Dad was a Genius - Chapter 9
Only Noblemtl
My Dad Was a Genius Episode 009
Kang Dae-ho was training with the players, sweating profusely.
In fact, he had many worries.
With his wife’s sudden pregnancy and rumors of the team disbanding, he was seriously considering quitting soccer.
This is because he debuted at a late age and no team wanted Kang Dae-ho.
Then, he met.
‘I’ll double the salaries of every player here.’
I am talking about the savior.
At that time, Kang Dae-ho also shed tears and cheered along with the players.
The fact that he didn’t have to give up soccer, which he loved.
But when he returned to training, he became anxious again.
‘Am I really qualified to be here?’
Playing defensive midfield, he felt frustrated throughout the game.
This heavy feeling, as if chains were tied to my feet.
And as I kicked the ball, I kept feeling like something was off.
The problem was that the feeling didn’t just last a moment, but kept growing.
Even while I was training and playing practice matches, that strange feeling was weighing on me.
“Phew-.”
He took a deep breath and entered the director’s office.
There was a tea ceremony there that looked very elegant even in its ordinary sitting posture.
“Please sit here.”
“Oh, yes.”
Kang Dae-ho sat in his seat, very nervous, waiting for the coach to speak.
But no matter how long I waited, I couldn’t hear Cha Seong-eun’s words.
I glanced up and saw that he was staring at Kang Dae-ho.
“Hey, Director?”
Only when Kang Dae-ho called did Cha Seong-eun come to her senses.
“Oh, yes. Sorry. So… … how is the training? It’s physical training, so it must be very difficult?”
“No. You gave us another chance to run, and that’s not that hard.”
“That’s good. In fact, today’s training is just a taste. It will get more intense.”
“… … .”
Does this mean that the intensity of training will be increased here?
I’m already feeling dizzy.
“What do you think of the position? Does it seem like a good fit?”
“Yes. I’m running around hard and trying not to fall into the coach’s tactic.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if you think Kang Dae-ho’s current position is a good fit for you.”
“yes……?”
Kang Dae-ho couldn’t answer hastily.
If I said that I didn’t feel like the position was right for me, I was afraid that I might be left out of the starting lineup or that my contract would be terminated.
“Player Kang Dae-ho.”
Did you read his mind?
Cha Seong said in a soft voice.
“Please feel free to tell me. I want to hear Kang Dae-ho’s thoughts.”
Kang Dae-ho also answered with a little relief.
“Actually, I often felt frustrated while playing defensive midfield. What should I say about it? It was like… … .”
“Feeling chained?”
“Oh. That’s right.”
“There must be something else besides that?”
“yes?”
Is there anything else besides that?
no way-.
“Sometimes, no. Often, don’t you feel like something is off? Like the timing, for example?”
“Huh? Uh, how did you… …!”
How on earth do you know that?
I’ve never told anyone about this.
“Would you like to watch this video?”
In the video shown by Cha Seong-eun, Kang Dae-ho was standing in the center of the field.
It was a video taken by scout Kim Su-han of a friendly match he was playing while he was in college.
“Look here. Do you see Kang Dae-ho hesitate a little bit when he receives the ball from behind?”
I felt embarrassed for no reason, wondering how I could catch the slightest hesitation.
In addition, Kang Dae-ho’s long pass was not even properly delivered to his teammates.
Kang Dae-ho was losing more and more confidence.
“My passing skills are terrible.”
“No. Kang Dae-ho’s pass was very good.”
You liked that shit pass just now?
“Would you like to continue watching other videos?”
Cha Seong-eun thoroughly searched through videos of Kang Dae-ho playing in professional matches and even training videos and showed them to him.
“It’s the same here. A little hesitation, then a pass. But the next video is different. You can see him throw a long pass without any hesitation.”
“Yes… … . But that wasn’t relayed to our forces in the end.”
“Yes. And the opposing team, who had been defending tightly, missed Kang Dae-ho’s pass at that moment. This is exactly it. Kang Dae-ho’s strength.”
“… … ?”
What does this mean?
How can not being able to make a single pass to your teammates be a strength?
“Why did Kang Dae-ho hesitate for a moment here? And why didn’t the pass go through properly when he did not hesitate?”
“That… …couldn’t it be a problem with my accuracy?”
“no.”
It’s not an accuracy issue?
Anyone who looks at it seems to have an accuracy issue.
“Kang Dae-ho’s accuracy is not a problem.”
“Then why the pass… … .”
“That’s because Kang Dae-ho took away the timing.”
“… … ?”
Stolen the timing?
Kang Dae-ho was confused, not knowing what was being said.
“Player Kang Dae-ho must have seen this scene sometimes when he watched soccer games. It was clearly a slow shot, but the goalkeeper was stiff and couldn’t even react, allowing the goal to be scored. Then why didn’t the goalkeeper stop it? Was it simply because his skills were lacking?”
“… …Is it because of the timing?”
“That’s right. Timing. Sports are all about rhythm. Players move within that rhythm. But sometimes, there are players who move half a beat or a tempo faster, breaking the rhythm and taking away the timing of their opponents.”
Cha Seong-eun continued speaking while showing the video again.
“You have a different rhythm than them. That’s why you can score the ball in that mistimed timing. Just like the world-class strikers who score goals by making the opposing defenders and goalkeepers unable to react with half a beat faster timing.”
World class striker?
“This is not something you can acquire through training. It is something you can only acquire through a sense of talent.”
“But if you can’t pass the ball to your teammates, isn’t it ultimately a useless ability?”
“That’s okay. Through continuous training, the players on the same team will naturally get used to Kang Dae-ho’s timing. The only ones who will lose their timing will be the enemy team.”
Take away the opponent’s timing.
That’s my talent.
Kang Dae-ho swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.
“Not only that, Kang Dae-ho also has a strong shooting ability. Of course, the problem is that his accuracy is low.”
Another training video showed Kang Dae-ho taking a shot.
Although his shots were as powerful as cannonballs, they rarely went near the goal.
“The good news is that accuracy can be overcome through training. But this powerful shooting speed is not something that can be acquired through training.”
A wide field of vision and the ability to predict where the ball will come from.
Tenaciousness and tackling to cling to the opponent, and tireless stamina.
In addition, Cha Seong-eun continued to explain what Kang Dae-ho’s strengths were.
“Each soccer player has his or her own personality, and when I watch that person play, there’s something that comes to mind. And when I watch Kang Dae-ho, it looks like this to me.”
Cha Seong-eun continued speaking with a faint smile.
“A beast trapped in us.”
beast of prey?
How can I be a beast when I can’t even play defense properly in the center?
I thought it was nonsense.
But Cha Seong-eun continued speaking in a very confident voice.
“That’s why Kang Dae-ho felt frustrated all this time. He’s definitely not a defensive player, but his position was defensive. You have a very strong attacking ability. Just like a striker.”
Striker.
It’s a position I’ve never dared to look at before.
This is because the coaches and managers who trained him all along always put him in a defensive position.
But this person… … .
“Kang Dae-ho has the talent of a striker. He has the talent of a world-class striker, no, the talent of a striker who can become the best in the world.”
Kang Dae-ho couldn’t easily accept those words.
That’s because his entire football career up until now has been all about defense.
That guy has the talent of a striker! And he’s the best in the world?
If anyone else had heard this, they would have laughed out loud.
But the director really seemed to believe it.
“As of today, Kang Dae-ho’s position is not defensive midfielder.”
“Now, just a moment, Coach. I’ve never played as a striker before.”
At those words, Cha Seong-eun smiled.
“There is a saying. You have to listen to the end to understand Korean. I also have no intention of putting Kang Dae-ho out as a striker right now.”
Only then did I breathe a sigh of relief.
But it wasn’t over yet.
“However, I have no intention of keeping him as a defensive midfielder. Kang Dae-ho’s position from now on will be an attacking central midfielder. He will continue to develop his goal-scoring ability and finishing ability through training.”
I’m serious.
This guy really intends to make himself a striker.
“Ah. Since the position has changed, of course the jersey number should change as well, right?”
The number currently held by Kang Dae-ho is 5.
In soccer, jersey numbers are not assigned randomly.
Your jersey number will change depending on the position you play.
And the new jersey number given to Kang Dae-ho is-.
“Number 10. Now, Kang Dae-ho will have to take on the number 10.”
The number 10 was given only to the team’s ace.
* * *
“then…….”
“Yes. I hope you finish your training safely today.”
widely-.
I sent my father off with a smiling face.
But I felt tears welling up in my eyes as I smiled.
“……thank god.”
I was able to meet my father like this, and I was able to continue his dream like this. However, my heart was breaking, and I was saddened by the reality that I would have to remain only as a coach and player forever.
Even just once, I wanted to receive a hug from him along with a warm word like, ‘You worked hard today, my son.’
But now, it would be greedy of me to wish for such a thing.
So I decided not to be swayed by these feelings any longer.
“My father probably won’t believe it either.”
Today I told you in detail what talents my father has.
However, as a father who has played the role of a defender his entire life, this situation would be completely incomprehensible.
How could anyone possibly believe that he had the talent to be the best striker in the world?
If other people had heard this story, they would probably have thought I was crazy.
but,
“My eyes are not deceived.”
I saw his talent through the video I watched of my father after the funeral that day.
Not simply because he is my father.
My ability to discover hidden talents in players, my intuition told me that day.
The world’s greatest gemstone, my muse that I have been searching for all this time, is right here.
I still remember the intense thrill I felt at that time.
“In this life, for sure.”
His brilliant talent will change the entire history of football.
And you will remember.
The world’s best striker, named Kang Dae-ho.