Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Sports Festival #15
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"Hello."
I arrived at the soccer field and called out a greeting as I entered the waiting room.
The other kids were already inside, waiting.
Some had been waiting quite a while, so the atmosphere was languid.
"Oh. Our ace has arrived."
The captain cracked a joke with a grin.
"Why am I the ace? It's you."
"I'm just tapping in the passes you give me."
"You have to score to win."
After exchanging that silly banter with the captain, I changed my shoes.
I spent some time chatting idly with the other teammates, and soon everyone who would play had gathered in the waiting room.
"Let's head out and warm up a bit."
The captain nodded at the words from the kid handling goalkeeper duties.
"Okay. Put your stuff in the lockers and let's go, everyone."
The sprawled-out guys slowly rose like zombies, one by one.
I grabbed the ball the captain tossed me—it was pumped full of air—and followed the others out of the waiting room.
Even though I'd only been inside briefly, the blazing sunlight suddenly felt scorching.
Just a little while ago when I was napping, the breeze had been cool and pleasant...
Maybe because it was time to run hard, the weather had turned fickle again.
It was also the time of day when the sun hung highest in the sky.
I felt the soft grass brushing against my feet as I began warming up slowly.
There was still some time before the match started, but this was the perfect moment to get the blood flowing.
Beyond the halfway line, I could see the opposing class's team doing practice stretches.
An announcement echoed through the grounds: thirty minutes until kickoff.
It was probably broadcasting across the whole school, not just here.
Sure enough, the stands were gradually filling up.
That's when I spotted some familiar faces.
They noticed me too and waved in greeting.
The grounds were noisy, so I couldn't make out what they were saying exactly, but I could tell Hong Yeonseo was shouting her head off.
I excused myself from the midfielder I was passing with and headed over to the stands briefly.
"Ijin~!"
With four rare beauties gathered in one spot, all eyes naturally turned our way.
A middle-schooler who looked like someone's little brother even dropped his snack, his eyes wide as saucers.
And since the moms were all stunning too, plenty of uncles were clearing their throats and pretending not to stare.
"Our son looks like a real player standing there."
Our school's soccer field was pretty legit, to be fair.
Plus, we were wearing vests over our gym clothes to distinguish teams.
From a distance, they almost looked like proper uniforms.
"Haha... I'll do my best. Cheer loud for me."
"Sure. But no injuries, okay?"
"Yeah. Your friend Jiu got hurt and is in the hospital, right? Take care of yourself."
Sea's mom brought up Yoon Jiu while urging me to stay safe.
Of course, I didn't want to get hurt either, so I'd hold back on any reckless plays.
Especially since today wasn't my only day off, with a mountain of stuff piling up.
I had to think about the remaining sports festival events today and tomorrow.
And the cosplay contest creeping into view soon.
In the end, no one else was going to take care of my body for me.
More than anyone, I had to be careful, so I'd definitely watch myself.
"Got it."
I wrapped up the chat and returned to my spot, where the other guys shot me envious looks.
"At least we get to play soccer with the girls cheering, thanks to you."
"Who are the ladies next to them? Sisters?"
...Moms.
But since they seemed to like the misunderstanding, I didn't bother correcting them.
"Hey, hey. Gather up. Time for a briefing."
At the captain's call, we huddled by the bench.
"No changes to the tactics. We've only got two we've practiced anyway, so if they block the usual one, we'll switch in the second half. Midfielders, keep feeding passes to Ijin like last game. Defense, watch out especially for their corner kicks and free kicks. They've got a bunch of tall guys, right? Avoid set pieces as much as possible—go hard on high press."
I glanced at the opponents as the captain spoke, and sure enough, there were several taller than our guys.
In amateur play without training, height ruled set pieces, so it was worth being cautious.
Briefings like this before a game helped lock in the mindset for thoughtful play.
Guys perform better with clear goals than just winging it.
The captain kept pointing out key opponents and likely tactics until an announcement cut him off: time to head to the pitch.
"Check your marks' numbers. These guys came through qualifiers too, so stay sharp. Let's push to the finals!"
We piled hands in for a cheer and moved to the center of the field.
I wasn't sure if it matched a real soccer pitch in size, but crossing the wide expanse felt epic.
With all these spectators unlike prelims or practice, it was like being a pro.
The scale was way off, of course, but that's how it felt.
I wasn't the only one—everyone seemed more pumped than in earlier games.
"Class reps to the front."
Our PE teacher reffing called, and our ace captain stepped up with the other team's.
The guy had a friendly, beaming face.
"Yo, Kim Jaewoon. You're toast today."
......Or maybe not so friendly.
He called our captain by name with a menacing edge, half-joking since they knew each other, but there was bite to it.
"We'll see about that."
"Quiet. Heads or tails."
The teacher warned them, and the guy dialed back the hostility while our captain smirked.
Smart money said they were soccer team rivals.
I didn't know the roster, but the guy was his class captain and knew our ace...
Yeah, that vibe.
Captain won the coin toss for kickoff, placed the ball in the center, and waited for the whistle.
The field went quiet; the stands erupted in cheers.
The PE teacher blew hard, and the match kicked off.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ J team's captain. Soccer team's benchwarmer line.
Lee Hyun-seok, burning with rivalry against his middle school alum Kim Jaewoon, had decided today was the day to settle scores.
From past practice matches, the only C team threat was Kim Jaewoon, their captain.
So he'd prepped a tactic to seal their striker and counter fast on chances.
But three minutes in, Lee Hyun-seok realized he was dead wrong.
'Who the hell is that guy?'
A annoyingly handsome bastard was dominating the game.
The face rang a bell.
He'd played last match too, and it was unforgettable.
But in practice games, he'd been a nobody—just average high schooler A.
"Ah!"
Lee Hyun-seok yelled in frustration as his pass lane got cut again.
'What the—how's he so fast?'
Exaggerating a bit, you couldn't receive without sticking to the passer—the pressure was insane.
J team's attacks weren't building from him at all.
Meanwhile, C team's flowed beautifully.
All thanks to that damn guy's engine.
Like he had two hearts, box-to-box everywhere...
Controlling every pass lane on the pitch.
C team attacks kept coming.
J team was getting crushed by their high press shutting down counters.
Long balls to escape? He'd steal it somehow.
Build from defense? He'd pop up and nick it.
J team's backline wobbled; the wall around striker Kim Jaewoon crumbled visibly.
"......Hey! Center-back, eyes up!"
Sure enough, a marking lapse left Jaewoon one-on-one with the keeper.
And Jaewoon never wasted chances like that.
Woooah—!
The stands shook the field.
That bastard's rocket pass dismantled three defenders.
And the other bastard slotted it home.
Desperate offside appeal to the linesman? No dice—clearly onside.
'What's that fucker's name!'
Lee Hyun-seok gnashed his teeth, glaring.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Whoa... That's Ijin, right?"
Hong Yeonseo gaped in awe.
Sea closed her mouth and chimed in.
"He's different from usual, isn't he? Playing even better."
"Exactly!"
Excited, Yeonseo showered praise.
The other girls joined, chirping like birds about Seo Ijin.
The three moms watched with fond smiles.
"Hee-hee. Ijin's mom must be thrilled. He excels at everything. Top of the school in grades too, right?"
"Please take good care of our Soyun."
"Oh my, I'm happy with all of it. Hee-hee-hee."
The three moms chatted away politely, unusually formal.