Episode 4
* * *
After Mbappé and Haaland reigned supreme,
people questioned whether a player comparable to them would ever emerge.
Records of surpassing fifty goals per season and all manner of trophies—the mountain left to climb was too high.
Because of this, people believed a player who could surpass them would never appear.
But that was a miscalculation.
2025.
A player was thrust into a crumbling giant.
A genius forward who had come through Ajax and signed for Barcelona.
Ji Hakyeong.
He changed the landscape of world football.
Top-class work rate averaging 11 kilometers per match.
Miraculous scoring prowess that never missed first place in the seasonal goals ranking.
Dominant aerial ability accounting for 30% of his total goals.
And on top of that, the premium of being two-footed.
He was a player without weaknesses.
He was the savior who rescued Barcelona, which had been suffering from a scoring famine.
In the end, Barcelona succeeded in resurrection through Ji Hakyeong's exploits, pulling off the remarkable feat of winning the Champions League three consecutive times from 2026 to 2028.
The Champions League MVP was entirely his as well.
But what would happen if such a player disappeared in an instant?
A phenomenon akin to a syndrome occurred.
The internet was filled with nothing but articles about Ji Hakyeong, and conversation topics were nothing but his death.
An environment was created where even those with no interest in football encountered it, not to mention those who did.
If one more football-related issue erupted in the midst of this, its influence would transcend imagination.
That was precisely the reason for holding the tryout.
“Replace all Ji Hakyeong-related articles with the tryout.”
This was why memorial articles for Ji Hakyeong disappeared in just two weeks.
“Instead, put up the slogan that we will discover the second Ji Hakyeong.”
It was the occasion that led to outstanding legends, including Son Hyeongmin, joining as tryout judges.
Because outwardly, it appeared they were exerting themselves for the development of football.
Moreover, Son Hyeongmin had coincidentally retired just before Ji Hakyeong's death.
The two players who had been leading the Korean football world had vanished at once; Son Hyeongmin could not help but feel a sense of responsibility.
His upright character had created a miraculous joining.
Of course, if it were Ji Hakyeong, he would not have done so.
“To think they'd hold a tournament even if it means selling me out.”
Ji Hakyeong…
No, I, who had been reborn as Lee Dohyeon, had already anticipated this situation.
How many years had I spent in the football world?
Honestly, at first I thought I was quickly forgotten.
It was a bit strange, but that had been the most realistic answer.
But thinking it over carefully, there had been no reason to hold a tryout at this time.
And there was even less reason for Son Hyeongmin to participate as a judge.
Given his personality, rather than clowning around in front of a TV, he would have run about on his own two feet to discover talent.
But the fact that he hadn't meant the organizers had offered Son Hyeongmin something groundbreaking…
‘If I think of Hyungmin sunbae’s usual character, he wouldn't be swayed by material things.’
From there, I was certain they had sold me out.
The only thing that could move Son Hyeongmin would be something related to me.
‘So that’s where this “Second Ji Hakyeong” stuff came from.’
So I resolved.
To make this tournament mine.
“Alright, applicants, please line up according to your waiting numbers.”
“Please maintain order!”
A stadium located in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do.
Thousands of people had flocked there.
Each and every one wore stiff, frozen expressions.
They were the ones who had applied for the public tryout.
“This is insane….”
Lee Seonghyeon clicked his tongue with wide eyes.
Well, it was understandable.
They said there were 65,000 applicants.
The people gathered here were only a portion of them.
Because so many had applied, they had to divide the preliminary rounds by region.
Watching them, Lee Seonghyeon asked.
“But what are we doing here? Surely all these people won't each play a full match.”
“They’ll probably check fundamentals.”
“Fundamentals?”
“Yeah. Light juggling or shooting? If you do well there, they might ask to see other things.”
Lee Seonghyeon nodded.
Fortunately, he seemed to understand.
“But what’s juggling?”
“…….”
What have you been listening to all this time?
Should I really smack him one?
I steadied my mind and turned my gaze forward.
Just then, the explanation for this preliminary round was being given.
“Everyone, please pay attention! Because more participants than expected have arrived, the preliminaries will proceed simply! Please check your preferred juggling positions!”
The surroundings became busy.
Applicants prepared for the upcoming preliminaries by warming up or stretching with balls they had each brought.
Watching them, Lee Seonghyeon tilted his head again.
“Why are you just standing there? Not warming up?”
It was a look asking what he was doing alone while everyone else was busy moving.
This guy… he should worry about someone worth worrying about.
I could juggle all night long.
Rather, I was worried I might be so good they’d think it strange.
I looked at Lee Seonghyeon and grinned.
“That’s something amateurs do.”
The surroundings reacted sensitively to my words.
Some looked with openly hostile eyes, while others scoffed as if bewildered.
Well, it didn’t bother me much.
The results would speak for everything anyway.
I plopped down and waited my turn.
* * *
“Why are there so many?”
A man in a suit that didn’t match this place.
It was Seol Gihun, a judge for the Gyeonggi regional preliminaries and a former Korean national team striker who had advanced to the EPL.
His face was full of irritation, an expression of clear displeasure.
He was one of those who viewed this tryout unfavorably.
And for good reason—this method of recruiting players was not normal.
“If it weren't for that bastard Hyungmin, I wouldn't be participating in this circus.”
The majority couldn’t even do basic juggling.
If that were all, it might be fine, but some hadn’t even conditioned their bodies.
Especially that fatso just standing blankly while everyone else warmed up.
Having to even evaluate a guy like that was truly…
Just then, a man standing nearby said something to the fatso.
“Why are you standing still? Not warming up?”
“That’s something amateurs do.”
The audacity of that kind of bluster with a body like that.
A sight to behold.
Seol Gihun shook his head and entered the stadium.
‘The problem is those broadcasting bastards who only chase sensationalism.’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t believe Son Hyeongmin was participating in such a tournament.
What on earth was he expecting…
“Judge Seol Gihun. This way, please.”
“Hm.”
Upon entering the field, he saw the judges’ seats with chairs and tables.
Crude beyond compare.
The moment Seol Gihun was about to frown, several juniors sitting there bowed their heads respectfully.
“Has the sunbae arrived.”
“Please sit in the center.”
“It’s been years since I retired and you still call me sunbae. I’m just a second-division manager now.”
“Not at all, sunbae.”
Seol Gihun headed to his seat in the center with a slightly eased expression.
Juniors still standing by their seats.
Despite appearances, they were veterans who had spent their fair share of time in the K-League.
“Sit down now, you too. This doesn’t look good.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Only then did the juniors sit.
Yes. This is what a true sportsman looks like.
“The first group will now enter.”
At the staff member’s words, a crowd of people entered.
Each and every one was poorly dressed.
Some wore clothes that flapped in the wind, and some didn’t even have cleats.
What sport could people so unprepared possibly play…
“Sigh….”
“Um… sunbae, the broadcasters said you shouldn’t look too disappointed.”
“So you’re telling me to laugh at that?”
“No, it’s not that, but….”
“Alright, alright. Don’t make such a troubled face. I have broadcast experience too, so I’ll handle it well.”
“Thank you, sunbae. And…”
“What now?”
“They also said to give generous scores to people who seem like they might produce a decent story.”
“Story?”
“Yes, I think they mean someone like that limping fatso over there. He looks like he has nothing to do with football, so wouldn’t he be good for a reversal story?”
Seol Gihun frowned and looked at the person the junior gestured toward.
It was the same fatso who had been full of bluster.
He hadn’t known the guy’s leg was even impaired.
Seol Gihun shook his head once more and asked.
“It’s fine if we don’t pick anyone, right?”
“Yes, but… if we don’t get enough footage, the PD will probably throw a fit.”
“That’s none of my concern. They’ll figure it out themselves.”
It was hard enough going along with this circus.
Seol Gihun intended to cut mercilessly anyone who didn’t meet his standards.
And that thought only hardened as the evaluation continued.
“Please receive the ball I throw to you and continue with juggling. Understood?”
“Yes.”
Few could even perform this simple action properly.
Maybe one in ten?
What was a bit unexpected was that the fatso from earlier passed this evaluation.
“Easy.”
“…….”
He even returned the ball using his heel.
It was a trivial trick impossible without confidence in ball control.
Honestly, it had gotten a little interesting from that point.
‘Guess he kicked a ball around in his youth.’
At best, it was the most basic of basics.
Seol Gihun’s interest was merely to the degree of “not bad for such an obese body.”
When the first-stage evaluation ended, roughly 200 remained.
Close to 90% had been eliminated in just a single evaluation.
“From now on, we’ll have you properly kick the ball. You see the hula hoops in front of you?”
“Yes!”
“Pass the ball through there and you pass. Let’s begin.”
The distance between the ball and hula hoop was roughly 20 meters.
It was slightly longer than the distance from the goal to the front of the penalty arc.
‘You should be able to kick this easily to pass.’
It wasn’t that difficult an evaluation.
From the perspective of someone who had been a player, it was basically a freebie.
But it wasn’t so easy for the people gathered here.
“You’re eliminated.”
“That’s a shame.”
“Please try again next time.”
Half couldn’t even get the ball near the hula hoop.
The other half managed to put the ball in the hoop, but that was all.
The boring evaluations continued with no one worth noticing or making an impact.
In the midst of this, Seol Gihun’s eyes lit up.
The insolent fatso had taken his position.
‘What can he possibly do with those feet…’
Glancing around, the broadcasting crew seemed to be cheering for the fatso.
Hearing talk of “human victory” and such, they seemed to have already marked him as someone to mine for screen time.
Well.
Even to him, that fatso looked good for crafting a story.
To play football with a body like that would require unimaginable effort.
He would make a perfect example of human triumph.
But in reality, he was an insufferably cocky fatso full of bluff.
‘Alright, kick to your heart’s content. If you even put the ball in the hula hoop, I’ll acknowledge you a little.’
The fatso slowly set his position.
One step, two steps, three steps.
He drifted further and further from the ball.
He was too far back for a motion of kicking at a hula hoop only 20 meters away.
It was as if he were aiming at something behind it…
‘Nah, no way…’
This wasn’t child’s play.
Of course, by his standards this was child’s play, but was it acceptable for a fatso like that to treat this evaluation as a joke?
But the fatso kept backing away until he was over ten paces distant before stopping.
In a situation where everyone was bewildered, finally,
Tak-tak-tak-tak—.
The fatso began to run.
With that, Seol Gihun shot up from his seat.
‘His form… it’s too good!’
There was a slight limp as he ran.
But his form was so good that such things could be ignored.
Eyes fixed precisely on the ball and a low center of gravity.
The solid planting foot aligned in a straight line with the ball, followed by the final impact perfectly meeting the instep.
The entire sequence was so fluid and perfect it could be compared to a pro’s.
Kwa-kwang—!
With an explosive sound as if eardrums would burst, the ball tore through the hula hoop in an instant.
A pass that left no room for doubt.
Even as everyone turned to applaud, Seol Gihun kept watching the ball until the end.
Swish—.
It was the sound of the ball slicing through the net.
People who had turned around at the unexpected sound looked back at the ball.
Only then did they realize what had happened.
“The ball… flew all the way there?”
The ball’s destination was not the hula hoop.
The goal behind it.
It was the hellish blind spot known as the Yashin Zone.
A tiny gap barely a few centimeters wide that goalkeepers found hardest to block.
That was exactly where the fatso had aimed.
It was unbelievable.
The distance to the goal was well over 40 meters.
That a ball struck with all his might from such a distance pierced the Yashin Zone.
Something not just any ordinary pro could do…
No, it was a miraculous feat that even he in his prime couldn’t dream of.
Seol Gihun trembled all over from the chilling sensation starting at the back of his neck.
It was a chill he hadn’t felt in a long time.
He rose from his seat where he had been sitting proudly, and opened his mouth.
“I’ll use my free pass.”
It was the beginning of the first tryout, which would later go down in legend.