On a freezing January day in Seoul five teenagers huddle around the fluorescent warmth of a group of souped-up computers in a basement PC bang, or Korean videogamer hangout. K-pop from overhead speakers barely penetrates the cacophony of gaming noise as they battle ninjas in League of Legends and score goals in FIFA. The boys stop for only two things: taking bites out of microwaved hotdogs and texting friends over KakaoTalk, a messaging app used by just about everyone with a smartphone in South Korea.
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