Superstar From Age 0

“Surprise!”

Park Ji-ho shouted as he saw Seo-jun and the kids.

They were startled by his appearance, with bandages wrapped around his leg.

It was not a cast or a splint, just a bandage.

And if he was really hurt, he would have covered it with his clothes or shoes. But he was showing off his bandage as if he wasn't in pain.

They slowly realized what was going on.

Park Ji-ho laughed as he saw the faces of his shocked friends. His agent, Kim Tae-ju, who was next to him, shook his head.

“You scared us!”

“Don't play jokes like that!”

Park Ji-woo hit her stupid brother's shoulder with all her strength. Mina also helped Ji-woo and slapped Park Ji-ho's back. Ji-ho flinched at the stinging sensation.

“Haah.”

Ji-yoon sighed in relief and picked up the snacks that had fallen. Seo-jun approached Kim Tae-ju, who was smiling awkwardly.

“Ji-ho, what happened? You look like you’re really hurt.”

At Seo-jun's words, Ji-ho, who was pretending to be in pain, and Ji-woo and Mina, who were still angry and hitting him, and Ji-yoon, who was thinking of giving him fewer snacks, all widened their eyes.

Ji-woo stopped her hand and frowned.

“…Wasn't it a joke?”

“It seems like he's not seriously hurt, but he is injured. Maybe he's almost done with the treatment?”

Park Ji-ho looked at Seo-jun with trembling eyes. Kim Tae-ju also seemed surprised.

“…You're scary, seo-jun. How did you know?”

“Really?”

“That's…”

Park Ji-ho rolled his eyes.

“Didn't you know, tae-ju hyung?”

Kim Tae-ju sweated nervously under Ji-woo's glare, who was wondering why he didn't contact them in Korea, and quickly answered.

“Ji-ho twisted his ankle when he got up from the bed. He was still sleepy.”

“…What?”

It was not training or a match.

“…He got up from the bed?”

“Hehehehe.”

“Are you laughing now! You idiot!”

He deserved it.

Ji-woo hit Ji-ho's back on behalf of their parents. Mina and Ji-yoon shook their heads as if he brought it on himself. Seo-jun smiled softly.

His eyes, which had shone white with [The White Eyes of the Village Elder], turned black again.

After sharing the joy (?) of their reunion, they all got into Kim Tae-ju's car.

Thanks to the big car he rented, they had enough space for their luggage and themselves.

Ji-ho, who was buckling his seat belt, rubbed his back that still felt sore and said.

“It's not serious, and the medical team said I only need to wrap the bandage until today. So I just wanted to play a prank. I didn't expect Seo-jun to notice. He's so scary.”

Seo-jun shrugged his shoulders. It was all thanks to his abilities.

Ji-ho said to Ji-woo.

“Don't tell mom and dad. They’ll worry for nothing.”

“I won't. They’ll be more dumbfounded than worried.”

Ji-woo still looked incredulous. She understood why Kim Tae-ju didn't tell them.

The kids, who had calmed down a bit, contacted their parents in Korea and told them they had arrived safely. Then, Kim Tae-ju, who was driving, opened his mouth.

“First of all, I rented a house for you to stay. There are two rooms, so you can share them. It's a place that does lodging, so there are five beds ready.”

“Five beds? There are only four of us?”

Ji-yoon asked, and Ji-ho smiled brightly.

“I’ll stay there too while you’re here.”

“Really? That sounds fun. It's like we’re all on a trip together.”

“Right?”

Park Ji-ho chuckled at Seo-jun's words. Ji-yoon and Mina also looked happy. Ji-woo, who was nervous, soon smiled at her brother's excitement.

Kim Tae-ju continued.

“And tomorrow, you'll meet the bodyguards. They’ll usually hide in plain sight, so you don't have to worry too much, but you should at least know each other's faces.”

The kids nodded, as they had experienced this in Korea too.

“And be careful of pickpockets in Europe, and don't trust anyone who offers to help you with your luggage, and don't leave anything on your seat and go to the bathroom like in Korea, because someone might steal it…”

And Kim Tae-ju's nagging-like advice went on.

***

Seo-jun and the kids decided to have dinner a bit early, even though they had arrived at their accommodation.

The dinner menu was Korean food. Seo-jun and Mina, who had a certificate in Korean cuisine, rolled up their sleeves and started cooking.

Thanks to Ji-ho and Kim Tae-ju, who had bought the ingredients in advance from a Korean market and a nearby store, they didn't have to go shopping.

“What should we make?”

“I want jjimdak! Jjimdak with lots of noodles!”

While Seo-jun and Mina cooked according to Park Ji-ho's order, Ji-woo and Ji-yoon unpacked their luggage.

The containers of side dishes that their parents had packed for them were tightly wrapped so they wouldn't burst. It was a hassle to unwrap them.

“For now, we’ll eat here while we’re staying here, and then we’ll move to Ji-ho's house when we leave.”

Ji-yoon, who was stacking the containers of side dishes in the fridge, said, and Ji-ho nodded. Ji-woo, who was tearing the plastic wrap off the containers filled with side dishes, also said.

“Check the dates and eat them. Don't get sick from eating expired ones.”

“Okay.”

Ji-ho's eyes sparkled at the side dishes that his parents had prepared with care. He liked them all, so he was even happier.

“But are these Korean dates or Spanish dates?”

“Does it matter? You won't die from a day's difference.”

‘My sister is still cold. So cold.’

But Ji-ho felt warm in his heart as the house became lively.

The kids skillfully took out some side dishes and placed them on the table.

They also put spoons and chopsticks on each seat.

When will he leave, Ji-ho wondered as he saw Kim Tae-ju, who was waiting for a chance. He said with a bright face.

“Tae-ju hyung, eat with us.”

“Oh, um. Should I?”

At Ji-ho's words, the kids nodded their heads, and Kim Tae-ju sat down nervously. He still couldn't believe that the actor Lee Seo-jun was cooking there. He whispered to Ji-ho.

“Ji-ho, can I get his autograph later?”

“Seo-jun! Tae-ju hyung wants your autograph!”

Without a moment's hesitation, Ji-ho shouted, and Kim Tae-ju slapped his forehead. Seo-jun and the kids laughed.

A little later.

The table was full of jjimdak as the main dish, side dishes, and rice. They had eaten airline food, but the hot food they had just made was so delicious that they kept eating.

“This match you’re going to is really important, right?”

Ji-yoon asked, and Ji-ho and Kim Tae-ju, who were inhaling jjimdak, nodded.

“The league our team is in is the third division. The first division is the well-known La Liga, the second division is La Liga 2, and the third division is called Segunda Division B, but you can just call it the third division.”

Seo-jun and the kids listened to Ji-ho's explanation.

Kim Tae-ju added that if La Liga, the first division of Spanish football, was equivalent to the major league, then La Liga 2, the second division, was like the minor league.

“Didn't you say that Ji-ho's team was FC Barcelona?”

“They have different teams. There's the first team, where the famous players that everyone knows are. Then there's the second team, where I am. And then there's the youth team.”

“The official name of the second team is FC Barcelona B.”

Kim Tae-ju mentioned the names of the players who belonged to FC Barcelona's first team. Seo-jun and the kids were amazed by the players they had heard of.

“It must be hard for Ji-ho to join the first team right away, with such great players there.”

“He’ll get there someday!”

The kids and Seo-jun laughed at Ji-ho's enthusiastic expression.

“Just don't mess up then.”

“Ugh.”

Ji-ho flinched at Ji-woo's words and silently slurped his noodles.

“But I heard that Barcelona has a well-established youth system. How did he get to play so fast?”

Ji-woo, who knew more information than Seo-jun, Mina, and Ji-yoon thanks to her brother who was a soccer player, asked Kim Tae-ju, who nodded his head.

“Um. That's true, but… They haven't been able to get promoted to the second division for a few years, so they started to actively recruit foreign players this season. Players who could play right away.”

That was also the reason why Park Ji-ho and his agency accepted FC Barcelona's offer. If they had the skills, they had a high chance of being put into the game right away.

“As expected, he took the test and impressed the coach right away. Of course, it was too late in the season to change the team's ranking, but Ji-ho always scored goals at crucial moments and left a deep impression on the team and the people.”

“I even got fans asking for my autograph!”

Park Ji-ho said with a bright face, and Seo-jun, Mina, and Ji-yoon exclaimed in surprise. Park Ji-ho, who was smiling proudly, saw his sister's face in his sight.

“Park Ji-woo. Why do you look like that?”

“No. I just can't believe it. Fans for Park Ji-ho… Maybe in ten years.”

“Hey! Tae-ju hyung saw it too! Right, tae-ju hyung?”

At Ji-ho's words, Kim Tae-ju recalled the past few months.

At first, people were interested in him because he was a friend of Hollywood star Seo-jun Lee, but when they saw Park Ji-ho running around the field and showing his skills, they forgot everything else and cheered for soccer player Park Ji-ho.

The most shining striker on the field.

Maybe it was because his childhood friend was an actor. Park Ji-ho had something that caught the audience's attention on the field.

While Kim Tae-ju was reminiscing for a moment, the conversation had moved on. The topic changed too fast.

“There's a game in two days, and that's the last game of the promotion. If we win here, we’ll move up to the second division, if we lose, we’ll stay.”

“Wow!”

The kids’ eyes sparkled at Ji-ho's excited words. They didn't know it was such an important game.

“That's a really important game!”

“But don't get hurt or anything.”

Ji-ho shouted at Ji-woo's reaction, which led to injury.

“The medical team said to bandage it until today! It's all healed! And it was just a minor injury! Not a serious one!”

Seo-jun put a chicken leg on Ji-ho's plate, who was making a fuss. Park Ji-ho, who was quieted by a chicken leg, made the kids and Kim Tae-ju laugh.

“So you’re playing in that game, Ji-ho?”

“Yeah. I'm starting. If I don't get hurt, I’ll play the whole game.”

There was a strong emphasis on if I don't get hurt, which was not a mistake. Kim Tae-ju teased him with a playful tone, and Park Ji-ho's hand trembled and stopped. The others laughed at Park Ji-ho's pouting face.

“Ji-ho, can we watch that game too?”

“…Do you want to?”

“Yeah. It's an important game. Of course we have to watch it.”

At Seo-jun's words and the friends’ nodding heads, Park Ji-ho relaxed his face and answered with a smile.

“I'm worried because it's a promotion game, but I think it’ll be okay if I ask the team.”

After they decided to watch the promotion game together, the conversation moved on to another topic.

“Where are you going after Spain?”

Ji-ho, who planned to focus on training during his free time, asked his friends with a jealous face.

“Paris, France!”

Mina answered with sparkling eyes. Ji-yoon and Ji-woo had similar expressions. Ji-ho blinked his eyes at his friends’ faces.

“What? Is there something going on in Paris? Why are you all so excited?”

“There's a very famous cooking school there called Le Cordon Bleu. They have a two-week short program and I signed up for it. They said it's almost the same as the classes they do during the semester, so I'm really looking forward to it!”

“There's also an international book fair in Paris when we go there! It's a ten-day event and there are a lot of programs to participate in, so I'm excited!”

Ji-woo followed Mina and Ji-yoon's excited faces. She looked more excited than usual, and Seo-jun understood why.

“I'm going to Paris 5 University.”

She didn't expect to get a reply from the university with the least chance.

She read the reply in English several times, but it didn't change. She still couldn't believe it, so Ji-woo sent an email to Seo-jun, Mina, and Ji-yoon to confirm. She could only feel it when she heard the surprised voices of her three friends.

It was a real reply.

“A professor at PT Hospital is giving a special lecture at Paris 5 University, and he saw my email and said I could come if I was okay with the lecture.”

Park Ji-ho and Kim Tae-ju opened their mouths wide at Ji-woo's question.

“…You're not here for a trip? You want to study in Europe?”

“I’ll travel too. After the Le Cordon Bleu classes are over!”

“Yeah! After the book fair is over!”

“If you hadn't debuted as a pro, you would have wanted to participate in some of the programs for ordinary people in Europe.”

Ji-woo's words made Ji-ho nod his head.

If he was still in Korea, he would have participated in the programs that famous clubs had prepared for ordinary people when he came to Europe.

“Well, that's true.”

Kim Tae-ju tapped his forehead at the kids’ stories. Are all kids like this these days? Am I… Am I weird? What did I do when I was that age? He kept wondering.

“So you’re spending two weeks in Paris?”

“Yeah. That's the plan.”

“We’ve already booked our accommodation!”

As he listened to his friends’ stories, Ji-ho suddenly looked at one person who was quiet. He should have been the most excited about this kind of story, but he was unusually quiet.

“What are you doing in Paris, seo-jun?”

“…Nothing.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing at all.”

He didn't get a reply from the university he emailed, there was no film festival, and he couldn't find any programs for ordinary people that he wanted to join. Seo-jun answered gloomily.