15 – The Dignity of the Man Called a God
Hōtaru, realizing he couldn’t break through Ju Ji-tae’s defenses, changed his position. However, Ju Ji-tae’s range of activity covered the entire defensive zone. In the end, Hōtaru’s struggles continued throughout the entire first half, while Ju Ji-tae’s brilliant performance shone throughout.
Ju Ji-tae only stole the ball from Hōtaru, who attempted breakthroughs, and passed it.
And that didn’t change in the second half.
The only change was that, unlike the first half, Hōtaru, who had given up on dribbling through, was now focused on passing. But even so, he couldn’t escape from Ju Ji-tae’s nightmare.
Ju Ji-tae literally roamed the entire field, blocking every dribble and pass.
“Hey, Yamero….”
It was the downfall of Hōtaru Daijoubu, the prince of Urawa, who shook the island.
It was also the downfall of the Japanese national team.
“At last… the Korean national team secures a victory against Japan!”
“Facing the Under-20 Japanese national team, known as the golden generation, our players achieve a perfect 4:0 victory!! Ah… truly proud!! Great job, our players!!”
“A player like this emerging in Korea was unexpected. The hero of this victory!! A formidable rookie who showcased perfect skills, overpowering Japan’s ace Hōtaru Daijoubu!!”
The camera that had been highlighting Korean players now captured the Japanese players.
Players standing in shock, sitting down and staring endlessly at the ground… and a player collapsed on the field, sobbing.
“Ah, Hōtaru is shedding hot tears. It’s regrettable as a fellow football player. Hōtaru probably felt an insurmountable wall against Ju Ji-tae in today’s match. Truly regrettable.”
“Hōtaru, lying on the ground and unable to get up. He is the ace representing Japan’s golden generation, known as the prince of Urawa. It’s okay. Hōtaru is still young. Let’s hope he develops further and shows a better side… Oh? Where is Ju Ji-tae going? Ah… approaching Hōtaru… “
Ju Ji-tae, who had been crying, approached Hōtaru and said something while extending his hand.
“Ah! Ju Ji-tae is comforting Hōtaru! That’s right! This is sportsmanship!! Ah, truly remarkable, Ju Ji-tae. Even in the moment of overwhelming joy leading the team to victory with a brilliant performance, showing consideration for the opponent!! This is it!! Isn’t this what sports is all about!!”
In the meantime, Hōtaru, who had been staring blankly at Ju Ji-tae, smiled, picked up, and shook hands.
“Kkaaaa— Woohoo! This is it!! This is the spirit of sports—!!”
“Ugh, Kim Jong-pal, commentator! Please say something… cough….”
“…Ah.”
AFC U-20 Asian Cup semi-final between Korea and Japan.
The result of the match was a 4:0 victory for Korea.
* * *
『The South Korean national team that crushed Japan in the U-17 World Cup semi-finals!』
『Defeating the destined rival encountered on the road to the Asian Cup final!』
『The small ball thrown by a 17-year-old boy』
『A game for Ju Ji-tae, by Ju Ji-tae, and dedicated to Ju Ji-tae』
『The moment a great player is born』
“[Sports Daily] Reporter Poi-oi = The 2031 AFC U-20 Asian Cup taking place in Indonesia.
Korea, placed in Group B alongside Oman, Iraq, and Vietnam, secured an impressive record of three wins in three matches, claiming the top spot in the group and advancing to the quarter-finals.
Their quarter-final opponent was the powerhouse from the Middle East, Iran.
Amid predictions of a challenging match due to recent setbacks, the Korea-Iran game began as anticipated—an arduous battle.
Despite adversity with two injuries and one player sent off, 17-year-old forward Cho Jae-shin (17, Hojin High) steered Korea to victory.
Having already showcased his goal-scoring prowess during the group stage, Cho Jae-shin, with five goals in the tournament, stands as the leading goal scorer for the team, a strong contender for the top scorer of the tournament.
However, Cho Jae-shin, unfortunately, misses the Japan game following an injury sustained in the Iran match.
Apart from the absence of Cho Jae-shin, Korea enters the semi-finals without Gong Jin-ho and Han Seul-gi, both sidelined due to injuries and expulsion.
Their opponent in the semi-final was Japan, renowned for their ‘Golden Generation’ from the FIFA U-17.
But crises often breed heroes.
In what seemed a precarious situation against Japan, a 17-year-old hero emerged.
Enter Ju Ji-tae (17, Hojin High), a member of the same high school soccer team as Cho Jae-shin, who made his mark as a starter in the tournament against Vietnam, showcasing unbelievable dribbling skills and securing a goal.
Resting during the Iran match, Ju Ji-tae displayed an outstanding performance in the Japan game, not only staunchly defending against Japan’s ace, Hitaru Daijoubu (19, Urawa Red Diamonds), but also contributing an assist in the team’s 4-0 triumph.
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The communities of Korea and Japan had precisely opposite reactions before and after the game.
—Kitaｷﾀ━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━!!
—They’ve arrived!!
—Korea again, seriouslywwwww
—Koitsuwww the Chosun team is scarywww
ㄴAre they for real?
ㄴThis Japan team is strong
ㄴHaven’t they defeated Chosun recently?
ㄴGo back to Chosun, Japan!
—The Asian Cup semi-finals set the stage for a clash between Asia’s two giants!
ㄴKorea just bought off the referees to get here
ㄴThey can’t play football without buying offwwwwww
In this Korea-Japan match, the enthusiasm for victory shone brightly.
“Are you serious? The referee is Japanese, right?”
*wwwww* The netizens couldn’t come up with a response.
“It’s okay! We haven’t lost to Korea in the past 5 years! (੭˙ ˘ ˙)੭”
Congratulations on the victory in advance. ◝(・▿・)◜
Japan, currently boasting an almost undefeated record in recent Korea-Japan matches, exuded confidence in their impending victory.
“Is it true that it’s Korea-Japan in the semi-finals?”
“To be honest, East Asia should prevent them from reaching the finals. What’s the point if the Middle East or Southeast Asia makes it to the finals?”
*Laughing* “Even if Japan doesn’t know, where is Josenjing *laughing*.”
*Japan fans mocking*
*Wishing destruction of Japan fans, Day 1*
“Am I the only one looking forward to the Korea-Japan match? If it’s going to be a disaster, just give up.”
“I’m looking forward to it too.”
“I’m looking forward to it as well. *Laughing*”
“F**k, getting frustrated. Seriously.”
“Ah, can’t stand the Korea-Japan match buff *laughing*.”
*(Korea’s special skill) Flies around whenever they meet Japan.*
*(Confident statement) Japan is not scary at all *laughing* (panties are damn wet).”
“Booking my pilgrimage. Our country wins by a 3-point margin.”
“Is it a 4-point win?”
From Noble mtl dot com
“Or a 5-point win?”
“Stop brain-breaking.”
“Verse 1, Verse 2, brain-break!! I am the brain-break poet!!”
*Heard on a popular entertainment app: Something something~*
“Why are there so many crazy people these days?”
“Oh, you know about Nobel Pia~ Seriously, there are so many fun things.”
On the flip side, Korea, a team used to drawing against Japan, expressed unease. However, as the game began, the situation started to reverse, and by the end of the match, the atmosphere had completely transformed from the initial tension.
-The preemptive goal of Chosun~~!! Truly, the dignity of world-class!!
-Chosun gentlemen are strong!! So strong!!
-What’s the name of that defender!! He’s too good hahaha
ㄴJu Ji-tae, right?
ㄴHow do you pronounce that?
ㄴJu-ji~ hahaha so cute hahaha
-An island is sinking hahaha
-Even against the gun hahahahahaha
In Japan,
-WTF, is Ju Ji-tae for real;;
-He’s in a different dimension alone, right?ㅋㅋㅋ
-This is insane… he developed Hota-ru
-I couldn’t even imagine a defender like this in our countryㄴㅇㄱ
The Korean community exploded.
And that atmosphere naturally reached the national team.
These days, it wasn’t the era of returning smartphones during international competitions. Rather, they could grasp the atmosphere faster than most people.
After the game, players often checked real-time reactions.
“You’ve become a star, haven’t you?”
Even in the news and community, Jo Jae-sin was overwhelmed by the praise for Ju Ji-tae.
“Darn it. If that idiot coach had sent me on a business trip, all that popularity would have been mine…!”
“Wow. What a concept you’ve grabbed. Shameful, Jae-sin.”
“I’m serious. Hey, Ju-ji. But what did you say at the end?”
“What?”
“Why is he there? The guy who was lying on the ground crying. What did you say to make someone who was beaten in both the game and mentality bounce back so quickly?”
“Oh, that.”
Ju Ji-tae, lying on the ground, leisurely looked up at Jo Jae-sin while giggling.
“It’s nothing special. Just called him a rival.”
“A rival?”
“Yeah. He really likes being called that as a rival.”
“…What nonsense is that?”
In the bewildered expression of Jo Jaeshin, Ju Jitae let out a sigh.
“Ah, do you not know? It’s the cliché of a boyhood comic.”
“What the hell are you talking about, you otaku.”
“See for yourself.”
On the tablet handed by Ju Jitae, a Japanese article was translated.
『This is the true spirit of sports! The touching true story of Hōtarō!!』
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—Finally, Hōtarō expressed his feelings.
“When he called me a rival, I felt a deep thrill. Although I lost today, I will never be discouraged. Trials are the driving force behind my growth! I will eagerly await the day I meet him again. Because we are rivals.”
—(Best) At first, I disliked the Korean guy, but at the end, I was deeply moved by the scene where Hōtarō and he shook hands. Is this the true spirit of sports?
Jo Jaeshin stared blankly at Ju Jitae.
“You didn’t calculate this, did you…?”
“Of course. Do you see the comments here? This is what we call image-making. Haha~ The praise is already pouring in. Japanese kids are following like crazy.”
“Huh? What’s this DM? There’s a picture of a half-naked girl.”
“Oh, well, it’s nothing much. It’s tiring when you’re popular. They just send nude photos without permission.”
“It’s not really nude.”
“… .”
“The scroll is a bit long. It looks like they’re having a real conversation.”
“… .”
“… .”
A brief silence.
“Do you want me to score in the final? I’ll somehow feed you a goal.”
“Receive it, and score one more.”
“Get lost, you crazy bastard.”
“Let’s see… Our goddess often does star performances.”
“Okay, two goals! Call!”
“Okay, thank you.”
