Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Knocking on the Door (2)
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Bolton Wanderers had notched up three straight wins, including their opening match.
As the media reported, it wasn't an exaggeration to say the players' morale had hit its peak.
But not everyone felt that way.
The Bolton first-team training ground was bathed in the red glow of sunset.
Pewng-!
One player swung his right foot without hesitation.
Striking the center of the ball with the instep, it rocketed off like a bullet amid the sharp crack of air bursting.
Ting-!
It slammed into the top of the crossbar with a resounding clang.
The man immediately struck the next ball.
This time, a left-footed outside-of-the-foot kick.
Sure enough, the ball flew exactly where he wanted.
“Hoo-!”
He exhaled a long breath.
The following inside-of-the-foot kick also traced the perfect trajectory toward the goal.
But even as the net bulged—clang!—his sharply arched eyebrows showed no sign of relaxing.
“Fuck...!”
He spat out a curse.
Then, with a thud, he collapsed right there.
“Ah, this is driving me crazy.”
Sprawled out flat on his back, Shearer Kane ruffled his hair with both hands.
It was a simple reason.
“Why the hell won't the goals come?!”
He'd scored twice in preseason.
Of course, even that hadn't satisfied him.
Back in the fifth tier, he'd racked up more goal contributions than games played.
He'd been the type where no matter the angle, a shot meant a goal.
But three league games in already.
The season had started, yet Shearer Kane still hadn't tasted the net.
“Cole Palmer's already got his first.”
Even if it was a lucky goal, a goal was a goal.
That just made it more infuriating.
Shearer Kane was definitely hunting for goals up top, just like in the fifth tier.
In terms of quality shots, he'd probably led Bolton's players by percentage.
That meant plenty of chances had come his way.
“Hoo-!”
Shearer Kane let out a deep sigh.
“What's a striker supposed to do if he can't score?”
He prioritized the team, sure, but Kane desperately craved that goal rush.
Since joining, he'd even dreamed of challenging for top scorer.
“But no goals, not even an assist...?”
Thinking it over again, he just felt pathetic.
This frustration was building psychological pressure that only grew heavier.
Even the local Bolton press was buzzing.
[Shearer Kane, signed for 200k pounds! Silent in goals after three games!]
[When will Shearer Kane's debut goal come...?]
[Average 10 shots per game..., yet no goals from fifth-tier signee Shearer Kane!]
As a result, his shot volume was spiking unreasonably.
That had drawn complaints from his forward partners, Sensuous Ruff and Total Park, a few times.
Why shoot from there? they'd say.
Of course, Kane felt wronged.
“I've always been like that...”
Even in the fifth tier, he'd unleashed shots from tight angles.
If anything, it happened more often in that league.
Pushed into corners by pressure, unable to find good positions.
Still, Kane was the type to hammer away regardless.
“Back then..., no one complained.”
They might've wanted to, but he kept producing goals, so it made sense.
The issue now was the goalless streak sparking the discontent.
Ahead of round four, the opposing manager had even targeted him directly and indirectly.
Saying Bolton had no proper striker up top.
That only intensified his hunger for goals.
‘I want... recognition.’
Someone had said it.
“A striker speaks with goals...”
“Shearer.”
He flinched!
Muttering to himself, Kane abruptly propped up his upper body.
Turning toward the voice, he saw Jeong-woo standing crookedly just three steps away, dressed in a rumpled suit.
“C-Coach?”
Jeong-woo, hands stuffed in his pants pockets, gazed down at Kane with a gravely serious expression.
Kane tensed up instantly.
‘A scolding...?’
During the three league rounds, Kane had defied not just teammates but the coach a few times.
Ignoring instructions to hold up play, he'd forced risky box penetrations.
No way the coach's face looked pleased now.
But Kane was prepared.
‘It was my fault...!’
Soon, Jeong-woo spoke.
“Too much sun wrinkles the skin. Back in the army, our logistics officer looked a decade older from all that sun. Thought he was in his fifties at first, turns out he was thirty-three.”
“...”
Jeong-woo paused, furrowing his brow slightly before correcting himself.
“Wait, that means he looked twenty years older...”
“...”
“So, let's hit the sauna.”
It was an abrupt conclusion.
* * *
Not long after leaving Bolton in Greater Manchester by car, a Korean-style sauna appeared.
And now.
The two sat side by side in the hot bath, fully immersed like boiled chickens.
“Ugh, this is the life.”
Jeong-woo leaned back against the edge, draping his arms over the sides, letting out a contented sound.
Beside him, Shearer Kane was utterly entranced by his first hot bath experience.
‘No way. A place like this exists...!’
Public bathhouses weren't common in England.
Shearer Kane had never been to a spot where men wandered around stark naked.
Over there, a boiled guy lay on a simple bed, his skin peeling off thanks to another man.
‘That's a bit shocking...!’
But once inside, it wasn't bad at all.
In the hot bath, his whole body went limp, and a fleeting peace settled in.
It was right then.
“Shearer.”
“Yes...?”
Jeong-woo, submerged up to his neck, spoke softly.
Kane glanced at him.
From their first meeting, he'd sensed this coach was different from the others.
And that hunch had proven spot on.
‘He's really unique.’
Sometimes, Jeong-woo turned into a drill sergeant.
You could tell from training—someone always ended up “fertilizing” the pitch.
But after sessions, he'd approach the players like a friendly big brother.
And that wasn't all.
‘He's definitely... exceptional.’
Shearer Kane didn't know much about tactics.
But from the Man United game and others, he'd seen it clearly.
Jeong-woo's cohesion and tactical prowess were beyond imagination.
It showed on the surface too.
Not flashy, but fluid and clean.
“You know what a quantum jump is?”
“Quantum... jump?”
It was a new term to him.
Kane shook his head.
“First time hearing it.”
He wondered what it meant.
Jeong-woo closed his eyes slowly and continued.
“It's a physics term..., but anyway. Simply put, it means your level doesn't improve step by step—it leaps forward all at once.”
“...”
“So, like climbing stairs, but skipping one step, sometimes two or three at a time.”
Shearer Kane's slightly open mouth closed gently.
Jeong-woo cracked one eye open and glanced at him.
‘Kid.’
He could see the fire dimming already.
Probably thought this was about his three-game goal drought.
Not entirely wrong.
But this was mental care in action.
As Jeong-woo figured, Kane had sunk into gloom.
‘Because I can't score...’
It was rare, but it happened.
Even in the fifth tier, he'd seen a teammate have one-on-one talks with the coach multiple times.
No idea what was said.
But clearly..., those talks didn't end after one—they dragged on, and eventually, he was released.
And that teammate was a striker too, silenced by a long goal drought.
“But here's the thing. Up close, it's not all one big leap.”
“...”
“There are stagnation phases in parts, and separate bursts in between. Those bursts add up, and from afar, it looks like a quantum jump.”
Kane's closed mouth opened slowly again.
Now he stared straight at Jeong-woo.
Jeong-woo continued with drowsy, sunken eyes.
“You jumped leagues entirely. From fifth to third tier—two levels up. Stagnation's natural in that. And yet..., from what I've seen, you're putting in the work. You were fired up on shooting drills just now.”
Jeong-woo narrowed his brow faintly.
“Aren't you due for praise? At your age, second in fifth-tier scoring, moved to third. Wait, no—you snatched my shot at second tier. Heh.”
Jeong-woo tilted his head with a smirk.
“So, keep doing what you're doing. To this coach, you're already on the straight path. Your quantum jump phase is coming soon. Why do you think I signed you for that price? Pure confidence.”
Kane's pupils began to tremble.
Only then did Jeong-woo wink at the moved Kane.
“Brother, you're doing great right now. Those goals in the last three games—who do you think made them possible? Simple: you're a threat to them. They stick to you, openings pop up elsewhere. That's how the team gets more chances.”
“Ah...”
“Don't rush it— that'll mess you up. Pressing release? You're fine there. Just cool your head a bit. Instead of forcing every solution yourself, think someone else can score too. Opportunities will come your way naturally. Rushing just narrows your vision.”
“I've been... too hasty.”
Now Kane's lips quivered faintly.
Another strength of this coach hit him.
This guy... was like a moth to flame, but pierced hearts better than expected.
And soothed them too.
“Rush” resonated deeply today.
Jeong-woo, still relaxed, flashed white teeth as he wrapped it up.
“One more time: keep it up. It's close. Your quantum jump.”
Maybe the steam, but Kane's eyes misted over.
* * *
The next day.
Jeong-woo played with his nephew at Hee-won's place for the first time in a while, dozed off, then headed to the training ground.
Riding with Hee-won, of course.
But the car halted at the entrance.
“What the hell?”
Hee-won, gripping the wheel, gaped at the two intruders beyond the window.
“Huh?”
Jeong-woo peered through the windshield with furrowed brows, then let out a dazed sound.
One of the two looked familiar.
“Wait...”
Hoping he was wrong, Jeong-woo opened the passenger door and stepped out.
His gaze locked not on the middle-aged man beside, but on the guy with insane physique.
Towering at 190cm.
A massive frame nearing 100kg, dreadlocked, grinning at him.
Step by step closer, certainty grew.
Five, six years ago, a regular on TV.
‘Yeah. Arsenal, Man City..., Real Madrid too....’
Straight up, a world-class striker in his prime.
Controversies off the pitch too, sure.
And here he was, plopped right in front.
Jeong-woo blinked.
Just to be safe, he asked with a meaningful look.
“God-given..., no, that reverse-run guy...?”
The middle-aged man beside beamed.
“Spot on, owner! Emmanuel Adebayor. We're here to negotiate with Bolton.”