The middle school football field was bathed in the golden glow of a late afternoon sun and the air was thick with the scent of fresh dirt and the distant tang of cafeteria lunches.
Shouts and laughter echoed across the schoolyard as kids chased a soccer ball, their sneakers kicking up clouds of dust.
The game was a chaotic free-for-all, no real teams, just a swarm of middle schoolers of 11 years old darting across the field.
Little Brandon dodged through the crowd in a faded T-shirt and shorts, his sneakers scuffing the dirt as he chased the ball.
He wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but he played with a stubborn grit.
A group of girls from his class, led by Yoo Jin, a wiry girl with a ponytail and a sharp tongue, joined the game.
She darted in front of Brandon, stealing the ball with a quick kick as she called out, "Nice try, Taeown! Too slow!"
Her friends laughed as they flanked him and looked at him mockingly.
