Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Nothing Is Easy - 2
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Saponara-hyungnim, who had insisted he would only have one drink, ended up breaking that promise.
It was an expected outcome, so I wasn't surprised or disappointed, but I'm starting to have second thoughts about keeping this secret from the coach.
My head feels fuzzy just from the sharp, spicy smell that wafts out every time Hyung opens his mouth... It might not just be my imagination that Jiu's cheeks look a little flushed.
"There's nothing easy... Yeah. Our little brother is right, there's nothing easy..."
As the unopened wine bottle eventually showed its bottom, and the plates that were too pretty to even touch became dirty dishes, Hyung kept talking about my role on the team, making me uncomfortable.
He started from the days when the team atmosphere was at its worst due to our frustrating performance on the pitch.
How much it pained him to see the coach getting cursed out because of the players.
How miserable his own situation was, not being guaranteed a spot on the team even then.
Just listening to his story made tears well up in my eyes. He insisted, all on his own, that everything changed after I, the savior, appeared.
He started again with the story of how seeing this kid, who seemed to know nothing about the world, go through his shocking debut match made him remember his own past days as the league's top prospect.
He said he was greatly stimulated by my dedication, how I worked harder than anyone despite having such immense talent.
How, because the youngest was working so hard, the other hyungs also put in a ridiculous amount of effort to set an example.
And the story of how, in the first match he started after Vlahovic left, he felt his chemistry with me was quite good, and how he cried at home, thinking he could still do it.
It was such a long, drawn-out story that it was hard to even call him out on exaggerating a bit.
And as he did, he naturally sipped on his wine and poured himself another glass. It didn't look like his first time doing that.
"Anyway... you just remember this. You are my savior, a savior."
"...You're drunk."
"You punk. This is what they call a drunken confession. A drunken confession."
"I get it, so stop pouring. If you have even one more sip, I'm telling the coach."
"Hey, come on now. Alright. If our little brother says so, I must obey. Loyalty!"
...Sigh.
After saying that, Hyung said he was going to the restroom for a moment and then just disappeared.
Andrea told me not to worry, saying that's just how Andrea is.
"Anyway, seeing him so grateful makes me grateful too. You saved a whole family, you know? I'll be counting on you from now on too."
"...Yes."
...I can feel how much they love each other, but I don't understand why they have to be so burdensome about it.
It suddenly occurred to me that Romero was on the other side, and I felt a little sorry.
If a situation ever arose where both Saponara-hyungnim and Romero could get a chance at the same time, I had a feeling I'd unconsciously pass the ball toward Saponara-hyungnim.
Hmm.
If that situation ever comes, maybe I should just handle it myself.
To avoid leaving any lingering discomfort.
"Ugh..."
As I was lost in these thoughts, a groggy voice came from the living room.
The voice was too young to be Saponara-hyungnim, so I turned my head to see a kid with the same blonde hair as Andrea rubbing his eyes.
The kid rubbed his eyes hard... then saw me and his eyes widened as if he'd woken up completely.
"Lo zio (Uncle)!"
And with that, he ran straight to me and hugged me.
I was a bit flustered and looked at Andrea, who just smiled and furrowed his brow as if to say, 'Go on, take him.'
"He's a fan. He likes you more than Dad."
I carefully patted the boy's back, and Saponara Junior looked up at me with starry eyes.
Then, he said something only a preschooler could say, so innocent and therefore flustering.
"Uncle! Thanks for helping my dad score a goal! But, but why can't my dad be as good as you?"
"...Huh?"
"My dad is bad at soccer!"
At that, Andrea burst out laughing, Jiu, not understanding, just gave an awkward smile, and I was so flustered I didn't know what to say.
"Is it because your dad doesn't work hard?"
As I just scratched my head, he asked again.
I scratched my head, then lowered myself to eye level with Saponara Junior and spoke.
"No. Your dad works hard. He works incredibly hard."
"Really? Then why can't he be like you?"
"He's not bad. Your dad is way better than me. That's why I passed him the ball. The better player has to score the goal."
I thought I'd explained it quite cleverly, but Saponara Junior just puffed out his cheeks, unconvinced.
He had a look on his face that said he knew soccer too, making me want to cough.
"But my dad doesn't work hard."
"...Why do you think that?"
"He always comes home early. He comes home and plays with us. He doesn't look tired at all. If he practiced hard, he'd be tired."
...Sometimes I'm surprised by how well these kids talk.
His arguments were so logically perfect that it momentarily left me speechless, but as a forward, I found a way through.
"No. He's just pretending not to be tired."
"Why?"
"Because you'd worry if he looked tired. Wouldn't you worry if Dad was always exhausted?"
"...I would."
"See? So he's just pretending. I train with him, so I know. Dad, at the training ground, he trains like crazy. Do you know why he trains so hard?"
"Why?"
"To show you his cool side."
As I spoke with my hands on Saponara Junior's shoulders, he still looked suspicious but eventually nodded.
Then he asked me.
"What about you, Uncle?"
"...Me?"
"Why do you work so hard? Dad said you work the hardest. Why do you work so hard?"
...Hmm.
I couldn't lie in the face of such a pure question.
I answered, hoping Jiu's Italian listening skills hadn't reached a native level yet.
"Same as him. To show someone my cool side."
"Who?"
"Hmm... the people who cheer me on."
"So you work hard to thank them?"
"Yeah. That's right."
As I smiled while saying this, Saponara Junior hugged me tightly and said.
"So it's because of me! I'm cheering for you more than Dad!"
...Hmm.
That didn't seem entirely wrong.
*
"Drive safely. See you tomorrow."
"Okay."
"Goodbye!"
"Hey, you can't go telling the coach just because we had a glass of wine."
"...I'll think about that."
I waved back at Hyungnim and Andrea, who had come out to see me off late.
Even after I told them to go in, they kept waving for a while, and only when I was quite far away did they put their arms around each other's shoulders and go inside.
...And then I heard that smooching sound again.
Well, until the very end.
"Those two look so happy. Right? And the kids are so cute."
Jiu, who had been watching and smiling, asked, and I pouted my lips and nodded.
They really did look too happy.
Still, it made me wonder if they should show a little more restraint in front of a minor.
Even if it's a country where there's no hesitation in expressing love, I didn't know where to look.
Especially with Jiu next to me, I cleared my throat several times.
...Jiu pretended not to see, but she saw everything.
"Hey. You might or might not need this, but learn it well."
"...What?"
"How that hyungnim treats his wife. He's so sweet, right? He always makes her feel loved, so of course she's happy."
At this random comment, I furrowed my brow and looked at Jiu.
"Why would I learn something like that?"
"Hey, that's how you can have a happy marriage later. Express your love often and clearly. Okay?"
...I couldn't help but scoff.
"What do you know to be acting like you know?"
"This is something my dad told me. Are you making fun of my dad right now?"
"...That's not what I meant. I was..."
"If you're making fun of me, it's the same as making fun of my dad?"
"..."
...Summoning the parents is a foul move.
I was speechless at the cheap attack, and Jiu giggled, pointing her finger at my face.
Then, she took a deep breath of the evening air, so much so that her shoulders touched her ears, and said.
"Aah, suddenly I miss Mom and Dad. I guess this is why my older sisters are trying to get married quickly."
Then she glanced at me and asked.
"Don't you want to do it quickly?"
"Do what?"
"What do you mean, what? Marriage."
...That came out of nowhere.
I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
"Not really."
"Why?"
"...Because of my dad too."
"...Hey, hey."
At my checkmate, Jiu's expression turned strange.
"Summoning the parents is a foul."
"You did it first."
"...Sorry."
"It's fine. What's there to be sorry for."
I couldn't help but snicker at Jiu, who was fidgeting uncomfortably.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Anyway, I think I've had a similar conversation with my hyungs before.
It hasn't been long, but my thoughts haven't changed since then or now.
It's not like I particularly...
"Still, you could live that happily too, you know."
"You might not."
"You could be happy!"
"Yeah. That could happen. Or it might not."
"Tch. So stubborn. The person who marries you is going to have a hard time, having to accommodate you all the time."
"So I told you. I'm not really thinking about it."
Maybe I was being too prickly.
At my words, Jiu looked angry and seemed about to say something else, but then she sighed and shook her head.
As if I was impossible to talk to.
At that, I added a word without knowing why.
"Well... maybe my thoughts will change later."
"No. Don't change them. Live alone forever."
"...Not alone, I'll live with my dad."
"Yeah, yeah. Go live happily ever after with your Fa... Mr. Lee."
...Why is she angry again?
She seemed in a good mood just a moment ago.
This is why the world is so difficult.
There's nothing easy.
Nothing.
Well, whatever...
Jiu was right, Saponara-hyungnim really did look happy.
Seeing him like that... it made me think that maybe my thoughts would change someday too.
Well, you never know about life.
I didn't know I'd end up like this just a few months ago.
That's just how it is, well...
···
"It was exactly 22 years ago. 22 years ago, I was a bachelor. That was the good old days. That was..."
As he carefully selected colorful fruits and put them into a paper bag, the fruit shop owner, as always, stood at the entrance, looked outside, and started an old story.
He had already gone on and on about my play in the second leg of the semifinals.
"Anyway, time flies. We haven't won a title in the time it took for three presidents to change. I liked the days when they were called the 'Seven Princesses'."
Liking old stories is a common trait among all middle-aged men, starting with my own dad, but it seems especially true for the middle-aged men here in Florence.
Probably because there was a time, when Serie A was the best league in the world, and Fiorentina was one of the top teams in that Serie A.
"Back when Fiorentina was at its peak, I was at my peak too."
That era was long before I was born, but I knew about it from hearing it so many times from the owner.
"Hard to believe, but back then, I wasn't a pot-bellied old man. I never weighed more than 80kg until I was thirty. Every woman who passed by would look at me if I whistled."
With his hands behind his back, looking at a distant mountain, the owner's face, as he spoke with a sigh, broke into a smile.
It wasn't so much a smile of happiness, but one that felt a little sad.
How should I put it...
...Nostalgic?
"I wish I could go back to those days. Even this neighborhood fruit shop owner had his heyday. Our team lifted the trophy, and my hair was thick."
As he reminisced, perhaps lost in that era, the owner stood smiling for a long time, then turned around a moment later and returned to being just the fruit shop owner.
"Oh my, look at me. Sorry. Let me ring you up."
The man, who once claimed every woman would look at him with just one whistle, came bouncing over and placed the paper bag on the scale.
Suddenly, I wondered if the reason so many fans who visit the stadium are around the same age as the owner might be for a similar reason.
His childhood, his youth.
Maybe he still can't forget the Fiorentina that shared his prime with him.
Even though so much time has passed, this fruit shop owner seems to relive that era every chance he gets.
"Alright, work hard today too."
"Yes. Thank you."
I received the paper bag, which felt even heavier than it did on the scale, and bowed my head to say goodbye. As I was leaving the shop, I turned my head back and bowed once more.
"I'll work hard to bring back the trophy you once heard about."
At that, the owner, who had come all the way to the door to see me off, smiled brightly and waved his hand.
And as I looked at that smile, I suddenly thought that maybe his stories weren't all just exaggerations.
Because from that bright smile, I could faintly see the owner's younger days, and I felt that with a smile like that, he surely wasn't unpopular.
This season has only five games left.
Four league games.
And one Coppa Italia final.
No matter what the results of the remaining games are, when I look back in the future, like the fruit shop owner,
it's highly likely that this year will be the brightest year of my life.
That's why I feel like I want to finish it well.
If possible... I wanted to leave only brilliant memories behind.