ALL NOVEL Chapter 9
*
The second half began, and after changing to a striker position, the game wasn’t going my way.
The dumbass midfielders’ passes were all disappointing, and the cheap fouls from the opposing defenders were driving me nuts.
‘Can’t these guys play football without fouling?’
I lamented my situation like someone who had forgotten about pulling the hair of the Yonsei University striker aiming for a shot in the first half.
It was only natural.
My fouls were honorable actions, while others’ fouls were petty, mean, and disgraceful acts.
And wasn’t it midfielder Son Jinho who originally did that?
Striker Son Jinho was completely innocent.
“Ugh—! Why isn’t this going in!”
After sending a shot soaring into the air in a one-on-one against the goalkeeper, I shook my head vigorously to shake off my frustration.
This time, the goalkeeper’s face was so ugly that I tensed up too much, sending the ball skyward.
‘Aren’t you a coward for interfering with my shot because of appearance?’
After wasting a total of eight chances due to the dirty play of Yonsei University, the coach moved me back down to the midfielder position after seeing me unable to do anything as a striker.
‘I am a midfielder, after all!’
As a midfielder again, I immediately began to chant a spell. Strangely enough, peace suddenly filled my heart, which had been overflowing with tension and pressure.
“Ho-woo—!”
Perhaps it was because peace had come to my heart.
Not long after dropping down to the midfielder position, I created a scene similar to the first goal and scored multiple times.
“Ho-woo—!”
Just before the end of the match, I succeeded in a hat-trick with a surprise long-range shot from outside the penalty area.
The explosive reactions erupted from the bench following my amazing performance.
“Let go! That guy is really mutinying!”
“The reporters are here! Coach! Calm down!”
Turning to the noise from the bench, I raised my thumb at the sight of the coach joyfully tap dancing with the assistant coach.
– Snap!
Suddenly, I noticed the coach clutching his neck and collapsing.
“Huh? Why is he doing that?”
I could only understand why he was holding his neck after the match ended and I did an interview with the reporters.
“Hey, you brat! If you don’t want to play as a striker, just say so instead of mutinying!”
To calm the coach, whose face had reddened with anger, I found myself explaining for a long time what “I am a midfielder” truly meant.
“…Should this be called a good mentality? Or should it be called being shameless?”
“Then, is it true that you didn’t even gesture an apology after sending that shot flying earlier?”
The icy glances from the U-19 National Team seniors towards me, but I stood tall.
“Of course! I’m a midfielder!”
“….”
What? What?
Is it your first time seeing South Korea’s best box-to-box midfielder?
*
[Korean midfielder’s arrival? Son Jinho, who scored a hat-trick against the seniors. ‘Thanks to the seniors of the national team and Coach Han Gwangjong for taking good care of me, I was able to adapt quickly to the national team. And I’m always grateful to my girlfriend and family for their support.’]
└ I’m glad to see a promising player showing up.
└ I hope he grows to become the next superstar succeeding Park Jisong!
└ Even at a young age, he’s good at interviews. I think a great player is coming up.
[Soccer genius Son Jinho, who joined the U-19 National Team by skipping ‘four grades.’ After confidently scoring a hat-trick in front of the seniors, he showcased qualities of a next-generation superstar with a unique celebration.]
└ Son Jinho? I’ve never heard of this nobody.
└ A genius? Please, there are plenty like him in the country.
└ How much do you get paid for writing this kind of article? ^^
└ I saw Son Jinho play, and honestly, he just piggybacks on others’ plays^^ That level of forward play is something many youth players can do in South Korea^^
└ What nonsense is this…? He must have been selected from a good pool of domestic talent.
└ And besides, I searched and it said Son Jinho is a midfielder?
└ Look at the hype. It’s utterly ridiculous!
└ Just the other day, there was a controversy about figure skating moms, and now soccer moms are causing a stir.
└ Other articles don’t have this many comments; why is this one on fire?
└ “Soccer genius,” “skipped grades” — looks like the parents lost their minds and came running here! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Oh wow, our Jinho is going to succeed. The youth parents are already on the lookout.
└ The measure of success is the parental watchfulness. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Yep! It’s not just a watch; it’s facts! That level of play is littered among youth players!
└ Clearly didn’t make the final selection and went back.~~
└ Yep! No matter how much you yap here, our Jinho will make it to the UAE!
└ Wow. Is Jinho’s mom showing up already? ㄷㄷ That’s impressive.
└ Jinho’s mom vs Soccer mom. My heart is swelling with pride.
└ That’s not his mom; it’s his girlfriend!
└ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Girlfriend, LOLㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ Son Jinho, that brat is suddenly getting fans because he looks decent now! ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ It really is his girlfriend, though ㅡㅡ
└ If that’s true, that’s a problem. If he’s dating instead of training, Son Jinho won’t grow much, I guess. ㅅㄱㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ If you really are his girlfriend, maybe it’s better for Jinho’s future if you break up with him?ㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Nimi, go to hell! 凸 ಠ益ಠ)凸
*
The day after my perfect performance against Yonsei University.
– Seriously, people just talk without knowing anything!
Gyeouri, maybe after seeing some weird articles online, whined on the phone for a while.
My mother-in-law said she was worried because Gyeouri hasn’t been studying and is glued to her smartphone all day. It seems like her phone might soon be downgraded to 2G.
“Gyeouri, my mother-in-law is mad at you…”
Just as I was about to tell Gyeouri that my mother-in-law was mad, I heard her muffled, downcast voice on the line.
– Jinho… I’m asking this just in case, but…
– Am I bothering you while you’re playing football?
– No? I’m not a bother, right?
She must have been worried after reading some online comments.
– …Do I really bother you?
I wanted to see the wrinkly face of Gyeouri a bit more, but her voice seemed like she was about to cry, so I quickly denied it sincerely.
“No, not at all! I’m playing to look good for you! If we break up, I’ll quit football!”
There’s no way Gyeouri could be a hindrance.
She’s someone I longed for my entire previous life.
To me, Gyeouri was a being that made me smile and gave me strength just by being together and watching.
-…
Maybe my sincere voice made Gyeouri embarrassed, so she fell silent for a while before she changed the topic.
– Oh! Right! Get excited for this Christmas! I’m preparing a special gift!
Thankfully, it seemed my sincerity was conveyed well. Gyeouri’s spirits quickly lifted. I smiled happily as I listened to her chattering.
“Gyeouri, your existence is a special gift sent down from heaven to me.”
– …Drip.
This time, the call was cut off.
Not long after, I received a chat from my father-in-law.
– Father-in-law: Son-in-law, what did you do this time to make my daughter turn into Godzilla?
– Father-in-law: I want to use her too.
– Father-in-law: Ever since the last incident, Chan hasn’t been well…
No matter how much of a father-in-law he is, I couldn’t forgive him for belittling Gyeouri by calling her Godzilla, so I left the message on read.
*
– Gyeouri: Hey, Son Jinho. Are you busy?
– Ho-woo: No, not busy.
– Gyeouri: Dad is looking for you because you’re not reading your chat messages?
– Ho-woo: Chat? Ah…
– Ho-woo: I said Godzilla on purpose so I didn’t reply to you. Did I do well?
– Gyeouri: (You did well, Kon!)
– Gyeouri: Don’t reply for a week!
– Ho-woo: Got it, lol.
– Gyeouri: By the way, the presentation is tomorrow, right? Did you find out the results ahead of time? ㅠㅠ I’m so nervous.
– Ho-woo: Don’t worry! I scored a hat-trick, so they can’t possibly not pick me!
– Ho-woo: But if I go to the UAE, the time apart from you will be longer. What should I do?
– Ho-woo: I already miss you. ㅠㅠ
– Gyeouri: Should I take pictures every day and send them to you? ㅠㅠ
– Ho-woo: Yeah. ㅠㅠ I’ll try to endure while looking at the pictures. ㅠㅠ
*
The final roster was confirmed.
Naturally, I made it to the final list. I had an amazing performance, scoring a hat-trick against seniors at least four years older than me—there was no way I wouldn’t be picked.
And perhaps it was to be expected, but out of all the high school students who were called up, I was the only one whose name appeared.
“Congratulations. And while you’re there, make sure to shine and win.”
During the welcoming party, the midfielder who had been keeping an eye on me tried to hide his disappointment while giving me his congratulations after seeing the final roster.
“Yeah, thanks, bro. I’ll do my best to win!”
“Sure. And I’m really sorry for that day during the welcoming party.”
I saw the midfielder’s back as he apologized again for that incident before leaving.
I shook off my earlier relaxed mindset and promised to deliver my best performance.
It was just a youth friendly competition, but for some, it was a place they desperately wanted to be to fulfill their dreams.
At the very least, I vowed to show a splendid performance at the tournament so as not to be ashamed in front of those who had worked hard to claim this spot.
‘By the way’
Thinking about not being able to see Gyeouri for another 11 days made me feel a bit lost.
‘I wonder if Gyeouri is attending classes right now…’
*
Meanwhile, at that moment.
Han Gyeouri, victorious in the keyboard battle, was leaving comments on news articles while continuing her tea-bagging.
[U-19 National Football Team departs for UAE. Historical soccer genius Son Jinho, who skipped ‘4 grades,’ is also on the list.]
└ Where did those people who said he wouldn’t make the final roster go?~~?
└ Did you get it? This is ‘genius.’
└ From now on, objectively compare your child’s talents.凸ಠ益ಠ)凸
└ Hey, I’m a student at Geumsun High School. Don’t impersonate me. The Son Jinho I know wouldn’t do something like this. He’s way too shy and nice…
Suddenly, Han Gyeouri swiftly fled from the online article, prompted by a classmate who appeared in the comments section.
└ Oh, ㅋㅋ the impersonator ran away! ㅋㅋ
└ I knew it, tsk tsk.
“Aah—! It’s not impersonation!!”
Growing ever stronger only in cyberspace and before Son Jinho and her parents, Han Gyeouri shed a tear as she turned to the harsh realities of the outside world.
*