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i. Deft
Kim Hyukkyu always chews gum before, during, and after each League match, from the moment he lines up backstage to the second he bows and exits. It’s become a ritual, at this point, something iconic enough that if it were to suddenly stop, spectators might say “huh?”, or maybe just “hmm”.
He may not be the first player to have picked up this habit, but nonetheless, chewing gum has become a trademark of his, right up there with alpacas and the cleanest Ezreal trades in the region.
No one really knows why he does it, though.
ii. PerfecT
Lee Seungmin could not stop fidgeting.
He didn’t consider himself to be a particularly nervous man – on the contrary, he was bold enough to claim a spot on the starting roster, to stand in line beside the League veterans and say ‘I belong here too’. Still, his rookie season on KT had not exactly gone off to the smoothest start. Seungmin was determined to fix that.
They were back in the arena for the first time since Lunar New Year. He’d spent his entire break practicing, refusing to return home despite his parents’ request. Just because he was the least experienced player on the team did not mean he would be its weakest link. Now, the time had finally come to prove himself.
A reassuring hand found his shoulder. “Relax, Seungminnie,” chimed his jungler behind him, “It’s just like all the matches before.”
“I know,” he nodded, smiling shyly, “Thanks, hyung.”
“You’ve got this,” he encouraged in well-formed English, “PerfecT, fighting!”
Evidently, Changhyun wasn’t the only one who noticed Seungmin’s jitters, because a moment later his ADC was brushing past the rest of the roster, breaking their formation to give him a simple offering.
“Here. This is for you.”
Seungmin glanced down at the stick of gum with an inquisitive expression, as Hyukkyu provided, “It’ll help calm your nerves, if you want it.”
He accepted the gift with a nod. “Thank you.”
“Ah, that’s our Hyukkyu hyung!” Changhyun cheered. “Always looking out for his juniors. Hey, where’s my piece?”
Hyukkyu checked his gum package and shook his head. “Sorry, that was my last one. I’ll get you next time.”
“What? No way. You didn’t bring enough to share with the whole class?” Changhyun slung a familiar arm around Seungmin’s shoulders. “Guess I’m not ganking bot this series. You ready to make some waves up top?”
Reassured by the amicable energy and the vaguely minty taste in his mouth, Seungmin nodded.
“We’ll win this one for sure.”
iii. Pyosik
Hong Changyun was a constant menace to everyone around him.
It should come as no surprise, then, that he remembered Hyukkyu’s promise and was sure to hold him to it next time they lined up for a match.
“Hey, I see you chewing,” he jibed, ducking out of line around Boseong, “you’d better have a piece for me this time!”
“Yeah, I got a new pack,” Hyukkyu confirmed, passing the package up to the front of the line, “Make sure you offer one to Seungmin, too.”
“Of course!” He pulled out two sticks of gum and crammed the first one into his mouth, quickly blowing a large bubble and letting it snap with a crisp pop. “Hey, Seungminnie. Wanna know the real reason Hyukkyu hyung chews gum all the time?”
Seungmin appeared adorably uncertain. “Isn’t it to help with nerves?”
“In a sense, I guess.” Changhyun smirked, getting in a few more good chews before declaring, “You chew gum because it makes you a better kisser.”
The top laner’s eyes widened. “Wh-What?”
“You heard me – it makes sense, right? If you’re chewing gum, you know your breath will be nice and fresh, so you can go in more confidently. You got a girlfriend, Seungminnie?”
He shook his head in dissent.
“Shame,” Changhyun shrugged, “she would have appreciated the gum-chewing for sure. Just keep that in mind the next time you’re looking to seal the deal with a girl – or guy!”
Leaning forward, the jungler finished in a whisper, “Between you and me? I think the real reason Hyukkyu always chews this stuff is so he can flirt with all his fans after matches.”
Seungmin balked at the accusation, looking back over his shoulder at his botlane with an incredulous glare, but then it was time to walk out onto the stage.
“That Hyukkyu,” Changhyun remarked, snapping his gum a final time before the camera panned to his team, “I could definitely learn a thing or two from him."
iv. Bdd
Gwak Boseong sometimes felt like he was invisible.
This wasn’t a result of his teammates speaking and reaching around him all the time, nor of his waning relevance in their recent games. It wasn't even because of the certain other midlaner who had refused to give him his phone number. No, Boseong knew that at the end of the day, the only one who could truly make him feel invisible was himself, if he let the weight of everything cloud his mind too much.
By this point, he was experienced enough to know how to get himself out of a bad headspace. He had built his career on locking in when his team needed him most, and right now, KT was depending on him more than ever. He was glad to have such a reliable figure behind him to help him achieve that goal.
“Hyukkyu,” he greeted with a faint smile, “any chance I could have a piece of gum this time around?”
If the ADC was surprised by the request, he didn’t show it, maintaining his classic neutral expression as he fished out his pack. “Of course. Sorry for not offering sooner. I didn’t know you liked gum.”
“I don’t, really,” the midlaner confessed, “but it helps with concentration. It’s said to improve your mood and motor skills.” He ducked his head bashfully as he took a piece. “Of course, I’m sure you already knew that.”
“I didn’t, actually.”
“Really? You haven’t noticed that it improves your gameplay?”
“Not really,” Hyukkyu shrugged, “but I suppose I've been doing this for so long that I don't have a good reference for what play with no gum is like.”
“Huh.” Boseong started to chew forcefully. “Well, maybe we can conduct our own little study, then. I’ll let you know if today's game feels any different.”
“Please do. Let me know if you ever want another piece.”
“I don't plan to make a habit of it,” the midlaner assured. “I wouldn’t dream of stealing your gimmick.”
v. BeryL
Cho Geonhee marched to his own rhythm.
In their years of partnership, Hyukkyu had learned to accept and expect this fact. Hence, he was unsurprised when Geonhee reached over to steal his gum in the most obvious pickpocket ever attempted.
“You want a piece?” Hyukkyu wagered, to which Geonhee casually responded, “Sure, why not,” as if he hadn’t just shoved his hand into his ADC’s coat pocket.
As he leisurely unwrapped the gum, Geonhee informed, “I just wanted to let you know that I feel like playing Seraphine today.”
“Yeah? Well we’ll see what the pick-bans are.”
The support frowned. “Try for Ashe. I can last pick.” He handed the package back over to Hyukkyu. “You’re almost out. You sure burn through those things fast.”
“That tends to happen when you’re sharing with the whole team.”
Geonhee scrunched his nose as he chewed. “This is a different flavor than you usually carry.”
“Changhyun likes this flavor better,” he explained. “I don’t really have a preference, so I picked it up.”
Geonhee nodded slowly. “You remind me of this girl from my high school. She was really shy, but wanted to meet people, so she would bring in baked goods every day to share with the kids next to her so that people would think she was nice.”
Hyukkyu tilted his head. “And?”
“And she was my best friend.”
“Yeah, that sounds about right,” Hyukkyu laughed.
“You should try that sometime, bringing in baked-goods. I love a good sweet bread.”
“I don’t think that would be worth the effort,” Hyukkyu remarked, folding his own stick of gum into his mouth. “You already think I’m nice.”
+1
So, why does Kim Hyukkyu always chew gum?
“To calm his nerves,” might answer PerfecT, “That’s why he’s always so cool and collected.”
“To enhance his skills,” might counter Bdd, “That’s how he’s maintained such a high level of play over the years.”
“Because it’s a conversation starter,” BeryL might contribute confidently, “He likes taking care of people and being approachable."
And Pyosik might throw in an out-of-pocket comment along the lines of “To level up his gamer rizz.”
However if you were to ever actually ask Deft, you might end up receiving an answer as simple as the man himself:
“I just like gum.”