Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

Chapter 35

35 – Leader

035

If a one-sided game continues for 20 minutes after the start, the supporters’ reactions are likely to be divided in half.

The supporters of the team that’s dominating will cheer joyfully, while the supporters of the team being dominated will likely be angered.

But this game was different.

Even though England’s overwhelming superiority had been continuing for over 25 minutes, a strange situation was unfolding where England sighed, and Korea cheered.

It wasn’t like this from the beginning.

Initially, there was clearly a one-sided reaction.

“Robert, Robert Nsombria! Our playmaker breaks free from Korea’s pressure! Excellent turn!”

“It was a concise yet elegant turn. To Alan Brochungsong, and he receives the return pass. Fantastic lobbing pass!! It’s Andrew McNeil!”

“Our monster triumphs over the two center-backs of Korea and secures possession!”

England cheers,

“Ah… another defensive failure. Nevertheless, thankfully, Player Ju Ji-tae blocks the front, overcoming a dangerous situation.”

“We need to stick together! Apply pressure… good, oh! The trap is easily broken in one go!! It’s dangerous!! Ju Ji-tae, Ju Ji-tae blocks it with a tackle!”

“If you look now, our defense can’t stop Andrew McNeil at all, right? In such cases, we need help from the front. We should press Robert Nosenbria, responsible for the opponent’s ball distribution… Oh, Robert Nosenbria easily breaks through the pressure.”

Korea is disappointed and angry in the usual situation.

But as Ju Ji-tae’s performance continues,

“Again, this time too, it’s Korea’s number 18!”

“What… The crazy boy once again steals the ball from the monster.”

“Wow! Ju Ji-tae, Player Ju Ji-tae!! Handles Robert’s pass effortlessly!”

The reactions of the two teams start to diverge.

“What are you doing!! Why is everyone stuck to one person!! Wake up, idiots!!”

“Wow, it was boring at first, but it’s really fun to watch. Ju Ji-tae is crazy.”

As the two teams enter exactly opposite atmospheres, an incident occurs.

“Gooooal—!! In a critical moment, a fantastic opening goal explodes!”

Korea, which was just defending, scores the opening goal.

“The hero of the goal is Cho Jae-shin!! But the player who made the goal is none other than this player, Ju Ji-tae!”

“It’s fantastic! Intercepting the pass heading towards Andrew McNeil, dribbling through the England camp, and connecting a pass to the opposite side, Cho Jae-shin!! It’s insane!! It’s crazy!!!”

From Noble mtl dot com

Following Ju Ji-tae’s dribble breakthrough, the pass to the opposite side connects perfectly to Cho Jae-shin’s feet, creating a 1:1 open chance against the goalkeeper.

When the England players, who were caught off guard by Ju Ji-tae, rushed in surprise, the shooting had already been connected.

Although many players make mistakes in open chances, Cho Jae-shin calmly creates a goal with a lob shot that surpasses the goalkeeper, announcing Korea’s opening goal.

* * *

The first half ends in the locker room.

The atmosphere in Korea’s locker room is so heavy that you can’t think they’re the team in the lead.

“Do you have any spirit at all? Are you going to play the game with your mind constantly wandering like this?”

“…”

“What did you eat wrong yesterday? Or did you receive something, money perhaps? Were you told to fix the match?”

“No.”

“Then what is it! Why are you wandering on the field like zombies! Don’t you want to play? Want to be substituted? Don’t feel like playing? Huh? Why? Is it tough? Am I being tough on you?”

“No!”

“Is the damn World Cup a joke?”

Despite winning 1-0 thanks to Joo Ji-tae’s performance, the dismal display by Myung-jin and Kyun-oh throughout the first half couldn’t be washed away.

Jang Ki-seok, venting his anger by even throwing his soccer shoes, gestured to the coaches when the atmosphere became ‘appropriate.’

“Coach, these kids must have come to their senses.”

As Jang Ki-seok, along with the resisting coaches, left, a chillingly cool locker room awaited.

The players’ gazes focused on team captain Song Hoon for a moment.

“I should step up here… but how? What should I say?”

Bound by the sense of duty as captain, his lips trembled, but no words escaped.

Song Hoon, too, was a young player at 20. The captaincy was just a badge; once back with the team, he was merely the youngest.

The players’ gazes quickly shifted away from Song Hoon, reaching a place unrelated to the vice-captain.

Some were looking at him before Song Hoon, unspoken but considered the most reliable—

“Kyun-oh hyung. Myung-jin hyung.”

The youngest, Joo Ji-tae, spoke.

“It’s tough facing Andrew MacNeil, isn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

“We need to press, but it’s subtly challenging. Keeping a distance feels oddly close.”

“Yeah, it’s strange. Really weird.”

“Honestly, facing them is terrifying, right?”

Even with a question that wouldn’t be out of place in a heated conversation, the two just shook their heads.

“They feel the same way.”

“…What?”

“The same. They were intimidated by me.”

“Intimidated?”

Joo Ji-tae’s eyes weren’t on the two. Unnoticed, he had taken the coach’s position, facing the players as if he were the coach.

“Seniors. No, brothers. How about we attack them while they’re on the defensive? It was tough, but we held them off. Do you guys know? Momentum isn’t one-sided. Now, we’ve gained momentum. And as soon as we did, we scored. Brothers, the ones who should be scared are them, not us.”

“To be honest, Ji-tae is less handsome than me, and his skills are lacking, but still, do you think they’ll score with him there? Brothers, do you know I’ve scored twice now? I’ll score again, so don’t worry. Play fiercely without hesitation.”

Following Joo Ji-tae’s speech, Jo Jae-shin’s enthusiastic follow-up had Captain Song Hoon suddenly standing up.

“Yeah, damn it. Hey, who’s leading in scores? We’re winning, so why is the atmosphere like this? Anyone would think we’re losing by 10 goals. Now, we’ve gained momentum! Let’s dominate the second half!”

Clearly charged with energy, the proclamation ended abruptly as the door swung open, and the coach, entering, staggered to a stop.

“…What’s going on? Why is the atmosphere like this? And why are you all so stubborn?”

With a clenched fist, Songhun’s gaze, frozen in intensity, turns towards Joojitaek.

Before anyone realizes, the guy is seated in his spot, somewhat composed.

Omyeongjin bites his lip.

Entering the second half on the field, the whispered words from Joojitaek calling for coordination with him still echo in Omyeongjin’s mind.

“Guys, in the second half, try doing as I say. Press when I tell you to stick, and if I say separate, keep your distance. Easy, right?”

It’s not like he’s treating them disrespectfully as seniors.

Though he doesn’t flaunt his skills arrogantly, at the same time, Omyeongjin can’t help but feel a sense of reliability in his words.

“Damn. Fine, let’s give it a shot.”

Although he wonders what will change—

“Stick!”

“Separate!”

“Stick!”

“Separate!”

Following Joojitaek’s commands, Omyeongjin, who was repeatedly sticking and separating from Andrew MacNeil, realizes something. The defense has become much more stable.

Above all—

“This guy… is really scared, huh?”

Andrew MacNeil, who had seemed so intimidating, was now blatantly avoiding Joojitaek.

His movements were weakened, and in trying to avoid Joojitaek, Andrew MacNeil, whose plays were restricted, wasn’t as formidable as before. Of course, it’s not like the opponent is easy, but still… Omyeongjin felt a renewed surge of confidence.

And finally, when Korea scored its second goal.

Omyeongjin realized that Andrew MacNeil was no longer frightening.

“How about that? Not scary anymore, right?”

“Ha. Kid, seriously.”

Passing by with a smirk, watching Joojitaek, Omyeongjin conceded.

The guy… had more than enough qualifications to be a leader.

* * *

The second half was a relentless attack from Korea.

Reviving a dying flame is more difficult than igniting it in the first place.

And England had to experience firsthand how challenging it was to revive a once-broken momentum.

“The left side, the left side is open, why are you overlooking it?!”

“To the right! To the right—McNeil!! What are you doing!!”

The English attacking lineup, including Andrew McNeil, dubbed the ‘monster,’ conspicuously avoided Ju Ji-tae.

Instead of guarding the area where Ju Ji-tae was alone, England targeted the place where Korean players gathered. Trying to evade Ju Ji-tae, they passed the ball, but the attack failed to connect properly.

England, overly fixated on the unbelievable impact shown by Ju Ji-tae, eventually crumbled when they neglected the area they should have focused on. The trio of Korea’s attacking line, unnoticed by England, scored an additional goal in coordination, breaking them down.

The hero of the additional goal was once again Cho Jae-shin.

Picking up the ball dropped by Park Hye-chan, Korea’s aerial bomber, he skillfully bypassed one defender and shot, creating another goal.

Although it was the second goal of the match and the fourth goal of the tournament, securing the top spot in the joint goal-scoring chart—

“Mom… Today’s fantastic performance was delivered by this player, right? The protagonist who led Korea to a clean sheet and scored the opening goal! Player Ju Ji-tae! Congratulations!”

The real Mom was Ju Ji-tae.

“…This liar.”

“…Sorry.”

“This deceitful bastard.”

“Ah, well, I’m sorry.”

“A real traitor. This disloyal guy.”

“Well, then do better than me. If you want Mom, then earn it.”

“I scored two goals!! Two goals are enough for Mom!! Just give it to me!!”

“If you’re not satisfied, score three. I became too good, and that’s why things turned out like this. Sorry.”

“Damn it! Let me have Mom! You liar! Give me back my Mom!!”

“Ah, it’s noisy. Hold on, a call… Huh? Cho Ye-sin?”

Ju Ji-tae glared at the name ‘Cho Ye-sin’ that appeared on the smartphone screen.