Chapter 68: Korean Derby (1)

Three days before the Korean Derby.

I broke my simple routine of training ground-home-training ground-home and headed somewhere different for the first time in a while.

“Hello, hyung. I’ve arrived.”

-Oh, okay. Wait a minute.

Before my eyes was a two-story mansion.

How many Koreans who live in such a magnificent house in England could I be close to?

It was none other than Seo-jun hyung, the captain of our Olympic team.

“Tae-woo!”

As I waited in front of the entrance, Seo-jun hyung, dressed in a black tracksuit, slowly walked over from a distance.

“It’s been a while. I wanted to see you when you came to City, but as you know, the team has been a little noisy…”

“Hey, it’s okay.”

Chelsea had been in an uproar this season due to the transfer of their captain, who had been a youth product.

“But you became the first Asian captain, hyung.”

It was the first time in European football history that an Asian player had become the captain of a big club, and Seo-jun hyung was the one who did it.

“Being captain wasn’t all good. Phew~”

I could understand the weight in his sigh.

No matter how open a country is about race, racism was a chronic disease in the football world.

Of course, there were people who were dissatisfied with an Asian player captaining their team…

Every time the team lost, they brought up leadership issues and quietly pressured him.

“Ah, come on in.”

A two-story mansion in a London suburb.

It wasn’t flashy, but the classy interior that reflected his personality was impressive.

“Make yourself comfortable. What do you want to drink?”

“Just water, please.”

“Really? I have orange juice… Does our little Tae-woo not like juice?”

“Ah, hyung…”

“Keke, I got it. Wait, I’ll get it for you.”

While Seo-jun hyung headed to the kitchen, I took a seat on the living room sofa.

The view of London outside the window was like a painting.

When I turned my head, the display cabinet next to the TV caught my eye.

Inside, the trophies and awards he had received so far were neatly arranged.

“Here you go.”

At Seo-jun hyung’s words, I turned my head to see him standing with a glass of orange juice and a glass of water.

‘Ah, this hyung again…’

“Ah, I said I don’t drink orange juice.”

“What are you talking about, I’m going to drink it?”

“You hate orange juice, hyung.”

“Who says? I’m crazy about fruit juice.”

“Let’s just say that.”

“What do you mean, let’s just say that, it’s true… But what were you looking at so intently?”

“Ah, the display cabinet. I was just thinking how amazing it is…”

Having received many awards in Europe myself, I knew all too well how difficult and hard that was.

“Well, you’ll be getting a lot soon too. I saw the Man United game, it was no joke, right? Go easy on us when we play against you.”

“No, it’s not like that. I was just lucky.”

This wasn’t being humble, it was a hundred percent sincere.

If I could play every game like the Man United game, I would have continued my record without conceding a goal in the Liverpool game as well.

“What do you mean, luck… That luck doesn’t come without skill. The fact that that luck came is your skill, you punk.”

Well… that’s true too.

There’s a saying that luck comes to those who are prepared.

“Anyway, go easy on us when we play against you. Let your hyung score a goal. If you block everything, it’ll be really hard for me.”

“Could it be… that you’re suggesting match-fixing right now? Wow, I can’t believe the Chelsea captain would do this. I misjudged you.”

“Hey!”

We both burst into laughter.

It was so playful that it was hard to believe it was a conversation between players in Europe’s top league.

“Oh, right. What happened with that?”

“How am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”

“No, that female friend… Is she still a female friend? Or is she your girlfriend? Seriously, if she’s still a female friend, you’re really…”

‘Ah, so that’s what he’s talking about. Come to think of it, I never told him.’

“Hyung, I’m Jeong Tae-woo. The number one handsome football player chosen by the people of South Korea?”

“And a guy like that is getting relationship advice from me? I should expose this on a talk show later. ‘The Jeong Tae-woo you all knew was actually a relationship fool who couldn’t live up to his face!’”

“Uh, then I’ll just say, ‘The Chelsea captain suggested match-fixing.’”

“You…!”

***

The Korean Derby between Manchester City and Chelsea.

While Europe was focused on whether Manchester City’s unbeaten run in the first half of the season would continue,

[Europe’s first Asian captain vs. the 18-year-old prodigy’s 17-game clean sheet record]

– Sigh… my heart is truly swelling with pride.

– There was a time when we worried if they could even play as a starter, but now one is a captain and the other is a starting goalkeeper, so we don’t need to worry.

– How can you stand to wait for a game like this?

The reaction in South Korea was different.

All their attention was focused on the Korean Derby, which was being held for the first time in a long time.

The Korean Derby, which had not been possible because only Park Seo-jun had been playing in the Premier League, was finally realized with Jeong Tae-woo’s transfer to Manchester City.

[A showdown between the veteran and the prodigy of South Korean football! Manchester City vs. Chelsea Korean Derby, LIVE tonight at 11 PM!]

SBS, which holds the Premier League broadcasting rights, was worried ahead of Jeong Tae-woo’s debut, wondering ‘if an 18-year-old goalkeeper could make it in the Premier League.’

But as if his worries were a luxury, Jeong Tae-woo instead dominated the Premier League with his overwhelming skills, and his ratings soared.

But this time, it was a Korean Derby…

Can’t you hear it already?

The sound of the ratings graph breaking through the ceiling.

“Ah, I really want to give this kid a kiss when I see him.”

“Hey, Yoo-jung. That’s a crime.”

“Hey, Chief. I was just saying it out of joy.”

In the broadcasting team’s meeting room, the chief and the main PD exchanged silly jokes while looking at the monitor.

“Is it a joke? It looks like you’re drooling while looking at Jeong Tae-woo’s face?”

“Hey, even if I’m a fangirl, I don’t mess with minors. I’m a good, law-abiding adult.”

“…”

“Chief, that expression is a little unpleasant.”

“Hahaha.”

The chief laughed awkwardly and quickly changed the subject.

“Are the preparations for the game all done?”

“Yes, don’t worry.”

Yoo-jung’s voice was full of confidence.

“We won’t miss a single moment of the two players that the viewers might miss.”

“Good.”

The chief nodded.

“Our country’s players are facing off in the Premier League. It’s a historic moment… We have to show it properly.”

“Sigh, isn’t it great just thinking about it? The dependable and reliable older Park Seo-jun who’s like a university senior, and the younger Jeong Tae-woo who has an angelic face but is a prickly bad boy… Just watching them is healing…”

“I said it’s a crime.”

“No, I was just saying it purely!”

Yoo-jung waved her hands in protest, but the chief who was watching her had an expression of complete disbelief.

‘Well… he’s handsome even to a man, so what would it be like for you, a woman, to see him.’

But thinking he had to say what he had to say as a senior, the chief opened his mouth.

“But if you set your ideal type based on Jeong Tae-woo’s face, you’ll never get married for the rest of your life like you are now?”

“Ugh! Chief! To say something like that to a single female employee…”

***

[The Premier League 19th round match between Manchester City and Chelsea. Both Park Seo-jun and Jeong Tae-woo are starting, and the Korean Derby is on.]

[This season, Park Seo-jun has written a new history as the captain of Chelsea.]

[That’s right. There was a lot of talk when he became the first Asian player to captain a Premier League club. But Park Seo-jun silenced all the controversy with his skills. He proved to the world that ‘I am Park Seo-jun’. The sight of him taking the field with the captain’s armband in every game has now become a new milestone for Asian football.]

[On the other hand, Jeong Tae-woo, when he debuted this season, there were many concerns from experts. ‘Isn’t it too early for a big club debut?’ ‘Won’t his lack of experience be a fatal weakness?’ were loud voices. But Jeong Tae-woo, as if blowing away those worries, wrote an unbelievable record of 17 consecutive clean sheets.]

[What’s more dramatic is that this record surpassed the 16-game clean sheet record held by Man City legend Leo. As if by fate, we witnessed a historic moment where Leo seemed to be personally passing on his throne to Jeong Tae-woo. It was the moment a new legend was born at Man City.]

[Now we no longer have to worry about ‘Will the Korean Derby happen?’. Because both players have solidified their positions in their respective teams. Now our only interest is one thing, ‘Who will be the winner of this Korean Derby?’. That’s all we have to think about.]

[So, shall we analyze it? Park Seo-jun’s fantastic passing ability is already recognized by the whole world. But he has another real weapon.]

[A long-range shot…?]

[That’s it! Park Seo-jun’s long-range shots are truly a work of art. The powerful and accurate shots, like a laser, have made many goalkeepers despair. But Jeong Tae-woo is now a goalkeeper with the world’s best shot-stopping ability, recognized by everyone.]

[That’s right. If he hadn’t conceded a goal in the Liverpool game, I would have seriously suspected that he was an AI sent by the god of football. Haha.]

[That’s why this game is even more anticipated. Park Seo-jun’s laser-like long-range shot and Jeong Tae-woo’s iron wall defense, who will be the winner?]

[Ah, while we’ve been talking, the players are now entering the field!]

[Oh… the handshake between Park Seo-jun and Jeong Tae-woo is really impressive. It’s like a scene from a wuxia novel. The master who has long been at the top seems to be acknowledging the rising newcomer… It’s a handshake with a strange tension and respect.]

[Yes…?]

[Ahem… I’m sorry. I’ve been a little into wuxia novels lately…]

[Hahaha! Come to think of it, both players have the specs of a perfect novel protagonist. Handsome looks, genius skills, and even a good personality… If you wrote a novel with these settings, people would say it’s too unrealistic, but they actually exist.]