SWST 01

Episode 1: Enhancement Material

Today was the do-or-die match between our ‘Seoul Dragons’ and the ‘Yongin Imugis’. The stands were packed to capacity.

Ding ding ding ding ding!!!

Waaa …

The powerful drumming, the roaring cheers.

It was a sound that always swelled my heart, but today, it wasn’t so welcome. It was right after we had recorded a miserable defeat following 90 minutes of terrible play. The supporters were venting their disappointment and anger without filter.

floating

“Hong Seung-gyu!!!”

floating

“OUT!!!”

The once-tight red scarf was now loose. The face paint, smeared with tears, was blurry. The cheerleader’s devastated expression was captured clearly by the broadcast cameras.

-With this result, it’s become difficult for the ‘Seoul Dragons’ to advance to next season’s ‘AFC Champions League Elite’, right?!

-I don’t know if this will be any comfort to the supporters, but at least they don’t have to worry about relegation, right?!

-That’s right. The point difference from the relegation zone is 18 points. But we need to see if that’s necessarily a good thing.

-Why is that?

-Who would want to cheer for practice matches where winning or losing doesn’t matter!

He was right.

“You sons of bitches!!! Who the hell wants to see Final B!!!”

Now the cheerleader was openly shedding tears. He probably wanted to cry. But still, it couldn’t be worse than how I felt.

“Haa…”

I couldn’t breathe. The air in the stadium weighed heavily on my shoulders, and the captain’s armband felt like it was endlessly constricting my arm. I was Ryu Jae-hyuk, the captain of the ‘Seoul Dragons’.

The next morning, the empty training ground greeted me. It wasn’t a team-wide silent protest. I had just clocked in earlier than everyone else. An old habit.

“…Why does the weather have to be so nice?”

It was a day with a perfect blend of cool breeze and warm sunlight. Feeling unsettled, I started warming up. Lining up cones on the grass, fetching my soccer ball bag – preparation complete.

‘Lifting, dribbling, shooting.’

Lifting to awaken my touch, dribbling to warm up my body, finishing with shooting. A very classic routine.

Thump, thump…

Left foot, right foot, alternating the ball. As I was doing it, just like always, following my body’s rhythm…

Zing—

A sharp pain pierced through my left knee. The aftereffect of an old injury. My rhythm faltered, and the ball rolled away pathetically.

“…”.

Furrowing my brow, I pressed on my knee a couple of times, then picked the ball back up. And then.

Thump, thump, thump…

I started lifting again. I kept going until I reached the number I had initially aimed for.

Dribbling practice was the same.

Ugh Ugh!

Every time I changed direction, left or right, my knee would click unsettingly, but I stubbornly completed the full lap around the field.

“Haa, ha… As expected, I should have pushed to start in the game yesterday no matter what.”

As I briefly calmed my ragged breathing, regret crept through the cracks. If I had endured a little more and firmly held the center together. Then, we wouldn’t have collapsed so helplessly. If only, if only…

“…Enough.”

Crumpling up the regret-filled delusions, I moved on to shooting practice.

‘Hit the post.’

From about 20-30 meters away, success meant striking the goalpost. The reward was the small joy of not having to go fetch the ball.

“Huh.”

You can’t just try to kick it as hard as possible. You have to kick accurately, with a fluid motion. Like this—

BOOM!

Clean impact. The ball traced a beautiful arc and struck the post precisely.

DENG—

It made a crisp sound and rolled back to me – the reward for success.

Clap, clap, clap…

The sound of applause rode the autumn breeze.

“Phew, the captain’s kick is truly something else.”

It was the vice-captain, Cha Seung-jin.

“You’re here.”

I scanned his face, worried he might be crushed by yesterday’s defeat, but he looked fairly okay.

‘Fortunately, he seems to have gotten over it well.’

He was a grateful guy in many ways. Unlike my somewhat stubborn personality, his easygoing nature made him popular with both seniors and juniors. He even got along well with me, who can be quite particular.

“Are you planning to return to the Premier League soon?”
“What are you talking about, if you go overseas, this level is basic.”
“Judging by the K-League All-Star game, it definitely wasn’t basic…”

When I narrowed my eyes and stared at him intently, he raised both hands in surrender.

“Haha, well, if our overseas-based captain says so, us local Korean folks just have to accept it, I guess.”
“Enough talk, let’s train.”
“Whoa, training demon.”

Despite his joking, Cha Seung-jin immediately started warming up. He was a playful guy, but he knew where to draw the line.

Training continued simply. Passing, first touch, heading, etc. Doing the drills I couldn’t do alone, time flew by.

Murmur, murmur.

Around the time other guys started arriving one by one, making the training ground buzz.

“What time is it?”
“Almost 9 o’clock?”

Regular training time was 10 AM. It was an unwritten rule to arrive an hour early and warm up. But the numbers seemed a bit low.

“Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Dong-jin. Kim Dong-jin.”

A young player the supporters called the ‘boy head of the household’. Despite debuting this year, he was a rookie with 9 goals and 5 assists in 17 games. I heard even Arsenal was showing interest.

“Uh… maybe he’s in the bathroom?”
“Bathroom, my foot. Did he contact us saying he’d be late?”
“No, not to me at least. Should I check the group chat?”
“Forget it, he’s not an elementary school kid. Dong-jin’s a pro too, he’ll know what he’s doing.”

Despite saying that, I was worried. Yesterday’s defeat was quite shocking. Heck, even I was mentally affected, so for a twenty-year-old kid, it must be even worse.

‘Still, I’ll have to give him a warning.’

He was a talented player, so I’d been paying attention to him, but this kind of behavior was problematic. A pro athlete must possess the mental fortitude befitting a professional.

Just as we were passing the ball back and forth for over ten minutes, Cha Seung-jin pointed somewhere and spoke.

“Uh, isn’t that Dong-jin over there?”

A hoodie, jeans, and Bluetooth headphones. He was even bobbing his head, maybe listening to music. At first glance, it wasn’t the demeanor of someone who was late. Cha Seung-jin awkwardly lowered his finger.

“…Maybe it’s not him.”
“It is him, no doubt.”

I scoffed lightly and approached Kim Dong-jin. Considering the impact yesterday’s loss might have had, I planned to just give a simple warning.

But then. Before I even got close, a strange, foul odor stung my nose.

“…A smell of alcohol?”

A smell that should absolutely never be present during the season, especially not at the training ground. A chill ran through my entire body.

Gathering my last shred of patience, hoping against hope, I called his name.

“Hey, Kim Dong-jin.”
“Captain. Good morning…”
“Did you drink?”
“Ah, yesterday was my birthday, so just a little? I didn’t drink that much.”

Full of excuses. At that moment, my expectations and disappointment in him clashed, creating a whirlwind of emotions inside me.

“Are you messing with me?”
“…Huh?”

Sensing something was wrong, Kim Dong-jin’s face hardened. But my reprimand had only just begun.

“The season isn’t even over yet, you’re drinking alcohol and showing up late? Aren’t you a pro? Think you’re above it all because the fans say ‘good job, good job’? Don’t you realize that if they find out you’re acting like this, they’ll turn on you in an instant, huh?”

Kim Dong-jin avoided my gaze, grinding the grass with his toes.

“…Well, I dunno. They seem to love you as long as you play well.”

“What?”

“I mean, isn’t that right? For a soccer player, as long as you play well, that’s it. All that talk about private life and stuff is ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Honestly, that’s not something our captain, who couldn’t even last 45 minutes yesterday due to poor condition management, should be saying, right?”

At that moment, I heard something snap inside my head. When I came to my senses, I had already grabbed him by the collar.

“Cough, cough!”
“Captain!”

If Cha Se-jin, who came running frantically, hadn’t pulled me away, things would have gotten serious.

“Cough, cough!”

Kim Dong-jin rubbed his throat a few times, then glared at me and muttered something incomprehensible.

“…Enhancement material tier. Acting all high and mighty, what the f*ck.”

“What did you say?!”

Right before a second round could start, Coach Hong Seung-gyu intervened with perfect timing.

“What the hell are you guys doing in the training ground!”
“Coach, well…”

As Cha Seung-jin explained the situation, Coach Hong’s expression became subtly strange.

“Ha, all this over something so trivial…”

He grimaced, sighed deeply, rubbed his temples, and then said.

“Dong-jin, apologize to Jae-hyuk. No matter what, you can’t do that to the captain.”
“…Sorry.”

A reluctant nod of the head was all he could muster. Calling that an apology?

“Calling that an apology…”

“Ryu Jae-hyuk! You stop it too. If you’re the captain, you should know how to overlook small mistakes from the youngest.”

What?

“What? A small mistake?”
“Ugh is it that hard to understand what I’m saying? Just let it slide! Who do you think you are to talk big?!”

Was I stupid? I couldn’t understand what was happening. Clearly, Kim Dong-jin was at fault, so why was I being scolded?

“We’re already dealing with the director throwing a fit over losing yesterday’s game…”

Let me reiterate: I was the captain of the ‘Seoul Dragons’. I had even devoted over 10 years to the team. You could say I was close to a legend. And this is the treatment I get? This is practically saying, “We’d rather you just left on your own.”

“Ha…”

Thanks to this, I finally realized it. I’m considered a has-been now. This was a clear indication of what Coach Hong and the club thought of me.

I wasn’t expecting legendary treatment. I just wanted, as a veteran who had devoted over 10 years to the team, a minimum level of respect. But Coach Hong, this team, didn’t seem willing to grant even that small thing.

“Still not letting it go? What are you standing there all proud for?”
“…That’s good, Coach.”
“Good? What is?”

“Because I can’t stand this shitty situation anymore either.”

I tore off the captain’s armband that had been constricting my arm and threw it violently to the ground.

“What, what the… Hey! Ryu Jae-hyuk! You son of a bitch, if you leave like that, you’re expelled! Expelled!!!”

Phew!

A glob of spit stuck to the captain’s armband. That was my answer.

Late at night, at home.

“Enhancement material tier…”

Just saying it made my insides churn, and not even knowing what it meant was driving me crazy. Frustrated, I searched the internet, but all I found were posts like “Selling enhancement materials cheap at 4.5” or “Buying all enhancement materials at 3.5.”

“This won’t do.”

I’ll ask Cha Seung-jin. He seemed to know something.

[Me: What is enhancement material?]

The ‘1’ indicator disappeared quickly, but there was no reply for a long time.

[Me: Well, thanks for everything so far.]

After a while.

[Cha Seung-jin: Why are you like this, hyung?]
[Cha Seung-jin: I was just worried you’d get too angry.]
[Me: It’s fine, just tell me quickly.]
[Cha Seung-jin: Ah, I really shouldn’t.]
[Me: I won’t say anything.]
[Cha Seung-jin: (Video)]
[Cha Seung-jin: As you can see, it’s just a meme from a game…]

Ignoring Cha Seung-jin’s further explanations, I looked at the thumbnail. The thumbnail had a blood-red Gothic font title: “Legendary Golden Pack Rigging Incident!!!” The view count was a staggering 1.4 million. But the face dominating the main screen was very familiar. Strong features, sharp eyes.

“…Isn’t that me?”

As if possessed, I touched the video. Simultaneously, the broadcaster’s gruff voice pierced my ears.

• Hey, viewers! Today we have the legend of legends! A 30 million won worth golden pack opening schedule!

I quickly skipped the intro and found the highlight.

Paat!

Every time the broadcaster opened a pack, my face appeared with fireworks.

Paat!

Paat!

Three times in a row.

• No! No way!! No way!!! What is this triple streak?! Guys, this is rigged, right?! It has to be rigged?! I spent 30 million won and you’re giving me fucking enhancement materials?! Ugh!!!

The broadcaster let out an inhuman scream and slammed the keyboard repeatedly.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

Keyboard keys popped out like popcorn. The chat window went crazy too.

• F 2 P players come here lol

• Triple streak is hilarious lol

• Ryu Ryu Ryu Jae Jae Jae Hyuk Hyuk Hyuk lol

• Enhancement materials are delicious lol

So that was it. A second-string player used to boost the stats of a first-team player. That’s an ‘enhancement material’. And Kim Dong-jin had the nerve to say something like that to my face.

“…”.

My hand holding the phone trembled uncontrollably. My tongue felt rough, my breathing was ragged.

Jiiing, jiiing… .

[[Cha Seung-jin]

A call came in right on time. I rejected it. I didn’t know what I might say right now. Instead, I opened the refrigerator. I remembered the cans of beer left over from the end of last season when the guys including Cha Seung-jin had come over. Even though I had never touched a drop of alcohol in my life as a soccer player, I couldn’t hold back today.

Chiiik—

Click!

Gulp, gulp, gulp!

“Ugh…”

The carbonation stung. It felt like all my capillaries were bursting, my eyes turning bloodshot. My stomach churned. I, too, was once a striker hailed as a supernova. At just 21, when I joined Chelsea FC and recorded 14 goals and 5 assists in 17 games, all the media competed to rave about the ‘arrival of a true genius’!

“…That Drex King, son of a bitch.”

In a match against West Ham, a defender’s career-ending tackle turned my knee into a rag. After three major surgeries and a grueling 1 year and 4 months of rehabilitation, I returned, but I couldn’t show the performance the fans expected. The result was being ‘returned’ to the K-League. Still, class doesn’t disappear, so after returning to the K-League, I even won the season MVP twice. I played consistently as the starting striker for over 10 seasons.

But then.

“Enhancement material, huh.”

If I had been a world-class player dominating the globe, could they have said that to me? “…F*ck.” No way.

Ugjeok—

Crushed beer can, crushed pride. It was a day when alcohol tasted terribly bitter.

Next morning.

Forcing my heavy eyelids open against a splitting headache, I barely managed to get out of bed.

Clatter!

The floor was lower than expected. Was it because of the heavy drinking last night? My body didn’t feel like my own.

Ouch

Rubbing my aching knee, I looked for the bathroom, but something was strange. The bathroom my body remembered was on the right, but now it was on the left. Feeling bewildered, I looked around and then met eyes with myself in the bathroom mirror. Specifically, a me that looked about 20 years younger.

“What the…”

Unable to believe it, I tentatively touched my face with my fingertips. It was real skin, not a mask. As I stared at the mirror with my mouth agape, a holographic text even appeared before my eyes.

[Player Profile]

[Name]: Ryu Jae-hyuk
[Age]: 13 years, 5 months
[Dominant Foot]: Right
[Height]: 161 .4 cm
[Weight]: 51. 2 kg
[Ability Rating]: F
[Traits]: —

“…Crazy.”

What is all this?

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