Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

9 – I Have Something to Say

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The game resumed after the shocking preemptive goal.

Ju Ji-tae felt so bored that he wanted to die.

It wasn’t just because they were officially eliminated and had just conceded a shocking goal that could only be seen in the phrase, ‘Is this even possible in the world?’, the mental state of the Vietnamese players had soared to the skies.

“Over here!”

“Pass it back.”

“Pass!”

“Switch to the other side.”

“This way, this way!! Right here!!”

“…Send it long.”

Because he was being ‘passed’ by his teammates.

The words were wonder goal, but was it common for a center-back to dribble from their own goalpost to the opponent’s goalpost right after the game started?

Ju Ji-tae’s madness… no, the culprit’s incomprehensible genius play sent shivers through his teammates.

‘This is… real.’

‘Don’t mess with it. It’s going to explode.’

It’s not that his teammates disliked Ju Ji-tae.

No, but… somehow, they became uneasy about passing the ball to him.

They would rather curse and move on if it failed, rather than go through the trouble of making that quirky play a success.

Who knows what bizarre play he might unfold again.

So, excluding Ju Ji-tae, the Korean team had an implicit agreement. Let’s not pass the ball to that guy as much as possible.

And this was precisely why Ju Ji-tae wanted to die of boredom.

Because the ball wasn’t coming!!

No matter how skilled you are, whether you’re Messi or Ronaldo, as a soccer player, you need the ball to showcase something.

Off-the-ball movement is important, but what kind of movement can you show in the absence of opposing defenders? You can try dancing alone in your own territory.

This was also proof of how good Korea’s situation was.

If Vietnam had properly resisted, it would have been impossible to break through the defense, even excluding one player.

After the preemptive goal, Vietnam… literally turned into a punching bag.

While barely escaping the shock of elimination before even playing the game, they were cheering for their small victory when suddenly the opposing defender crossed the field and scored a goal.

Only 17 years old, this debutant with fluffy feathers managed to score a super wonder goal that would be remembered in history in this match.

The shock, added to the pain of elimination, completely stole the enthusiasm of the Vietnamese players.

“Ugh! Goal! I scored!!”

“Wow~ Soccer is seriously so damn fun. Never had this much fun before today.”

“What are they doing? I don’t even feel like playing.”

Despite grasping their elevated mental state, it was impossible to execute proper plays with a bus parked in front of the goalpost.

Naturally, there was no attack from Vietnam. Counterattack? Couldn’t even dream of it.

Vietnam was just like an air doll getting battered around however Korea pleased, in a state of being tossed here and there.

So, Joo Ji-tae, with his mental state resembling a closed business, could only watch the backs of his colleagues joyfully attacking in front of him.

Even the defenders on both sides had gone up like wingers, leaving only the goalkeeper and center-back duo lingering in the ally camp.

The three of them gathered, quietly enjoying the spectacle of Vietnam crumbling.

“…Can I just go up there?”

“No, you punk. Even if so, center-backs need to hold their ground.”

Waaaah—!

Meanwhile, it seemed another goal had exploded as his teammates in front were hugging each other, performing a celebratory ceremony.

Watching from afar, Joo Ji-tae thought,

“Should I disrupt this image-making thing? Normally, as a senior or whatever, I’d just play however I want.”

‘Hold on, Ji-tae. Hold on. Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. It’s just the Asian Cup. There’s no need to show everything already.’

From Noble mtl dot com

With the skills demonstrated today, at the very least, he could make it to the starting lineup or even get in as a substitute in the remaining games.

The Asian Cup is just an appetizer.

The main course, the World Cup, is still ahead, and you can’t be satisfied with appetizers.

In a way, this isn’t the situation he wanted.

He doesn’t need to run around like a dog; he just needs to watch comfortably.

It’s been sweat-free until the end of the first half.

Certainly, it’s the appearance he wanted, but… this is… this is,

‘This is so boring. This is not what I wanted. I may have been a playboy, lazy, shameless, and indulgent, but I’ve never skipped a single training session. I’ve never played a game half-heartedly… but it’s still not enough.’

Joo Ji-tae’s gaze turned towards a distant place.

It seems like he might make it to Europe faster in this life.

“Hey, what are you standing around for? It’s a game, hurry up and move… No, I’ll handle it—”

“My Ball!”

“Hey! Hey, Ju Ji-tae! That guy ran off again! Catch him!! Kid, come back!!”

* * *

The MOM of the match was Ju Ji-tae.

Although Song Chan-seop, starting as a forward, scored two goals to record the highest attack points, surpassing Ju Ji-tae’s impact was still difficult. Perhaps he needed to achieve a hat-trick to have a chance at MOM.

Of course, even surpassing a hat-trick wouldn’t generate as much buzz.

“Seriously, he crosses the field as a center-back. Isn’t this guy completely insane?”

“Why? Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Me? Not at all! I also got MOM, so what’s there to be jealous of.”

As Ju Ji-tae was selected as the MOM and was about to go for an interview, Jo Jae-shin was annoyingly ticking beside him.

Even though he was the youngest, all the attention that had previously focused on his sensational performances for the national team seemed to have transferred entirely.

“Well, I may be good-looking, pick out memorable moments in football, and already be recognized as a skillful center-back, but who would envy Jo Jae-shin, with 4 goals in 2 games and only 100,000 followers?”

“Ha. Hey, that fame fades quickly. Don’t get too excited about being the talk of the town. Popularity is fleeting.”

“Well, I know that. But, did you see it? I just checked, and I already have 90,000 followers.”

“…What? Oh, come on.”

Turning away from the envious man, Ju Ji-tae laughed heartily.

Ah, he must be so jealous.

“Okay, I’ll do the interview and be right back.”

“Hey, wait.”

“What now?”

The unpleasant guy was nothing special.

Watching Ju Ji-tae’s smiling face, Jo Jae-shin, who had clenched his fist in jealousy, solemnly offered advice.

“Just in case, watch your words.”

“Am I a kid? I’ll handle it.”

“It’s different from high school leagues. Once you enter the interview room, it’ll be really chaotic. It’ll be so bright that it’s hard to open your eyes, questions will keep flying, it’ll be noisy… Anyway, be careful.”

Even though he only had a few years of pro experience and a few years of interview seasoning, how could he not know that?

However, Ju Ji-tae just smiled faintly.

A friend who worries and gives advice because he doesn’t know he’s been reincarnated doesn’t need a lecture.

Regardless of this and that, he was still a close friend.

“Well, to be honest, I’m looking forward to the interview as well. Let it explode like a firework, just like on the field. You’re good at that, right? Spontaneous actions. It would be so much fun if you suddenly drop a bombshell statement out of nowhere, don’t you think?”

…What’s with the talk of enemies from a friend?

The interview went exactly as Joo Ji-tae expected.

After showcasing a play that brought immense attention, and the player turning out to be the new face? Unbearable.

For a journalist, isn’t this a tantalizing topic that’s hard to resist asking about?

Naturally, countless questions poured in.

Impressions of debut for the national team, feelings about the debut goal, reasons for breaking away…

Rather than the mistakes of a bewildered young player, the journalists, who were aiming for honest and bold answers, poured aggressive questioning, only to be inevitably disappointed.

“I want to express my gratitude to the coach who gave me this opportunity. Coach, I love you!”

“The national team has always been my dream. Wearing the Taegeuk mark is an indescribable honor, and anytime the national team calls—”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect to score. I just felt like the Vietnamese players weren’t paying attention, so I tried, and the result turned out well.”

“The coach often orders an aggressive play, and the seniors help a lot to make it easy for us to play. I will continue to show bold and aggressive plays occasionally as the cheeky youngest player.”

As if Joo Ji-tae had been waiting, he smoothly delivered answers like an AI bot!

“What’s this? Not some chatbot, but the answers are flowing smoothly as if programmed.”

“Wow, really good at answering without getting caught up. Taking care of the coach and teammates, showing respect for the national team, and expressing expectations for the future. This is a completely model answer.”

“It’s not fun from our perspective… but still, there’s wit mixed in here and there. The mask is fine, and there’s talent in working with the mic too.”

“But… why does his expression look so indifferent? He scored in his debut match, got the Man of the Match award, but why does he look so indifferent?”

As the journalist said, it was true.

In reality, Joo Ji-tae seemed indifferent.

‘Ah. It’s really boring.’

In the first round, Joo Ji-tae was a player that journalists not only liked but loved.

Why? Because he spontaneously created headlines for them.

However, the second-round Joo Ji-tae, wearing the mask of a model student, was different.

Isn’t it a few years too late to not be able to give a model answer? It’s just not interesting.

That’s how the uninteresting and dull interview ended.

“Player Joo Ji-tae! On the opposite side, Japan has also advanced to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group C. If you win the next match, you will face Japan in the quarterfinals. What do you think?”

The Korea-Japan match.

The coach, reassured by Joo Ji-tae’s model answer, handed over the mic and leaned back in his chair.

Sigh.

Why do I dislike that relieved look?

“The Korea-Japan match is always crucial, but for now, the upcoming game holds greater significance. Uzbekistan has already advanced to the quarterfinals, and our focus is on the imminent clash with Uzbekistan, a challenge more pressing than Japan.”

“Oh. Thank you for your respo—”

“But.”

Ju Ji-tae, who had been delivering a model response, couldn’t resist the itch in his words any longer.

“If I have the Taegeuk mark on me, losing to Japan is only possible in AV.”

“…AV? Really?”

“It’s a fact. We absolutely can’t lose that.”

The coach took the microphone.

Even though it was already too late.