Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

40 – ShootingStar

040

Originally, the under-20 national team was a generation that received quite a bit of attention.

It was the first generation to reveal the fruits of the ambitious youth project that the Korean Football Association had been preparing for the past ten years. Moreover, it coincided with the timely stages of the Asian Cup and the World Cup, providing a well-prepared platform.

However, a stage, no matter how splendid, is futile without a protagonist.

Unfortunately, despite the attention, the under-20 national team lacked popularity. There was no leading figure, a face that could represent the generation and attract the public’s attention.

For example:

In the 1990s, the national team had Hong Myung-bo, Hwang Sun-hong, and Choi Yong-soo. In the 2000s, it was the members of the 2002 World Cup team, and in the 2010s, there were figures like Park Ji-sung leading the pack, along with Park Joo-young, Ki Sung-yueng, and Lee Chung-yong, known as the “Yangbaksangyong.”

In the 2020s, there were Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, and Lee Kang-in.

The players associated with the national team are crucial.

Not only as a star player but also as a catalyst that can capture the attention of football fans. This is particularly true for youth teams, as they lack a prominent face that can represent their generation.

Players representing their era usually show their talent from a young age. Naturally, they become the face of the team from the youth level. However, in the current generation, there was no suitable face.

While Yoo Ki-tae played the role of the ace, comparing him to the faces of the national team from previous eras revealed many shortcomings.

Therefore, for football fans, this youth generation was highly anticipated but lacked popularity – a situation often described as “heard a lot about them, but who really stands out?”

Until the Asian Cup, at least.

[The Round of 16 against China is about to begin. Oh, Ju Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin look really handsome.]

[It’s not just about good looks. They’re also incredibly skilled. Cho Jae-shin is leading with 4 goals, and Ju Ji-tae, despite being a center-back, already has 3 assists. He even received the Man of the Match award twice. They are undoubtedly players who will take responsibility for Korea’s future.]

Ju Ji-tae and Cho Jae-shin, these outstanding prospects, made a splash with their sensational performances in the Asian Cup.

Young age, exceptional talent, good looks, and impressive international competition performances – they possessed all the elements that the public would love.

Given this, there was no shortage of media coverage highlighting the two players before the matches started.

Some people, however, were not pleased with the situation.

“Ugh. Everywhere, it’s just Ju Ji-tae, Ju Ji-tae. What’s so special about that guy…!”

From TVs and computer monitors to tablet PCs.

A total of three screens were broadcasting the game footage, each from a different network.

The man picked up his smartphone and refreshed the page.

< J_dea >

Posts: 213 Followers: 154k Following: 13

— 58 seconds ago

#JuJitae #ChoJaeshin #NationalTeam #WorldCup #VictoryforKorea

“Huh!? A new post 58 seconds ago…! I almost missed it!!”

Faster than anyone else, the man pressed the like button, let out a sigh of relief, and then hesitated as he pondered over the comments.

What words should I use to make it appealing?

What words should I use to elicit a response?

What words should I use…

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

A surge of restlessness.

The cursor blinks incessantly like fluttering eyelids.

[Oops! Dangerous tackle!! Player Jo Jaeshin, are you okay… Oh, thankfully, he’s up soon!!]

[Very, very dangerous tackle! A behavior lacking team spirit!!]

At that moment, a shout echoed through the broadcast.

The man’s eerily dilated pupils slowly turned towards the monitor and TV.

‘Jo Jaeshin. Tackle. Jo Jaeshin… the goddess is his sister.’

Hiss.

Only then did the hazy thoughts in his mind clear, revealing the man’s yellowed teeth.

Tap-tap.

Quickly typing on the keypad, the man pressed the submit button.

—Hey Jo Yeoshin, why aren’t you coming to school tomorrow??

—I hope your sister’s okay, Oppaㅜㅜ

“Ah, agh!! The first comment was supposed to be mine!!!”

Just a few seconds.

A few seconds.

Just a few seconds.

If only he had remembered a little faster… If only he had watched the broadcast a little sooner… If only he had gotten injured a little earlier…!

Thud!!

The man’s face, unable to contain his frustration, slams into the desk.

[China’s attacking! Our players, it might be infuriating, but we need to pull ourselves together quickly!]

Thud!!

[Aren’t we giving the opponent too much space right now? Don’t be flustered. Play calmly… Song Hoon intercepts! Right. We need to foul before entering a danger zone. That was a good play… Huh? What’s this? A card is shown here!]

Thud!!

“No, why even a card… sigh… Oh, I’m sorry. Yellow card for Song Hoon’s protest. China’s free kick.”

Bam!!

“The situation of China’s free kick. The kicker is Wang Dallei. Wang Dallei, a long kick! Goalkeeper punching! The ball bouncing out… Joo Ji-tae! Joo Ji-tae catches it! Once again, Joo Ji-tae! Needs to clear it quickly… Ahh!!”

Repeatedly, the narrative, echoed by the urgent shouts of the commentators, finally comes to a halt.

A flushed face turns towards the screen, replay footage reflecting in the oddly dilated pupils.

The ball bouncing off the goalkeeper’s punch.

Amidst every player simply staring at the ball, a player, as if he knew it would come here, calmly receives the second ball.

“Joo Ji-tae….”

As if pushing the ball away, he nonchalantly follows through with a wide swing, just as the Chinese player’s tackle comes in.

The man chuckles, tilting his face close.

From Noble mtl dot com

In the footage, the Chinese player’s tackle towards Joo Ji-tae adeptly deflects the ball and passes by.

“Ahhhh!!”

“Ahhhh!!!”

At the moment Joo Ji-tae’s foot boldly kicks the Chinese player’s ankle, the strange, twisted leg in the Chinese player’s grasp screams in unison with the man’s cry, unmistakably indicating a broken bone.

“Why!! Why is it intact!!!”

Ding—

The man, glowing moments ago, freezes in response to a notification sound from his smartphone.

A momentary pause, as if he pressed the pause button on the playing video.

The man, now composed, lifts his smartphone.

“Oh. I got a reply.”

A brief moment of happy laughter.

The man’s gaze then shifts to another reply.

“…China. Why? Soccer? Going to see someone?”

Muttering absentmindedly, the gaze returns to the video.

The video was showing the resumed game.

“Football… Yeah, that’s right. The goddess likes football. Right. Yeah. Because she likes football. So, we should watch football. Yeah.”

The man, muttering to himself as if by habit, sat back down and stared blankly at the screen.

His fingers incessantly refreshed the smartphone.

[Oh, oh—?! Joo Ji-tae, Joo Ji-tapnida!! Joo Ji-tae is taking the ball himself!!]

[Wow! Joo Ji-tae is fast!!]

At the annoyingly familiar name, the man’s mouth gaped open.

Joo Ji-tae, in a white uniform, effortlessly dodged the tackle from a Chinese player on the screen.

As if from a comic book frame, Joo Ji-tae leaped forward, and a player passed beneath him, the ball miraculously landing at Joo Ji-tae’s feet.

[Wow!! Joo Ji-tae—!!!]

A series of spectacular scenes unfolded.

And then,

[Goal—! Unbelievable!! This player, he’s just incredible!!]

[Truly an amazing goal with jaws dropping! Viewers, can you see this! The future of South Korea! Joo Ji-tae’s opening goal!!]

Joo Ji-tae’s mid-range shot shook the Chinese goal, erupting cheers from TV, monitors, tablet PCs—everywhere.

The man, who had been absentmindedly watching the spectacle, snapped out of it, grabbing his smartphone.

As if by habit, he refreshed, but Joo Ye-shin’s star player remained unchanged. No new posts.

“I can’t lose the first place. This time…”

Holding the smartphone with both hands, he incessantly pressed the refresh button.

[Huh? Joo Ji-tae’s player ceremony? Approaching the camera… Removing the jersey!]

[Haha. This is fun. What’s written… ShootingStar is here? What does that mean?]

[It seems to be himself. If it’s Joo Ji-tae, it’s worthy of recognition. That mid-range shot just suits the nickname ShootingStar.]

“Shooting… Star?”

Muttering absentmindedly, the man turned his gaze to the broadcast screen.

There, Joo Ji-tae was showing the letters on his clothes to the camera.

ShootingStar is here

In an instant, as the man’s eyes caught the letters on the back of Joo Ji-tae turning around,

I am

The man’s pupils expand to an eerie extent.

a real

Right away,

That’s the message Joo Ji-tae sends to him.

ShootingStar

I am ShootingStar.

To the man with the unmistakable message, especially for a man with the username ‘ShootingStar,’

For J

The man realized.

That it meant suffocation.

A message to himself.

As he casually looked back at Joo Ji-tae and their eyes met, the man instinctively turned his gaze to his smartphone.

There was a new post on the Instagram of the goddess he habitually refreshed.

< J_dea >

Posts 214 Followers 154,000 Following 13

< ♥ > — 4 seconds ago

#JooJiTae #Promise

“…Ah.”

The world darkened.