Weird Defender Joo Ji-Tae

152 – News About Myself That I Didn’t Know

152

In Korea, the culture of home parties or house parties is unfamiliar, but in Europe or the United States, it’s a common, everyday culture. By everyday culture, I don’t mean the lavish parties depicted in Hollywood movies.

A Korean example would be enjoying chicken at a friend’s house.

Alcohol? Of course, you can’t have chicken without beer. So, it’s easy to understand that a home party in Europe is just having a few drinks with friends.

Of course, there are lavish and extravagant parties like those in Hollywood movies.

But those are exceptional cases, exaggerated for the sake of drama in mass media. It’s not like in K-dramas, where a perfect, capable, and well-off man falls for a divorced woman who’s below average.

There are cases where a third- or fourth-generation chaebol falls for a divorced woman.

Like when the British prince gave up his throne to marry an American divorcée, reality is always more surprising than imagination. But such cases are rare.

Home parties are the same.

Most home parties involve having a few drinks at a friend’s house, but some, a very small number, are like those in Hollywood movies, with hundreds of people, including celebrities, partying in a luxurious mansion with a pool.

And right now, I was in one of those exceptional cases.

“What? Did I come to the wrong place? No, this is right. Excuse me?”

“Wow, what is this? I didn’t expect much since Max and Joel were hosting, but… this is insane.”

“Am I really in the right place? Is this Catalonia or the United States? This is like a party from an American superstar rapper’s Instagram.”

The party hosted by Max Moreno and Joel Cabrera was no ordinary home party.

It was a truly lavish and extravagant visual, like something out of a Hollywood movie. People who had entered the party with a light heart were shocked by the grandeur.

“Welcome, friends! Come on in.”

From the lowest youth level of La Masia to becoming a first-team player, most Barcelona players knew the styles of the two, and therefore, they also knew that the two didn’t fit in with this lavish party.

“Hey, Joel. Did you guys prepare this?”

“Yeah! Why? Is it weird?”

“No, it’s not weird, but… it’s just too different from usual.”

The current Barcelona team is mostly composed of players who are far from this kind of lavish party.

The ones who might enjoy this kind of party are the senior Brazilian players who are not close to Max and Joel, who are from La Masia’s youth academy.

“Actually, Joo Ji-tae helped us.”

“Joo? The Joo I know?”

Everyone’s faces turned puzzled at Max’s response.

“There’s no other Joo, so it must be him.”

“What? That boring Joo Ji-tae helped with this party?”

Joo Ji-tae.

A 20-year-old Asian player who is already at the top of Barcelona’s hierarchy in terms of skills and popularity. The magnitude of his status is evident from the fact that he’s already part of the team’s leadership at just 20 years old.

And the Joo Ji-tae that the players know is a player who is as boring as he is exceptional.

Unlike other Asian players, he has a strong sense of self and an arrogant side, but on the other hand, he has no interest in drinking, women, or leisure activities, living a monotonous life that repeats only between home and the training ground.

Is this guy leading this party?

“He just helped. He actually prepared everything. Joo is… an amazing expert.”

“What kind of expert?”

“What do you mean… uh…”

The two people around them giggled, and everyone’s ears perked up.

The unexpected side of a talented but boring colleague is something that anyone would be curious about.

* * *

Joo Ji-tae had finally shown off his skills.

Although he’s living a quiet life now, the Joo Ji-tae from the first season was truly the embodiment of extravagance, the icon of indulgence and luxury.

He had forgotten about it since he’s been living a model life for so long, but when he thought about doing it “properly” after a long time, he ended up unleashing his full power. His full power is… Ah, it’s terrifying, my skills.

Joo Ji-tae’s satisfied smile spread across his face as he looked around the perfectly prepared party venue.

“Hmm, I think this is enough.”

The location, food, drinks, and women were all prepared to perfection.

If he had more time and budget, it would have been even more perfect, but… well, it’s enough to show off to the two kids.

Joo Ji-tae’s thoughts were spot on.

After entering the first team, Max and Joel, who are from La Masia, had finally experienced the luxurious life of a star that they had been longing for, thanks to Joo Ji-tae’s party, and they proudly posted about it on SNS.

There was nothing special about this.

It’s just a lavish party, but that’s it.

It’s not illegal, just a party that’s a bit extravagant.

The team atmosphere had changed dramatically since they entered the first team, and this party was something that would make the young Barcelona players who are still new to the first team turn their heads, but for players who like this kind of thing, it’s just a party where they spent a bit more money than usual.

But even Joo Ji-tae didn’t expect it to turn out like this.

“Ah, it’s not like that… no, oh no. I really didn’t meet any girls, did I?”

That night, after the party ended.

Joo Ji-tae followed the typical behavior pattern of men who get misunderstood about women.

“Was the photo taken like that on purpose? There was really nothing, right?”

Joo Ji-tae was innocent.

Having severed ties with his past, Joo Ji-tae had genuinely lived a clean life. He didn’t even drink much, only having a single beer.

“There was no skinship either. Really. Just… a peck on the cheek, that’s all.”

That’s right.

The skinship was just a casual touch, and the peck on the cheek was just a greeting. Again, it wasn’t Joo Ji-tae who initiated the touch, but rather the other way around.

The woman’s behavior pattern was similar as well.

“What? You’re coming? Why? No, I really don’t understand. So you’re coming? What about school? Ah… it just so happens to be winter break now… No, I don’t mean to say it’s bad.”

Joo Ji-tae, who was trying to stop Jo Yeo-shin from packing her bags, suddenly thought.

When he thought about it, it was weird. Did he have a reason to avoid her? He hadn’t done anything wrong… Of course, the photo was taken in a slightly misleading way, but that was just because of the angle.

“No, it’s fine. Come on over. I’ll explain everything to my parents.”

It would be better to invite her over and show her directly.

Since Jo Yeo-shin didn’t know about the home party culture in Europe, having only lived in Korea, Joo Ji-tae thought it would be good to introduce her to the local atmosphere and culture, and even host a home party together. That way, the misunderstanding would be quickly resolved.

So Joo Ji-tae confidently invited Jo Yeo-shin over.

Perhaps she didn’t expect a direct confrontation instead of an excuse, but Jo Yeo-shin, who was chattering away on her smartphone, fell silent.

In the silence, she seemed flustered, and her breathing sounded labored.

“What? What’s there to prepare? Just come over. You only need to bring your body, so what’s there to prepare? Ah, okay. You just need to bring your body. I’ll explain everything to my parents. Ah… is that okay? Are you going to talk? No, what’s important is who talks. Okay, you talk. Okay.”

Her rambling seemed to be a confident attitude.

As the saying goes, a noble person walks the noble path.

There was no need to apologize or make excuses.

It seemed even more confident.

Joo Ji-tae, who was satisfied that he had resolved the small misunderstanding, was puzzled a few days later when he saw his colleagues looking at him with strange expressions at the training center.

“What’s going on? Why are you looking at me like that?”

There was an unexplainable, complex gaze that seemed to be congratulatory yet sympathetic… It was puzzling for a moment.

As Coach Hose and the coaching staff approached him, Hose suddenly stretched out his arm towards Joo Ji-tae.

“Oh, poor guy. You’re already walking into hell on your own at the age of 20. You’re really a great guy.”

“…?”

“Congratulations, Ji-tae. I think this is something to be congratulated about… Anyway, I respect your choice.”

Coach Hose and the coaching staff patted Joo Ji-tae on the back with a complex gaze.

Next, his colleagues approached him, looking bewildered.

“Ji-tae, hang in there.”

“You’re doing it a bit too fast at 20, aren’t you?… But I guess it’s okay if it’s you. You’re a model student, after all.”

“I know this is a rude question, but I’ll ask anyway… Are you already pregnant?”

What was this nonsense?

“What pregnancy?”

“Well, you’re not that kind of person, are you? Your girlfriend… I mean, your wife.”

“I’m not even married, so what wife?”

“Ah, you’ll do it soon anyway. There’s no need to hide it from us. The rumors are already out.”

“What rumors? What rumors?…”

The smartphone news headline his colleague showed him was filled with news of his marriage.

Who’s getting married? It’s none other than myself, and the news is about Joo Ji-tae’s marriage.

“What… what…?”

I didn’t even know about my own marriage news.