AT THE AGE of 36, Kim In-Sung is every bit the footballing senior statesman as one might expect.
With his steely gaze but calm demeanour both on and off the pitch, the Pohang Steelers attacker is clearly someone whose years of experience have made him comfortable in his own skin.
He gives thoughtful responses without needing a second to gather his thoughts and almost always already has an opinion on various states of affairs.
There was however one question, in ESPN's exclusive interview with Kim, where he seemed stumped and needed some time to come up with an answer. Intriguingly enough, it was the question that needed the shortest response.
Just one word. To describe his footballing journey.
After a bit of a pause, Kim was satisfied enough with an answer. "Happy".
KIM HAS REASON to be happy with how his 15 years in football have gone.
He has won both major pieces of silverware that South Korean football has to offer, with a K League 1 title and three Korean FA Cups to his name. He has also been a champion of Asia after playing a pivotal role in Ulsan HD's AFC Champions League triumph in 2020.
He's represented his country at senior international level.
He was even involved in a Russian Cup-winning campaign.
Nonetheless, it was during that spell with CSKA Moscow that -- if ever there was a time where Kim wasn't exactly enjoying football -- that might have been it.
Kim certainly went down the path less travelled in his pursuit of a career in the game. After graduating from university, he actually opted to begin in the semi-professional Korea National League -- South Korea's second tier back then -- as he did not feel he was ready for the K League.
Somehow, technically without having turned professional, he impressed enough during a three-month trial with CSKA to earn a move to Europe -- the dream for almost every player in Asia.
Kim would only play two games across a season and a half in Russia. At only 22, Kim would have had to endure his fair share of hardships as a young adult suddenly finding himself in a foreign land with significant cultural differences -- although he was probably better equipped than the average foreign prospect in coping with the harsh Russian winters.
Even though he admits the most difficult period of his career, the ever-reflective Kim still sees some positive in that experience -- especially from rubbing shoulders with some prominent names such as Japan legend Keisuke Honda, ex-Manchester United man Zoran Tošić, Russia international centurion Igor Akinfeev and Brazilian cult hero Vágner Love
"The lowest point of my career was when I played in Moscow," Kim admitted, speaking via an interpreter.
"I was very young, I didn't have much information, I didn't know how to maintain my condition. That's why I feel I was unable to fulfil my full potential in Moscow.
"There, I didn't play a lot of games but, in training and playing with some very famous, top-level players, I learnt a lot. And I felt I still had to develop a lot.
"Upon learning this, I decided to come back to Korea to learn and develop more -- and that's where I've been until now".
IT ISN'T UNCOMMON in South Korea for footballers to regularly change clubs within the K League.
In his first three years back home, Kim featured for three different teams -- one of which, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors, he became a league champion with in 2014.
It was with Ulsan, though, where he enjoyed the most permanency.
In a five-and-a-half year spell, Kim was a prominent feature for one of the K League's powerhouses -- offering a constant goal threat even from a wider area.
Curiously, a league title would elude him during a period marked by Jeonbuk dominance. As fate would have it, Ulsan would win three consecutive titles immediately after his departure.
Nonetheless, he did reach the summit of continental football in the COVID-affected 2020 campaign as Ulsan claimed a second ACL title.
After playing for two of South Korea's most-successful clubs in terms of domestic silverware, Kim now finds himself in the colours of the nation's strongest competitors when it comes to the Asian stage.
Pohang's three ACL crowns is only bettered by Al Hilal's four. They were formerly the record champions until being matched -- and then overtaken -- in 2019 and 2021 respectively, even losing the latter final when they could have reclaimed that status for themselves.
The Steelers have only returned to Asian football's elite once since then. They have had to settle for playing in the second-tier AFC Champions League Two this season.
Kim still dreams of reaching that continental summit once more, even if he realistically admits the landscape has been altered dramatically now just a few years on -- especially since the Saudi Pro League boom.
"That era, when I became an ACL champion, is very different now," he said matter-of-factly.
"West Asia has very good teams now, where almost all of them have some of the biggest players in the world.
"It will be very difficult to get this title again but it's still my dream to be a champion in the ACL Elite again.
"If I have the opportunity to become a champion with Pohang Steelers, my dream would come true."
COMPARED TO THE relative novice he was all those years ago, Kim is far more experienced now -- and the sport has also evolved in its own way.
Even at 36, he still looks in supreme condition -- undoubtedly benefitting from the game's advancements.
It is why Kim believes the finish line for him might still be a while away.
"I don't exactly know for how many more years I would like to play," he added. "Football is simply the one thing I love so I want to play more.
"We see other players retire because of issues with their condition or injuries but, these days, we are checking our condition with GPS data and we can be confident about this.
"As long as the GPS data shows that I'm maintaining a good condition, I want to play more. But if there are any issues with my condition or injury, I will not hesitate to stop."
Even as he reaches the tail end of a storied career, Kim is still finding new reasons to smile.
In contrast to the lowest point of his career, he reveals that the best moment came just last year -- when he scored the go-ahead goal in extra-time against former side Ulsan to help Pohang claim a second FA Cup in as many years.
Before the year comes to a close, there is also goal of getting the Steelers into the round of 16 of ACL Two, as well as ensuring they play continental football again in 2026-27 through their final position in this season's K League 1 -- potentially even in Asia's top tier.
Whatever else his footballing journey holds, expect Kim to be happy about it. After all, it's almost always been the case.