Walking Away From Glory

[Dtayl 104]

Walking Away From Glory

(Han Jae-Kuk celebrating with teammates after scoring the match-winning goal for FC Seoul)

 

SEOUL - Leaving behind your childhood dream isn’t an easy thing to do. Add to that the possibility of making millions of dollars and becoming a superstar and turning that down seems ridiculous. However, that's exactly what Han Jae-Kuk did almost 2 years ago when he left FC Seoul to pursue a career in hockey. 

 

     Jae-Kuk wasn’t just an average soccer player, he was a budding star who received attention from major clubs across the globe. At just 16 years old he made his senior club debut and never looked back. After becoming the starting striker for the team, following an injury to the previous striker, Jae-Kuk became a goal scoring machine. He would go on to almost break the club record for most goals in a season, finishing just 2 goals shy. Jae-Kuk became the catalyst for FC Seoul as they made an amazing run to finish top of the table and take the league cup. Jae-Kuk was a bonafide star in South Korea, and looked to be Korea’s next big star after Son Heung-Min. 

 

     Han Jae-Kuk wasn’t a star in just Korea, his name was being bounced around in some of the biggest clubs in the world as a transfer target. The biggest name on that list, Tottenham Hotspur, would eventually secure a deal to bring the young South Korean to White Hart Lane. Spurs offered Jae-Kuk a sizable contract and everything looked to be coming up roses for the young man. 

However, a few days before he was set to meet with Tottenham and finalize the deal he suddenly backed out. He abruptly announced his retirement from the sport of soccer, and avoided media attention for months. Eventually it was announced he had transitioned to playing hockey with the Anyang Halla.

 

     For a player of his caliber to suddenly quit and begin a career in another sport is highly unusual. Add in the fact that he often said following in the footsteps of his idol Son Heung-Min and becoming a premier league player was his dream and his actions are highly questionable. While the real reason he decided to quit remains unconfirmed anonymous sources have given tips. 

Apparently a major argument between Jae-Kuk and his father had sparked this decision. Jae-Kuk was unhappy how controlling his father had been in his career, while his sister who had become a fairly successful K-pop idol was free to do as she pleased. Jae-Kuk decided that ending his soccer career was the ultimate way to get back at his father, even if it meant giving up on his childhood dream of being a world class soccer player. The fact that Jae-Kuk has now pursued a career in hockey is yet another way of getting back at his father, according to the source. Jae-Kuk’s father had tried and failed to become a professional hockey player in his youth. 

 

    It should be noted that this information is unconfirmed but comes from a reliable source. We have reached out to Jae-Kuk, his father and sister but all three declined to comment. Whatever the situation with Han Jae-Kuk it is certainly strange, but we wish him the best as he transitions from soccer to hockey.

 

(Han Jae-Kuk at practice with the Anyang Halla)

 

Word Count: 529; Week 4/27 - 5/03

Edited April 29, 2020 by Dtayl

[Baozi 1,664]

Aww yeah here we go. More Asian players and another South Korean at that! Good luck with your new character!

 

Content is alright, got some good background info in there.

Structure of the writing has some oddities and inconsistency in line breaks that distract from the writing itself. A few run on sentences spotted as well.

 

7/10