National High School Football Tournament Semifinals (3)
The moment the whistle blew for kickoff, players from both sides exploded into motion.
Baekhwa High had possession. Seo Junhyeok immediately fed the ball out to Jeong Inho, who was already surging down the left flank. At the same time I dropped deep, Seo Junhyeok drifted into the center, and Jeong Jimin stretched wide on the right.
"Hey!"
Jeong Inho nudged a short pass forward to Yu Gwanhui, who was bursting ahead, then continued his own overlapping run along the touchline.
Four players flooding forward, three midfielders supporting from deeper, and three left to defend. It was a far cry from our starting 4-2-1-3 shape.
In the original formation Jeong Inho, our left fullback, loved to bomb forward and join the attack. That left only three at the back and exposed the left side, so someone had to cover. Baekhwa High had decided to switch to a back three for exactly that reason.
Kim Seongsu, the right fullback who could also play stopper, slid inside as the right-sided center-back. Seo Taeseong dropped into the sweeper role. His partner shifted over to left stopper, completing a clean three-man back line.
In midfield, Yu Gwanhui—normally our attacking midfielder—had pushed up to form a dual striker partnership with Seo Junhyeok, leaving two in the middle. But I, the left winger, dropped into central midfield, bringing the number back up to three.
Why had I dropped into midfield? Simple. In a shape like 3-3-4, the playmaker in the middle is everything.
Kim Minhwan and Kang Junmin, our usual holding midfielders, stepped a few yards higher into central roles. And none of us stayed static—we all poured forward together.
"Hey!"
Jeong Inho, still flying down the wing, laid the ball back to Kim Minhwan, who was supporting from behind, then immediately sprinted straight ahead again. I had already drifted into the center. Kim Minhwan switched it to Kang Junmin, who in turn found Jeong Jimin, keeping the attack flowing.
Just as Namseo High’s midfielders recovered and began pressing hard, I sprinted toward Jeong Jimin.
"Hey!"
Jimin, locked in a tough one-on-one with their left fullback, saw me coming and released the ball at once. Instead of killing it, I took a first touch that sent it skidding left—right into the gap between the center-back who was busy marking Seo Junhyeok and Yu Gwanhui, and the fullback still tangled with Jimin.
Tak!
The ball changed direction at a right angle and I sliced through the defensive line with it. I knocked it ahead a few times, racing clear, and saw the goalkeeper stay on his line, already spreading his legs to protect the near post.
So he knows I usually go low from this angle, huh?
I smirked and lifted the ball toward the near post instead.
Pang!
The Namseo keeper froze, never even getting a hand out. The net bulged.
"Waaaaah!!"
My teammates’ roar filled the air as I clenched my right fist and pressed my lips to the fourth finger—the famous ring ceremony. Then I jogged straight over to the press seats, locked eyes with one of the cameras, and kissed my thumb, index, and middle fingers in turn, making it clear this was my third goal of the day.
"Whoa… nine goals in three games? Is he insane?!"
"Absolute monster…"
The journalists’ reactions were better than I’d expected. I was still soaking it in when the referee waved me back over the halfway line.
We were back in the lead.
Second half 12' — Goal by No. 10 Seong Ian
"What the hell is that kid… a monster?"
"Right…?"
Namseo High’s players wiped sweat on their sky-blue kits as they muttered among themselves. Captain Kim Dongyeop stared across the pitch at the guy laughing and celebrating with the Baekhwa squad.
Seong Ian. Even before today he’d known the ridiculous numbers—two substitute appearances, six goals and one assist. He just never imagined the kid would leave this match with three games, nine goals and one assist.
…Why is Dongwook so off today?
Choi Dongwook, the best defensive midfielder Kim Dongyeop knew, looked heavy-legged and barely involved.
"Hey. Something wrong with you today?"
"No…"
"Then what’s going on? Runs that never used to get past you are flying through, and you can’t even stick a one-on-one mark!"
"I gave everything… I really tried to stop that Seong Ian bastard. But…"
"But what?"
Choi Dongwook swallowed hard and continued.
"He already knew everything I was going to do."
"What?"
"In every situation—whether I’d dribble, shoot, or pass—he was already standing there waiting. Like he knew my entire game cold…"
Kim Dongyeop fell silent. Thinking back, it had been the same for him.
In the first half he’d had a golden chance. He’d shaped to shoot from the left, saw the keeper hugging the near post, and decided to curl it into the far corner. That exact second, Seong Ian had recovered and blocked the shot out of play. Not only that—every pass Kim Dongyeop tried to play to his teammates had been pressed and stolen, creating danger the other way.
"…Maybe we’ve run into him."
"Run into what?"
"The Gung Ye of football…"
Choi Dongwook’s face was deadly serious. Kim Dongyeop just shook his head and jogged back to his position.
…Dongwook’s right. Seong Ian really does seem to read minds.
Nothing else could explain how the kid knew habits Dongyeop had carried since youth football.
What the hell is he…
No matter how hard he thought, the answer stayed out of reach. Because the real answer—regression—was something science could never explain.
Namseo High kicked off again. Just like before, their attack charged forward at full speed. We dropped everyone except our front three into our own half to defend.
"Dongyeop!"
Their winger slipped the ball to Kim Dongyeop, who struck it cleanly first time. The shot was heading perfectly for the far post—
Tang!
—until Seo Taeseong’s perfectly timed sliding tackle snuffed it out right on the goal line.
A frantic scramble erupted in the box. Bodies flew, boots stretched, everyone fighting for the loose ball. Baekhwa High won it. Right fullback Kim Seongsu found Jeong Inho, who was free of pressure.
"Go now!"
Inho exploded into a full sprint, using every ounce of his pace. At the same moment Seo Junhyeok and I both tore through the center.
"Hyung, peel off to the left!"
"Huh? Uh… okay."
By the time I crossed into their half I was already scanning. Four defenders still stood firm, and Namseo’s midfield had recovered faster than expected. Seo Junhyeok heard me and drifted left; one of their center-backs followed him out wide. I immediately cut inside.
Jeong Inho, his sprint blocked by their right fullback, tucked a few yards inward. Just as the recovering Namseo midfielders stretched a leg to intercept—
Tak!
—Inho played a long pass. Straight to me.
I expected it to be cut out. I turned my back on their center-back and tracked the ball anyway. It clipped the toe of defensive midfielder Choi Dongwook and still reached me—but at an awkward angle that made a clean first touch almost impossible.
I snapped my left foot around it, rolling the ball inside with the sole. At the same instant I spun the opposite way. The ball took spin, bent around the defender behind me, and with one clean turn I left him completely stranded.
One-on-one with the keeper.
I didn’t hesitate. Left foot, low and hard, toward the bottom right corner.
Result: pure success.
Chwareuk—.
The net rippled again.
"Uwoooooh!!"
I sprinted away from the teammates charging at me with wild screams and headed straight for the press seats. I yanked my shirt off, held it high, and showed the cameras the name and number on the back. A dozen lenses clicked and flashed around me.
"That Bergkamp turn was filthy… how the hell did you do that?"
"I learned it from a NeoTube video."
The tip had been simple: use the same left foot that takes the first touch to roll the ball inside, then spin. I’d just copied it.
Works exactly like they said.
That was the full extent of my analysis.
"Yeah? Which channel?"
"I’ll tell you after the match."
I grinned and shot a thumbs-up at Jeong Inho, the one who’d played the pass. He was still trudging back across the halfway line, too gassed from the counter to celebrate, but when he saw me he raised a thumb right back.
Second half 24' — Goal by No. 10 Seong Ian
After that the game turned dull. Namseo’s defense, already cracked after four goals, completely collapsed. Their two stars, Kim Dongyeop and Choi Dongwook, never found another spark. We simply kept the ball circulating, never giving them a clean chance to attack.
Beep! Beeeep—!
The referee’s final whistle ended it. Final score 4–2. We had booked our place in the final.
Our opponents would be the defending champions—Seohyeon High School.