Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: I Must Be a Genius
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I've realized something recently.
It's about lies.
They're a lot like snowballs.
You know how, when you roll a snowball in the snow, a fist-sized one can grow to the size of a person before you know it?
Lies are exactly the same.
Even if it starts as a tiny lie, trying to hide it forces you to tell a bigger one.
And before you know it, a lie that was nothing becomes a size you can no longer handle.
This is why I've come to realize this.
Sigh... I wish I hadn't.
It all started with a truly trivial lie.
"Yeah. It's great."
"Friends? Tons."
"Why would I lie? I'm telling you, I'm doing great."
I have one childhood friend.
A girl named Kim Ji-woo.
She was my only friend.
I came to study soccer abroad when I was 13, and we lost contact, but she was such an old friend that we kept in touch even after I came here.
Well, it's not like I have a crush on her or anything.
We were just inseparable since we were little, so we kept in touch.
Anyway, she was always a bit of an odd kid.
She acted like she was my big sister or something.
Always asking if I'd eaten, telling me not to hang out with weird kids, and even coming to fight on my behalf if I had a fight with a friend.
She'd say something like...
"I'm the only one who can help you navigate this harsh world."
Anyway, Ji-woo was this strange girl.
Even after I came abroad, she acted like my big sister.
Always asking if my life abroad was tough, if I was studying Italian well, if I'd made a lot of friends...
She had so many things to worry about.
She'd ask every time she called, and I'd always busy myself reassuring her, saying I was doing great, the kids here were nice to me, and I was super popular.
But... there was one problem.
"What about it?"
"I'm just tired."
"I'm doing fine, why do you keep asking? You think I can't live without you or something?"
The thing is, everything I ever told Ji-woo about doing great was a lie.
The truth is, I haven't been doing great since I came to Italy.
Adapting wasn't easy.
When I first came here, I realized for the first time that strangeness and fear are similar emotions.
Street signs, people, food, even the air.
Everything was strange, and that terrified me.
I was already a timid person to begin with.
Becoming so withdrawn like that, there was no way I could adapt to a new, unfamiliar environment.
Popular? Made lots of friends? Yeah, right.
I was a loner.
My days were such that I was just thankful if I wasn't getting bullied.
But I couldn't bring myself to tell Ji-woo the truth.
"I'm doing great."
The soccer talk was the same.
A "soccer genius," yeah right.
How could I possibly be good at soccer in an environment where I was scared of everything?
The truth is, I was pretty good when I was in Korea.
I'd even been called a "genius" sometimes.
Of course, it wasn't that I was a real genius, but I'd worked hard enough to hear that kind of thing occasionally.
But ever since I came here, I couldn't properly focus on soccer.
Naturally, I lost interest and didn't work hard.
My only advantage was that I worked harder than others, but I didn't just fail to work hard—I basically gave up entirely.
Calling me a genius? Not a chance.
Getting criticized and scolded every day became the norm, and in the end, I even switched teams.
But for some reason, it was hard to be honest with Ji-woo.
I was afraid a barrage of nagging would come pouring down if I did... and more than anything, my pride was at stake.
"Huh? Of course."
"Didn't count. I scored too many."
So I always bluffed.
Always saying I was called a genius, that scoring goals was getting boring, that I might be on TV soon.
I made unbelievable bluffs.
I don't even know what I was thinking when I told those lies.
I don't even have any pride to speak of.
I just... well, how should I put it.
I just didn't want Ji-woo to see me like this.
Again, I don't have a crush on her or anything. I don't know why I felt that way.
Really.
Well... anyway.
That was the situation.
Couldn't adapt, couldn't play soccer.
And in the middle of all that, with that strange pride of mine, I was putting on an act as a fake soccer genius.
But this much was fine.
I thought my lies would never be found out.
Then, a few days ago.
I got a message that made my heart plummet.
The news that Ji-woo was coming to Italy.
"...What did you say?"
"Why... why you?"
What... since when was our country's education system so great?
I heard she went to a specialized high school, but to get picked for an exchange program from there?
And why of all places, Italy?
It really felt like a cruel joke from fate.
"No, it's just..."
Truthfully, I should have been happy.
Ji-woo was my only friend, after all.
So of course I should be happy she's coming, and I actually was.
But...
"What, what are you coming to watch? You don't have to come."
"No..."
It was all because of the lies I'd told.
The lies had grown like a snowball, and they were now a size I couldn't handle.
The date Ji-woo was arriving was just two weeks away.
To keep my lies from being discovered, I had to train like crazy over those two weeks to at least get on the coaches' radar.
Then, I'd have to do even better to make the weekend match roster.
And then, I'd have to get lucky enough to play in that game and score a goal like some kind of miracle.
Does that sound possible?
Is it even remotely possible for all of that to happen without a single miscalculation?
In short, I was screwed.
"Gaaaah!"
I grabbed my head and got out of bed.
Why did I have to tell those lies?
Well, actually, I could just tell her it was all a lie even now and be done with it...
Ah, forget it.
I just don't want to show her this pathetic side of me.
"Sigh."
I let out a sigh and headed for the bathroom.
It was time to go to work.
···
Clank!
I locked the door with a key, gave it a tug to make sure it was locked, and turned away.
You might think a house without a digital lock is rare these days, but all the houses in this neighborhood are like this.
This neighborhood just really loves its traditions.
"Whew."
I walk through an alleyway lined entirely with orange bricks. These brick houses might have been standing for hundreds of years.
Walking through the alley, you come out to a small square.
Once again, the weather is uselessly beautiful.
People are sitting around leisurely, sipping coffee and soaking up the sun.
I ignore them and walk quickly across the square.
As I walk, the sound of church bells rings out from afar.
I wonder how many churches this neighborhood has.
Wherever you look, you're bound to see a church. The funny thing is, even the churches that look like nothing special are at least over a hundred years old.
This is such a strange neighborhood, too.
Anyway, as I pass by countless churches and squares, I start to smell the scent of earth.
A cool breeze blows in, carrying the sweet aroma of grapes.
I squat down and tie my shoelaces tight.
From here, I run.
It's about 2km to my destination.
The path is a bit winding, but it's a decent course to run.
Out of habit, I take out my phone, start the timer, put it back in my pocket, and start running.
From now on, I think of nothing.
I just keep running.
I focus entirely on my breathing and keep running.
A cool breeze and vast vineyards pass me by.
Running on this empty path makes me feel the most free. It's the only time I feel like my complete self.
"Hoo, hoo."
As I run, my destination soon comes into view.
Over there, far away.
A place that, at a glance, is indistinguishable from the surrounding vineyards.
That place is the end of my commute and my workplace.
ACF Fiorentina.
That's the name of my workplace, and this is Florence, the city of art located in central Italy.
"Domenico?"
"Yep."
"Gino?"
"Here."
"Enzo?"
"Present."
"Okay. Everyone's here."
The U17 team I belong to, which I'm 16 and part of, always starts its training with roll call.
I was standing among the kids, ready to answer...
Wait a minute.
"Um, Coach?"
"Yeah?"
"You, you didn't call my name."
"Huh...? Oh, right. Sorry. Lee Ji-an."
"...Yes."
I raised my hand and spoke, and only then did the coach notice me and check my name.
...Even if I do show up late as often as I eat, this is a bit much.
This is my current position on the team.
I'm practically invisible.
Not just the kids, but the coaches don't show much interest in me either.
Actually, I prefer this kind of treatment.
I'd rather they treat me like I don't exist and ignore me.
I used to play soccer for a team in Torino until last year, and the kids there were extremely interested in me.
So interested it was too much; they'd throw trash in my locker, hide my shoes...
But here, at Fiorentina, the kids had zero interest in me.
It feels like they're all too busy with their own business.
There might even be more kids here who don't know my name.
Nobody paid me any attention, and I didn't approach the kids first.
It was comfortable.
However... it's a bit of a different story if even the coaches don't pay me any attention.
That's a problem now.
Because I have to play in the match the week after next, no matter what.
For that, I need to get on the coach's radar first...
"Alright, let's get ready for training."
Can I do it?
I don't know.
I'll just have to try.
I don't want to be utterly humiliated in front of Ji-woo.