Hello all, and welcome to "A Place to Realize my Dream".

I started writing the first chapter just about a month ago, and after finishing two more it actually took me a little while to decide whether I should post it here since I felt like the context might be similar to another popular Dota 2 fic, "Nightsilver Tales" by achus93, which is also my favorite and inspiration. So please leave comments and thoughts, they will be appreciated. Thanks!

The Italic dialogues in quotation marks indicates the siblings talking in Vietnamese. The Italic without the quotation marks are character thoughts.

Chapter 1: The Way Out

"Phong."

Huyen, his elder sister was looking at him. Even though there were only two of them together, Phong couldn't stop himself from thinking elsewhere. Lots of thing happened, something changed, in just half a month or so. It was hard to push those thoughts away.

Turn his eyes to Huyen's, Phong said: "Yeah?"

Despite all the times Phong told her about his wish, she still found something off about the whole ordeal. Was it possible that, her more-stubborn-than-a-rock of a brother, could finally speak up for himself? She truly believed he could at some point, but the way he had expressed it still left her with uncertainties, especially after 2 years; in which Huyen would give Phong a lecture on finding a purpose once every week, but received not a single sign of result or even reaction from him. Huyen had felt that she should give up on her brother, attempted to convince herself times and times that he was hopeless. But still she kept her little faith at him, and the current outcome didn't disappoint her at all. For the first time in Phong's life, he was able to decide for himself.

….

Phong was not happy with his life. At all. He was controlled by his parents, like 98% of his decisions were made by them for him, in his place. From his enrolment into the best high school in Ha Noi, then the application to go study abroad, and attending university in London. No question asked, the path was practically drawn for him. Okay, it is all good, I don't have to be involved in those stuffs. Some students whom he studied with showed displeasure towards him and other just ignored him. So they don't like me. Okay, as Mom told me, stay clear from their way. University? I can do this. My sister lived 5 years through it, I can do it as well. That's what Phong thought at first, but after only a years and a half of taking many different kind of shits life had to throw at him; he finally reflected on what his life has been and who he was. Oh the pain, the pain of realizing how annoying, wrong and stupid he was all the time. Unable to speak for himself nor make his own stand, he is just a cowardly kid who stuck inside a 20 years old teenager. Oh my, it cost him the times that were supposed to be the best in his life to realize all that. Why he had no friends, why girls didn't like him, why he was bad at everything. All those years of pure failure began to take its toll from him. Depressed and desperate, one would have thought that Phong was not going to survive.

A month had passed when he started pulling himself together. As he was watching his favourite game, an idea sparked in his mind. It was like completing a puzzle, and all the pieces were put in their right place. A profession in gaming. Why not? I can still do it. Somehow that single thought was stronger than his depression, and as an icing to the cake, he saw a recruiting announcement on his favorite gaming studio. It felt like having a fresh surge of energy flown through his body. After 2 weeks, he took his phone and called his sister: "I have something to tell you."

He and his sister met in Starbuck, on Central London. They have been there many times, but somehow that time felt different.

"Oh, nice fingernails, big sis. Got them made yesterday?" Phong awkwardly started the conversation.

"What do you want now? Your fucking tuition fee has been covered, or maybe you need me to do something for you again? Fucking hell, you could have fucked something up again and you need me to help you because you were too fucking irresponsible to solve it yourself?" Huyen frowned, definitely not in the good mood. Dayum, she's pissed alright. Five years. In five years Huyen has been suffering physically, emotionally, and luckily not mentally. Or did she? The elder sister had been though lots of stuffs without Phong's presence already and ever since he stepped foot in London it had been worse for her. And from her not-so-considerate choice of words, Phong could tell that she was having stress from something again. Might be her own studies, her job application, or him or that person. One would bet on the third.

"Ok, let me get straight to the point. I know what to do now." Phong said excitedly

"Oh rrrrrrrr-eally, I think I heard that one for the hundredth time now." Damn it, again with that sarcastic tone of hers. Just like… Ah fuck it, I ignored that all the time. Phong thought to himself before answering.

"I'm serious"

"Heard that shit before, too"

"Can you just let me, please? Maybe most of the thing I'm going to say sound 'familiar' to you, but for once I'm sure about it, so can you please listen to it?" Now Phong was getting pissed.

Huyen seemed to notice something from her brother: "Ok then, let's see what false promises you have to say today." Still with that tone huh, prepare to be amazed.

Phong started to present to his sister everything he has been doing. Looking at the actual gameplay, the mechanic of the game, deepening his knowledge of the pros and cons of each character, each strategy and tactic the teams have to offer, and the voice records of him casting and analysing a game. Finally, Phong showed the studio announcement to his sister: "I have already sent my CV to apply for the position."

Huyen, honestly she was uninterested at first, but then she was surprised, and eventually amazed at what her brother just showed her. For the first time she saw her brother putting this much efforts into this "professional gaming", or "esports" as he called it. Just suddenly all her earlier anger was diminished, replaced by a new hope, a happiness she haven't felt in a long time. Can this be happening? This idiot finally understands what he wants, after all this time?

As Phong finished, Huyen let out a sigh: "You could have done this a long time ago, you know that?"

Phong was delighted with her reaction, but still he asked: "How so?"

"Well, despite you being an ass to me all the time, you are still my little brother. So I 'noticed' that you have never spent more time for anything than games. And I did 'suggest' that to you a few times. Maybe you could do something IT-related"

"I thought you want me to focus on my studies"

"No, as I said so many times, you always misunderstands what I meant. I wanted you to know what you really like to do, something that will make you live happily for the rest of your life"

As Huyen's words astonished Phong, she continued: "I know for long that you are not the ambitious type, so it would be a waste of money and time for you to pursue a serious profession like doctor or shits. If only you realize this sooner, I wouldn't have to work the shit outta myself to get that tuition that you DON'T want. But late is still better than never. I'm glad that something I said actually made it inside that thick skull of yours."

Phong let out a little laugh: "Barely"

Huyen replied immediately: "Better than nothing. So how long will it take for them to answer?"

"They accepted my CV. Now I have to record myself casting a game for them to know my abilities"

"You did that already, didn't you?"

"I am not that satisfied with the current version, so I will have to practice a bit more"

"I think you are doing just fine. From my perspective, as a person who never plays the game, I could understand the basic and imagine a bit of what is happening. As when you raised your voice at certain point, I believe that was when something big was going to happen?"

Phong confirmed: "Yeah, people call that 'hype'"

Huyen continued: "Yes, when you were hyping, I can feel the excitement, the eagerness; which would cause the audiences to join in with your feelings. It's my personal opinion, but I think you are doing a great job. Not that many people can speak like you. If this is what you want, go for it bro. Don't let anything stop you."

Phong was totally captivated in his sister's words. He had never been so happy and willing to open his heart to his big sister, at the same time considered himself lucky to have such an awesome sister like Huyen. Moreover, he had found his long lost bravery, and discovered a fresh motivation like nothing he sensed before. This was what he want, the light at the end of the tunnel, a direction to escape the labyrinth he had foolishly trapped himself in.

Phong muttered: "Thanks sis that means a lot to me"

Huyen's face became serious again: "You know you will have to drop out of university for this, right? The place is not in UK."

"Yeah, who cares, you can tell that I'm so fed up with it I didn't even bother to revise for the exam"

"But what if you fail? This is what you want right? What if you are not getting the job in the first time? What would you do without your status as a university student and with no job? There always has to be a plan B for everything. But leave it for now. Have you told Mom?"

Phong's mouth agape at the question: "Hell no, she would never allow such thing."

Huyen answered immediately: "Exactly, Mom, and Dad, and every single person in our family must not know about this. They will force you to do what they want. It has always been like that, not just because of you being an idiot, but also because Mom wants to control you since she lost control over me. Look, our parents, we have to be grateful to them as they gave us the education we need to go this far. However, it doesn't mean that we have to listen to everything they said, or following their orders. Whatever you want to do, you have to succeed. Only that will change their mind. If you were not my brother I wouldn't agree to this idea of yours".

"It is not an idea anymore, it is a plan. And I would be lying if I said that this is not risky. Even I had doubts when I thought about it. This plan needs time. Time gives proofs. And proofs will come from my efforts".

"I see. So you really want to do this?"

"I have evaluated the potential risks, and I accept them. I have no regrets." Phong emphasized the last sentences.

...

"You looks worried, bro." Huyen has been thinking about that day when Phong decided to go on his own path. To both of them, that day should be marked as a huge life event. And they also agreed that would be too tawdry if one of them post that on Facebook.

"You said you have something to show me." Huyen spoke. "You got the job?"

"Yeah, I got it. Look at this. I printed their email." Phong takes a piece of paper from his bag and gives it to his sister. Huyen's eyes widens at the letter.

"So your workplace is located in a town called Elze, have you looked for any information on the place?"

"Yep, apparently the town shares borders with Auckland, New Zealand." Phong said in a bored tone. There is a bit of discomfort in his voice.

"Oh." His sister just slipped his word, then reminded by his experiences in Auckland about two years ago. It was distressing for him, and from what he told her, during that times he had learnt what 'unhappy' means. "Tough times, I thought you got over it? It's not like you are coming back to the campus. You are not anywhere near the place." she said.

"Not really, I have only managed to put that past in the back of my head. Sometimes I just remembered it, and it was uncomfortable." Phong said, attempting to sound uninterested at the matter, but his sister knows better. She moves their focus back to the letter.

"It also said that an agent will be helping you with the preparation, as well as answering some inquiries you have. I believe you have booked an appointment already?"

"Yeah. They also said that I can bring one person with me, so you mind coming to the place with me?" Phong asked, excitement in his voice.

"I'm free tomorrow, so yes. Still I don't have a good feeling about this. I have never seen this kind of recruitment. But it is not like something bad can happen. You are basically nobody." Huyen said, she talks like reassuring herself.

"So it is decided then."

"Yeah."

...

"You ready?" Huyen asks her brother. They are standing in front of the meeting room on the second floor of a Costa coffee shop. Phong has been here many times with a friend of his. The place has creamy pink and brown as the main colors, with some pictures of London hanged neatly on the wall. There are many small tables positioned and aligned close to each other, which clearly shows a path in between. The big tables are arranged mostly at the corners of the shop, with long couches and armchairs. There are also seats by the windows, which are large panes of glass attached to the wooden frame. This overall gives the shop a warm and cozy feeling and most of the time Phong would sit in here for the whole afternoon. Or when he gets sleepy from the atmosphere.

"Yes, I am. It ten to three now, the agent arrived here 20 minutes ago. I think we can come in now." Phong replied, he can't stop smiling due to the excitement.

"Nice. Let's go." Huyen feels more secure from her brother positive attitude, and with everything prepared, they open the door.