Dad was a Genius - Chapter 19
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 19
“So… … the stock price, which plummeted five months ago, has now recovered to normal and is up 20% from then, Chairman.”
“Hmm. That’s good.”
As soon as the article came out that Cha Seong-eun would be appointed as the interim manager of the Cheonan team, the media, as if they had been waiting for it, attacked, and with Cha Seong-eun adding fuel to the fire, the stock price of Taesan Group hit rock bottom.
However, as the popularity of Cha Seong-eun began to grow along with the miraculous 6-game winning streak, the magic of his stock price rising along with it unfolded.
“The current analysis lab estimates that if the youngest member continues to perform well, we will see a marketing effect worth hundreds of billions.”
The corners of Chairman Cha’s mouth went up.
This youngest guy.
After giving us a gift once with the amazing record of 6 consecutive wins, this time they were sending their stock price soaring.
“Ah! Mr. Chairman. It will be game time soon.”
Chairman Cha nodded in response to Director Park’s words, who had been reporting for a long time, and quickly turned on the TV.
It was a moment when my two hands came together without me even realizing it.
“Director Park. Is today a really important game?”
“Yes, Chairman. Isn’t today’s opponent the champion of last season? I think public opinion will change drastically because of this match.”
“Hmm. Right. But isn’t it funny to say something just because we lost once? We won six games in a row, and the opponent was the winner last season.”
Director Park glanced at Chairman Cha.
“What’s so harsh about people? Isn’t it weirder to fight and win against the team that won first place last year? Why do you treat people so badly over something like that? Anyway, it’s okay if we lose this time. We’ve done well so far, right?”
Chairman Cha looked very anxious now.
Director Park found out for the first time that he, who always showed a calm and strong appearance no matter what, could make that kind of face.
“Wait a minute. But those… aren’t they our kids?”
“yes?”
“Look at those stands.”
Surprisingly, the people in the audience were Chairman Cha’s children.
Even Jae-cheol Cha, the vice chairman of Taesan Group and the eldest son of Chairman Cha, who rarely watches sports, was beating a small drum and cheering along with the cheering squad!
“No. What are those guys doing over there?”
Just like Chairman Cha, the casters reporting from the scene also seemed embarrassed.
[I’ve been a caster for a long time, but this is the first time I’ve seen the group owner’s family gather together with supporters and cheer them on with all their might, even beating drums.]
[Yes. You are really cheering passionately. Thanks to you, other fans seem to cheer more passionately.]
Chairman Cha’s children in the stands were truly a sight to behold.
“Tae~san Cheonan!!”
“The car is for life-!!”
“Emergency! Cheonan!”
Chairman Cha burst into laughter when he saw the cheering crowd screaming at the top of their lungs.
“I was wondering where these guys were going without working since the weekend, and they were running around like crazy, and that’s where they were?”
It seems that he couldn’t bring himself to ask Chairman Cha, who was busy with his schedule even on the weekend, to go to the stadium with him.
“Yeah. You should have fun playing with your brothers while you’re still young.”
They were originally close friends, but their relationship seemed to have become even closer after the youngest one took over as director.
Chairman Cha felt at ease because the peace in his family seemed deeper and more lasting than before thanks to the sudden change in his youngest child.
My child, who is strangely more affectionate towards me than anything else, perhaps because he is the youngest.
I hope you do well in this game too.
As always, Chairman Cha prayed today as well, clasping his hands tightly.
* * *
[Son. Are you finally selected today? Don’t worry, Mom. You’ll get the surgery done and come out well. I’ll always support you and love you.]
“… … .”
Go Jin-cheol gripped his phone tightly after seeing the text message from his mother.
Even though he had an important surgery today, he came here to the stadium instead of going to the hospital.
He is a professional player for the Cheonan team, and above all, today was a very important day.
“Go to sleep. Fighting!!”
“Let’s go, Cheonan!!”
“I’m going to win this time too!”
Before leaving the locker room, the players cheered each other on and boosted their morale.
But Go Jin-cheol couldn’t easily follow them.
“… … .”
A tense gasp filled the locker room, and both legs were trembling.
selection.
It’s a selection.
“I was always a candidate, but I’m suddenly being selected.”
Ko Jin-cheol, who was discovered by scout Kim Su-han last year and became a player in Cheonan.
But he was a rookie and the team was in shambles, so he could only count on one hand the number of times he went out on the field.
Besides, even though a new coach named Cha Seong-eun came, nothing much changed except that the training became much more intense.
This is because he was still a player who stayed on the bench and was occasionally substituted in.
But today, in a match against last year’s champion Seoul, Ko Jin-cheol was selected to start.
“Why of all people… … .”
While muttering like that, I was catching my breath with my jaw clenched under the burden.
Moreover, the psychological pressure doubled as my mother’s surgery was suddenly scheduled for the same day.
“Player Ko Jin-cheol.”
At that moment, Ko Jin-cheol jumped up and shouted as if he were a private in the military.
“yes!!”
When I looked ahead, there was Cha Seong-i standing there.
“Go, director.”
The players all came out, but did you come here to look for him because you were the only one who didn’t come out?
“Sorry, sorry. I’ll have to go out quickly.”
Cha Seong-eun put a hand on Go Jin-cheol’s shoulder as if to calm him down, who was rushing around in a hurry.
“It’s okay. The game doesn’t start right away. Just sit comfortably and take a deep breath.”
“Ah… … yes.”
Go Jin-cheol took a deep breath slowly, following the director’s instructions.
It’s really strange.
I should be more nervous when my boss is in front of me, but instead, I feel calm.
“Are you thinking about that right now? Why is this guy coach suddenly using me as a starter?
“That, that kind of… … .”
“It’s okay. Feel free to talk.”
Go Jin-cheol let out a short sigh.
I always feel this way, but it feels like Cha Seong-eun can always see right through people.
“… … You’re not entirely wrong. I just don’t understand why you’d put a rookie player like me in an important game like today.”
Jincheol Ko closed his eyes and shouted.
However, Cha Seong was still looking at him with calm eyes.
“That’s because Go Jin-cheol needs to be the key player starting with this match.”
“yes……?”
But the director was saying something even scarier.
“The K-League will have a total of 38 games. And I have already drawn up a blueprint for who the strong and weak teams are this season, who will win the championship, and how we should play against them to win.”
Have you already planned out all those games?
If someone else heard it, they might think it was just talk, but if it was Cha Seong-eun who said it, I somehow believed it.
“And I have been training Ko Jin-cheol a lot so far in preparation for putting him in the Seoul game today.”
“Me, me?”
“Yes. There were two reasons why we didn’t start Ko Jin-cheol in the game. First, we judged that he was not fully trained, and second, we wanted to prevent the strategy from being exposed.”
Strategic exposure?
“If my guess is correct, the current K-League teams are sharing information with each other and studying our Cheonan position. That’s why they were able to adapt to our tactics so quickly.”
K-League teams are working together to study Cheonan’s position.
This was something I never expected.
“But this was somewhat predictable. They would want to destroy me somehow to protect their honor.”
“Ah, no matter what, that’s not fair… … .”
“It’s okay. I didn’t dare set foot in here without being prepared to fight and defeat them all.”
Go Jin-cheol was shocked once again.
The tea ceremony.
The more I look at him, the more I realize he is an amazing person.
Even though the entire K-League team is attacking him, he is completely unshaken.
On the other hand, he himself was not happy about being given the chance to be selected, but rather sat here like an idiot, scared by himself.
Even as she entered the operating room, wasn’t the mother very proud of her son’s selection?
I felt somehow embarrassed.
“But no matter how much they study, there is one thing they will never know. That is, I have you, Ko Jin-cheol.”
It didn’t seem like a joke.
No, isn’t he the type of person who is far from joking in the first place?
That is, he was speaking sincerely.
“There is a big change in our position today. And the key player in that is you, Jin-cheol Ko, who has to play all the central passes in our build-up.”
Go Jin-cheol swallowed dry saliva.
A greater burden than before weighed on my shoulders.
Can I really handle such a big task?
Someone like me?
“Player Ko Jin-cheol.”
At that moment, Cha Seong-i patted Go Jin-cheol’s trembling shoulder and said.
“You can do it.”
His gaze was more serious than ever.
“Of course, it’s my first time being a starter, and I might feel a little overwhelmed by the momentum of a strong team like Seoul. When that happens, look at me standing in the coaching zone.”
“Yes… …? The director?”
“Yes. I will tell Ko Jin-cheol where to go and where to pass the ball. But gradually, Ko Jin-cheol will realize it.”
After a while, Cha Seong-eun smiled faintly.
“This moment is the perfect time for Ko Jin-cheol’s talent to blossom.”
At those words and eyes, Ko Jin-cheol miraculously stopped shaking.
There is something that Cha Seong-eun always tells me whenever he trains.
A killer pass that can break down the opponent’s defense in one go, and the creativity to make it happen.
That is precisely the talent that Go Jin-cheol possesses.
But I didn’t really believe it at the time.
Because I thought it was just something the director made up to boost morale.
however,
‘It wasn’t a lie.’
The director truly believed.
I’m talking about the talent that Go Jin-cheol possesses.
“And don’t worry about your mother. I’m sure she’ll have a successful surgery.”
“Huh. How, how do you… … .”
“The coach needs to be aware of the players’ personal circumstances. I was thinking about excluding Jin-cheol Ko from the starting lineup today because of his mother’s surgery… … I don’t think his mother or Jin-cheol Ko would want that, right?”
That was right.
My mother was so happy when I was first selected.
I must win today, at least for my mother’s sake.
“Phew-.”
Go Jin-cheol took a deep breath and stood up from his seat.
“I will definitely do my best, Director.”
* * *
[Fly like an eagle~ Cheonan~! Cheonan~!]
A thunderous cheer filled the stadium.
Seoul has a large number of supporters, so when they play away games, the stadium is often more than half full.
But today, the Seoul supporters were in the corner, and most of the seats were filled by Cheonan supporters.
All wearing Cheonan’s sky blue uniform.
‘In just six games.’
I don’t know if there will ever be another box office hit like this in history.
What is surprising is that this success was achieved not by a player but by the youngest coach.
“You look very stylish today too.”
Before the game starts, it is time for the managers to shake hands.
Until now, all other directors had refused to shake hands with Cha Seong-eun, but Kim Seong-il was different.
“I’ll make sure you take off that expensive suit today.”
It was a kind of warning that they would make it so overwhelming that you wouldn’t even be able to breathe.
“I don’t know what to do with myself because my senior cares so much for his junior.”
But Cha Seong-eun smiled and answered wittily.
Then, director Kim Sung-il burst into laughter that he had been holding back.
“Haha! I think it would be really fun to have a drink with our coach next time.”
“Just call me anytime. Oh. And… … .”
Cha Seong-eun continued speaking in a soft voice.
“The first person to take off your suit today will be you, not me.”
Look at this guy?
Although it was a bitter aftertaste, it was a remark that showed that it was not only Seoul that had sharpened its knives.
“Okay. Let’s just leave it for a while.”
As soon as the two coaches returned to their respective coaching zones, the game began.
At that time, Cheonan was moving as one body on the field and slowly taking its position.
Director Kim, who was watching it, narrowed his eyebrows.
“Wait a minute. What is this?”
“yes?”
“I’m number 10. Why are you suddenly taking the striker position?”
For the six games, Cheonan always used the same tactic.
The first half was 4-3-3.
In the second half, depending on the opponent’s tactical formation, 4-2-1-3.
And that number 10, Kang Dae-ho, shook the goal net with playmaking.
So, coach Kim Seong-il introduced new tactics to match Cheonan’s one-pattern tactics.
however,
“This is… … .”
4-3-2-1 tactics.
The attacking midfielder was suddenly changed into a striker and placed at the forefront.
“You’re using a midfielder as a striker?”
It was already expected that Cha Seong-i would be able to use unorthodox tactics.
So we prepared defenses accordingly.
But this was a tactic that no one expected.
The key to this tactic is to move up the number 10 to a striker position.
It seemed like they were trying to build up play in the center by putting in a new player named Ko Jin-cheol, who wasn’t even in the data.
‘What on earth… are you thinking?’
It was a ridiculous tactic no matter who looked at it.
‘Even experimental plays against me?’
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get scratched.
Even the coaches laughed at this absurd tactic.
Finally, Cha Sung says that the guy made a mistake because of his arrogance.
but-.
‘It’s probably nothing special, so why does it feel scary?’
Cheonan dared to present an experimental formation against Seoul.
If it were any other team, they would have been destroyed on the spot, but the opponent was none other than Cha Seong-eun’s Cheonan.
There is something… something.
Otherwise he wouldn’t have done such a crazy thing.
Kim Seong-il felt that the suit was already hot.