Keep it in the Family (205) - Recognition (Patreon)

Dae Hee's POV:

FC Seoul had a friendly match against Seoul E-Land, and as it was a match disputed locally, Dae Hee decided to pay a visit to the stadium and cheer for Jae-il.

She did not expect the stadium to be this crowded, though. She was an amateur when it came to football, but she at least knew the difference between a friendly and a real, official competition. She believed the latter had more people watching the match, not the other way around.

She was wrong.

At least, for this particular match, the stadium was absolutely brimming with people, with a very distinctive amount of female screams here and there that didn't really fit into the usual atmosphere she'd expect from a football match.

Perhaps it had to do with the celebrity factor of it all. As Jae-il's popularity grew on the internet and social media, so did his presence at these matches. The new fans didn't come here for the sport per se, but for the handsome young player in it.

Unfortunately, Dae Hee bore witness of all the thirst traps fans were posting online about Jae-il. She tried replying to each and every single one of them, telling those bitches off, calling them out, threatening and cursing and being an absolute nuisance overall, but no matter what she tried she still lost every time in terms of number of comments.

It infuriated Dae Hee to the point of wanting to snatch their keyboards, smash them on their ugly heads and stomp their cellphones until nothing was left. She didn't care how extreme it seemed or sounded. These women were after her man. They had to die.

She'd go to hell, but she'd take as many of them as she could.

Yet, here she was, surrounded by the very same women she despised. She sat on the front rows of the stadium, which gave her a clear view of the whole field, while she had her own little flag with Jae-il's number, smiling like an idiot and cheering him on when he was on the field.

Next to her, she heard a group of girls talking, and from the corner of her eye she could tell they were all talking about Jae-il.

"It's him! Look at him! Look!"

"Ahhh! Number 9! He's so handsome...!"

"For real, how can someone be this hot?"

"Jae-il! We love you!"

"OVER HERE, OVER HERE!"

"THAT'S MY DADDY!"

She held back the urge of strangling them, grabbing their hair and tossing them like ragdolls. Their idiotic, slutty laughter was deafening her.

Dae Hee took deep, composed breaths, and counted up to ten in an attempt to remain composed and, hopefully, not jump over those rowdy idiots. She took a deep breath to calm her fury and reminded herself why she had come to the stadium in the first place. It's been a while since she's visited one of his games.

In fact, it's been a while since she last saw him. There were some text messages here and there, but that was pretty much it. He was busy with his career and she had to study for her upcoming exams, so it was hard for them to find the right moment to meet up. Of course, if he breathed so much in her direction, she would drop everything and run to him in a heartbeat.

In any case, she wanted to make her presence known to him, even if she was seated somewhere in a crowd of fangirls. 

She wanted him to notice her, to see her and acknowledge her. She wanted him to know she was there for him. Like she’d always been, silently supporting him. 

"OOOOHHH—!!!"

When Dae Hee snapped back to reality, it was to the sight that made the females in the stadium collectively rise from their seats, a deafening chorus of high-pitched shrieks assaulting her ears from every angle.

The ball snapped onto Jae-il's boot like a magnet finding its true north as he regained possession midfield.

He nudged the ball with the outside of his right foot, and immediately angled his body toward the goal.

Two defenders closed in from opposite sides, aware of the danger his penetrating runs posed.

Seeing the defense closing the gaps in front of him, Jae-il executed a quick stepover that sent the first defender lunging at empty air, then burst through the opening they'd created.

Having now successfully deceived his two markers, Jae-il drove downfield for the net.

A third defender closed in.

In anticipation, Jae-il feinted in one direction and drew him right into the middle of the pitch, and with his agility and sharp reflexes, the opponent failed miserably and tripped in his attempt.

Having created another opening, the heavens themselves might as well have bestowed wings on his feet as he flew, uninhibited, towards the box, the opposing team trailing hopelessly behind him. The remaining defenders that dared to charge his direction met the same pitiful fate, as his acceleration had taken everyone by surprise.

The only thing Dae Hee could do was gape at him in amazement. It wasn't her first time seeing the absolute magic her friend was capable of, but her mind always forgot how amazing he was. His speed and momentum made him hard to tackle, even harder to defend from.

Now in the box, Jae-il rushed headlong for the net and veered left, fully committed to the near post.

The goalkeeper darted out to challenge the ball and close down the gap.

From her peripheral vision, Dae Hee spotted two E-Land defenders scrambling to catch up with Jae-il, frantically in an attempt to reach him before Jae-il could take a shot, their legs flailing in desperation.

Jae-il charged to the near post.

They scooted after him, catching up, almost tackling him from behind.

The goalkeeper lunged. Jae-il nimbly nudged the ball to his other foot, leaving the keeper scurrying on the grass like an undead creature crawling out of a grave, too late.

By the time Jae-il dribbled past the keeper, two E-Land defenders managed to take the goalkeeper's spot, looking like the only line of defense for the goalpost. They did their best covering up the goalmouth while waiting for the keeper to return. 

The so-called ‘bus strategy’, except that it wasn’t much of a bus with merely two players, but maybe a bike? 

Jae-il's advance didn't stop, even when he slowed down ever so slightly, nearly coming to a halt in front of one of them, who had no choice but to challenge him.

Jae-il cheekily faked a shot. The defender, in a rush of panic, dived on the ground in an attempt to stop the ball with his body, leaving one side of the net open. He slid on the grass, watching as the sphere never left the finisher's foot.

The other defender immediately scurried to cover the half his teammate now left wide open, foolishly believing that Seoul's rising star would now go for a shot—just to fall for the same trap his teammate had. 

Jae-il's second consecutive feint sent him into the other half. 

The goal was unguarded for but a second, and a second was all it took to gently lob the sphere into the empty net.

With how wide open it was, and with how close he was to it, he could've very well walked into it with his eyes closed.

Of course, Jae-il could have scored three times throughout the entire sequence, but he chose the most convoluted and humiliating path possible just to shoot their confidence down. The defenders were left on the ground, headless, humiliated and shocked. The referee immediately blew the whistle.

Goal. 

A moment passed, and Jae-il's display of utter, skillful decisiveness, combined with incredible speed and athletic prowess had made the stadium roar. Dae Hee right among those screaming to the top of their lungs. She got on her feet, jumped and even flailed her arms as she watched her friend in absolute awe.

Once the wave of celebration died down, the game resumed in much higher spirits for FC Seoul. And it showed, as they completely dominated the field in the following plays, going on to score yet another five additional goals by the end of the match, and that in itself seemed to have been a mercy for Seoul E-Land, given how many opportunities FC Seoul had on scoring.

No one really expected anything from E-Land as FC Seoul, barring the absolute monster that was Jae-il, had several players that outclassed the average Korean club.

As such, the rest of the game ended just like that.

But it was all a blur to Dae Hee.

As much as the result was impressive, all she really wanted to do now was get out of the crowd of fanatical fangirls, and wait for Jae-il at the exit. 

Of course, he'd never leave from there but from some other door in the staff quarters. Dae Hee clutched her little flag tightly and squeezed her way through the chaotic crowd, ignoring the high-pitched chatter still buzzing about 'Jae-il Oppa' and 'Huh, that goal was insane.'

She headed for the designated team bus drop-off point.

By the time she reached the cordoned-off area, a small group of people had already gathered: a few parents holding water bottles and extra jackets, one or two younger siblings bouncing on their toes, and a couple of academy staff members chatting quietly. 

A security guard gave her a quick once-over.

Jae-il abruptly stopped, turned towards the person that called his name, and grinned when he noticed the woman waving at him.

Dae Hee's chest tightened at the sight of his expression softening, a smile quickly reaching his lips.

Jae-il called out. "Noona! Mom! Dad!" And trotted over, leaving his own teammates to greet their own families and friends. The security guards made sure there were no safety risks.

The blonde-haired woman nodded cheerfully in his direction. "Go Jae-il, nice game! Congratulations~!" And then she playfully wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him into a force semi-hug where she attempted and failed to give him a noogie. "Ah, you're so tall, I can't do that anymore, you bastard!"

"Unnie, leave him alone. You're embarrassing him in front of everyone."

"Haha..."

The oldest woman—which could've easily passed for one of the sisters—merely chuckled awkwardly as she demurely stood there.

"That's my son!"

As opposed to the ladies of the group, the male figure stepped forth, pulling him into an equally awkward hug and slapping him roughly in the back while simultaneously ruffling the footballer's hair. "My son is the MVP of this game!" The pride was visible in the way the man's gaze held a look that could only be described as heartfelt adoration.

"......"

Dae Hee's face, at the sight of that man, twisted into a scalding glower, because a split-second was all it took to figure out his identity.