The Last Dance of the Longhorns
"General Manager! Ah, yes, yes. So, about the Texas–Alabama game... Yes, yes."
In a corner of the VIP room, Ben Irvin, VP of Player Personnel for the Dallas Cowboys, was hurriedly dialing someone and speaking into his phone.
"Alabama is winning 30 to 21."
-Alabama is?
"That's right. You know that Asian player on Alabama I reported on a while back? He's quite something."
-...I'll have to look into it.
Arthur Sterling. General Manager of the Dallas Cowboys.
He was also the team's owner.
The Cowboys were an unusual franchise where the owner doubled as the general manager, and the truth was, they had little interest in Alabama. Based in Texas, they kept a wary eye on the two teams in their own backyard — the Texas Longhorns and Texas A&M.
The game Arthur had been monitoring was Texas A&M's. Ben, the VP, was assigned to check on the Longhorns. The two had divided the work between them, and it was during the Longhorns game that Ben stumbled upon a talent no one had expected.
-Back then I was clearly told that as an Asian, he'd lack competitiveness...
"Mm, that was my mistake. Take a look at him yourself and you'll see — this kid is nothing like the Asian players we imagined."
-Understood. Once the game wraps up and I'm back, I'll check on it.
Ben hung up and returned to his seat. Leo, the agent, greeted him with a knowing smile.
"So the Cowboys are interested in Jaehyuk, I take it?"
"Interested? Very much so."
His debut had been luck, one could say — and it was a non-conference game, no less. But this? This was anything but luck. Three touchdowns. And not a single one of them ordinary.
"Though with the Cowboys' current depth, you wouldn't need a running back, would you? If I recall, you're short on quarterbacks and offensive linemen instead..."
"And you can still say that after watching that? You're right that we're stocked at running back. But a player of that caliber takes priority."
Darren, who had been listening quietly to the exchange, nodded along.
"Keeping an eye on him wouldn't hurt. And with players, you never really know. Some fall off a cliff out of nowhere the very next season."
"I see."
Leo smiled faintly. But beneath that smile, his mind was churning with dark calculations.
'Will the other NFL teams really just sit and watch until then?'
From what he'd confirmed, Jaehyuk already had an agency. But Leo fully intended to approach him anyway, unconcerned. In his eyes, Jaehyuk was more than capable of becoming a star with enormous ripple effects.
'Asian, on top of everything — and a franchise star for Alabama. And what happens after he enters the NFL?'
Of course, there was no guarantee he'd succeed at the pro level. Every year, Heisman-winning can't-miss college prospects went quiet once they made the leap. But even accounting for all of that, Jaehyuk was certain to make money.
If they marketed him and packaged him well...
"The Longhorns' last dance, is it? Let's watch."
Leo, his true intentions carefully buried, watched the game with a smiling face.
BOOOM!
A reckless, headlong charge. But the play had already been read. CJ Baxter, the ace running back the Longhorns prided themselves on, sank just like that.
"UWAAAAAAAH!!!"
Luke's roar as he brought Baxter down. Two minutes remained on the clock. The Longhorns managed a field goal at last, taking three points to bring their total to 24.
Now it was Alabama's final offensive drive. Barring some catastrophe, the game would end exactly like this.
"Just watch out for a fumble or an interception."
Don't give up the ball, and the win was guaranteed. The coaching staff sent the offensive players onto the field with words of encouragement.
"Jaehyuk! I held the line!!"
"Good work."
Jaehyuk tossed the word back to a wildly fired-up Luke, slipped on his helmet, and stepped onto the field.
Somewhere along the way, considerable time had passed, and the sun had set. Cool air brushed past his face through the helmet.
"Whew."
The stands were still packed. But the hostility from earlier was gone. In its place, a chill had settled over the crowd. And yet Jaehyuk could feel it too — the desperate gazes of those who hadn't let go of hope's last thread.
'Sorry, but—'
That hope.
I'm going to crush it.
Crunch.
He set his stance. The firm grip of the turf pressed up through his shoes, the grass compressing beneath them as if whispering: any moment now — burst out.
"Sixteen! April! Alert—!"
"Stick!! Sti-i-ick!"
"Move! Move!"
A chaotic din of friend and foe shouting. But all Jaehyuk heard was the wind.
"Ready!! Se-e-et!!"
Crunch.
Flash!
"Wha—!!"
SNAP!
A black line traced across the blue grass. It bent left. Tak-tak-tak! He ran the line, and a linebacker came chasing after him. They collided in moments.
BOOM!
A desperate face. Why are you so desperate?
"Move."
"?!"
Jaehyuk used the force of the man's push against him, stepping back in an instant — then spun. Whoosh. Twisting free around his opponent's body, he emerged alone into an empty pocket of space. He glanced back and bellowed:
"Throw it!!!"
To me.
Throw it to me!
The quarterback's options were many. He could launch a long pass to any of his receivers, dump a short one to the tight end, or take off running with the ball himself. And there was one more option in play — a quarterback could throw to Jaehyuk, who was radiating raw ego.
Ssssss—
Thump.
The Gift began to rampage. A signal that the ball was coming. Jaehyuk focused on his surroundings. The ball arriving was a given. Reading the defenders came first.
Whish—!
And just as he'd expected. Tyga threw Jaehyuk the ball. A short pass, landing snugly into his chest. A risky call, throwing to a receiver standing still — especially with defenders already charging in his direction. Defenders with momentum built up.
What will you do, Kim Jaehyuk?!
"RUUUN!!"
The instant Tyga's shout rang out, explosive power flooded into Jaehyuk's body the moment he caught the ball.
All-acceleration.
This was why Jaehyuk had been standing still. When the red line activated from a dead stop—
Ziiiing.
Everything accelerated.
CRACK!
He leapt sideways over the first defender bearing down on him. Then a forward lean, a pump fake—
CRASH!
Another one fell for it. Two men downed in less than a second, Jaehyuk's racing Gift laying out his path as he chose among them. Players charging from every direction. Red lines stretching out in every direction. Every instant a moment of choice and focus. Every instant a proving ground. Jaehyuk felt himself alive. That his choices were not wrong. That he had proven himself once again. And that—
That he was the strongest running back. This very moment, broadcasting it to everyone—!
WHOOSH—!!
He knew better than anyone that he was shining brighter than ever before.
Just before All-acceleration ran out, Jaehyuk charged forward. Straight ahead! Straight again! He ran the red carpet stretched out before him, unwavering and true. The slicing wind carved across his skin, leaving afterimages trailing behind his uniform.
Redline.
He had descended upon this place.
Tak-tak!
The safety stood blocking his path — and in a blink, Jaehyuk executed a standstill stutter-step, chopping his speed down hard while throwing his opponent's read into chaos.
"You won't fool me!"
The safety's eyes went wide as he lunged at Jaehyuk. But the thing was—
Jaehyuk had never intended to fool him at all. He would simply blast straight through at full speed.
CRACK!
The speed he seemed to have dropped hit maximum in an instant — a brutal, savage burst of acceleration. Unfamiliar with Jaehyuk's overwhelming pace, the safety scrambled desperately to react, but Jaehyuk had already blown past him.
"Grrrgh!!"
But this was no ordinary opponent — the uppermost tier of the SEC, after all. Even having lost his quarry, the safety refused to give up to the very end.
'Touch him!'
Please! Please, just touch him!
This was the last chance. If they couldn't manufacture an opening here—
They couldn't win!
"UWAAAAAAH!!!"
Lunge!
He touched him. The safety's desperate effort finally bore fruit — his fingers barely grazed Jaehyuk's calf. Writhing with everything he had, the safety tried to drag Jaehyuk down over him. Taking the ball away was beyond hoping for. Just this. Just this once—
If he could only stop the Redline...!
Pfft.
Into the safety's ears — amid the deafening chaos that surely should have drowned out everything else — a faint sound of laughter drifted. The falling safety managed to crane his head up, and there it was: the Redline's face, looking down at him with a sneer.
'Ah...'
In that instant, the safety understood. I can never beat this guy.
Tap.
The Redline brushed him off, light as a flick of dust. The grip that had held the safety's desperate scream was cast aside with almost insulting ease. He had grabbed with everything he had — and still, that monstrous body shook him off with sheer force, balance never so much as wavering.
"......"
Face-down on the turf, the safety pushed himself halfway up. Then, kneeling, one hand braced against the ground—
He couldn't bring himself to lift his head. He tasted despair.
"TOUCHDOOOOOWN!!!"
37 to 24.
A game that had stayed razor-tight into the early fourth quarter ended in victory for the Alabama Crimson Tide. The game's MVP was, naturally, Kim Jaehyuk. Facing the powerhouse Texas Longhorns, Jaehyuk had scored four touchdowns — announcing his name to the entire nation.
.
.
.
Articles covering Jaehyuk blanketed every direction. If you were a college football fan, this was all anyone would talk about for a week straight after the Crimson Tide–Longhorns game ended.
In Week 4, the Crimson Tide faced another non-conference opponent, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, and beat them too. That made them 4–0. The Tide's fans were living in a festival atmosphere day after day, marveling at the beautiful start to the season.
Tuscaloosa buzzed with restless energy — this was a city packed with fanatics who treated college football and life itself as practically the same thing. And when Week 5 arrived, Alabama welcomed one of its SEC West rivals, the Arkansas Razorbacks, at home.
"The Alabama Crimson Tide's terrifying bombardment! There is simply no stopping this offense!!"
"The options are far too varied. Star receiver Ryan Williams — and lately, Isaiah Horton and Marcus Thornton are closing in on that ace! At tight end, Danny Lewis Jr. is showing off aggressive, downhill running. And above all—"
"You can't leave out Kim Jaehyuk! He's already recorded three touchdowns in this game! A monstrous running back delivering absolutely insane rushing!!"
"He's carving his name into running back history itself. Has there ever been another back like him?"
And so the Arkansas Razorbacks were crushed as well. A staggering 48–13 blowout — the very picture of the top team in the SEC West.
5–0!
By this point, fans were already declaring that they'd blow past last season's record, and some had begun dreaming aloud about a possible playoff berth.
"This is all thanks to Jaehyuk!"
"Hell yeah! Somebody give Alabama's scouts a raise!"
"Who knew a freshman would go THIS insane in his very first season!"
"Wait — could Jaehyuk actually win the Heisman?!"
"If we make the playoffs... it's actually possible!"
Playoff berths went automatically to the champions of the Power Four conferences. In other words, Alabama had to win the SEC regular season to reach the playoffs. And that was, frankly, an extremely difficult thing to do.
The SEC was, after all, where the strongest teams clustered. True, Alabama had already toppled the Texas Longhorns and the Arkansas Razorbacks — but powerful opponents still remained.
Formidable teams like the LSU Tigers and the Auburn Tigers. And the very next week's opponent was the Tennessee Volunteers — a bitter rival locked in a storied feud with the Alabama Crimson Tide known as the Third Saturday in October.
Played every year on the same weekend since 1901, this rivalry had grown into an event so massive it drew national attention, not just from Alabama and Tennessee.
"This time, I feel good about it."
"Heh heh. We lost last year, but this year we win. Guaranteed!"
"Let's go! The invincible Tide! Roll Redline!!"
As the citizens of Tuscaloosa counted down the days to the game—
Jaehyuk found himself caught up in an unexpected event.
"We're fans!!"
"Kim Jaehyuk! We're so proud of you!"
"One autograph, please!"
"......"
It was a visit from a Korean broadcasting station and the Korean-American community.