Season 4: Chapter 8. The Last Episode (2)

Cookie suddenly collapsed during the match against Persia.

— Wait, what? This actually happened??

— No way

— Huh???

— Cookie collapsed?

Bzzt.

The scene returned to Chi-Seung. He was walking down a street, holding the coffee he got from the cafe where he used to work part-time.

"I don’t really know how serious Cookie’s condition is. It’s not like it’s completely hopeless... but that’s about it."

— His condition??

— What??

— What’s going on

— What does that mean

— Don’t tell me...

"He never really talks about it, so everyone’s just been guessing. But then... at one point, I kind of knew."

"When was that?"

"When he agreed to let us film the documentary."

"?"

"That’s when I realized. We didn’t have much time left. I think... he wanted to leave something behind."

— Oh god T_T

— ?

— I’m not ready for this

— Please no

— What do you mean not much time left???

Chi-Seung stopped and sat down on a ledge.

"You know how he always says he’s preparing for what’s next?"

"Yes."

"Well, that next... doesn’t mean next year."

𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

That was right. What Cookie constantly mentioned in interviews wasn’t his health or his skills. It was always the future. The next generation of the national team. And what he meant by next...

"It’s the time after he’s gone."

— T_T

— Ah...

— So he didn’t mean next season...

— Cookie-sama...

— Is this for real???

— I don’t think I can watch this anymore...

Bzzt.

The screen shifted to Cookie walking down a long hallway. His voice overlapped with the visuals.

“I probably found out two years ago.”

Thunk... thunk...

He continued walking slowly.

“It wasn’t caught too late. At first, I really thought I’d be fine.”

A bright light shone at the end of the hall. Several players walked behind him.

“But one day, the doctor told me a full recovery was almost impossible. I should start preparing.”

— Oh god...

— Impossible??

— What is this, ffs

— Please tell me it’s just athlete’s foot

— T_T

The light gradually engulfed Cookie and the players.

“That’s when I knew—my time was almost up.”

As the light swallowed him completely—

"WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!"

Cheers erupted, and the screen cut to the stadium.

[Joseon vs Persia – Round of 16]

Footage from Game 1 against Persia played on the screen. It was the scene of Cookie accurately predicting the enemy’s strategy and flipping the game.

"Ahhh!! I get it now! Cookie set this up! He invested all that just to block the scouting!"

"So it wasn’t about grabbing land. It was to deny information!? Then, this is..."

"A fast second era archer rush!!!"

The crowd erupted as Cookie instantly turned the tide.

“

WAAAAHHH!

”

Cookie’s voice narrated over the cheers.

“There was a time I felt really rushed. Because I was told I didn’t have much time.”

— Father Cookie!!

— He was in that condition and still pulled that off??

— Did he have cancer or something??

“So I kept wanting fast, immediate results. But that mindset kept me from even making the main tournament.”

After failing over and over again, Cookie let go of himself.

“Then, I realized it last year. Even if I don’t have much time... they do.”

Bzzt...

After Game 1, Cookie walked into the building and collapsed.

THUD.

"Cookie!!"

"Mr. Cookie!"

The entire think tank rushed out.

"Don’t let anyone see this! No one!"

Chi-Seung and a few others ran ahead to support him while some called a private ambulance. They had prepared for this and quickly moved with no sirens or screaming. Cookie was carried away without anyone knowing.

“If Joseon is going to get a good result... it’ll probably be after I’m gone. That’s the role I have to play. The championship I always dreamed of... will have to come later.”

The screen cut to a scoreboard.

[Cookie: OUT]

[Best Yi Sun-Shin: IN]

ZZZEEEENG.

The electric guitar blasted as intense music played.

“Maybe Joseon’s victory isn’t something I’ll achieve, but someone else will.”

A new commander entered. Her long hair flowed as she stepped into the arena. Everyone stared in doubt. Even the commentators were speechless because this substitution hadn’t been planned. It resulted from an emergency. And yet, Joseon delivered.

"Who is this person!? Is she even a rookie!?"

"What is going on!? Joseon had this hidden card all along!?"

She dominated from the moment she appeared. They lost Game 2 due to poor coordination, but it was different from Game 3 onward.

"

WAAAAAHHHH!!

"

"JOSEON! JOSEON MAKES THE QUARTERFINALS!!"

Cookie had to let go. Even if it wasn’t him, he would support someone else leading the team to victory. He had prepared Best Yi Sun-Shin for that reason.

"Let’s goooooooo!!!"

Joseon advanced to the quarterfinals for only the second time in history. It was the first time since the introduction of the 32-team bracket.

"DAE—HAN—MIN—GUK!!!"

"

WAAAAAHHHH!!

"

"Best Yi Sun-Shin! Best Yi Sun-Shin!" everyone jumped and shouted her name.

At that moment, Cookie lay in a hospital bed, unconscious.

"

WAAAAAHHHH!!

"

— T_T

— Father Cookie... T_T

— Damn...

— So Best Yi Sun-Shin just showed up out of nowhere??

— So Cookie’s mindset shifted last year, and that’s why the results improved

— That explains the coordination issues at first...

— She’s insane too

— Who even is she really? Is she actually a rookie?

The screen transitioned to the next match.

[Joseon vs Japan – Quarterfinals]

Joseon exploded in popularity with this match. Best Yi Sun-Shin started from the first game. The prestigious quarterfinals consisted of a maximum of five games and was widely considered the start of the real tournament. Joseon went all the way, winning 3-2 after a nail-biting back-and-forth.

Fans leapt from their seats in celebration. The scene zoomed out until it became nothing more than a phone screen. And the one holding that phone was Cookie in his hospital room.

“Of course, I didn’t feel entirely at peace. I had led this team for so long. I wanted to show something in the main tournament.”

— Oh no... T_T

— This is where that scene was from???

— I’m losing it

— T_T T_T T_T T_T

“But... life is funny like that. When I finally let go, a new opportunity came along.”

He watched from the hospital and, shortly after speaking with a nurse, was discharged.

“I recovered faster than expected.”

He quietly packed his bags and walked out to prepare for the semifinals.

Bzzt.

The screen shifted.

[Joseon vs China – Semifinals]

Joseon faced an incredibly tough opponent, but—

"

Fwee!! Fweeeeee!!

"

BOOM!

By the end of the match, China’s base had exploded.

"

WAAAAAAHHHHHH!!

"

"Cookie! Cookie! Cookie!"

He completely shut down China in the semifinals with a 3-0 victory.

"Wow! Joseon defeats China with a clean 3-0 sweep!"

"Cookie’s return is like he’s shouting, ‘I’m still here!’"

"This dual-commander setup is way too tricky to deal with!"

— Holy crap

— So he came back from the hospital and 3-0’d China?

— That’s insane...

— Unreal

— T_T

— Wasn’t that pushing it too hard...?

The screen went dark for a moment, and the music stopped. Next up was the grand finals.

[Joseon vs Rome – Finals]

Cookie won the first two games and completely overwhelmed Anto, but then—

[Cookie: OUT]

[Best Yi Sun-Shin: IN]

Another substitution occurred. Cookie stepped aside and headed for the strategy room.

"W-Why are you switching now? You’re on a roll!" a writer followed and questioned him.

"I won two games, but Anto’s already figuring it out. This is the best time to shake things up strategically."

"B-But... you were winning..."

It sounded like the writer was saying, ‘Shouldn’t you be the one to finish it?’ Anyone would’ve thought that. Cookie had built this team from the ground up. Not just in the game as the commander, but also as the soul of Joseon. Still, Cookie shook his head.

"It’s not the person who was winning who needs to be out there. It’s the person who will win."

— So it was a strategic move...

— Wow

— T_T

— That’s just Cookie. There’s nothing else to say.

— A true master

Just as Cookie had anticipated, they lost one game, but Best Yi Sun-Shin finished the job with a performance only she could deliver. Joseon finally won.

BOOM!

Fireworks lit up the sky. Cookie always dreamed of this moment, but he was nowhere to be found in the arena. He was in the strategy room.

Bzzt.

The screen shifted to the interview set with a white-background.

[You said you’d share your story after the win.]

A few days after the championship, Cookie appeared in front of the camera.

"Yes."

He nodded.

"I made a promise, so I’ll keep it."

[Can you tell us exactly what illness you’ve been battling?]

"Pancreatic cancer. It’s already quite advanced. I don’t have much time left. I’ll be spending more and more days in the hospital."

— T_T T_T T_T

— No...

— I can’t believe this

— Oh god

— My heart...

[Winning must’ve felt especially meaningful under the circumstances.]

"Of course, I’m happy we won. But the win doesn’t give meaning to my national tournament."

— Wait, he’s actually going to die??

— I’m in shock

— This is too much

— What are we supposed to do?!

Even as the viewers tried to process the shock, the interview continued.

"Even if we hadn’t won, even if we hadn’t made the finals, it still would’ve been meaningful to me. Cancer teaches you how pointless outcomes really are."

He quietly added—

"In the end, the only result waiting for us is death."

— T_T T_T T_T

— Is he really terminal?

— T_T

— I mean... yeah...

— I get it now, but still... T_T

[You said you had some final words for the team.]

"Yes."

He nodded again and turned to look into the camera.

"Not just me—we all die someday. Does that mean life is meaningless? Absolutely not. We’re not living for the outcome. We live in the process. We find meaning in that process."

Gentle piano music began to play.

"I only realized this last year. Joseon may not win next year. And that’s okay. Live the process. Even the journey of not winning is life. Please, live through it."

The screen slowly faded to black.

— T_T T_T T_T

— Cookie-sama...

— He’s still worried about the team

— Haaah......

— What do we do... T_T

In the darkness, only Hui-Chul’s voice remained.

"Just because we can’t reach the rainbow, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful."

Moments later, the names of the production team scrolled onscreen. Names that hadn’t appeared before.

[Executive Director: Jang Ji-Hoon]

[Assistant Director: Seo Ji-Ah]

[Writer & Camera: Jung Hye-Won]

[On-Site Filming: Koo Jung-Mo]

[Editor 1: Park Oh-hoon]

.

.

.

The black screen gradually brightened, and the music shifted to something more cheerful.

Photos of the players laughing and having fun appeared. Sang-Hyeon walking into their headquarters with a bucket of fried chicken, everyone riding bikes together in Japan, Bread putting Coffee in a playful headlock, the whole team toasting with champagne at the finals party, and Pang hiking in full gear while passionately yelling! And Choi Sa-Rang wearing a hanbok while receiving an award.

Photos never shown in the Fake National Team series before also appeared: team dinners, parties, Lee Wan-Yong’s malatang restaurant, Cookie’s cafe, the think tank’s HQ... And everyone’s moment of victory.

"Monster!"

The moment they all sprinted together after winning.

"

RAAAAHHHHHHH!!!

"

Fireworks exploded in the sky with smiles all around. A close-up on Hui-Chul’s face showed him smiling wider than ever. Slowly, the screen darkened again.

[Special Thanks To:]

[Monster]

[Divers]

[Ah-Sung Electronics]

The sponsor names rolled.

— T_T

— It’s really over...

— Gahhh T_T

— What a ride...

— T_T T_T

— Haah...

— It was a summer to remember.

— Perfection

Just as it seemed like the video had ended—

Screech.

The sound of a bus faded in. The screen showed Chi-Seung standing at the bus stop again.

"Some people think being a national athlete is a full-time job..."

The writer asked curiously, "Do all of you have to work part-time jobs like this?"

"Yeah. I mean, we’re not real national athletes or anything..."

Chi-Seung paused, looked away, and muttered—

"After all, we’re a Fake National Team."

THUMP.

The screen went black. The title appeared.

[Fake National Team]

— T_T T_T T_T

— Dammit, what do I even watch now

— That’s from the first episode

— Who would’ve thought it would end like this

— Haah...

— I’ll never forget this

— Wasn’t this the scene from Episode 1?

— Thank you... thank you, production team and Cookie T_T

— Wow...

With that final message, it truly ended.

[Thank you for loving the Fake National Team until now!]

The Fake National Team series finally concluded.