Step Up (2)
Step Up (2)
030
The day after the away game.
I only opened my eyes, bleary and disheveled, at the time I would normally have been up early, lightly warming up before the start of regular training.
It's one of my daily routines to train at dawn, but surely it can't be the same on the day after a match?
Soccer is a more intense and physically draining sport than you'd think.
After going through intense physical clashes, your whole body gets bruised, and players called Hard Workers run 12-13km during those 90 minutes.
Of course, it's not like you're in fierce contention or sprinting for the entire match.
In reality, most of the distance covered is walking or light jogging. However, in extreme cases, you can lose up to 3kg in a single match, so soccer is a sport with intense physical exertion.
Since this is a league-based sport that lasts for 9-10 months, you have to manage your body to maintain a steady level of performance like a marathon, rather than burning yourself out in a single moment like a sprint.
You played a match yesterday, but you're going back to your routine the very next day?
Sure, it might be fine right now.
But what about a month later? Two months, three months, half a year later?
If you shine briefly at the start of a long league season and then fall into injury or a slump, you've put the cart before the horse.
You have to manage yourself well from the beginning of the league, while you still have plenty of stamina, so you don't run out of steam in the second half.
That must be the reason why Coach takes care of stamina management by substituting me early in the second half during games where the result is already decided.
Even though I was subbed out sharply at the 15th minute of the second half in yesterday's game, my body feels stiff when I wake up this morning.
Looks like the fatigue hasn't completely worn off.
'Too bad. If I were the Iron King type, I'd be playing full-time every game.'
I am not a Hard Worker.
If we're talking about stamina, I'm probably below the league average, right? The good thing is that my Recovery is good.
Just looking at the stats on my status window, my Stamina is 53, while my Recovery is 65. However, even if my Recovery is decent, it doesn't mean I'm perfectly fine to move the day after a match, so rest was necessary.
In my case, since I have good Recovery and Coach manages my stamina, I usually just skip the dawn training and evening self-training the day after a match.
As I eat a light breakfast and head to school, I've been realizing my recent popularity.
"Oh. Look over there. It's Hong Min-jun."
"Really? Wow, he's so hot... He's fucking handsome."
"Huh? Who's that?"
"You don't know? You know, the guy who's been flying around in the school soccer team lately."
"Ah~ The one who was plastered all over the school newspaper?"
"Hey, hey, Hong Min-jun from the soccer team is walking by."
"Soccer team? Hong Min-jun was at our school?"
"Of course. You carry around a picture of Hong Min-jun and you don't even know he's in the soccer team?"
"I just saved it because he looked handsome in a magazine. But he was at our school? Daebak."
I chicly walk past, pretending not to hear the whispering around me.
Keuh~ This popularity of mine.
Since I've been crushing the University League with my overwhelming performance, the school broadcasting club interviewed me, and I've been featured in the school newspaper. It's absolute chaos.
Plus, surprisingly, the women's magazine that Reporter Noona interviewed me for. That had quite a big impact too.
Even the noona at the hair salon I went to get my hair done at recently made a fuss, saying she saw me in the magazine.
'...Wait. Wasn't that magazine a feminist magazine?'
Then that hair stylist noona too?
...I should go somewhere else next time.
Anyway, since I'm crushing the league, popularity follows on its own.
Honestly, it seems like it's more because of my face than my skill, though.
Brrr.
I struggle to control my facial muscles, which want to grin on their own, and head to the club room, when the phone in my pocket vibrates.
Wondering what it was, I took it out and saw a message from Heeyeon Noona...
'Link?'
I clicked on the attached link.
'.......'
I quickly turned off the screen and looked around, unable to watch this feast of skin outside the house.
Fortunately, there was no one around.
I snuck into a toilet stall, closed the door, and scanned the link the noona sent... Heeyeon Noona's explicit Sect account appeared.
<Jiyu's Deviant Account>
All sorts of lewd videos uploaded under the name 'Jiyu', which Heeyeon Noona uses as a pseudonym.
I had asked the noona about it out of curiosity before and visited it... I think I got so turned on that day that I fucked Heeyeon Noona until she passed out?
'But why this all of a sudden?'
I wondered what the sudden link was about, and saw a new video had been uploaded.
I pressed it with a sense of unease, and the 3P video from that night when I, Heeyeon Noona, and Reporter Noona spent a wild night together started playing.
'Are, are you fucking crazy!?'
I wondered if this noona had really lost her mind, but fortunately, she had applied such a heavy mosaic to the face area that you couldn't even recognize the shape.
Well, look at that.
Plus, there's even a note left below?
<The day Jiyu got caught being deviant and lost her virginity. 3P for my first experience. The first sex with Master was so good.>
I sneakily took my wireless earphones out of my pocket.
Ahem.
Even though I'm the one involved, it's more fun than I thought. Especially the conversation content... Wow, kya, phya~
Knock knock!
"Ye, ahem, yes!"
"Who is it? Min-jun?"
"Yes!!"
"What are you doing in there? Everyone's gathered except you."
Gasp!
I checked the time and realized the assembly time had already passed.
I hurriedly opened the door and came out, and Yoon-hyeok Sunbae, who was looking at me with a puzzled expression, grinned.
"You little shit. You're the same."
He tapped my shoulder and walked ahead... Well, this is something.
I can't exactly tell him I was watching a video of me taking the virginity of the noona he's related to in a 3P.
'...I should treat her well.'
Honestly, because the Sunbae's noona is delicious.
A team on an upward trend usually has a good atmosphere.
Trivial complaints get buried in the winning atmosphere, and since the players are cheering each other on to keep the momentum going, training attitude, motivation, and efficiency improve, naturally leading to a virtuous cycle where performance also rises.
It's hard to objectively measure the strength of a team on such an upward trend. Because even a team evaluated as weaker can become a surprise "goblin team" that defeats a team evaluated as much higher.
However, in a long, long league, you can't always be on an upward trend.
There are several reasons why a team's upward trend, which was continuing in a virtuous cycle, comes to an end, and one of them is...
"Aaargh!!"
Injury.
Just like this.
"Captain!"
"Ankle! My ankle twisted!!"
During a break in regular training.
I was in the middle of a 1:1 breakthrough bet, half-jokingly, with the core of our defense, the starting center back, 4th-year Gojisik Sunbae.
It was a drill we did often.
Since I, who am entirely responsible for our team's attack, am a one-trick pony for breakthroughs using only personal ability, rather than precise partial tactics, tactical movement, off-the-ball, or passing, we did this kind of practice quite often.
From my perspective, it's good for practicing breaking through defenders, and from the defense's perspective, it's good for gaining experience against a striker with good breakthrough ability.
This time, just like usual, a 1:1 breakthrough bet was made half-jokingly... Gojisik Sunbae, fooled by my upper body feint followed by a drag back, twisted his body too hard, lost his balance, sat down, and ended up twisting his ankle.
"Quick, call the manager or coach!"
At the shout of 3rd-year midfielder Park Jin-ho Sunbae, who is the vice-captain, one of my peers ran off, and Gojisik Sunbae, who was groaning while clutching his ankle, opened his mouth, trying to act calm with a face full of cold sweat.
"It's okay. It's not like my ankle is broken. And Hong Min-jun. You don't need to feel sorry for no reason. This is my mistake."
"Captain!!"
"Dda-heuk! Captaiiin!!"
While everyone seemed moved by the captain-like, heavy statement, I was the only one confused.
'I don't feel sorry at all, what kind of bullshit is that? It's not my fault anyway.'
He fell down on his own, what do I have to be sorry for?
Of course, I pretended to be moved because of the atmosphere.
Fortunately, the captain's injury wasn't serious.
However, since he had to take about 2 weeks of rest, our team ended up having to play 2 matches having suddenly lost the core of our defense.
A bucket of cold water poured on the upward trend that was burning with 7 consecutive wins.
At the moment everyone was worried, there was a player burning with motivation.
It was 3rd-year Oh Sang-tae Sunbae, a rotation defender who hadn't been able to play a single game since the start of the league because the manager, who values defensive stability, had decided on the starting defensive line early on and they had played full-time constantly.
Even though he's a 3rd-year who should be playing as a starter, he hadn't been able to play a single game even two months into the league opening, so I can understand his anxiety and nervousness.
Naturally, this is his first start of the season.
I understand how excited and motivated he must be, but...
Bip, biip!!
The moment the referee's hand pointed inside the penalty box, Oh Sang-tae Sunbae screamed with a face like Munch's The Scream.
"No, nooooo!!"
7 minutes into the first half of the match against Jihak University, Oh Sang-tae Sunbae's first start.
Our team ended up conceding a PK.
The opposing striker, who walked out with an indifferent expression, carefully placed the ball on the penalty spot and stomped down on the surrounding grass.
Then, standing just a couple of steps away from the ball, he took a deep breath,
Biiip-!!
And with the sound of the referee's whistle, he approached with short, stuttering steps from his spot...
Ppong!!
And lightly pushed the ball into the bottom right corner.
Our team's goalkeeper, 4th-year Choi Gyu-cheol Sunbae, watched the direction until the last moment and dove with all his might, but the ball heartlessly crossed the goal line.
"Oh Sang-tae!! Get your head in the game!!"
At the manager's roar, Oh Sang-tae Sunbae, who had turned pale, looked at the goal with a half-dazed expression.
'This isn't good.'