On Jul. 13, in the 2022 LCK Summer Split, Gen.G defeated Liiv SANDBOX 2-0 and finished the first round of the season at the top of the pack. In the match, Park “Ruler” Jae-hyuk had a great performance playing Zeri and Ezreal. He was voted as the Player of the Game for both matches. After the match, Ruler joined the press room with his head coach, Goh “Score” Dong-bin to talk about the first round of the season.

How do you feel finishing the first round?

Ruler: I’m happy that we finished Round 1 with good results. I’ll prepare well for what’s left.

Score: We finished the first round in 1st place. I hope we could do well in the second round as well so that we could keep this position.

If you won the match against T1 in the first round, it would have been more comfortable. How do you think it’ll be in Round 2?

Score: We only lost to T1 in Round 1, but even if we beat them, there are no teams that we could take our guards down in Round 2. I think it’s more important to keep thinking about doing well in the second round.

What was satisfying and regretful about the first round?

Score: We finished Round 1 in 1st place. There were ups and downs, but we finished well. I’m satisfied that our performance was pretty good. There were many things we lacked, but I think any team can be shaky during a season. It’s regretful, but it’s natural.

(To Ruler) You gave up being on the national team and practiced. What did you focus on? Do you think this season’s results reflected your hard work during that time?

Ruler: I did say that I’ll be practicing, but I thought my performance was terrible. I was worried if I would be able to do well, but as I practiced, I gained confidence. My teamwork with Lehends improved in terms of laning, macro, and vision, so we had very positive synergy.

During the spring season, several people said that the performance of Doran and Lehends wasn’t as good as expectations. Was there anything you said to the players? How well do you think they’re doing now?

Score: Rather than saying something to them, I thought we should be in the position of a challenger since we lost at the finals in spring. We are a team that can contend the championship if the players improve individually. I told the players that, and this thought was already in their heads. I believe they’ve improved much since that. I’ve always thought Doran and Lehends were doing well, but I don’t think they’ve reached their limits. They can improve more.

You’ve played against each team once. Which bot duo was the most difficult to face?

Ruler: I think everyone’s really good, but since we lost against T1, I’d say T1. It was difficult with the draft, but I think we’ll win everything in the second round.

(To Ruler) It seems that you’re always in your prime. Are you satisfied with your current performance?

Ruler: It feels that I keep improving through the experience I gain. I feel that I am always improving, and since I want to do that, I work hard. That’s probably why it feels that I’m always in my prime. I’m excited about how much more I can improve, and that thought makes me happy. I also have my ups and downs during practice, but I’m enjoying playing right now.

Any last comments?

Ruler: Thank you to everyone who always enjoys our performance. We’ll repay for your support by showing great performance. Please keep cheering for us. Thank you.

Score: The first round is over and we were able to maintain 1st place. The second round is coming. What we can do for the fans is to show ourselves playing in many more games. If we can reach the finals and Worlds, we’ll be able to do that. As the head coach, I’ll always cheer for the players and help them in the process. Please cheer for us.