"Shoot Dori?"
When Woo Hwang-sun frowned, Ho-young's mother, Kim Hee-sun, asked, "What's that?"
It was natural that neither of them knew.
Fly, Shoot Dori, a youth football development program, was set to air for the very first time that year, so it wasn't widely known yet.
"Here, look!"
Ho-young grabbed his parents' hands and led them into his room, pointing eagerly at the computer monitor.
An article was open on the screen.
Seeing the bold headline, both parents scratched their heads in confusion.
"Shoot Dori? Ever heard of it?"
"No, this is the first I've heard. Is there really a show like that?"
Woo Hwang-sun slowly scrolled down the page with the mouse and began reading.
"Let's see. The 'Fly, Shoot Dori' auditions on September 3rd will be held as a new segment of Happy Sunday on MBS. It's a youth football development program for children between eight and ten years old. The head coach of the soon-to-be-established FC Shoot Dori will be singer Kim Jong-kook from Turbo…"
Woo Hwang-sun's expression grew serious as he lowered his head.
Ho-young's eyes sparkled brightly.
"Dad, I want to do this!"
He clasped both of his parents' hands tightly, flashing his most innocent smile.
The couple couldn't help but laugh.
"Our Ho-young is unusually energetic today."
"Hahaha! If our boy wants to do it, of course we'll let him!"
Woo Hwang-sun laughed heartily and agreed right away.
There was no parent who could refuse when their beloved child asked so earnestly.
Besides, attending an audition didn't cost anything, so there was no reason to object.
Time passed, and before long, it was Saturday, September 3rd.
The venue was the Korea Football Association's training center in Paju, normally reserved for national teams. But today, it was being used for the Fly, Shoot Dori auditions.
While preparations were underway, the production crew gathered to review the final list of applicants.
"So, we need to narrow this down to at least eight and at most ten kids, right?"
"Exactly."
Producer Choi Hyung-jae waved the stack of 300 applications in his hand.
The competition rate was roughly 30 to 1.
In fact, the document screening had already been completed the night before.
"Let's focus mainly on the ones we shortlisted yesterday."
Before the auditions even began, about thirty children had already been preselected.
The main selection criterion? Appearance.
Although the show was disguised as a youth football development program, PD Choi's real plan was to emphasize its entertainment value.
After all, cute and charming kids were essential for good ratings.
"So, we're not even looking at football skills?"
A young man at the table asked curiously.
"Ah, Jong-kook."
Kim Jong-kook, the singer who had been cast as the head coach of Shoot Dori, was recognizable by his gentle, narrow eyes that disappeared when he smiled.
PD Choi replied, "Well, the show's concept is 'the challenge of the underdogs.' So unless a kid is exceptionally skilled, we probably won't include them. Oh, and remember the test you're doing with the kids today?"
"Yes."
"We're filming it as a promo clip. So take it easy on them, but don't go too soft either. Just enough to make it interesting. Got it?"
"Of course. I'll do my best."
As Kim Jong-kook nodded confidently, PD Choi stood up.
"Alright then. Let's see if we can find any promising kids today."
The auditions took place in a small, tented mini-football set.
One by one, the participants entered.
"Please introduce yourself."
"Hello! My name is Kim Tae-hoo, I'm in second grade, class 3 at Dongseong Elementary School!"
Three hours passed.
As expected of a seasoned producer, PD Choi had already begun sketching out the cast lineup.
'One shy kid, two pranksters, one mature kid, one girl, two cute ones, one handsome one. That should about cover it…'
He finished organizing his thoughts and said, "The last kid was pretty good, right?"
"Yes, he seemed to handle the ball well and had a mischievous vibe. He could be a hit. Plus, he doesn't overlap with the others."
"Okay, add him to the shortlist. Next."
Shuffle.
"Hello!"
A confident voice echoed through the audition tent as the sound of papers flipping followed.
That self-assurance drew everyone's attention.
But the moment PD Choi looked up, his interest faded.
"Your name is Ho-young, right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Hmm."
Neither his looks nor his height stood out.
And being a third grader, he was a little past the "cute kid" stage. He didn't have any particularly impressive background either.
Nothing about him screamed "entertainment value."
'Typical.'
Still, for formality's sake, PD Choi asked,
"So, do you like football?"
"Yes! As much as the sky and the earth!!"
"Haha! Alright, do you have any special talent to show us?"
"Yes!"
Ho-young walked over to the corner and picked up a football from the floor.
"Kid, we're not testing your football here. Show us your talent."
"This is my talent."
"Hmm?"
"Hehehe!"
And with that, Ho-young's performance began.
Tap.
Balancing the ball on his instep, he started juggling.
It was basic juggling using both feet, but for someone his age, it was no easy feat.
And he didn't stop there.
Tap. Tap.
"Oh!"
"Wow! He's good!"
Using every part of his body, from head to toe, he kept the ball in the air with perfect control.
It was almost like a magic show. The staff simply stared in awe, completely forgetting to evaluate.
"Wow. He must've practiced a lot."
"Haha… this is something else."
Compliments poured in.
What Ho-young had shown wasn't a simple trick, but the result of a full month of relentless practice.
The fusion of his 24-year-old experience and his Football Prodigy talent.
He showed everything he had prepared.
"Wow, PD Choi, isn't this kid a real football prodigy?"
"Hmm, maybe… Let's observe him a bit longer."
PD Choi turned to Ho-young.
"Alright, kid. We're going to give you a simple test now. Are you ready?"
"A test?"
As Ho-young tilted his head, Kim Jong-kook stepped forward with a ball in his hand.
"You're going to play against me. I'll try to block you, and your goal is to score. Got it?"
"Yes!"
The test format was similar to freestyle street football.
The rule was simple: score into the small goal at the corner.
Even if he didn't score, it wouldn't mean failure.
This was mainly for a promotional clip, not a real skills assessment.
So Kim Jong-kook planned to go easy on him.
But then.
Tap, tap.
"Huh?"
Jong-kook froze, wearing a baffled expression.
Ho-young had suddenly dribbled past him with a quick, unexpected move.
"Whoa… He's not just good at juggling."
Passing the ball back to him, Jong-kook said, "Let's try again."
This time, he wasn't going easy.
It wasn't competitiveness against a child, but genuine curiosity.
Was the boy truly a prodigy?
Then, in a flash, Ho-young made a short dribble, found a perfect shooting angle, and fired a shot.
A solid, powerful mid-range strike.
Thud!
The ball hit the back of the net cleanly, leaving Jong-kook speechless.
"Wow! You're really good!"
Unable to rely on strength, Ho-young had chosen the smart option, shooting from distance instead of challenging physically.
Even Jong-kook, known for being good at football among celebrities, couldn't hide his admiration.
It was now proven.
This kid, Ho-young, could really play.
'Nice!'
After finishing his turn, Ho-young left the audition stage with a satisfied smile.
Judging by the reactions, he was confident he had passed.
'All that practice paid off!'
He had nailed the first step perfectly.
If he got some screen time, it wouldn't be long before he became famous.
'Pro teams will be fighting to sign me. Just like Lee Kang-in… hehe.'
The biggest success story from Shoot Dori was undoubtedly Lee Kang-in.
With his extraordinary skills, he became a national sensation and later joined the Spanish club Valencia CF.
'Valencia? Nah, I'm going to Barça! Or maybe Real! Just wait and see!'
As he walked away with excitement, someone called out behind him.
"Ho-young!"
It was Kim Jong-kook, following him out from the audition area.
"Jong-kook hyung!"
"Oh? You know who I am?"
"Yes, I saw you on Music Bank!"
"Hahaha! I see. But seriously, you were amazing out there!"
With a grin, Jong-kook raised his fist toward him.
Ho-young bumped it with his own, and Jong-kook laughed heartily.
"Haha! You're something else."
"But hyung, are you part of the show too?"
"Yeah, I'm actually the coach."
"Oh, I see. Huh? Mom!"
"Hm?"
While Jong-kook knelt down to meet Ho-young's eye level, his parents, Woo Hwang-sun and Kim Hee-sun, approached.
"Hello, I'm Ho-young's father."
"Oh, so you're his parents! Nice to meet you."
Jong-kook bowed politely, and Woo Hwang-sun tilted his head.
"You look familiar somehow…"
Kim Hee-sun felt the same.
They were both trying to recall where they'd seen him before when Ho-young spoke up.
"Dad, he's Kim Jong-kook! The one who sings 'Black Cat Nero'!"
"Oh! My, my, how embarrassing. I didn't recognize such a famous person. Nice to meet you!"
"Not at all, sir. Your son was amazing in there."
"Haha! I know, right? Even I'm surprised sometimes."
"He could probably go abroad right now and fit right in!"
"Hahaha!"
Despite meeting for the first time, they got along perfectly.
"Anyway, I hope he gets good results."
"Thank you, and good luck to you too."
"Thanks. Take care, and good job today. Ho-young, fighting!"
"You too, hyung!"
As Jong-kook turned to leave, some glowing text appeared before Ho-young's eyes.
[Kim Jong-kook]
[Possessed Talents: Fitness Enthusiast's Muscular Build (C), Ballad Singer's Gentle Voice (C)]
(You can obtain one talent by meeting the required condition.)
(Condition 1: Work out together for at least 60 minutes.)
'Ah, whatever.'
Ho-young shouted quickly,
"Jong-kook hyung!"
"Yeah?"
"Can you recommend a good protein supplement?"
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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