothing. I didn't want to waste my time as a twenty two-year-old. The best option for me was manual labor." [T/N: My cousin did manual labor on weekends to buy a present for his girlfriend. Think illegal alien labor markets if you are American: you enlist yourself and gather at 6:30am where employers will pick their workers for the day and you do whatever they tell you. You get decent pay but it is physically demanding, and you can't stop because the next worker in line is always waiting to replace you tomorrow.]
Perfectman felt a sense of appreciation for the game, one that he hadn't felt while he still had his career. He regretted not giving it his best shot while he still had the chance. He had a hard time resisting the urge to go back to playing BW for a career.
"I finally realized what it feels to be unable to play [as a career] even if you want. All these memories of PL made me melancholy. I felt like that was where I belonged but in reality I was here and I questioned why. Watching my ex-teammates win games made me crave playing BW even more strongly. But I couldn't play."
Perfectman was forced to give it all up. He had to report to the labor forces facilities by 5am [Ok I guess it's even earlier than I remember] and perform manual labor daily, putting away his dreams as a progamer, until one day out of the blue, he received a call from KT. They asked if he would like to play again.
"I didn't even listen to their suggested salary, benefits, terms or conditions. I literally bowed on the phone and said thank you. Even though they couldn't see it I bowed. I packed my stuff immediately and went up to Seoul that day. Somebody up there must have heard my prayers and decided to give me a second chance."
Even when news broke of Wemade Fox and MBC Game disbanding, Perfectman felt it was a non-concern. But after Hwaseung Oz announced their disbandment after the 10-11 season in August, Perfectman's days were spent in misery. Even the posting process did little to lift up his mood.
"I didn't believe it. Hwaseung isn't some small, local company; it's a big company, so disbanding didn't even cross my mind. I didn't feel anything when I heard the news of posting. I felt like I had lost everything overnight."
When Perfectman's hopes of continuing his career through the posting process were smothered, he was at a loss. He realized his days of progaming were over, but he couldn't just sit at home and do nothing. He felt ashamed to mooch off of his parents at the age of twenty-two, so he entered the workforce.
"Doing manual labor taught me that money doesn't come easy. Of course I'm not saying that progaming is an easy job, but at least I enjoyed it, and I was building a career towards my dream. Other jobs, you just work for pay, day in and day out. It was stifling."
This period has taught Perfectman many lessons. He realized the value behind every one of his games. After joining KT a week ago, he has played every game with a thankful mindset. He has been practicing harder than anybody and doing his best to return to form.
"There is no desperation as great as mine. I hit rock bottom so I can only go up from here. I will not waste my second chance that almost never came. I am not the Perfectman of the past. I will absolutely play to the best of my abilities."
Even though he took a break for five months, he says his skill has not deteriorated that much. He has been learning a thing or two from KT's
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"I will do my best. I never want to have the regrets that I had when I was doing manual labor. If I give every moment my best, regardless of what happens, at least I won't have any regrets. I hope KT doesn't have any plans of disbanding anytime soon (laughs)? My life is on the line so please give me support and be on the lookout for me."
Source: Daily E-sports