Chapter 21
When Namu hyung’s header goal went in, Iraq crumbled pitifully.
As the coach had expected, once Ibrahim Sulaka—who handled distribution in midfield—was overloaded, the ball never reached Iraq’s key wingers.
Desperately needing a goal to catch up, Iraq was completely overwhelmed by Korea’s pressing, unable to mount a proper counterattack, and ultimately sank without a trace.
[2030 Spain, Portugal, Morocco World Cup Third Round Qualifiers – Martin Valdého leads Korea to a 2–0 victory over Iraq!]
[A second half performance completely different from the frustrating first half. Was the turning point the new additions Baek Ian and Yoon Seung-hwan? National team captain Lee Kang-jin lavishes praise on the rookies in post-match interviews.]
“Kyaa… Look at this. Every article is just about me. That just shows how well I played, doesn’t it? Of course it does.”
“You’re still grinning at articles? I get that you did well, but can you stop? You’re being noisy as hell.”
The morning after the match, while I was eating breakfast in the dining hall, I heard Yoon Seung-hwan giggling at the table next to me.
With one hand holding his phone and the other a spoonful of Greek yogurt, he cackled while staring at me with glaring eyes.
“If I made a successful national team debut, I’m allowed to be happy, you bastard. You’re telling me you’re not pleased?”
“I am, but not to the point of staying up all night grinning at the same article like you.”
“Baek Ian. You don’t understand my feelings. The pressure I feel wondering if I’ll play well in each match… A guy like you, just rotating the ball from the back, could never understand. Sigh. The pressure to perform well again in the next match has killed my appetite. It’s serious.”
Even as he said that, Yoon Seung-hwan raised his spoon and started eating Greek yogurt.
‘Is this guy insane?’
Even on second glance, there was no doubt—he was nuts.
He ate more than two servings of rice and even got some Greek yogurt from the nutritionist as a debut goal treat, yet claimed to have no appetite?
And what’s this about not understanding pressure?
‘This is why I can’t talk to strikers.’
All they have to do is shake off a defender, get into position, and poke the ball into the net.
What’s so hard about that that they whine like this?
Meanwhile, I’m running like a dog at the back, blocking the opponent and controlling the tempo the entire game.
If anything, the sense of responsibility I carry is heavier—definitely not lighter than Yoon Seung-hwan’s.
“I’m not even going to talk anymore.”
Thinking I’d lose my mind if I kept talking, I decided to just finish my meal quickly.
This morning’s schedule was just reviewing the Iraq match with the coach and resting under the supervision of the team doctors.
‘Today should pass peacefully.’
Let’s hurry and go rest—thinking that, I quickly finished eating and left the dining hall.
“Hm? Ian, you finished eating? You don’t have anything planned now, right?”
“Namu hyung? Yes, I did finish. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, nothing big. If you’ve got nothing to do, I was thinking we could go somewhere together. A lot of the senior players will be there. It wouldn’t be bad to stop by. What do you say? Got time?”
Namu hyung asked cautiously.
Just moments ago, my head had been filled with thoughts of going back and resting.
‘But maybe I should go anyway? It’d be good to properly greet the seniors for the future.’
I quickly made my decision and nodded, following behind Namu hyung.
* * *
When Namu hyung said he wanted to take me somewhere, I thought it’d be a quiet place to talk.
After all, he’d had a weakness in heading, which he said he overcame somewhat through training with me.
‘That’s not just my imagination—he actually said that himself, right?’
After the match, Namu hyung responded like this in the mixed zone when asked about his header goal:
– It’s known that you had avoided headers since suffering airway obstruction during a heading duel while at Ulsan. But you scored a fantastic header today to lead the team to victory. Would you say you’ve now overcome your fear?
「Honestly, it’s true I had some fear around that. I did hold back, thinking what if I got injured again from trying a header. But while working with Ian, I think I overcame some of that fear. I’ll continue to show good performances going forward.」
– You mentioned working with Baek Ian helped. How exactly did he help?
「It’s not like he did anything special… I just trained with Ian, and eventually it didn’t really hurt even if I got hit or into duels…」
‘He clearly said I played a big role in helping him overcome his fear… So I thought he’d take me somewhere to say thanks.’
But what the hell?
What I saw after following Namu hyung was something I hadn’t expected at all.
“Lord, please help our players stay safe and give their best in the next match. Let our team become one…”
‘Damn it. I should’ve just gone back to my room and rested.’
Still maintaining the prayer posture, I squeezed my eyes shut.
I thought he’d take me to have a quiet chat and say thanks, but instead… he lured me into the national team’s long-running Christian prayer meeting?
‘Ugh. If I’d known, I would’ve just holed up in my room…’
I was so bitter at being tricked that I wanted to storm out and head back, but… unfortunately, I couldn’t do that.
“Let us compete fairly, win humbly, and learn even in defeat…”
The atmosphere was so hushed that even shifting my posture felt like it would draw attention.
And worse—look who was in this room.
‘Kang-jin hyung, who’s Korea’s best player currently, having played for Valencia, Mallorca, PSG, and now a key man at Man City… Joon-hong hyung from Chelsea… and Min-hyung hyung, who went from Tottenham to AC Milan… even if they’re not Christian, all the senior legends are here…’
Me, the youngest, acting out here?
Unthinkable.
Unless I inherited Kang Yoon-ho’s previous life career as-is, I had no choice but to sit still in silence… surrounded by this all-star senior lineup.
So there was nothing I could do.
“Let us give glory to You in every match. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
“Amen…”
All I could do was quietly mimic praying and wait for the meeting to end.
I’d never been to a Christian gathering before, but I did know that “Amen” usually signals the end of a prayer.
So it should be almost over now, right?
“Now that we’ve prayed for our next match, let’s also pray for safe travels to Syria for the away game.”
‘Wait, what the hell, again?!’
Contrary to what I’d hoped, the national team’s Christian meeting dove right into another round of prayers.
The prayers continued for 5 minutes, then 10 minutes…
Even in my past life, I was never good at sitting still—and apparently Baek Ian, the original owner of this body, wasn’t either.
It was a real struggle to stay quiet the entire time.
I tried to shift into a more comfortable position, fidgeting as quietly as possible.
“Ah. Damn!”
“Hm? What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Ah, n-no. It’s just… I suddenly got a cramp…”
“Oh really? Then let’s pray again. Lord…”
Even that attempt failed due to the sudden cramp.
For a moment, everyone’s eyes turned to me, but then the seniors resumed their prayer.
Thinking I shouldn’t cause any more disruption, I began to pretend to pray with all my might.
* * *
“Right? That kid’s clearly not ordinary. It was a good call to reel him in early.”
“Seriously. I was worried he might not come, but Namu really pulled it off.”
“Aw, I didn’t even do that much…”
While they were deep in prayer, they began to glance at Baek Ian, who was still pretending to pray, and started whispering among themselves.
The national team’s Christian gathering.
In the past, it was simply a gathering where Christian players prayed briefly after breakfast, since they didn’t have time to attend church during training.
But now, its meaning had changed slightly.
Not that it had become some kind of personal hangout or anything… While it used to be just a space for prayer,
Now it was a place where they would keep troublesome younger players in check before they got out of hand.
“Kang Jin-hyung. Don’t you think we should really keep him under control? No matter how I look at it, that kid seems like trouble waiting to happen. I swear he reminds me of you back in the day.”
“…What? Are you trying to pick a fight with me right now?”
“N-no, not at all. I just… I mean, how do I say this…”
“Forget it. It’s all in the past now and things ended well. Anyway, kids like Ian need proper management from seniors like us. You all remember what our seniors used to say in interviews, right?”
“You mean what Koo Ja-cheol and Ki Sung-yong said?”
At Lee Kang-jin’s words, Kang Min-wook carefully spoke up.
Ki Sung-yong and Koo Ja-cheol.
Legends who are inseparable from the history of Korean football.
Even after retiring, they remained highly influential in the football world—and when they personally stepped in to cover for Baek Ian’s wild antics in an interview, it wasn’t for no reason.
“Yeah. Sure, our seniors were incredibly skilled. But when they made those comments, it was meant as a reminder to stay mature. But Ian… he seems to have taken it all as praise.”
“No way…”
“Then how do you explain what he said to that Iraqi midfielder who fell down during the match? ‘From today, you’re my puppy, Poppy.’ Who says stuff like that?”
“…”
“I’m telling you, that kid’s seriously dangerous. He’s possessed. Didn’t you see him twitching during the prayer? That’s not normal. There’s a demon inside him.”
“Come on, hyung… Saying a kid’s possessed is a bit much, even for a joke…”
“…What?”
“On second thought, you might be right. Yohan-hyung starts having fits just from hearing Baek Ian’s name…”
“Exactly. That’s why we have to manage him properly—so he doesn’t cause any trouble and stays focused on football. Got it, everyone?”
“Yes…”
“Alright. Let’s do our best.”
Finishing the conversation, Lee Kang-jin turned his gaze toward Baek Ian.
The seniors at the Christian gathering were racking their brains trying to find a way.
Meanwhile, the very source of their worries…
“….”
“…Is he asleep? Like that?”
Was sprawled out, comfortably dozing off.
* * *
I remember getting invited to the Christian gatherings even back when I was on the national team before.
— Yoon-ho? We’re having a Christian meeting after breakfast. Want to join?
— I’m sorry, hyung. I’m a devout Hindu, so I don’t believe in other gods.
— Huh? Didn’t you say you like steak?
— My mistake. I’m actually Muslim…
— But Yoon-ho, you’re literally eating spicy pork stir-fry right now…
Back then, I wasn’t particularly religious—I just liked resting. So I always found ways to weasel out.
Still, I never thought badly of the Christian gatherings.
They were, in a sense, a kind of bonding time where seniors and juniors with a shared interest could come together.
‘Even with a roster of talented players, the national team can fall apart if there’s no chemistry. If the players themselves create opportunities to get closer, that’s a good thing.’
Just look at the England national team’s “Golden Generation” in the mid-2000s.
Steven Gerrard was so absorbed in club rivalries that he barely talked to Manchester United players, and even Frank Lampard admitted there was always tension within the national team setup.
History has shown time and again that even the strongest teams collapse without harmony.
A relaxed atmosphere where even the youngest players could speak freely with the oldest.
That’s something truly important.
With that in mind, I figured maybe attending the Christian gathering wasn’t such a bad idea.
[South Korea wins 8–0 in a World Cup Third Round Qualifier away match against Syria! Clinches qualification for the finals!]
[Manager Martin Valdé gives rest to many key players during the World Cup qualifier against Syria.]
[Jeonbuk Future Motors midfielder Baek Ian! Blasts a thunderous mid-range goal against Syria! Clocked at 120 KM/h!]
[‘It’s not like we weren’t taking it seriously just because we already qualified, or that we underestimated our opponents. I made the decision to test new combinations. Anyway, we won, so go watch Baek Ian’s long-range goal again.’ Martin Valdé’s interview matches his no-nonsense playstyle. Some call it refreshing, others call it rude.]
We won every match in the third round of qualifiers and secured our World Cup ticket early.
Of course, compared to our team, the opponents were clearly weaker.
But our performance was solid, and that was largely thanks to how well we clicked with the seniors.
‘Yeah. Let’s look at the bright side.’
After the match, while waiting for the return flight, I’d managed to exchange contact info with national team seniors like Lee Kang-jin, Bae Joon-hong, and Yang Min-hyung—players active in Europe.
With all that, you could say I’d made a successful first step as a national team player.
Now all that’s left is to perform well in the league until the next call-up and aim for selection again.
‘Coach said I could go straight to the club house or head home first and come tomorrow—it’s up to me.’
Still, since I need to push my form even higher, going straight to the club house seems best.
That’s what I was thinking as I tried to arrange a ride back.
[Shin Ah-yoon]: Ian! You might be tired from the trip, but… would you have time to meet for a bit? I really want to see your face… but I get it if you can’t.
[Me]: Let’s meet at the park near Honam Jeilmun. Come now.
A sudden message from Ah-yoon.
Just moments ago, I had nothing planned and was going to head straight back—but now that something came up, it wouldn’t hurt to be a little late.
—
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