The Season Opens
The new semester arrived bright and clear.
And Jaehyuk's younger sister, Eunbi, had finally entered the high school division.
Until now, the middle school had shared the same grounds but occupied a different building. Now, at last, she'd arrived at the high school where watching football had suddenly become easy.
That wasn't all — she even had a football player among her classmates, most notably Joseph.
Last regular season, Joseph had come to every single home game to watch in person, and since he happened to be in the same class as Eunbi, the two of them hit it off right away. After moving up to the high school, they'd been placed in the same class yet again by pure chance, and they'd been close friends ever since.
"Joseph, how many is it now?"
"Huh? What is?"
At Eunbi's sudden question, Joseph tilted his head, on his way to the locker room now that class was over.
"Challenging my brother."
"Ohhh... I've done it every day, so it's got to be around twenty times by now?"
"And? How's it going?"
"Whew, there's just no beating the Captain. He's way too strong."
Joseph shook his head slowly, back and forth. And yet his eyes were brimming over with admiration as he murmured on.
"But that's exactly what makes him so amazing. He looks like a king no one else could ever dare to touch."
"Ugh."
"Eunbi, you really need to respect your brother more! Do you have any idea how incredible the Captain is?!"
"Nobody asked you to go that far."
Eunbi shuddered and shook her head, then quickly changed the subject.
"So how's the prep going? The season starts soon, you know."
"Me? I'm fine. I'm still stuck on the bench, so for now I just have to work hard supporting the upperclassmen. Haha."
That was what he said — but inwardly, Joseph was full of hope.
The reason was the team's overwhelming strength.
Which meant that when they were blowing opponents out, there was a good chance the starters would get rest — and the second-string players would get their chance to take the field.
As Joseph grinned to himself, Eunbi thumped him hard on the back to pump him up.
"Don't be a burden to the team, and give it your all!"
"Hehe, of course!"
And so Joseph clocked in for another day at the football club. He changed in the locker room, gathered his gear, and stepped out onto the field.
Some of the players had already arrived.
And there was Jaehyuk, the Captain.
Someday, that'll be me...
Joseph knew.
He knew that between himself and Jaehyuk lay a gulf of talent that could never be crossed.
Jaehyuk was a monster.
Even in football — a sport where athletic geniuses who could run and leap gathered from every corner — he stood alone at the very top.
But Joseph had not lost his dream.
Even if his hands never reached the stars, that was no reason to give up on reaching for them.
Someday, he told himself, he too would soar up to that place.
He never let go of his goal, not even for a moment.
"Joseph Baker!"
It was Coach Jason, calling for him. Joseph hurried over, and the coach handed him something.
"Today's scrimmage lineup. Go let the boys know."
"Yes, sir!"
He checked the roster — and his own name was on it.
Yes!
With so many members on the team, you couldn't scrimmage every day. Joseph had joined almost a month ago, and this was only his second scrimmage.
If he could make a standout play here, his odds of seeing real game time would climb considerably.
"Whew. Let's do this."
Soon the players began trickling in, one after another. Joseph went around delivering the roster to everyone taking part in the scrimmage.
"Oh, Quinton! You're on it too."
"Scrimmage? Okay."
The hotshot prospect who had drawn enormous expectations on the very first day of school had by now blended into the team as naturally as breathing.
These days Quinton just felt like one ordinary member of the club.
And yet, despite being a freshman, he was the only one promoted to a starting receiver spot.
I need to work even harder too.
As long as Jaehyuk was around, becoming the starting running back would be next to impossible — but even so, Joseph had no intention of giving up the position.
Playing the same position as the player he admired... that was the kind of romance worth chasing.
"Alright, alright! Finished warm-ups, gather up! Today's the last scrimmage!"
At Tyrone's shout, the players came running in.
The KSHSAA regular season would begin the day after tomorrow.
Maybe that was why.
Most of the players already looked tense, and to make matters more electric, more reporters and scouts had been visiting the school lately — the whole atmosphere was building to a fever pitch.
They're here again today.
A cluster of football insiders had gathered at one end of the bleachers.
Until last year, aside from students from the school itself, that section had stood completely empty. This year, all kinds of people had come knocking.
"Joseph."
"Yep! Captain!"
"You're running offense today. I'm taking the defense."
"Whoa! Yes, sir! Thank you, Captain!"
Jaehyuk had come up to Joseph, who'd been staring blankly toward the stands. At that offhand, deadpan remark, a thrill ran down Joseph's spine.
Running back. Finally.
In his first scrimmage, he'd played defense.
Which meant this game would be the first time he ever showed what he could do as a running back.
"Ready—!"
After receiving the rough outline of the play, Joseph walked to his spot and lined up.
Just being on the same team as Mateo felt like a dream.
To run an offensive play alongside the player they called the Texas Supernova.
The first play call had been a pass play, but Joseph wasn't the least bit disappointed.
His job was simply to do his own role well. That was all.
"Hut! Hike!"
Mateo's cadence.
Goosebumps rippled down his arms.
Joseph took off as if to receive the ball, then slipped naturally into protecting the quarterback.
"Hup!"
Defensive seniors came barreling in at him in an instant. He gritted his teeth and held the line.
Whoosh!
Meanwhile, Mateo released the ball and completed the pass with pinpoint precision.
"Wheee!"
"Yo! Nice pass!"
Cheers rose from those watching the scrimmage. Realizing that for one brief moment he'd contributed to it, Joseph broke into a delighted grin and shouted to Mateo.
"Nice pass, sir!"
"Mm."
Mateo nodded, expressionless. Then the scrimmage rolled on.
Thwip!
Thwip!
Thwip!
Every pass he threw connected.
Even with Jaehyuk playing defense, these weren't true one-on-one situations, so Mateo managed to muscle the ball in regardless.
He's insane.
Being on the same team let Joseph appreciate Mateo's passing up close — and it was, without exaggeration, otherworldly.
Then, suddenly —
Mateo spoke.
"Left sugar, red red, turbo."
He huddled the players close so the play call wouldn't leak out.
A run play.
Gulp.
For the first time, Joseph was about to be the main character.
His body trembled faintly with nerves.
Tap, tap.
Mateo, face blank as ever, gave Joseph's back a casual pat on his way to the line.
Somehow, the tension eased a little.
"Ready."
The instant the play call ended, every player dropped into their stance. Joseph, lined up behind them, felt his field of vision narrow.
"Hoo... hoo..."
He forced out slow, deep breaths, straining not to lose focus.
And then —
What would the Captain have done?
Mateo's play call was a head-on confrontation. The line opened a hole, and you ran straight through it. No tricks, no hesitation.
Fortunately, Joseph's running was nothing to sneeze at.
His feet covered 40 yards in 4.78 seconds.
A tremendous time for a freshman.
Back when Jaehyuk was a sophomore, the track team's ace had run a 4.7 — so Joseph, still in the middle of his growth spurt, was clearly a seed with real promise.
Of course, his fellow freshman Quinton was already running in the 4.6s, but as a nationally famous athlete, he was in a category of his own.
"Hut! Hike!"
With Mateo's cadence, Joseph ran.
Pouring out every ounce of strength he had, as if running a 40-yard dash, he barely managed to catch the ball from Mateo's hand.
For a moment his heart lurched — but he quickly collected himself and looked ahead.
Thud! Thud!
CRUNCH!
A battlefield of bodies, every one of them over 180 pounds.
To avoid being crushed like a shrimp in that pit, he had to keep moving — fast.
There!
In that instant, he saw a gap about to open in the wall of bodies.
A crack that, if he timed it right from here, he might slip through cleanly.
Joseph made his judgment in a flash and, without slowing his stride, drove straight for the gap.
"Nngggh!"
"Gnnk."
The pained grunts of the linemen came from both sides —
and Joseph burst through the wall.
But this wasn't the end.
The second line of defense.
The linebackers were waiting.
"Hup!"
He didn't slow down.
The craft and finesse of Jaehyuk was still beyond him. So instead, he pushed forward with simple, stubborn honesty.
Thud!
The first collision.
His body rocked — he clenched his teeth and kept driving.
Thud!
The second collision.
He wavered again, but whether it was the adrenaline or something else, Joseph felt no pain at all. He clutched the ball tight and kept going.
"Hrrrraaaah!!"
Through the mouthguard clenched between his teeth, a fierce, fighting roar burst out.
And at last —
waiting right in front of him was his idol.
Step. Step.
The Redline was blocking his path.
I'll break through!
And then —
I'll be acknowledged.
By you — the one who made me run.
I will, absolutely!
"Hrrraaah!"
Shaking off the linebackers, he ran on — charging straight and honest, head down.
And suddenly, Jaehyuk vanished from his sight.
"?!"
Where did he go?
He'd been right in front of him just a moment ago...
Squeeze.
A sensation at his arm. He turned — and there was Jaehyuk, gripping it.
Then, lightly —
Thump.
Jayhyuk punched the ball with his fist.
The seized arm had created a sliver of a gap, and the punch had aimed for it with pinpoint accuracy.
But Joseph didn't lose focus.
He snatched the ball back before Jaehyuk could take it.
And then his stance finally gave out, and he went down.
Whump.
"First down! Gain!"
Coach Jason's declaration.
And everyone broke into applause.
"Whoa! Joseph? Not bad at all!"
"Didn't expect him to just grind his way in like that."
"Reminds me of when Liam used to play running back."
Thirteen yards gained.
A short distance — but more than enough for Joseph to prove what he was capable of.
"Hoo... hoo... haah."
Perhaps because he'd poured everything into the run, just reaching this far had drained him completely.
Swoosh.
"Ah!"
A hand extended down toward him where he lay. Realizing it was Jaehyuk's, Joseph hurriedly grabbed it and pulled himself up.
"Good work out there."
"Ah..."
Behind the facemask, Jaehyuk was smiling.
What is this feeling?
Goosebumps broke out across Joseph's skin, and before he knew it, he bowed at the waist.
"Thank you!!"
"Gah—! You scared the hell out of me."
Jaehyuk stumbled backward in alarm — and everyone burst out laughing.
As the whole team traded praise for Joseph's brilliant run, only Jaehyuk stood apart, tilting his head and staring down at the ground.
As if reading something written there.
"Tight end? Lead blocker?"
He glanced back at Joseph once more.
Then a slow, knowing grin spread across his face.
"Kid's got something."
**
The long-awaited KSHSAA regular season.
The curtain had finally risen.
And as if they had been waiting for this exact day all year long, the two commentators greeted their audience with faces full of anticipation.
"It's been a whole year! Good day, everyone — I'm Jack Thomas, your commentator."
"And I'm Ryan!"
All smiles. Their grins simply refused to fade.
The two of them had been waiting for this day, and this day alone.
"Wow, just looking at the chat, the energy in here is absolutely on fire. Might be even hotter than the stadium!"
"You've all been waiting for it too, haven't you? The KSHSAA regular season is officially underway. For the season opener, we're bringing you the matchup between Wichita North High School and Wichita East High School."
Even as they spoke, neither of them could sit still. Soon they began unloading all the trivia they'd been holding back.
"Ahhh, Wichita North High School. Last year they completed an undefeated season — a true myth! That's a rarity in Kansas, folks."
"That's right. And the astonishing part is that this year, they've gotten even stronger."
"Exactly. The Texas Supernova himself, Mateo Rodriguez, has joined the roster — and after him, even Miami's nationwide star receiver, Quinton Gibson, came aboard."
"With Redline 21 alone they were already a monster of a team. Now there's simply no road left that can stop their march."
.
.
.
.
Chat messages came flooding in from the very start.
Even before kickoff, 8,000 people had already packed into the broadcast room.
Proof enough of how famous Jaehyuk had become — and how much buzz the arrival of the star players had generated.
And as always, Jaehyuk's family had come to watch the game, busily scanning the chat reactions.
"Our Jaehyuk sure is popular."
"Of course he is. Whose son do you think he is?"
The energy inside the stadium was just as hot.
The crowd numbered well into the thousands. The buzzing stands, everyone chanting for the team they'd come to cheer, had a festival atmosphere all their own.
"MATEOOOO!"
"Redline! I came to see you again!"
"Whoa, it's really Quinton! What is he even doing HERE?!"
The reactions of the devoted masses poured in from every direction.
Soon, the game was about to begin.
BEEEEEP!
The game began.
First possession: Wichita North.
And just as everyone's hopes demanded, the ball flowed straight into Jaehyuk's hands.
"Wichita North! With a cannon-armed quarterback on the roster, they open with a RUN game!!!"
"It's basically tradition at this point! The opening run drive of Redline 21! The question on everyone's mind is just how much he's improved since last year, and I for one can hardly—"
"A-and as I'm saying this! Redline is EXPLODING up the field!"
"Wha— WHAAAT! WHAT?!"
The broadcast booth shot to its feet.
At the same moment, the chat erupted into absolute chaos.
With explosive speed, Jaehyuk slammed every single defender who stepped into his path down into the turf.
At the sight of it, the stands erupted into a boiling cauldron of frenzy.
"JESUS CHRIST!!"
"Damn it! He's not showing us the Redline anymore — he's leaving a trail of corpses on the field!"
"Stop toying with high schools and go to college already! No— screw it, just go straight to the NFL!"
"YES!! THAT'S IT!! THIS is why I came all the way to Kansas!! YEEEEEHAW!!"
Jaehyuk's family got swept up in the excitement too, leaping from their seats and screaming until their throats went hoarse.
And then — there was Jaehyuk, strolling casually across the goal line.
"TOUCHDOOOOOWN!!"
"DAMN IT!! You're kidding me?!"
"WOOOOO! Don't even need beer for this! Our boy Jaehyuk!!"
Somehow it all felt like déjà vu — a touchdown just ten seconds into the game.
His second regular season.
And once again, he was rewriting the record books.