For a moment, no one reacted. Then one of the players slammed his fist against the table.
"You're kidding me!"
"It's not just tonight's loss," the manager replied calmly. "The team has lost nine matches in a row."
"That doesn't mean you shut everything down!"
"We've accumulated too much debt," the manager said, shaking his head. "There's no budget left to continue operations."
The manager slid the papers toward them. "Your contracts are now terminated. Thank you for sticking around with us…Players."
So that was it…
Blue Comet was finished.
***
Minjae stepped out of the building a few minutes later with all his belongings before taking a glance back.
The venue was small, barely more than a converted warehouse tucked between two older office blocks. Tier-4 matches rarely drew enough spectators to justify anything larger.
Actually, it was a miracle that there were still Tier-4 matches being hosted, and people still watched such events.
I guess it's just chicken fighting, but with superhumans, huh?
Minjae shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking down the sidewalk back to his home.
Only then did he realize the pavement was wet. A thin drizzle had begun to fall even though the weather app clearly said it would be sunny today.
"...Of course. Can this day get any worse?"
He didn't have an umbrella. With a quiet sigh, he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head and continued walking.
The cool rain soaked slowly into the fabric as he moved through the quiet street. Most of the spectators had already dispersed, leaving the area nearly empty.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. Minjae frowned slightly before pulling it out and checking the notification.
Cho Chaewon: Wanna grab some drinks? At the usual place.
Minjae stopped for a while, really thinking his decision through. On one hand, he just wanted to go home and take a nice hot shower, while moping.
Yeah, no…that sounds like a terrible idea. I'd rather get drunk.
He slid his phone back into his pocket and turned down the next street. The place she mentioned was only a few blocks away anyway. After a bit of walking, the place was in view. Calling it a 'restaurant' was extremely generous.
In reality, it was a small row of plastic tents that had been set up along the sidewalk, their yellow tarps just barely keeping the rain out.
Minjae pushed the flap and walked inside.
Warm air hit him instantly, probably because of the smoke coming from the portable grills that were on each and every table.
Next, he was hit with the smell of sizzling meat and cheap soju that'll definitely stick onto his clothes when he took them off at home later.
Yep…the usual. Will probably never get tired of this.
A few office workers sat at one table, laughing loudly while a middle-aged man poured drinks for everyone. At another table, two students were hunched over skewers of fish cakes, arguing about something over their phones.
And at the far corner, Cho Chaewon was already there.
Her silver hair fell past her shoulders beneath a black cap, and her dark jacket hung loosely over her body.
She sat alone at a small table, one leg crossed over the other as she lazily scrolled through her phone. Two green bottles of soju already sat on the table along with a platter of meat.
She looked up just as he got to the seat opposite, eyes landing on him. "...Took you long enough."
Minjae dropped his hoodie as he instinctively took the meat platter and began grilling. "You texted me like five minutes ago."
"Still." Chaewon shrugged casually, "Rough night?"
Minjae stared at the bottle for a moment. "…You watched the match?"
"Of course I did," she leaned back slightly in her plastic chair. "You almost had Lee Taehyun."
Minjae stayed silent for a moment, flipping the meat on the grill to make sure it wasn't burnt.
"Well, almost is not good enough," he muttered. "I still lost in the end."
Chaewon watched him for a moment before reaching over and pouring two small glasses of soju.
"Still," she said, sliding one toward him. "There are plenty of matches left this season!"
"You'll get another shot at him," she continued casually. "Taehyun's good, but it's not like he's unbeatable."
Minjae let out a quiet huff. "…Doesn't really matter anymore."
"What do you mean?"
Minjae lifted the glass, turning slightly away from Chaewon before knocking the shot back in one go.
"Blue Comet disbanded."
"..."
"...Ah."
He leaned back in his chair, staring up at the plastic tent ceiling while the rain tapped softly above them.
"Apparently, sponsors pulled out," he continued. "Too many losses."
He reached over and grabbed another piece of meat from the grill, though he didn't seem particularly interested in eating it.
"So yeah," he shrugged. "Guess I'm unemployed now."
Chaewon waited for a while before knocking back her own shot. "Yeah…that happens a lot in Tier–4."
Minjae glanced toward Chaewon out of the corner of his eye.
He realized that he'd been talking to his middle-school friend, completely forgetting that she was currently the ace of Solaris, a Tier–2 Battle Arena team.
Minjae wasn't sure if it was the alcohol talking, or just his own hopelessness about the situation…
But he could've sworn she was going to say something like—
"My team's looking for another player."
Or maybe—
"Come try out for us, who knows?"
She was the ace after all—it wouldn't be completely impossible for her to pull some strings and get him in.
"So what are you going to do now?"
Minjae blinked. The words snapped him out of his thoughts immediately. Chaewon had already picked up the tongs, casually turning on the meat like nothing had happened.
He quickly looked away, suddenly feeling a sense of embarrassment.
What the hell was I even thinking…
He grabbed his glass and poured himself another shot before knocking it back just the same. Of course, she wasn't here to offer him a spot on her team. The gap between them was just… simply impossible.
They were just…drinking.
Like they always did.
Minjae cleared his throat quietly before reaching for another piece of meat from the grill.
"…Not sure yet, to be honest. Probably just apply to more Tier-4 teams until one picks me up out of pity."
The conversation drifted after that. From matches…to old teammates…to random stories from middle school that neither of them fully remembered.
At some point, the second bottle of soju disappeared, then the third. Minjae wasn't entirely sure when it happened.
All he knew was that the rain outside had gotten heavier and the grill long cold. He blinked slowly, staring down at the empty glass in his hand.
When did that get there?
Across the table, Chaewon exhaled quietly as she stood up. The owner had already packed up most of the other tables. She pulled out her wallet and dropped a few bills onto the table before slipping her cap back on.
Minjae squinted slightly.
"…Did we win?" he muttered.
Chaewon stared at him for a moment before letting out a short laugh.
"You're drunk."
She grabbed her jacket and looked down at him. "Can you walk home?"
Minjae slowly pushed himself to his feet, wobbling just a little before steadying himself.
"…Yeah," he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fineeee~"
Chaewon raised an eyebrow but didn't argue.
"Alright," she pulled the hood of her jacket up as the rain continued to pour outside. "Text me when you get home."
Minjae gave a lazy salute.
"Yesss captain!"
"Idiot." Chaewon snorted before stepping out into the rain.
Minjae drank copious amounts of water before sort of sobering up. By the time he left the tent bar, the rain was at its peak.
He swayed a little as he walked, hands shoved deep into his pockets, occasionally stepping into shallow puddles without even noticing.
"…Man," he muttered under his breath. "I should've eaten more."
Suddenly, a bright light came into view.
Minjae squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes as the lights grew larger and larger. The low rumble of a truck's engine cut through the rain as it approached the intersection.
Minjae took a step sideways.
Or at least he meant to.
Instead, his foot slipped slightly on the wet pavement. His body swayed in the wrong direction.
"…Huh?"
For a split second, his balance was completely thrown off.
"HEY, GET OUT OF THE WAY!"
Shit…