Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Company Housing
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Camila, who had come right up to me, shouted at me in a voice full of shock.
"Why on earth did you sign a contract like that?! Goal bonuses?!"
"Haha, I'll just score them. I'm sure this contract is way better for me than the original one."
"What...? But I know your style, Si-eon! In the past three years, you've only scored five goals..."
Right. In my previous life, especially before turning pro, I believed that a fullback's job was solely defensive play for the team's sake, so I extremely limited my attacking runs.
Of course, the coach had drilled that outdated motto into us: defenders only defend, attackers only attack.
Now, there was no need or reason for that anymore.
Of course, becoming the top scorer I mentioned earlier would be tough since I joined mid-season, but four goals to break even on the contract?
On a hot day, I could even bag a multi-goal haul. No need to worry.
Of course, only I, who had lived my previous life, knew this. To those around me, it looked like crazy arrogance from a cocky prospect.
"On top of that! Your Spanish is so good! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"
"I figured it was fine since we could chat in Korean too."
Her pronunciation got a bit jumbled at times, but there were no real communication barriers, and it was fun, so talking in Korean wasn't uncomfortable.
"Aha... Then should we speak in Korean?"
Camila switched straight to Korean, clearly pleased by the sudden praise.
"No, it's fine. I'll be using Spanish around the club anyway, so no need to confuse things."
"Oh, right... Yeah... Okay..."
I couldn't pinpoint why, but her mood soured, so I struck up a conversation to lighten things up.
"When should I do the medical test?"
"Ah! Rest for today! Come back tomorrow, and we'll do it then."
"Got it. So, can I head straight to the company housing you prepared?"
This was the reason my sudden trip to Spain had gone so smoothly.
Surprisingly, the club was offering quite a few perks to sign me.
Among them, providing housing for a year was what made me hop on the plane without hesitation.
"Ah, about that..."
"What? Don't tell me it's not ready? I have nowhere else to go."
"No, no! It's not like that... Get in the car first, and we'll talk on the way!"
Her reaction was extremely suspicious, but with no other choice, I obediently got in the car and we set off.
"Tell me now. Is there a problem?"
"No, it's... It could be a problem, or it might not be..."
"If it's a problem, tell me quick so we can fix it."
I was starting to get frustrated, but seeing Camila, neatly dressed yet shrinking back nervously, reminded me of someone back in Korea despite our height difference. It made her feel oddly familiar.
"We were supposed to get separate housing, but... it fell through. But if that's all it was, it really would've been a problem, right? But I personally found a place!"
"Oh..."
Camila didn't strike me as someone high up in the club.
She was assigned to me, for one, and it showed outwardly too.
In that situation, she'd personally secured housing.
Thinking back now, her Korean was pretty advanced, and it felt like they'd assigned a competent staffer to me.
"Phew, that's a relief! Why the suspense? In the end, no issues."
"Haha, yeah..."
After about fifteen minutes by car, we arrived at an apartment that looked surprisingly cozy and welcoming.
"Here it is!"
Stepping inside, I took it all in: a kitchen, two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a living space better described as the bathroom entrance. But for solo living, it was plenty.
"Oh..."
Pretty excited, I wandered around checking it out.
"Hm..."
A growing sense of dissonance built as I looked around.
This didn't feel like provided housing—it felt like someone already lived here.
"Aren't you going home, Camila?"
My uneasy question, half-hoping I was wrong, went unanswered.
Camila was nowhere in sight, so I approached the unopened bedroom door.
Knock. Knock.
"Camila??"
Click.
The door swung open just before my hand reached the knob.
— Camila "Ta-da...!! This is my house..." "Haha..."
Whether it was her consideration or some ploy, I accepted the situation pretty calmly.
We were already here, and as I slowly grasped my circumstances, it somehow made sense.
How could a regular staffer suddenly procure club housing that even they couldn't provide?
If anything, I should be grateful to her for willingly offering her own home.
"Is that... not okay?"
"Well... If you can match my sleep schedule, it should be fine. I'm a light sleeper at night."
"Yes!! We're partners, so of course I'll adjust!"
Her permission came quicker than expected, and her voice lit up with excitement.
Indeed, it's faster to act first and ask forgiveness later.
"I'll cook for you from now on and drive you to the club too! Clea... cleaning we'll do together..."
If we solved the downsides, there were clearly plenty of upsides.
Thinking of it as living with my manager actually put my mind at ease a bit.
"So, can we eat dinner right away?"
"Ah! You must be hungry! I'll get it ready now. This is your room, Si-eon, so unpack!"
The room she assigned me was the one on the right from the entrance.
Inside, a neat setup greeted me.
Bed, desk, wardrobe.
What more did I need?
In that sense, this room perfectly matched my needs.
Only the essential furniture, so easy to add whatever I wanted.
I quickly unpacked my minimal luggage and sat at the desk.
I planned to return to Korea after the medical test anyway, and I hadn't brought much to begin with.
Sitting down, I immediately turned on my phone.
I sent a KakaoTalk message to Ji-na right away.
💬 KakaoTalk — Lee Si-eon Ji-na, I'm in Spain now. — Yoo Ji-na Really??? You already signed???!! (Bear poking its head in emoji) — Lee Si-eon Yeah. It worked out that way. Contract's done, medical test tomorrow. — Yoo Ji-na Wow... You really joined Espanyol... So you're not coming back to Korea now? It was an obvious question, but her tone carried a hint of disappointment for some reason.
— Lee Si-eon I'll swing by in a few days. Probably can't during the season. — Yoo Ji-na Yeah. You'll be busy. — Lee Si-eon Meet in two days? — Yoo Ji-na Really...? Sure... — Lee Si-eon Cool, I'll message when I get to Korea. — Yoo Ji-na Okay.. (Bear waving hand emoji) She's my first fan in this life, so she's especially precious to me.
Plus, wasn't Espanyol her recommendation in the end?
Feeling grateful to her once more, I opened a shopping app.
Money would be no object from now on anyway.
I just ordered the most expensive pre-built PC without comparing parts or sites.
In my previous life, high on the idea that SNS was a waste of life, I didn't even own a computer and used the same phone model for ten years.
This life would be totally different.
What I learned from my past failures: soccer happens off the pitch too.
What is a soccer player?
No, what is soccer?
At its core, it's just 22 guys kicking a ball.
The reason it makes money, gains popularity, and brings honor is all thanks to the fans.
Fans make soccer a thriving sport and the profession of footballer possible.
I didn't know that in my previous life.
Or rather, I ignored it.
Hype via non-soccer issues to draw attention and gain fans.
In this life, I'd use every tool to turn my soccer career into unprecedented history beyond mere success.
Surprisingly, my first step toward that grand plan was about to begin.
Tap... Tap tap... I opened the Chrome app and searched for "Lee Si-eon."
"Ugh..."
A certain actor, politician, even dentists with some fame.
A glimpse of my current recognition level.
But there's a way to overcome it.
If my ten pro years were my soccer foundation, my one year as a bum taught me how to make my great footsteps shine brighter.
Lee Si-eon Soccer Gallery.
Just three extra letters, but now I'd get the info I wanted.
⚽ Lee Si-eon Soccer Gallery — ㅇㅇ (283.72) Pretty shocking info right now. Isn't this the Lee Si-eon from our U-17 World Cup two years ago? He's joining Espanyol? — Reply Really? Crazy? — Reply Espanyol?? Wow, a Spanish big club. But who's Lee Si-eon? ↳ Reply Second division big club? Lol ↳ Reply For real lol ↳ Info Lee Si-eon was the starting right fullback for Korea in the U-17 World Cup. ↳ Reply Oh... — Moon-do Not bad for a nobody. ↳ Reply This guy's at it again lol — Anonymous Wow, finally a Korean playing in La Liga? ↳ Reply Second division. ↳ Reply Espanyol will promote soon anyway. ↳ Reply True that. — Anonymous Wow, Korea finally gets a World Cup fullback? ↳ Reply Lee Young-pyo lol ↳ Reply Seol Ki-hyeon lol — Anonymous Yo, straight to first team at Espanyol? How? ↳ Reply Talent. ↳ Reply No idea~ As expected from a club like Espanyol.
A no-name Korean prospect with no experience joining Espanyol was prime bait for controversy.
"What is this."
⭐ Top Post — Si-eonSniffSniff Let's learn about Lee Si-eon, our nation's pride, soon to play for Espanyol, world-class legend soccer player. The best game to explain Si-eon's exploits is the Round of 16 against France. He started as Korea's right fullback in that match too. But do you know who France's left winger was? Probably not many. How many even watched a U-17 Round of 16 anyway. So, for you ignorant fools, I've come forth~ France's U-17 Round of 16 left winger was Mbappé. Yes, the Mbappé you know.