Doinb officially proposed to his long-term girlfriend of 4 years this past weekend and it was one of the biggest announcements in the LPL region. Doinb talks about his decision to propose, how he and her girlfriend met initially, and hoping to get into Worlds in Season 9 with the marriage buff.

Q: You came to FPX from RW. What kind of opportunity was presented to you to come? What is your goal for the new year?

Doinb: Originally I wanted to rest for a while to rest and adjust my health. During my recovery process, FPX contacted me and said they were willing to wait until I recover. I think the strength of FPX's team is very good, and as my goal is to reach Worlds, I agreed to join.

Q: How did you meet you fiancée?

Doinb: It's due to luck. I met her at the coffee shop just outside, just on Shanghai's Hong Quan road. As you know, 2014-2015 was when a lot of Korean players went to the LPL and many people liked to go eat Korean food as we weren't used to eating Chinese food. There happens to be a Korean street there.

I am rather used to eating Chinese food so I don't go there too often. Some players like KaKAO would like to ask me to go out for dinner, but I really didn't want to as I am used to eating food at the gaming house. Plus, it's rather far for me so I said I'm not going. Since we are all good friends, they said “you have to go”, so I went and ate BBQ together. As I had already had dinner at the gaming house, I told them I would go to a coffee shop first and have a coffee while waiting for them. So, I went, and there she was, a beautiful girl.

I still didn't have WeChat at that time, I only had Kakaotalk. She just happened to have that app, so I added her and that's how we met.

I was playing in the LSPL (QG) at the time, after my games, practice and ranked games, I would keep finding her to duo queue, carry her, and that's how our relationship started.

Q: How long have you planned this proposal? Why did you choose this time to do it?

Doinb: Originally, I wanted to propose in S5. That year, we were very close to making it to worlds but we fell short. That's why I thought, alright, let's wait two years, until S7. However, in S7 our results were not good. So, I wanted to wait until S8, and that year our results from RW was not bad, there was hope in getting into Worlds however we just missed it. I thought, I wanted to get into Worlds for a chance to prove myself, to whole-heartedly propose to my girlfriend, but it's always been a step away. I really want to make it to Worlds in S9, as everyone knows, Ambition got married in May of 2017, and got into Worlds that year. That's a buff I desperately need.

Q: You have been in China for a couple of years now. What kind of help did your girlfriend give you?

Doinb: In my few years in China, my girlfriend helped me a great deal, especially when it comes to Chinese. When I first arrived, I wasn't too used to Chinese food. Whenever we would go out to eat, my girlfriend would take me to different kinds of Chinese food, Hunan food, Guangdong food. As I ate more, I got more accustomed to it. She knows how to cook, and sometimes would cook for me. She knows how to make a lot, she is from Hunan so she knows how to cook food from her home.

My favorite dish? Shredded potato.

Q: How did your family in Korea support your relationship? Did you tell your family before proposing?

Doinb: Of course, I told them before. In fact, my father likes China very much. You know what happened during Rift Rivals Asia (some Korean netizens cursed me). My father is around 40-50 years old and doesn't really understand games, so he didn't understand why netizens were cursing at me, why they were saying such horrible things. I told him “don't mind them. I don't look at Korean news and discussions anyway.” But since I am his son, of course he would want to look. After he saw the discussion posts, he asked me “why are they saying these things about you? Why are they cursing you?” My father loves China. They've been here many times. They will be coming to China during Chinese New Year. Both my girlfriend and I will celebrate with our families together. I live in Tai Chang. They will come visit during the new year.

Q: There has always been a debate about whether professional players should date. What do you personally think about this?

Doinb: Regarding this topic, people that say players shouldn't date are afraid of it affecting practice or mood. However, I don't think these two things have anything to do with each other. I've been with my girlfriend for 4 years now, and in these 4 years, I think my form has been quite good. So, I don't think it's accurate to say that dating will affect the player's form. I think dating has positive effects, like a buff. She supports me very much on many aspects, she will supervise me to focus on playing professionally.

Q: What's your plan after proposing? Have you considered a schedule for your wedding yet?

Doinb: The marriage certificate will probably take a few months, in January or February? Regarding the wedding, I need to wait for an appropriate opportunity. I need to focus on playing rank riht now, practice and play on the stage and that doesn't leave much time for the wedding nor does it leave me with much time to think about how to organize it. But getting the certificate is not a problem.

Q: As a man, what do proposals and marriage mean to you?

Doinb: In the future, I don't think I will ever meet a girl as good as Tang Xiao You, nor will I find someone that fits me as well as her. That's why I made up my mind to be with her for a lifetime.   

Translated by: Caramelized @iced_caramel11 Benson Cheng @1337sn1per