PART II: Where the Heart of K1NGKONG Belongs

At 16, King Cyric “K1NGKONG” Perez already knew that chasing a dream would eventually take him beyond the comfort of home. Grit, perseverance, and an unwavering belief in himself carried him toward the life he had always wanted. But beneath the grind, the championships, and the career he has built, King finds joy in the simplest things in life.

Coming home. Sitting down for a meal with his family. Spending time with the people who have been there long before the fame.

For all that his career has given him, it has also come with a steep price: time away from the people he loves most. And perhaps no one understands that sacrifice better than King himself.

The Simple Things in Life
Life as a professional player demands hours of practice, long scrimmage sessions, packed tournament schedules, and appearances at events. King knows these responsibilities all too well, but he still makes time for his family whenever he comes home.

Before King rose to stardom, he was the eldest of three siblings who shared a close bond with both his parents, Zayfrin and Roderick, albeit in different ways.

With his mother, bonding often means something as simple as eating together. With his father, the memories are a little different: basketball, billiards, and motorcycles. King even learned to ride before his father and eventually taught him.

These moments might seem ordinary to anyone else, but they mean a great deal to King. Whenever he returns to their home in Taguig, simply having his family together is enough.

“Basta umuwi ako ng bahay, magkakasama kami sa isang bahay. Super na a-appreciate nila ‘yung mga ganung bagay,” he told ALL-STAR.

Growing up, King was used to having both his parents around. So when the possibility of them working abroad came up, the thought of being separated from them was difficult to accept.

“Hindi ko pa rin ma-imagine noon na kulang kami sa bahay. Takot akong mawalay sa kanila noon,” King recalled.

Even at a young age, he knew what he did not want. He could not imagine a home without both his parents in it.

The Dream Worth Fighting For
King’s parents had spent years working to give their children a stable future. From their perspective, putting his studies on hold to pursue esports was a risk they struggled to understand.

In King’s own words, his parents saw it as a “waste of time.”

But King believed esports could offer him a future worth pursuing. He asked his parents to give him a chance, convinced that the game he loved could become more than just a hobby.

Still, he knew he would need another path if his esports dreams failed to take off. If things did not work out, King revealed to ALL-STAR that he was prepared to pursue basketball and try to become a varsity player instead.

That possibility gave him a fallback, but his first choice remained clear: he wanted to find out how far esports could take him.

It took three to four months of convincing before his parents finally agreed. There were countless conversations and attempts to explain himself, but one night stood out. After months of trying to change their minds, King broke down and begged them to let him pursue his dream.

“Nag-beg ako. I really believed na may pupuntahan ’to, may future akong makukuha dito. Mayroong isang gabi noon na na-convince ko na sila finally, ‘yung talagang iniyakan ko nang sobra. Sobrang iyak ko noon. Ang tagal kong kino-convince sila, let’s say 3 to 4 months,” King revealed to ALL-STAR.

He took a leap of faith without knowing where it would lead. All he knew was that he wanted the chance to find out.

The Rise to Stardom
King began his amateur career with Z4 Esports, winning the Juicy Legends Tournament in 2022. He made his professional debut with TNC Pro Team in 2023 before joining ONIC Philippines in Season 13.

In 2024, he won his first MPL Philippines championship in Season 14 before helping ONIC capture the M6 World Championship title in Malaysia.

That first MPL championship marked a turning point. For the first time, the future he had imagined through esports felt real.

The championship changed not only the trajectory of his career but also what he believed he could do for his family.

With that confidence came the possibility of helping his siblings build their own futures. He could contribute to their education and give them opportunities his parents had worked so hard to provide.

As the eldest brother, King had always been part of his siblings’ lives. Now, he felt capable of taking on a greater role in their future—not because anyone had demanded it of him, but because he finally believed he could.

Giving Back
For King, providing for his family has never felt like a burden.

His mother continues to guide him in managing his finances, and he has learned to handle his earnings responsibly. He saves, plans ahead, and remains mindful that his career in esports will not last forever.

Helping his siblings, however, comes naturally to him. He wants them to know they can turn to him whenever they need something.

His parents spent years making sure their children had what they needed. Now that King can help, he wants to do the same for them.

It is less about repaying his parents than carrying forward what they taught him about taking care of family. He now has the means to put those lessons into practice.

The Sacrifice Money Can’t Replace
But there is one thing even a successful esports career cannot give back: time.

It is a sacrifice King understands personally. As his career grew, the everyday moments he once took for granted became harder to come by. He and his parents could no longer spend time together every day.

Sometimes, they see each other only once a week.

His parents still make the effort to watch him play, but seeing them in the crowd is different from being together at home. It cannot quite replace sitting around the table for a meal or spending an afternoon with his father.

For someone who once feared being separated from his parents, the distance that came with his career was never easy.

Growing older has helped King understand what he could not fully appreciate as a child: the time his parents sacrificed to provide for him and his siblings. Now, as he pursues his own career and responsibilities, he understands that sacrifice from a different perspective.

He can provide for his family, but he cannot always be there with them.

Yet through every change, one thing has remained constant: his parents have never stopped showing up.

They were there when King was still begging them to let him pursue esports. They were there when he was only beginning to prove that the game he loved could become a career.

And they are still there now, watching his matches, wearing his jersey, and cheering for K1NGKONG.

For King, their support means more than simply having his parents in the crowd. They are the same two people who believed in him before the championships, before the career, and before thousands of people knew his name.

They trusted him when they were still unsure about the path he had chosen. Even when that path meant less time together, they never stopped supporting him.

Perhaps that is what makes their presence all the more meaningful: even as his dream takes him farther from home, his parents continue to remind him that he has somewhere to return to.

When asked what he wanted to tell his parents, King expressed his gratitude for their unwavering support through every high and low.

“Super grateful ko sa walang sawang pag-suporta. Through ups and downs, unli support. Tapos, ‘yung, pag-intindi sa situation ko. Super na-appreciate ko din ‘yun like ’yung mga times na talagang nakukulangan ako ng time sa kanila. Super thankful ko! Love you guys.”

The Joy He Keeps Coming Home To
There was a time when King could not imagine a home without his parents. Even now, their place in his life remains unchanged.

Today, he can give his family more than he could back then. But providing for them has never felt like a responsibility forced upon him. It is an act of love, rooted in the example his parents set as they gave everything they could to their children.

Now, he gets to give that love back—not because he owes them, but because they have shown him what it means to care for a family.

And still, the things that bring him joy remain simple: a meal at home, a game of basketball with his father, and the comfort of having everyone together again.

His parents once gave him the support to pursue a dream of his own. Now, he is building a life that allows him to support them, too.

The boy who once could not bear to be away from his family has grown into a son who can help carry them forward. And no matter how far K1NGKONG goes, King will always find his way back home.