Chapter 98 – Player Highlight Video (2)

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Translated by Seoulbound

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Taejeongtaesebeyonce.

His real name was Kim Tae-jeong.

Strictly speaking, his occupation before possession was unemployed.

Until his retirement due to an unsavory incident, he was a national soccer player.

[‘Shocking’ Olympic National Athlete Kim Tae-jeong, Tests Positive for Doping]

Doping.

The act of consuming and injecting prohibited substances to improve performance.

It was during the Olympic qualifiers that Kim Tae-jeong was caught in the doping test.

When he tested positive in the first doping test, Kim Tae-jeong naturally thought some error had occurred.

Because since becoming a professional player, Kim Tae-jeong had not even taken cold medicine lightly, and even now, after transferring to the Bundesliga, he ate nothing other than the diet planned by the older brother who had helped him check his diet and correct his posture since childhood.

[Kim Tae-jeong Completely Denies Doping: “Never Administered Any Substance”]

Therefore, Kim Tae-jeong completely denied the doping.

As he was famous for being a clean-living soccer player normally and received a lot of media coverage due to his handsome face, public opinion defending Kim Tae-jeong was in the majority until this point.

The coach and other national team players also comforted Kim Tae-jeong, saying it must be the host country’s home turf bias or racism, and so he waited and received the results of the second doping test, but…

‘The second test result is also positive…?’

[Soccer Player Kim Tae-jeong, Second Doping Test Result Also Positive… Disciplinary Action Unavoidable]

When the second test result also came out positive, he could no longer deny the consumption of prohibited substances.

Kim Tae-jeong was confused.

If there had been a record of visiting a hospital or a fact of taking cold medicine, he would have at least suspected it, but he had truly maintained his usual daily life until the Olympic qualifiers, and had no memory of consuming anything other than the diet planned from Korea.

At this time, most of the public turned their backs on Kim Tae-jeong, and the coach and national team members also began to look at him with suspicious eyes.

Only the players of the same club, who knew well what kind of life Kim Tae-jeong usually led, recognized his unfairness.

“No, does this make sense? Didn’t they manipulate the test results?”

Micky Parker, who belonged to the same Bundesliga club and participated in the Olympics as a US national player.

Seeing the luggage Kim Tae-jeong had packed to return to Korea, he got worked up in Korean.

Micky Parker, a second-generation Korean-Japanese, was the only friend Kim Tae-jeong made in the Bundesliga.

“Are you really going to return to Korea like this?”

“It’s positive up to the second test, so what can I do.”

“Tae-jeong, what are you lacking that you would dope in the Olympic qualifiers!”

That was also the reason why domestic public opinion mostly supported Kim Tae-jeong even after the first test result.

What kind of idiot would dope in the qualifiers, not even the Olympic finals, and get caught?

Even before the Olympics, Kim Tae-jeong had been playing during the Bundesliga season, then sought understanding from the club to represent the national team. Although the Bundesliga randomly selected and tested players before and after matches, Kim Tae-jeong had been included in the random draw and tested.

The fact that he didn’t get caught back then meant he didn’t consume drugs in the Bundesliga.

How many players would resolve to dope and come to the Olympics, which had tighter doping tests than the Bundesliga?

However, since it came out positive up to the second doping test, there was no room for excuse.

Accuracy aside, when it comes to doping, once a positive result appears, it is attributed to the player’s fault.

Although Micky Parker was angry, he probably knew better than anyone that the illegal substance appearing in Kim Tae-jeong’s blood was likely true.

“Did you get on someone’s bad side? Did someone spike your food to screw you over?”

“That’s impossible. You know how thorough I am.”

“I know, and that’s why it’s more frustrating! If it wasn’t given by someone else, it only means you administered it yourself, but there is no way you really touched drugs!”

Kim Tae-jeong also truly didn’t understand that part.

Swearing to heaven, he had never attempted doping, nor had anyone else handed him suspicious drinks.

Even after coming to the Olympics, all he ate was the individual diet prepared by his older brother…

“I suspect that ‘Big Brother’ of yours.”

Micky Parker’s suspicion also made sense.

If all he ate after coming here was food prepared by his older brother, wouldn’t anyone suspect him?

‘But there is no way brother would do that.’

It was his older brother who rejoiced more than anyone when Kim Tae-jeong became a successful soccer player.

He entrusted the management of his earned income entirely to his older brother, who was transparent enough to report a budget in advance to Kim Tae-jeong even when buying a single food ingredient.

Even if his older brother had been embezzling in the middle, falling so absurdly like this wouldn’t be a good thing for him either.

“Even if he didn’t do it himself, an outsider could have tampered with the ingredients or something, right?”

“Who on earth would hate me enough to go that far? I really only played soccer…”

“Don’t think too deeply. If you are in an unfair situation right now, it means someone harbored malice toward you.”

Micky Parker leaned in close and spoke in a firm tone, as if telling him to remember it well.

“Tae-jeong, human malice transcends imagination. Don’t forget this.”

Though Kim Tae-jeong thought there was no way his older brother would do that to him, he did visit him before returning to Korea to ask if anyone had touched the ingredients.

This was because he thought Micky’s words—that someone might have administered the drug to the ingredients managed by his brother even if he didn’t put it in himself—were plausible.

However, his older brother replied that such a thing was impossible.

“I managed the ingredients more thoroughly than anyone after coming here. Yet the second test is positive…”

He worried if his brother would get angry, asking if he was doubting him, but his brother sat down shedding tears.

“I can’t believe it either, Tae-jeong. Because I know better than anyone that you didn’t consume drugs or take injections. It all feels like my fault. If by any chance there was a problem with the food you ate, how on earth can I make amends to you…”

Unable to ask any more from his brother who looked to have a more unstable mental state than himself, Kim Tae-jeong boarded a plane with his brother and returned to Korea instead of asking further.

A few days later, he was able to check the level of his disciplinary action in Korea.

[Kim Tae-jeong ‘4-Year Ban,’ Likely Unable to Play in the World Cup too]

A 4-year ban.

To Kim Tae-jeong, who was now nearly thirty years old, it was thunderbolt-like news.

[Kim Tae-jeong, Who Was Nearing Retirement, Crisis of Ending Career as a Druggie?]

In domestic public opinion, he was already being called ‘Druggie’ instead of by the name ‘Kim Tae-jeong,’ and the interview where he proudly answered that the first doping test was wrong became a meme and was receiving all kinds of ridicule.

Honestly, around this time, he couldn’t think of anything.

A 4-year ban?

And for something that wasn’t even my fault?

It didn’t feel real, and tears didn’t fall either.

“Tae-jeong, human malice transcends imagination. Don’t forget this.”

He only became curious about who on earth hated him to this extent.

By the time the ridicule on the internet reached its peak and YouTubers barged in even to where he lived, the older brother he lived with attempted suicide, leaving a will saying it was his fault for failing to manage the ingredients and to please forgive Tae-jeong. Having saved his brother by a hair’s breadth, Kim Tae-jeong resolved.

If there was a person who hated him, from that person’s memory,

and from this world, he would be forgotten.

[Kim Tae-jeong, Suddenly Announces Retirement: “Regret Ending Career as a Druggie”]

Upon announcing his retirement, contact came from many people, but Kim Tae-jeong, who resolved to be forgotten by the world, ignored all of their contacts.

[Micky: Are you really going to retire?]

Naturally, he didn’t reply to the contact from Micky Parker either.

Because the Bundesliga club ended the contract without any restrictions, perhaps feeling relieved when Tae-jeong announced his retirement first, there was no longer any occasion to meet Micky Parker.

Despite not replying, Micky Parker sent contacts steadily.

[Micky: What are you going to do after retiring?]

Who knows.

Anyway, neither he nor his brother were the type to live luxuriously, so they had enough money to live without working, and he thought that if they ran out of money, since his body was perfectly fine, he could survive by doing manual labor.

[Micky: I fell for Beyonce lately. Do you know Beyonce?]

Despite not replying, Micky kept sending contacts.

Kim Tae-jeong didn’t bother blocking him.

Because Micky’s steady contact seemed to be to confirm that Kim Tae-jeong was alive by checking if his messages were marked as read.

“I’m getting married, Tae-jeong.”

In the meantime, his older brother who recovered his mental state set up a family and independent household.

Actually, he could have married sooner, but because he had to take responsibility for Kim Tae-jeong’s meals, the marriage had been delayed until retirement.

Kim Tae-jeong tried to slice off half of his remaining assets to give to his brother, but his brother flatly refused and left with only the money he had earned in the meantime.

With his brother gone too, Kim Tae-jeong now truly felt forgotten by the world.

Not completely, but almost.

[Micky: If I visit Korea later, will you buy me food?]

Kim Tae-jeong chuckled looking at Micky’s text.

He thought this guy would be the only one who still hadn’t forgotten him, but on that day particularly, a long text arrived.

[Micky: I’m playing a game lately, do you want to try it?]

[Micky: Unemployed with nothing to do, let’s play a game together]

Behind the message sent like that, a link was attached, and what came out upon entering through that link was .

[Micky: If you happen to start, add me as a friend]

[Micky: My in-game nickname is ‘mikisoccer’.]

At the naming ‘mikisoccer’ characteristic of him, Kim Tae-jeong chuckled once more.

‘It’s true I have nothing to do…’

Kim Tae-jeong had been feeling great boredom in living lately.

He had no reluctance to start the game, but Kim Tae-jeong was greatly flustered at the first screen of ‘Apocalypse: Safe Zone.’

‘It’s all in English…’

Upon inquiry, it was a game that did not have a Korean patch.

Come to think of it, there was no reason for Micky, an American, to play a Korean game.

Although he could speak German reasonably well, he didn’t know how to speak English properly, so Kim Tae-jeong stammered a few times even on the start screen.

‘I should have gone to the Premier League instead of the Bundesliga…’

Having thought so unconsciously, Kim Tae-jeong thought he had recovered a lot from the shock of that time, but…

he hesitated considerably when deciding on his in-game nickname next.

Fortunately, the player nickname could be entered in Hangul too, but he was afraid that if he wrote his real name as it was, players would ask why he set his nickname to a druggie.

‘Should I name it like Micky…’

What was decided in that way was ‘Taejeongtaesebeyonce.’

After creating his character, Kim Tae-jeong sent a friend request to ‘mikisoccer.’

Micky accepted Kim Tae-jeong’s friend request straight away.

It seemed he had already intuited it was Kim Tae-jeong from the nickname ‘Taejeongtaesebeyonce.’

[mikisoccer: Crazy!!]

[mikisoccer: Are you really Tae-jeong? Really? You’re alive?]

He seemed not to know that Kim Tae-jeong would really start the game, sending chats in high excitement.

[mikisoccer: You bastard, why are you not saying anything]

[mikisoccer: Are you going to ignore chats like texts too??]

‘As expected, sending texts continuously was because he worried I might die.’

Kim Tae-jeong felt great gratitude toward Micky.

He felt sorry for causing useless worry in the meantime.

[Taejeongtaesebeyonce: I will come to reply to chats diligently, so stop texting now]

[mikisoccer: Does that mean you won’t reply to texts?]

[Taejeongtaesebeyonce: International texts are expensive]

[mikisoccer: That’s an unemployed-like thought]

The cursor of the chat window blinked for a moment, and soon Micky sent a follow-up message.

[mikisoccer: Keep your promise to reply to chats diligently]

[mikisoccer: Because if I can’t contact you, I’m really going to Korea this time]

He seemed to text as if it was nothing, but he must have been anxious because I didn’t reply.

Perhaps asking to play a game together was the final ultimatum before flying to Korea to check if he was alive.

Since he understood Micky’s mind to some extent after his brother’s suicide attempt, Kim Tae-jeong obediently replied he would do so.

[Taejeongtaesebeyonce: Okay]

[Taejeongtaesebeyonce: But how do you play this game?]

[mikisoccer: Start with the Candy Zone first]

[mikisoccer: I will send you the walkthrough]

Entering through the link of the US Safe Zone community Micky sent like that, Kim Tae-jeong was slightly flustered.

‘Micky… did he play games instead of playing soccer?’

In the community walkthrough posts, there was a system where rankings were given, and the walkthrough posts uploaded under the nickname mikisoccer occupied most of the top spots.

Well, since it meant Micky was a veteran of this game to that extent, he thought it wouldn’t be difficult while playing the game in the future.

The problem was that Micky’s walkthrough was entirely written in English.

‘I really should have gone to the Premier League…’

Yet feeling sorry to ask Micky to translate everything, Kim Tae-jeong began to run Micky’s walkthrough on Google, and…

“…Huh.”

He ended up finding a perfect translation in the Korean community.

‘The one who uploaded it… Dopamine Addict?’

At first, he thought Dopamine Addict translated and uploaded Micky’s walkthrough post.

Having checked the upload date of the post, Kim Tae-jeong realized Micky had been unauthorizedly copying Dopamine Addict’s walkthrough post and uploading it to the US community.

‘Micky… no wonder his Korean was so good.’

Deliberating whether he should let Dopamine Addict know Micky was copying his posts, Kim Tae-jeong ended up reading Dopamine Addict’s walkthrough post from beginning to end, and…

to him who was living disconnected from the world, Dopamine Addict’s walkthrough came as an immense stimulation.

Literally having become addicted to the dopamine provided by Dopamine Addict’s walkthrough post, Kim Tae-jeong

naturally visited the convenience store uploaded by Dopamine Addict, and by chance picked bottled Cola, enjoying the honor of starting in the same zone as Dopamine Addict.

“But since Dopamine Addict brother is also Korean, I thought his attitude would change if he knew I was ‘Druggie Kim Tae-jeong,’ which is why I have kept quiet until now…”

…So.

Taejeongtaesebeyonce, who was suddenly summoned by Dopamine Addict and received the question, ‘Are you really the national athlete Kim Tae-jeong?’, confessed everything out of a guilty conscience and then read Dopamine Addict’s expression.

No matter how innocent he was, under the situation where he was already known as a druggie, he couldn’t expect Dopamine Addict to believe his unfairness.

Therefore, he looked at him worriedly since he couldn’t predict Dopamine Addict’s reaction, but…

the expression Dopamine Addict wore was equally unexpected.

‘Why is he wearing that kind of expression…’

Dopamine Addict, who listened to Kim Tae-jeong’s story from beginning to end with an expressionless face,

turned a face full of dopamine at some point and asked Kim Tae-jeong.

“What did you say your friend’s in-game nickname was?”