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agentwilighthanjae: a brief look in the life of our favorite esports couple.
pairing: jung hani/son myungjae
words:
universe: original.
rating: g, general
content warning: none
summary: two months after son myungjae's historical back-to-back worlds run, he announces a news that quite literally shook everyone to the core: his engagement with lck producer and translator, jung hani. catch this exclusive interview on the life of the world's favorite esports couple right here in OneT Sports News.
NOTE: this fic, while structured and written as an article, is based on real life esports. i would just like to say that i am not, in any way, related or working for the lck, league of legends, riot games, or any of the organizations mentioned in this fic. everything in here is purely fictional and any resemblances to people or organizations are purely coincidental. also, while i am well-versed in the league of legends timeline, i heavily tweaked the timeline and some events may not be accurate in real life. this is to preserve the fictional nature of this fic.
Your favorite esports players most definitely do have game. Son Myungjae and Jung Hani announce their engagement after five years of dating.
BY: DANIELLE "DANI" GU. JANUARY 19, 2023 7:00PM
If you ask the League of Legends community who their favorite couple is, everyone would come down to a unanimous decision: Son "Reaper" Myungjae and Jung "Nien" Hani, top laner for ST Esports, and LCK broadcaster, translator, and producer respectively.
Both of them have been huge figures in the LCK region, and perhaps the rest of the League of Legends community ever since their debut years. Hani has been a staple during worlds, often translating player interviews, or hosting the worlds ceremony itself. Reaper, on the other hand, has been active as a pro-player ever since his debut in Han.H in 2015. As of the time of writing, Reaper has been a worlds title-holder twice and is one among the most decorated League of Legends pro-player of all time.
The couple announced their engagement through their Instagram accounts on January 7th, sharing that they have been engaged ever since Reaper proposed to Hani a week after winning his second world title.
In an exclusive interview with OneT Sports News, the couple talk about their life, how they met, what led to their engagement, and how they'll both move forward as a couple, and as important figures for the League of Legends Community.
First of all, how did you two meet?
H: I already knew about Myungjae (Reaper) even before we dated. My cousin and I are very into League of Legends, but she's the one who watched esports. Myungjae (Reaper) was one of her favorite esports players at the time and she kept talking about Myungjae non-stop. If I remember correctly, she was about... fifteen or sixteen at that time? Myungjae (Reaper) had been a rookie then. I didn't really follow his career much, but I'd always be updated somehow because of my cousin.
Then we met for the first time during a promotional shoot for the LCK. I was an intern at the time and a sophomore in university. Myungjae (Reaper) was waiting for his turn to go in front of the camera with his teammates when he cautiously approached me to ask where he could get a bottle of water. I was flustered at the time because I was merely trying to observe the shoot and I was taking some notes for translation. I ended up being so flustered and shy that I eventually got the water for him instead.
Is this how you remember your first meeting too, Reaper?
R: Actually, no. I think I was the one who was a bit shy and I was stammering a bit when I asked her for it. I'm always too shy to ask for help but I didn't know where I could get stuff back then so I had to swallow my pride and bit and ask Hani. I'm just really glad that she was helpful to me at the time. We didn't interact much during the shoot, but I remember finding her pretty that day, but we never really talked until a few months later.
Who made the first move that got you two closer?
H: Myungjae (Reaper) did. Myungjae raises an eyebrow at Hani, and Hani laughs at him. I remember being an official part of the LCK translation team at the time and juggling my studies so I was doing my coursework during the break time of that one shoot we had and Myungjae (Reaper) approached me to ask why I'm working so hard when it's still break time. I had to show him that I'm doing my homework and he became so curious about university homework that he asked for my number just so he could ask me all about being a university student as well as our culture.
R: I'm sure this is obvious but I really just wanted an excuse to ask for her number. I was too shy to tell Hani straight away that I found her pretty and that I wanted to get to know her. At first I wanted to ask her if she would like to go on a date with me, but when I found out that she's juggling university and working for the LCK, I decided not to. I didn't want to be a distraction to her back then.
H: It took me like... an embarrassingly long amount of time to catch on, but when I figured it out, I also realized that I was on the same wavelength. I'm pretty sure I was the one who asked him out on a date.
R: Yeah. She asked me out while we were playing League together. I didn't quite believe it at first, but then Hani had to ask again because I was too stunned to speak. I said yes and I took her to hotpot the day after, even though she's the one who asked me out on a date.
I remember you two only ever going public with your relationship three years after you two started dating. What was the reason for that?
R: I was the one who asked Hani if she wanted this to be private for a while. Shortly after we started seeing each other, she was given a proper position in the LCK translation team — a hard feat to come across especially when you're still young and starting out in your career. She's already being tasked to live-translate LCK matches and post-game interviews so it's a time where she has to focus on her career. I didn't want her relationship with me to affect that. I didn't want anyone outside of the community to think that Hani got that job because of me. In a way, I wanted her to establish herself in the industry first before announcing that we were together just so they would see her as Hani and not as my girlfriend.
H: At first I didn't understand where Myungjae (Reaper) was coming from. I think it even became a huge fight because he was already a huge personality at the time and a lot of people knew him and looked up to him. I thought he wanted our relationship to be private to the rest of the world because he was embarrassed of me or something. As it turns out, he was right.
R: Don't get her wrong, though. The people within the LCK already knew that we were dating at the time so it's not like there was some form of... conflict there. Plus. people tend to do that a lot within the esports industry. Just look at Arteezy (DOTA 2 player) and Dove (DOTA 2 caster), they were together but they're essentially working within the same sphere, just in different parts of it, you know.
H: I told them all about it as courtesy, of course. They were all very supportive of my relationship with Myungjae (Reaper), and they also understood where we were coming from when I told them that I didn't want there to be any form of publicity associated with our relationship for the time being. One of my bosses actually applauded the two of us for tackling our relationship with maturity early on in our careers.
That's so cute and definitely very thoughtful of Reaper. But of course, not all relationships are sunshine and rainbows, right? Do you think that being an esports couple makes the relationship more challenging?
R: Dating someone within the same industry makes it easier for me, I think. Hani and I are working within the same world so she understands the scope of my job. She understands that sometimes I have to practice until late at night and wouldn't be available to chat or to go out. Like... she gets it. She's being very supportive of me as a player and often cheers for me especially when I'm feeling down after a particularly bad game. I guess the only challenge here is when Hani would have to be on the stage after I lose a game and it's hard for me not to approach her and hug her.
H: Hani smiles at Reaper fondly, but not before lightly tapping him on the arm. I think dating within the same industry has its pros and cons. All relationships are challenging, and while we do have a bigger level of understanding with each other because we know what the other one has to do for a living, it's also hard trying to just... align ourselves with each other. Myungjae (Reaper) and I started living together around... four years into dating, I think? And it's definitely hard to catch each other especially when the season starts. It's definitely the hardest during the Worlds season because I'm also playing a role during production so we rarely see each other because we're just so busy at the same time. When we get through those days, though, it's definitely the most rewarding.
I remember you calling "FF" when Reaper's team had to go against another LCK team during Worlds. Everyone found that amusing, but I just wanted to ask why you didn't root for Reaper during that match.
H: I love Myungjae (Reaper), of course, but like... I wanted to just root for the LCK. It's the first time since 2017 that the Worlds finals is LCK vs LCK and I didn't want to be biased between two teams I support. I also have a lot of friends from the other team and I just wanted to cheer for them as well.
That's so sweet of you! This is okay with you, right, Reaper?
R: I wanted her to cheer for me alone at first, but that's just because I'm her boyfriend. As someone who's within the LCK region, I also have nothing but love and support for people who are playing in my region. Everyone is a good player and they deserve as much support as I get, even if it's from Hani.
H: I mean... at the end of the day he's still my boyfriend. Who I support during Worlds doesn't really negate the fact that we're together.
Reaper, what led you to proposing to Hani?
R: I've been thinking about it for a while, actually. I bought the ring just two months after our fifth anniversary and I've just been waiting for the perfect time to propose to Hani. I obsessed over it for a while, but then I realized that I didn't really need something grand in order to propose to Hani, especially since she's such a simple person.
So what I did was: A week after Worlds, when the hype sort of died down a bit and everyone is finally calm enough to like do some resting and traveling, I came with Hani to the Philippines to visit some of her family there. The place is important to her because she spent a portion of her life studying there with her cousin and so I thought why not propose in a place that holds very dear memories for Hani? Plus, the timing was perfect. I don't enter free agency until December 2024 because I had signed a multi-year contract with ST so I didn't have any contracts to worry about.
So we were in the Philippines and Hani was touring me around the place. She took me to a river that held a lot of fond childhood memories of her and that's when I thought... this feels like the perfect time. So while we were swimming in the river, I sort of just called her and asked her if she wanted to marry me. I couldn't get on my knee because we were in the water and I didn't even have the ring with me! I had it back in her cousin's place, but Hani was so happy that I knew I made the right decision proposing right then and there. I gave the ring to her later on in the night and she looked so happy with it.
Hani shows me the ring with a huge smile on her face. A dainty rose gold ring with a small, pink, heart-shaped stone in the middle. I don't think I've ever seen Jung Hani smile this huge in my entire life as an esports journalist.
The ring looks amazing. Did you know that he was going to propose? Or did he catch you offguard?
H: I had absolutely no idea that he was going to propose! He was so secretive about it and he did it so well too! I didn't even know that he'd asked my parents for permission, but apparently he told them about his plans early on in the year and they were merely waiting for him to propose. We'd moved in together late 2021 and Myungjae (Reaper) isn't a big fan of rushing into decisions one after the other, so I thought that if a proposal were to happen, it would have happened when we were like... 27 or something.
For the both of you, did you feel ready for this next step? Do you feel like you're ready to start a family together?
R: Yes. The moment Hani and I started dating, I felt like it's going to be a "for life" thing. But like, we aren't in a rush. We both still have our careers going on and I told her that I want to make the most out of my career as an esports player before we even entertain the idea of having kids, especially because longevity is quite hard in esports. Being engaged and getting married is enough for us for now.
H: I have the same thoughts. My career as a producer for the LCK is still a bit short and I wanted to enjoy it first before I delve into a new realm of responsibilities. Getting married to Myungjae (Reaper) seems easy enough. I mean, we both live together and we're already so synchronized with each other. It's the having kids part that feels a bit too... much? Is that the right term? But yeah, that's something we just don't have the capacity to deal with at the moment.
How do you see yourselves after this? Would anything change?
H: Career-wise? I don't think anything will change at all. I'm still Hani and I would still be translating onstage for these players. I'd still be translating every single silly thing Myungjae (Reaper) says to the international community. Just because we're engaged doesn't mean we'll stop being reliable people in our scope of careers, or in our personal lives. The relationship between Myungjae (Reaper) and I will only go deeper from now on and we will only grow with each other, and I guess that's the only change that will happen. Still, though, in the esports scene, we're still whoever we are before we got engaged, or before we announced our relationship.
R: I agree. Hani establishing her career first before going public with me made sure that every achievement she had as a producer for the LCK will always be merited to her and not me. She built her career all on her own and I'm sure that it would stay strong that way even if we didn't get engaged, or even if we didn't date. Just that from now on, I guess I'll be making my way towards trying to learn how to be a more reliable and responsible future husband. I'm practicing being a good listener to my teammates so when I come home to Hani, I'll be an even better listener who can hear her out when she's having a tough time. I'm also learning how to cook from the chef in the HQ just so Hani would be able to have packed lunch whenever she goes out to work. Just those things, you know. Nothing too drastic with the changes.
Lastly, do you have anything to say to the League of Legends community and everyone who wished you well on your engagement?
R: Thank you so much for the love and support. I appreciate it very much.
H: I'd invite all of you to the wedding if I could. Kidding. But like... thank you so much! I appreciate all the well wishes and the show of support. I'm the happiest I have ever been and I'm so glad everyone else is happy for me as well.
pairing: jung hani/son myungjae
words:
universe: original.
rating: g, general
content warning: none
summary: two months after son myungjae's historical back-to-back worlds run, he announces a news that quite literally shook everyone to the core: his engagement with lck producer and translator, jung hani. catch this exclusive interview on the life of the world's favorite esports couple right here in OneT Sports News.
NOTE: this fic, while structured and written as an article, is based on real life esports. i would just like to say that i am not, in any way, related or working for the lck, league of legends, riot games, or any of the organizations mentioned in this fic. everything in here is purely fictional and any resemblances to people or organizations are purely coincidental. also, while i am well-versed in the league of legends timeline, i heavily tweaked the timeline and some events may not be accurate in real life. this is to preserve the fictional nature of this fic.
Your favorite esports players most definitely do have game. Son Myungjae and Jung Hani announce their engagement after five years of dating.
BY: DANIELLE "DANI" GU. JANUARY 19, 2023 7:00PM
If you ask the League of Legends community who their favorite couple is, everyone would come down to a unanimous decision: Son "Reaper" Myungjae and Jung "Nien" Hani, top laner for ST Esports, and LCK broadcaster, translator, and producer respectively.
Both of them have been huge figures in the LCK region, and perhaps the rest of the League of Legends community ever since their debut years. Hani has been a staple during worlds, often translating player interviews, or hosting the worlds ceremony itself. Reaper, on the other hand, has been active as a pro-player ever since his debut in Han.H in 2015. As of the time of writing, Reaper has been a worlds title-holder twice and is one among the most decorated League of Legends pro-player of all time.
The couple announced their engagement through their Instagram accounts on January 7th, sharing that they have been engaged ever since Reaper proposed to Hani a week after winning his second world title.
In an exclusive interview with OneT Sports News, the couple talk about their life, how they met, what led to their engagement, and how they'll both move forward as a couple, and as important figures for the League of Legends Community.
First of all, how did you two meet?
H: I already knew about Myungjae (Reaper) even before we dated. My cousin and I are very into League of Legends, but she's the one who watched esports. Myungjae (Reaper) was one of her favorite esports players at the time and she kept talking about Myungjae non-stop. If I remember correctly, she was about... fifteen or sixteen at that time? Myungjae (Reaper) had been a rookie then. I didn't really follow his career much, but I'd always be updated somehow because of my cousin.
Then we met for the first time during a promotional shoot for the LCK. I was an intern at the time and a sophomore in university. Myungjae (Reaper) was waiting for his turn to go in front of the camera with his teammates when he cautiously approached me to ask where he could get a bottle of water. I was flustered at the time because I was merely trying to observe the shoot and I was taking some notes for translation. I ended up being so flustered and shy that I eventually got the water for him instead.
Is this how you remember your first meeting too, Reaper?
R: Actually, no. I think I was the one who was a bit shy and I was stammering a bit when I asked her for it. I'm always too shy to ask for help but I didn't know where I could get stuff back then so I had to swallow my pride and bit and ask Hani. I'm just really glad that she was helpful to me at the time. We didn't interact much during the shoot, but I remember finding her pretty that day, but we never really talked until a few months later.
Who made the first move that got you two closer?
H: Myungjae (Reaper) did. Myungjae raises an eyebrow at Hani, and Hani laughs at him. I remember being an official part of the LCK translation team at the time and juggling my studies so I was doing my coursework during the break time of that one shoot we had and Myungjae (Reaper) approached me to ask why I'm working so hard when it's still break time. I had to show him that I'm doing my homework and he became so curious about university homework that he asked for my number just so he could ask me all about being a university student as well as our culture.
R: I'm sure this is obvious but I really just wanted an excuse to ask for her number. I was too shy to tell Hani straight away that I found her pretty and that I wanted to get to know her. At first I wanted to ask her if she would like to go on a date with me, but when I found out that she's juggling university and working for the LCK, I decided not to. I didn't want to be a distraction to her back then.
H: It took me like... an embarrassingly long amount of time to catch on, but when I figured it out, I also realized that I was on the same wavelength. I'm pretty sure I was the one who asked him out on a date.
R: Yeah. She asked me out while we were playing League together. I didn't quite believe it at first, but then Hani had to ask again because I was too stunned to speak. I said yes and I took her to hotpot the day after, even though she's the one who asked me out on a date.
I remember you two only ever going public with your relationship three years after you two started dating. What was the reason for that?
R: I was the one who asked Hani if she wanted this to be private for a while. Shortly after we started seeing each other, she was given a proper position in the LCK translation team — a hard feat to come across especially when you're still young and starting out in your career. She's already being tasked to live-translate LCK matches and post-game interviews so it's a time where she has to focus on her career. I didn't want her relationship with me to affect that. I didn't want anyone outside of the community to think that Hani got that job because of me. In a way, I wanted her to establish herself in the industry first before announcing that we were together just so they would see her as Hani and not as my girlfriend.
H: At first I didn't understand where Myungjae (Reaper) was coming from. I think it even became a huge fight because he was already a huge personality at the time and a lot of people knew him and looked up to him. I thought he wanted our relationship to be private to the rest of the world because he was embarrassed of me or something. As it turns out, he was right.
R: Don't get her wrong, though. The people within the LCK already knew that we were dating at the time so it's not like there was some form of... conflict there. Plus. people tend to do that a lot within the esports industry. Just look at Arteezy (DOTA 2 player) and Dove (DOTA 2 caster), they were together but they're essentially working within the same sphere, just in different parts of it, you know.
H: I told them all about it as courtesy, of course. They were all very supportive of my relationship with Myungjae (Reaper), and they also understood where we were coming from when I told them that I didn't want there to be any form of publicity associated with our relationship for the time being. One of my bosses actually applauded the two of us for tackling our relationship with maturity early on in our careers.
That's so cute and definitely very thoughtful of Reaper. But of course, not all relationships are sunshine and rainbows, right? Do you think that being an esports couple makes the relationship more challenging?
R: Dating someone within the same industry makes it easier for me, I think. Hani and I are working within the same world so she understands the scope of my job. She understands that sometimes I have to practice until late at night and wouldn't be available to chat or to go out. Like... she gets it. She's being very supportive of me as a player and often cheers for me especially when I'm feeling down after a particularly bad game. I guess the only challenge here is when Hani would have to be on the stage after I lose a game and it's hard for me not to approach her and hug her.
H: Hani smiles at Reaper fondly, but not before lightly tapping him on the arm. I think dating within the same industry has its pros and cons. All relationships are challenging, and while we do have a bigger level of understanding with each other because we know what the other one has to do for a living, it's also hard trying to just... align ourselves with each other. Myungjae (Reaper) and I started living together around... four years into dating, I think? And it's definitely hard to catch each other especially when the season starts. It's definitely the hardest during the Worlds season because I'm also playing a role during production so we rarely see each other because we're just so busy at the same time. When we get through those days, though, it's definitely the most rewarding.
I remember you calling "FF" when Reaper's team had to go against another LCK team during Worlds. Everyone found that amusing, but I just wanted to ask why you didn't root for Reaper during that match.
H: I love Myungjae (Reaper), of course, but like... I wanted to just root for the LCK. It's the first time since 2017 that the Worlds finals is LCK vs LCK and I didn't want to be biased between two teams I support. I also have a lot of friends from the other team and I just wanted to cheer for them as well.
That's so sweet of you! This is okay with you, right, Reaper?
R: I wanted her to cheer for me alone at first, but that's just because I'm her boyfriend. As someone who's within the LCK region, I also have nothing but love and support for people who are playing in my region. Everyone is a good player and they deserve as much support as I get, even if it's from Hani.
H: I mean... at the end of the day he's still my boyfriend. Who I support during Worlds doesn't really negate the fact that we're together.
Reaper, what led you to proposing to Hani?
R: I've been thinking about it for a while, actually. I bought the ring just two months after our fifth anniversary and I've just been waiting for the perfect time to propose to Hani. I obsessed over it for a while, but then I realized that I didn't really need something grand in order to propose to Hani, especially since she's such a simple person.
So what I did was: A week after Worlds, when the hype sort of died down a bit and everyone is finally calm enough to like do some resting and traveling, I came with Hani to the Philippines to visit some of her family there. The place is important to her because she spent a portion of her life studying there with her cousin and so I thought why not propose in a place that holds very dear memories for Hani? Plus, the timing was perfect. I don't enter free agency until December 2024 because I had signed a multi-year contract with ST so I didn't have any contracts to worry about.
So we were in the Philippines and Hani was touring me around the place. She took me to a river that held a lot of fond childhood memories of her and that's when I thought... this feels like the perfect time. So while we were swimming in the river, I sort of just called her and asked her if she wanted to marry me. I couldn't get on my knee because we were in the water and I didn't even have the ring with me! I had it back in her cousin's place, but Hani was so happy that I knew I made the right decision proposing right then and there. I gave the ring to her later on in the night and she looked so happy with it.
Hani shows me the ring with a huge smile on her face. A dainty rose gold ring with a small, pink, heart-shaped stone in the middle. I don't think I've ever seen Jung Hani smile this huge in my entire life as an esports journalist.
The ring looks amazing. Did you know that he was going to propose? Or did he catch you offguard?
H: I had absolutely no idea that he was going to propose! He was so secretive about it and he did it so well too! I didn't even know that he'd asked my parents for permission, but apparently he told them about his plans early on in the year and they were merely waiting for him to propose. We'd moved in together late 2021 and Myungjae (Reaper) isn't a big fan of rushing into decisions one after the other, so I thought that if a proposal were to happen, it would have happened when we were like... 27 or something.
For the both of you, did you feel ready for this next step? Do you feel like you're ready to start a family together?
R: Yes. The moment Hani and I started dating, I felt like it's going to be a "for life" thing. But like, we aren't in a rush. We both still have our careers going on and I told her that I want to make the most out of my career as an esports player before we even entertain the idea of having kids, especially because longevity is quite hard in esports. Being engaged and getting married is enough for us for now.
H: I have the same thoughts. My career as a producer for the LCK is still a bit short and I wanted to enjoy it first before I delve into a new realm of responsibilities. Getting married to Myungjae (Reaper) seems easy enough. I mean, we both live together and we're already so synchronized with each other. It's the having kids part that feels a bit too... much? Is that the right term? But yeah, that's something we just don't have the capacity to deal with at the moment.
How do you see yourselves after this? Would anything change?
H: Career-wise? I don't think anything will change at all. I'm still Hani and I would still be translating onstage for these players. I'd still be translating every single silly thing Myungjae (Reaper) says to the international community. Just because we're engaged doesn't mean we'll stop being reliable people in our scope of careers, or in our personal lives. The relationship between Myungjae (Reaper) and I will only go deeper from now on and we will only grow with each other, and I guess that's the only change that will happen. Still, though, in the esports scene, we're still whoever we are before we got engaged, or before we announced our relationship.
R: I agree. Hani establishing her career first before going public with me made sure that every achievement she had as a producer for the LCK will always be merited to her and not me. She built her career all on her own and I'm sure that it would stay strong that way even if we didn't get engaged, or even if we didn't date. Just that from now on, I guess I'll be making my way towards trying to learn how to be a more reliable and responsible future husband. I'm practicing being a good listener to my teammates so when I come home to Hani, I'll be an even better listener who can hear her out when she's having a tough time. I'm also learning how to cook from the chef in the HQ just so Hani would be able to have packed lunch whenever she goes out to work. Just those things, you know. Nothing too drastic with the changes.
Lastly, do you have anything to say to the League of Legends community and everyone who wished you well on your engagement?
R: Thank you so much for the love and support. I appreciate it very much.
H: I'd invite all of you to the wedding if I could. Kidding. But like... thank you so much! I appreciate all the well wishes and the show of support. I'm the happiest I have ever been and I'm so glad everyone else is happy for me as well.
