Caesar spent countless hours in his study after that. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he devoted most of his free time to reading the “Records on Jeheon Han.”
‘Ever since high school, I started getting serious offers to go pro.’
For someone who began a bit later than average, that was a remarkable achievement.
‘Especially in football, natural physical gifts matter most, so relatively short, slight Asian players are at a disadvantage….’
By that measure, Jeheon Han was on the smaller side in the football world.
‘Of course, being short doesn’t rule you out entirely. Positions like receiver will take you if you have good ball control—even at 5.3 ft (about 161 cm).’
That’s why Jeheon played positions other than quarterback through high school.
He only claimed the quarterback—the ace spot—around his sophomore year of college.
‘He was great at play strategies, had leadership, managed his teammates well, and had solid ball control. That’s why he moved up to quarterback.’
Macaulay McQueen, by contrast, rose to quarterback through his physicality and practiced fake moves.
‘Even if his physical ability was a bit lower, Jeheon matched McQueen as a capable player. A coach suggested he try quarterback, and that’s how his talent was discovered.’
Thanks to that coach, Jeheon could fully showcase his skills—and professional teams courted him throughout his college years.
‘Thanks to the quarterback title, I got more attention than I needed.’
Naturally, some people were jealous—especially those who never reached the quarterback spot.
‘Joshua Martin.’
He’d been tall since high school and played quarterback the whole time.
‘Just over 6.2 ft (about 188 cm), good explosiveness… If McQueen or Jeheon hadn’t been there, he’d have been quarterback.’
So Joshua assumed he’d keep the quarterback job in college. But the narrow edge Jeheon and McQueen had in scoring proved his undoing.
‘I think the coach said—oh, here it is. On the field, scoring ability always comes first.’
“If you want the quarterback spot, prove it with performance.” That was the coach’s advice.
But beating those two wasn’t easy. No matter how hard he tried, Joshua always lost by a slim margin.
‘That’s when his head snapped.’
Realizing he couldn’t beat them on skill, Joshua changed tactics. He started harassing the two QBs to vent his frustration.
‘Faking tackles during games, spreading weird rumors….’
Kindhearted, detail-oriented McQueen got hit with rumors like “he’s gay” and “he bribed the coach to get the quarterback spot.”
Jeheon—friendly but impossible to calm once angered—faced rumors like “he grew up without parents so he’s messed up” and “he played on pity to get the quarterback spot.”
‘If he’d just honed his skills quietly, pro teams might’ve noticed. What a short-sighted move….’
The coach and manager weren’t blind—they weren’t incompetent enough to miss Joshua’s rumors.
So in his final junior semester, Joshua was kicked off the team for disrupting cohesion through racism and defamation.
‘After that, I thought he might change majors and move away. But I never imagined he’d do this in the future….’
Only those with foresight can affect the predetermined sequence. This all stems from saving Jeheon’s life.
Otherwise…
‘It could be Pluto’s doing.’
After all, Joshua switched his major to acting—and Pluto is an actor too.
If Pluto’s influence played a role, Joshua might pop up where least expected.
‘Of course… He has the height and build to land screen roles easily. But it’s rare for athletes to switch to acting so abruptly.’
This situation needed closer attention.
‘Whether Pluto’s meddling to interfere—and if so, what his motive is—I have to find out.’
Caesar snapped the thick notebook shut.
With a soft thud, the recollection ended.
I lay sprawled on the bed, scrolling through social-media reactions when it hit me.
‘Most people would be thrilled by newfound fame. Who in America doesn’t want attention?’
But I’m different. I’ve never been happy about fame or recognition.
‘I caught the eye of pro teams, only to be tormented all college because of some weirdo, got nicknamed “Eye Thief” for my odd eyes….’
And now my face is all over the internet, my life thrown into chaos.
‘Fame my ass. I don’t want any of it.’
The person who leaked the photo probably didn’t know my situation—they might’ve thought I’d like going viral. Most people would.
‘So I’m not angry. And they said the leaker’s still a student. You can’t blame a kid for making a mistake.’
Kids make mistakes.
I don’t want to become a petty adult who yells at someone ten years younger. But I can’t do nothing.
Now that my photo’s famous, more fanatics will see it.
‘More people might come “visit” me.’
I sighed and tossed my phone onto the bed.
‘But for now, I’m okay. Fame is a double-edged sword.’
From those who remember me as a college quarterback to Caesar’s fans, all sorts of people are visiting the department store.
In other words, more eyes are on me.
‘Not many would dare attack me in this situation.’
With sales quadrupling, the store even added extra security for staff safety. So inside the store, I should be fairly safe.
‘But once the attention dies down, that’s the real problem.’
If people’s eyes stayed on me forever, I’d be safe. Most crimes happen out of sight. As long as someone’s watching, quick responses are possible.
‘But that’s impossible. In the age of short-form content, attention spans don’t last.’
So I have only two options.
‘Go off the grid where no one knows me, or live using fame as a shield.’
…Just thinking about it makes my stomach churn!
‘I hate both options!’
Who’ll pay my living expenses off-grid? And who’ll handle the fallout if scandals hit while I hide behind fame?
‘What about the house I bought with cash from playing in college? How do I just abandon that?’
Both roads lead to a cliff. What the hell am I supposed to do?
‘On top of that, can I even keep this job?’
Right now I’m safe because sales are up. But once the attention fades, I’ll be a ticking time bomb. Any incident could get me fired.
‘I’ve got three problems ahead of me.’
“…….”
I’m screwed… I thought avoiding Caesar would solve everything, but what kind of landmine is this…?
I buried my face in the sheets and moaned.
‘Still, the good thing is…’
There is a solution.
‘Fanatics chasing me is Caesar’s fault.’
They think I stole his eyes.
‘So if I play my cards right with Caesar… I could fix this.’
The problem is…
‘He won’t do it for free….’
It’s a dilemma. Fuck.
‘Do I build rapport with Caesar to deal with fanatics, or do I clash with him and endure them?’
…Life never gives you what you want!
I buried my face in the sheets again, screaming silently.
‘Caesar, I know you’re a good person, but damn… I resent you so much. Why did you show up in my life and crank up the difficulty like this?’
Like the trolley dilemma, whichever I choose will leave a bad taste. And I have to choose now…?
‘……There’s only one thing I can do.’
There’s no alternative!
I thought as I picked up the phone I’d tossed.