Chapter 84: First Advertisement

[FIFA President: “The Jeong Taewoo Incident Will Be a Turning Point in Eradicating Racism in Football”]

FIFA decided not to just pay lip service to eradicating racism, but to film a campaign ad with me, the center of the incident, as the lead.

‘I can’t believe I’m shooting an anti-racism ad before a sports brand commercial.’

When it came to ads football players shot most often, it was for sports brands like Nike, Adidas, or Puma.

For these top three brands, a football player was like an ‘exclusive model.’

Once you signed a contract, you could only use that brand’s products.

That’s why sometimes, if a player’s football boots are painted black, it’s a kind of ‘job ad.’

It’s a message saying, ‘Looking for a brand, please contact me.’

Naturally, I was also wearing black football boots.

It wasn’t because I couldn’t get a contract, but because I was putting it off until next season, considering my market value was skyrocketing day by day.

So, I came to Madrid, Spain, to shoot my first commercial.

Of course, I came in secret.

If it became known that I was in Madrid, useless transfer rumors would start, and that could have a negative impact on Manchester City, which was racing towards the championship.

“Oh, you’re even more handsome in person than I heard. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Javier Luna, the one in charge of this project.”

A middle-aged man with brown hair, dressed neatly in a black suit, smiled and extended his hand to me.

I shook his hand in return.

“Well, I am pretty handsome. It’s a pleasure to meet you too.”

“Hahaha, Taewoo, you’re truly charming. So full of confidence.”

“That’s just one of my many strengths.”

“Ahahaha, I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard! I heard you’re not even twenty, but we get along so well. Our sense of humor!”

‘Is he calling me an old man right now?’

Adding in my memories of living as Kim Chanki, it suddenly occurred to me that he was probably around my age.

“I’m a perfect member of Gen Z, you know.”

There’s no way.
I’m a perfect modern-day kid.

“Gen Z… if that’s what you call young people these days, then we’re the ‘MD Generation.’ Middle-aged Dad! Hahaha, isn’t that funny?”

‘D-don’t laugh.’

I desperately held back the corners of my mouth, which were about to curl up.

If I laughed, it would be the same as admitting I was an old fogey.

Fortunately, a helping hand came from afar.

“Team lead! You can’t keep holding onto Jeong Taewoo. The makeup team is waiting!”

“What a shame. If you have time later, how about we talk a bit more-“

“I don’t have time because of training. See you.”

I quickly escaped the spot.

I felt a gaze on my back but absolutely did not turn around.

If I looked back, I might have to listen to another dad joke from a middle-aged European that sounded like something a company department head would say.

The bigger problem was… I couldn’t forgive myself for thinking I might actually laugh at it.

As I entered the room where the makeup team was, three staff members welcomed me.

“Hello, Jeong Taewoo! We’re the staff in charge of your makeup today.”

As soon as I sat in the chair, one staff member examined my face and exclaimed in admiration.

“Wow… your skin is amazing! May I ask how you take care of it?”

“Hmm… I don’t do anything special. I just sweat a lot playing football, drink a lot of water…”

“No way, you’re saying this flawless skin is natural? We feel bad even putting makeup on you.”

Another staff member chimed in.

“That’s right. Usually, athletes are exposed to the sun a lot, so their skin tends to be rough…”

I’ve never done any special care. I don’t even wear sunscreen when I play…

The staff’s chatter continued while they did my makeup.

“Wow, your skin is so fair, you look so handsome with just the base care.”

“I guess this is why they say good skin is something you’re born with. How can an athlete’s skin be this good?”

At first, I answered each question, but the moment I realized they weren’t looking for answers, I shut my mouth.

Just then, a noisy commotion was heard from outside.

“Oh my, I think she’s here!”

“Wow, I’m a huge fan… I wonder how pretty she is in person?”

For this ad, FIFA decided to feature one model each of Asian, White, and Black descent, under the slogan ‘Different Colors, One Humanity.’

One of them had already finished makeup and was resting, so the star of the current commotion was…

Click-

“Oh my, Jeong Taewoo! You’re even more handsome in person.”

The person who opened the door and walked in was the famous actress Scarlett, known as Hollywood’s ‘Glamorous Queen,’ who had caused Damin’s jealousy by posting about me on her Instagram.

She wasn’t an athlete.

But she was chosen as a model for this ad thanks to her strong support for me during the recent racism controversy.

“You’re beautiful too, Scarlett. And I saw you supporting me on Instagram.”

“Oh my.”

Scarlett smiled, gently brushing back her golden, wavy hair.

If Gayoung-nuna had an intelligent and neat image, Scarlett was a style overflowing with sexy charm.

“I just did what was natural. I couldn’t believe something like that still happens.”

She sat down in the seat next to me and suddenly pushed her face close.

I flinched and backed away.

Then she said with a laugh.

“Hohoho, I won’t bite.”

‘I-I have Damin. I have Damin. I have Damin.’

I desperately chanted the spell in my mind.

Just then, she whispered in my ear.

“Besides, the protagonist of that whole affair is just my type.”

‘I HAVE DAMIN!!!!’

My mind screamed.

***

As soon as my makeup was done, I quickly left that place.

The studio was bustling with countless staff members, and several cameras were set up.

LA Lakers’ ace, Luke Shaw, who had arrived before me, was there.

He was one of the most prominent black players in the NBA, skilled enough to be an MVP candidate last season.

He approached me as soon as he saw me.

“Hey bro, I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

His first greeting reminded me of Guerrero’s, but I quickly dismissed the thought.

It would be a great discourtesy to him to even think of Guerrero.

‘What a rude first impression I’m making. But he’s really huge.’

As a goalkeeper, I wasn’t short by any means, but in front of him, I felt like a child.

His overwhelming height of 223 centimeters was among the tallest even in the NBA.

“I’ve wanted to meet you too. I like basketball.”

“Oh, yeah? Then call me later. No, let’s exchange numbers right now.”

Luke Shaw beamed as he took out his phone.

His smile was warm, unlike his huge frame.

“Wow, I’m so jealous. I want to get his number too.”

Scarlett, her makeup finished, walked over to us.

We were all wearing the same t-shirt.

On the front of the pure white cotton t-shirt, the words “DIFFERENT COLORS, ONE HUMANITY” were clearly printed in black.

“We will begin filming!”

At the staff’s voice, I was the first to run in front of the camera.

“Jeong Taewoo looks so cool even when he’s running.”

I broke into a cold sweat at Scarlett’s words from behind, but I tried my best to ignore them.

‘Phew… why is this harder than a football match.’

We posed in front of the camera.

The three of us had our arms around each other’s shoulders, smiling, with one arm extended forward.

But funnily enough, there was a slight mishap because Luke Shaw was so tall.

He had to bend his waist and Scarlett had to stand on her tiptoes.

But somehow, we managed to strike a balanced pose.

After the shoot ended, I got out of there at an incredible speed.

Javier Luna’s dad jokes, Scarlett’s seduction.

They were both exhausting in different ways.

‘Phew, I’ll have to think twice about commercials from now on.’

Truly, besides football, there was nothing easy in this world.

After the shoot, the ad photo was posted on the FIFA main page.

[Please join the “Different Colors, One Humanity” campaign. Each of our small steps can create a world without discrimination.]

***

Even after filming the anti-racism ad, my daily life didn’t change much.

I still trained at the club and played league matches.

The ordinary routine of playing football video games with Guerrero, Castillo, and Sanchez repeated itself.

“There’s something wrong with this!”

Guerrero yelled, looking at the monitor screen.

“What is it?”

This wasn’t the first or second time Guerrero had acted like this.

By now, we all accepted Guerrero’s sudden outbursts as a matter of course.

“It’s weird, Taewoo. You’re a goalkeeper, right?”

“Right.”

“Then why is my dribbling stat lower than yours?”

He was talking about the FIFA football game.

Every year, they re-evaluated the players’ in-game stats by analyzing their real-life match data.

It seemed my character’s dribbling stat was rated higher than Guerrero’s.

‘But isn’t that obvious?’

“Of course it is. I’m a better dribbler than you.”

If anything, it was a blow to my pride.

My shooting stat was lower than Guerrero’s? Did that make any sense?

“What, I’m a striker and you’re a goalkeeper.”

“But…”

“No, I am a striker and you are a goalkeeper!”

“So?”

“This won’t do, Taewoo. It’s a competition. Follow me to the yard right now!”

After saying that, Guerrero stormed out first.

Castillo, Sanchez, and I looked at each other and all shook our heads.

“Sigh, you’re not going out, are you, Taewoo?”

“Taewoo, don’t go out. You’ll spoil him.”

“You think he’s gonna go?”

We went back to focusing on our game.

And Guerrero, who had rushed out into the yard without even warm clothes…

“Sniff… why aren’t they coming out…”

He was shivering in the cold.