Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 160
Only Krnovel
I said it’s not episode 160
On the plane from Frankfurt Airport to Incheon Airport.
“What did you do during your break?”
Lee Jae-seon, a Korean player who plays for Mainz, stares intently at Sung Ha-neul, who is sitting next to him. They were on the same flight back home as each other, as he was called up for an A-match at the end of June.
“I was at home. I had a big accident at the end of the season, so there was nothing I could do.”
As expected, he was a bold teenager. I found it surprising that he was able to admit to his actions and move on so easily.
“Aren’t you bored?”
“I’m bored. So I reread the team reports I received during the season… … I spent my time mainly studying theory for the first time in a while.”
“Did you leave the power analysis report at home? There must be quite a lot of it.”
“Because there is a closet.”
“wardrobe?”
“About 95 percent of my room is my brother’s, but the closet is mine. If we were to calculate the ratio, it would be around 3 percent.”
“… … What about the remaining 2 percent?”
“A bed.”
“… … .”
“But the closet is quite big. I put trophies in it, the official ball I got from the game where I scored a hat trick, and other players’ uniforms and stuff I got from the club. It’s kind of a treasure chest.”
It’s hard to understand his subsequent remarks, but he just laughs awkwardly instead of asking a secondary question.
Because it’s better not to ask difficult questions than to answer them.
Of course, there was no way to know whether the other person thought the same thing.
“What about your brother?”
“Me? I… … .”
“I heard you might not be able to come because of an injury. Is your knee okay?”
“Uh, well… … It’s okay. But I don’t think he’ll be able to play many games. The coach isn’t the type of person to force him to play.”
“Huh-uh.”
Huh?
When I make a puzzled expression in response to the meaningful snort, the answer comes back quickly.
“The competitors will love it. My brother is a regular starter on the national team.”
“What is that… … Is there anything good about it?”
“Of course it’s good. You develop while competing. Don’t you want to take advantage of this opportunity?”
“… … .”
“Well, that’s what I mean… … .”
As he spoke, it seemed like he was talking nonsense in front of the person involved, so the boy belatedly trailed off.
Then, all of a sudden, he blurts out a question whose meaning he doesn’t understand.
“Oh, I made another mistake. I guess the tongue is the root of all evil.”
“Hahaha, why are you even the source of evil again?”
“Really.”
“There’s no such thing as a mistake. It was nothing.”
Even though I waved my hand to say it was okay, the other person seemed lost in thought for a moment and continued speaking cautiously.
“What do you do when you do something wrong? For example, if you say something wrong to a coworker.”
“I will apologize.”
“Is that all?
“Yeah. There’s no need to explain it in detail. Just get to the point. I think I’ll admit my mistake and honestly apologize.”
“… … .”
“Is that because of Modeste?”
Kkung!
This happened after the Pokal final, and it was so widely known in Germany that I took a stab at it.
Why, the nasal sound is back, much stronger than before.
“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ll never deal with that guy again. He’s a fucking gorilla. I met him when I was being disciplined by the club, and our signs have already crossed the River Styx.”
“The River Styx?”
“It is a river from which there is no return.”
“Oh, yeah… … .”
Do teenagers these days use expressions like that? He realizes his age, now in his 30s, and tries to understand.
“Then who… … . No, it doesn’t matter who. What happened when you made a mistake?”
“You keep meddling. Telling me that you’ll regret it if you don’t find out about the transfer in advance, telling me not to avoid it, and so on. Even though we’re teammates, you keep getting involved in things so deeply that before I knew it, I just… … started yelling.”
“Hmm, it’s surprising that you brought up the transfer issue. That kind of thing rarely happens.”
“Right?”
“Yeah. This is just my guess, but either he’s a very magnanimous person, or he just cares about you a lot. Did he want to give you advice even if it meant going against the unspoken agreement between the players?”
“… … .”
The reaction appears in full color.
No, that’s… … is that so? No… … is that right? Is that so? Damn, etc. Most of the words are cut off instead of complete sentences.
Looking at this, he is definitely a high school student. Instead of adding a comment, he waits silently until the emotions have been sorted out.
“… … I guess I should apologize.”
“Well, there’s nothing to lose by apologizing.”
“It might seem funny.”
“Are you the kind of person who would make fun of me?”
“… … That’s not it.”
“Okay then.”
“But wouldn’t apologizing make it seem like I’m deciding whether or not to transfer? To be honest, no one is urging me to do it, I’ll just take care of it myself.”
“… … You’re not urging me?”
“Yes. No? Who can tell me what to do? In the end, it’s me who decides.”
“Well, we’ll see.”
“… … ?”
After a few questions and answers, a puzzled look comes back, but this time, Jae-seon Lee doesn’t give a clear answer.
It was something I would naturally find out once I arrived in Korea anyway.
* * *
I didn’t know.
Jonas doesn’t know much about me, but I don’t know much about him either. That’s probably why I made the slip of the tongue.
I’ll have to apologize when I get back.
Ah, but I still don’t want to do it. Just thinking about it makes my hands and feet curl up, so I want to pretend not to know and just move on.
But at the same time, there was one more thing I didn’t know. The thought of whether or not to apologize was pushed aside immediately after arriving at the airport.
[Gyaaaaaaah-!]
“… … Who got stabbed? Why are you screaming like this?”
“Hahaha, you said you liked it. At least wave your hand.”
[You’re handsome!! Oppaaaaah!]
“I don’t think it’s you, oppa.”
“… …Oh, heavens.”
“I’m waving my hand~”
As I was leaving the lounge after completing the immigration process, the moment I saw the densely packed welcoming crowd, the flash of a camera flash struck my cornea.
Well, I’m not entirely happy.
There were a lot of people and reporters, but there were only three or four people left to protect us.
“Let’s do a quick interview, please.”
“For safety reasons-”
“You’re being so picky, Seong Ha-neul! Just wait a minute! I’ll just ask you a few questions!!”
In addition, the dedicated escort assigned by Act Sports Agency this time was not accustomed to this type of environment –
“Nimiral… … .”
“Hey, hey, you have to watch what you say.”
“Yes, yes. But I’ll make it really short.”
I stop walking despite Jaeseon’s dissuasion.
Rather than forcing our way through and having an accident (we were plodding along like turtles), it would have been better to just give them some interview material and leave.
“Okay, okay? Ask your questions. As I said, you’ll only get three. Don’t expect more than that.”
“… … Seong Ha-neul, you were disappointed with the cup finals, but overall, you had a great season and came back. Now you have two A matches in a row, and in the first match, you will face Brazil, a world-class team.”
“yes.”
“But on the other hand, the current Korean national team is evaluated as having the best attacking lineup of all time. Son Eung-min won the EPL Golden Boot (top scorer), Hwang Hee-cheol plays for Wolverhampton, and Lee Jae-seon has also shown remarkable performance at Mainz. And Sung Ha-neul is also crucial.”
“The decisive part is the best. So?”
“My mindset when facing Brazil… … .”
The question is neither great nor special.
What kind of performance will we show against Brazil? In other words, are we confident?
He gives a vague answer that he will do his best, and then nods for me to quickly move on to the next question.
Then, as if he had been thinking about it, the grim-looking old man opened his lips with a meaningful look in his eyes. It looked like he was going to provoke me.
It’s impossible.
“There have been a lot of transfer rumors because of his performance this season. The player himself is aware of it, right?”
“Yes, well. To some extent-”
“According to Sky Sports, there are reports that a deal between Arsenal and Cologne is almost finalised.”
“… … The end?”
uh?
“Oh, I didn’t see that article. Since Sung Ha-neul is not yet 18, it will be difficult to transfer him in the summer transfer market, right? So, we will sign a contract, but he will join in the winter after his birthday… … .”
What kind of novel nonsense is this?
It was so absurd that I didn’t even mind the occasional informal speech he used during the interview.
“that’s right?”
“What is it?”
“You’re going to Arsenal, right?”
“No.”
“No, there’s a bold link. It’s in the news. It’s on Sky Sports-”
“Is it chocolate milk? It’s not that strong. It’s not that strong.”
“Hehe~ I said I’m sure.”
“Oh my~ I said no.”
“… … .”
This is really ridiculous.
The old man spoke first as if he was making a fuss, and when I returned the favor, he glared at me fiercely.
Knock, knock.
Then, out of the blue, someone tapped my back and barged into the interview. When I turned my head, I saw Jae-seon smiling artificially.
“Hey, reporter. You know perfectly well that I can’t answer. Don’t push me too hard. Why are you doing that?”
“I didn’t ask if you were transferring. I asked if you knew about the agreement between the clubs, okay? I gave you the information. I’m also a person who keeps my line.”
Kkung-!
“… … .”
“… … Because the child has a cold.”
“… … .”
“You’re coming to Paju, right? Let’s interview in more detail then. The sky’s condition isn’t very good today. Please understand.”
It’s not a cold.
It was a whiff of strong protest.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Jaeseon Hyung handled the situation with a skillful, if not mature, way. Not long after that, we were able to board the car heading to Paju NFC.
But the problems with my transfer were just beginning.
The road to your destination.
[Seong Ha-neul, I haven’t heard of the Arsenal offer.]
[I’m speaking indirectly, out of consideration for Cologne.]
[Is a move to Manchester United in sight?]
[To become a great player, you need to have a mature interview attitude.]
The mobile phones were filled with the reporters’ delusions and grudges, as well as the expectations of Korean fans.
* * *
On the first day of my stay, right after unpacking and resting at my accommodations, I participate in afternoon training and handle the ball for the first time in a long time.
I’ve been practicing trapping for fun in the yard and corners of my room, but it’s been about a month since I’ve had a proper practice match.
“right!”
“The castle is empty! Narrow the angle!”
Divided into two teams, each half lasting 20 minutes.
Even though the coaches mentioned that it was a light practice match, the players instinctively raised their voices after the whistle blew.
Fight!
I take a move from the second line to the center, and receive a ground ball pass that rolls in from the friendly third line.
Po-ok.
In the same posture as you are running towards the goal, you instantly extend your right ankle and touch the ball.
The result is world perfect.
WHEEK, WHACK!
The situation that followed was the same.
At the moment when the opposing team’s defender wearing a vest is making a bold sliding tackle, he scrapes the top and side of the official ball with the sole of his left foot.
When the ball with a strong spin hits the top of your left foot… … hit it diagonally upward and move it to the right.
Next, it’s time to change direction and move the ball control initiative to the right foot.
and.
This will soon lead to a defensive collapse, as it will take a defender who has attempted a sliding tackle a considerable amount of time to get up and follow up.
Knock, knock, knock.
As expected, as he approached the penalty box line with brisk steps and sensual ball touches, the opposing central defenders and wingers hurriedly tried to close the space.
If this is the case… … then it’s time to pass.
Don’t act like you’re trying to see the liver in a half-hearted manner.
Fight!
The target is the feet of the forward, Jo Young-guk, who is running towards the left side of the goal.
The method is to kick the right side of the ball, low and fast. With a strong spin, the pass is used to nullify the defenders’ attempts to block it.
Bam! Crash!
“good!!”
“Don’t do the ceremony, England. This is completely made up.”
“Oh, why! Praise me!”
“What are you talking about? You could just put your foot in and it would go in.”
“Yeah. What is the sky pass?”
“Your condition doesn’t seem to be a joke. Jeongsu got hit hard. You, stop making weird tackles~”
That’s right.
I wish I was in this condition for the Pokal final.
Even though his mind was full of all sorts of transfer rumors he had seen on his phone, his condition was excellent. It felt like the ball was sticking to his feet.
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