Chapter 22
After receiving Ah-yoon’s message, I changed my destination from the club house to the park near Honam Jeilmun.
Since the club house was located in Wanju, it could have taken quite a while to get there.
Luckily, when I got the message, I was still in Jeonju, so I arrived quickly.
The park, now dark and nearly deserted, left only one kind of activity for Ah-yoon and me to engage in.
“Here, look at this again. This is the moment when Iraq’s No. 6, Ibrahim Sulaka, tries to close in, and you use a turn to escape the pressure, right? It was good that you avoided direct confrontation with an aggressive player. But after the turn, your posture broke down a little. You did fix it right away, but… If he hadn’t fallen, and instead came charging in…”
“Mm. Mm… Right, right.”
As Ah-yoon explained, touching and examining my legs here and there, I nodded and listened intently.
She had asked to meet because she had something to say, and I wondered what it might be.
It seemed she was worried about my performance during the physical battle in the Iraq match.
Knowing how much she always worried about my injuries, it made sense she’d act like this.
‘It might have looked like my posture collapsed after the turn, but I was trying to trip up Ibrahim Sulaka… I’ll just stay quiet for now.’
I had already gone over this moment with the national team coaches during the review, but…
Seeing it again with Ah-yoon always felt different.
Massage—massage—
‘If I think of this as chatting while getting a massage, there’s no better kind of rest.’
“I get that you want to use your physicality as a weapon… But still, don’t push yourself too much. You know you could get seriously hurt all at once.”
“Got it. If I feel like I’m overdoing it, I’ll dial it back.”
“Really? Then that’s fine.”
Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Ah-yoon smiled softly and sat beside me.
Resting her head on my shoulder, she spent a quiet moment with me.
Then, she suddenly opened her mouth.
“Hey… I’ve been wondering something. Can I ask you a question?”
“What is it you’re curious about?”
“You suddenly got super nice a few days ago. Even your tone changed, and you don’t get mad anymore… Did something happen?”
“I don’t get mad anymore?”
The unexpected question left my mind blank.
From her point of view, where she didn’t know I was now in Baek Ian’s body, it would seem like my personality had changed overnight.
But how was I supposed to explain this?
‘I gave heartfelt advice to an author while reading a novel, and they possessed me into their story, so the Baek Ian you knew is gone…’
If I said that, I’d be called crazy and dragged to a psych ward.
No way I could explain it like that.
So what was a believable excuse in this situation?
As I was racking my brain, thankfully, Ah-yoon continued the conversation.
“Actually… You know that time I asked to meet in the evening? I came with a big decision.”
“Decision?”
“Yeah. We were both exhausted, right? We didn’t use to be like that, but we were snapping at each other a lot. I started to think maybe we weren’t meant to see each other anymore… But I didn’t want to end it without talking, so I was going to settle it that day.”
So it wasn’t just to point out something I should fix—it was to decide what direction our relationship should go.
“Back then, when I was waiting for you at the park, I thought I’d just end up saying more nasty things… I came with my mind made up.”
“Was it my apology that changed your mind?”
“…Yeah. Honestly, I didn’t expect that kind of reaction. Oh! Don’t get me wrong, okay? I didn’t think you had a bad personality or anything. It’s just that… it was so different from the way I remembered you. I didn’t expect that kindness.”
“So what about now? Still having doubts or worries?”
“No. I really like how things are now. It feels like the old days. When we used to stick together and laugh all the time.”
With those words, a smile spread across Ah-yoon’s face.
‘…Looks like things turned out well after all.’
I felt relief wash over me.
It seemed like I’d prevented the worst-case scenario caused by my actions right after being possessed.
‘In the original timeline I knew, I fought with Ah-yoon in this park, we broke up, and never saw each other again.’
Even though I had mentally prepared, I remembered the imagined future—Ah-yoon crying on the bench, and Yoon Seung-hwan, who came to the convenience store nearby for a drink, happened to comfort her.
That was Shin Ah-yoon’s path in the original story.
‘All the data she prepared for Baek Ian ended up going to Yoon Seung-hwan, whose performance improved even more… And jealousy exploded in me. That was my fate.’
If I hadn’t responded to Ah-yoon’s message then, or if I’d said I couldn’t come, that damned future might’ve come true.
The thought gave me chills.
But now, with how Ah-yoon was talking, it seemed I’d blocked that path.
Just as I was feeling relieved, Ah-yoon—still leaning against me—opened her mouth again.
“Oh, right. Come to think of it, Ian, you’ve gotten really famous, you know? Did you hear?”
“Famous? Me?”
“Yeah. Even though our school is an all-girls’ school and most girls there don’t care about football, they talk about you a lot. Not just on YouTube or online communities either.”
“It’s probably just a temporary thing because I did well with the national team. Once the league starts, it’ll die down. And your school probably talks about it more because our club does a lot of outreach programs there.”
From what I knew, our club worked closely with schools across the Jeonbuk region.
Ah-yoon’s school was one of them, so it wasn’t strange for them to mention me.
‘In my past life, before the season ended, the players used to visit local schools and hand out snacks too.’
I figured my current popularity was just a result of those programs and the national team boost.
But Ah-yoon seemed to think otherwise.
“Nope… You’re seriously popular these days. The most-viewed highlight video of you on YouTube even passed 100k views! And Seung-ah’s been uploading tons of Jeonbuk content too.”
“Seung-ah? What’s that about all of a sudden?”
“Oh? You didn’t know? Seung-ah’s doing coverage for Jeonbuk now. She used to only stream Phoenix matches, but something happened, and now she covers Jeonbuk too. Her viewership went up because of it.”
‘What could’ve happened to make her suddenly switch to Jeonbuk coverage…?’
All I knew was that she made a clarification about her boyfriend or something. Was that it?
‘Maybe she fell for someone at Jeonbuk.’
Still, I decided not to dig too deep.
It wasn’t my place to get involved in Seung-ah’s love life.
As long as it benefited everyone, that was enough.
With the conversation pausing, I finally started to notice the scenery around us again.
When I first arrived at the park, the clock clearly showed 10 PM.
But now, it had changed to 11:40 PM.
As the night deepened, the breeze had turned from cool to distinctly chilly.
I guess that meant it was time to head back.
“It’s late. Let’s go now. Since your house is on the way to mine, I’ll walk you home.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I stood up first, helped Ah-yoon to her feet by holding her hand, and we left the park.
* * *
People often say a good manager is one who has won a major trophy in a big European competition—someone who’s lifted the Big Ear.
But my idea of a good manager was a little different.
Sure, their resume and use of trendy tactics were important, but what I valued most was “player management.”
To put it simply: how well they filled the gaps in the roster when a player was suddenly injured or unavailable.
‘Most managers have backup players ready, but when a core player gets hurt, it becomes a real headache.’
It’s one thing if there are plenty of alternatives, but when you’re dealing with a thin position and someone goes down, it can be a serious problem.
Even from a player’s perspective, it’s one of those situations where you think, “Oh no, what now?”
And that was exactly the situation I returned to after national team duty.
“So… how long is he out because of the injury?”
“According to the team doctor, about 3 to 5 weeks. We’re actually lucky—it’s a thigh injury, but it wasn’t worse.”
Seung-yong hyung, who played the same Defensive Midfielder position as me, was injured.
And with the only others who could fill that Holding Midfielder role at Jeonbuk being myself and Kang Sang-yong—who was still suspended—it was a painful loss.
“How did he get injured? During training?”
“Yeah. While you were with the national team, he pushed himself too hard to get into shape. Seems like it backfired. Oh, and Andres—his injury from the Gwangju match turned out worse than expected. Things are gonna get rough.”
Both Seung-yong hyung, a Defensive Midfielder, and Andres, an Attacking Midfielder, were out.
While Seung-yong hyung was more of a rotation option than a core player, it was still a serious concern.
With him gone, unless Kang Sang-yong returned, the Defensive Midfield would fall to Chun-jae hyung and me.
But worse yet, Andres’ injury was added to the mix.
‘Knowing the coach, he’ll probably push Chun-jae hyung up to Attacking Midfielder again. Bringing in someone new could ruin the good chemistry we’ve built so far.’
Then who would I be paired with?
I couldn’t imagine our coach would be reckless enough to use me alone as a Lone Volante…
“Worried about who you’ll be paired with? It’ll probably be Kang Sang-yong. His club suspension ended a while ago, and he started joining training again recently.”
“Kang Sang-yong hyung?”
So, right after his suspension from going clubbing after the 1st leg of the ACL Round of 16 against Suwon Oseong, he’s back?
Knowing our coach’s temperament, I didn’t think he’d use a player who tried to challenge his authority, suspension or not.
But I guess given the current circumstances, he didn’t have a choice.
“It’s going to be tough, so be careful.”
“Because of fitness? I can manage that. I’ll take care of myself until hyung is back.”
“Not that. I mean watch out for your seniors, idiot.”
“My seniors?”
What was he talking about all of a sudden?
I hesitated at Seung-yong hyung’s words, and he let out a deep sigh, scanning our surroundings before speaking quietly.
“Sang-yong isn’t the only one coming back. The original starter in Seung-yoon’s spot, Yong-ho, is returning too. You know his personality, right?”
“Han Yong-ho… hyung?”
“Yeah. He hurt his back last season, but he recovered while you were off with the national team. You know how he is. He hates flashy rookies on the field. I already warned the twins—don’t show off or taunt opponents during celebrations. Even if it’s the other team, Yong-ho’s the kind of guy who’ll call you out for being disrespectful.”
[He’s sensitive about hierarchy, so don’t cause unnecessary drama.]
That was the summary of what Seung-yong hyung was trying to say.
And I already had some idea.
Han Yong-ho—a name that came up a lot in the early and mid-parts of Yoon Seung-hwan’s time at Jeonbuk.
‘He transferred from Jeju to Jeonbuk at age 31, well past the peak for most players, yet his performance held up, helping fans survive even during dark periods. Before Yoon Seung-hwan, he was the team’s pillar.’
In the story, he got into frequent conflicts with the brash and assertive Yoon Seung-hwan, giving readers a negative impression.
Still, I remembered that he wasn’t outright hated. He never tried to injure someone on purpose—he just played mind games, but he showed maturity as a senior.
‘So Yong-ho’s already back at the club house from injury, and both he and the recently unsuspended Kang Sang-yong hyung are preparing to return for the next match?’
One’s on edge from losing a power struggle with the coach.
And the other, Han Yong-ho, is set to make his return in the upcoming away match against Daegu.
Seung-yong hyung was probably giving me a heads-up, so I wouldn’t get scolded for acting as usual.
Still…
‘Once they play with me, they’ll probably just tell me to do whatever I want. Even the national team seniors wanted to exchange numbers with me the moment the Iraq match ended. These hyungs won’t be much different.’
I didn’t really care.
—
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