Chapter 7
[Here. Han Gang-rok breaks through the defense and passes back to Baek Ian. Baek Ian takes the ball. Is he going to shoot right away?]
[It’s not a shot, it’s a pass! Baek Ian passes directly to Yoon Seung-hwan! Yoon Seung-hwan! Gooooal! It’s in! Yoon Seung-hwan scores! Yoon Seung-hwan! Can you believe this? Jeonbuk’s young giants, who are only 18 years old, are creating miracles and saving the team from crisis!]
– Hahaha, Suwon’s downfall!!!!!
– Where are all the losers who were gearing up with “MaeSulelele”? Don’t hide, come out and show yourselves!
– Yoon Seung-hwan and Han Gang-rok are insane, but what’s up with Baek Ian? He’s a Volante, but he’s moving as fast as a winger!
└ Information: Baek Ian’s mother, Kim Ha-young, is a medalist who won the bronze in women’s 100m at the Asian Games, and his father, Baek Han-ho, is a former Asian Games marathon runner turned businessman. He’s naturally gifted with speed.
[I dare say this will be the highlight of the season for Jeonbuk fans! It’s honestly an unbelievable scene!]
[Exactly! Jeonbuk was completely locked down by Suwon Oseong’s tactics early on, but Baek Ian’s substitution turned out to be a masterstroke!]
[If you look again, as Joo Tae-young connects the pass, Baek Ian uses his back to push off the marking defender, Choi Yeon-jun. At that moment, Baek Ian had already positioned his body outward, allowing him to turn swiftly and increase his speed, then go for the shot!]
[Yoon Seung-hwan’s finish deserves praise too. Even though Baek Ian’s pass came in pretty strong, Yoon Seung-hwan managed to push through with determination! It’s hard to believe they’re such young players!]
– Determination, huh? Hahaha, it looks like Baek Ian was trying to knock Yoon Seung-hwan out with that kick.
└ I swear I heard a cannon sound when he passed! I heard it loud and clear!
└ You could even hear Yoon Seung-hwan’s “Ugh!” sound on the broadcast when he got hit, and they’re calling that determination, lol.
– Haha, what’s up with the commentary? Our Seung-hwan didn’t even know the ball was coming; he just got hit in the face!
– It’s ridiculous, Baek Ian and Han Gang-rok are celebrating together while Yoon Seung-hwan, who actually scored, is lying on the ground.
– This season, Jeonbuk is absolutely hilarious!
[Oh, as I’m saying this, Baek Ian is dribbling forward again. Kim Chun-jae from the second line comes up to receive the ball, returning it right away! Baek Ian! He sends a wide pass to the opposite side, where Han Kyung-rok picks up the ball and charges directly into the open space!]
[It seems that Coach Seon Ki-baek has assigned Seo Chan-hee to play a holding role while giving Baek Ian the box-to-box duties, allowing him to attack directly. It looks like Coach Seon Ki-baek’s decisions are starting to break down Suwon’s strategy! Oh! Now! The defensive gaps are widening! Yoon Seung-hwan is making a run! Baek Ian! Baek Ian!]
[Goal! Yoon Seung-hwan! After scoring his debut goal with his face earlier, Yoon Seung-hwan now scores with his neck!]
[Wow… both of these players are truly amazing. Baek Ian’s pass was actually quite powerful, making it difficult to control, but Yoon Seung-hwan managed to turn it into a goal!]
[Oh, and Yoon Seung-hwan is down on the field again… It looks like he’s panting, perhaps shedding tears of joy!]
– Hey, commentators! He’s not crying tears of joy; his neck got twisted and he’s having muscle spasms!
└ Lol, it’s hilarious how Yoon Seung-hwan tried to dodge Baek Ian’s pass, but it ended up hitting him anyway.
└ His teammate’s neck is bent, but Baek Ian is over there celebrating on his own. What a maniac…
– Baek Ian is amazing, but what’s up with Yoon Seung-hwan? He’s been hit with balls hard enough to knock him out multiple times, and he’s still standing?
└ I told you, Baek Ian, Yoon Seung-hwan, Han Gang-rok, and Han Kyung-rok were the core of Young Warriors High, and they’re absolute beasts.
└ Baek Ian and the Han twins are skilled… and Yoon Seung-hwan is built like a tank? Jeonbuk fans have been hyping them up, but I have to admit, they’re genuinely good.
– Sorry to interrupt, but… those guys weren’t like this in the youth league… They’ve suddenly changed…
– Suwon, you idiots, just go back to the second division where you belong!
– I can’t take it anymore! Park Yong-taek, step down!
***
Although she never said it aloud, Shin Ah-yoon didn’t expect Baek Ian to be on the field in the match against Suwon.
It wasn’t that she doubted his abilities.
As his childhood friend, she had always been by his side.
On days when he had a match, she would even skip school to go watch him, so she knew well enough that he had the talent.
But the reason she didn’t think he would play in this match was because Jeonbuk’s situation was dire.
‘To reach the quarter-finals, they have to beat Suwon by more than four goals.’
What kind of coach would field a rookie in such an important match?
It’s the AFC Champions League. Even if you sacrifice the league, winning this tournament would satisfy the fans the most.
In such a critical match, it’s natural for a coach to rely on the veterans, so Shin Ah-yoon had no expectations.
If a rookie were to be used, it would only be to fulfil the U-22 rule, and even then, it would likely be the fullbacks who had already trained together before the season.
“Sigh… I should’ve just listened to my sister, taken a break, and come all the way to Suwon for this? Ian is on the bench. I could’ve just gone to do my stream.”
“Well, since you’re already here, just watch the game. I even used my allowance to buy you jokbal.”
“You didn’t buy it, I saw Mr. Han-ho pay for it earlier.”
Her indifferent expression despite her sister’s complaints was all because she had never expected much to begin with.
After all, simply seeing Ian in Jeonbuk’s jersey and making it to the first team stage was enough for Shin Ah-yoon to feel content.
When she caught sight of Ian and smiled slightly, Shin Seung-ah, who was munching on jokbal, pouted.
“By the way, sis, weren’t you fighting with Ian? Just a few days ago, you were crying, saying you’d never see him again. What happened?”
“Are you crazy? When did I ever fight with Ian? And I wasn’t crying! Just eat quietly.”
“Okay… I must’ve been hearing things then.”
Ignoring her sister’s exasperated look, Shin Ah-yoon turned her gaze to the stadium.
‘I hope I won’t be disappointed…’
No matter what anyone said, Shin Ah-yoon knew that Baek Ian had the potential to become an excellent player.
Her hands, folded as if in prayer, and her tightly closed eyes revealed her silent hope. Just then, an unexpected announcement reached her ears.
[There will be a substitution for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors! Number 32, Lee Seung-yong, will be replaced by Number 26, Baek Ian!]
“Huh? Sis! W-Was that just Ian’s name? Did I hear it wrong… Hey, sis, what’s Ian’s jersey number again? It’s 26, right?”
“Yes, it’s 26! He chose it because we both have our birthdays on the 26th…”
“It’s right! Ian is coming on!”
With her sister practically shaking her with excitement, Shin Ah-yoon could only stand there, stunned.
He’s debuting in the AFC Champions League? Is this for real?
Sure, he said he’d definitely be playing and told her to come watch, but who would believe that?
What kind of mad coach would put a rookie in such an important game? And they already had three rookies in the starting lineup.
But here they were, with Baek Ian subbed in around the 30th minute of the first half.
And that wasn’t the end of the miracle.
“W-What is this? I knew Ian was good because you wouldn’t stop talking about it… But he’s even better than I thought! Sis, was he always like this?”
“What’s… what is going on? How did he suddenly become…”
She didn’t know much about soccer, but she did know a little, given that she was preparing to be a performance coach.
Of course, she could distinguish which players were making good movements in the game and which were disrupting the flow.
So, she knew.
What Baek Ian was doing right now was much more difficult than it seemed.
He was playing in a position where a single mistake could lead to the team’s downfall.
In that position, Ian was playing, and so far, he hadn’t allowed a single mistake.
‘And he even fixed everything… for real.’
The most surprising part was that he had truly fixed all the issues he had mentioned.
Unlike before, when he recklessly tried to speed up with forefoot running, he was now running stably with a midfoot strike.
When receiving the ball or making sharp turns, he executed preliminary movements perfectly, handling everything smoothly.
He even adjusted his posture dynamically to minimize the risk of injury, even in situations where his balance was thrown off by the opponent’s pressure.
It’s almost impossible to achieve all that in just three days, considering that it can take some players years to correct even a single posture.
He really managed to do all that in just three days?
At the moment she witnessed this miracle with her own eyes, Shin Ah-yoon remembered Baek Ian assisting a goal and running over to celebrate near the S section where she was sitting.
“Sister! Ian oppa just made another assist! Is he crazy? For real? He already has two assists!”
“Really? Just a second!”
“What are you doing? Sis? Are you texting him? Ian oppa can’t see your messages right now!”
As Shin Ah-yoon suddenly lowered her head and started tapping on her smartphone, Shin Seung-ah tilted her head in confusion and then glanced to the side.
At that moment… Shin Seung-ah realized what Shin Ah-yoon was doing.
“Sis? Why are you suddenly looking up headgear and eye protection?”
“Huh? Oh, this? Well, that player named Yoon Seung-hwan, I think Ian might use him often in the future. So, I need to prepare just in case, to make sure he doesn’t retire early due to head or neck injuries. If he retires young, it’ll be harder for Ian to build his stats, you know?”
‘…Is she crazy or what?’
Even though she’s her sister, she’s definitely not normal.
Giving up on the conversation, Shin Seung-ah shook her head and stuffed more jokbal into her mouth.
***
In sports novels, whether it’s soccer or baseball, there’s a rule that can never be broken.
‘It’s that the protagonist never gets injured.’
Of course, there’s also an unspoken rule that the protagonist shouldn’t cause the team to lose a match.
But what’s important right now is the part about injuries.
‘There’s nothing more important than avoiding injuries. Watching a teammate, who you’ve trained hard with, miss out on a big match due to an injury is heartbreaking.’
This makes me think about the past.
– Huh? Was this the 12th floor? Not the 11th? Wait, I’m sure I pressed 11 in the elevator?
– This is strange? Today’s my mom’s birthday, but I can’t seem to remember her phone number…
– …Man, my body feels weird these days. My stomach churns, and my head keeps spinning… And tomorrow’s the game, this is bad.
‘Those guys couldn’t even score properly, yet they’re so weak physically, honestly.’
Compared to those guys, Yoon Seung-hwan is truly a good kid.
He had much better technique than the strikers I had worked with in my past life, and unlike the other weaklings, he had great finishing skills.
Plus, his body was strong too.
‘Even when Baek Ian would tackle him aggressively, he’d just limp for a bit and keep going. He’d even endure things like a naked choke during a match and still play full-time—he’s like an iron man.’
He even has physical durability that makes me, who was called an iron man during my playing days, amazed.
Where could you find a better striker than this?
You could even call him a complete striker.
Of course, he has his flaws too.
“Seung-hwan! How’s your body? You can still keep going, right?”
“Huff… Huff! Please, save me, I’m really in so much pain!”
“Seung-hwan! Here, how many fingers do you see?”
“Uh… two?”
“Hm? You seem fine. It looks like it’s just a minor cut and bleeding. I’ll disinfect it and wrap it up, so let’s keep going.”
“No, no! I was lying! Actually, I saw eight fingers! I need to be substituted!”
“No, from what I see, you’re still good to go.”
“I told you I can’t! Where are you going? Don’t leave me! Please, sub me out!”
“He’s making a fuss now, but… he’ll get used to it after a while.”
“Kyung-rok, do you think he’s actually okay? I’m not so sure.”
“Hyung… From what I see, Yoon Seung-hwan’s probably going to retire by the time he’s 20.”
After playing a few more matches together, he’ll be fine. The strikers I used to play with also fussed like this at first, but they calmed down after a few days.
“So, I guess we just need two more goals?”
“Ugh!”
Yoon Seung-hwan flinched as he heard my voice.
For a moment, I wondered if he reacted like that because he heard what I said…
“Eh, that can’t be it. Who wouldn’t be happy to be promised a debut quad? No way he’d dislike it.”
Deciding that he must be secretly pleased inside, I chose not to worry about it.
—
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