The Sideline Notes: 3. I Thought There Was A Match Here

The Korean Football Association Cup, currently known as the Korea Cup, starts this weekend. Round 1 sees teams form the amateur K5 League, as well as the semi-professional K3 League and K4 League. The K5 League teams qualified by being the top-performing teams at the annual K5 League play-off championships. All the K4 League teams qualify automatically, as well as the bottom 10 teams from the 2024 K3 League season. The B teams of professional clubs are not allowed to enter the Cup. This all means the opportunity to visit an out-of-the-way location to watch some mostly unknown team, a.k.a an Adventure. This particular adventure did not disappoint.

According to the map, the venue for the Incheon Seogot FC vs. Daejeon Korail FC match appears to be an easy 90-minute trip, walk included. It's early season, and a small venue that I know nothing about, and there is a distinct lack of information about the matches, or at least I'm not aware of the best sources of information yet. All this makes me anxious, and I check the Korail Instagram multiple times to make sure the fixture hasn't changed in any way. I even checked before leaving home, and with the confidence that the match had not changed, I set off on a brisk Saturday morning, eyeing a curry lunch before the match.

There are two possible stations from which I can reach the venue, and I chose Dohwa Station because that seems best for finding lunch. I leave the station heading North and immediately find myself in an old district filled with two-story houses and low, soulless apartment blocks. It's quiet and uninspiring.

A short walk North is the giant The Sharp apartment complex, complete with its own little mall and a pedestrian street called The Alley. Behind The Sharp are other branded apartments, spanning equally large areas to form an intimidating block of apartments that is in stark contrast to the old district from which I just emerged.

The Alley is quiet, despite it being lunchtime. Some of the restaurants aren't open, and many of the shops are empty and for rent. The curry restaurant I planned to visit does not seem to exist, so I find a restaurant chain with curry on the menu. However, it's not a specialised restaurant, and the curry is mediocre at best. The attitude of the staff does not help either. I don't expect them to serve me hand and foot, but I do expect them to put their phones down at some point and at least pretend to care about their jobs. Lunch is disappointing.

The way to the community field is a road which initially has the large blocks of apartments on one side and the old district on the opposite side. The scenery then changes abruptly as you enter the grandiosely named Juan NATIONAL Industrial Complex. The community field is nestled inside this district filled with light industries.

And is really just a community field. The artificial grass field is surrounded by a running track and a basketball court behind each goal. The simple four-step pavilion on one side seems more for keeping training gear than for seating spectators. Something very important is missing here, though. There is no sign of a Korea Cup match! There's a "Fathers League" game underway, but no one is getting ready to take over when they finish. I know this is my first time at a Round 1 match, but this doesn't feel right.

Concerned, I look at the Instagram post again, and nothing has changed; it's still at this location. That can only mean...the game is on Sunday! Mother F...! How did I look at the post and fixture list 20 times and not notice this? At least I still have the beer to accompany me on my walk back to the station.

*****

It's Sunday morning, and I'm confident today will be better. This time I know the area and where to go. Yesterday I saw a Popeye's Chicken with an advert for a Tanduri burger, so I head there for lunch. I quickly regret my decision because they are sooooooo sloooooow. At least I'm not the deliveryman. They usually time their routes to arrive soon after an order is ready, but this poor man had to wait at least 10 minutes, which will reflect badly on him and his future deliveries. He was not happy and he made sure they knew it.

I dont know what they are doing back there, but my order takes so long that I have to take it and eat on the way to the field, or have a cold burger at the field. I prefer a warm meal on a late winter's day. The bigger is saucy, and stuffing my mouth while walking means I get sauce all over my face like a 5-year-old. I only have two napkins and need to save one to clean my face after eating, so most of my walk involves taking bites, then trying to get as much of the sauce off my face with a finger before thoroughly licking off the "yum". I don't even care that I look like a toddler eating because I'm enjoying every bite.

Along the way, I stop by a convenience store to get a drink, and I choose something I've come to call Happy Juice. I don't know the name, but it's 7% alcohol, just enough to get me mellow but not drunk. I pay and give the normal "Gamsahamnida", to which the owner replies: "Hangugmal jarhaeyo!" Why, thank you, my good man. You deserve another amazing "Gamsahamnida", but this time with a complimentary smile. Time to leave before he gets chatty!

For the second time this weekend, I arrive at the field, and this time I'm greeted by the sight of the Daejeon Korail team bus and a banner indicating the Korea Cup event. The gods be praised, I'm not a complete idiot after all.

The setup at the event is functional at best. Each team has three of those square weekend-market tents, which seemed to serve as both the dressing rooms and the field-side players' seating area. All the tents are set on the six-lane running track, and being so close to the playing surface means that the tents are blocking the view of most potential spectators. Everyone is forced to sit near one of the corner flags, and even then, vision is partially blocked. I'm not the only one who chooses to stand next to the field instead. The positive of being all the way on the corner of the field is that we were near the toilets, BEHIND which all the men go to urinate.

I sit on the Daejeon side, which brought a handful of supporters. I have no idea who they were, but my guess is mostly family and friends. Guessing is the best I can do because I have a lot to learn about the lower leagues and their supporters. Heavens only know who all the people on the Seogot side are.

One spectator on the Daejeon side is wearing an Incheon United shirt. He is clearly a fan because his phone is decorated with a United phone cover, and from his bag peeks out a United scarf. Does he know that the team on the other side is the one from Incheon? Did he accidentally come to the wrong end, and now he is afraid of admitting his mistake? It doesn't matter because he seems happy whenever Daejeon scores. Is he pretending to avoid embarrassment, or is he genuinely supporting the visitors today? I figure he, like me, is here alone, making his joy seem even odder because he has nothing to prove to anyone. Of course, this story is all in my head, and whatever the real story is, he's enjoying himself, and in my book, that is a successful day out.

The first half of the game is played on the far side of the pitch as Korail starts bullying Seogok from the opening whistle. It's going to be a long day for the home team. I missed the first goal while lining up my camera for an image to represent the moment. It's the image of two ball boys watching the game, and if you look carefully, you can see the white ball just about to cross the goal line. The next few goals come fast and often, and when the half-time whistle blows, I'm unsure if the score is 0-3 or 0-4. There is no scoreboard here.

In the second half, the home team spends some time on the Korail side, but thankfully, most of the game is now played on our side. Seogot is still trying their best, but lapses in concentration allow Korail to pile into the box and knock the goals in. The game finishes either 0-7 or 0-8. I would later learn the final score is 0-9, but what's one goal when you already have a baseball score?

On the way home, I stop to take a photo of an interesting-looking coffee shop exterior and hear someone shouting at no one in particular. The shouts are only interrupted by loud spitting. I get my photo, check the map to see where I made a wrong turn, and start moving towards the station before the shouter reaches me.

Unfortunately, we are heading in the same direction, and I can hear them getting closer, still talking and spitting. When they are uncomfortably close, I stop to let them pass, but they look sideways at me, and say, "Hello. How are you?" And that was the last time they spoke English. They take a few more steps, putting a small distance between us, and decide they want to talk to me. I suspect the young man has a mental disability, and our conversation goes something like this, shortened, all with my limited Korean:

Them: Where are you going?
Me: I'm going home
Them: Where is that?
Me: Anyang.
Them: Are you going to Incheon?
Me: No, Anyang.
Them: How will you get there?
Me: Subway
Them: Why don't you take a taxi?
Me: It's expensive
Them: How much is it?
Me: I don't know, 40,000 won?
Them: Wow. So you're going to Incheon Station?
Me: No, Anyang
Them: Oh, how long will it take?
Me: An hour, maybe.
Them: You're not going to Incheon?
Me: No, Anyang
Them: Is that in the direction of Suwon?
Me: Yes! That's my direction

... we pass someone ...

Them: Anyeong. Anyeonghaseayo. ANYEONGHASAEYO!

...the stranger doesn't reply...

Them: Here's the station. Let's take the elevator.
Me: I don't like elevators. I'll take the stairs (Hoping to lose them)
Them: Why?
Me: Just because..( I'm trying to lose you)
Them: Let's take the elevator.
Me: I want to take the stairs. Exercise.

... at the top of the stairs...

Them: Let's use that elevator. (The elevator to the platform)
Me: I don't like elevators.
Them: Oh...

At this point, I lose them as they get distracted by something.

I prefer to keep to myself, but I made myself a promise that if anyone tries to talk to me on an adventure, I won't resist. And that is how I ended up walking a kilometre with a guy unable to stop asking me the same questions over and over. :)