Dad was a Genius - Chapter 22
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 022
“Our seven-game winning streak is not a coincidence. It’s not a stroke of luck. Sports always give victory to those who deserve it.”
Sometimes a team wins a game with incredible luck.
But I think that in soccer, even that luck is a part of their skill.
Because soccer is a very honest sport.
The outcome of a match is determined by the players’ mental state, training, and tactics.
“That is why I have no doubt that you are qualified to be champions.”
Even though we achieved a miraculous 7-game winning streak by defeating the champion Seoul, I was not at all excited.
That’s why I came to the training ground today to do some tough training.
And fortunately, the players felt the same way as me.
“You are still hungry just like me. You are more hungry for victory. That is the spirit we must not forget.”
During the break, the players sat on the grass and listened to me.
“Well, let me tell you something that might be a bit shocking. Before that, who do you think is the closest team to winning the championship this season, other than our team?”
Everyone tilted their heads and names came out one by one.
“seoul?”
“Jeonbuk?”
“wellhead?”
Seoul, Suwon, and Jeonbuk.
The names that ranked 1st to 3rd last season went up and down.
But I thought differently.
“They are not the top contenders in my opinion. Seoul is not even a strong contender.”
The players were in an uproar.
With a face full of doubt, he said, “Is Seoul, last year’s champion, really that good?”
“The team I thought was the strongest contender for the title isn’t even mentioned. Well, it’s certainly possible. We’ll talk about that later… … . In terms of the current squad and tactics, Suwon is definitely ahead of Seoul.”
We have to face that team now.
“Suwon is a team like an awl, if we use a metaphor. The tactics of coach Choi Si-seon, who is leading the team, are like that. He uses tactics that dig into the opponent’s weaknesses like an awl.”
I already knew where Director Choi Si-seon’s awl was headed.
Since this is a tactic that revolves around the father, if he can somehow tie up the father, he will definitely think that he can achieve victory.
And in fact, his thoughts were not wrong.
Because our greatest strength and our greatest weakness was our father.
“Suwon will know that our tactics revolve around Kang Dae-ho. That’s why they will persistently attack our strikers and try to stab them with their sharp awls.”
I looked at my father sitting in the center.
Although his whole body was drenched in sweat from the tough training, his eyes were still as alive as a beast.
“Then how should we respond? If the Suwon players decide to only mark Kang Dae-ho, we will lose our biggest key player.”
“… … .”
The players were speechless.
It is difficult for them to imagine Cheonan without their father.
“That’s why we need ‘crack.’”
Crack?
It was a familiar yet very unfamiliar word in Cheonan’s tactics.
“A crack is a player who essentially makes the opposing defenders come to him in place of the player who is passing the ball to the striker.”
In short, his role was to draw aggro from defenders and create space for midfielders and strikers.
“You could say that he’s a solid bodyguard for Kang Dae-ho. But this crack role isn’t just about attracting the attention of defenders. He also has to be able to make flashy inroads and score goals with shots.”
Just hearing the words, you could tell how difficult the mission was.
And since we have never used tactics that designated crack players, the players will be even more confused.
“But don’t worry. We have been training certain players for a long time to use crack players, and now it is time to bring them to fruition. We will announce who will take on this role through interviews in the near future.”
There was a reason I didn’t say anything right away.
“… … .”
Then I looked at one player who was buried among those players and whose presence was not even revealed.
When I first took office as interim manager, I looked at the profiles of the players in Cheonan and marked them as very important cracks in our tactics.
Lee Su-yong, who always seemed cold, expressionless, and dissatisfied with something, endured training steadfastly.
He was also a candidate player for our Cheonan team, brought in by scout Kim Su-han, and in my opinion, he was the player with the greatest talent next to his father in the Cheonan team.
* * *
“… … .”
Choi Si-seon, who was the director of Suwon.
He was analyzing Cheonan’s game with the coaches.
‘Cheonan is definitely different from the previous game and the game against Seoul.’
Regarding this, Seoul manager Kim Seong-il evaluated it like this.
‘Level up’
Cheonan has taken down the giant called Seoul and achieved growth to the next level.
In other words, what Suwon has to deal with is a new Cheonan whose growth is unknown.
‘I can’t believe there will come a time when we have to worry about places like Cheonan.’
This season’s Cheonan was splendid from the moment it appeared.
He garnered people’s attention with his incredible noise marketing of a parachute manager, and he terrified the K-League with his crazy pressure development.
So they are already on a 7 game winning streak and are looking to make Suwon the 8th game of their winning streak.
This was all the work of the parachute director, Cha Seong-eun.
‘I’ll stop that winning streak.’
But the method was the problem.
Didn’t even Director Kim Sung-il, who everyone was relying on, collapse after being bombed by Cheonan?
I could never let my guard down.
So, coach Choi Si-seon was watching the game closely.
Especially number 10.
‘Director Kim Sung-il also told us to be careful of number 10.’
Number 10, Kang Dae-ho, who turned the first half, which Seoul was dominating, around with just one goal.
Line breaking to avoid offside.
Speed and penetrating power to instantly shake off defenders.
And a clean finish.
Although Kang Dae-ho has only played as a midfielder so far and there is little data on him as a striker, this one match was enough to make a judgment.
‘That guy is a monster.’
He was by far the best striker we have seen in the decades of domestic football.
I don’t know if it’s overseas, but has there ever been a player in Korea who showed such performance?
Because he recognized his talent faster than anyone else, Cha Seong-eun must have used the midfielder as a striker.
‘This time too, Cha Seong-eun will plan his tactics around number 10.’
The problem is that it’s not just number 10, other players are also very active.
When Kang Dae-ho wag his tail vigorously and gathers the defense, other players break into the box and create opportunities.
Coach Choi Si-seon was already dizzy as he vividly imagined the Suwon defense being thrown into chaos by the number 10.
‘But if you think about it the other way around, it’s also easy to conquer.’
The key to the tactics is number 10.
Then, what if we destroy those 10 numbers in advance as Director Kim Sung-il said?
‘If it’s impossible to lock it down with tactical defense, then-.’
Director Choi Si-seon exhaled deeply, as if he had made a big decision.
Isn’t it common for players to get injured due to rough tackles during regular matches?
* * *
“… … So what is this?”
“Yes. It’s coffee that Cheonan fans sent to our group as a token of their appreciation. That’s why they sent a coffee truck. Haha.”
[Chairman. Thank you for always helping our Cheonan.]
[Chairman. I love you~!]
[Our club owner is the best!]
Coffee, letters, cake, etc.
Chairman Cha couldn’t help but be flustered by the gift he had received from ordinary people for the first time in his life.
The children couldn’t hide their smiles because it was their first time seeing their father’s expression like that.
“Are you saying that it was sent by fans who support our Cheonan team?”
“Yes, father.”
Should we call this a sense of generational gap?
I’ve seen protests and threatening letters from fans before, but this was the first time I’ve received something so heartwarming.
I was already dumbfounded by the fact that Cheonan had won seven games in a row, but now it felt like a dream.
“… … .”
Chairman Cha called out to his youngest son, who seemed to be deep in thought and couldn’t tell whether he was eating with his mouth or his nose.
“Youngest.”
Only then does the guy come to his senses and turn his head.
“Yes. Ah… Father.”
For some reason, whenever the guy called himself father, something seemed awkward.
“I am enjoying all this luxury thanks to you.”
Then the guy started to show his humility.
“No. It’s because you’ve supported our team from behind. You even approved the crazy thing like doubling my salary.”
Is that really the youngest I knew?
Originally, he was a worthless guy who just talked big and showed off all the bluff he could muster.
But now I know how to humble myself and elevate others.
Chairman Cha never believed in the saying, “A person can change for the better” his entire life, but after seeing his youngest son, he realized that people can really change.
“Oh, really. It’s okay to be arrogant once in a while, Inseok. It’s no fun to live your life being too humble.”
The youngest smiled at those words.
“I’ll show you how arrogant I can be… after we win the league. I think you’ll be surprised when you see me then.”
“What, what? Hahahaha!”
Chairman Cha shook his head as if he couldn’t win.
I was secretly curious about how much of a tantrum this guy could really cause.
“But what have you been worrying about all this time?”
“Ah-. I’m sorry. It’s been a while since I’ve spent time with my family, but I was just thinking about the game.”
Were you thinking about soccer again?
He seemed completely absorbed in his work.
But strangely enough, time spent with family is never missed.
And it seemed like he was deliberately trying not to think about work at that time.
“Oh, dear. Father. Our coach, don’t scold us too much. The next game is against Suwon. I heard their performance has been quite bad lately.”
“How long are you going to call the youngest ‘Director’?”
“If you are a fan who supports Cheonan, then of course you have a coach like the sky!”
I guess you could call it a joke.
My older child, who usually doesn’t watch sports, is now completely obsessed with soccer.
“Even without that, since Cheonan has won 7 games in a row, the morale of the employees is very high. In particular, the factory production has increased. Everyone is really looking forward to watching the Cheonan game… … .”
Chairman Cha, who was eating the soup while listening to those words, said.
“Really? Then, on a holiday, should we take the employees to watch a game? We should keep the factory staff at a minimum.”
“……yes?”
“Father. Are you serious?”
“Everyone wants to see it? Where is the next home game? Ulsan, right?”
After the match against Suwon, the next match was against Incheon, and then against Ulsan, who are currently on a six-game winning streak.
Chairman Cha glanced at the youngest and asked.
“Youngest. Can you beat Suwon, Incheon, and Ulsan? Then it’ll be exactly 10 consecutive wins.”
Everyone swallowed dry saliva and looked at Cha Seong-eun at Chairman Cha’s sudden question.
People say that it is a miracle that we have been on a 7 game winning streak so far.
But you want me to win 3 more times here to make it 10 consecutive wins?
Even Suwon and Ulsan were showing fearsome performance.
A situation where confidence in the game may drop significantly.
But Cha Seong-eun,
“father.”
With eyes still clear and confident,
“I will take back what I said earlier.”
“……what?”
“You’re going to have a blast after you win? I’m going to do that now.”
I told Chairman Cha and his family.
“We will give the gift of 10 consecutive wins to our Taesan Group employees who visit the home stadium during the Ulsan game and to my father, whose birthday is on that day.”
“… … !”
Hearing those words, Chairman Cha unconsciously clenched his fist.
This insolent fellow was warming my cold blood.
A guy who never celebrated his father’s birthday while he was alive remembered that it was Chairman Cha’s birthday that day.
And on that day, he gives a gift for victory.
And that sweet gift of 10 consecutive wins?
“Okay. I believe you, youngest.”
If so, shouldn’t we respond to that ambition and will?
“First, you heard what the youngest said? The Ulsan game is on a holiday. Now, do some research on people who want to see the game and get tickets in advance.”
“Oh, Father. Are you really going to do it? If we operate the factory at a minimum, the company will suffer some losses… … .”
“Maybe this is something I’ll only do once in my life. Why not spend a lot of money? Hahaha.”
Chairman Cha decided to take a gamble this time too.
If the 10-game winning streak had failed then, all the media would have ridiculed Chairman Cha, but he had no regrets.
Because Chairman Cha has already received more than enough gifts from the youngest.