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“Ano bang meron sakin, na hindi mo masabi, Kailan ko malalaman kung nalulunod ka na rin sakin~” JL sang for the Nth time that day to a fan who requested that he sing his unreleased song, Alon.
JL is a famous k-pop singer-songwriter, promoting his newest album in the middle of a fansign event in Gangnam. He’s currently entertaining the very last fan in line and is very much looking forward to getting off work.
“Wooow,” the fan said, clapping her hands in amazement at JL’s immaculate vocals.
“JL, aren’t you going to release this song in full? We don’t care if it’s in Filipino, it sounds really really good. We’ve only ever heard this song up to the chorus and we really wanna hear the rest. Please, please, please.” The fan continued in pleading.
This is not the first time JL heard this request from a fan, and he feels like it wouldn't be the last. “Alon”, the song JL just sang, is one of the first few songs JL wrote while he was just starting to get into songwriting.
As the song was written entirely in Filipino, It wasn’t one of the songs he was planning on ever releasing in his album. It wasn’t until one of his stalker fans released a muffled snippet of him singing it backstage that the song’s existence got leaked. Unfortunately, no one has heard the thing in its entirety because JL himself confirmed that he doesn’t plan on releasing the thing.
“Sorry but, as I have said before… Alon is the song i wrote for the love of my life. The only one who will get to hear it in full is that person. ” JL smiled wryly.
The fan was about to say a few more words in an attempt to convince JL when a buzzer suddenly rang, signaling the end of the fan’s turn. They were immediately escorted down the stage, and as soon as she left, JL said his parting words to the crowd and left for the backstage.
Upon reaching his prep room, JL immediately took his phone and opened Soop, the leading live streaming site in Korea.
Today is the day of the Finals of the League of Legends World Championships—Worlds for short—the most viewed esports event in the entire world.
Today, his favorite player and longtime crush is playing: Park Han. More famously known by his username HANI, Park Han is the star player and jungler of AHOF esports, the most popular LoL team in South Korea.
As JL opened the livestream, he heard the commentators debate about their predictions on who will reign supreme at Worlds.
“Oh my, thank goodness it hasn’t started yet,” JL whispered to himself as he hurries to the parking lot. Today’s fansign started and ended early upon JL’s request, mainly because JL really wanted to catch the Finals. Because the company knows how avid of a fan he is, they thankfully relented to his wishes.
“CYE is in peak form right now. JUN is in stellar condition, carrying their last semifinals match 3-0 with a beautiful 7/0/15 performance on Taliyah. I think they’ll handily win this series with a score of 3-1.” JL heard one of the commentators say, making him frown as he opened the door to his car.
“I beg to disagree. While their year has been pretty rocky, what with the disastrous Spring split and barely qualifying for Worlds, I think AHOF has been improving in form over the past couple of matches. It’s not for nothing that they won Worlds for the past two years. Besides, they’ve got HANI, by far the best jungler in the world right now. I think AHOF has a real chance at winning the cup. I think it’s gonna be 3-2 in favor of AHOF,” said another commentator in rebuttal. JL couldn’t help but nod in agreement, though he of course wishes for a better scoreline in favor of AHOF.
“Hyung, can we hurry up and go home? I really want to watch the match comfortably” JL pleaded to the manager who drove him to the fansign this morning.
The manager just rolled his eyes at JL but hit the gas anyway as they drove off to JL’s unit.
As soon as the CYE's nexus exploded, JL started shooting off some messages to Hani on his Kakaotalk. The man actually did it again. He won Worlds for the third straight year, and JL couldn't be prouder to have witnessed all of it.
Aside from being Hani’s avid fan, he also knew Hani personally as they met each other on a reality show four years ago. Back then, JL was still a member of a newbie idol group while Han was already the star jungler of AHOF esports.
After getting to know the man in person, JL’s admiration for Han grew even further. Contrary to his intimidating persona as a professional player, Han is actually very gentle and kind towards JL. They kept in touch despite their busy schedules, and would occasionally go out together to eat if time permits.
---------via KakaoTalk---------
To: Hani hyung 🩵
> CONGRATS HYUNG!!! AKSHSJSJS 3 TIMES WORLD CHAMPION WHOOOO
> BUT SERIOUSLY I WAS ABOUT TO CRY WHEN IT BECAME 1-2 😭😭😭😭
> HYUNG YOU’RE SO AMAZING WITH THAT SMITE STEAL HUHUHU
> THE HARD CARRY IN GAME 4 & 5?? OH MY HYUNG YOU’RE THE GREATEST AKSHSJSJ
> 
> You won so.. what if you treat me to food EHEM
> 
-----------------------------
After sending a few more celebratory memes to Han, JL proceeded to post a congratulatory message on his Instagram Story. He attached one of the press photos of Han holding the Championship Trophy, with the caption "Congratulations to AHOF Esports for winning this year’s Worlds! We’re so proud of you! Finals MVP!!! @qkrhan 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆”
He then posted another story with a photo of him holding a cheering kit and wearing a jersey with the name HANI emblazoned on the back.
JL put his phone down after posting the stories on his IG, as he still has an event to prepare for later that evening. It wasn’t until much later that he noticed the reply to his messages.
---------via KakaoTalk---------
From: Hani hyung 🩵
> Where should we go?
> Nevermind i’m tired of eating takeout
> Should I just cook something for us?
------------------------------
On the internet, JL’s fans of course expected the stories to come out as soon as the news came. JL has never been shy about revealing his admiration for AHOF’s jungler.
-- JLDimsum: LMAO I knew it, JL really moved up the schedule of his FSE so he could watch the finals
-- Haneulz: : JL being the biggest HANI fan in the world (131227)
--jl3pick: As the number 1 Hani glazer, you know he wouldn’t miss it for the world
Little did the fans know that an even bigger surprise was waiting for them soon.
After AHOF’s historic win at Worlds, the team flew back to Korea and was swept up in a frenzy of press conferences, TV guestings, and even an appearance at the Blue House. It wasn’t until a few days later that the team was able to settle down and continue streaming their games as was required by their sponsorship contracts.
Player HANI, who was honored as the MVP of the finals, is currently doing his first livestream slash game review after winning Worlds.
“Congratulations AHOF on winning the world championships! HANI you’re the GOAT,” Soop's text-to-speech function read one of the donator's comments aloud.
“Thank you.” Hani said to every donation that came up.
“Even though you had many doubters in spring, I always knew you had it in you” as another message came in.
“Thank you for believing in our team.” Hani answered absentmindedly as he appears to be fixing his settings in preparation for another lengthy streaming night.
Suddenly, special effects sounded on the screen as the message was read out loud: “OUR FINALS MVP!!! YOU HAVE TO TREAT ME TO FOOD HYUNG -yence”
The chat went wild as the stream was just starting because someone familiar just donated a huge amount.
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> hanimylovesosweet: who’s yence???
> JLuvr421: i knew it JL’s here again
> daehan: like clockwork wow
> haneulz: JL really has Hani notifs on i’m ctfu
> hanbeondook: he’s here LMAO
> jlforlife: Parppies represent
> hanmygoat: treat him to food? do they know each other personally?
> jlgph942125: notifs on lololol
> hannylove: WORLDS WIN THREE-PEAT! CONGRATS HANI AND AHOF!!!!!!
> jldimsum: Parppies represent (2)
> sstar0421: I’m a JL fan tuning in for the first time cuz they said he’s gonna be here, turns out they’re right
> hwangbyeol: Parppies represent (3)
> jungleking: JL simping over hani again? He’s just like me fr
> hanbeondook: @hanmygoat they met in a variety show once so yes i think
------------------------------
Han seemed to perk up at the notification, all while continuing to fix his settings.
“Oh? I got it, I got it. But the star balloons you donated are more expensive though. You should’ve just sent it directly to me instead of giving money to the platform.”
He replied, smiling. He then turned to the side to grab his phone, unaware of the chat going wild on his screen.
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> hanbeondook: wow so they’re really close i guess??
> hannylove: he sounds so fond i’m cryibg asjdhdjd
> jungleking: i wanna eat with the jungle GOAT too
> hanycat: CONGRATS ON WINNING WORLDS HANI
> pororo: idk who’s luckier, Hani who gets to eat with JL or JL who gets to eat with Hani
> jlforlife: when did they get so close wtf
> pakan: MY GOAT!!! MY KING!!! CONGRATS ON THE WORLDS WIN!!!
------------------------------
“I missed drinking strawberry banana juice while overseas so l ordered some on the app earlier. I’ll have to go downstairs in a bit to get it.” Han turned back to the screen, while tapping away on his phone to check the delivery status of his favorite drink.
“Let’s start the game review. Thank you to everyone who is still donating.” He then started to open the recording of the finals match between AHOF Esports and Team CYE.
Special effects sounded on the screen once again, as another donation came in and was read out loud: “Skip game 1 and 2 pls i don’t wanna live through it again ㅜㅡㅜ -yence”
Han burst out laughing, clapping his hands in laughter at the message’s contents.
“Alright alright, let’s not watch game 1 and 2. Nothing happened in game 1 and 2.” Han said, doing an X gesture at the camera.
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> daehan: LOLOLOLOL
> hanbeondook: LOLOLOLOL
> jlforlife: what happened in game 1 and 2?
> JLuvr421: AKSGSJSJSJHAHAHAH
> hanbeondook: he’s just like me fr
> hannylove: @jlforlife: they got stomped LOLOLOL
> haneulz: he’s so real for that LMAO
> daehan: nobody wants to rewatch game 1 and 2 either
------------------------------
On the screen, Hani closed the VOD for game 1, proceeding immediately to open game 3. If Han was being honest, he didn’t really want to review the games where they lost handily in front of thousands of viewers either.
Han started doing an indepth review of the scenes in the game. He explained the decision making behind important macro plays and how they came up with their gameplan to overcome the early game deficit.
“Because we brought their support low before the last teamfight, he had to base. They didn’t get the opportunity to sweep for wards in this area near the pit. Our Renekton was able to teleport using the ward, use E, and got into the pit unnoticed. Right when the Elder Dragon was about to go down, he was able to flash and use W to stun the enemy jungler. After that, it was easy for me to come in for the steal.” Han said, describing the game-deciding teamfight.
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> jlforlife: i only play casually but he explains things so well
> hanimylovesosweet: he downplays the steal like it was that easy like he wasn’t kiting 1v4 on that fight lol
> JLuvr421: clutch player if i ever saw one
> daehan: @jlforlife u guys are still here? Lol
> hannyangi: OMG IM LATE CONGRATS ON THE WORLDS WIN KING
> hanmygoat: tbf Renekton’s stun was really crucial as well
> jlforlife: i need to learn more about this man now that i know he’s close with JL
------------------------------
Soon enough, Han got a notification that his order has arrived.
“The drinks are here, so let me just grab them downstairs. Please bear with me.” Han moved to get his phone from the wireless charger, but realized it’s still quite low on battery. He decided against bringing the phone since receiving the food would take a few minutes at most.
The livestream was pretty peaceful as people waited for Hani to reappear, when all of a sudden, the sound of waves came in and a tune familiar to JL fans started playing.
“Ayan ka na naman
Nakatingin na parang meron kang pagtingin
Diyan ka magaling
Napapaniwala mo ako sa isip mo ako ang
Tumatakbo-takbo na lang papalayo
Pag andiyan ka na
Hindi na alam ang gagawin kapag nawala na ang hangin
'Di na makahinga
Kasi”
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> hanimylovesosweet: someone’s calling lol
> hwangbyeol: ASDHASDSFHKDF
> JLuvr421: holy shit is that jl??!!!!
> hannyangi: is this a new jl song? how come i haven’t heard it before
> pakanpabo: CONGRATS ON THE WORLDS WIN I NEVER DOUBTED YOU
> sstar0421: ALON??????? WTF???????
> JLuvr421: it’s old but unreleased, we’ve never heard the whole thing before
> jldimsum: the quality though??? why is it so clear wtf
> hanycat: @JLuvr421 how come?
> teemo_only: i just got here where did he go
> hanimylovesosweet: is that his ringtone
> JLuvr421: @hanycat cuz he doesn’t want to release it ㅠㅡㅠ
------------------------------
The song continued playing well into the chorus, as the owner doesn’t seem to be coming back anytime soon.
“Ako'y nalulunod hindi makaahon
Sabihin mo kung ano ba talaga kasi
Ano bang meron sa'tin na hindi mo masabi
Kailan ko malalaman kung nalulunod ka na rin sa akin”
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> jlforlife: i can’t believe it he’s a JL fan too
> haneulz: and if i cry
> hanimylovesosweet: i don’t understand a word but this sounds so good
> jungleking: i though he only liked band music and musicals
> JLuvr421: inb4 we hear the song in full
> jlforlife: nice joke lol
------------------------------
To the astonishment of the JL fans still in the chat, the song did not stop playing as the chorus ended. It continued into the second verse that has never been heard before.
“Di mo ba talaga pansin
Lahat ng ginagawa mo sa'kin ay iba ang dating (iba ang dating)
Sa alon sasabay (hay)
'Yan ang sinabi ko noon hanggang sa 'di alam na
Lumalangoy-langoy na lang
Sa dagat ng aking isipan
Hindi na alam ang gagawin kapag nawala na ang hangin
'Di na makahinga
Kasi”
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> JLuvr421: WTF WTF WTF
> haneulz: AJHDHF I CAN'T BREATHE
> haneulz: SHUT UP
> jlforlife: OMG OMG OMG
> sstar0421: ASDHFKL
> jldimsum: WTF GUYS WTF
> jlforlife: STOP THE CAR
> sstar0421: ASDASDFKJAKJSFHFJDL;'
> haneulz: GUYS IM ACTUALLY CRYING WTF
> haneulz: I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS
> jungleking: thought u guys said it’s gonna end at the chorus, what’s this?
> jldimsum: JL @yence WTF I NEED AN EXPLANATION
> hwangbyeol: is anyone recording this please omg omg omg
> JLuvr421: WHY DOES HE HAVE THE REST OF THE SONG!! EXPLAIN YOURSELF @yence
> hanycat: is this a hani livestream exclusive LOLOLOL
> hannyangi: favorite player privilege lol
> jldimsum: COME OUT COME OUT @yence @yence @yence
------------------------------
As the chat fell into chaos, the song came into its climax.
“Masasagip nga ba (ah)
O kakayanin ko na lang mag-isa (ah)
Ayokong malunod sa luhang naipon
Sabihin mo sa'kin kung ako ba talaga
Hindi ko na kaya sana 'di na umasa
Kung alam ko lang na ako lang ang malulunod sa alon mag-isa”
As the song began once again, the door opened to signal the return of the streaming room’s owner. Han noticed his phone ringing and picked it up to take the call outside, unaware that his ringtone has already been heard in its entirety.
-----------SOOP Chat-----------
> JLuv421: was anyone recording pls im on my knees
> jldimsum: it’s so beautiful ㅠㅡㅠ
> jungleking: i listened well
> hanycat: why won’t he release the whole thing? it sounds great
> hannyangi: @JLuv421 i did, it’s already up on twitter
> hanbeondook: i didn’t understand a word but the singing was amazing
> jlforlife: @hannyangi OMG THANK YOU I OWE YOU MY LIFE
> haneulz: GUYS JL SAID HE’S ONLY GIVING THIS SONG TO HIS BELOVED
> haneulz: HANI IS JL’s LOML CONFIRMED, THANK YOU FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK
> hanycat: ?????
> jungleking: !!????
> hanimylovesosweet: ???????????
------------------------------
A few moments later, Hani came back to the live stream room.
“What did i miss?” Hani asked, sitting down to finally resume the game review. He scrolled back to read through the chat quickly. Realizing what happened, Hani moved to close the VOD of the next game.
“Something just came up, so we’ll have to continue this another day. Thank you for tuning in, bye.” Hani bid his viewers farewell and ended the livestream as quickly as he could. He needs to have a serious talk with someone.