[✔] legends never die // skt faker

never

Lee Sang-hyeok had never had a loss this devastating all his life. He had thought that the finals in MSI 2015 - the one where his perfect record with LeBlanc has been broken - was the worst defeat he'll ever have.

Nothing, nothing prepared him for the moment Samsung Galaxy swept SKT in three games straight without losing momentum.

Nothing hurt his pride more than seeing Crown and his team crying from happiness as they excitedly made their way towards the main stage to hoist the Summoner's Cup.

He and his team had made it to Worlds. They fought past the knockout stages, the quarter finals, semi finals...

And yet they failed to defend their title in the finals. Victory was so close, yet so far.

SK Telecom T1 had won every single World Championship they have been in...

... Except this one.

As the game ended, nothing could stop SKT Telecom T1's mid laner from breaking down and crying silently in his seat. The cameras immediately focused on Faker showing vulnerability and emotion. Footage of him being weak for once, footage of the God of LoL himself suffering from a defeat was sure to increase the views and ratings, right?

Lee Sang-hyeok felt sick. It was as if the whole world was against him and his team, seeing them as villains and constantly throwing out negative comments and harsh criticism whenever they can. He could already imagine all the GIFs, all the pictures, videos, even memes that would be made from the footage of him crying.

He could already see comments like "lol SKT's done for", "Faker should retire already", "I'm glad Samsung Galaxy won, SKT winning was getting boring already" flooding in on livestreams, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and various other social media platforms.

Usually Faker saw negativity as motivation to move on and get better at League, but for some reason today these thoughts were everything but motivating to him.

He felt useless. He couldn't carry the team well enough. He wasn't the best anymore. He had passed his peak.

Sang-hyeok's tears kept falling, not even showing signs of stopping.

"Sang-hyeok, come on, we have to go," Coach Kim "Kkoma" Jung-gyun's voice brought the crushed midlaner back to reality. He immediately realized that he was still on the stage. His keyboard and mouse have been taken care of by his teammates. He felt thankful that they gave him space to deal with his emotions, even though it was only for a little while.

With a soft sniffle, Sang-hyeok nodded and stood up, following the rest of the team backstage.

Han "Peanut" Wang-ho was the first to hug him. The jungler had been crying as well, Sang-hyeok could tell.

"Hyung, I'm sorry I didn't play well enough," Wang-ho murmured, his voice shaky and soft.

Sang-hyeok forced a small smile and patted his head. "Wang-ho, it's fine," he replied, "It wasn't your fault, it wasn't anyone's fault. Let's just win next year, okay?"

He felt a bitter taste in his tongue. What a lie. Of course it wasn't fine. They lost at Worlds, for goodness' sake! They lost at the most important stage of the year! This was anything but fine.

But Wang-ho didn't need any negativity or criticism. He needed comfort, and Sang-hyeok hoped that his words could at least cheer the jungler up a little.

Wang-ho nodded silently, still hugging Sang-hyeok. The midlaner gently pushed the jungler away and put his arm around Wang-ho's shoulder, continuing to walk backstage. It wasn't convenient to walk while being hugged, no matter how much Sang-hyeok appreciated Wang-ho's hugs.