Ahead of the 2025 season, Choi “Zeus” Woo-je transferred to Hanwha Life Esports and got off to a strong start by winning the LCK Cup and the First Stand Tournament in quick succession. But beginning with the Road to MSI, he was forced to swallow disappointment as the team suffered back-to-back setbacks on even bigger stages—at the LCK Finals and at Worlds.

Feeling it would be a shame to leave things like this, Zeus decided to renew his contract with Hanwha Life Esports before the stove league began. And as if the organization felt the same way, Hanwha Life Esports brought in Seo “Kanavi” Jin-hyeok and Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong, completing yet another championship-contending roster.

On December 15, INVEN met with Zeus, who—after finishing as runner-up at the KeSPA Cup—was preparing to take the next leap in the 2026 season, and spoke with him candidly.

After their loss to Gen.G in the Road to MSI, Zeus expressed his regret with the phrase, “it feels like the timeline got twisted.” Even so, he also shared a personal sense of satisfaction—saying he feels he has become a more solid player now. On top of that, he opened up without holding back about the emotions he experienced during the transfer saga from late last year into early this year.

You’ve finished the KeSPA Cup as runner-up—a closing chapter for 2025, and in a way a preview of 2026. It was also your first tournament with a changed lineup. How did it feel?

First of all, you could really feel that everyone was preparing seriously. We didn’t get to practice that much as a team, but we learned a lot through the tournament itself. It definitely felt like there was a fun element of getting a sneak peek at 2026. It’s a shame we ended as runner-up, but we pushed it to 2–2 in the final, and there was a moment where we were this close to winning, so that’s what lingers. Still, we took things away from it—and playing with the new teammates, you can definitely taste that “spicy heat,” so it was fun.

Could you be a bit more specific about what you feel you took away from it?

I think we got to feel both the strengths and weaknesses of the new roster. For one, I really felt that our skirmishing is insanely good. As for weaknesses, maybe because we haven’t had enough time to build synergy yet, there were a number of areas where we looked inexperienced in terms of overall game management and macro.

Continuing on roster changes—there were changes in jungle and AD carry. With Peanut Han Wang-ho retiring, Kanavi Seo Jin-hyeok filled that spot. Do you feel a difference in their styles?

Wang-ho hyung tends to make sure the team understands his plan in advance and then plays around it, and Kanavi is similar. I felt it back at the Hangzhou Asian Games too—he actively leads teammates and draws up his own blueprint, and in that sense I think they’re alike.

That said, since Kanavi has spent his entire career in the LPL, I definitely felt his perspective on the game is clearly different from the LCK’s. So during the KeSPA Cup, there were times our opinions didn’t line up—but because we were both trying to meet each other halfway, it never turned into a real problem. He’s such a great player that I think it’ll naturally come together. And in terms of trying to play proactively within the game, I felt his style is similar to mine.

Gumayusi Lee Min-hyeong—your former teammate from your T1 days—also joined. As someone who settled in first, did you give him any advice?

First of all, Gumayusi is just so good at the game that I feel reassured, plain and simple. Outside the game, since I came here a year earlier and got settled, I thought I should help him with the adjustment at the start—but honestly, he’s doing way too well on his own. He seems to be living happily, so I’m not too worried.

You also have a new head coach, Homme Yoon Sung-young. You must have gotten into serious feedback sessions during the KeSPA Cup—how was it?

The first thing you notice is that he’s really passionate. He also seems like the type to offer a lot of opinions about the game. On top of that, all the players are proactive too, so when we’re doing draft or playing games, everyone’s tension is always high—sometimes it feels a bit chaotic.

I used to think I was already pretty amped and high-energy, but after coming here, it doesn’t even compare. Still, I think this is the kind of thing time can solve.

This was your first year with Hanwha Life Esports. The early results were great—you won the LCK Cup and the First Stand Tournament—but starting with the Road to MSI, you ended up with disappointing results on the bigger stages.

Early on, we started so well that I felt like this year was going to be great. But from Road to MSI onward, I got this feeling like something was off—like the timeline got messed up. After we got reverse-swept by Gen.G, I think we really started shaking.

Even at Worlds, I was really confident—but then we drew Gen.G in the quarterfinals and got knocked out in a way that felt hollow. In the end, it was a year where fans—and I too—could reasonably feel disappointed with the results.

But at the same time, there were moments in the process where I felt confident, and I learned a lot as I blended into a new team—so personally, it was a satisfying year.

When you say the “timeline got twisted,” what was the decisive moment you regret most?

The moment we went from being up 2–0 against Gen.G to losing 2–3. After that we faced T1 and then lost 0–3, which meant we couldn’t go to MSI. If we had just beaten Gen.G 3–0 and advanced, I think we might have ridden that momentum and the results could’ve been different.

On the flip side, there must have been happy moments you remember most vividly.

I feel like I have a lot of tough memories from the second half of the year, but my memories from the LCK Cup are pretty good. We played so many full five-game series back then, and among them, I remember the playoff Round 1 match against T1 where we won with Olaf–Amumu.

From 2025, the LCK was integrated into a single season, and the schedule was really long. Was it difficult?

It was tough because we had a lot of stretches where we faced strong teams back-to-back, so there was no real time to breathe. But personally, I felt it was easier to maintain my form.
The downside was that with teams in other groups, you go a long time barely playing them—it’s almost like they’re in a different league. That definitely felt like a shame.

How was the newly introduced Fearless Draft?

Personally, once we started doing Fearless Draft, it was more fun, and I felt confident that I could do even better. Early on, it worked well for me too. But as you go deeper, because it’s a team game, there’s so much to think about—champion pool, all the extra variables—so it gets really hard.
Also, even though there are over 170 champions, in Fearless Draft the champions that actually show up in pro play still end up being limited—so sometimes I wonder if the champions that never get played need reworks or something.

You said the results were disappointing, but personally you learned a lot and felt satisfied. In what area do you feel you grew the most?

Before, I always played with the mindset of “just do my job well.” But after coming to Hanwha Life Esports, when the game feels like it’s flowing in a bad direction—or heading down the wrong path—I tried to speak up more and share opinions. There were a lot of times where doing that actually made things better.

If I used to be more of a “just do my thing” type, I think now I’ve shifted into a tendency where I can influence my teammates more.

Hanwha Life Esports is also famous for player support and benefits. After living there for a year, how did it feel?

It’s truly as good as the rumors say. Once I actually came here, the support is really excellent. Since T1 also had great support, it’s not like it was some unbelievable gap—it was more like, this is also an environment where, as long as you play well, it’s amazing as a pro.

What impressed me was how proactively the staff responds to my requests. When I first arrived, I’m sensitive about my desk setup and asked if they could make it bigger, and they did it immediately. I was really grateful.

And for meals, since the aunties cook for us directly, it has that home-cooked charm, which I love.

From late last year into early this year, you went through a difficult transfer period. How did you honestly feel at the time?

It’s true that I went through a tough period after the transfer. But once the LCK Cup started, I focused on what I had to do—and honestly, there wasn’t much I could do other than focus on the game. As I kept playing, those emotions gradually faded.

When I’m fully immersed in the game, I stop having the bandwidth to worry about those things. Spending time like that, I think it slowly got better.

Did you ever feel like you wanted to tell your side of the story?

These days, with short-form content, there are so many false stories flying around. When I see that, I want to correct it, and there are parts where I feel wronged. But whenever that happened, I think I just tried to go play the game instead.

Right now, I’m in a very comfortable place.

After a turbulent season, you chose to extend your contract with Hanwha Life Esports. Why?

One year felt too short. Leaving like this would’ve felt disappointing because I don’t think we achieved enough. We won the LCK Cup and the First Stand Tournament, but I want to win bigger events like MSI or Worlds.

Since I decided on the extension before the stove league, it wasn’t a situation where I could receive other offers. I was worried about who would fill the remaining spots, but hearing that Kanavi and Gumayusi were joining made me genuinely happy.

With this completed roster, how far do you expect the team can go next season?

If we build synergy and momentum, I think we’ll play a really explosive, refreshing style. If we don’t, it could feel like a complete mess—so practice and coordination are key.

If we can become a team that flows naturally without needing to say everything out loud, I think we’ll truly be a championship-level team.

Any final message for fans as you prepare for 2026?

Back then, it was a really hard time, and I needed something to lean on. My family and the fans trusted and supported me, and that’s how I got through it. It never affected my performance, and I believe that was only possible because of their belief in me. I’m very grateful.

We’re preparing for 2026 with a new roster. Even though we finished second at the KeSPA Cup, it showed our potential. If we practice hard for the LCK Cup, we can refine a lot. I think we can become a scary team to face—so please look forward to us. We’ll show you a lot of exciting games. Thank you very much.

This article was translated from the original that appeared on INVEN.