Chapter 24
Not only fans came to watch the match between Daegu and Jeonbuk.
“Olá, I thought you’d be stuck in Lisbon. When did you get here?”
“Olá, my ass. Just because I work for Sporting doesn’t mean I’m some British-turned-Portuguese now.”
“Ahaha, relax. Just teasing. We’ve worked at the same club before—how could I not recognize you’re British? That’s how I spotted you in this massive stadium.”
Scouts.
And not just any scouts, but those affiliated with prestigious European clubs, not Asian teams, had also come to the stadium.
Korea.
In the past, it was just a place they’d swing by on the way to check out the J.League, but now the perception had shifted.
“Back when I was at West Ham, I couldn’t even imagine coming to Korea on assignment. The world really has changed, hasn’t it, Elliot?”
“You’re right. Back then, we’d be heading to South America or maybe Turkey or Belgium… But Korean players have improved a lot, so I get it.”
“Exactly. They’re disciplined, and more than anything, they’re diligent and humble.”
While players like Son Heung-min, Kim Min-jae, Lee Kang-jin, and Hwang In-beom have shown strong performances in Europe,
The rising transfer fees of South American players—once the prime targets of the European market—combined with their adaptation issues and poor self-management, have led clubs to shift their scouting focus from South America to Asia.
As a result, the biggest beneficiaries of this shift have been none other than Japan’s J.League and Korea’s K League.
[Aaaaah….]
“Jeonbuk scores the opener early on. The scorer… number 43, Yoon, right?”
“His movement inside the box was impressive. His positioning off the ball was sharp, and even with a broken posture, he managed to slot it in. The pass seemed a bit strong though…”
“It was a necessary choice. The defensive line was too solid—a weaker pass would’ve been blocked. Probably disguised it as a shot.”
“Could be that they coordinated it in advance. Now I understand why those two were called up to the Korean national team.”
“It’s not just chemistry. Baek Ian is one of the rare talents even in Europe who can play that number 6 role. Even in this goal, he initiated the play. Plus, he got the assist, so I’d say credit for the goal is 70-30 in Baek Ian’s favor.”
As Jeonbuk scored the opening goal, the stadium began to rumble.
Even though the away team scored, the cheers from the Jeonbuk fans in the S section were so loud, it made the ears of the scouts in the W section ring.
Moments like this really showed just how popular the K League had become.
And how much Jeonbuk fans loved Yoon Seung-hwan and Baek Ian.
“They’re great players. I looked it up—they were rated as core prospects for Jeonbuk ever since their youth days. I brought some material. Want to take a look?”
“Huh? Elliot, did you eat something weird? You actually brought material for me? Some kind of hometown kindness since we’re meeting abroad?”
“Kindness, my ass. I’m just giving it to you because you were probably spacing out during the match and would end up rewatching everything in the hotel. I’ve already watched it all anyway.”
Elliot handed over the file, and Lyon scout Marcus started reviewing it while watching the match.
Meanwhile, the game continued, and the two opened their mouths again when Baek Ian was tackled by a Daegu player.
Bweeeep!
“Whoa! Daegu’s play just got really rough all of a sudden. I hope he didn’t get hurt.”
“Tsk… is that guy’s bad habit coming out already?”
“Bad habit? Elliot, do you know something? At least tell me the play style—is Daegu normally this aggressive, or is it just one bad apple?”
“I already gave you the report. Look it up. But no, Daegu isn’t usually rough. It’s just when they start losing midfield battles and their attacks get cut off—that’s when they get aggressive.”
“Aggressive, huh?”
At Marcus’ comment, Elliot adjusted his glasses and fixed his eyes on the pitch.
“Daegu’s number 7, Hwang Eun-chan, plays well when the tempo goes his way. But if an opponent’s pressure or a teammate’s mistake disrupts that rhythm, his performance drops. The pass quality falls, and he starts committing a lot of fouls. He’s not the most mentally strong player.”
Though he hadn’t watched all Daegu matches, Elliot had seen enough to witness Hwang Eun-chan’s flaws firsthand.
“Aaargh!”
“What the hell! Hey, hey! What are you guys doing?!”
[Uh… It looks like the argument between Hwang Eun-chan and Baek Ian has turned into a physical altercation? Players from both teams are now rushing onto the field!]
“Here we go again.”
Elliot smirked as the commentator’s voice echoed through the earpiece tucked in one ear.
* * *
Thud!
“What the… why isn’t he getting pushed back…”
‘Hmm? These guys suddenly started playing really rough.’
As soon as Daegu conceded, they began playing with aggressive tactics.
Honestly, it’s not uncommon for a trailing team to use borderline fouls to regain momentum.
But this time, it was a bit much.
“Hey! Keep blocking him! Stick to him!”
‘Why are they clinging like this? They didn’t play like this before, did they?’
Given my experience in this position, I’ve clashed physically with plenty of opponents.
But I’d never seen multiple players gang up like this.
Tap! Thud!
As I kept getting hit, a thought crossed my mind.
Are they fouling me to stop my progress?
Or are they just venting and targeting me because I’m Jeonbuk’s playmaker?
About three of them came at me near the touchline.
‘Hmm… now I get it.’
I finally understood their intent.
They weren’t just trying to stop the counterattack.
They were going for retaliatory tackles because I had agitated their fans.
‘Eh… isn’t that kinda petty? Should I show them what a real fight looks like?’
As I didn’t avoid the contact and pushed back, another thought popped up.
If I stayed passive, I might be hounded by these jerks the rest of the match.
So I had to decide.
Either push back just as hard, or exaggerate and draw a foul.
Either would work, but I chose to trust the ref.
Normally, I’d rather hit back sneakily out of the ref’s sight.
But these guys were too fired up, and besides, I remembered something Seung-yong hyung had told me.
‘Watch out for Kang Sang-yong and Han Yong-ho. Sang-yong’s mellowed out lately, so don’t worry about him. But Yong-ho’s unpredictable.’
No need to stir up more trouble.
Getting revenge feels good, but drawing a card by acting a little is just as satisfying.
Having made my decision, I moved toward Sang-yong hyung.
“Sang-yong sunbae! I’m open—you can send it my way!”
“Huh? Be careful.”
Worried about the pressure, Sang-yong sunbae hesitated for a moment but eventually passed the ball to me.
Once I received it, I picked up speed and began carrying it forward myself.
Sure enough, the moment I crossed the center line, Daegu’s midfielder rushed out at me.
I slipped past him using my acceleration, and as expected, the midfielder started using his body to push me.
‘Now.’
The moment his foot lightly touched the ball, I threw myself outward, rolled exactly three times, and began acting like a victim of a brutal foul.
Bweeeeep!
“Hwang Eun-chan. That tackle was too rough. I’ve warned you before. I can’t allow this any longer.”
“Wait, not a card! Ref, he faked it! I barely touched him!”
“Oww… come on, sunbae. You can’t just shove like that. Seriously.”
“What? Are you kidding me right now?”
“Kidding? I don’t joke with people like you, sunbae.”
“Both of you, knock it off. Baek Ian, keep going and I might have to give you a warning too.”
“Yes, sir.”
As the ref hurried over and pulled a yellow card from his pocket, Hwang Eun-chan’s face turned blank with disbelief.
Given his repeated rough play, the card was the ref’s way of saying one more incident and you’re out.
Yellow cards don’t just warn players—they can affect the entire team’s playing style.
Even Daegu wouldn’t be able to keep throwing in strong tackles after that.
With just one Hollywood-style dive, I got the opponent a yellow card and won a throw-in.
A perfect outcome. All that was left now was to enjoy it.
I got up cautiously and walked over to receive the ball from Hwang Eun-chan.
“Please be more careful with your tackles next time, sunbae. Oh, and since it’s our ball, may I have it?”
“…”
“Eun-chan sunbae?”
“Ha… fuck.”
A sudden outburst of profanity. He must’ve seen the ref signal our throw-in.
Why wasn’t he returning to defend, and just standing there?
Curious, I reached toward the ball tucked at his waist.
“Fine. Take it.”
Wham!
The ball he “handed” over slammed straight into my face.
No, it wasn’t handed. He was so rattled by the card that he lost control and hurled it at me in anger.
Caught off guard, I stumbled and clutched my face.
Chaos spread across the field.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”
“What? He asked for the ball. I tossed it and it just happened to hit him.”
“Tossed?! You fucking threw it, psycho.”
“Eun-chan sunbae, what are you doing! Sang-yong, cut it out and come back! What the hell is going on? Quit fighting and get over here!”
“Hey! Ian, are you okay? You didn’t get hit in the eye, did you? How many fingers do you see?”
“One… Also, Gang-rok, what’s with using your middle finger for an eye test…”
Bench-clearing brawls are rare in football, but this was one of them.
In the blink of an eye, a massive fight broke out at Daegu’s home stadium.
With Han Gang-rok’s help, I got up and peeked through my hands.
“Knew it from the moment they started playing dirty! Seriously, you’re thirty-four and you throw a ball at an 18-year-old’s face?!”
“Everyone just fuck off already! PUTA! I said enough, goddammit!”
“PUTA? Hey Anas, are you insulting me for being Colombian? You think I don’t know what that word means?”
“What the hell are you talking about, Shaferi?! Why would I insult you?! Damn it! Don’t charge at me, stop these bastards instead!”
‘Hmm… things are way more intense than I expected.’
Given how fierce the match had been, emotions must’ve been building up on both sides.
Sure, I anticipated a bench-clearing incident to a degree. But if this keeps going, we might see a mass card situation.
‘That can’t happen.’
We had to stop this. At the very least, someone needed to calm things down.
I scanned the field.
Step, step—
“Huh? Yong-ho sunbae?”
From a distance, I saw Han Yong-ho walking up, pulling Daegu and Jeonbuk players apart one by one.
As the oldest veteran and team leader, he must’ve stepped in to mediate.
‘If it’s Yong-ho hyung, then…’
He’s strict and obsessed with hierarchy, but he cares more than anyone about the fans who came to watch.
Rather than stepping in myself, it was better to let him handle it.
Thinking that, I got up and began moving carefully.
“Hey. Move.”
“Yong-ho sunbae?”
Grab!
“You motherfucker. What the hell did you just do to our rookie?!”
“Y-Yong-ho sunbae! You can’t just grab someone by the throat…”
‘What the hell? What’s up with him?’
As Han Yong-ho forced his way to the center, pulling apart players, he suddenly grabbed Hwang Eun-chan by the neck and snarled.
The same guy who always respected the chain of command and the fans?
He suddenly shoved and threatened Hwang Yohan.
And Hwang Eun-chan was actually one year older than him.
This was nothing like the Han Yong-ho I knew.
“…Ian, what the hell is that? That’s not the Yong-ho sunbae I remember. What’s gotten into him?”
“I have no clue either.”
With things spiraling out of control, Han Gang-rok and I could only watch from a distance.
—
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