Work and love, love and work. Many people may have experienced difficulties in trying to balance the two things. Many have found themself placed in the middle of a crossroad, having to decide whether to fully commit to work, or fully commit to a relationship. Anyone struggling with this choice might've missed out on work to spend more time with his loved one, or might've experienced sorrow having chosen work over a relationship.

The same thing can be said for professional gamers. Due to the nature of the career, the ordeal that players may deal with can be far more difficult than usual. Almost all of the players are in their 10s and 20s, which is a time in life when people often crave love the most. But the longevity of the career is lacking, and it requires a heavy amount of time and practice. Thus, serious relationships can often be seen as a liability rather than a positive influence for a pro. This belief is so wide-spread that it is common for people to claim that "relationships make you underperform as a professional gamer." 

But there is a player that found the perfect balance between work and love. He's also the very first player to become married in the LCK. He's known as Ambition. Having started his career in November of 2011, Ambition is the definition of a "veteran" player. He was once highly regarded as the best midlaner in Korea, and even when he switched roles to jungler, he successfully brought a once mediocre team to compete in the World Championship.

On May of 2017, Ambition got married with Meng Sol-Ji, one of the very first 'LCK Buff Girls', after four years of dating. And marriage had no effect in his plays, as he continued to perform and secured yet another ticket to Worlds for his team. 

How does he do it? What's his secret? In order to get a better understanding, Inven Global paid a visit to the SSG teamhouse. When answering questions regarding work, Ambition gave precise and thought-out answers. But when answering questions regarding his more private love affairs, he became rather happy, shyly answering any questions that we asked. 

The following is an interview done with Ambition, the jungler for Samsung Galaxy.

Please introduce yourself.

Hi, I'm the jungler for 'Samsung Galaxy', 'Kang "Ambition" Chan-Yong'.


Let's take a look back at your past. Quite some time ago, you were highly regarded as the best midlaner in Korea. I want to hear in detail about what was going on in your head when you decided to swap roles to jungler.

Thinking back now... it's actually been quite some time since my transition, huh?... Now, I've played as a jungler for much longer than as a midlaner, so I sort of stopped dwelling on the thoughts of my past.

When I first made the transition, I had to give up a lot of things... so it was quite difficult on my part at first. But thinking back now, I think I made the correct decision. Midlane is a lane that is filled with extraordinarily talented players, so the competition was bound to grow fierce over time. The position in which I can shine and play to my fullest is the jungle. 


What exactly triggered your decision to swap roles? 

There were several. The biggest one is the fact that there were so many talented midlaners at the time. Faker, Rookie, Pawn... these players were all in their prime. I could've practiced really hard, and probably have kept up with their level... but more players like the previously mentioned ones were bound to keep on appearing. That thought discouraged me.

Instead of spending the rest of my career playing catch up, I started considering the idea of swapping roles to the jungle and thought that I could probably utilize my talents to its fullest degree there. But thinking back now... I don't think too many extraordinary players have actually appeared after my role swap. (Laughs) So maybe... things could've gone a little bit differently. Well, anyhow, I'm doing great as a jungler, so I have no regrets.


You said that "not too many extraordinary players have actually appeared" after the role swap. If you start practicing again as a midlaner, do you think you can possibly make a successful comeback?

No, it would be too difficult now. (Laughs) Three years have passed since I've started playing as a jungler, but if I had never made this role swap, I would've probably spent all my time trying to catch up to the other midlaners. I would've never stood out.


We were quite worried when you left CJ to join SSG. How did you feel when you switched teams?

About once a year around that time, the roster for any given team is completely dismantled and rebuilt. So I didn't really think too strongly about joining a team with strong players because they would've most likely left the team anyway. So I started negotiating with a team that specifically wanted me, and I joined without hesitation. I wasn't exactly a shining star at the time, so I didn't expect a team to warmly welcome me. So I really wanted to join a team that "truly wanted" me as a player.

What was your first impression of SSG?

I really liked their teamhouse - the team atmosphere was great and everyone was practicing hard. The "hard-working" atmosphere didn't just form because of the temporary boost of motivation that every player gets when a new season starts, it was an atmosphere that was going to stay. 


Is the atmosphere still like that? You guys have been performing really well.

We try our best to continue practicing as much as we can... but sometimes, we do end up slacking a little bit from time to time. But whenever we did slack, it immediately affected our results on stage.

The atmosphere nowadays has been like a repetition of high and low tides constantly flowing in and out. And we were at our highest during the recent regional qualifiers, so I was very confident going in. 


Was the team at their "highest" during last year's Worlds?

Everyone on the team worked very hard throughout the entire year of 2016, and as a matter of fact, I practiced the least when compared to the rest. Last year, we basically climbed to the top from the bottom. So during the qualifiers, we thought: "Worlds? It'd be cool if we make it, but it's whatever." There was a lot more pressure this year though because we were a top team. So we worked extra hard.


In 2016, 'kt Rolster' was a huge obstacle for SSG. I remember when you guys took them down, and everyone shed tears. Can you tell us about that moment in detail?

We were losing 1-2, and I kept telling myself, "it's okay to lose today," but at the same time, I thought, "I don't want to lose like this." So even if we did end up losing, I wanted to do everything that I possibly could. So we started utilizing what we'd prepared and it started affecting the mentality of the opposing players.

I couldn't believe the outcome. After the victory, all the players cried. One person started crying, and before we knew it, everyone was. 

Who cried first?

Crown. (Laughs) He cried as soon as the series ended. Then, following him, everyone else did too.


You played both Skarner and Kha'Zix last year, and you've mentioned that you got the idea to pick those two from Solo Queue.

Teams get easily thrown off from a surprise jungle pick, especially when the jungle pool is relatively small for the meta.

A surprise pick would be something like... a form of an attack, in a way? And when going against a strong team, I think it's not a bad idea to consider picking "unconventional" picks to throw teams off and open up more opportunities.  


At the time [2016 Worlds], fans said that SSG's group was the 'group of death'. Were you guys confident in making it out?

To be honest with you, I couldn't care less about the group stages. There were no Korean teams, so I was fully confident that we would make our way out of it.

TSM, on the other hand, did make us worry because they actually defeated us during the group stages - plus, the individual members were very talented. But once again, our team didn't really worry too much. It'll probably be the same this year as well.

During 2016 Worlds, SSG placed 2nd. Did you expect the team to get such great results from the beginning?

I honestly expected our team to make it no further than the semifinals... In my opinion, we just got lucky. We weren't matched against a Korean team in the semis, and at that point, I knew for a fact that we would make it to the Finals. 

Throughout the entire tournament, the moment that made me the most nervous was when the knockout stage matches were announced [and seeing whether or not we got matched against a Korean team]. I was more nervous then than when actually playing the game itself.


Many fans were expecting SKT to take a clean series off of you guys during the Finals. But despite those expectations, you guys gave SKT a hard-fought series, and moreover, a close series. How was your team reacting?

The mentality of the players was a bit laid back at the time. We were aware that SKT was the stronger team, and therefore, we were fully aware of the fact that we could lose, and it helped us play without feeling too much pressure. 

But when we lost the 1st and 2nd set, I started thinking: "we aren't losing because we are less skilled... we are losing because we are making too many mistakes." So starting from the 3rd set, everyone got back on focus. The odds were against us, but we somehow managed to bring SKT to game 5. At that time, I thought, "Can we actually do this?" 

In the end, we still lost. But everyone gave it their all, so we had no regrets.


Did you see or hear the audience growing wild when SSG started taking games off of SKT?

Fans love entertaining and exciting games... so I almost felt sorry for them when we were losing so badly in the beginning.

But when the fans started cheering for us, it felt amazing... and after the series, when our team started heading for the locker room, the fans cheered for us one last time; and again, it felt amazing.

This year, SSG was the 3rd team to qualify for Worlds. How is the team atmosphere this time around?

We might've had great results in the past, but the past is the past. We may be a "top" team this time around, but things will always change, so I don't expect us to remain at the top forever. 

In the beginning, I was fully expecting this season to be a rough one for us. My expectations for the team have always been the same, but the fans' expectations kept on growing. 

Well, anyhow, we were always trying our best. But just like how I mentioned in the beginning of the interview, our team's performance kept on fluctuating whenever we entered playoffs. We might've made it to the [LCK] Finals if we had played while at our best condition.


You began practicing an enormous amount this year. Does it have anything to do with competing against Haru?

It would be a lie to say that there is no competition between Haru and I. When I saw no play on stage and was subbed out for Haru, it did give me some emotional stress.

But I've overcome it, and it's okay now. It's the team before me. I just need to do what I need to do. 

I hate being rebuked by fans for underperforming. So I practice until I become satisfied with my own performance - but to be honest, I've never really reached that point of satisfaction. So I kept on practicing, all year round. It took me quite a bit of time to recover from my slump this year.


You must've experienced a lot of emotions during those times. "Maybe, I'm getting too old," or "Can I keep up?" We can only imagine what was going on in your head. What kind of mentality did you maintain in order to overcome those thoughts?

I ask myself a countless amount of questions.

I play with the mindset of: "I just need to do, what I need to do. If there are no teams that want me, I'll simply quit." 

If I can look back and feel no regrets at the time of my retirement, that'll be enough for me - I would hate to retire with regrets, such as: "Maybe I could've done that," or "I should've done better."


How do you rate Haru?

First of all, he's young, and that's a huge advantage that Haru has over me. I'm actually kind of jealous in that regard. (Laughs) If I was about two years younger, I think I would be less pressured than I am now. 

Haru is doing the best that he can in SSG, and that's enough. Most teams will overhaul their entire roster once a year anyway. If Haru keeps on playing like he is now, and can maintain his great mentality, he'll do well wherever he goes.

You are the main shot caller of the team, and therefore, the most important player. But nowadays, even when you aren't playing and are subbed out for Haru, the team seems to manage well in terms of macro. In one way, you might look at this and say, "Oh wow, the team has really grown," but in another, you might feel uneasy that the team is doing well without you. What are your thoughts on this?

I do think that the team has gotten really far in terms of growth, but I've never felt uneasy thinking that the team doesn't need me anymore. If you keep playing together, the team will eventually form a pattern. So even when you're not playing, the team will be fully able to utilize the playstyle that they have become familiar with. 

I try to keep it simple. If a team needs me, I'll fill in. If you start clouding your mind with unnecessary concerns, you'll end up going faster down the road to retirement. I've actually talked with a lot of pros that have retired, and they all had one thing in common: they had too many thoughts and concerns. So I keep myself from asking questions that have no definite answer.

All that being said, I used to have a lot of concerns. I was also a perfectionist and would often dwell on unnecessary thoughts. It was really hard during those times.


Let's talk about your marriage! You got married during an ongoing season. How did your life as a professional gamer change?

Hmm... vacations have gotten a lot more valuable? That's really the only difference.

My wife always supported my gaming career - even before marriage - so I didn't really experience any "big" changes. It just feels really good now that I'm legally married. I feel more... secure, in a sense. I don't have to dwell on the thought of, "When will I get married?" The difference between having a girlfriend and having a wife is quite huge. Having a wife is much better. (Laughs)

We were told that the team had no idea that you were getting married, and that they heard the news only about 2 weeks prior to the actual ceremony. Why was the announcement so delayed?

First of all, it was during an ongoing split... and I was fully willing to change the date of marriage depending on if we qualified for MSI or not. So I planned two separate days just in case. But in the end, our team didn't qualify for MSI, so I was able to get married sooner.

I admit that the plan for marriage was a bit rushed, and the entire team was indeed surprised when they heard about it.


Were there any issues within the team when they heard that you were getting married?

Nope, there weren't any.


Do you feel the responsibility of being the "head" of a household?

(Laughs) Not yet.


Do you go to your house to see your wife every chance that you get? 

Yes, whenever I have free time. She is currently living in my old house. It's a shame that I couldn't take her sightseeing during my vacation... but I'm happy as long as I can be with her... no matter what we decide to do.


How did you gain the "permission of marriage" from your wife's parents?

I just paid a visit and greeted them. (Laughs) Instead of asking for permission, I just simply went and told them that I was going to marry her. 


When on a date with your wife, do you guys often play video games?

I remember streaming our duo queue, where we played Xayah-Rakan bot duo. Although we do play a lot of games, we also partake in various activities. Our life isn't too different from any other couple's. 

This might be a personal question, but... do you have any plans for Ambition the 2nd?

(Laughs) No, not yet. Currently, we have the mindset of, "Let's just be happy together, just the two of us."


If your child's dream is to become a professional gamer, will you fully support him/her?

I will support my child on whatever he or she wants to do. But if he is low-ranked... I will have him realize that he's not capable and that he has to face reality. (Laughs) League requires talent... so not everyone can just jump in and decide to go pro. Walking the life of a pro gamer could be hard... but if he really wants that life, I will support him.


On every interview that you went through, you always sent a message to your wife - saying that you love her. Will you continue that trend?

Yes.


Aren't you worried that if you do it too often, it'll lose that special meaning?

Not really... she still enjoys it and praises me for it.


Who is the "leader" of the relationship? Who holds the reins?

My wife. (Laughs) 


Your wife is well-known for always caring for you and your teammates.

Today, she brought a box of apples to the teamhouse for everyone to eat. As players, we rarely run into opportunities to eat fruit, because we don't really think about our diet. So my teammates always appreciate her for always taking care of them.


Did people criticize you for getting married too early?

I don't think it's necessary to pay attention to such criticism.


Was there a specific moment that made you "certain" that you wanted to marry her?

My wife and I actually discussed marriage long before actually going through with it. I thought, "I will never meet another girl like this." We shared similar interests and hobbies, so I made the decision.

Did you propose to her?

It wasn't really that fancy. I guess it was... cute in a way? I'm not good with that kind of stuff.


Did you get on your knees?

No... (Laughs)


Does your wife often cook for you?

Her cooking skills are increasing day by day. Her 'blue crab soup' is the most delicious. As for me, I'm a terrible cook... but I did try cooking 'miso soup' recently, and it actually turned out pretty decent. 


Wow, your wife must've been touched by your efforts.

Of course! I did it to make her feel good. 


Although it's already a famous story, how did you guys meet?

As you may already know, my wife used to work as an 'LCK Buff Girl'. I used to always stare at her from afar, and eventually, an opportunity arose, and we exchanged numbers and stayed in contact. From there, we just had an ordinary boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. But I did always feel a little bad because I was so busy all the time. 

I couldn't call her whenever I wanted to. And also, when I get the sudden urge to see her, I couldn't... because we lived far from each other.

I still feel bad in regards to that, so I try to do my best to make amends for it. It's gotten a lot better now.


We heard that you were very "bold" when you made your first move on her. We heard that you asked her out to the movies, despite both sides barely knowing each other.

It's probably because I wasn't too good with that kind of stuff. I just did what my heart told me to do.

Does your wife make surprise visits while you're practicing?

Yeah, very often. She also drops by for lunch too. She comes to Seoul for work, so we see each other whenever we get the chance. If she gets off of work late, we see each other during the night. Sometimes I go to Incheon [the city where she stays] to see her. 

This year, the players of our team weren't granted very many vacation hours, so if I hadn't fully dedicated my free time to her, it would've been very difficult to see her.


There were many speculations that were made in the past... that "relationships make you underperform" as a professional gamer. You, however, completely disproved that. 

I put a lot of effort into making this relationship a successful one. I tried my best to manage my time so that not a single minute would go to waste. Sometimes, my practice would go badly, and some other times, my relationship would turn sour.

I did my best to balance the two things.


Do you have any relationship advice for other pro players?

I'm able to continue playing as a professional because my wife is so understanding. So I can't really give any advice. However, don't say anything like: "I'm giving up on my career because of my relationship," or "I'm giving up on my relationship because of my career." Those are just poor excuses. Do your best to keep the relationship healthy, but most importantly, meet the right woman.

Let's talk about Worlds again. How did your team prepare for the regional qualifiers this year?

Starting from the playoffs, our team was in a slump for a long period of time. You guys might not have noticed it. We were quick in adapting to the new meta, and we also got lucky, and I think that's how we were able to win the qualifiers.

We also predicted that 'kt Rolster' players were mentally broken; just like during last year's Worlds. That's when I knew that we could win.


Compared to your reaction from last year, your reaction this year was rather... dull... when your team secured the last spot for Worlds.

It was our first time last year, and the series was hard-fought. This year, on the other hand, we won 3-0, so although I was happy, it wasn't enough to make me tear up again. The feeling of winning an important series 3-2 versus winning 3-0 is very different. 


How will Worlds play out this year?

We can't make any claims until we start playing. But in my opinion, I think Korean teams will perform extremely well. In the case of foreign teams, I can't make any accurate predictions because their playstyle is... well, unpredictable.


Is there a specific region or a team that you are looking out for during Worlds?

That's a hard question to answer, because like I've mentioned, it'll be hard to make any claims until we actually start playing. 

I said this before last year's Worlds, and I'll say it again for this year. I think TSM will perform well. The team is overall, very skilled... and this time, they've been placed in a good group. I've always thought that TSM was a strong team, but for some odd reason, they always had poor results [when playing in international tournaments]. 

We can only wait and see how they perform this year.

You've mentioned that utilizing surprise picks is overall better than taking the conventional route when playing against a strong team. Can we expect something like that during Worlds?

I'm constantly looking for new picks to practice, and we still have a decent amount of time before Worlds begins. But I still want to defeat the other teams with pure skills alone [instead of depending on surprise picks].


SSG has a very concrete playstyle. Solid macro while not allowing opposing teams to grab ahold of its weaknesses; will you continue to push the team down that path?

Our team has a specific "pattern". When we play, we try our best to play it safe - playing as safely as possible, and letting skills alone be the only factor that decide who wins a series. That's why we rarely lose games against "bottom" teams in the LCK. 

But there are cons to having this mindset, as it can become a big weakness when facing against teams who are actually better than us. One way to overcome this could be through utilization of surprise picks. 


Crown seemed like he was having a hard time this season. Did you help him out in terms of giving him advice?

Seeing him flustered and drowned in thoughts really frustrated me. Even when he does well, he would find a way to blame himself.

Crown is the type of player that would feel down from losing a single game... so I always tried my best to comfort him. To be honest, I'm not too worried about him because he practices an insane amount, but I wish that he would have more confidence. So I did give him a piece of my mind from time to time, even during ongoing games. 

Crown is the only one in the team that does this. He says that he's fine, but whatever the case may be, everyone in the team fully supports him and tries their best to help him. I think he's recovered a lot.

Although he's still in the process of recovering, and his playing condition isn't too great at the moment, I think he's on the right track.


This is kind of sudden, but can you tell us a bit about CuVee's "toilet issue" that happened recently in the LCK? Did you scold him or anything?

No, I didn't think too much on it... It was actually kind of funny... I thought, "Why does this keep happening to me?"

(** With all the bathroom pauses that have happened in the LCK, Ambition was on the same team of the players that requested the pause.)


Thank you for the interview, Ambition! Do you have any final words? Maybe some advice for other players?

I just want to tell them to listen to the team, instead of only trying to follow their own opinions or thoughts.

Anyways, our team was granted another opportunity to compete in the World Championship, and I'm much more confident this year than I was last year. Of course, luck can be important to have in order to make good results, but I'm practicing hard so that we could make it far in the tournament with pure skills alone. I also want to thank all the fans that are cheering for us. And to be honest, I don't even remember half the things that I've said during this interview, but please read it light-heartedly, as most of the things were said to entertain you guys.

Lastly, I want to tell my wife that I'm always thankful for everything that she's done for me and that I love her. Thanks for the apples!