An Unforeseen Arrival — Mateo
Mateo's appearance was the last thing I'd expected.
I asked the guy as he came down from the platform.
"So. What are you?"
"I transferred."
"Yeah, but *why*?"
I couldn't wrap my head around it.
Wasn't he doing just fine in Texas?
"I came alone. My family's still back in Texas."
"You can do that? Weren't you supposed to have sponsors?"
If nothing else, Texas was the hottest state in the country for football fever. Which meant that, sponsorship-wise, playing there was by far the smarter move.
"My sponsors opened things up for me. Now I want to spend time on what matters to me."
A dual sponsorship from Nike and Under Armour.
As long as he wore their apparel and equipment through high school graduation, the money kept rolling in.
On top of that, per-game incentives during the regular season.
There was even a bonus tacked on for making the playoffs.
The signing amounts seemed to vary by player, but in my case it was a staggering $150,000 a year — roughly 210 million won.
For me, that had been a jaw-dropping figure.
It was also the number that gave me a rough sense of just how massive this industry really was.
*A quarterback like Mateo would probably be pulling something similar to me.*
Thinking about it that way made it a little more understandable — but the fundamental reason was still unclear.
"Fine, money aside — why come all the way *here*? Is it because of me?"
"Yep. I still need my corrections."
Well, fair enough — correcting a throwing motion wasn't a one-and-done thing.
Still, I never imagined he'd actually come all this way looking for it.
"Alright, alright — introductions are over, let's start training. Jaehyuk, you're the captain, so look after Mateo for me."
"Yes, sir."
Whatever the case.
The first-string quarterback situation had been dire, so this was genuinely a blessing.
I mean, I could've *found* a quarterback eventually, but the pickings would have been grim.
"Welcome aboard."
"Yeah."
At this point, next season we'd be the villains of the story, wouldn't we?
**
News of Mateo's transfer spread through the entire student body in no time.
After last season's championship, interest in our school's football team had skyrocketed — so much so that hardly anyone *didn't* know who Mateo was.
The handful of football fanatics in the student body were practically vibrating with excitement.
"Oppaaa!!"
That included my little sister.
I was in the middle of practice on the field when I spotted Eunbi far off in the stands, waving her arms wildly and calling out to me.
And what she was shouting, of all things, was—
"Mateo Rodriguez! Mateo Rodriguez!"
"......"
She couldn't even cheer for her own brother.
You had it coming, I told myself. You had it coming.
I turned my head and saw Mateo quietly going about his training.
He'd only just transferred, after all — he had a brand-new playbook (signals and play calls), a new environment, a whole new atmosphere to adapt to.
But then again, Mateo was only a freshman. When had he built up this kind of fame?
Had people been watching him since middle school?
"Jaehyeooook!"
A familiar voice rang out.
This time it was James, making his way over to the bench.
And it wasn't just James.
Liam, Tony, Mark, Willie, even Ronnie — the whole crew was there.
Apparently even the graduated seniors, no longer on the roster, couldn't resist coming to gawk at Mateo.
"Coach, these are outsiders. Shouldn't we kick them off the field?"
"Jaehyeook. That's so cold of you."
Only James reacted to my words; the rest were too busy ogling Mateo to spare me so much as a glance.
Then, as an afterthought, James said:
"Our school just got a serious upgrade, huh?"
"At this point, calling us a high school powerhouse wouldn't even be an exaggeration."
We still had plenty of less-developed players on the roster.
But the two of us — me and Mateo — would be enough to demolish most teams on our own.
Add in a decent receiver or two, and there was nothing left to say.
"Jaehyuk, *you* brought him in, didn't you?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You met him at camp, right? Mateo."
"That's true, but I didn't bring him anywhere. He showed up out of nowhere — I had no idea either."
By the way — are you guys seriously not leaving?
You're not even on the team. Why do you keep hovering around here?
Until practice ended that day, the cheering from the graduated seniors and the fans in the stands never let up.
Mateo seemed accustomed to this kind of attention and didn't so much as blink.
It struck me every single time, but god, he was insufferable.
"Tch."
"What?"
When I clicked my tongue, he tilted his head with an expression of total incomprehension.
And the stands exploded.
"Kyaaaaa! Mateo!"
"Over here, please!"
"Is practice over? Can we get autographs?!"
Students of every gender, packed shoulder to shoulder.
Normally they didn't swarm like this.
"Go do a fan meet and come back."
"Okay."
And there he was, obediently following instructions without a peep.
At this rate, he'd do anything I told him to.
"What a headache."
I was watching Mateo actually go conduct his fan meet when a figure caught my eye — someone who wasn't a student.
Hmm... I was pretty sure I'd seen them before, sometime.
Who was it again?
I'd met so many people lately that it all blurred together, but she looked like one of the college scouts.
She caught my eye and waved cheerfully, smiling brightly.
Was she here to see me?
Or Mateo?
Before I could finish the thought, she was already walking toward me.
Practice had just wrapped up anyway, so I moved to meet her halfway.
"Hi, Jaehyuk! Long time no see!"
"Ah, yes. Um... where was it again?"
"Oh right, it *has* been a while. I'm Julia Lawrence — the University of Georgia scout you met right before you left for camp."
"Ah, Georgia...."
Sorry, but honestly, I barely remembered her.
The fact that I couldn't remember told me her offer hadn't exactly been memorable either.
"By the way, is that player over there Mateo Rodriguez?"
"Yes."
"Oh my, he came all the way here from Allen High School in Texas? He'd already locked down a starting spot there, hadn't he—"
Julia murmured in genuine surprise.
Since she seemed to know a fair bit about Mateo, I asked her about it.
"Is that guy really that big a deal?"
"You trained alongside him at camp, didn't you?"
"That's true, but Mateo's still just a freshman. It's surprising that he has this level of name recognition."
"Ahh, right — you mentioned you'd only recently gotten into football."
Julia smiled and explained.
"Mateo's been famous since he was little. Even in elementary school, he was already getting covered on TV."
"Oh wow."
Since elementary school?
That was pretty impressive.
"They hyped him up as the next great quarterback superstar. He kept developing without ever faltering, and he eventually went on to Allen High — the biggest high school in America and one of Texas's most prestigious programs. As a freshman, he earned the starting quarterback job. Enough said."
*And that guy came* here.
To put it bluntly, Wichita North High School had nothing going for it.
It wasn't a football powerhouse, not even a contender.
And Kansas wasn't exactly a football-crazed state either.
Average. That was it, just average.
"To think I'd see a player like Mateo at this school. That's genuinely rare. Do you happen to know why he transferred here?"
"......"
He'd said it was because of me, and it felt a little awkward to say that out loud myself.
I just shrugged, and Julia laughed.
"Fair enough. Anyway, what matters isn't Mateo — it's you. Belated, but congratulations on the camp MVP."
"Thank you."
"So, here's the thing — I've come back with slightly revised terms. Do you have a minute?"
Julia kept me for a while afterward, walking me through one revised condition after another.
But since Alabama had already guaranteed me a starting job, none of it particularly appealed.
After camp ended, Alabama had come through with an offer that could only be called unprecedented.
A guaranteed starting spot from the very first game of the regular season.
From there, my starting position had all but been sealed based on my performance.
*They even took care of my jersey number...*
The rules had loosened up in recent years, widening the range of numbers players could choose, but numbers like 21 were still said to be popular.
As a running back, my position allowed me to pick freely among 0–49 and 80–89.
But Alabama had gone so far as to promise they'd reserve number 21 for me, in consideration of the number I'd worn through my rise.
Ever since camp, they'd been catering to me hand and foot.
At this point, I had little intention of seriously considering any other school.
"Think it over and give me a call."
"Yes, ma'am. Safe travels."
Once I'd parted ways with Julia, I started to feel the real need for an agent.
Four college scouts had already come knocking this week alone — and it wasn't just scouts; every manner of person had been seeking me out.
The buzz from camp had boosted my profile far more than the state championship had.
Come to think of it, this was Kansas — apparently a state championship just wasn't that big of a headline here.
"Busy, so busy."
"The seniors already stamped their names down ages ago."
"Get back to work, slaves."
The graduated seniors were all over me the moment I walked out.
I was still pondering what to do with these pathetic losers when Barry Sanders came over.
"You done with your meeting?"
"Yes. Exhausting, honestly."
"It's about time you started looking into an agency. Back in my day it would've been unthinkable, but the rules have changed — even high schoolers can have agents now."
"It used to be banned?"
"Yep, forbidden. So we had to pound the pavement ourselves, and families would sit down every night to work it all out together."
Hmm. *Pounding the pavement*, huh...
I did want to see it at least once. I was curious just how big college football really was — and what level the players were at.
"There's someone I know. Want me to make an introduction?"
"I'll meet him once."
"Selective little brat."
Soon I had the contact number, and I finished out the evening training session.
I'd have to discuss this with the family later.
**
"Aigoo, my eldest! Welcome home!"
"Our son's back! You must be worn out. Go rest up!"
The warm welcome that greeted me the moment I stepped through the door.
Maybe there really was something to be said for bringing money home.
Ever since I'd signed the sponsorship deal and the family learned the size of the contract, they'd been floored.
I was floored too, but from my parents' perspective, the sum probably seemed far too large for someone who was still just a high schooler to be earning.
The money went straight into my bank account, and after factoring in all the incentives still to come, they'd been reacting like this every single day.
"Oppaaaaa!"
"Hyeoooong!!"
In contrast to my cautious parents, my two younger siblings were as rowdy as ever today.
They came running up and hurled the question I'd been expecting.
"Why did Mateo Rodriguez come to *our* school?"
"Why did Mateo Rodriguez go to *your* school?"
Anyone watching would think they were twins.
Their chatter had piqued our parents' interest too — they were watching me with shining eyes.
So they all know who Mateo is?
Was I the only one who didn't?
"He came to learn from me."
"Whaaat?"
"What are you even saying?"
I shrugged and explained.
"Turns out I have a talent for fixing people too. I fixed Mateo's form at camp last time, and he came all this way because of it."
"No, seriously, what does that *mean*?"
"His throwing motion was weird, so I had it corrected."
"Oh. My. God."
Eunbi's mouth hung open in disbelief.
Minhyuk waved a dismissive hand.
"Come on, Hyung. What could you possibly have done to correct Mateo?"
"Exactly! You've only been playing football for a hot second! Is that kind of specialized coaching something just *anyone* can do?"
*These brats.*
I'm Kim Jaehyuk. That's the whole answer.
"What do you mean 'anyone'? I'm Kim Jaehyuk."
"Ahh, of course, how silly of us."
"Right you are, my esteemed brother."
After shoving my siblings out of the way, I brought up the agency matter with my parents.
"Coach Sanders is introducing me to someone he knows. I think I'll reach out once I've had time to think."
"Good. That's a smart move — we've needed somewhere to consult on all these offers anyway."
"But Jaehyuk — are you really going to Alabama?"
At my father's question, I gave a small nod.
"For now, yes. But Dad, could I take some time later to do a college tour?"
"Of course you can! While we're at it, sign with the agency, contact some of these college scouts, and go see the schools for yourself — sounds great to me!"
It was unlikely my decision would change.
But then again, you never really knew how life would turn out, did you?
**