Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Aggro
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Starting from the day after I showed overwhelming skill in my first training session, more and more players began coming to me for advice.
Among them, the most frequent visitor was, of course, Adam Dolan.
This guy was already at a point where there wasn't much left for me to fix.
All he needed now was to gain experience and expand his repertoire on his own.
There were no more weaknesses to point out in him.
If I could just keep protecting his mentality and he continued to grow like this, he'd become a truly dominant midfielder.
The others who came to see me were mostly youth players and transfers who joined after the relegation.
None of the first-team players had approached me yet.
Of course, even if they did, I could offer some improvements, but only to a certain extent.
First-team players were all in their prime, both physically and in terms of experience.
For players who had already perfected their own style and philosophy, advice from a rookie like me wouldn't land easily.
If first-team players were the ones I couldn't do much for even if they came, the post-relegation transfers were the exact opposite.
I hoped they wouldn't show up—guys I had way too much to fix.
Someone might think having a lot to offer is a good thing, but absolutely not.
My time was limited. What good was it if the numbers kept growing?
Who would bother maxing out 1-star or 2-star characters?
You'd use them briefly early on, then swap them out for 5-stars right away.
Sadly, these guys were exactly those 1-star, 2-star characters.
Players we'd use just until Espanyol got promoted again, then sell off.
The world of soccer is ruthless for a reason.
Anyway, the reason I was grumbling like this was that the ones I actually wanted weren't showing up.
The guy I was waiting for most was the biggest headache in Espanyol's youth team.
I figured it'd be easiest if he came to me directly, but as expected, he wasn't easy to handle.
But if I could improve him, we'd gain a solid attacking route.
Rushing in might backfire, so I decided to wait a bit longer.
'What is this, like raising a kid or something...'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A few days passed like that, and Round 24 of the league arrived.
The opponent was UD Almería.
Almería, founded in 1989, was on the younger side for a Segunda División club.
Otherwise, they weren't particularly noteworthy.
We needed to steadily rack up points against relatively weak teams like this to secure promotion this season.
Espanyol was currently in 6th place, barely clinging to the final playoff spot.
We absolutely couldn't settle for complacency and a lack of ambition, thinking we just had to defend this position to keep promotion hopes alive.
I was aiming for the title this season.
From the perspective of someone gunning for the championship, 6th place felt disappointing, but luckily, we were only 7 points off the top.
The five teams above us all had one game in hand, so if we won our 6-pointers, the title was absolutely within reach—that was my calculation.
That's right.
Just win most of the remaining games, and we'd take it. A very simple plan.
It pissed me off to no end that a player with such grand dreams was stuck on the bench.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 📰 Breaking News Lee Si-eon Sniff Sniff
> Today: Espanyol vs Almería
> Lee Si-eon in the squad
> Lots of views lol^^7
💬 Comments — User What even is Almería? lol — User Who watches 2nd division games? — User ↳ Reply Spain's 2nd division is better than most countries' 1st divisions;; — User ↳ Reply Better my ass lol — User What 2nd division lololol anyone even streaming it? — User AfreecaTV — User ↳ Reply Afreeca? It's not there lol — User ↳ Reply Come on, if he's Korean, let's support Espanyol — User He's Korean so I checked in a hurry, but he's just on the bench;; — User ↳ Reply Think he'd start right after signing? — Lee Si-eon Sniff Sniff Bench lol I already got the jersey lol — User ↳ Reply Yep yep yep lol — User Damn, getting into the squad already means real talent, right? Should I buy the jersey? The Korean player who joined Espanyol—the one that made waves recently—being named to the league squad right away sparked huge interest among Korean soccer fans once more.
It was only Segunda División, but strangely, hardly any Koreans had broken into Spanish leagues.
With Espanyol looking likely for quick promotion among the 2nd division sides, fans couldn't help but watch closely.
There were some toxic reactions, but overall, Korean soccer fans were excited to have another team to root for.
But at that very moment, there was a place where the vibe was polar opposite.
💬 Local Fan Community — User Can you believe this shit? Even after dropping to 2nd division, Espanyol is Espanyol! Do we really have to resort to some inexperienced Eastern kid?! — User Longtime Espanyol fan here, but these are the darkest days. I believed we'd bounce back quick... what the hell is going on?! — User It's not about him being Eastern! Soccer's global now, plenty of talent from the East. But that's not the point. Signing an unproven kid wasn't enough—they put him in the squad right away! — User Maybe look on the bright side? He was a starter in the U-17 World Cup. Korea got runner-up two years ago, right? I believe in him^^ — User Sigh, I just don't know anymore... Haven't been to a game despite having season tickets in ages... — User Give us back our sane club!! That was the Espanyol local fans' community.
Espanyol fans had mostly given up lately.
After failing promotion last year, they'd lowered expectations for this season to just scraping into the playoffs at 6th.
Now that they were exactly in 6th, it felt hollow.
Still, half the season remained, and with proper signings in the winter window, good results were possible.
Last summer, they lost a solid loanee with no incoming transfers, so fans were sharpening their knives for winter.
But as the window closed, only two signings: one safe depth option to not screw up until injured players returned.
The problem was the other one's bizarre resume.
"Bizarre" might be too kind.
From Espanyol fans' view, it was a fucking awful signing.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After that first training day, Adam Dolan and I kept showing strong form, landing us both on the bench together.
Dolan was used to the bench anyway, but sitting with me was the key.
In training over the past few days, the stark difference when he and I teamed up versus not had been clear, so if subs came on, it'd be us together for sure.
Meaning I'd almost certainly sub in.
No point dragging two guys who wouldn't play onto the bench.
"Just play like normal. We'll be the stars today."
"Haha... How are you so calm even here? I just don't wanna mess up."
I chatted with Dolan as we entered the pitch to warm up, stepping onto the grass.
Standing in the center, I turned, taking in the whole crowd.
"Hmm..."
That's when it hit me.
"Boooo~~~~"
"Get out!!!"
"Can't stand seeing a brat like you in Espanyol colors!"
...
Jeers and insults hit deafening levels.
"These little shits... This is how you treat your savior?"
"Sean? What'd you say? You okay...?"
I'd expected it, but the intensity made Korean slip out unconsciously.
"Sean, where you going!!"
Without a change in expression, I slowly walked toward the home fans' section.
...
They clearly hadn't expected me to approach directly—the stadium went dead silent in seconds.
In modern soccer, discrimination or targeted hate from groups isn't tolerated.
Especially racial stuff—swift, harsh punishments.
They'd even insulted their own team's player, so no club protection; it was on them personally.
Whether they realized that, or were just stunned by my boldness—or both—I didn't know.
I kept walking, unfazed.
Once close enough to memorize the faces of my main hecklers, I turned back around.
Then, extending my right arm behind me, I thumbed my back—right at my jersey number.
...
"You punk, who you mocking?!"
"Whoa, I swear... argh!"
The stands erupted again in an instant.
I hadn't expected quite this reaction.
They felt provoked, apparently.
Aggro pulled plenty—I was satisfied. Time to head back to Dolan, who'd been dazed since earlier.
"Whoa..."
"Eh, just warm up. We gotta crush it today."
I'd memorized all those ringleaders' faces.
