Genius Archer’s Streaming - Chapter 877

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Genius Archer’s Streaming Season 4 Episode 8
3. The Final Episode (2)
Cookie collapsed suddenly.
And it happened during the Persia match.
-Wait, something like that happened??
-Wow
-Huh???
-Cookie collapsed?
*crackle*
The video cut back to Chiseung.
He was walking down the street.
In his hand was a coffee he’d received from the café where he used to work part-time.
“I don’t really know how serious Cookie’s condition is. It’s not at the level where there’s absolutely no hope… that kind of thing.”
-Condition??
-Wow
-What is this;
-What does that mean
-Don’t tell me
“Since he doesn’t talk about it much, everyone just speculates. But then… at some point, I became certain.”
“When was that?”
“When he agreed to the documentary.”
“?”
“That’s when I had a hunch. There’s not much time left. Maybe… that’s why he wanted to leave behind footage.”
Oh my god, I’m so upset…
-?
I’m crying / I’m so sad
What should I do?
-Not much time left? Don’t tell me;
Chiseung stopped walking and sat down somewhere.
“Your brother always says it, right? That he’s preparing for what comes next.”
“Ah, yes.”
“That ‘next’ isn’t the next year, but….”
That was it.
There was something Cookie always mentioned in related interviews.
It wasn’t about his physical condition, nor was it about his skills.
The next.
What comes after the international team.
He only mentioned that.
But that next was….
“What comes after he’s gone.”
I’m crying / Wahhh / Boo hoo
-Ah…
-So it wasn’t next year;
I’m crying over Coberji ㅠㅠㅠ
-Is this real????
-I can’t watch this…
Crackle.
The screen transitions.
It’s Cookie’s back.
He walks down a long corridor, heading somewhere.
His voice overlaps.
[I think… we discovered it starting two years ago.]
Thud… thud…
In the slow-moving footage, Cookie continues walking.
[The discovery wasn’t as late as we thought. That’s why at first, I believed we could manage it somehow.]
Bright light appears at the end of the corridor.
Many players follow behind him as well.
[But then one day, the doctor told me. A complete cure is almost impossible… You need to prepare yourself.]
-What…
-Impossible??
-What the hell is it
-Please tell me it’s athlete’s foot
I’m crying / I’m so sad
The light gradually swallows Cookie and the players.
[Ah. I realized then that I didn’t have much time left.]
When Cookie is completely consumed by the light.
“Waaaaaaaaa…!”
The stadium emerges with a tremendous roar.
[Joseon vs Persia]
[Round of 16]
This was the day of the match against Persia.
Footage from the first game plays.
Cookie predicts the enemy’s intentions and turns the tables.
“Ah! Now I understand! Kuboji! To block reconnaissance! That’s why he invested so much here!!”
“Not to take half the map! To block reconnaissance! That was the intention!? Then this means…!”
“Fast 2 era archer rush!!!”
He seizes the momentum in an instant.
The audience erupts in cheers.
Waaaaaaa…
Cookie’s voice carries over it.
[I too was once impatient. When they said there wasn’t much time left.]
Cuber, no…
-To pull off plays like that in this condition;
-Did he get cancer or something??
[So I always wanted to produce results immediately, quickly. As a result, I never even made it to the main tournament.]
After a string of failures, Cookie let go of something truly significant.
What he released was none other than himself.
[And last year I realized it. Ah. Even if I don’t have time… they do, don’t they?]
Crackle─
After the first match.
The moment Cookie enters the building, he collapses.
──Thud.
“C, Cookie hyung!!”
“Cookie!”
In that instant, the entire Sync Tank Team bursts out.
“D, don’t let anyone see this! Absolutely not!”
Chiseung and Q rush forward to support Hee-cheol, while several members call a private ambulance.
They proceeded with swift efficiency, as if they’d prepared for this to some degree.
There was no loud siren from the ambulance, and no one screamed in panic.
And so Cookie was taken away without anyone knowing.
[So Joseon achieving good results… I think it’ll probably be after I’m gone. My role is to prepare for that. Joseon’s championship that I’ve only dreamed of…]
The screen transitions.
The scoreboard appears.
[COOKIE OUT]
[DAISUNSIN CHOI IN]
Ziiiiiii─
Intense music overlays with the sound of a guitar.
[Joseon’s championship may have to be achieved by someone else, not me.]
The arrival of a new commander.
Her long hair flutters slowly as she enters the arena.
Everyone’s eyes were filled with doubt.
Even the analysts couldn’t properly explain the meaning of this substitution.
After all, this hadn’t been planned.
It was an unexpected incident caused by an accident that happened by chance.
Yet Joseon still delivers results.
“Who is this person!? Is she a rookie!?”
“No! What!? Joseon! You’ve been hiding someone like this!!”
From her entrance, she pressured the enemy with remarkable skill.
They lost the second match due to poor coordination.
But from the third match onward, things were different.
“WAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!”
“Joseon! Joseon made it! To the quarterfinals!!”
Cookie had let go of himself.
If someone else could lead this team to victory without him, he made that choice.
That’s why he could prepare Daisunsin Choi.
“Let’s goooooo!!!”
Joseon advances to the quarterfinals for the second time in team history.
It was the first time since the 32-team format was introduced.
“Great! Korea!”
“WAAAAAAHHHHH!”
“Choi Sun-sin! Choi Sun-sin! Choi Sun-sin!
Everyone stands and roars, chanting the name of Daisunsin Choi.
At that moment, Cookie was in a hospital room.
Unconscious.
I’m crying / Wah wah wah
I’m sorry, Kuberji ㅠㅠㅠ
Oh no, seriously? ㅠㅠ
-Wait, did Choi Sun-sin just suddenly appear???
-Wow, his mindset changed from last year and his performance improved drastically
-So that’s why their coordination was off…
-Choi Sun-sin is insane too
-But who is this guy really? Is he actually a rookie?
The screen soon transitions to the next match.
[Joseon vs Japan]
[Quarterfinals]
It’s the Japan match.
The match that created the current popularity of the Joseon team.
Daisunsin Choi plays from the very beginning in this match.
Quarterfinals.
Up to five games are played here, and this is called the “real” main tournament—a prestigious match.
In this match too, Joseon wins 3-2 after five games.
A thrilling match that was competitive until the very end.
Everyone jumps to their feet and erupts in excitement.
The scene gradually fades away, becoming nothing more than an image on a phone screen.
The one holding that phone is Cookie.
And this place is his hospital room.
[Of course, I wasn’t entirely happy about it. It was the team I’d been leading all this time. I wanted to show something on the main stage.]
Oh my god, seriously?
-So you were watching from here???
I’m going crazy.
I’m crying so hard.
[Even so… life is such a curious thing. When you let go like this, opportunities find their way to you again.]
He watched the quarterfinals from his hospital bed, and shortly after hearing the Nurse’s words, he was discharged.
[I recovered much faster than expected.]
He quietly packed his belongings and walked out.
It was to prepare for the semifinals.
Crackle.
The screen transitions.
[Joseon vs China]
[Semifinals]
The Joseon versus China semifinal match.
It was never an easy opponent.
But then─
“Kyuuuuuuu! Kyuuuuu!!”
──Boom!
By the end of the match, China’s main base exploded.
“Waaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Cookie! Cookie! Cookie!”
After that, he swept China 3-0 in the semifinals.
“Wow! He crushed China 3-0 flat! Joseon!!”
“Cookie’s back and—it’s like he’s speaking for himself, right!? I’m here too!?”
“Ah, this dual Commander system! It’s so tricky!?”
-That’s incredible
Did you really get discharged like this and abandon the three major Chinese breads? ㅠㅠ
-Wow…
-That was insane fr
I’m crying / Sob sob sob
Isn’t this too much? ㅠㅠ
The screen darkens for a moment.
The music fades.
Next comes the grand finals.
[Joseon vs Rome]
[Finals]
Cookie won two consecutive matches here as well, overwhelming Anto.
But then─
[Cookie OUT]
[Daisunsin Choi IN]
Another substitution was made.
Cookie sent out Daisunsin Choi and headed to the conference room.
“W-why the substitution now? We were almost dominating!”
The Writer followed and asked.
“You’ve won twice, but Anto will figure it out soon. Shaking things up here is the most strategically sound move.”
“B-but… we were winning…?”
Those words felt almost like saying, ‘You should finish this with a flourish.’
Anyone would think the same.
It was Cookie who had led this team all this time.
He wasn’t merely the Supreme Commander within the game.
He was this team—he was Joseon itself.
Yet Cookie shook his head.
“It’s not the person who’s been winning that should go out, but the person who will win.”
-Oh so that was strategic
-Wow
I’m crying / Sob sob sob
-Just Kuboji. Nothing else to say.
He’s a master craftsman, for real.
In the end, it unfolded exactly as Hee-cheol had predicted.
Though they conceded one match, Daisunsin Choi overwhelmed Anto with a performance only he could deliver.
That’s right.
Joseon had won the championship.
Boom…!
Brilliant fireworks painted the sky.
That moment he had always dreamed of.
At that time, Hee-cheol wasn’t in the arena—he was in a conference room.
Click.
The screen transitioned.
An interview space with a white background appeared.
[You decided to reveal your story after winning the championship]
This was Cookie a few days after the championship victory.
“That’s correct.”
Hee-cheol nodded.
“It’s a promise, so I have to share it.”
[What exactly is the illness you’re suffering from?]
“Pancreatic cancer. It’s already quite advanced, and I don’t have much time left. I’ll be spending more and more days in the hospital.”
I’m crying / Boo hoo / Wahhh
-Wow
-This can’t be
-Oh no
-My goodness
-What do we do
Hee-cheol continued speaking.
[It feels meaningful to end with a championship.]
“A championship is joyful, certainly. But the significance of my national team competition doesn’t depend on winning the championship.”
-Wait, he’s really dying??
-I can’t believe this
What is this ㅠㅠㅠ
-What do we do
The viewers who heard his words directly were still reeling from the shock, but the interview continued.
“Even if I hadn’t won the championship, even if I hadn’t made it past the preliminaries, that day would have been meaningful to me. When you have cancer, you realize how futile the concept of results truly is.”
Hee-cheol added quietly.
“For us, results ultimately mean death.”
I’m crying so hard / Boo hoo hoo hoo
-Is it really terminal?
I’m crying / I’m so sad
-Well… yeah…
Well, that’s just how it is anyway. ㅠ
[He said he has a final message for the players….]
“Yes.”
Hee-cheol nodded.
He spoke to the camera.
“Not just me, but we all die. So if life ultimately ends in death, is it meaningless? No. We’re not living for results—we’re living for the process. We’re finding meaning within it.”
Soft piano music plays in the background.
“I only realized this last year. Joseon might not win the championship next year. That’s fine. Live through the process. Even the process of not winning is life. Please live through it.”
The screen gradually faded to black.
Crying/Sobbing (or “Boo hoo”)
I’m crying over Kuvarge ㅠㅠㅠ
-Worrying about the team until the end
-Yeah…
What do I do ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
In the darkness, only Hee-cheol’s voice echoed.
“Failing to reach the rainbow doesn’t make it any less beautiful.”
Moments later, the names of the production team members who hadn’t appeared before began rolling one by one.
[Director: Jang Ji-hun]
[Assistant Director: Seojia]
[Cinematography Writer: Jeong Hye-won]
[On-site Cinematography: Gu Jeong-mo]
[Editor 1: Park O-hun]
.
.
.
The black screen gradually brightened, and the music shifted to something more upbeat.
Photos of the players laughing and chattering appear on screen.
A photo of Sanghyeon arriving at the hideout with chicken.
Later, a photo of everyone riding bicycles together in Japan.
A photo of Bread putting Hee-cheol in a headlock.
A photo of everyone raising champagne glasses at the finals party.
A photo of Pangeo wearing hiking gear and shouting “Passion!”
A photo of Choi Sa-rang receiving an award in traditional Korean dress.
Countless photos of gatherings and parties that never made it to the fake national team, Ian-yong’s maratang restaurant, Cookie’s café, Sync Tank’s hideout, and….
Everyone’s championship victory.
“Monster!”
The moment when everyone gathered and ran together after winning plays out.
“Kyaaaaaaaa!”
Multicolored fireworks burst across the sky.
Below them, the smiling faces of the players.
Among them, Hee-cheol’s face is zoomed in.
He’s smiling wider than ever before.
But gradually, the screen grows darker.
[Special Thanks To]
[Monster]
[Divers]
[Aseng Electronics]
The sponsors’ names are listed.
I’m crying / I’m so sad
-Wow…
It’s over ㅠㅠㅠ
I’m so frustrated/disappointed ㅠㅠㅠ
I’m crying / Wah wah wah
-Ah…
-It was summer.
-Heh
.
.
.
The video seemed to be ending.
Screeeech.
The video resumes with the sound of a bus.
Chiseung stands at a bus stop.
“Many people think that being a national representative is itself a job….”
The writer asks in bewilderment.
“Do you all work part-time jobs like this?”
“Yes. Well, truth be told, we’re not even a real national team….”
Chiseung hesitated for a moment, then turned his gaze away and muttered.
“We’re a fake national team.”
Thump.
The screen went black and the title appeared.
[Fake National Team]
[Fake Athlete]
I’m crying / Boo hoo / Wahhh
Damn it, what am I supposed to watch now?
-That’s the scene from episode 1
Back then, I had no idea it would turn out like this lol
-Sigh…
I’ll genuinely remember this forever ㅠㅠㅠ
-Isn’t that the scene from the first episode?
Thank you so much to the production team and Cookie ㅠㅠ
-Wow…
With that final message, the curtain truly came to a close.
[Thank you for loving Fake National Team all this time!]
Fake National Team had come to an end.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————