Chapter Text

The stage was set up like every esports fan panel ever—long table, black cloth, bottles of water neatly lined up in front of each mic, a giant LED screen looping flashy montages of plays and sponsor logos behind them. The arena lighting was harsh, blinding, meant to make the players look sharper on stream. But to Sanghyeok, it felt like standing in the middle of a spotlight, exposed.

T1 has qualified for Worlds. Barely. Gen.G, HLE & KT comfortably above them. The conference had them ensured that there will be few important questions ahead of the Tournament which Sanghyeok doubts because LCK has the habit of asking unpredictable questions in the name of 'fun segment'. Keria and Kkoma is seated next to him, Chovy and Ruler on the right, Peanut with Zeus and their Coach on the left, Bdd and Sonstar at the far left

The crowd was too loud already. A sea of banners waved: CAPTAIN CHOVY, UNKILLABLE DEMON KING, KERIA IS LOVE. Camera flashes popped like fireworks. The panel hadn’t even reached the midway point, and Sanghyeok’s head was starting to ache from the sensory overload.

Still, he sat as he always did—back straight, expression neutral, eyes politely focused on the host.

He should have known peace wouldn’t last.

The host’s grin widened as he raised the next card. “Here comes the fun segment. Quickfire: If you could pick any pro player from any region to cosplay a League champion, who are you picking and which champ?”

Sanghyeok braced. Questions like these were traps.

Some of the players were getting too jumpy, namely Jeong Jihoon and Han Wangho and it took less than three seconds for Peanut to raise his hand and respond too excitedly.

Leaning into the mic with a mischievous smirk, “Deft as Jhin,” he said instantly.

Keria nearly bounced in his seat. “Zeus as Sett!” he shouted, triumphant.

The crowd screamed like they’d just won Worlds, Wooje looks over at their seats and throws a thumbs up in agreement.

Sanghyeok allowed himself the smallest exhale. Harmless answers. This could be fine.

He spoke too soon.

Then the host’s eyes flicked toward Jihoon.

Jihoon grinned like the world was his cookie jar. He cast a glance across the table—the usual quick micro-assessments, the practiced nonchalance that precedes something he’s about to enjoy very, very much. Everyone knew Jihoon could not be trusted with an unmoderated microphone.

The audience leaned in.

“Faker seonsu,” Jihoon said, and the word landed like a bell. “Faker. As Ahri.”

Sanghyeok, sitting three seats away, blinked as if someone had thrown a snowball at him. He straightened. He glanced at Jihoon like you glance at a cat who sat on your sandwich.

Then the arena exploded.

It wasn’t just noise—it was pandemonium. The shrieking was so loud the speakers crackled. Someone in the audience banged a drum. Another fan tossed up a handmade sign that read “AHRI ON TOP” in glitter letters.

Peanut slapped the table, doubled over instantly, choking on laughter. “AHRI?!” he wheezed, practically sliding under the table. “BRO, WHAT—”

Keria actually screamed, throwing himself back so hard his chair wobbled. His mic fell to the floor with a loud clunk. He was kicking his legs, tears already forming at the corners of his eyes.

The camera swung mercilessly to Sanghyeok’s face, magnifying him across the LED backdrop.

Blank expression. Ears red. Hands fidgety and expression quite sympathetic.

The roar intensified.

“Ahri?” the host repeated, absolutely delighted. “Chovy seonsu is quite serious I see. Why Ahri?”

Jihoon shyly scratched his head, glanced at Faker and spoke with the same composure he used to explain midlane wave management, “uh, I just blindly picked her because Faker seonsu's Hall of Legends skin is what I use the most these days and that's the only champ that came to my mind.”

He stops and continues, “Sorry to Coach Kkoma, but I would like to see Faker seonsu with nine tails before the tournament.”

Sanghyeok closes his eyes.

Wasn't the Gen.G midlaner a little shy just five seconds ago

The crowd lost its collective mind all over again. Kkoma bursting into fits of laughter and patting Faker on the back as consolation.

A fan in the front row literally threw a pair of cheap fox ears onto the stage. Peanut was gone, collapsed against the table, face buried in his arms, shoulders shaking. Keria slid halfway off his chair, trying to grab the fox ears while gasping for air between wheezes.

Sanghyeok, meanwhile, was red in the face and was trying with all his might to not combust on the spot. His brain, usually so disciplined, spiraled out of control.

Is Jeong Jihoon okay in the head?

He stared ahead, expression locked, even as his heartbeat thundered in his ears. He could feel the pink flush crawling higher, his ears practically glowing under the lights.

The host, shameless, turned toward him with a grin sharp enough to wound. “And Faker seonsu? Who would you pick?”

Sanghyeok slowly takes the mic from the table and clears his throat. His voice was clipped, strained. “…I would like to pass before I become the subject of another segment. Thankyou.”

That was all it took to annihilate the crowd for the third time like he’d just dropped the funniest punchline in the world.

Twitter, during the panel:

@ahri9tails: CHOVY. SAID. FAKER. AHRI. I’M ACTUALLY ON THE FLOOR

@keriaisgod: KERIA LOSING HIS MIND LMAOOOO

@foxearsdelivered: This is cyberbullying and I’m here for it.

@jihoonisdownBAD: the way chovy is probably campaigning in secret 😭😭😭

@kerialover: this is faker’s villain origin story.

/

The clip spread faster than wildfire.

Within hours, Chovy’s words had been clipped, subtitled in five languages, and posted across every platform imaginable. “Faker. As Ahri.” Jihoon’s serious face juxtaposed with the sheer unhinged screaming of the crowd—it was meme fuel.

By the time Sanghyeok woke up the next morning, his phone was vibrating nonstop. He ignored it. Tried to. But then Hyeonjun sent a screenshot:

@lolesportsfanunion: POLL: Which pro should cosplay a champion first?

• Faker as Ahri 🦊✨

• Zeus as Sett 💪🔥

• Deft as Jhin 🎭🔫

(Voting closes in 48 hours)

Faker’s name was winning by a landslide.

He stared at the screen. Then at Minhyung, who sat across the breakfast table, calmly eating eggs as if he hadn’t seen Jihoon detonate Sanghyeok’s dignity live onstage the day before.

“Are you seeing this?” Sanghyeok asked stiffly.

Minhyung glanced up, eyes steady. “Yes.” He chewed, swallowed. “It’s accurate.”

Sanghyeok closed his eyes, “Unbelievable this Jihoon”

In the far corner, Hyeonjun cackled so hard he nearly fell off his chair. “They really made it official! Hyung, congratulations. You’re esports’ favorite fox girl now.”

Sanghyeok shot him a look sharp enough to cut glass, but he was too far gone, tears in his eyes. Keria leaned in from the side, reading over his shoulder, and instantly started laughing too.

“Hyung, imagine the wig,” Keria wheezed. “Like, blonde, fluffy, nine tails—”

“Stop,” Sanghyeok said flatly.

“—and you in little thigh-high boots—”

“STOP.”

/

The worst part wasn’t even the poll. It was the livestream.

Sanghyeok had gone live that evening, intending a normal night—just solo queue, maybe some quiet Q&A. Instead, the chat was a wall of fox emojis.

[Twitch Chat Replay]

@ahri9tails: AHRI WHEN

@fakerfanclub: it’s literally winning the poll rn. 70% of votes. HELP.

@jihooncore: ahri faker or we riot

@chobimeow: fox girl hyung 🦊🦊🦊

He ignored it. Focused on minions. On the wave. On the game.

But then the donations started.

[Stream Alerts]

$10 from FakerAhri4Life: when are you buying the ears hyung

$25 from FoxMain123: nine tails or no tails?

$5 from ChovySupremacy: Jihoon believes in you 🥺

Sanghyeok pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Chat,” he said finally, voice carefully even. “I’m not cosplaying Ahri.”

Somebody said the poll was sitting at 84% Faker Ahri, and Sanghyeok was one step closer to deleting the internet.

/

Jaehyuk barged into the Gen.G common room holding his phone like a trophy. “i cannot believe Riot actually made it real!”

Minkyu was already halfway under a blanket, wheezing. “Bro. Bro. Your man is trending worldwide.”

Jihoon, sitting on the couch with a perfectly neutral face, merely adjusted the strap of his hoodie and said, “aww you called him my man. As you should.”

Gi-in gawked at him. “No shame. Zero shame. You’re really down this bad.”

Jihoon shrugged. “It's not even a joke at this point. I really wanna see him wear the wig and tails.”

“That’s what you said on stage!” Minkyu cried, throwing a pillow at him. “You’re insane.”

“Insane, but consistent,” Jihoon said calmly. His phone lit up with a notification—another fan edit of Sanghyeok photoshopped into Ahri’s prestige skin. He liked it without hesitation before standing up and making his way out of the room, "got to grab my midnight snacks now. see you all in 15!"

/

The convenience store was half-empty at this hour, humming softly under bright fluorescent lights. The air smelled faintly of instant ramen packets and fried snacks from the warmer by the register. A tired-looking cashier scrolled through his phone, uninterested in the two men with masks and hood on, who had just walked in within minutes of each other.

Sanghyeok froze in front of the cup noodles section. Because of course. Of course it had to be Jihoon.

Chovy—hoodie, hands stuffed in the pocket, expression neutral as ever—was already scanning the shelves with the quiet precision of someone choosing a champion in champ select. He noticed Sanghyeok immediately, eyes flicking over, then back to the noodles.

“Hyung,” Jihoon said, voice calm, almost soft. “Fancy seeing you here.”

Sanghyeok cleared his throat, grabbing the nearest Shin Ramyun as if it were a lifeline. “Oh, Jihoon-ah.”

Jihoon tilted his head slightly, lips twitching. “I was watching your livestream.”

Sanghyeok felt his ears go hot. He turned quickly, heading to the self-serve ramen section at the back, telling himself Jihoon wasn’t following—except he was.

Of course he was.

The ramen counter was a small island of steam and plastic stools. They sat side by side, waiting for the boiling water to finish, the silence stretching between them.

“So,” Sanghyeok said finally, stirring his noodles a little too aggressively. “Did you check your sns?”

Jihoon didn’t look up, calmly opening his seasoning packet. “Mm. People are quite excited for Gen.G vs T1 repeat.”

“That’s not—” Sanghyeok exhaled. “You know what I mean.”

Jihoon glanced sideways, face unreadable except for the faintest spark in his eyes. “Voting polls on you?”

Sanghyeok nodded, mumbling something underneath, “why would you even say such things...”

“Because hyung, you'd make the cutest Ahri,” Jihoon replied.

Sanghyeok pressed his lips together, desperately focusing on the bubbling noodles. His inner voice screamed

He’s shameless.

They ate in relative peace for a few minutes. Steam fogged Sanghyeok’s glasses. Jihoon stirred methodically, every movement quiet, deliberate.

“Gangnam’s too busy lately,” Jihoon remarked, eyes flicking toward the window, “Fans are waiting outside sometimes.”

“They’re harmless,” Sanghyeok said. “Mostly.”

“You don’t like attention.”

“Neither do you.”

Jihoon shrugged. “Not true. I like attention from some people.”

Sanghyeok ducked his head, pretending to fish for noodles at the bottom totally ignoring the implications.

“You’re impossible.”

They talked about patch notes after that—safest ground they could find. Zeri nerfs. New jungle changes. Jihoon’s blunt takes made Sanghyeok roll his eyes more than once, but he found himself relaxing, even laughing quietly when Jihoon muttered something about “ADC players needing to suffer.”

And then, as if scripted by the universe itself, Jihoon leaned back, chopsticks tapping idly on the table. “So. About Ahri.”

Sanghyeok makes a face, “We are not talking about this.”

“Why not?” Jihoon asked calmly. “The poll is at eighty-four percent. Fans want it.”

“I’m not—” Sanghyeok gestured helplessly. “I’m not dressing up as a fox.”

“Not even for charity?”

“No,” He looked down, ears burning, ramen forgotten.

Jihoon broke the silence, voice softer. “You’d look gorgeous, though.”

Sanghyeok’s brain short-circuited, chopsticks held tighter than ever. “Eat your ramen,” cheeks flaming.

Jihoon did. But the corner of his mouth curved, just barely—smile hidden in the steam.

Chapter Text

The Riot box sat on the corner of his desk like it knew.

Big, glossy, Riot-red, sealed with tape that practically screamed this is content. It had been sitting there since morning, haunting him through scrims, through lunch, through every second of his carefully scheduled day. He’d tried moving it behind his monitor. Then under the desk. Then into the hallway. Somehow, it always found its way back into his peripheral vision, like the world’s most cursed pet.

The box already sent the whole T1 headquarters into laughter when it arrived outside the gate. Kkoma called it "Doom box of the unkillable demon king" and they all saw the sticker at the side with big black letters 'Trial of the Demon King: Immortalized Legend Ahri Skin' which was truly enough to send Sanghyeok to cardiac arrest immediately.

"There's a card attached," Tom muttered, voice hardly calm with all the wheezing and what not.

It read

To Faker,

Congratulations on winning the Esports fan poll event on tuesday. This is our soon to be released League of Legends' Hall of Legends merchandise collection, 'Trial of the Demon King: Immortalized Legend Ahri Skin'. We are honored to have you as the first player to try them on. The instructions are as follows:

• Wear the merch and promote them as per your convenient platform
• Review the merch on stream.
• Feedback is required.

If Jihoon finds himself diabolically sneezing in the Gen.G dorm at this time, it's none of our business. Especially not Faker's because he did not curse Jihoon at all.

/

By the time Sanghyeok went live that evening, he was already tired. The streaming overlay lit up, chat exploding before he’d even greeted them.

The T1 logo glowed in the background of his room, neon red against the otherwise sterile walls. The blinds were half-drawn, letting in the muted glow of Gangnam outside: endless headlights, glass towers, neon signs buzzing. The hum of the city seeped faintly through his window, a reminder that the world kept turning, even as his dignity was about to end.

He settled into his chair, hoodie zipped up to his chin, headset snug. “Good evening,” he said quietly. “We’ll play some solo queue today.”

After two matches—both victories, though he barely registered them—he gave in.

I cannot believe I'm doing this.

His hand reached down, dragging the box onto the desk with the solemnity of a man signing a peace treaty.

The camera caught the whole thing. His reluctant expression. The careful slice of tape. The chat going from all caps to supernova.

Inside: pink-and-white Ahri ears perched on a headband. Nine silky white tails folded like some eldritch creature. Even a note, cheerfully handwritten: “Thank you for participating! Show the fans some love 

He stared at it. Long. Quiet. Unmoving.

This is my punishment. For what sin, I don’t know. But clearly, I’ve committed one.

Still, slowly, carefully, he picked up the ears.

He sighed. Slipped the headband over his hair. Adjusted it until the ears sat upright. His reflection popped up in the stream overlay: Faker. T1’s unshakable captain. Pink fox ears twitching under the LED lights.

Silence—for about three seconds. Then chaos.

[Stream Alerts]

• $5 from s4anghyeok999: CHOVY WHAT HAVE YOU DONE
• $10 from tailsup123: WHATTTTTTTTT
• $25 from jihoonisdownBAD: TAILS TAILS TAILS TAILS TAILS
• $10 from campjunglerpnut: NO WAYYYYYY
• $100 from gumadofgk89: do a twirl

For the hundredth time, he can hear himself sigh and clear his throat, "Thank you Riot Games for this thing. uh, yeah, do buy them when it's out. I have no idea when that is, but I recommend 100%"

He ignored the chat. No point in looking at the comments at this point.

Wolf requests to join the live

Sanghyeok internally cries. BECAUSE WHAT THE FUCK GOES ON but he accepts the request anyway.

“Yah,” came the familiar voice through Discord, followed by immediate, unrestrained laughter. “You’re actually wearing them?”

Sanghyeok pinched the bridge of his nose. “there's tails too.”

“NO WAY,” Wolf wheezed. “I mean WEAR IT.”

“don’t—”

“Hyung, tilt your head,” Wolf interrupted, laughter bubbling again. “Let chat see the profile shot. Yeah, just like that. Perfect. You’re born for this.”

[Stream Alert]
Donation: $200 from JihoonChovy
Message: TAILS PLEASE

The sound effect dinged like a death knell. Sanghyeok froze. Wolf shrieked with laughter, wheezing into his mic.

“CHOVY?!” Wolf howled. “HE DONATED?!”

Sanghyeok’s ears—real and fake—burned crimson.

“I will actually beat you,” he muttered, staring straight into the camera like it could reach him.

The livestream went on with him describing the texture of the ears, the tails now displayed behind his back rested against the headrest of his chair which makes it look like he actually had that nonsensical thing on. Wolf lurking a few more minutes and ending the call saying"I need to inform Junsik about this" and Sanghyeok visibly shaking in frustration. He had enough of this unnecessary segment and decided to just drop the live.  

“I'll be ending the stream now, guys.”

By the time he finally ripped the headband off, tossing it onto the desk, his face was flushed, his ears were on fire.

“This stream,” he muttered, deadpan, “never happened.”

/

The Ahri ears were supposed to be a one-time thing. Something he could slip on, smile politely, then slip off before anyone clipped it.

Of course, the universe hated him.

Now, not twenty-four hours later, the ripple had hit the broadcast desk.

LCK Analyst Desk, Pre Game

Caster A: (struggling not to laugh) “Before we get into today’s matchup, let’s… let’s address the fox in the room.”

Caster B: “Fox in the room?”

(Production cuts to a fanmade edit already circulating on Twitter: Sanghyeok in Ahri splash art pose, tails Photoshopped immaculately.)

Caster C: (deadpan) “I want to clarify for the audience at home that this was not Photoshopped by Riot. This was, in fact, Faker’s own livestream.”

Caster B: “And Wolf was there! Wolf was enabling it! This is a man who used to jungle for him!”

Caster A: “Let’s not forget Chovy's contribution to the situation (laughs).”

(Production rolls the clip of Jihoon spamming fox emojis in the chatbox. The camera catches caster B slamming his papers on the desk, wheezing.)

Caster B: “I have been covering this league for ten years. Ten. Years. And I have never seen anything like this.”

Backstage, Mid segment

Producers were laughing so hard the broadcast timer had already run over. Every time someone tried to steer back to actual analysis, a clip of Faker’s mortified face wearing the headband slid across the monitor and reset the cycle.

Even the English desk got in on it.

Caster D (EN): “Look, all I’m saying is Faker has won more LCK titles than anyone else. If he wants to wear Ahri ears? He’s earned it.”

Caster E (EN): “Okay but, respectfully, why did he look that good in them?”

Caster F (EN): (snorting) “It’s the cheekbones. Man has Ahri cheekbones.”

Sanghyeok dragged his hood over his head, tugging the strings until only a sliver of his eyes showed. “I’m never going outside again.”

Which was, of course, when Jihoon texted him.

Jihoon: so, when do i get to see it in person

Sanghyeok stared at the message until his phone screen dimmed.

He buried his face deeper into his hoodie.