Dad was a Genius - Chapter 34
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 034
“Phew.”
My heart is not at peace.
Even when I was on the verge of a 10-game winning streak, I wasn’t this nervous.
That’s why my hands were covered in sweat.
‘Let’s calm down.’
I came here as a second-hand worker.
Let’s forget who I was in the past.
With that thought in mind, I got out of the car.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been here.’
Two days of rest given to the players.
That goes for the front office, the coaches, and me as the manager.
But I guess I should say that my rule is that even if the players rest, the coach cannot rest.
Of course, a manager’s job isn’t just to stay locked in his room and analyze tactics.
Getting to know the players through personal meetings and listening to their stories was also a very important part of the job.
Because it directly affects the players’ morale.
Of course, there were times when I, as the coach, requested a meeting, and there were also times when the players invited me directly.
And today,
“Welcome, Director. Thank you for taking the time to come to such a shabby place.”
I got to meet my old father.
That too, in the apartment I lived in when I was young.
“… … .”
I stepped into the house for a moment and looked around.
Familiar memories and smells were everywhere.
“Maybe we should have gone to a restaurant. My house is not suitable for hosting the director… … .”
“No, absolutely not. On the contrary, I am grateful that you invited me here.”
Behind the father, the mother came out holding the baby in her arms.
It was the first time I saw my mother like this when she was young.
“Hello, Director!”
Cheerful and bright personality.
My mother, who always had a smiling face, was no different when she was young.
“Yes. Hello.”
I greeted them and handed them the gifts I had prepared in advance.
“Wow. Why did you buy so much?”
“I thought you might need this and that. There are also baby supplies.”
It was full of selfish intentions.
Because I wanted to provide the highest grade of Korean beef and as many good things as possible to my younger brother.
That’s probably why I lost control at that moment.
Still, the faces of the father and mother receiving the gift were filled with smiles.
“Oh. Please sit here. I cooked some food, but… I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”
The food my mother prepared was spicy stir-fried chicken.
This is one of my mother’s favorite dishes.
And this table and these chairs.
Everything was the same.
Huruk-.
I had a bite of the broth and meat.
The two of them were staring at it intently.
“… … Uh, what do you think? Does it suit your taste?”
I put down my chopsticks and looked at the two of them alternately.
“Because my family is a wealthy family, we eat a lot of expensive dishes. So, to be honest… … .”
I continued speaking with a snicker.
“This is the best spicy braised chicken I’ve ever had.”
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief.
My mother laughed and said there was no need to rate me so highly.
But what I said wasn’t lip service, I meant it.
I felt a pang of sadness at the taste I had missed, but I held back and continued eating my mother’s food, which might be the last day I would eat it.
“The baby is really cute.”
After the meal was over, I looked down at my brother who was sleeping soundly.
I never knew my little brother was this cute.
I was secretly surprised.
“Yes. She is like an angel to me. I can’t believe it even when I see her with my own eyes.”
My father was smiling broadly, pinching my younger brother’s cheek.
And that deep love for his children remained the same until the moment of his death.
I looked down at my brother and said to myself.
‘Grow up well and be good to your parents.’
Everything I can’t do for you.
“Director, please have some coffee~.”
My father and I sat in silence for a moment, drinking the coffee my mother had given us and looking out at the scenery outside.
The scenery outside was nothing special.
Since it is a one-story house, the only thing visible outside is a parking lot filled with cars parked tightly.
Still, I didn’t hate this scenery and time.
“Coach. Thank you for helping me perform well in the Ulsan match.”
“No. That’s what I want to say. If Kang Dae-ho hadn’t come out after recovering from his injury, it would have been difficult to win by a large margin.”
“Haha. That means you could have won without me.”
By the time that cup of coffee was completely gone.
I got lucky first.
“Player Kang Dae-ho.”
“Yes, sir.”
“The Pohang match will be a big test for Kang Dae-ho.”
“yes?”
The best team in my opinion right now is Pohang.
Their attack power was actually nothing special compared to Ulsan and Seoul.
So what is so scary about them?
“Have you ever seen Pohang’s game?”
“Yes. I watched the recent games.”
“Then I guess I know what their characteristics are.”
“Well, overall, the performance was really boring. It was like a team that barely attacked and went all-in on defense.”
You saw it very clearly.
But that’s not all.
“It might be boring for fans watching the game. But what was it like from the players’ perspective?”
“To be honest… … .”
My father let out a short sigh and continued speaking.
“It was so scary it gave me goosebumps.”
Players with excellent attacking sense, including my father, will all say the same thing when they watch Pohang’s game.
It’s creepy.
scary.
It’s scary.
It was the same with my father.
“I always thought to myself while watching. If I were on the opposing team, would I be able to break through Pohang’s defense?”
“So what was the result?”
“The attack route was not very visible. The defensive net was so tight that it had no gaps, just like the nickname ‘Iron Wall’.”
When it comes to offense and scoring goals, my father was more confident than anyone else.
I have trained myself to have that kind of mindset, but I also think that the confidence I gained as I continued on my path to success came from that.
Even that father’s face turned pale after seeing Pohang’s defense.
Pohang’s defense was on a whole other level.
“Did you watch the Pohang game last season?”
“Yes. But it felt like a lot had changed since then.”
“That’s right. Even last season, Pohang changed their formation a little bit, and this season, they’ve established an optimal defensive line. If Ulsan has an extreme offensive line, Pohang can be seen as an extreme defensive line.”
Father exhaled deeply.
He must have felt that more burden had been placed on his shoulders as he took responsibility for the attack on Cheonan.
But you should never dismiss it as a burden.
“This match will be a stepping stone for Kang Dae-ho on his way to the world stage.”
“……yes?”
“It’s true that Pohang’s defense is great. It’s not easy to find a team with that kind of defense in the country, or even in the whole world. That’s why I have to be even more determined. I have to think that I will definitely break through that defense.”
World-class athletes have developed their skills through outstanding talent and the experiences that go along with it.
No matter how much talent you have, if you don’t have the experience and environment to support it, you won’t be able to blossom.
The same goes for my father.
For the sake of his overflowing talent, I have to push my father to his limits even more and give him as much experience as possible.
Then, your talent will shine even brighter.
“… … Sometimes I wonder. Can I really become a world-class striker like the coach said?”
It’s inevitable that such questions arise.
Even the strikers who are currently praised as world-class strikers always live with this question.
In the future, fathers must always ask questions and challenge themselves.
And at the same time, there is one more thing you absolutely must have.
“There is a saying that faith is the substance of those who hope for it. I like that saying very much. It means believing that what you hope for will come true and working towards it.”
A faith that is unshakable by anything.
That’s what my father needed.
“And I didn’t say that Kang Dae-ho would become a world-class striker.”
“… … ?”
“I said that Dae-ho Kang would become the ‘best’ striker in the world. And it is Dae-ho Kang’s job to firmly believe that he will become that.”
“!”
It’s my job to believe firmly.
My father muttered to himself like that.
“Actually, even if you say that, it’s still not easy for me to believe in myself. However, there is something I believe in more than myself and more than anything else in the world.”
My father spoke to me with serious eyes and voice.
“That’s exactly what the coach said. I constantly doubt myself, but I believe whatever the coach says without a single doubt. That goes for all the players on the Cheonan team.”
I smiled without realizing it at those words.
That’s because I felt that the players, including my father, had complete trust in me.
Because of that gratitude, I couldn’t let down their expectations.
For the sake of their dreams, I must run more desperately.
Today, for some reason, even the cloudy weather looks clear.
It was a beautiful and sad time, a dream from which I didn’t want to wake up.
* * *
[Ah~! Pohang stops Suwon’s 3-game winning streak!!]
[Yes. It must be a truly breathtaking defense. Even though Suwon raised its entire attack line, they were unable to break through the high wall that is Pohang.]
A showdown between Pohang and Suwon.
Pohang won 1-0 with a header from a corner kick in the second half.
Suwon, who came back stronger after changing their offensive line following the match against Cheonan, continued to knock on Pohang’s goal, but ultimately failed to overcome the high wall.
[8 wins, 2 draws. And the surprising thing is that Pohang has not conceded a single goal so far.]
[Yes, it is a truly amazing result. There is no other team with such an incredible defensive ability than Pohang.]
8 wins, 2 draws.
This was Pohang’s current power.
They are not obsessed with winning.
However, their philosophy was to never concede a goal even if it resulted in a draw.
[That makes me even more curious. How will the match between Pohang and Cheonan next week go?]
So far, Cheonan has defeated all the strong teams with a record of 10 consecutive wins.
And the same goes for Pohang.
Although they recorded two draws, they also recorded eight wins and are currently the second most notable team in the league after Cheonan.
Now people are interested in whether Cheonan will be able to defeat Pohang.
‘That person must have thoroughly planned out a strategy for our Cheonan.’
I looked at the person caught on the screen.
Pohang’s coach, Woo-seok Kim.
He is the oldest manager among K-League managers.
He also has the most experience as a director, so he has the experience he has accumulated over time.
So it will be the most challenging, the hardest game I’ve ever played.
‘Still, we have to get through it.’
No matter how high the wall that blocks us, we will eventually break it down and overcome it.
To make that possible, only my tactics as a director are needed.
I couldn’t rest, even for the sake of the players who believed in it and followed it.
dripping-.
I was looking through documents late at night and quickly digging up information about Pohang.
Someone knocked on the door and came inside.
He is none other than,
“……father?”
It was Chairman Cha.
“Uh, uh. Okay. It’s okay. Sit down.”
You always go to bed before 10pm, so why are you here so late at night…?
“Come to think of it, I don’t think you’ve ever been to the place you work. And today is a holiday, you said. There aren’t any employees, so why are you working alone?”
“The players got a vacation, not me. I have to stay behind and continue to plan the game.”
“Haha. Dude. I knew it.”
Then he… … no, my father handed over the envelope he was holding in one hand.
“Ahem. There’s a fried chicken place in front of here. I think I’ll get hungry if I work late at night.”
“Did you buy it for me?”
“No, well… … It smells good. The boss there seems to be working hard alone until late at night. That’s why I bought one. You don’t have to force yourself to eat it.”
This person is exactly like this.
Supplements, healthy foods, herbal medicine, etc.
If there’s something good, he always takes care of it.
Of course, he never said he sent it, but I already knew who sent it.
“No, I was just hungry.”
“Okay. Then eat and cheer up. You’re busy, so I guess I wasted your time.”
“Oh, yes, Father. Thank you.”
My father slowly left the director’s office with a look of regret in his eyes.
I couldn’t just sit still when I saw that lonely-looking back.
“father.”
“Huh?”
“It looks like you bought two of these, but they’re too much for one person. Would you like to share them?”
Then my father answered, unable to hide his satisfied smile.
“Ahem. Is, is that so?”
“Yes. Please sit here. Let’s eat together.”
“Okay, then. It’s not like I really want to eat it, but I feel lonely eating this kind of food alone. And it’s also too dark in here. Hehe.”
“Yes, of course.”
My father and I sat at a round table.
“You have to work too, and I have to start work early tomorrow, so let’s just drink cola today.”
“yes.”
My father took a big bite of chicken and let out an exclamation of admiration.
“This is really good. Huh? That boss fried it really well.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Eat lots.”
“Yes, father too.”
The two of us ate the chicken eagerly.
While we were doing that, we chatted about some random things.
But that time was never boring or unpleasant.
I felt like a corner of my heart was seeping into me with warmth like this hot chicken.
The taste of the chicken I ate today… … I think I’ll probably never forget it.