[Opinion] Legend in Making

Legend is in making now. And it has already started.

Few weeks ago, students who had to miss class for attending eve of World cup and opening ceremony, left for practice without forgetting to tell teacher, `sir, please look for me in OO line`.

Likewise, we have fastened `historical knot`.

And on the day when evaluation match with France was held, I felt `fear`, which is difficult to express, while coming to Seoul after watching match at Suwon.

The fear was from overwhelming joy.

At the time when furious wave-like cheering was taking rest after finishing of first half, bright smile of spectators who were experiencing dream like reality that we were winning from the best team which is ranked by FIFA by 2-1 was something else.

It was, saying a word, recovery of confidence that we also can do anything.

It was not just confidence but `recovery` of confidence.

How much have we been suffering from so called Gate so far?

It was nearly day of despair like `Et tu Brutus`.

Education, Medical, the plutocrats, the press… and even relation of the South-North which were carried out in the name of reformation made us exhausted and tarnished.

I, who experienced 5.16 in the first year of high school looking at running tanks in front of school, didn`t have memory like this era, in which people and government are separated and are busy making groups too seriously.

The bliss which was likely to break free from such tarnished image was full in the stadium while waiting for latter half of the match.

Seeing easy faces of white haired 50`s fans wearing red uniform T-shirt on the long Y-shirts so looked like baseball player, who were murmuring, “is it really Korean team?”, I though so when I saw such faces.

Kozima estuary in Cuba, which is well known because U.S novelist Ernest Hemingway composed his masterpiece `The old Man and the Sea`, based on it.

On the gate of the restaurant, which is famous as Hemingway used to come, there is written `Ordinary Thing became a legend`.

Now World cup starts.

Here is overwhelming joy that we are making legend and the belief that this World cup will not just finish as football festival for people of globe with joy.

We have been preparing for culture World cup to propagate our traditional culture, environment world cup to dream harmonized life friendly with nature, and IT world cup to be supported by high technology IT.

Calculating its economic profit in to trillions of won seemed to be futile.

If we had built up library with the huge money spent for stadium?

If we had invested money in welfare policy and increase other culture facilities?

Of course, any body might have thought such thoughts.

There was self reflection that we are pouring too much energy and money on visible things, too.

Now, we ponder for while in silence on the eve of festival.

What would we obtain by this?

We can remember that Korean national team`s evaluation match brought smile to people`s faces.

Above all else, pride will always remain in us.

However, like someone, we should not think like, `It is okay, even if the rest of the things are spoiled`, if World cup is held successfully. And our maturity doesn`t accept such `spoiling` either.

We have achieved work to cultivate a sports event as huge culture festival of mankind.

Isn`t our heart filled with joy, imagining that its effect and influence will exert people`s emotion?

We should treasure this very precious meaning for a long time without in vain not by future perfect tense, but by present continuous tense.

Exorbitant confidence that if we succeed will be standard of mankind, we are looking keenly at it through this World cup.

And above all else, we will see our changed aspect in the world through this achievement.

Wherever we go, the way opens.

Therefore, ordinary thing becomes legend one day. All the people in the world are surprised. Korean, if we achieve, it will become standard of mankind.

It becomes a legend.

Han Soo- san (Novelist, Prof of Seoul National University)