“Ja-Wook Oppa, take my ligament,” said the handcrafted sign that propelled DIS second-grader Aileen Kim into stardom with over 700K views on YouTube and 150K on Instagram.  Her heartfelt message even touched Koo Ja-wook himself, the famous outfielder for the Samsung Lions Korean pro baseball team. Koo later thanked her in person. Her debut on-screen brought her from the stands to center stage on Oct. 23, when she took to the field to declare the opening of the Korean Series. Through her passion and a sprinkle of luck, Kim made a surprise appearance on national television and sent shockwaves to many baseball fans.

The Kim family initially traveled to Seoul for a fencing tournament that weekend and took advantage of their free time to attend the Samsung Lions playoff game against the LG Twins. Fencing coach Ye-Kyeong Seo said, “Every week, the Kim family attends a family fencing class together, and they even compete in amateur fencing tournaments. Since there was a fencing competition in Seoul that weekend, they decided to attend the KBO playoff game on Friday, where Aileen’s sign went viral.”

However, Koo could not play due to a ligament injury. Kim said, “Koo-Ja-Wook was injured so I wanted to make a sign for him showing how much I wanted him to get better, but because my handwriting is not good, I asked my dad to write it for me. And with that sign, I got on national TV.” The excitement didn’t end there. Aileen’s heartfelt message quickly went viral and racked up a total of 850K views across platforms. Broadcast news and social media buzzed about the young superfan’s dedication to baseball.

On Oct. 19, Aileen and her family, who coincidentally stayed at the same hotel as the Lions team, ran into Koo. “He said he had watched her message on the plane from Japan to Korea and felt deeply moved by her support and even signed her poster and took a picture with her, which was a dream come true,” Jina Yoo, Kim’s mother, said.

Over the next few days, the Lions marketing team reached out to the family and hoped to bring Kim back to deliver a special message at the opening game of the Korean Series. At first, the family missed the message, but they eventually made the connection thanks to fencing coach Seo. “The Lions marketing team began searching for her, and they recognized my relations to her family from a comment I left on one of their posts. From there, everything fell into place,” Seo said.

On Oct. 23, Aileen took to the field to declare the start of the Korean Series as the Samsung Lions’ official speaker. Surrounded by thousands of fans, she held the microphone, her voice strong and clear despite her nerves. “It was a little scary with everyone watching, but I felt so excited and proud to represent all the fans,” Kim said.

Many around DIS saw Kim’s performance live or through national television among 3 to 4 million other viewers in Korea. Senior Aaron Shin, Lions baseball fan, said, “Initially, I was watching the opening of the Korean Series on TV, but then I was listening to the commentary, I noticed that the girl on the opening show said she was from Daegu International School. It was interesting because I never expected a kid from our school to be there.”

Aileen’s simple yet heartfelt gesture captured the hearts of fans and even her baseball hero and sparked moments that transcended age. With support and unexpected encounters, Aileen’s story showcases the joyful surprises that passion for sports can bring, creating memories not just for herself, but for all who witnessed her love for the game.

This story was originally published on Jets Flyover on November 17, 2024.