[one-shot ✔] leave // faker x peanut

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"you're not renewing your contract."

wang-ho bit his lip at that bitter statement. indeed, he wasn't renewing his contract with skt. he went along with sky, and was now looking for a new team to sign with.

it was the truth. he left skt.

but the way sang-hyeok said it made his stomach churn. it made him feel sick.

sang-hyeok was staring at wang-ho with what looked like a mixture of hatred and hurt in his eyes. he looked like he had been kicked in the gut. he looked like wang-ho had betrayed him.

wang-ho immediately looked away. he couldn't bear seeing sang-hyeok look at him like that.

it made him feel like he was worse than a murderer.

"look at me, han wang-ho."

wang-ho stubbornly shook his head.

sang-hyeok forcefully lifted wang-ho's chin so that the two were staring at each other.

wang-ho felt like he was going to melt under sang-hyeok's intense gaze. he had never seen the mid laner look so serious, except when they were playing in the professional scene.

"how could you?"

sang-hyeok's three words were like knives that struck wang-ho's heart.

how did he expect the young jungler to answer that? wang-ho came to win. he had been so close yet so far to victory so many times already, and he hated it. he lost to skt in 2015, repeated history in 2016, and this year, when he finally joined forces with skt to have a shot at lifting the summoner's cup, he had crashed and burned and failed yet again.

wang-ho knew he could do better if he stayed longer and got more used to skt's chemistry-reliant playstyle. but did he have time? a career as a professional gamer was like a shooting star - one moment you're there, shining for the world to see, and the next, you're forgotten and slowly fade into the distance, as many new stars take your place.

he wasn't a legendary player like faker, who had been consistently named the best league of legends player of all time for years.

he wasn't as consistent as the duo bang and wolf - even though they had their bad times, this dynamic duo was a formidable force on the fog of war nevertheless.

he wasn't popular like huni either. huni has been everywhere, from eu lcs, to na lcs, and now lck, and fans still cheer for him whether he won or lost. his smile was contagious and his charm was undeniably strong.

he was just han wang-ho, peanut, what everyone saw as one of those who had outstanding raw talent. and that was dangerous, because most of the stars that vanished were like him - having the talent, but not the sustainability.

"you're not answering, wang-ho."

wang-ho looked up and willed himself not to get too emotional. he needed to stay strong. he was the one who made this decision, and he has to man up and stand for it.

sang-hyeok gritted his teeth.

"do you remember when we first met?" he asked, his voice starting to crack a little.

"you were so afraid of me at first. now, we're bros. and you're leaving without telling me why?"

wang-ho sighed. "hyung, please..."

sang-hyeok grabbed wang-ho's shoulder. "han wang-ho. when you first came, you made me promise that we'll win worlds together."

wang-ho felt guilt creeping on him. "hyung."

sang-hyeok begged. "won't you let me at least fulfill that promise?"

wang-ho tried to stop him. "hyung, look-"

sang-hyeok was desperate. "han wang-ho, please, give me one more chance-"

wang-ho has had enough. "i did gave you one this year, but you didn't win, right?"

after those hurtful words slippes out of his mouth, wang-ho realized that he messed up.

not winning worlds had hurt sang-hyeok more than it hurt the rest of the team, how dumb was wang-ho to say that?

sang-hyeok let go of wang-ho's shoulders.

wang-ho panicked. "i-i'm sorry-"

sang-hyeok looked away. his expression darkening. wang-ho had crossed a very thin line by saying that painful statement.

"leave." sang-hyeok said, no longer wanting to speak to the young jungler.

wang-ho suddenly didn't want to leave. "n-no, hyung, please don't be like this-"

sang-hyeok glared at him.

"han wang-ho," he hissed.

"i'm not your hyung anymore."