Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 145



Only Krnovel

Episode 145 Heaven and Hell

After the Saturday evening game, I spent the night at a hotel in Augsburg, west of Munich, and then returned to Cologne.

Squeak!

“I’m back.”

“… … .”

As expected, the house is plunged into silence.

It was a completely different environment from what I had experienced outside, with all the pranks in hotel rooms and jokes on airplanes, but… … it wasn’t all that bad.

The Augsburg trip is on Saturday.

Korean gatherings disguised as churches are held on Sundays.

If you go back and forth by plane like this, Sunday morning schedule is automatically skipped.

“It’s nice and quiet.”

Suddenly.

But that was only for a moment.

As I opened the bedroom door on the first floor, my good mood plummeted to the floor.

Seong Ha-jun was lying face down on the bed.

“… … was there?”

“… … .”

“Church? Is it sick? Okay.”

“… … .”

“But what about Mom and Dad? Did they both leave? Leaving you alone?”

The wave of his hand clearly conveys the meaning of ‘get out’.

Are you not feeling well?

It’s not easy to tell the difference because he’s always so sloppy. But considering that he’s not sitting in a wheelchair at this time, it looks like his health isn’t that great.

In times like this, it was best to issue a red alert (self-imposed) and stay put.

Creak, creak.

Fortunately or unfortunately, as I exit into the living room, a noise pours down from the second floor landing. The person responsible for the footsteps is… …my dad.

“You were there.”

“hmm.”

“Is it only your mom who goes to church?”

“okay.”

Today is May 1st. With spring almost gone, my father pours water from a pitcher because his throat is sore and then walks up the stairs again.

“Are you coming up?”

“… … Yeah. Look at your brother. He must be feeling unwell.”

“Yes, I know.”

This way, the areas are divided naturally. The bedroom is Sung Ha-jun’s, the rest of the lower floor is mine, and the upper floor is Lazy Sea Lion’s… … No, Dad’s.

So next it’s Ssukssukssuk’s turn.

thud.

First, I put the laundry in the washing machine, took out the vacuum cleaner, pulled out the long power cord, and started sweeping the living room floor.

Since the floor is wooden and not plank, there is no need to mop it (though you shouldn’t), but since there are a lot of bug corpses rolling around, just wipe the areas where there are traces with a dry mop.

“… … #@$”

“what?!”

“#@$.”

Then, suddenly, when the vacuum cleaner went over the threshold of the bedroom door, I saw Sung Ha-jun’s shocked expression and turned it off.

“What are you saying?”

“bathchair.”

“You said you weren’t feeling well. Are you lying down?”

“shut up.”

If that’s what you want, then so be it.

The transfer will be over in no time.

All you have to do is lift her skinny body, place her on the wheelchair, put her legs in place, and fasten the seatbelt.

My older brother, who loves studying so much, is like a Korean Stephen Hawking, and I continue working while pushing him in front of the desk.

Running the vacuum cleaner is quick, but more important is cleaning with water. To be exact, I have to do a lot of cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen.

It’s not that it’s not true, but in Germany, when the tap water dries, a white stain remains. It’s not just a simple water stain, but it’s so thick that it makes you wonder if our house is a salt factory.

Swish.

Then, spray water with the shower head to erase the overall marks, and scrape them off one by one with a broom.

Of course, this is also a part of housework, so when I finished cleaning the bathroom, beads of sweat were forming on the back of my neck.

Anyway, since today’s work will be over as soon as I finish the kitchen chores, I hum a tune while planning my afternoon schedule in my head.

I’m thinking of going to the house next door to play for the first time in a while.

There are many stories I want to tell Uncle Gunther.

How much Baumgart praised me, how my teammates were jealous and made fun of me, and how I also bullied Remperle in the meantime, etc.

In addition to that-

Ding ding.

[Lisa from Poland: How was your weekend? Did you get some rest? I watched the game live yesterday, but I couldn’t contact you because I was busy!]

[Liberia Morsi: … … Do you want to come over and play sometime? Mom told me to ask if she wants to treat you to a meal. Oh, I mean, with the kids.]

[Otaku: Please recommend some date courses.]

Even contacting school friends.

Although Sophie Hertz hasn’t contacted him at all, and Jonas Drur dares to ask for recommendations for date courses with his girlfriend… … Well, whatever.

These things also made for interesting conversation topics.

Like I don’t know how he got a girlfriend, or he seems to be reminiscing about his time dating Claudia, or maybe Sophie Hertz seems to have a secret crush on me.

Even if other people don’t know, Uncle Gunther will be laughing and having fun.

Knock knock, whoosh.

Again and again, I feel satisfied with the dishes piled up in front of me. People might be surprised to see me doing all the housework by myself, but emotions are relative.

Look.

Couldn’t you just prop your phone up next to the sink and play a video while it’s slicing through the data?

I can’t believe I’m able to invest this much in something to kill time. I’m really successful.

Coincidentally, the interviewer on the screen seemed to agree with my opinion.

[… … You already have 20 goals and 17 assists in the league. Your second half form is really amazing. What do you think was the starting point of the change?]

[Change is always happening. People around me talk to me a lot. How to play well, what is not good, what kind of mindset to have, etc. I’m the youngest player on the team. I think those things helped me.]

Good answer.

It’s cliché, but I like it that way.

[There are two league games left. Round 33 is at home to Wolfsburg, and Round 34 is away to Stuttgart. It’s a bit cautious to say, but is it okay to expect 20-20? Are you confident?]

[I always have confidence.]

[Hahaha, the checks won’t be easy. The defenders will be aware of your records. In fact, Hanul, each and every achievement you make is like rewriting the history of the Bundesliga.]

[That’s… … Then just shoot. It doesn’t have to be 20-20, right? 22, 23 goals and 17 assists aren’t bad either. More than anything, I like making things that the opponent can’t imagine come true.]

Even looking at it again, the atmosphere in the interview room is beyond compare.

Korean fans respond with cheers, the interviewer knows this and takes care of them, and the questions are safe but hit the nail on the head, and the answers are appropriate.

Mark Ut barged into the interview room and hit me on the back of the head, and I can’t even say anything good about it, but that’s what happened.

[Last question. This is a truly lovely season for Cologne fans. Third place in the league, advance to the DFB-Pokal final. They say that they are most happy about the result of washing away last year’s slump, but especially about discovering a mammoth prospect like Hanul and you.]

[huh.]

[Do you have any personal goals for the end of the season?]

[… …Adapting well to the changed position?]

[Like today’s game?]

[That’s right. I was given the role of free-roll today, and I think I did pretty well. Of course, there were some small mistakes, but I hope the director saw it positively.]

Oh, here it is.

The highlight of the interview.

[National team or club?]

[… … .]

[Hahaha, that answers the question. There’s a lot of meaning in that shrugging. Up to here… … .]

It’s still amazing no matter how many times I see it.

He also secretly asked not only Cologne but also the national team coach Mauri Mendes to give him a free role.

It was great that the interview was peppered with loud laughter at the end, so it didn’t feel like a complete tantrum.

Kung!

And that was when it happened.

Amidst the noise of the dishes and the sound of the cell phone, an ominous noise came into my ears.

The sound coming from the other side of the door wasn’t the sound of something crashing. It was something heavier and duller, more like a robot falling over out of control.

That’s why… …I couldn’t react right away.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds.

I count in my head and hope to hear some curses, but unfortunately my expectations are never met.

“……brother?”

“… … .”

widely.

Only then do I turn off the tap and turn my head towards the room.

“Seong Ha-jun! You… … what did you do?”

If someone is injured, you should run quickly and help them.

I know it’s right, but it didn’t work out well.

How to deal with a confirmed tragedy.

What should I do if I can’t accept it because it’s something I’ve already experienced and I don’t want to experience again?

Thud thud.

Before I could come up with an answer in my head, I instinctively moved my feet toward the door, and soon visual information flooded my mind.

Beyond the threshold. The wheelchair that had been pushed in front of the desk was pushed back, and my brother… … was lying on the floor.

“… … .”

Calm down. You have to calm down, Seong Ha-neul.

What should I do first?

Consciousness, confirmation of consciousness.

“… … Hey, hey. Seong Ha-jun. Are you okay? Wake up.”

“… … .”

“Dude, wake up… …Fuck.”

The moment I reached out to turn her over, my mind went blank. As soon as my fingers touched the cold wooden floor, I felt something wet and lifted my hand… … and there was blood.

“Hey, you’re bleeding. You’re bleeding… … .”

Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking and doing after that.

I just turned my brother over, and sighed in relief when I saw that it was not his head but the area around his eye that was torn open.

I was about to call an ambulance, but then I realized I had stupidly left my phone on the sink, so I screamed for my dad.

Creak-creak-I can’t even welcome the scream of the stairs, I’m pushed aside by a rough grip and just stare blankly.

Instead of calling 119, call 112 in German style, and then quickly bring the first aid kit as instructed by the angry voice.

After a while, an ambulance arrived in front of the house and I headed to the hospital under the gazes of the people around me.

okay.

When I came to my senses at some point… … I was sitting in the hospital hallway.

Groan, groan.

What kind of hospital is this? The weekend emergency room is quite noisy. My brother went to get an X-ray under my father’s care… … No, no. He left to get a CT scan, so I was left alone.

And of course, my mind is very complicated.

Shit, fucking, fucking.

Looking back at the past situation while staring at the floor tiles, it seems that my brother tried to take the book off the bookshelf by himself.

If you think about the books, notebooks, pens, etc. that were strewn across the floor, it’s almost certain.

The idiot… …will just call me.

Why did he untie the belt that was tied for him? What confidence did he have to take out the book on his own? Why was I doing the dishes at that time? Every time I ran my palm over my face, all sorts of imaginations and assumptions swirled through my head.

“Hanul.”

“… … Not now. Later.”

That’s why I don’t feel like receiving attention from others today.

Mom will be home soon, I wonder what my brother’s test results will be. If I hadn’t been watching the interview video like a slacker, the accident wouldn’t have happened.

No matter how many times I look back, it’s still so pathetic.

“What do you mean you called me and I said no, you damn brat.”

“… … Ut?”

Then, suddenly, the voice reciting the long sentences seemed so familiar that I slowly raised my head.

With his droopy eyelids, pointy ears, bushy beard, and sinister blue eyes, he was the real Mark Ut.

“how……”

“Ha, I’m really dumbfounded. You sent the message with your own hands. When I heard about it, I saw that you sent it to your team members as well.”

“……I?”

“Or maybe Remperle sent it?”

“… … .”

His blue eyes were half blunt and half worried, rather than playful, but surprisingly, that was… …comforting.

I never thought that person would feel welcome.

I’ve really been pushed to the edge.

But anyway, he plops down next to me and asks a question. His voice is serious, appropriate for the situation.

“My brother.”

“It’s under inspection.”

“… …What did the doctor say?”

“They said it doesn’t seem like his life is in danger. There wasn’t much bleeding and it seemed like a mild concussion. But it seems like he had a seizure. They said they’ll have to check that out later.”

“… … Is that so? Then you’re not seriously injured?”

“huh.”

“That’s good. But why did you send the message ‘My brother died’?”

“… … .”

“… … .”

“……I?”

“Yeah, you. I thought you were in real trouble, you punk. Because of you, everyone from the coach to the players got turned upside down… … Ugh. That’s enough, that’s enough. Let’s quit.”

No, it’s a big deal.

But it is true that I was not in a hurry, so I did not refute and just kept my mouth shut. At the moment, I thought it would be good if I could just stay by my brother’s side until his examination was over.

Anything more than that… is difficult.