Chapter 25
Just like with other sports, injuries were an inseparable part of a football player’s life.
It’s a sport where 22 people run nearly 10KM each on average in an enormous space, typically 105 meters long and 68 meters wide, all for one ball.
In that process, physical clashes for the ball were routine, and at times, even maliciously rough plays would occur.
So, the more time one spent playing as a pro, the more natural it became to carry one or two lingering injuries.
Of course, there were a few called “Steel Kings” who seemed almost immune to injuries, thanks to either meticulous self-management or exceptional physical durability.
But those were exceptions — most players had to figure out their own way to get through injury periods.
Han Yong-ho.
He first debuted professionally in Jeju and now belongs to Jeonbuk, spending the twilight of his career at 34 years old.
His way of enduring injury time was to confide in a trusted senior.
“Come on, Yong-ho. Thirty-four is still your prime. Do you know what era we’re in? Sports science has advanced, and you’re taking care of your body well. Why are you already talking about retirement?”
“Even so… Ja-cheol hyung, there aren’t many players in the league older than me anymore.”
“What does that matter? Your body can still play. If you think that way, just keep playing. Remember Pepe? Even just five years ago, he was still playing professionally at forty!”
“That’s true, but…”
“Well, I’m not in a position to tell you what to do with your career. But if your skills are still sharp and your body’s holding up, you’ll regret it if you retire just because you feel pressured. Does your team still need you? Then I think it’s worth continuing.”
Koo Ja-cheol.
A player who also started his career in Jeju, and became a legend after great performances in the Bundesliga.
Since before his pro debut, Han Yong-ho had received much help from Koo Ja-cheol, and even now, he would occasionally meet him when he needed advice or support.
Of course, the conversation might start with heartfelt advice but would soon devolve into trading funny stories and gossip.
As Han Yong-ho fell silent, Koo Ja-cheol watched his expression and then picked up his phone from the table, shoving it toward him.
“By the way, did you see this? There’s a hilarious rookie in your team. Baek Ian… he’s a Volante, and he’s amazing on the ball. But his personality is wild. He celebrated in front of Yohan after Yohan scored an own goal, and dissed Ulsan in an interview… Isn’t that funny?”
“What the…”
The longer the video played on screen, the more Han Yong-ho’s face twisted in disgust.
As Ja-cheol had said, the player’s skill in the video was undeniably good.
Yong-ho didn’t consider himself qualified to judge, but even just from the footage, it was clear how solid his fundamentals were.
Even a veteran like him couldn’t help but be impressed.
The problem was the conduct that overshadowed those skills.
Doing a mocking celebration in front of a veteran teammate who scored an own goal, and using derogatory slang during a public interview — things that only happen in online communities.
“I’m sorry, hyung. When I return, I’ll discipline him properly—ow!”
“What are you correcting him for, dumbass? He didn’t do anything that wrong.”
“Still… there’s such a thing as mutual respect.”
Just as Han Yong-ho’s face hardened, the person who calmed his rising anger was none other than Koo Ja-cheol.
Wait, what? He thought Ja-cheol was showing him the video to scold the kid — but was that not it?
Scratching his head, Han Yong-ho looked at him in confusion. Ja-cheol drank a glass of water and began.
“Respect, huh. Honestly, what’s so wrong with a little lack of manners? You love Ki Sung-yong, right? Don’t forget, he once did a kangaroo celebration mocking Woon-jae hyung after giving up a goal to Adebayor in the Togo match. And Park Dong-jun? He marked his territory against Jeonbuk, remember? You always treated that guy respectfully. He’s basically the king of taunting celebrations in the K League. One more thing — didn’t you appear on Lee Choon-soo hyung’s YouTube channel? Back when he was with Ulsan, he openly dissed Seoul.”
“Still… that’s different.”
“Yong-ho, you know I’ve cared about you a lot since your Jeju days, right? But you’ve got one issue — why are you so rigid?”
“Rigid?”
“Yes, rigid. Sure, it’s uncomfortable when a rookie taunts the other team. But that doesn’t mean you show it on the field. Instead, you should channel that frustration into playing better and getting revenge that way. On the field, rank doesn’t matter — you battle as equals.”
For Han Yong-ho, showing respect to seniors was always a non-negotiable value in his pro life.
That made sense too — Jeju’s relegation to the second division had stemmed from frequent internal strife and lack of unity.
So after experiencing that drop, he’d become hypersensitive to hierarchy… but was he wrong to do so?
“A junior respecting a senior is ideal, sure. But when a junior does that, the senior should set a good example too. Be honest — haven’t you often told your juniors to respect older players from other teams? But when your juniors were disrespected or challenged by rival players, did you ever step in properly?”
“…”
“Just being older and being a captain doesn’t automatically mean leadership. If your team’s youngest is getting yelled at harshly by a senior from the opposing side, you — as captain — should step in and tell them to cut it out. That’s how juniors come to trust and follow you. And the kids you just mentioned? They didn’t even really do anything wrong.”
Come to think of it, not a single word was incorrect.
The reasons Han Yong-ho had felt uncomfortable with Baek Ian, Yoon Seung-hwan, Han Gang-rok, and Han Kyung-rok all stemmed from their mocking interviews and disrespectful celebrations.
But those players had never directly challenged their seniors.
On the contrary, many said they were polite and respectful.
The discomfort Yong-ho felt was simply because he was trying to force them to fit into his idea of what an “ideal junior” should be.
Only now did he realize how foolish that was.
In a daze, he stared at the small plate in front of him.
Ja-cheol chuckled and added a few pieces of meat.
“It’s a great era. I hate to admit it, but when I was younger, K League stadiums were often empty. But now the national team’s doing well, and more players are going abroad, so the crowds are huge. Didn’t Jeonbuk surpass 25,000 average attendance?”
“Yes.”
“Players still in their prime should aim to keep that momentum going. You know this — aside from the national team, the best way to make the league thrive is by producing star players. That’s something all retired players agree on.”
Koo Ja-cheol paused and patted Yong-ho on the shoulder, smiling.
“And your team has star players. Especially Baek Ian. Take care of him. Don’t let him get hurt anywhere. Even Ki Sung-yong quietly asked me to keep an eye on him.”
These words — from the senior he’d looked up to since the beginning — struck a deep chord within Han Yong-ho.
“You son of a bitch, what did you just do to our youngest? You threw a ball at his face? Want to get hit too, asshole?”
“Hey, Han Yong-ho. What the hell are you doing…”
“Wait, Yong-ho hyung! You never act like this — what’s going on…”
It was enough to shatter the value system that had long locked up his heart.
Han Yong-ho stared at Hwang Yohan, who was choking under his grip.
Trembling eyes — clearly confused because this was not something the old Han Yong-ho would ever do.
But Yong-ho himself was just as surprised.
He had never imagined that he, someone who always treated every senior with utmost respect regardless of team, would act like this.
Even now, he wasn’t sure if this was right. Maybe he should back off and report it calmly?
But he didn’t release his grip.
He had made a decision to change — and above all, in front of their youngest player, the oldest guy couldn’t bow his head to someone from another team.
He stood firm.
That was Han Yong-ho’s stance.
Beeeeep! Beeeep!
“Han Yong-ho, Hwang Eun-chan! Are you two not stopping right now? You’re both sent off! Back off immediately! That goes for the rest of you too! If there’s any more commotion, you won’t get off with just a warning. Everyone, back to your positions!”
Even though he received the dishonor of a red card in his return match after injury, Han Yong-ho was able to walk off the field with a clear conscience because of it.
* * *
The chaotic atmosphere caused by the bench-clearing and one player from each team being sent off only began to settle down by halftime.
“Hoo…”
“…”
In the dressing room that felt submerged in water, when no one could bring themselves to speak, it was none other than Coach Seon Ki-baek who opened his mouth.
“Our captain and Hwang Eun-chan got into a fistfight on the field, and both were sent off. I understand the mood is heavy. It’s true we showed something unpleasant to the fans. But… I didn’t see your actions as entirely bad.”
“…”
“When our team’s youngest collapsed after being hit by the ball Hwang Eun-chan threw, all of you rushed in without hesitation and fought. No one held back—you were all united in anger. That really moved me. You might think I’m being sarcastic, but I’m serious. It looked good to me.”
The coach smiled with a hand over his chest as he slowly walked around the dressing room, continuing his words.
“What I value most in football is a one-team spirit. Everyone becoming one. And I clearly saw that just now. Ha… Maybe I’m being incoherent because I saw something exciting after a long time. Anyway, what I want to say is, don’t get discouraged just because the captain got sent off. Their veteran got sent off too, right?”
‘He’s right. If anything, the other side is in a worse spot.’
Jeonbuk’s captain, Han Yong-ho, and Daegu’s veteran, Hwang Eun-chan.
On the surface, it may not seem like equal value for both teams to lose one key player each…
But this was Yong-ho’s return match after an injury last season.
Up until now, Jeonbuk had performed well without him, but Daegu losing Hwang Eun-chan, a core member of their squad, would hurt far more.
“We scored the opening goal, so we’re in control of the game. Let’s keep pressing like we have been. Don’t dwell on the bad image we gave the fans—just win, and that’s enough. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Good. Prepare for the second half. Let’s get that away win and bring back three points!”
The moment his speech ended, thunderous applause broke out. Just as I clapped and got up from my seat, Yong-ho quietly approached and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Hyung? Do you want to say something?”
“It’s nothing big… I just wanted to say, for the time that’s left, play how you want.”
“Play how I want?”
I chuckled at the sudden comment and asked again, and Yong-ho smiled as he replied.
“You’ve probably been overly mindful of your seniors until now, right? Don’t worry about that anymore. Just play comfortably. Don’t hold a grudge about the red card either. Got it?”
“Yes. I’ll play freely.”
“Good. But don’t take ‘freely’ to mean slacking off. Work hard like a rookie, but with a light heart. Do well out there.”
He gave my shoulder a few taps and returned to his seat.
It felt different from how Han Yong-ho had been portrayed in novels, but I decided not to overthink it.
Maybe during his injury recovery, his perspective changed watching me play.
Just like how national team seniors started warming up to me after playing alongside me.
There’s no need to dwell on it.
With that thought, I began walking toward the tunnel.
* * *
Now with one man down, the coach shifted from the original 4-2-3-1 to a 4-2-3.
Yoon Seung-hwan
Park Yeon-woo – Shaferi
Kang Sang-yong – Baek Ian
Han Kyung-rok – Jung Seung-yoon – Yoo Seung-won – Han Gang-rok
Joo Tae-young
‘To fill the gap left by central defender Yong-ho’s sending off, Coach subbed in Jung Seung-yoon, who was originally a starter, in place of Chun-jae hyung.’
Since Chun-jae hyung, who previously handled distribution in the final third, was now out, our attacking edge might be dulled.
But the coach’s decision was a surprising one.
‘During attacks, I move up to the second line to assist distribution, while Han Kyung-rok and Han Gang-rok rotate to fill my position. And during buildup from the back, even the keeper steps up to support.’
Defensively, it creates some instability. But offensively, it delivers nearly the same firepower as playing with 11 men.
Since we’re already ahead, the coach’s aim was to widen the scoreline rather than settle for a one-goal lead—even if that means risking a goal.
Fortunately, that plan was working well.
“Ian! You can take it forward directly, or if not, the right side’s open.”
“Yes!”
A straight pass came from Sang-yong hyung’s position in the third line directly to me, stationed in the opposition’s second line.
Receiving it with a half-turn, I immediately passed to Shaferi on the right wing.
“They’re breaking through the half-space! Block the winger! Someone cover the Volante too!”
The Daegu defenders were screaming, trying their best to salvage the situation.
But they hadn’t accounted for Jeonbuk, who had already scored, to go all-in on offense and abandon defense.
Daegu’s defensive line was clearly unprepared.
“Get out of the way! Stop body-checking me, PUTA! You bastard!”
Boom!
Daegu’s defensive line burst out, and Shaferi’s cut-back into the open space created the perfect chance for me.
And I followed through without hesitation.
As soon as I touched the ball, I shot it.
Because it was from a relatively long distance, it was the perfect way to catch the keeper off guard.
I was confident, so there was no reason to hesitate.
Boom!
Shaferi’s cut-back was instantly followed by my strike.
“What?!”
As expected, the Daegu keeper didn’t think I’d shoot from there and scrambled to dive.
But the person who blocked the ball was entirely unexpected.
Thud!
“Ow!”
“What the hell is that idiot Yoon Seung-hwan doing…”
It seems he thought the ball was a pass meant for him, so he tried to head it—only to get nailed in the back of the head and bounce it right back.
I really wanted to curse him out and kick him for that nonsense…
But I held back for now.
If it were just a case of accidentally blocking a teammate’s shot, I would’ve been mad. But oddly, his troll move worked out.
“Ah! Damn it!”
“Move, Yoon Seung-hwan!”
The ball ricocheted.
I dashed forward, chopped under the ball, and shot it to the opposite side of where the keeper had dived.
There was no way the keeper could block a torpedo-like strike like that.
Ssssshhh!
“Haah… What are the defenders doing just holding the line? At least mark someone!”
[Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh!]
The keeper exploded in frustration, while behind him, the Mad Green Boys were going wild.
Looking at the shaking away stand, I smiled once and sprinted to the other side of the field.
I still had things left to do.
—
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