Jealousy
"Alright, let's take a short break and do a practice match."
Manager Peter Guardian's words stopped everyone in their tracks. They all dropped what they were doing and started resting right there in the training field.
The morning session began with light stretching and moved into ball-control drills and dribbling exercises.
I finished those plus the goalkeeper-specific training alongside Ederson.
Now the final part—the crown jewel of training—was the practice match.
"Hey Tae-woo, what are you still overthinking?"
Guerrero sauntered up beside me and asked.
"It doesn't matter."
*I was thinking about how to deal with that guy...*
I stared at Ederson from across the field, surrounded by his buddies, with the cold eyes of someone who had already made up his mind.
If it had just been his usual grumbling aimed only at me without harming the team, I could have let it slide.
But the way he was carving out factions—his close friends on one side, everyone else on the other—meant we could no longer stay in the same group.
"Man, why is he picking a fight with you specifically?"
Even the usually dense Guerrero had noticed how openly Ederson was poisoning the team atmosphere.
Sanchez, who had been listening right next to him, jumped in too.
"Yeah, it's pretty gross when an adult acts like that."
*He thinks he can step on my spot just by showing off in practice? Not today.*
"Cough... Don't make that scary face, bro."
"Huh?"
When I turned, I saw Guerrero and Sanchez staring back at me with clear disgust.
"Tae-woo... we're still close now, but let's stay close even more in the future..."
"What?"
The sudden question caught Guerrero and Sanchez off guard.
They saw my cold expression and felt a chill run down their spines.
*He looked like a demon risen from the depths of hell. Those pitch-black eyes radiating pure killing intent... I never want to see that gaze again. If he looked at me like that, he might actually kill me.*
*No way I'm fighting Tae-woo.*
The two of them exchanged a single glance and came to the exact same conclusion.
If they ever clashed with Tae-woo, they would drop their pride completely and drop to their knees begging for forgiveness.
Ederson's gaze wasn't ordinary anger or rivalry.
It went beyond human limits and struck something primal in the soul.
I, who knew nothing of all this, was just bewildered.
*Why are these guys suddenly acting like this? Something feels off since morning... Did they eat at Castillo's house yesterday?*
***
"Annoying. Really annoying."
Ederson let out a heavy sigh while sitting on the training field during the break.
Even today that kid had put on an impressive show.
I hated to admit it, but his ability was clearly exceptional.
*Hah. It's laughable.*
Why had the best prospect—the one they all called the greatest rookie—ended up like this?
The slump from last season.
I never imagined I would be replaced by this.
Not even by an eighteen-year-old goalkeeper.
When City was at its worst, he had appeared like a savior.
The miraculous saves he pulled off while still a prospect in the German league.
Thanks to him, the team had climbed out of the relegation zone and into mid-table.
*'Super Save, Ederson!'*
*That fan chant that still rings in my ears... and now...*
I clenched my fist so hard my knuckles cracked.
If that kid had shown even a shred of humility and tried to learn from me as a mentor, or if he had started in the reserves, I wouldn't be this furious.
But the arrogance he carried from the very first day—as if the starting position had always been his—ignited a rage I could no longer contain.
*Just wait, kid. The professional world is colder than you think. Soon you'll learn that lesson the hard way.*
The night before, Ederson had quietly called Ramirez.
He was also on the bench, pushed aside by the new young defender.
"Ramirez, you must feel the same way about this. That kid is completely destroying our team's hierarchy."
"So what do you want to do? The manager already trusts those kids over us."
Ramirez's voice carried a mix of resignation and fury.
"That's why I have a plan."
A faint smile crept across Ederson's lips.
"What plan?"
"Tomorrow during the practice match, we'll set up a set-piece situation..."
"Wait a second. You're not seriously suggesting something dangerous, are you? They're barely twenty years old..."
"Ramirez, do you remember the sweat we spilled here? The time we dedicated to this team..."
"..."
"But the manager and fans have completely forgotten our loyalty, and now they're handing everything to these young kids..."
Ederson's voice dropped lower. The anger in his eyes was unbearable.
"I gave up my starting spot without a word. Can you accept that? All the things we did for this team... are they just going to end like this?"
Silence fell.
Ramirez looked lost in thought.
"Alright. I'll help you."
And only then did he speak.
As the conversation from the night before flashed through my mind, the referee's whistle echoed from far away.
"Practice match starts now!"
The coach's booming voice rang across the training field.
Ederson and Ramirez locked eyes.
Dark resolve burned in their gazes.
*It's starting.*
Ederson slowly walked toward the goal.
On the opposite side, Jung Tae-woo stood in front of his goal.
*Rest up a bit in the hospital, little guy.*
***
"Why is his gaze like that?"
I muttered while staring at Ederson on the opposite goal.
*Like he's trying to drown someone.*
I paused, then shook my head.
*No matter how stupid, a goalkeeper couldn't possibly drown another goalkeeper.*
But my sensitive instincts screamed danger.
*Still, I have to stay alert.*
The practice match began.
"Tae-woo, this time I'm definitely scoring. Get ready!"
"Haha, if you can."
*Whistle—*
The kick-off sounded with the referee's whistle.
The match started with B-team as the home side.
The practice match was held on half the size of the actual pitch.
The two teams were divided into first-team and reserve squads.
The first team showcased tactical understanding while the reserves proved their individual abilities. The first team was obviously stronger, but the reserves needed the experience.
B-team's midfielder quickly took the ball forward.
The main defenders pressed hard, but B-team's passing was surprisingly smooth.
*Today's B-team is pretty decent.*
In the blink of an eye, B-team's forward broke through the defensive line.
Like a perfectly timed play, the midfielder's accurate through-ball pierced between the defenders.
The striker trapped the ball without hesitation and immediately created a one-on-one situation.
*Hmm, looks like a pre-planned move.*
Instead of shooting immediately, he faked again and again, trying to trick me.
*Whip—whip—*
He touched the ball lightly with the toe, creating rhythm in a way that was anything but ordinary.
*Who is this kid...? His movement is better than I expected.*
The goalkeeper versus striker battle intensified.
He never held the ball for long.
He kept faking until I moved first, inching closer step by step.
*Whip—whip—*
*He wants me to come out without ever taking the ball... then—*
I used my long legs to close the angle and lunged forward, rapidly closing the gap between us.
When he saw that, he lifted the ball in the air like he had been waiting.
It was one of my favorite chip shots.
A chip shot is a difficult high-difficulty technique where the ball is lobbed just high enough that the goalkeeper cannot reach it when the keeper comes off his line.
If he had tried it before I grew taller, he probably could have scored easily even if I guessed it.
But thanks to my growth, I was able to reach it just barely.
*And I was already prepared to jump high because I sensed a chip shot.*
I leaped as high as I could the moment I recognized it and stretched my arms upward.
*Thud!*
With an overwhelming save, everyone on both teams applauded in amazement.
"Whoa, you stopped that too!"
"A chip shot like that should have gone in, right?"
"You've grown taller, haven't you?"
I shrugged nonchalantly and tossed the ball back into play.
But I noticed Ederson's expression on the opposite goal twist for a split second.
*I don't know what he's planning, but please don't do anything stupid. My personality isn't that forgiving.*
My personality had softened lately, but back when I was Kim Chan-ki, the nickname "samesan" had followed "seoksin" because I repaid every act of racial discrimination with twice as much.
And the same applied now that I was Jung Tae-woo.
I wasn't kind enough to let opponents who wanted to harm me go unpunished.
My way was to return twice the damage.
Time passed, and as the match drew to a close, a ball struck by B-team's Ramirez flew out of bounds and set up the final set-piece.
"Tae-woo, come help with this corner."
I couldn't hide my annoyance even as I joined the corner routine.
*That ball was easy to catch... It felt like he deliberately let it go...*
As we advanced toward the opposite goal, a strange atmosphere hit me.
Ederson's face was filled with a strange glow.
While Mathias prepared the corner kick,
Ederson and Ramirez subtly exchanged glances and positioned themselves.
The moment the ball came in,
my enhanced reaction time caught their movement instantly.
Ederson and Ramirez moved at the same time, charging toward me with elbows aimed straight at my face.
*These bastards... Did they really try to elbow-sneak me during the set-piece scramble?*
But my body was much faster than expected.
I twisted my body at the last second to dodge their elbows, then leaned in as if I were falling.
In the process of tumbling over, I loaded every ounce of my weight onto my foot and struck at their ankles and knees.
I feigned a fall while making sure it hurt.
*Crack!*
*Screeech!!!*
Screams echoed across the training field along with the sound of bones snapping.
---
Jealousy has entered the chat.
Ederson's eyes: filled with unspoken rage.
Warning: Provoke at your own risk.