An alarm bursted throughout the room causing a tall girl to groggily sit upright in her bed and rub her ears in a slow manner as she slowly opened her eyes and slammed her hand against the blaring alarm clock next to her. She gave an annoyed look as she  looked up at the ceiling above her and gave one last yawn before plopping herself back onto her bed and was getting ready to go back to sleep. Right as she was about to fall asleep the door to her room bursted open and an older woman scolded her, “Tzuyu! Get out of bed! Did you forget what day it was?”

 

Before Tzuyu could even get a word out of the woman had already closed the door behind her as Tzuyu gave an annoyed sigh and got out of her bed. She walked out of her room and trudged her way over to the nearest bathroom and stood in front of the mirror in her pajamas that were riddled with a cute character from Star Wars. Tzuyu stared at herself for a few moments looking at her facial features, her sharp jawline, small nose, her lips that were small but full. Tzuyu was a beautiful girl but her body would say otherwise as she changed out of her pajamas showing off her toned body, especially her calves that were defined and could crush a watermelon; her arms were also muscular as well from all the training she had done over the summer. She gave a small sigh of relief as she let the cold water run all over her bare skin and her chiseled physique. She was a little bit nervous today as it was the first game of the soccer season… and would be her first time playing on the varsity team.

 

Chou Tzuyu attended Seojun Academy as a Junior in High School. Many would assume that Tzuyu was an intimidating and scary girl since she was tall and never really spoke much but in reality the tall girl was shy and wasn’t good at socializing with others so she had few friends to begin with. She didn’t really like school that much and mostly focused her time with soccer trying to make it to the big leagues one day, but her mother would always tell her to stay on top of her grades- to which Tzuyu quotes her mother: “You may not make it into the big leagues!”. Her father had actually introduced the sport to her back home in Taiwan when she was little and had learned a lot from her dad until her parents had gotten a divorce which flipped Tzuyu’s world upside down. It really took a toll on the poor girl and she had to leave everything behind when her mother had taken her to Korea for a fresh start.

 

She chose to ignore her old life back in Taiwan and just focus on her new life here in Korea where she was happy with what she had, at least her love for soccer had never died out. The tall girl turned the shower off as she walked out and grabbed a nearby towel and started to dry herself off. She never wore makeup or did much to make herself look pretty, she always thought makeup was going to be a waste anyways since it would be ruined at practice but even then  her beauty was already enough and people would always compliment her and say she should’ve been a model instead of doing such a grueling sport.

 

She came out of the bathroom drying her hair off and dressed in her school uniform which consisted of a navy blue blazer that went over her white button down that was complemented with a navy blue skirt. The blazer had sported off their school symbol on the left of their chest. She started to put on her tie and packed all of her soccer gear into her duffle bag. She did some last minute checks before walking down the stairs of her house where her mother was cooking breakfast.

 

The older woman gave a soft smile towards her daughter and asked, “Are you ready for your first game?”

 

Tzuyu gave a small nod in response as she took a seat at the table while her mother placed a plate of food in front of her only daughter and said, “Make sure to eat a lot. I don’t want my daughter collapsing on the field.”

 

Tzuyu’s mother was very supportive of her daughter’s dreams and would always do her best by getting Tzuyu the latest soccer cleats and paying for all of her soccer gear which Tzuyu appreciated but it made her guilty sometimes and wished her mom wouldn’t spend so much on her all the time.

 

“So who are you guys playing against tonight?” Her mother asked as she cleaned a dirty plate that was in the sink.

 

“Yongha High School?” Tzuyu said, taking a bite out of her toast, “They were number 2 in the nation last year. So it might be a challenge.”

 

“Well I’m pretty sure you guys can take care of them, considering you guys won the National Title last year,” the woman said with a confident smile

 

“But I wasn’t on the team last year,” Tzuyu said with a deflated look.

 

Tzuyu’s mother walked over to her daughter and gave her a kiss on the head and said in a fawning voice, “Well you’re on the team now and you’ll definitely win Nationals again.”

 

The tall girl gave a small chuckle as she tried to lightly push her loving mother off her with an embarrassed look. She felt a buzz in her pocket as she answered the phone, “Hello… yeah, yeah Dahyun… I’ll be out there in a minute.”

 

Tzuyu ended the call as she got up from the table and said with a smile, “I have to go Mom… I’ll see you tonight?”

 

“I’ll try sweetie,” her mother said with a smile, “I’ll try my best to close the Restaurant early tonight.”

 

Tzuyu gave a nod as she quickly grabbed her school bag and duffle bag on the way out before giving one final wave to her mother and walked out of the door seeing her two friends standing there with impatient looks. One of them was slightly taller than the other and had beautiful pale skin, she also had single-eyelids with her sharp eyes that complimented her small face and cute nose. The other girl was short but had a fierce look in her wide-eyes. She had a small-button nose with plump lips below them. Many would think she was a cutie but in reality she could beat you up in a pulp.

 

“It took you long enough,” a pale girl said with a playful tone, “What were you doing in there? Trying to beautify yourself before your first ever varsity game?”

 

“Shut up Dahyun,” As Tzuyu lightly punched the older girl in the shoulder.

 

The smaller one looked at Tzuyu and asked, “But on a serious note though. Are you ready?”

 

“I’m a little bit nervous actually,” Tzuyu said with a sheepish rub on the back of her neck as she threw her duffle bag over her shoulder.

 

Dahyun patted Tzuyu on the back and said in a supportive voice, “Well don’t be! You’re an amazing player- I even heard people talking about you… apparently you’re a mystery in the soccer world so don’t screw this up.”

 

Tzuyu gave a nervous chuckle while Chaeyoung slapped Dahyun on the shoulder and said, “Cut it out will you? You’re not making it any better.”
 

Chaeyoung gave a reassuring smile to her tall friend and said, “Don’t be nervous. You’ve got this in the bag besides you’re the youngest on the team and have a lot of potential. Dahyun and I have watched you practice everyday for the past two years.”

 

“Thank you Chaeyoung,” Tzuyu said with a small smile.

 

“What about me!?” Dahyun said with an offended look as she crossed her arms with a small pout.

 

“You too Dahyun,” Tzuyu said with a small chuckle as she ruffled Dahyun’s hair, “Come on. Let’s head to school.”

 

(-)

 

Many students were walking into Seojun Academy sporting off the navy blue uniforms and carrying backpacks and bags full of sports gear. Seojun Academy being one of the top 5 prestigious schools in Korea, they had the money to support many sporting programs such as basketball and baseball, but Seojun Academy was mostly specifically known for their soccer program where they produced some of the best soccer players in the world, such as Son Heung-Min* . You couldn’t be an average student getting into Seojun, you needed to have the talent, the brain and the money to get into this High School but luckily for Tzuyu she was given a Soccer Scholarship and didn’t have to pay a single thing unless she kept up her good grades and was in the soccer program.

 

Seojun Academy was huge, it practically looked like a mall but instead of small stores it had classrooms instead. The three girls were walking into the school building still chatting with each other and greeting teachers on their way in, but once they had reached the main lobby they had parted ways since Dahyun and Chaeyoung had a different homeroom from with the tall girl so they had bid their farewells leaving Tzuyu walking by herself towards the locker room to put her duffle bag in her locker. She noticed the people looking at her and whispering stuff as she walked by but she chose to ignore them. 

The locker rooms were located on the other side of the school and were designated ONLY to athletes. Tzuyu walked down the hallway where there were painted portraits and murals on the walls of all their athletes striking poses or playing their sport. Tzuyu continued walking down the hallway until she stopped in front of two glass doors where the words “Girls Locker Room” were engraved above them. No one was able to enter these lockers unless you had a specific student ID, so Tzuyu had pulled out her student ID out of her wallet and swiped her ID into the card reader next to the door. There was a beep noise signaling that the door was unlocked allowing Tzuyu to enter the locker room without any trouble. 

 

Seojun’s locker rooms were huge, the walls were all painted with the school’s colors and had LED lights hanging from the ceilings. There were locker rooms designated for each sporting team but were all connected to the main shower area; in each room there were body-length lockers where you could put any of your personal items in and hang your uniforms, a small bench in the middle of the locker room that allowed any player to rest from workouts or practice. There was also one TV placed in each locker room that usually played a sports channel. It was safe to say Seojun had spent most of their budget maintaining and renovating the locker rooms. Tzuyu walked into the soccer team’s designated locker room and walked over to her locker which had her last name engraved above the locker. She threw her duffle bag into her locker and sat down on the nearby bench looking around taking in this moment and how she had finally made it. 

 

As she was thinking to herself, two other girls had walked in with their duffle bags making Tzuyu stand up from her seat and give a short bow to them, “Hello Myoui. Yoo.” 

 

“Cut the formalities Tzuyu,” the slightly taller girl with a chuckle as she placed her duffle bag into her locker with a chuckle, “We’re friends and teammates.”

 

The other girl nodded her head in agreement as she gently placed her duffle bag into her locker as well and took a seat on the bench next to Tzuyu and asked, “Are you excited?”

 

“Of course Myou- Mina,” Tzuyu said, correcting herself, “Why wouldn’t I be excited?”

 

Myoui Mina was a quiet and reserved girl, she liked to keep herself in the background during the school days but on the field she was a totally different person. She was tactful and was cautious of her decisions… making her a perfect Left Midfielder. The Japanese girl was definitely one of a kind with her dribbling skills and passing making her a perfect setup for the offense and was able to join the team as a Sophomore last year so that enough could show how good Mina was. Even if Mina wasn’t a soccer player she could’ve been a model with how beautiful the girl was with her sharp eyes and slightly pouted lips, even her little freckles that were scattered on her face were cute as well.

 

“I remember my first game. I completely myself when I walked out into the field,” the taller girl said leaning onto her locker with an embarrassed laugh, “I think you’ll do better than me with that blunt personality of yours.”

 

Yoo Jeongyeon was the Goalie of the team and was one the top 5 Goalkeepers in the nation and with her graduating soon many college scouts have been trying to sign her and get her to join Universities’ Women’s Soccer Team, luckily she was a very relaxed and comedic person always managing to break the ice if there was tension in the locker room. Even if Jeongyeon wasn’t a Goalie she would’ve probably been popular in High School with how pretty she was and her cocky grin and charming personality would always have boys and girls falling head over heels for her.

 

Jeongyeon then walked over to Tzuyu and wrapped her arm around her shoulder and laughed, “That doesn’t mean you should be getting all cocky. You still have a long way to go before being the best.”

 

Tzuyu wasn’t going to argue with that. She was still a Junior in Highschool still trying to get a name for herself. Mina had stood up and said with a small smile, “We should start heading to homeroom Tzuyu. If we’re late I think Miss Young would actually throw a fit.”

 

Tzuyu nodded her head in response with a chuckle as the three girls walked out of the locker room and made their way to their classes. The three girls continued to walk down the hallway with many of the students looking at them with whispers and stares most likely because Jeongyeon and Mina were with Tzuyu. Jeongyeon was doing her usual flirty actions towards girls while Mina just ignored all of them while still talking with Tzuyu.

 

Mina and Tzuyu had arrived at their classroom where Jeongyeon had given a pat on Tzuyu’s and Mina’s back and said with her signature cocky grin, “Well… see you two after school. Don’t be late or else Moonbyul is going to kill you guys.”

 

Tzuyu and Mina gave the girl a small wave as Jeongyeon walked down the hallway and disappeared around the corner. The two girls walked into class as everyone was still standing around talking with their classmates. Mina took her seat as Tzuyu sat behind her, opening her books and began to write something in them. At that exact moment someone had sat next to Tzuyu and said, “Are you guys getting nervous or is it just me?”

 

“Definitely just you Jihyo,” Tzuyu said in a blunt voice not looking up from her book while Mina just chuckled.

 

Jihyo looked at Tzuyu with a glare and said, “Don’t act so high almighty just because this is your first Varsity game.”

 

Park Jihyo was a very stern and uptight student, always wanting to make sure she was on time and didn’t mess anything up; not once has Tzuyu ever seen the girl relaxed or ever having fun but nonetheless she still admired Jihyo since she was the Central Midfielder, a position that was an all-rounder and to keep balance within the team something Jihyo could only do. She didn’t really excel in one thing, she was above average with everything making her a perfect Central Midfielder and it paid off as she was also another Sophomore that was able to join the team just like Mina. 

 

“Cut it out Jihyo,” Mina said looking up from her book with a teasing grin, “Tzuyu’s probably nervous… she’s just hiding it so we don’t make fun of her later.”

 

Tzuyu just looked up at Mina with a cold stare who remained unfazed from the look and just laughed as she went back to writing notes into her notebook while Jihyo took her books out of her bag and placed them onto her desk in an orderly fashioned way. The school bell rang signaling that school had begun and their homeroom teacher, Tiffany Young, walked into the room with her usual smiley face and said, “Good Morning!”

 

“Good Morning Ms. Young,” the class said in unison but with different monotonous voices.

 

As the young woman began writing something on the board, Jihyo quickly turned towards her teammates and whispered to them, “Did you guys know we’re getting interviewed by the Local News during practice today?”

 

Mina raised an eyebrow and whispered back, “Who did you hear that from?”

 

“Momo told me on our way to school. She overheard Coach Kim talking about it with Moonbyul during practice the other day,” Jihyo said with an excited look, “I’ve never been in an interview before.”

 

“They’re definitely going to interview Moonbyul… not you,” Tzuyu said with a playful smile as she continued to copy down what was being written up on the board.

 

Jihyo gave an offended look as leaned over trying to hit the younger girl but completely missed causing her to almost fall out of her seat making a loud thud noise in response. The teacher looked over towards their direction and said with a concerned look, “Jihyo, Is everything ok over there?”

 

“Yeah!” Jihyo said quickly, trying to play it off and getting back into her seat, “I just dropped my pencil.”

 

Ms. Young nodded in response as she went back to talking and writing on the board about what would be happening today as Jihyo glared at Tzuyu who was laughing at the whole thing. Tzuyu was excited… she had never been in an interview before let alone being interviewed so she was really excited for that but for now she needed to get through the school day.

 

(-)

 

The final bell had rung allowing Tzuyu to stand up from her seat and stretch her arms for a few moments. Mina and Jihyo had told Tzuyu that they would be heading to the lockers to get changed for practice. Tzuyu said she would catch up with them in a bit since she had cleaning duty this week, she quickly mopped the floors and put all of the chairs onto their desks, luckily her cleaning partner said she would cover for her since she knew that Tzuyu was on the soccer team and knew how important today was. The soccer player thanked her and said she would cover for her the next time and quickly made her way to the locker rooms. As she was making her way to the locker room someone had abruptly put their arm around her neck in a playful manner and started ruffling her hair. Tzuyu groaned in response, knowing full well who the attacker was, “Momo!”

 

“What!? It’s tradition! Rookies always get noogied when it’s their first varsity game,” The cheerful girl said as she let go of the younger girl with a giddy look.

 

Hirai Momo was another teammate of Tzuyu’s and her position was the Right Fullback. The Japanese girl was a brick wall and a powerhouse at the same nothing could get past her and could go through defenders without even breaking a sweat, but Momo was a bit of an unpredictable player considering her emotions will usually get the best of her causing her to get few red cards throughout the season last year, though she was intimidating on the field but off the field Momo was mostly sunshine and rainbows. With her innocent and naive look she could fool any adult into thinking she was a child. Tzuyu liked Momo, she was nice to her and wanted the best for Tzuyu which is why when the Taiwanese girl made the Varsity team Momo was ecstatic and literally brought her out for dinner later that night

 

The two girls made their way into the locker room seeing the other girls changing into their practice uniforms that had been hung up in their lockers. Their practice uniforms were all black with some gold designs scattered on their windbreakers; on the top right of their windbreakers was their jersey numbers and on the back of their jackets were their last names while their joggers were all black with their school logo etched on the top right. Tzuyu made her way over to her locker and looked at her windbreaker seeing the number 9 embroidered into the jacket. She gave a small smile as she put on her uniform and stretched her arms and legs on the nearby bench while the other girls on the team were making their way out to the practice field.

 

The tall girl was doing her last minute stretches and cracked her neck as Jihyo and Mina walked over wearing the same uniforms with a proud look towards the younger girl. Jihyo looked at Tzuyu and said, “You ready?”

 

“I’ve been ready,” Tzuyu said with a chuckle as she stood up and walked out of the locker room doors to head out onto the field.

 

The practice field was your average playing field with the usual small benches on the side and big lamp posts that illuminated the field when it was getting dark. It used to house the official games but after the construction of the Seojun Stadium the old field had turned into the practice area for most of the field sport athletes. Players were already warming up kicking soccer balls or stretching on the field. Their coach, Kim Taeyeon, was talking to one of the News reporters sitting in some seats at the edge of the field, most likely getting interviewed for tonight’s game. Tzuyu and the other girls walked over to the rest of the group where their warm-ups were being led by their team captain, Moonbyul.

 

Moon Byuli, but most just called her Moonbyul was the captain of the Seojun Academy Soccer Team and was the number one ranked Striker in the nation and was currently being scouted by the FC Barcelona Women’s Team and Manchester City Women’s Team, some of the best European Women’s Soccer teams in the world. Moonbyul was a very disciplined and a strict soccer player but off the field she was funny and mostly relaxed most of the time. Her skills as a soccer player were top notch and could definitely be up to par with the soccer player’s in the Women’s League.

 

Tzuyu had admired Moonbyul the most on the team. Her attitude and skills towards the game was something that Tzuyu wanted to model after, she wanted to be just like Moonbyul and make a name for herself in the soccer world but she shouldn’t think of that right now. All she wanted to do was to play Soccer and win tonight’s game.

 

(-)

 

“So… tonight’s going to be the biggest game of the year. Number One ranked Seojun Academy versus Number Two ranked Yongha High School– the two top ranked highschools in the nation,” the news reporter said with a professional smile as she held up the microphone to her lips, “So what’s the game plan?”

 

“Well it’s to obviously beat Yongha’s butts,” Jeongyeon said with a chuckle as she looked at the reporter with her cocky grin, “But beating Yongha isn’t the only thing we’re looking for– We’re looking to win the National Title again this year.”

 

“So becoming the first ever High School in Korea to win a two-peat?” The reporter said with a smile, “Very ambitious and big goals indeed.”

 

“So how do you feel with the new team considering you have new players and the old ones have already graduated?” The reporter asked.

 

“Well… just like every year we practice till we can’t even walk,” Jihyo said with a serious look as the microphone was placed in front of , “Even after winning a National Title last year, we haven’t slacked off… the fire that’s been burning hasn’t gone out just yet.”

 

“Any potential rookies on your team that have caught your eye?”

 

“Chou Tzuyu,” Jihyo said without any hesitation, “She may be the youngest girl on our team but she’s got heart. Her skills may not be the best but with enough refining and practice she has the potential to become a great soccer player in the future.”

 

“Do you guys feel any discrimination on the field with your nationalities?” The reporter asked with a serious look towards Mina and Momo.

 

Momo spoke up first, “In my experience, I haven’t felt any discrimination against me on the field and if it were to happen I would try my best to ignore it- but knowing myself I would probably get a red card in the process.”

 

The news reporter gave a small laugh as she looked over towards Mina for an answer. The younger Japanese girl gave a shy smile and said, “I don’t face a lot of discrimination either but I would not stand for that type of behavior if it was done towards me. I would not accept it.”

 

Mina and Momo had continued their interview as Tzuyu watched from a distance and was waiting for her interview as well. She was a little bit nervous, she didn’t want to mess up or embarrass herself on Live TV. There was a lot at stake here from ruining her soccer career before it starts to embarrassing herself and the team. She didn’t want to ruin anything and she made sure of it. She saw Mina and Momo shake hands with the reporter as they got out of their seats and made their way towards the tall soccer player.

 

Momo walked by ruffling Tzuyu’s hair and whispering a Good Luck while Mina gave a thumbs up and smiled to her before the two ran off to the practice field. Tzuyu gave one last exhale before walking over to the seat where the interviewer gave a smile and stuck her hand out for Tzuyu to shake, “Chou Tzuyu, correct?”

 

“Yes Ma’am,” Tzuyu said with her most professional smile as she shook the reporter’s hand.

 

“I’m Lee Sunmi,” the woman said with a smile, “And I’ll be conducting your interview… It’ll be a simple interview. I ask a few questions and you answer them as naturally as possible.”

 

Tzuyu nodded her head in response as Sunmi looked at the camera and said, “Right in front of me we have the youngest AND newest player of the Seojun Academy Soccer Team, Chou Tzuyu, who plays Right Midfielder.”

 

The tall girl gave a small smile towards the camera and Sunmi had begun asking some questions, “So Tzuyu? How do you feel being the newest rookie of the Number One ranked High School in the country?”

 

“It’s an honor playing with some of the best players in the nation,” Tzuyu said, trying her best not to sound too cocky, “Playing with these girls has opened my eyes to many skills such as Jihyo’s passing, Momo’s defending, Moonbyul’s shooting… There are so many things I could learn from these girls.”

 

“Interesting,” the woman reporter said as she continued, “And are you feeling a little bit nervous for your first ever varsity game?”

 

“I’m mostly excited,” Tzuyu said with a chuckle, “But those butterfly feelings in my stomach are still there.”

 

“And with you being the youngest on the team. You still have time to grow your skills and talent. Do you think that one day you’ll be able to surpass your teammate Moonbyul?”

 

This was a very tricky question. If Tzuyu answered this question wrong she could completely bury her own grave and say goodbye to her soccer career. She looked Sunmi in the eyes and said with confidence, “I do very much look up to Moonbyul and I do love her style of the game but I don’t want to be an exact carbon copy of my captain. I want to play the game like how I want to play the game and maybe one day I’ll be just as good as Moonbyul- but in my own way.”

 

Sunmi gave an approving nod as she smiled at Tzuyu and said, “Well, thank you for your time Tzuyu and good luck with your first ever varsity game.”

 

Tzuyu smiled as Sunmi stuck her hand out again and said, “Good Job with your interview. You looked like a natural.”

 

“Thank you,” Tzuyu said as she got up from the seat and shook Sunmi’s hand, “It was a little nerve-wracking since this was my first ever interview.”

 

Sunmi gave an impressed look and nodded her head with approval, “Maybe you will be a perfect soccer star someday.”

 

Tzuyu chuckled as she walked back to the field and was surrounded by Mina, Jihyo, Momo and Jeongyeon who were all giving shocked looks. She noticed the looks on her older teammates’ faces and was hoping she didn’t screw something up in her interview. She gulped nervously as she asked, “W-What? Did something happen? W-Was there something on my face?”

 

Jihyo put her phone in front of Tzuyu’s face, “Dude you are literally trending all over Social Media right now!” 

 

“‘Beautiful Rookie’, ‘Rookie Could be the Future for Seojun’, ‘Moonbyul’s Shadow?’. You’re literally everywhere,” Jeongyeon said, scrolling through her phone reading all of the articles and posts on the social media platform.

 

Tzuyu took Jihyo’s phone as she scrolled through the article talking about her and the interview she just had. There were many comments praising her and talking about her while there were some hate comments as well which made the tall girl have a saddened expression. Mina noticed the look Tzuyu was giving and the comments as well and said in a serious tone, “Ignore them… they don’t have much to do but hate on others because they don’t have a life.”

 

Tzuyu gave a heartfelt smile and chuckled to Mina’s response then a stern voice yelled from a distance, “Hey Chou!”

 

All of their heads turned towards the voice seeing their Captain making her way towards them. She looked at Tzuyu and said, “I saw your interview.”

 

Tzuyu looked at her captain with a fearful look. Moonbyul may be a relaxed person in school but on the field… she was a whole different type of scary. Moonbyul may be shorter than Tzuyu but the captain still had an intimidating look which made the younger soccer player gulp in response. Moonbyul stared at her for a couple of seconds then chuckled, “You got potential kid… but don’t get too cocky or else it’ll catch up to you one day.”

 

Moonbyul patted Tzuyu on the back as she walked back onto the field to continue doing drills with the others. Tzuyu was expecting some kind of scolding or criticism from the captain- being praised was one of the last things she ever expected. The other girls all looked at Tzuyu with a flabbergasted look. Tzuyu saw the looks and said, “W-What?”

 

“MOONBYUL JUST PRAISED YOU!?” They all said at the same time with an exasperated look.

 

“She never does that,” Jihyo said with a jealous look as she crossed her arms, “She’s never praised me before.”

 

“She usually gives constructive criticism when you do something… even if it’s good ,” Momo also added with a small pout.

 

Mina gave a small glare towards the two older girls and turned towards Tzuyu with a supportive smile, “Ignore them… they’re just jealous.”

 

Jeongyeon also nodded her head in agreement as patted the girl on the back and said, “If Moonbyul is complimenting you it definitely means you’ve got something that you don't even see in yourself.”

 

The tall girl had given a small nod in response as there was a loud whistle blown from across the field. All of the girls turned their heads towards the loud whistle and saw Coach Kim glaring at girls and yelled with a commanding tone, “PARK! MYOUI! HIRAI! YOO! CHOU! Get your butts over here before I make you run laps.”

 

The group of girls quickly ran over to the field not wanting to run laps before their actual game. Tzuyu was feeling way more excited than usual, her captain had praised her, she was getting a lot of traction on Social Media, maybe this would be a good start for her.

 

(-)

 

All of the girls were sitting in the locker room in their navy blue and white uniforms waiting as the game was about to begin soon. Tzuyu was sitting in front of her locker trying to ease her nervousness by breathing slowly and trying to ease the butterflies in her stomach until Coach Kim walked in with a feisty look and said with a smug grin, “Are you girls ready?”

 

All of the girls stood up from their seats and gave a nod as Coach Kim got them in a huddle and said, “This is the first game of the year… and probably going to be the hardest throughout this season. Does that change anything?”

 

“No!” All of the girls said in unison.

 

“Will we back down?”

 

“NO!” They said again in a louder voice all staring at each other with the same fiery eyes.

 

“Will we give up?”

 

“NO!”

 

“THEN LET’S PLAY!” Coach Kim yelled as the other girls yelled in response and made their way out of the locker room and into the stadium.

 

All of the girls were running out of the tunnel and into the large stadium that was specifically built just for the Seojun Academy Soccer Team after their amazing run last year and winning a National Title. The stadium was massive with rows of seats surrounding the entire soccer field with many students from both schools sporting their school’s colors. One side of the stadium was full of navy blue and white while the other side of the stadium was full of Yongha students wearing maroon and black. 

 

The girls were waving towards the crowd who were yelling and screaming “LET’S GO SEOJUN!” while the other students in the crowd were yelling “BEAT THEM YONGHA!”. This was the first time Tzuyu had ever seen such a large crowd for a game before– it was pretty mesmerizing seeing all of the lights flashing down on them like they were the only thing in the world and seeing all of the students sporting their school colors, cheering and screaming for their respective schools.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first game of the High School Women’s Soccer Season. Today’s game will most likely be the highlight of the season! Defending Champs, Seojun Academy, versus Yongha High School.

 

The two teams were standing in the middle of the field looking at each other as they all shook hands with each other and all kept their serious faces towards each other . The referee said, “Captains please make your way towards the center please.”

 

This game has been the most talked about game throughout Korea. Afterall Seojun Academy had knocked out Yongha High School out of the semi-finals last year. Will this game be a revenge game for Yongha?

 

Moonbyul and the Yongha Captain, Bae Joohyun, walked towards the center where the referee said holding out a coin, “Since it’s a home game… Seojun, what do you want to call.”

 

“Heads,” Moonbyul said confidently without any hesitation.

 

The referee flicked the coin into the air as it landed onto the ground and showed heads. The referee then said, “Seojun will be kicking the ball off.”

 

There was a loud cheer in the stands coming from the Seojun side as the Seojun girls made their way back onto their side where Moonbyul got them in a huddle and said, “Alright girls… you know the game plan. This team has incredible defense and counters but our offense can definitely get through it. One… two… three…”

 

“BREAK!” They all yelled at the same time.

 

Looks like both teams are ready and are now getting ready for position. Are there any plays that you’re looking forward to seeing Baekhyun?

 

I’m not sure Jongdae, all of the girls on the field right now have explicable talents including the new sensation Chou Tzuyu of Seojun Academy. Videos of her playing last year on their Junior Varsity team have surfaced on every social media platform after her interview earlier today

 

But of course the main attraction of this game is most likely the star player, Moonbyul.

 

And it looks like we’re getting ready for tip off… and Seojun Academy has now kicked the ball.

 

Moonbyul kicked the ball towards Yongha’s side and the game has now begun. Tzuyu was watching from a distance trying to get open for a pass as soon as the ball came towards her it was kicked out of the way by a Yongha Defender.

 

Oh the pass from Jinsoul to Tzuyu was no good as it was immediately ripped by Yongha’s defender, Seulgi.

 

Is Tzuyu really going to live up to the hype that she’s been producing? It’s only been the first game and the ball has already been ripped out from her.

 

Tzuyu began chasing down the Yongha defender trying to slide tackle only for the tall girl to slide very aggressively, knocking her opponent down with a loud thud. The referee ran over and held up a yellow card at the same time towards Tzuyu.

 

Oh… not good. It’s only a minute into the game and there’s already been a yellow card on Seojun.

 

Chou definitely doesn’t want that early into the game.

 

Tzuyu was about to yell in protest but was stopped by Mina and her other teammate, Jung Jinsoul, an Attacking Midfielder, were trying to calm the younger girl down. Mina said with a reassuring voice, “Tzuyu… relax. Don't overdo it and get thrown out of the game.”

 

Tzuyu nodded her head in response as Mina gave a small smile and patted Tzuyu’s back while Jinsoul gave an approving thumbs up as they got into position to let the ball be thrown in by Yongha.

 

The ball has been thrown in and… intercepted by Seojun’s Defensive Midfielder Ha Sooyoung!

 

Ha Sooyoung or what her friends liked to call her, Yves, had intercepted the ball and was dribbling it up to the other side and passed it over to Tzuyu who was now dribbling it up to the goal. She had dribbled it around her defender and she now had an open shot to the net, but she spotted Moonbyul who was now open and Tzuyu decided to pass it to Moonbyul.

 

Tzuyu is now running the ball up the field. She has an open look to shoot it but she passes it towards Moonbyul who had somehow gotten around the defense… and… and… AND GOAL!

 

Can you believe it!? This is now Moonbyul’s 50th High School Career Goal.

 

She’s one of a kind Baekhyun… one of a kind!

 

Moonbyul was running around the field with the happiest look on her face as her teammates were following her and jumped onto her into a dog pile as they congratulated her for her career milestone.

 

Tzuyu who was smiling and cheering with the others wondered what it would be like if she was able to get her 50th career goal but she couldn’t dwell on that right now as the game was still going.

 

The game had been going back and forth as the score was still 1-0 with Seojun leading, then all of a sudden Yongha’s offense was able to get around Momo’s defense.

 

Did you see that? Yongha’s Wendy had just bursted past Momo who is known as the defensive wall of Seojun.

 

This had caught everyone by surprise including Momo as Wendy was now getting close to the goal. She kicked the ball as hard as she could while Jeongyeon jumped from her current spot to try and stop the ball but it had barely grazed her finger and had hit the back of the net.

 

There was a groan from the Seojun side and a loud cheer coming from the other side. Jeongyeon was on the ground as she slammed her fist against the turf while Momo fell to the ground on her knees feeling a little bit gloomy to let that happen. The clock had run out quickly signifying that the first half was over and now both teams were heading back to the lockers.

 

The Seojun girls were sitting on the benches wiping themselves from the sweat as Coach Kim came in and said, “You’re doing great girls. Keep it up and don’t let any offensive plays from Yongha throw you guys off. Not everything goes to plan.”

 

Coach Kim looked at Moonbyul with an intense look, “What have you seen so far?”

 

“Their defense is just as impeccable as last year but their offense has gotten better by a lot,” Moonbyul said wiping her sweat, “Can’t get around their players… They keep double teaming me and are aggressive but I can still handle myself.”

 

“Midfielders, any other thoughts you would like to add?” Coach Kim said looking at Mina, Tzuyu and Jinsoul.

 

“Nothing from me,” Jinsoul said as she drank out of her water bottle.

 

Mina also shook her head in response while wiping the sweat off of her forehead.Tzuyu had a contemplating look on her face as she looked at her coach and said, “The girl that’s guarding me… she’s has a bit of a late reaction when going to her left for defending. I could probably get around her.”

 

Coach Kim raised an eyebrow, not sure if she should be trusting a rookie’s intuition, “You sure about that Chou?”

 

“100% Positive,” Tzuyu said with a nod, not having a single doubt in her mind.

 

Coach Kim was giving a conflicted look, not knowing if she could trust Tzuyu’s input but Moonbyul had spoken up with a confident voice, “Well we don’t really have any other options since I keep getting double teamed out there. Chou’s deduction could be true.”

 

Coach Kim nodded slowly as she said, “Alright girl’s same game plan. Keep your defense up and don’t slack off, we still play off from Moonbyul but Midfielders… try and pass to Tzuyu if you can. On Three.”

 

All of the girls stood up as they huddled around their coach and the coach counted down and they all yelled, “BREAK!”

 

Now… Tzuyu was genuinely nervous. The team now was somewhat playing off of her from a deduction she had made when her defender was all over her, she had to show them that she could do it and this was her time to show it. 

 

(-) 

 

All of the girls were back out on the field huddled together talking about the game plan once again. Moonbyul was talking, giving orders and giving the strategies, “Remember Midfielders if you see me getting double teamed pass the ball to Chou as quickly as you can… Defense, don't let that Wendy girl catch you off girl, she may have quick feet but her balance is a bit out of place so try your best to get her to stumble,” then looked at Momo and pointed at her with a stern look, “and NO Red Cards.”

 

Momo gave a small nod towards the captain as they all put their hands in the middle of the huddle and yelled, “BREAK!”

 

And here we go Ladies and Gentlemen the Second Half of the Seojun Jesus Yongha game now begins! The score is currently 1-1 and neither team looks like they’re about to back down.

 

It’s like fighting with the sharpest spear and attacking it with an unbreakable shield. Seojun’s offense and Yongha’s defense just won’t break down. So far Moonbyul has scored the only goal with an assist from the Rookie, Chou Tzuyu.

 

What do you think so far about Chou?

 

Well there’s not much to talk about yet about this Rookie, she hasn’t shown too much during this game, only thing she has shown is one assist and one yellow card.

 

But her stamina is top notch and the girl has not shown one sign of being out of breath, her dribbling skills are remarkable as well.

 

Tzuyu was standing on the other side of the field as Yongha had kicked the ball towards them as their offense had already begun moving. Tzuyu was watching the ball closely and was able to slide tackle, getting the ball out of Yongha’s possession.

 

And Chou Tzuyu was able to get the ball out of Yongha’s Park Sooyoung and is now dribbling it down the field dribbling the ball out of reach from the defense.

 

Tzuyu was moving her feet around getting the ball away from the Yongha defense and passed it over to Jinsoul who was wide open in the middle. Jinsoul was able to receive the ball and was now running down the middle with two defenders on her and passed it over to Mina who was now running towards the Goal and kicked it.

 

Mina now has the ball and is getting ready to kick it… and… and it’s a miss as it hits the crossbar.

 

Mina gave a small groan as Moonbyul patted her back and said, “Good kick.”

 

The Japanese girl gave a small nod as they ran back to their side as Yongha’s Goalkeeper threw it back to their team as they were dribbling the ball up the field.

 

It had been pretty much back and forth as the teams continued pushing the ball up towards each other’s nets but the ball would keep missing. Both sides of the field were getting desperate and unfocused trying to get a goal for their team. Tzuyu was starting to feel the pain in her legs and was beginning to realize that she should’ve kept working on her cardio and stamina instead of her muscle over the off season.

 

The ball has now been passed over to Park Jihyo and is able to get the ball to Moonbyul with ease, who is now running it up but is now double teamed by Yongha.

 

Moonbyul then passed the ball towards Tzuyu who was now running it up as her defender was already next to her. Tzuyu faked a kick to the right causing her defender to sway to the right as Tzuyu then dribbled the ball around her defenders feet towards the left causing her defender to stumble a little bit allowing Tzuyu to run the ball right past her.

 

Did you just see that!?

 

Incredible! Chou Tzuyu just got past one of the best defenders in the Nation with a simple move. How did she do it!?

 

Tzuyu was now seeing the goal in front of her and kicked it as hard as she could only for the ball to hit the bar on the side and bounce on it allowing the Yongha Goalkeeper to grab the ball.

 

But even with all those dribbling skills you still need to be able to shoot.

 

Still it was an impressive feat for Chou being able to get around her defender… maybe she won’t be a letdown.

 

Tzuyu shook her head in frustration but Jinsoul and Mina were already next to her giving a pat on the back saying it was a good shot, while Moonbyul was standing in front of her with an approving nod, “Good call with your defender… I saw what you meant.”

 

“T-Thank you,” Tzuyu said with a nervous chuckle as Moonbyul patted her on the shoulder and went back to position.

 

The game continued on like this until there was 5 minutes left on the clock and the score was still 1-1. The crowd was getting restless and everyone was waiting for the next goal.

 

After Tzuyu was able to break past her defender they were now trying to double team Moonbyul AND her. This should’ve been able to make more scoring opportunities for the offense. Moonbyul had just gotten the ball and was getting ready to dribble. All of the sudden her defender had slid and tackled her very aggressively causing her to fall onto the ground in pain, then another defender had slid down and hit Moonbyul in the head.

 

Everyone in the stadium was quiet seeing the whole thing unfolding. Mina quickly took the ball and kicked it out of bounds to stop the play as Coach Kim ran onto the field pushing the player out of the way to make sure Moonbyul was okay.

 

“Moonbyul!? Are you ok?” Coach Kim asked as some of the other trainers were next to her.

 

The captain wasn’t responding and there was blood trickling down from her forehead. It didn’t seem like she was going to be waking up. Coach Kim started yelling for the trainers and medical staff to hurry and tend to Moonbyul while everyone on the field was looking at their unconscious captain laying on the field.

 

It looks like there has been an injury on the field… and worst of all it’s their star player Moonbyul who is currently being carried off the field by the medical team.

 

The crowd was silent as Moonbyul was being taken off the field and put into an ambulance. Momo looked over at the defender that had kicked Moonbyul in the head and began to charge at her, “What the were you doing!? You were purposely aiming for her head.”

 

Without any warning Momo had grabbed the defender by the collar and was about to punch her but luckily Mina and Jihyo were able to hold her back from going any further. Mina looked at Momo and said, “Calm down. We can’t afford to have a red card.”

 

Coach Kim looked stressed trying with her head on her forehead to figure out what to do next then yelled, “Huddle NOW!”

 

The rest of the girls ran back to their coach and were now huddled with their Coach, “We don’t have time so here’s the plan… Park you’re captain now for the rest of this game... most likely the entire season if Moonbyul's injury is fatal.”

 

“M-Me?” Jihyo said, pointing to herself, “Why?”

 

“No time for an explanation,” Coach Kim said hurriedly and looked at Tzuyu, “You’re going to be the Center Forward for this game right now,” then yelled for someone on the bench, “SHIN! You’re subbing in for Moonbyul.”

 

“You guys got the game plan?” Coach Kim said as she saw all of their heads nod in response, “Alright get back to positions.”

 

Tzuyu was now running to where Moonbyul would usually be standing– the Striker position. She was now nervous as ever. She was about to be playing Striker now… and not because she had earned it but because the star player had unfortunately gone down from an aggressive slide tackle.

 

Looks like they’ve subbed in one of their bench players for Moonbyul… and they’ve got the Rookie playing Striker now?

 

Baekhyun do you think this is a good decision for Seojun or will this be a terrible one?

 

Well with the way that Chou has been playing tonight… I can’t tell where this game plan is going.

 

The referee then blew the whistle signaling that the game had resumed. Yves was able to get the ball and had passed it over to Mina who was now dribbling it up the field and passed it to Tzuyu who immediately got doubled teamed by Yongha’s defenders.

 

Since Moonbyul is out of the game… they only need to focus on Chou’s shooting so they can double team her as much as possible.

 

Tzuyu saw that Jinsoul was open and passed it to her as quickly as she could but was quickly stolen by another defender who was running it up to the opposite field. There were 2 minutes left on the clock and they needed a goal soon or else this could go into overtime and none of the girls would be at full strength.

 

Somehow the defensive monster, Momo, was able to steal the ball back and kicked it right back up to Jihyo who had dribbled it around her defender and was able to get it up to Jinsoul who was now running as fast as she could seeing Tzuyu running up next to her.

 

Jinsoul runs the ball up and passes to Tzuyu who is quickly doubled teamed by Yongha’s defense.

 

Tzuyu watched as the ball got into her possession and quickly noticed that there were two defenders on her. She was able to see where her defenders would move and how they would react so she quickly moved the ball behind her and dribbled it to left her side and faked it to her right causing a small opening between her defenders allowing her to kick the ball right through them and slip by them

 

SHE DID IT AGAIN!?

 

Not only did she just slip by her defender… she had slipped through the BOTH of them.

 

Tzuyu was now running the ball towards the goal net and was nearing it seeing the Goalkeeper keeping her composure trying to read Tzuyu’s move.

 

The tall girl had been practicing this move for months, hell even years and has never been able to use it in an actual game. This was either going to be a major failure or about to win the whole game. Tzuyu was now reeling her foot for the kick, she gave one last inhale as she kicked the ball as hard as she could.

 

The ball had been going away from the net looking like it had completely missed it making the Goalkeeper lose focus for a second thinking it would go out of bounds then it had completely changed its course as the ball curved towards the net which had caught the Goalkeepers off guard and was now running towards to save the ball.

 

As if in slow motion the ball had barely grazed the Goalkeeper’s fingers as it went behind them and hit the net against the goal. There was a loud cheer coming from the Seojun side of the stadium as the clock had run down signaling the game had been over.

 

It took a couple of seconds for Tzuyu to register what had happened then without any warning she got dog piled by all of her teammates as they yelled in excitement.

 

DID YOU SEE THAT!? WHAT WAS THAT KICK!? IT WAS LIKE IT JUST DEFIED ALL LAWS OF PHYSICS?

 

Best of all… Chou Tzuyu has just scored her first ever point as a Varsity Soccer Player and as a Striker. This is history folks, this Rookie is definitely worth the watch

 

She’s living up to her hype Jongdae that’s for sure, but will she be able to contain it? Who knows this girl is unpredictable that’s for sure.

 

(-)

 

After the game all of the Seojun girls had quickly made their way to the locker room. Even though they won the game… it still felt like they had lost.

 

Everyone on the team looked at each other with glum looks until Coach Kim came in and said, "Good game tonight girls. It was a close one but we were able to push through, even with all of the setbacks. Reporters have requested to interview the following people.... Park Jihyo, Hirai Momo and Chou Tzuyu."

 

"When you're done cleaning yourselves up, make your way to the field and they'll conduct a post-game interview," Coach Kim said, "Everyone else you're dismissed."

 

As Coach Kim quickly walked out of the locker room the rest of the girls were beginning to head to their personal lockers and get changed. Tzuyu grabbed her shirt and a towel and began to rub her sweaty hands and face with it. Jeongyeon had taken a seat on a nearby bench and broke the tension by asking the one question everyone had on their mind, “So… now that Moonbyul is injured. What are we gonna do now?”

 

Everyone in the locker room stopped what they were doing and stared at the goalkeeper with glum looks. The silence was painful no one knew what to say or what to do then Jihyo had spoken up, “If there’s one thing Moonbyul would want from us… is to keep pushing forward she wouldn’t want us to be dwelling on her injury.”

 

All of the girls agreed in unison then Jihyo continued, “Even without Moonbyul we’re still Seojun Academy… the reigning champs in the nation. Nothing will stop us and we will keep pushing."

 

"Will we back down?" Jihyo said with a serious look.

 

"No," the girls said together.

 

"Will we back down?" Jihyo said it louder with more authority.

 

"NO!"

 

Jihyo gave a small nod in response as everyone went back to cleaning themselves up and preparing to leave the locker room. Tzuyu was putting her last items into her duffle bag when Momo put her arm around her and said, "Don't forget we still have an interview to get to."

 

Tzuyu gave a small nod in response as she followed Momo out of the locker room. They made their way onto the field seeing some cameras and seats placed on the field. Momo and Tzuyu walked over seeing that Jihyo had already taken her seat and was waiting patiently for the other two to arrive.

 

Tzuyu had taken her seat next to Jihyo while Momo had taken the last spot. The interviewer smiled at the three of them and said, "We'll be live in 3... 2... 1..."

 

"And we are back, post game, with three soccer players from Seojun Academy. Marking their first win of the season against their semi-finals opponent last year," The interviewer said ecstatically and turned to the three of them, "Any thoughts about tonight's game?"

 

Jihyo spoke up first, "Overall it was a pretty competitive game. Both sides wanted the win and neither was going to back down but Seojun pushed harder and we were able to win."

 

"Impressive even with your star player, Moonbyul, being injured," the interviewer said.

 

"Just shows that everyone in Seojun has their own talents and skills that are up to par with our captain," Jihyo said with a small smile.

 

The interviewer nodded in response as she turned towards Momo and said, "Momo there was a little scuffle with your opponent on the field after Moonbyul's injury. Would you care to explain your actions?"

 

Momo raised an eyebrow at the interviewer and leaned forward and said, "No comment other than that they deserved to get punched in the face and are lucky that I was being held back."

 

Jihyo and Tzuyu looked at Momo with a shocked look trying their best not to show their facial expressions. The interviewer gave a nervous chuckle in response, "Feisty."

 

The interviewer had decided not to continue talking to Momo, afraid of how she was going to answer another question so instead she turned to the last person and smiled, "Chou Tzuyu, the renowned Rookie that has become a sensation within the past few hours. How does it feel making your high school debut."

 

Tzuyu was a little bit nervous and was wiping her hands across her thighs trying to get rid of the sweat that was building up on her palms. She gave a small chuckle and answered, "It felt amazing. Seeing the large crowd watching. It was like something straight out of a movie.”

 

The interviewer was nodding her head as she continued to listen to Tzuyu then she asked, “Do you think you’ll be able to replace Moonbyul this season after her injury?”

 

There was a brief moment of silence in the air as Tzuyu sat there thinking of the next answer to this question. The lights and the camera were all on her, everyone watching this live broadcast also had their eyes on her even Momo and Jihyo were looking at her wondering what her answer was going to be. This was her moment, the moment that could finally bring her to the rise she needed.

 

She gave a small chuckle as she gave a cocky grin and said, “Yes.”

 

 -

 

A/N:

*This is not a true statement. Seojun Academy is not real and Son Heung Min did not go to this Academy to play soccer.