The Korean Cowboy

“Let me make sure I say this right,” Joe Beaver smiled at the young man sitting beside him. Compared to the large calf-roping veteran, the young man was tiny with his lithe build only reaching 5'7”. “June-Lee...Whitehill...Lee?”

Junlee smiled at the older man's quizzical expression. “Yes, sir.”

“That's a mouthful.”

Junlee shrugged. “My mom hyphenated her last name, gave me and my brother the choice, and we went with it.”

“And your first name is like a...portmanteau of your mother and your father's names?”

“I guess you could say that, yeah.”

The producer who was standing on a sideline stepped forward. “We're live in twenty.”

Joe shifted his giant stature in his seat. “You ready, kid?”

“Absolutely.” Junlee flashed a smile at the camera, an eye smile that copied his infamous father's.

The director counted the last ten seconds off with his hand before pointing at the first camera.

“I'm Joe Beaver and I am sitting next to the young man who is currently leading the world in the tie-down roping this year—Junlee Whitehill-Lee. Glad to have ya.”

“Glad to be here, sir.” That smile again.

“So tell me a little about yourself. You've got quite the family tree.”

Junlee nodded. “Yes, sir. My mom's originally from South Dakota and has been here at the NFR in barrels...three times before? She moved to Seoul, South Korea a couple years after she graduated college. She taught English there for a couple years and met my dad. My dad...” Junlee smiled nervously. He never knew how to put this is words so people could understand. “He was in a music group, kinda like N'Sync here. Pretty famous over in Korea. Anyways, they got married and my mom went back and forth between the US and Korea for her occupation in the barrel racing world.”

“Your mom's also responsible for increasing the popularity of barrel racing in South Korea, isn't she?”

“Yes, sir. She increased the popularity of western riding as a whole. There'd been some barrel racing in China and Mom worked at making rodeo and western riding as a whole more popular over in the eastern side of the world.”

“What about you? How'd you grow up?”

Junlee shifted in his seat, crossing one Wrangler-clad leg over the other. “My twin brother and I are the oldest of four kids. We have two sisters who are adopted from China. Kyho and I rode English and Western in Korea and came back to the Midwest for a couple years so we could show in 4-H and I could high school rodeo my Junior and Senior years. Currently, the living situation is my mom, me and my sisters are all here. Li Fan is currently the number one barrel racer in South Dakota's high school rodeo and she ended up third at nationals last year. And SuSu is leading the pole bending in junior high and sitting in the top three in barrels. Mom trained both their horses.”

“What about your twin brother and dad?”

“My brother actually followed in my dad's footsteps and, even though he liked riding too, he decided to become an idol under the same company my dad was. My dad still lives in Korea to, ya know, keep tabs on my brother and run his own talent agency. Kyho's the troublemaker.” Junlee smirked, making Joe chuckle.

“You've got quite the wide variety of experience. When did you start roping?”

Junlee licked at his lips. “I learned how to rope when I was little, but I didn't get competitive until I was seventeen—”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Joe held out his hand, looking sincerely puzzled. “You mean to tell me that the cowboy whose leading the world in the tie-down has only been roping competitively for seven years? And neither of your parents roped?”

“If you're comparing me to Tuf Cooper—” Junlee didn't mean to bristle, but he'd been hearing he was “the next Tuf Cooper” for almost a year now.

“Most people are calling you the next Tuf Cooper.” And the stress and exhaustion and that statement was the straw that broke the camel's back.

“Yeah, I know, but I'm nothing like him. My dad wasn't Super Looper Roy Cooper, I didn't come from a big rodeo family, and I'm not completely white. I'm half-Korean. The first half-Korean to make it big in rodeo and really ever rodeo at all. I'm glad I had Matt Shiozawa to look up to, another half-Asian who made it here and proved you can be something a little different and still be a cowboy.

I grew up in South Korea's capital city and one of the largest cities in the world. I wanted to wear my cowboy boots with my school uniform. I'm fluent in Korean and English and know conversational Chinese. I had to travel twenty minutes by bus to ride my horse. Mom had to import a roping chute from the US and the calves I used were Hanu, the beef breed in Korea that my mom paid big bucks for to get only ten of them. I love barrel racing as much as roping and had to find out that's a taboo thing for a cowboy to say here, but not in Korea because there's no hate and judgement among the disciplines there. I also showed horses in Western Pleasure and I could probably saddle up my roping horse with an English saddle and take it over some jumps. My brother made the “Top Five Hottest Idols” in Korea this year; his group won best album at the Mnet Awards. No, I'm not the usual calf-roper or cowboy, but I'm leading the world and I doubt anyone's going to argue that only seven years of roping did me any harm.”

Joe Beaver, for once in his life, was speechless and a moment of dead air passed as the two men looked at each other. Junlee held no emotion on his face, a look of innocence expectancy for his next question. He glanced over at the crew and cameras, spotting a 50-something woman standing among them. She was grinning from ear to ear with pride. Junlee ducked his head, trying to hide the smile he returned to his mother.

–

Junlee took a sip of his beer and sighed. “I didn't mean to be rude, but...I was tired and stressed and I have hardly gotten anytime to think since we've been here and I'm just tired of being called the next Tuf Cooper. It doesn't even make sense.”

“You're the new heartthrob of the rodeo circuit. What'd you expect?” Kylee, his mom, asked from her seat in one of the foldable lawn chairs they had set in front of their trailer.

Among mother and son, there were five other people. Ashley, an old friend of Kylee's and one of the bucking stock contractors, Reggie, a qualified bronc rider from Brazil, Shane Hanchey, a veteran calf-roper who was about the same age as Kylee, and the Whitehill-Lee sisters who had come to support their brother(and be his stable hands).

“I expected a little less comparing and a little more respect for my talent...that sounded conceited.”

Shane shook his head. “No, I understand. I roped right beside Tuf and was pretty competitve, but did I ever get half of what he did? No.” He sighed and propped his boots up on the cooler in the middle of their circle. “I'm not bitter about it and I never really was, but it does mess with your confidence.”

“Thank God his son isn't old enough to get a pro card yet or we'd never hear the end of it,” Ashley said.
“I don't think you were rude, J,” added Kylee. “You were just straight-forward—which I thought your brother inherited from me, but you did too, apparently.” They shared a small smile. “But as long as you're ready for tomorrow.”

Tomorrow would be the tenth and final round of the National Finals Rodeo. Though Junlee was still leading the world, if he caught he would win the world championship and possibly the average. If he missed, it was possible he could lose the world title and the average. No pressure. Only thousands of dollars in prize money and a gold buckle and a new saddle were on the line. Again, no pressure.

“I'll be ready,” Junlee responded quietly.

“Of course you will,” SuSu piped up. She was a tiny thing, under five feet and maybe a hundred pounds. She was quiet and sweet and rode with a sense of grace and calmness. “You have the best cheering section here! Li Fan and I made posters!”

Junlee ruffled his sister's hair. “Did you now?”

“Yeah!” SuSu was still grinning as she tried to tame her raven hair again. “They so “GO TEAM JUNLEE AND WHISKEY” and “TEAM JUNLEE” and “TEAM KOREAN COWBOY”.”

At the last one, Junlee burst out laughing. “Team Korean Cowboy, huh?” SuSu nodded enthusiastically.

“It was her idea,” Li Fan replied dryly, pointing at the younger sister. Li Fan was quiet, but undeniably confident and hot-tempered. She was also incredibly aggressive in her riding, but composed at the same time. She was only a little taller than her sister at 5'3”.

“I still like it,” said Junlee, grinning. “Thank you, guys.” He paused and sighed. “I wish Dad and Kyho could be here though...”

“So do they,” said Kylee. “They promised to call tomorrow night before you go.” Junlee nodded silently. His missed his twin brother more than he liked to admit. They were pretty much opposites. Junlee was always the quiet one, preferred to talk to his horses more than girls. He focused less on his looks and more on his riding and school work. Kyho rode too, especially if his brother was going to be out at the barn by himself, but mostly he focused on his social life, rapping and singing, and dancing. He took acting classes and was apart of school government. However, he always defended his brother and his dreams when they came under scrutiny from their Korean friends who didn't understand it. It wasn't “weird” or “lame”. It was Junlee's dream to ride and rope just as it was Kyho's dream to debut as an idol and make it big like their father. So far, both had succeeded.

“You've got a cheering squad behind the bucking chutes too,” Ashley put in, smirking. “The roughies rather like you; they think you have guts.”

Junlee shrugged, spinning the beer bottle around in the chair's cup holder. “I'm not doing anything different than cowboys before me.”

–

The Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada was packed with rodeo friends from around the country and parts of the world. Music and the announcer's voice boomed from the speakers. Nerves were hide, excitement intensifying. The air crackled with energy, collecting in the pit that was the rodeo arena.

Junlee was behind the roping chutes, eyes closed and attempting to keep his breathing normal. Whiskey, his chestnut quarter horse, stood calmly. His ears were dropped, eyes half-closed. Junlee knew when he went pro that his nerves would get the better of him and he was blessed to have found a horse to train that was as dead-headed and calm despite the nervous twitches he felt in his rider's hands.

Junlee's lithe build was clad his sponsor's merchandise. Wrangle jeans, black Resistol hat, and a purple Wrangler shirt that was littered with more sponsor patches: 4-Star Trailers, Nutrina, B&W Trailer Hitches, and Pendleton Whiskey—some of the biggest sponsors every rodeo contestant hoped would back them.

“Junlee, you're up.” One of the arena coordinators, clad in white shirt and dark jeans and hat, motioned him.

Junlee whipped his piggin' string from the back of his belt and clasp the loop in between his teeth. His hand held the loop of his rope as he walked into the arena and then did a U-turn to move his horse for the roping box.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this next roper you are about to watch is currently leading the world. And he's got a worldly name: Junlee Whitehill...Lee.” The crowd erupted and somewhere among the throng, two Chinese girls waved signs as big as them around. The cameras that scoured the crowds caught them and they shown up on the big screen, earning a laugh from the rest of the audience at “TEAM KOREAN COWBOY”.

Junlee's calf was loaded into the chute, the barrier looped around its neck to give it a head start when the chute gates burst open. Junlee urged Whiskey into the roping box and faced him towards the arena. He let out a long his from between his teeth clenched around the piggin' string and gave his rope a couple swings before backing the horse into the corner of the box. Whiskey's ears were perked forward now, watching the calf, ready for the crashing sound of the chute opening and his cue to pursue the calf with all his heart.

Muscles tense and the intro to “Inside the Fire” playing to amp up nerves even more. Kylee watched from the audience with her daughters who had ceased their chanting and waving, locked in a moment of true concentration.

Junlee watched for the calf's head to be forward, in the right direction. Then, with a quick nod of his head, the calf was released and Whiskey shot out of the box right behind it. The timing was perfect. The barrier did not break. Junlee swung once, twice, all in about second. The loop soared, catching the calf around the neck, stopping it from its dead run. Junlee's leg swung over the saddle and he launched himself, hitting the ground at a run, trailing a hand down the rope to keep the fighting calf anchored.

When he reached the calf, one hand grabbed a front leg, the other grabbed the flank. Using his knees against its side, he used all his strength to take the calf off its feet and flip it on its side. When bovine and human hit the ground, Junlee scooped two back legs and the right front in one motion, reached for his piggin' string still clenched in his teeth and looped it over the front leg. Then, it a blur he did one wrap and hooey, raised his hands to signal his finally, and got to his feet to quickly walk back to Whiskey.

It took a moment for the adrenaline to stop roaring in his ears, replaced by the cheering of the crowd. He looked up at the red, digital numbers of the time clock. 6.5 seconds. A subconscious grin grew on Junlee's face and he looked back down at the calf, waiting for it to stay timed for its six seconds to make the time official.

It did.

“Your current leader in the final round!” The crowd went crazy when the announcer officially spoke his time. Junlee removed his hat, to reveal a sweat streaming face, and to salute them all before reeling his rope back in and leaving the arena.

What came next was a blur. He watched the last bunch of calf-ropers go, holding his breath for each one. None of them touched his time. When it came time for a victory lap, Junlee politely declined to use of their horses, stating Whiskey deserved the victory lap more than he did. Together, they followed one of the flag ladies with her blonde hair, sparkly outfit, and black horse with white tack, around the arena. Junlee tipped his hat again, catching sight of his sisters' sign “TEAM KOREAN COWBOY”. He smiled, eyes disappearing in the crinkled skin of absolute joy.

Charmane James, one of his Mom's idols and a woman who had to be nearing eighty now, demanded a quick interview. Junlee was back in front of the cameras, one of his least favorite places to be.

"So how does it feel being someone from a culture that doesn't really have anything to do with rodeo?" Charmane asked, holding the microphone in Junlee's face.

He just smiled. "I grew up on the back of a horse because that's how my mom grew up. So technically I came from the same culture as anyone else here. It was just in a different country. That shouldn't be a reason that differs me from the other cowboys here. Race shouldn't mean anything. Its all about the talent." He didn't wait for another question, he added, “Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take care of my horse because he did a lot of the work.” He smiled at the camera in case his brother and father were watching and walked away.

–

SuSu talked excitedly about Junlee's achievement from her point of view and how nervous she was. “And I couldn't have been prouder when you were up there in the spotlight getting your buckle and your check and your saddle. Can I ride in your saddle sometime? I think that would be so cool! I can't wait to go to school and tell everyone how my brother won the NFR and is the best roper in the world!”

Junlee ruffled her hair again as he went by with Whiskey's full water bucket. “Thanks, kid.” She humped at him. Li Fan was finishing cleaning manure out of Whiskey's stall when they both approached. The horse was calmly resting with a hip cocked and lip drooping. Junlee smirked and shook his head as he entered the stall—and came face to face with another person.

It took a moment for Junlee to process the face that looked nearly identical to his. Kyho smiled up at him from his crouching position near Whiskey's front legs. “Hey, bro!”

Junlee's jaw dropped and he nearly screamed. Kyho stood and the two hugged tightly. “Dude, I've missed you!”

“Missed you too. That was an awesome run you had. Congrats, world champ.” Kyho punched Junlee in the arm. It was obvious Kyho worked more on his looks with his plucked-to-perfection eyebrows and burgundy hair. Apart from that, he was dressed in jeans, a button-up shirt, and boots. He looked like Junlee's brother rather than a Korean idol.

“You saw my run?” Junlee's eyes ignited.

“Well, duh! We couldn't miss Junlee Whitehill-Lee, first Korean blood to qualify and win the NFR, now could we?”

Junlee blinked, looking at his brother curiously. “We?”

“Yes, we!” Kyho looked pointedly behind his brother. Junlee turned and saw his father standing outside the stall, hands in his pockets, a look of cool admiration on his face.

“Appa!” Junlee tackled his father in a hug and the two began rambling on in Korean. “I missed you!”

Junho pulled away to look at his son. “I am so proud of you,” he said. “That was incredible.”

Junlee grinned, taking the moment to appreciate his father's comments. Junho always favored Kyho, as Kylee always favored Junlee—it was just a given. Never had Junlee heard such sincere pride in his dad's voice. It made his chest constrict.

“Hey!” Kylee called from the end of the aisle of stalls. “I'm hungry and your dad said supper's on him!”

“Yah!” Junho turned on his wife, mocking annoyance as his wife came closer. “When did I say that?”

Kylee smiled, pressing her lips against his. “Too bad. You're in America...Be a gentleman.”

Junho smirked, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. “Alright, let's go celebrate our world champion!”

“The Korean Cowboy!” SuSu squeaked.

Junlee rolled his eyes, and with an arm around Kyho's shoulder, they followed after their parents.