Kim "Zest" Ki-seok (김기석) has retired from competitive play, as announced via a story he postedto Instagram.

"I'm retiring and starting a new journey," he said. "To all of the fans who have supported and loved me throughout the years, thank you."

An icon of the times, Zest was a household name to Valorant fans at his peak, playing a pivotal role on some of Korea's most iconic Valorant teams. He got his start in 2020 as one of the founding members of Vision Strikers Vision Strikers Inactive stax Kim Gu-taek (김구택) Rb Goo Sang-min (구상민) Zest Kim Ki-seok (김기석) BuZz Yu Byeong-cheol (유병철) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) , the first South Korean team to enter Valorant. On VS, he played alongside the likes of stax , Rb , glow , and k1Ng , and was a large contributor to the squad that went on a 102-match unbeaten streak.

In the game's earliest days, Zest helped pioneer what would go on to become some of the game's most notable trends, such as his Viper on Split. When VS was acquired by DRX DRX Korea Rank #4 Hermes Ahn Byeong-wook (안병욱) MaKo Kim Myeong-gwan (김명관) free1ng No Ha-jun (노하준) HYUNMIN Song Hyun-min (송현민) BeYN Kang Ha-bin (강하빈) in 2022, Zest remained on the squad, helping lead the team to notable finishes on the international stages, such as a 5th-6th finishes at Masters Reykjavik and Masters Copenhagen and finally a third-place finish at Champions Istanbul.

Zest posing with Rb at Champions Istanbul Zest posing with Rb at Champions Istanbul. Image: Riot Games

As Valorant entered its partnership era, Zest remained with DRX, eventually settling into the IGL role on a DRX roster that saw him mainly play the Initiator role. Zest's 2023 with DRX began with a semifinal finish at LOCK//IN São Paulo, but a regional campaign that saw him relegated to the bench and then reinstated to the starting lineup saw the Korean outfit finish second to Paper Rex Paper Rex Asia-Pacific Rank #1 invy Adrian Jiggs Reyes Jinggg Wang Jing Jie f0rsakeN Jason Susanto d4v41 Khalish Rusyaidee something Ilya Petrov . DRX and Zest's first year in the new era of VCT was marred by "what ifs", with disappointment on the international stage showing the team failing to live up to its pre-partnership era.

Shortly after being released by DRX in the following offseason, Zest joined Team IAM Team IAM Korea Rank #7 GodDead Kim Sung-sin (김성신) Moothie Yoo Seung-Woo (유승우) Sunday Kim Min-soo (김민수) Bunny Chae Joon-hyuk (채준혁) Doenmo Ahn Seung-won (안승원) , where he joined forces with some of Korean Valorant's most notable content creators, such as Doenmo and 972 , and Bunny , to compete in the Korean Challengers scene. Ahead of Pacific Stage 1, he was picked up by BLEED BLEED Inactive to join what could be considered one of the earliest multi-national rosters of VCT's partnership era. Zest saw out the rest of the 2024 season with BLEED, which ended with the Ascension team finishing dead last in Pacific. He has been unattached since then.

At 25, Zest is nearing the age where he, like many other South Korean males, may need to complete military service. With his playing career drawing to a close, Korean Valorant bids goodbye to one of its earliest icons.