Ranker’s Return - Chapter 193

“If you’re coming to New York, shouldn’t you look for me first? I’m upset. Upset.” Kim Seokjung greeted Hyeonu just like he did in Arena, smiling brightly while saying he was upset.

This was the first time they were meeting in real life, but it didn’t matter to Kim Seokjung. It was only important that he meet his cherished brother, Hyeonu, in person. Thanks to Kim Seokjung’s attitude, Hyeonu was able to treat him as comfortably as he did in Arena. “I was going to see you at the party tomorrow.”

“Hehe. I wanted to meet you even one day earlier. You are so unfriendly... Shall we go for some food? Are you hungry, little brother?” Kim Seokung said.

In reality, Kim Seokjung was surprisingly fluent in both English and Korean. The problem was that, perhaps due to Jamie’s presence, he mixed the two languages together.

“I haven’t eaten today. What about Jamie and Kale? Isn’t it time to eat?” Hyeonu agreed with Kim Seokjung.

When he heard Kim Seokjung’s words, Hyeonu realized he’d had nothing to eat today, and once he realized it, he started to get hungry.

“I’m fine with that,” Kale said. For him, everything that Hyeonu said was fine. Kale was also hungry anyway.

“Yes, I’m also okay.” Jamie’s expression was overwhelmed. He glared at Kim Seokjung and barely managed to answer Hyeonu.

Kim Seokjung didn’t care about Jamie at all. His attention was solely focused on Hyeonu. “Then let’s go. Little brother, I’ll take you to a cheap place.”

***

Bill Knight, Nike’s president, practiced laughing while holding his smartphone in his hand. “Hahahaha!”

It was a laugh that would make any listener feel bad, but Bill Knight didn’t care. That was because this was his intention. Soon, a call arrived on Bill Knight’s smartphone.

-What’s going on? Do you have something to say to me this time?

The person on the other end of the phone was Lohan Dassler, president of Adidas and Bill Knight’s eternal rival. Lohan Dassler found it strange that Bill Knight had called out of the blue and was curious about the reason for it.

“Do you know that we’re having a party tomorrow?”

-How can I not know... It is exactly 15 days apart from my party, Lohan Dassler said, with his voice subsiding.

Adidas had already held this year’s party. The result was terrible. There were no aspects of it that had gone better than at last year’s party. Instead, there were reports of a decline in influence because Kowloon didn’t participate.

“You must know that Alley Leader is coming. New World is also coming. There are two celebrities participating.”

-Jin Sijong? That money ghost is going? Why? Lohan Dassler asked sincerely.

Why? Why was that money ghost, Jin Sijong, going to Nike’s party when he never went anywhere? It didn’t make sense.

-Are you calling me to show off?

“Of course not. This is just an appetizer.”

-I’m hanging up. Lohan Dassler tried to end the call. He would not have hung on if it wasn’t for Bill Knight’s words that followed.

“Liu Shei is also coming to the party tomorrow. The reason is simple. Kowloon has a contract with us. Kowloon kicked away Adidas and signed a contract with Nike. How good is this? Hahahaha!”

Bill Knight showed off the laughter he had practiced and declared something before ending the call. “Sooner or later, Nike will trample on Adidas and take the trophy. This year is something to look forward to.”

-Bill!

Bill Knight laughed at Lohan Dassler and ended the call. Then he glanced at Beaverton outside the window.

“Alley Leader... I want to meet him myself.”

If they met, he wanted to thank Alley Leader. He wanted to repay Alley Leader for allowing him to deal two straight blows to Lohan Dassler.

***

Inside the hotel, there was a crowd of reporters filming the streamers, celebrities, and entrepreneurs participating in Nike’s party.

“Liu Shei! Kowloon’s master!”

The space was filled with white flashes once Liu Shei appeared.

‘Smile, smile. Photos are forever.’ Liu Shei was annoyed by the excessive camera flashes, but he maintained his smile using his thorough service-focused mindset.

“Now, let me pass by. There are other people behind me.” Liu Shei, who stood on the photo line for a long time while getting tortured by the reporters’ questions, hurriedly moved on after offering up the people behind him as sacrifices.

None of the people participating in the party were unknown, but few could take away attention from Liu Shei. However, the man and woman who appeared next were enough to catch people’s interest.

“Reina! Reina, the captain of the Warriors!”

“Why is Reina here?”

“There is also Mascherano.”

Reina, who was the ace of the New York Warriors, and Mascherano, the pride of Red Bull America, had appeared at Nike’s party. Reporters pressed their camera buttons even faster than when they saw Liu Shei. The appearance of these two people was too shocking.

“Don’t they have Adidas’ sponsorship? Why are they here?”

“Adidas sponsors the team. They don’t sponsor the players personally.”

Adidas was the main sponsor for both New York Warriors and Red Bull America. It was just that Adidas wasn’t their personal sponsor, and they didn’t have a management contract with Adidas or Nike. Therefore, it was possible to come to such a party as long as they sought agreement with their teams in advance.

“Reina! Can this be interpreted as your intention to enter into a management contract with Nike?”

“I would like to ask the same question to Mascherano.”

Even so, it was clear that this was pretty good material for gossip. As a result, the reporters rushed like bees and questioned the two people. Reina was silent. Meanwhile, Mascherano smiled and replied briefly, “That hasn’t been decided. I just came to see someone. It is a personal thing.”

“Then tell us one more thing. Is the person you want to meet Alley Leader?” The reporters asked persistently.

Reina’s cold attitude led all the reporters to look at Mascherano. They were like baby birds waiting for food from a mother bird.

“It is a secret. In addition, isn’t today a fun party? We will talk about this troublesome thing next time, next time.” Mascherano felt a sharp pinch at his waist. He quickly avoided the questions and entered the party.

“Then is Nike better than Adidas?” A reporter wondered.

As a result, the other reporters started making a fuss.

“Isn’t this party much better? They can’t even be compared.”

“They have already lost just on name value alone. Liu Shei, Reina, and Mascherano are the stars of Arena. They are also globally recognized and are not limited to a specific region.”

“There is still the biggest bomb left—Alley Leader.”

The reporters had no regrets about letting Mascherano and Reina into the party. Just getting their photos and a few words from them were enough to give the news reporters views. The party hadn’t even started yet.

“Jin Sijong!”

“New World’s Gang Junggu has come!”

Once again, the lobby of the hotel was buzzing. It was because Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu had entered the hotel. They were different from previous streamers. These two exuded an overwhelming atmosphere and only talked to each other as they passed by the photo line.

“Junggu, has my little brother gone in yet?”

“He hasn’t arrived yet as far as I know. Yesterday— No, you guys fell asleep at dawn this morning. He can’t have arrived already. This is why I told you to stop drinking. Is our little brother the same as us? He is only 23 years old...”

When it seemed that Gang Junggu’s nagging would never end, Kim Seokjung interrupted, “I stayed up for two nights and drank alcohol when I was 23 years old. Anyway, let’s go in. All these flashes don’t feel good.”

The reporters couldn’t say anything even after Kim Seokjung and Gang Junggu entered.

“Who else is coming?”

“They’re coming endlessly.”

They only opened their mouths again when a group of men arrived in the hotel lobby. The men were very unique. They ranged from a masked man to an older blond man. It was a pretty rare combination.

“Why is it a mask...?”

“Is today’s concept a masquerade?”

Several reporters tilted their heads to the side in a questioning manner. It wasn’t even the famous French electronica duo who were famous in the past. Then upon looking closer, the reporters found that the appearance of the mask was really familiar. It was the face of a child with a bright smile. That was Alley Leader’s symbol.

“It is Alley Leader!! Alley Leader!”

“The Asian next to him is Argon!”

The camera flashes burst out. It was hard to say how many flashes there were. Just then, the masked man raised his hand. Miraculously, the reporters stopped taking photos at the same time.

“I will take photos here and briefly answer questions,” Hyeonu stated. Hearing Hyeonu’s words, all the reporters were suddenly busy looking at each other.

Just then, Hyeonu smiled again. “If you don’t have any questions, I’m going in. Please get out of the way.”

The moment Hyeonu tried to move with the group, the reporters recovered enough to ask one or two questions.

“Nike’s party this year is very different from last year. Do you know?”

“Yes, I know. It is because I’m here.” Hyeonu was full of confidence when he wore the mask. This level of confidence was enough to bring him back to the age of 15.

“Reina and Mascherano also came to Nike’s party. Can you tell us the reason?!”

“They must’ve come to see me. I’m friends with them.”

“Jin Sijong and Gang Junggu from New World...”

Before the reporter’s question was even over, Hyeonu interrupted him. “They are also my friends. Kowloon’s Liu Shei was also invited by me. I have wide connections. Oh, there is another friend I’ve invited. He is a good little brother.”

Hyeonu reached out and pointed at the entrance of the hotel. Then he waved energetically. There was a handsome blond man who matched the words ‘pretty boy’.

“Hup!” The reporters looked at the place where Hyeonu was pointing and sucked in a breath.

“Brother!!” Mason quickly walked toward the waving Hyeonu without worrying about the reporters. “Brother, you’re actually wearing a mask? Your real concept is truly awesome.”

“I can’t have my face revealed and spread around yet. It isn’t a good thing for me. Anyway, let’s go in.”

The group of four, including Hyeonu, leisurely entered the party venue.

“Mason!”

“Mason is at Nike’s party?!!”

“The successor of the Rockefeller family is friends with Alley Leader?”