Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 199



Only Krnovel

Episode 199 The Way Forward, The Way You Must Take (5)

Seong Ha-jun was silent and silent again.

He wiggled his fingers and pushed his hesitation instead of dust into the corner of the desk, and even exhaled with his lips moving.

This must be an action right before asking for something, so I stare blankly, not hiding my pitiful expression.

You came here now after seeing everything that was so ugly?

Above all, since the last runaway incident (which was not intentional) he had nothing left to hide, so there was no hesitation in his subsequent actions.

“What the heck? Is Mom trying to convince me? Now?”

“No, that’s not it.”

“Then, should I hit you with my dad’s punch?”

“hey.”

“what.”

“… … I said it’s not like that.”

“Then? Don’t make me feel uncomfortable. Especially on the day of the game. Why don’t we just say it quickly and fight? Isn’t that easy?”

“… … .”

“… … There may be a very small chance that we won’t fight. Anyway, what is it?”

There are times when a direct question is effective, and the other person scratches the back of their neck and gets to the point.

“… … I feel a little better.”

“What? The game today?”

Let’s pretend we didn’t hear the fart coming out of the wheelchair.

Because I said it knowing that it wasn’t true.

“Who is as crazy about soccer as you are?”

“then?”

“That last time. When you were being a jerk in the middle of the night.”

“… … Even if I say it, it’s the same. What the hell, what the hell.”

“That’s bullshit. What the hell is that?”

“To resist, to protest, to raise a flag against oppression, etc. There are so many cool expressions.”

“Shit.”

“… … .”

The atmosphere was surprisingly not bad, although we were speechless by the feast of harsh words. We almost simultaneously snickered, and almost simultaneously felt awkward.

An awkward but decent flow.

Then suddenly, Sung Ha-jun looked out the window and blurted out.

“I’m going to college.”

What should I say in response?

“Do you have a place to go? Where can I get it?”

“That’s… I guess I’ll have to look into it. The teacher told me about a few places. The best option would be the University of Cologne, which is the closest one.”

No, would it have been good?

Instead of giving compliments or supportive remarks that I made a good decision, I show off my blunt speech. Brothers who are at odds with each other can’t become warm overnight.

“… … What department?”

“Creative writing.”

“Oh my.”

“… … I heard that you have some talent?”

“You’re talented… …so that’s okay. So what? What’s wrong with you going to college? It’s not like I have permission to do that.”

Nevertheless, once the conversation gets started, it flows smoothly without any hitches.

That night, what did I talk about and what did my brother hear? I can’t pinpoint the exact details, but we had something in common.

‘They do things they don’t want to do, and then they hold themselves back from doing anything, and even then, everyone is tied up and sinking together. Am I the only one who feels that way? I’ve felt that way ever since I came to Germany.’

Some of the remarks were a bit hasty in some parts.

But in the end, I made my own decision, and it seemed like my brother did the same.

“… … The tuition is breaking.”

“How much is the tuition? This is Germany. Isn’t it almost like going for free?”

“If you go to the public university in Cologne, that’s fine. But you might not be able to get in there. I think the teacher told my mom to consider private universities as well.”

“How much is it there?”

“It seems similar to Korea or more expensive. About… 3,000 to 3,500 euros (40,000 to 50,000 won)?”

“What am I saying? It’s not like it’s crazy expensive.”

“… … There are also hospital bills. If I transfer overseas, won’t the club stop covering my hospital bills?”

Useless worries are instantly cut off with a wave of the hand.

“You’ll get a lot more than the hospital bill support, right?”

“… … Are you sure?”

“According to my agent, that’s right. No matter where you go, you’ll get paid at least 100,000 euros.”

“100,000 euros? 100,000 euros… … That’s over 100 million won.”

“yes.”

“In a month?”

“Soccer players don’t get paid by salary?”

“… … Crazy, 100,000 euros a week?”

“Why, do you feel like respecting me only now?”

This is a good situation to boost your self-esteem, so you should not miss it and point it out.

“To you? I’ll give you 100,000 euros?”

“… … .”

You should be careful with what you say.

Didn’t that ‘you’ guy pay for your hospital bills and tuition?

Still, the fact that I’m having a ‘normal’ conversation with my brother is meaningful, so I’ll let the minor rudeness slide.

“But then… … Mom and Dad are staying in Cologne? Did they say I can go alone?”

There were a few things that drove me crazy with curiosity.

* * *

Eight days later, Madrid, Spain.

I’m away for the 5th match of the Champions League Group B.

The view of the city from the hotel bedroom is quite nice.

As if no one could call it the capital of Spain, crowds of people flow through the streets. Every corner of the alley is filled with the sunlight that has set in at dusk, and the buildings have lost their original colors and are reflecting a golden light.

Although I couldn’t hear the aroma of coffee beans emanating from the cafe or the singing from the restaurant that was slowly starting its evening business, I could get the feeling just from the visual information.

“Looking at the square?”

“Is that the square?”

Then, suddenly, when his roommate Remperle asks him a question, he responds by asking him again.

“Don’t you know Plaza Mayor? It’s the central square of Madrid. It’s a famous place.”

“First time seeing you. When was the last time you were here?”

“I used to come here to play with my family. If you look over there… … It’s square, right? There are Baroque-style buildings on the four corners, and there are shopping streets lined up around it, so it’s worth a visit. They also hold a lot of festivals and events. Go there later.”

Could it be that he said, “That would be really fun?”

My mind is full of thoughts about Sophie Hertz and the decision to transfer, so I nod my head and try not to show my shameful and embarrassed feelings.

From hotel restaurants to team meeting venues.

Well, at least I tried.

[Ultimately, the problem is the exposure of the sideline. It is the weakness of 4132, and soon our team’s weak point. That’s why in the last match, we kept in mind that the side would be attacked, so we used 4231… . . ]

[However, this actually resulted in highlighting the disadvantages. The central midfielder’s side involvement during defense was effective, but at the same time, the team’s front-line attacker was isolated. To solve this problem, the attacking midfielders moved up, and naturally, the initiative in the midfield was shaken. The gap between the 2nd and 3rd lines widened as a bonus… … .]

[Therefore, tomorrow’s game will be played to take advantage of our strengths. We will give up the advantage on the flanks to the opposing team. Jonas and Skri will have a very hard time. Instead, we must firmly hold on to the center. The left and right wingers can be considered to be playing the role of attacking midfielders. At this time, the two front-line attackers will move to the left and right flanks… … .]

Inside the hotel banquet hall, Steffen Baumgart stands at a podium and delivers a passionate speech.

Last weekend, they were left feeling dispirited after losing 4-2 away to Mainz in the 11th round of the Bundesliga.

The Cologne leader, the bear, kept saying ‘Taschen’ (pockets), his face turning red.

Taschen in German, pocket in Korean, pocket in English.

In other words, it refers to a movement that instantly breaks into the space between densely packed defensive formations.

I guess what he meant was that running between three or four opposing players was like going into a pocket… something like that.

Of course, this is something that has been drilled into my head by analyst Hannes Dold, so I take advantage of a brief break to look at my phone.

[Jaeseon hyung: Don’t be so depressed and focus on the next game. The league game… …was against a strong team.]

“… … .”

The top line contains a message from Jae-seon, a teammate on the national team, pretending to console him about the loss against Mainz while subtly bragging about his team.

[Jonas Dr: You lost again?]

[me :…….]

[Jonas Dr: Again?]

[Me: #@$.]

[Jonas Dr: (laughing emoticon)]

The second line contained a provocative phrase from an ungrateful otaku.

[Me: What are you doing?]

[Me: I came to Madrid.]

[Me: No answer. Are you busy?]

The third message box with Sophie Hertz is silent, and then finally, on the fourth, the eye movement stops.

[Alex Pasek: Negotiations with Chelsea and Arsenal are all done. Liverpool and Manchester United don’t seem to be interested in making a move right away. If the latter is interested, it will have to wait until after November. Otherwise, we just have to make a decision now. We’ll discuss the details when we meet. First, beat Madrid!]

Messages, whether short or long, contain multiple meanings.

Barcelona and Inter’s offers were not taken into consideration, and Manchester United and Liverpool did not make an aggressive move contrary to media reports, so the situation was put on hold. In reality, he had to choose between Chelsea or Arsenal.

Chelsea have the advantage of qualifying for the Champions League this year and promising to pay more wages, while Arsenal –

“Have you decided?”

Then, all of a sudden, a voice came from next to me and I raised my head.

Mark Ut, of course.

“… …Why are you stealing other people’s messages?”

“I made you see it. Didn’t you mean to ask me to look at it?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Oh, really? Be careful next time.”

“huh.”

“… … .”

“… … That’s not it!!”

I am truly grateful.

Thanks to that, I unknowingly raised my voice and caught the attention of those around me.

“Anyway, you said you were meeting with Inter last week. I guess it didn’t go well with them? There’s no mention of it.”

“What… is that so?”

“Was the offer not that great? Well, Serie A clubs aren’t as financially sound as EPL clubs. But it’s still a prestigious club.”

“It’s a proposal, but I thought it would be better to go to the EPL. Everyone said it would be good to go to a big stage.”

“who?”

“National team mates. Oh, of course there was someone who recommended Italy. There’s a defender named Kim Min-je who transferred to Napoli. They said that although the competition is fierce, the overall level of the league is very high.”

“But why don’t you go?”

“I said it was just not that good.”

“… … It’s suspicious.”

“What’s suspicious?”

“I wonder if Sophie Hertz had any influence on the timing… … because that’s a reasonable inference?”

“What nonsense… … Me, really.”

crazy.

This is a truly sharp and accurate observation.

“No? Look into my eyes and tell me.”

“… … No?”

“That’s right. What did you do this time?”

“… … .”

It’s like a ghost.

“I just… … heard it a little harshly.”

“If you were ‘bumpy,’ it wouldn’t be just any ‘bumpy.’”

“But you told me honestly?”

“To the Inter staff? What? You confessed to a girl and got rejected, so you feel really bad?”

“huh.”

“… … Huh? Huh? You idiot!”

“… … .”

There’s no need to exaggerate it to that extent.

At the end of the conversation, I added something to make sure there was no misunderstanding, and the other person also laughed it off.

only-

“That’s not why I said no. It’s because the starting striker position is so crowded. I haven’t even talked to the coach about tactics. I heard that they’re going to use a three-back formation with 3142, but they only have a winger on the right side, so they can’t play as wingers. Then they have no choice but to be the top player, but Lukaku-Lautaro are the starting players, and Edin Dzeko is also there. The problem is… … .”

“Lautaro Martinez is not an easy opponent to compete with. He doesn’t get injured easily, right?”

“huh.”

“I understand now. Inter had you in mind as a substitute for Lautaro, but given your status, it won’t be easy to get the chance.”

I nodded for a moment.

Ut asks back with a serious expression, unresponsive.

“So when do you plan on deciding?”

“soon.”

“How long will it be? Either way, it would be better to decide quickly. The transfer is on paper as of January 1st, but since the World Cup is in the middle, the schedule will be finished by early November. If you think about the time it takes to prepare for the move, do the paperwork, and adjust to the local environment, it will really be quick, right?”

“… … Is that so?”

“Yes. Besides, this is your first time transferring. You need to plan your schedule broadly and leisurely. Otherwise, you might end up moving in a rush and your condition might get worse. It’s fatal right after transferring.”

“Yeah. I’ll go back and decide right away.”

“Yes. And while we’re at it… … let’s have a party before we go. Seonghanul, leave Cologne behind. That’s the main slogan.”

“… … .”

If it were normal, I would have snorted in disbelief.

The reason I can’t just smile is because there really isn’t much time left.

The Bundesliga has 4 games.

The Champions League has 2 matches.

And the next day, the fifth match of the group stage, which can be said to be the most important of all, opens.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

[Atleti, Atleti, Atletico de Madrid!]

[Atleti, Atleti, Atletico de Madrid!]

[Jugando, ganando, peleas como el mejor~!]

The opponent is Atletico Madrid. The venue is their home stadium, Civitas Metropolitano, filled with a whopping 70,000 spectators.

Additionally, it was a match where both teams desperately needed three points.