Season 3: Chapter 302. Same Enemy, Different Format (1)
Like any child, Sang-Hyeon did not fully understand his mentor. At times, he found him overly harsh. Other times, he felt his interference went too far. The coach even tried to correct things like his lifestyle and tone of speech.
“You brat. Didn’t you say you wanted to be on the national team? If you act like this as a representative, people aren’t going to like it. Don’t look down on others.”
In moments like these, he often thought to himself.
‘I’m better at shooting anyway.’
Didn’t he shoot better than the other athletes? Maybe even better than the coach. Who was teaching whom here...? The spirited teenage boy sometimes overestimated his own capabilities.
“Don’t pout. I’m saying this for your own good, you punk.”
“...”
In his youth, Sang-Hyeon was not very affectionate. Strangely enough, the darkness of the world seemed to trouble him and never left him in peace. He didn’t fully believe that those words were truly for his sake. He could only accept around 80% of it. After all, Coach Yang In-Cheol was human and not everything he said or did was for Sang-Hyeon’s benefit.
“Hey, kid! How many times do I have to tell you to remove the arrowheads!? Huh? You think it’s funny to ignore what an adult says!?”
“I didn’t leave them on purpose...”
“What!? I checked all your arrows! Why are you making excuses?”
“...”
Sometimes the coach lost his temper and scolded Sang-Hyeon over minor misunderstandings. So there remained a gap of distrust within the remaining 20% of Sang-Hyeon’s mind. However, there was a moment when he began to accept all of his mentor’s actions and mannerisms.
It was his first week at Ah-Sung. That final Friday.
Clatter.
Sang-Hyeon ran down the hall and hurried into the restroom. To strangers, it probably looked like an emergency.
Thud.
He shut the door and sat on the closed toilet with his head lowered. His face, buried in his arms and knees, was flushed red. His breathing was also labored. After spending Monday through Friday at Ah-Sung, he saw the true nature of the world. It wasn’t from any harsh words or scolding, yet he felt it deeply—an icy sense of distrust toward him as a person, Yu Sang-Hyeon. The hostile coldness of that world seemed to reject him.
‘So that’s what it was...’
Sang-Hyeon realized why he felt so anxious and cold in a place where everyone else seemed fine. Why was he only now seeing the world’s true nature? It was because the world he had known until then had been crafted with care by someone just for him. There had been adults who warmed the chilly winters with a worn coal stove and who stuck cheap glow-in-the-dark stars on his ceiling on smog-filled Seoul nights. His grandmother, his teachers, and... Coach Yang.
“Sob... huff...”
Trying to catch his breath, Sang-Hyeon thought of Coach Yang’s sudden bursts of anger, the silly misunderstandings, the unfair judgments, and the requests to keep incidents hidden from the kids... Now, he understood.
Even when the coach was wrong, his mistakes and outbursts stemmed from caring about Sang-Hyeon and the archery team. Just as an arrow sometimes missed the target despite one’s best efforts, the coach was also imperfect. All the towering adults who seemed so vast were ultimately just people and imperfect beings.
‘Like me now.’
One thing was clear: they were all looking at the same target. Those imperfect beings stood shoulder to shoulder, supported each other, and walked the same path together. Although he hadn’t realized it then, this made his archery life shine with meaning. But the world outside was different. Even in the same building and the same company, there were countless targets.
Some were golden, others purple and pink. Sang-Hyeon’s honest primary-colored target was utterly worthless here. He clenched his fists, holding back something as if enduring it to the end.
‘If only...’
If only he could experience that shared target with Coach Yang again. How amazing it would be to relive those moments.
“Hah...”
But Sang-Hyeon held back. He now knew how to distinguish reality from dreams. He didn’t wish for the impossible. His trembling right arm gripping the restroom door handle was a constant reminder of reality.
‘I guess I’ll never see him again.’
He couldn’t go back to Coach Yang. Their bond remained in the past, and he had to find a different target. After wiping his eyes, he straightened his reversed employee ID and stepped out into the hallway.
Creak.
The bright office lights swallowed him up.
***
“Amateur? As far as I know, that kid’s always been a pro.”
The video on the screen ended.
“Players, please enter!”
Boom!
White light burst forth and shone on them.
“Players, enter!!”
With the caster’s thunderous voice, the players entered. Sang-Hyeon walked alongside everyone else.
Whoosh.
The cold wind from outside swirled around him, making his tense body shiver even more. Then, the warmth of a hot wind enveloped him.
“Wooooooaaaahhhhh!!!”
Cheers from the crowd surged forward.
Boom! Boom!
With the massive sound of drums, countless colorful lights shot across the stage. At the front stood Cookie, followed by the two vice commanders, then Pang, Malatang, and Almond in that order.
Sang-Hyeon looked at the backs of those walking ahead of him. They were all focused straight ahead, looking at the target in front of them. They all had the same target. To win the national tournament.
‘Yeah.’
At that moment, Sang-Hyeon realized it. Perhaps he had already achieved the dream he once thought was impossible. He had already met a new Coach Yang and a new archery team.
“Our proud! South Korean! National tournament team! Joseeeooonnnn!!”
Sang-Hyeon’s eyes changed. He had returned to the boy he once was in his archery days.
***
The cheers were immense as each player was called up on the screen.
“Almond! Almond! Almond!”
Especially when it was Almond’s turn. His popularity was a big factor, but it was also because Pierre appeared right beside him. The cheers for the two most popular stars from both sides sounded deafening.
“Pierre! Pierre! Pierre!”
“Almond! Almond!”
“Woooooooaaahhh!!”
Pang glanced toward the crowd.
“Wow. Today is intense.”
There were slightly more Korean fans, but it wasn’t as big a gap as during the China match. Notably, almost a third of the Korean fans wore Almond costumes or held his cheering items. His popularity continued to soar by the day.
The Almond-shaped cheering items had evolved so much that even Pang felt like owning one himself. He patted his popular younger teammate on the shoulder with a joking remark.
“The whole world is Almond... huh?”
He was about to shout, “The whole world is Almond!” However, something caught his eye.
“What kind of cheering item is that? Do Italians eat a lot of fish?”
A giant fish-shaped kite was floating around. Strangely, it was on the Korean side and not Italy’s. It was hard to tell, but it was definitely on the Korean side.
“Bro, isn’t that you?”
“Huh? Hey, even if I look bad, I don’t look like a fish... Wait!?”
Pang could’ve never imagined it. He hadn’t even remotely considered it until Almond pointed it out.
“Wait, a fish? Could it be...?”
A giant fish-shaped kite floated above the stands.
Flutter~ Flutter~
It swayed as if trying to capture everyone’s attention. The fish's shape looked quite unusual. Flat and broad... perfect for slicing up and eating as sashimi.
“A... flounder!?”
It looked like a flounder.
“It’s really for me!?”
It was. This flounder kite was a cheering item just for Pang. He finally noticed the slogan beside it.
[National Fishing Association]
So they made something of that size. Some uncle fans who followed his fishing videos on YouTube made it. Unbelievable. It seemed like people really saw what they wanted to see. How did he not recognize it? A flounder! Even some of the placards carried by other fans read, “It’s a big catch!”
‘That’s not the only one?’
It wasn’t just him. Now, he noticed.
‘There are items for the other players too...’
There were cheering slogans and props for other players as well. Not only for key players like Malatang, Carrot, and Spam but for nearly all two hundred players scattered around. When did so many of these cheering items get sold? Who would buy them? Surely most people only wanted Almond’s items.
Then, Pang realized it.
‘... The manager.’
This was clearly someone’s handiwork. His hunch was correct. Ju-Hyeok had prepared this event.
After making a significant profit, he used some of it to ensure each player had cheering items with their names on them. Items that didn’t sell were given out as freebies with requests to wave them together for the team’s benefit.
“...”
Pang felt a spark in the corner of his eyes.
“Damn...”
He knew. He wasn’t the hero of this game. The heroes would be people like Cookie, Almond, or Best Yi Sun-Shin.
‘Even so...’
Yes, he wanted to show it. That he too still had something left inside. That his flame hadn’t gone out. Even if it wasn’t blazing wildly, he had kept his own fire alive against the world’s cold winds.
***
After all the players entered their capsules, preparations for the game wrapped up.
“All players logged in!”
“Alright, then...”
The commentator and caster exchanged glances and stood up together.
“Thank you for waiting, everyone!”
“The underdog’s storm, Joseon with its unconventional spirit! And the elite powerhouse that defeated the eternal Mongolian champion, Rome!”
“That’s right! Joseon, who was seen as the weakest, and Rome, hailed as the strongest, are meeting in the finals! This fateful clash!!”
“Joseon vs. Rome! Rome vs. Joseon! The national tournament finals! Now!”
With an uppercut, the caster shouted with all his might.
“Begiiiiiiiin!!”
The stadium’s hologram system activated, gradually revealing the first map. As the holograms flickered, the stage for the finals’ first game emerged.
Rumble...!
Towering sand-colored walls surrounded the base area. These ancient fortress walls were more solid than any built by the civilizations in Civil Empire.
[Ancient Fortress Walls]
This was the Ancient Fortress Walls map. The map where Joseon and Rome clashed for the first time.
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