I’ve very a lot accepted at this level that I’m, the truth is, a Okay-pop stan. The place I as soon as spent my breaks watching Twitch, it is now turn into a flurry of BTS and Enhypen movies, with Run BTS, Run Jin, and EN-O’CLOCK absolutely taking on my life. As anticipated from each rabid Okay-pop animal, I comply with all of BTS on Instagram, positively not tuning into each single story and video. I used to be shocked, then, to see that, in his submit confirming that BTS would not be collaborating within the Grammy’s this 12 months, Kim ‘V’ Tae-hyung had additionally seemingly hooked up affirmation that he is reached Masters in League of Legends.
For these of you who aren’t conversant in the League of Legends ranks, Grasp falls into the ‘apex tier,’ sitting just under Grandmaster and the extremely coveted Challenger. Per Esports Tales, solely 0.84% of gamers sit on this rank as of June 2026, with patch 26.09’s exhausting ranked reset clearing the decks considerably. V, then, sits within the high 0.84% of gamers worldwide on the Korean server – notoriously the MOBA’s best one. Nothing to smirk at, then.
That is made extra spectacular by the truth that BTS are at the moment on their world tour to have a good time new album Arirang; the primary tour in seven years following their obligatory navy service. One way or the other, between performing, rehearsing, and journey, V has managed to hit Grasp – one thing lots of League of Legends gamers can solely dream of. Lee ‘Faker’ Sang-hyeok can be proud.
V confirmed his Grasp standing in an Instagram story, displaying the purple wings that border your in-game icon with the caption “Highest rank. Grasp. Solo/Duo.” He is been protecting followers updated – he hit Diamond 2 again in June – and I have been watching far too intently.
Utilizing machine translation, the primary physique of submit reads, “We’ve got determined to not enter the Grammys this 12 months. I hope the music itself could be heard and liked relatively than being distinguished by area or language.” This refers back to the group’s choice to tug out of the 2027 iteration of the award ceremony after the addition of the ‘Asian Pop’ class. The boycott has sparked mass dialogue on whether or not or not Okay-pop, J-pop, and different Japanese music ought to have its personal, separate award, or whether or not teams ought to merely be positioned alongside different, Western artists. I firmly lean in the direction of the latter, however ask me about that over a espresso someday.
I discover the intersection of Okay-pop and aggressive videogames fascinating; we have seen V and Jung Kook play collectively (together with LoL) on varied BTS livestreams, and several other Enhypen movies additionally make reference to League of Legends. It is odd to see two seemingly polar reverse worlds collide, however as an avid fan of each, it constantly makes me smile.
V continues to impress, nonetheless – from Diamond 2 again in June all the way in which as much as Grasp, I ponder if he’ll make Grandmaster (or possibly even Challenger) earlier than the 12 months is out. T1 V, please?
