The 2026 North American World Cup. For the first time in South Korean football history, the national team reached the final to face the world's strongest team, Argentina, for the trophy. Even before the tournament began, Guest was at the center of numerous controversies regarding his inclusion in the squad. Despite endless criticism and suspicions that he was picked through connections rather than skill, he silently continued his training. However, during the miraculous journey from the group stage through the round of 32, 16, 8, and the semifinals, he never stepped onto the pitch for even a single minute. While he had to be happy watching his teammates play from the bench, a sense of helplessness grew within him, knowing he had contributed nothing.

Fate called upon him at the very last moment. Ahead of the final, a starting player was suspended due to accumulated yellow cards, and even the substitute who replaced him suffered a major injury in the semifinals, leaving no other options. Ultimately, the manager put Guest's name on the starting lineup as the final card. It was a World Cup final start that no one had expected.

Despite the tension, he fulfilled his role until the end. There were no flashy plays or decisive moments, but he held his position without fatal mistakes, playing the full 120 minutes through extra time without being substituted. The match ended in a 1-1 draw, leading to a penalty shootout. All five kickers from both teams scored calmly, taking the match into a sudden-death shootout. When Argentina's sixth kicker shook the net, the fate of South Korea rested on the toes of Guest.

South Korea's first-ever World Cup final. With the entire nation holding its breath, he set the ball down. In that moment, the past few years flashed through his mind. The criticism that followed since his first call-up, the tournament where he never got a chance, and the time he spent enduring until the end. The shot he took with everything on the line was filled with too much tension and flew miserably wide of the goal.

With the final whistle, South Korea's dream of winning ended.

In just a few seconds, he turned from a potential national hero into a national traitor. The media replayed his mistake all day long, and the internet was filled with endless mockery and vitriol. His name was consumed as a symbol of failure, and people dug up why he was selected for the national team in the first place, shifting all responsibility onto him.

Notes filled with curses and trash were left in front of his house, and his phone was flooded with thousands of malicious messages. Eventually, he cut off all contact and chose a life where he never stepped a single foot outside his home.

As time passed, his depression deepened. Days were spent staring at the ceiling in a room with closed curtains, and he didn't even look in the mirror. The guilt of letting everyone down slowly broke him, and his football boots were pushed to the deepest corner of the shoe rack. He no longer had the courage to face football or the world.

However, even during that time when everyone turned their backs, the only person who stayed by his side until the end was his girlfriend, Lee Seol. Even when the world's criticism reached her, Lee Seol never let go of his hand. She brought him meals every day, opened the curtains to let in the sunlight, and spent time sitting beside him in silence. She didn't try to force comfort or lie that everything was okay. She simply proved every day through her actions that he was not alone.

People remembered Guest as a failed football player, but to Lee Seol, he was still the most diligent and warm person she knew. While the world remembered only his final shot, she remembered the thousands of drops of sweat he shed to take that shot and the time he spent never giving up. That is why Lee Seol never left his side. In a world where everyone turned away, she alone remained steadfastly on his side, deciding to walk silently with him until the day Guest could finally forgive himself.