The Doubters of Tuscaloosa
A little over a week had passed since I arrived at Alabama.
During that time, I settled into life here and threw myself into training every single day. Each one was more rewarding and enjoyable than the last.
This is a whole new world.
Training on state-of-the-art machines with my personal trainer, it felt like my body was already improving—even though barely a week had gone by. So this was why everyone wanted to get into a D1 school.
Thanks to that, my mission to analyze three Alabama players kept getting pushed back. It was awkward to demand a one-on-one with every player I ran into, and there was no deadline attached anyway.
Whirrr.
Clank!
"Nice, Jaehyuk! Even better numbers today!"
I finished my set on the bench and sat up. On the monitor attached to the machine, my stats were displayed—and dutifully logging every one of them was Benjamin, my personal trainer. He was a veteran who knew how to run every piece of equipment and every training method under the sun.
"Alright, time to go destroy my back!"
"Sounds good."
As I got up to follow him, Benjamin was watching me with an oddly pleased expression. What was that about?
"You have no idea how much I appreciate someone who just follows instructions without whining. Some athletes actually complain about weight training, you know."
"There are guys who whine about it at Alabama?"
"Hahaha. You think Alabama's any different? People are people everywhere."
Pathetic kids. I couldn't stand the ones who got cocky riding on talent alone.
And right on cue, I spotted one—some guy working his lower body nearby, grumbling nonstop.
"Ah, for fuck's sake. This is such bullshit."
A guy cursing under his breath with every rep on the leg press. I'd been training here for a week, but this was the first time I'd seen him. I tried to ignore him and focus on my own workout, but the profanity kept spraying out beside me—enough that even Benjamin was wearing an uncomfortable expression.
I figured I'd let it slide, but after finishing a set, I finally turned to him.
"Hey. You're ruining my workout. Shut up and lift."
"What did you say?"
The guy glared at me with narrowed eyes. Then, realizing who I was, he snorted a laugh, sprang up from the machine, and came straight at me.
My legs are shaking, though? He was clearly trying to hide it, but they were trembling like crazy. What was he planning to do? Was this a joke?
"Hey, hey, why are you two fighting?!"
Benjamin stepped in to break it up, but the guy kept advancing, eyes locked on me.
"Now that I look at you, you're that Asian guy, aren't you? You disrespectful little shit. Acting all high and mighty as a freshman?"
"What's this about being a junior? You want senior privileges from someone who's going to outperform you?"
"You little—!"
The mood turned ugly, and Benjamin moved to intervene. The athletes working out nearby started drifting over, showing interest.
"If you want to be treated like a senior, get better than me first. And separate from that, quit running your mouth while people are trying to train. You're a distraction."
"An Asian acting this arrogant—!"
The guy was about to throw another tantrum. And that was when someone stepped in.
"Hey, both of you. Just work out quiet and go home."
A Black man built like a mountain. That face was seriously intimidating. Was he really a college student?
"······."
The swearing white guy stared him down for a moment—then simply walked off.
"Hey, rookie."
"Hm?"
I was just settling into my next rep, thinking I could finally train in peace, when the giant called out to me.
"You're the early enrollee, right?"
"Yeah."
"I'm Jayden Roberts. Offensive lineman, fourth-year."
Jayden extended a handshake. Part of me wondered why people kept interrupting my workout, but my social skills weren't so far gone that I'd pick a fight over this.
"Kim Jaehyuk. Running back."
"That other guy's a running back too. Noah Smith. I'm guessing he's going to find you an eyesore."
From the look of him, the guy's whole personality seemed off, not just the attitude.
After exchanging introductions, I went back to my workout. As I ground through my back exercises, Jayden traded friendly greetings with Benjamin and the two of them chatted for a while.
Hey, you're supposed to be taking care of me. What are you doing?
"Hmm. Strength is below average, I'd say."
Jayden didn't go do his own workout—he just kept hovering around me. He followed me from station to station, offering encouragement or muttering to himself, pulling every bizarre stunt imaginable.
"Jayden's a gym rat. Weight training is his absolute favorite thing."
"Then why don't you go do your workout?"
At my dismissive wave in response to Benjamin's explanation, Jayden burst out laughing.
"I've seen you come into the gym every single day these past few days. You just got to Alabama—anyone would be nervous or hyped out of their mind—but the way you train steadily through it all? That left an impression on me."
"Is that so."
"So I figured, might as well work out together. That a problem?"
"Not a problem, but shouldn't you be doing your own workout?"
"Haha. Maybe I should?"
We powered through a few more exercises after that and called it a day about two hours later.
"Ughh."
Yes, I was training under Benjamin's guidance, but my whole body was wrecked with muscle soreness.
"Hey, bro! Let's hit the recovery room!"
Apparently convinced we'd become buddies, Jayden was looking after me. I nodded, thanked Benjamin, and followed him.
The recovery room we arrived at looked like a swimming pool. It was the kind of place I'd found myself visiting every day after workouts lately.
SPLASH.
"Oooh, that's the stuff."
You sound like a middle-aged man. Are you sure you're not past thirty?
I lowered myself into the water too. The cold, bone-deep chill made even the soreness fade away.
"Hoo."
"Haha, how is it? Feels great, right?"
"Yeah."
Jayden beamed—then promptly launched into solo chatter.
"Honestly, I didn't pay much attention to you at first. When I heard you were doing one-on-ones with Ryan, I didn't think much of it either. But watching you show up and train day after day... it reminded me of when I was a freshman."
"······."
"Back then I was desperate. Desperate in a way I can't really explain—like I'd burn my whole body down if that's what it took to become a starter. Oh, wait—actually, you're even more impressive. You already got guaranteed starts and you still don't slack off."
"I'm doing what's expected of me. Why would that be impressive? Don't throw that word around so carelessly."
"PWAHAHA! You're a funny guy! Fine, fine. Fair point. Hahaha!"
The recovery room echoed with his booming laughter. When he finally got it under control, Jayden asked:
"Then when am I allowed to call you impressive?"
"After you watch me play."
"What?"
"Once you've seen me in a real game, then you can call me impressive. Because that'll actually be impressive."
"PWAHAHAHA!!!"
What's so funny?
Jayden looked at me like I was a baby chick and nodded. Even so, he couldn't hold back his laughter, huffing out little chuckles the whole time.
"Alright, alright. A rookie should have that kind of swagger! We've got a scrimmage against another school coming up anyway, so I'll be looking forward to it. Haha."
"Another school?"
That was news to me. When I made it obvious I had no idea what he was talking about, Jayden's face flickered with surprise.
"In the second week of spring practice, we're holding a scrimmage against the North Carolina Tar Heels. They're coming down here to Alabama."
"Ooh."
North Carolina Tar Heels? No idea who they are, but a game's a game. I'm looking forward to it.
My odds of playing in it were one hundred percent. The team would obviously want to see what I could do.
"Ooh, your eyes just lit up. Well then, I'll be waiting to see if that word 'impressive' comes out. Haha."
"It will. Guaranteed. Don't worry."
Until then, I just have to keep building this body.
◆◇◇◆◇◇◇
Time passed, and the semester began.
The start of spring term. I juggled classes and training, soaking up college life to the fullest. The environment was far more self-directed than high school had been, which meant I could pour even more of myself into football.
TWEEEET!
Tap-tap-tap-tap!
I ran at the blast of the whistle. Under a command structure far more systematic than anything in high school, I drilled one exercise after another.
"Hmm..."
"Mm..."
And every time, I caught those suspicious hums drifting around the field. My Gift didn't activate during practice, so my current performance was nothing special. It was a situation practically designed to breed misunderstanding.
But I honestly didn't care. The stage where I'd shine wasn't practice or drills—it was the real thing. The moment I showed out in the upcoming exhibition game, every ounce of that doubt would be swept away.
"What's even up with that guy? He's straight-up dogshit."
"Right? Heard he lifts weights every day and still can't bench 100 kilos."
"Asian genes—his baseline stats are trash. Is he really the No. 2 recruit?"
Whispers everywhere. The loudest mouths belonged to the guys one year ahead of me. And at the center of it all stood the guy I'd clashed with before—Noah Smith.
Clap!
"Alright, good work today, everyone. Tomorrow's the scrimmage against the North Carolina Tar Heels. I'm about to read out the starting lineup, so listen up. First, quarterback—Cade Wolfe!"
The starters were called, one by one. When it came time for the running backs, all eyes converged.
"Running back—Kim Jaehyuk!"
"Wow."
"Let's see what he's got."
"I am curious."
The spring practice period had been dominated by drill work, so nobody had actually seen me carry the ball yet. Everyone was still in the dark about my real ability—though the coaching staff, who'd surely analyzed my high school film, were watching with unmistakable interest.
"It's called a scrimmage, but don't you dare go through the motions. Our opponent is a powerhouse in the ACC with a reputation for playing aggressive football."
"Yes, sir!"
"That's it for today. Anyone doing voluntary training, keep at it. Everyone else, rest up for tomorrow. Dismissed."
The moment DeBoer finished speaking, the team scattered. I was heading indoors to finish my weight training when someone abruptly blocked my path.
"Guess I'll finally get to see that big, bad talent of yours? Since you're dead last in training and all."
"You again?"
Is this guy not bored yet? When my face showed my exasperation, Noah Smith's features twisted.
"Let's see how long you can keep that attitude up. I'll be watching tomorrow."
"Watch or don't."
What a nobody, clinging to me like this.
That was the end of the conversation. Noah walked off with his little entourage—though one of them gave me a friendly wave on the way out—and I went back to my workout.
Time passed, and the next day arrived. Since it was an unofficial game, the training field stood nearly empty as the North Carolina Tar Heels players filed in.
Atlantic Coast Conference.
A conference made up of fourteen schools along the Atlantic seaboard—one of the Big Five, the largest conferences in the country.
The Tar Heels weren't considered a powerhouse, exactly. But as a D1 program, they weren't a team we could take lightly either. Apparently, they were more famous as Michael Jordan's alma mater than anything else.
"Aww, how cute."
Carolina-blue tops with white pants. The color scheme was practically adorable. We, by contrast, wore crimson jerseys over white pants lined with a streak of red.
Uniforms alone made coming to Alabama worth it, I thought.
"Hey, Jaehyuk. You ready?"
It was Jayden, starting alongside me in this game. Because it was only a scrimmage, most of the regular starters had been held out—the few starters actually participating were Jayden and me. The rest were second-stringers.
Then again, I'd heard that even if this hadn't been a scrimmage, we still would've fielded the backups—the gap between North Carolina's roster and ours was supposed to be considerable.
"Time to treat us to a blowout, don't you think?"
"PWAHAHA! Out of every rookie I've ever seen, you've got the biggest set of balls, hands down! Ryan was nothing like you!"
At the mention of Ryan's name, I glanced toward the bench—and the guy sitting there caught my eye and waved. That perpetually sunny expression was his trademark. He looked like that, but the skill was the real deal.
Thanks to him, I got a proper taste of the college level.
The one-on-ones with Ryan had been genuinely useful. Honestly, I'd assumed I'd devour everyone even here in college, but Ryan shattered that prejudice in one session. Which, in turn, made college life all the more enjoyable.
"Jaehyuk! We're starting!"
My roommate Luke shouted from the bench. He'd made the starting roster for this game too—as a linebacker, which put him on the defensive unit.
Weird. It feels like every eye in the stadium is on me. Players, coaches, staff—everyone seemed to be watching. Still, I locked in on the game.
"Red right, Tec-Tec! Ready—!"
Oh. A running play from the very first snap?
Then it was time to show off my signature move.
Sssss—
The Gift activated.
The black line—something I hadn't seen in a long, long while.
But you're not the one I want to see anymore.
Bring me the red one!
Ssss—.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"SET, HUT!!"