Chapter 105
Chapter 105
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Type Who Keeps His Word -2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“I’ll admit it today.”
“···Admit what?”
“Well, you looked pretty cool.”
As I sat at the dining table waiting for dinner, Jiu, who was busy cooking, turned her back and said.
“They say the position makes the man. Guess that saying isn’t wrong after all.”
“···”
At her words, the corner of my mouth twitched as I looked at the back of Jiu’s head.
Thanks to that, I casually answered while pushing down my cheekbones with my hand.
“Cool, my ass.”
“No. I’ll admit it just for today.”
“···Why are you giving me credit?”
I don’t know why I need Jiu’s approval, but what’s even more confusing is how much it satisfies me.
But getting too excited here would make me look pathetic, so I kept that satisfaction to myself.
“Hey. Did you prepare that line? Did you prepare it a few days ago?”
“Prepare what? I don’t even remember what I said.”
“I just can’t figure you out. You used to tremble in front of just thirty kids for a presentation. How do the words just flow out in front of tens of thousands?”
Hmm. Honestly, even I find that amazing.
I used to get nervous even presenting in front of my own class, and now I’m playing soccer and speaking Italian in front of tens of thousands.
Anyway, since the words flowed out, at least I didn’t look like I was panicking and blabbering.
Truthfully, I don’t remember what I said either.
“Hey. What were you trying to do? What if you don’t win? It sounded like it would be a huge disaster.”
“What disaster?”
“You said it yourself. You said you’d bring back the championship cup. That’s why everyone was shouting and even crying. I’m telling you, even those tough-looking uncles were bawling their eyes out.”
“···”
“And if you don’t win after making everyone cry like that, how are you going to take responsibility?”
Hmm.
I haven’t even brought the cup back yet, so why were they crying?
I shrugged my shoulders and answered.
“I’ll just have to bring it.”
“Ha. You’re just unreasonably confident sometimes. Hmph. But you’ve kept every word you’ve ever said, so I guess there’s nothing to say.”
Thinking about it, I’ve been lucky··· I don’t think I’ve failed to keep any of the words I’ve said so far.
Even though they were all things I said without a plan.
Every time, I’d sweat and toil to clean up the mess yesterday’s me made, regretting it every ten seconds.
Well, it’s the same this time too.
I said I’d bring back the championship cup··· so I just have to do whatever it takes to make that happen.
“Are you confident?”
Jiu asked, peeking her head out.
I looked into her eyes, then pointed my chin towards one side of the dining table.
“Of course I am.”
“Sigh. Alright.”
Where I pointed my chin stood the trophy for the 21-22 Serie A Best Forward.
*
“···”
I sat quietly on my bed, looking down at the trophy in my hands.
It was a simple, and in a way, quite crude trophy, but the more you looked at it, the more its own unique charm it had.
What I liked most was that my name was engraved alongside my team’s name.
It didn’t feel like I had become the top scorer, but rather that the top scorer had come from our team.
Just as when we concede, it’s not an individual’s fault but the team’s··· even though the goal is recorded as an individual’s, it’s ultimately the team’s goal.
Because the fruit called a goal isn’t made by my strength alone.
Even if I were to dribble from the halfway line and beat the goalkeeper myself to score, that would be true.
Because there were teammates who ran to distract the defense, knowing they wouldn’t get the ball.
And because of the teammates, the director, and the coaches who helped me train to be able to do that dribble in a real match.
I just received this trophy on behalf of the team; I don’t think I received it for myself alone.
That’s why it feels so precious.
“···”
I looked around the room.
Where should I put this precious trophy?
As I looked around···
Hmm.
I didn’t really know where to put it.
Until now, whenever I got a trophy, I’d just hide it in some corner somewhere.
“Hmph.”
I put the trophy down for a moment and headed for the closet.
Then I opened the closet door, took out a heavy bag, and set it on the floor.
This is··· a trophy bag.
When I opened the bag, it was full of trophies and medals that felt shabby compared to the one I received today.
If I take them out one by one···
Hwayoung Elementary School 5th Grade Lee Jee-an, Top Scorer of the Geumgangdaege National Soccer Tournament··· Hwayoung Elementary School 5th Grade Lee Jee-an, MVP of the JS Cup··· Hwayoung Elementary School 6th Grade Lee Jee-an, Top Scorer of the National Elementary, Middle, and High School League···
There were quite a few more, and looking at them, I received a lot.
Someone might find it hard to understand that I stuffed all these precious trophies in a bag like this.
But back then, I didn’t really like receiving individual awards.
No, rather, I remember feeling awkward about it.
I can’t say it myself, but I was almost the only one at my school who received awards.
Because of that, my friends didn’t really like me, and I felt that the mothers of friends who came to watch the games disliked me too.
Of course, it might have just been my feeling, but it was really like that.
There was even a time I heard it with my own ears.
I heard a mother tell the coach, “Couldn’t you leave that kid out of this tournament?”
And, “Isn’t it a bit much that he gets all the attention?”
Feeling that kind of awkwardness··· of course, I didn’t feel good even when I received a trophy.
I couldn’t play badly on purpose either, so I remember feeling frustrated in many ways.
That’s why I liked tournaments where I only had a championship trophy and no individual awards.
When we all just held the championship cup, the mothers of my friends didn’t look at me with strange eyes.
“···”
I put the trophies back in the bag, put the bag inside the closet, and closed the door.
Then I went back to the bed and picked up the top scorer trophy I received today to look at it again.
The first trophy I’d received since elementary school.
Strangely, I didn’t feel any awkwardness when I received this one.
I just felt proud and satisfied.
Thinking about why··· it was probably thanks to the expressions of my teammates and fans looking at me at the moment I received the trophy.
Everyone looked as proud and pleased as if they had received it themselves. Whether it was the director, the captain, or the other teammates··· everyone was happier than I was.
So I just felt my shoulders fill with pride.
I couldn’t help but keep looking at it···
“···”
After gently caressing the trophy, I picked it up and headed to the living room.
I figured it would be better to put it somewhere more visible than in my room.
Where would be good··· Ah, next to the TV would be nice.
I placed the trophy next to the TV.
Hmm.
Not bad.
But it feels a bit lacking.
I might need to get a display case or something.
I’ll probably be winning more awards in the future, so that wouldn’t be a bad idea.
···
“Hahaha, that’s funny.”
“The reactions are hot as expected.”
The two hosts of the talk show ‘Total Football,’ which delivers Serie A news, burst out laughing as they read the fans’ reactions on the screen.
Soon, a screen shows Lee Jee-an, wearing a Fiorentina uniform, lifting the top scorer trophy.
The host reads the cue sheet.
“At the start of the season, he was with the U17 team, recording 10 goals in 6 games in the U17 league before being called up to the first team. He made his debut in Round 9 as a substitute and scored a goal on his debut. After that, he recorded a total of 28 goals and 17 assists in 23 league games.”
The panelist sitting opposite takes over.
“If you expand that to the full season, it’s 33 goals and 20 assists. He also recorded 5 goals and 3 assists in the Coppa Italia. While building these records, his average rating for the season was 8.8, and he was named Man of the Match 16 times.”
The records were so numerous that it was a struggle for one person to continue, so the other host takes over again.
“Top scorer and top assister, 1st in dribble success rate, 1st in big chances created, 1st in pass success rate··· Are these really the records of a single player?”
“It’s hard to believe, but yes.”
“And it’s also true that this player is 16 years old?”
“It makes no sense, but that’s also a fact.”
The host and the panelist both burst into hearty laughter.
Everything was unrealistic, but it was a fact.
The host shook his head and asked.
“What should we say? How would you evaluate Lee’s performance this season in one word?”
To that question, the panelist answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“You could say he chewed them up and ate them.”
“That’s right. He completely chewed them up and swallowed them.”
Chewed them up.
There was no more appropriate expression.
The host asked again.
“Thanks to Lee’s performance, Fiorentina secured a Champions League spot for next season. Now we’ll be able to see Lee facing the best teams from other countries.”
“Ah, I have high expectations.”
“What kind of performance do you think he’ll show?”
To that question, the panelist answered without hesitation as well.
“He’ll do well, obviously.”
“No, be specific.”
“He’ll specifically do well.”
“What if he meets teams like Manchester City or Real Madrid?”
“Fiorentina might lose, but I think Lee will do well. Let’s think about just the individual for a moment. If you think about Lee playing for a team like Manchester City or Real Madrid you mentioned. Do you think he couldn’t do it?”
At the panelist’s counter-question, the host shrugged.
“He seems like he’d fit in well.”
“That’s it. He’ll do better than he does now, no doubt. Lee is at that level. He definitely won’t disappoint in the Champions League either.”
“So you’re saying we can look forward to it. Since you’ve guaranteed it so confidently, if he fails to meet expectations, it’s your fault.”
“···Why is it my fault?”
“Well, let’s move on to the next question.”
Ignoring the panelist’s bewildered expression, the host continues the show.
“The league is over, but Lee still has one game left. The Coppa Italia final. He’ll be facing Inter.”
“···Yes.”
“Even if Lee is there, Inter is the top dog and Fiorentina is the underdog, isn’t that right?”
“Well, as a team, I guess so.”
“So, let’s say Lee puts on a brilliant performance in the final and lifts the championship cup.”
“Yes.”
“What would happen then?”
“···What would happen? Fiorentina fans would be overjoyed.”
“No, not that. So, a 16-year-old player who has already had the best performance in the league lifts the championship cup. Would it be safe to say this is the greatest debut season in history?”
To that question, the panelist pouted his lips as if it were ridiculous and shrugged.
“I don’t feel it’s worth answering. You’re asking the obvious.”
“Is that so?”
“Look. To win the top scorer and top assister titles at the same time, and win the team’s title after 22 years? This would undoubtedly be the best season of a player’s life, even for a player in his prime.”
“Right.”
“And to do that at the age of 16, in his debut season, what more needs to be said? You wouldn’t find a player like this even if you scoured all of soccer history.”
“So at least in terms of the impact of a debut season, he could become a unique player. If he wins this final, that is.”
“Well, even a runner-up would be impressive. But winning would be better, of course. The picture would be perfect. I’d like to see that.”
“You’re being openly biased. Many Inter fans are probably watching too.”
“Hmm. It’s not like that.”
“It’s exactly like that.”
“No···”
“Thank you for your help today. Now, for today’s outro, we’ve compiled all 33 of Jee-an Lee’s goals from this season. We’ll be back next week as we watch them together. Thank you for watching.”
As the flustered panelist looked on, the show ended with Lee Jee-an’s debut goal playing on screen.
Then, all the goals Lee scored this season began to play, but that wasn’t entirely accurate.
Because there might still be more goals to score.
[The Type Who Keeps His Word -3]