Castle explains how he needs to prove himself after choosing to leave one of the best teams in the West

During this year's offseason between the Spring and the Summer splits of the LCS season, announced on X that he will be taking a break until next year. However, as previously reported by Sheep Esports, Castle had multiple offers during this offseason but declined to focus on being in top form going into next year. The toplaner spoke to Sheep Esports about the reasoning behind the decision, his time on , their offseason experience, and what the future may hold for their career.

Cho "Castle" Hyeon-seong: “The reason I left LYON is exactly as I said in my tweet. I felt like I needed a break to recover because too many things happened during Split 2 in such a short period of time. I think that left me exhausted. I also thought that if I was going to make this decision, I needed to make it quickly. I believed that would give me the best chance to return for Split 3. Obviously, it didn't work out that way, but that was my thinking at the time. Right now I'm focusing on having a break and recovering. I will start to be ready to return soon.

Castle: I had some offers to return back this summer split, but currently I have some visa issues, so it didn't go well. Can't really tell the details of the visa issue but I hope it will be fine for next year. I know my situation possibly looks bad for returning. I was definitely on one of the best teams in the West, but I chose to leave. I can definitely see how that makes it harder for me to return. Because of that, I know I have to show that I'm still a good player and that I can compete at the highest level. For example, I need to show that I can reach a high level in Korean solo queue or do something like that to prove myself.

Castle: I definitely think I'm better than I was before. Even though I left LYON, I learned a lot during my time there. If I go back to the LCS, I'm confident I'll return as a much better top laner. People think I'm a good laner, but I didn't always bring that into the late game or have enough of an ipact in team fights. That was one of the biggest things I focused on improving at LYON. How can I use my advantage to help the team. How can I use my teammates better and make better synergies. That's something (Niship Doshi) is also very good at. I learned a lot about those aspects of the game from him and from the coaching staff.”