Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: The Introvert I Was, Now a Popular Guy? -3
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I opened the classroom door, quickly scanned for an empty seat, then hurried over and sat down, resting my head on the desk to nap before the teacher arrived.
‘Okay.’
That was the plan I’d made before opening the classroom door. Here, having black hair and black eyes was enough to draw attention easily. I wanted to enter the classroom as quietly as possible.
However, my plan crumbled the moment I opened the door.
“···Huh?”
The moment I opened the door, I made eye contact with a friend, and I instantly sensed something was wrong.
The friend who met my eyes widened them and suddenly started stammering···
“It’s Ji-an! Fiorentina!”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Wow! It’s really him!”
“Are you in our class?”
“Waaah-! Friend! Nice to meet you!”
I didn’t even get to sit down. The moment I stepped into the classroom, I was surrounded by kids in an instant.
At first, it was just three or four of them, but they made such a big fuss that eventually, everyone in the class crowded around me.
It was completely chaotic.
I realized I’d made a mistake.
I had forgotten for a moment.
What soccer means in Italy.
Just how much interest the kids here have in soccer.
“Uhm··· your, your name?”
“Massimo.”
“Massimo··· here···”
“Thanks!”
In the end, I had to hold an impromptu autograph session.
I hadn’t even thought about what to do for autographs, so I just wrote my name in Korean and gave it to them, but they all loved it for some reason.
No, seriously, why are they making such a big deal out of me···
“I’m Louis!”
“Ah, okay. Louis··· here.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. I saw the game! I went to the stadium for the Napoli match!”
“Ah, I see.”
As I thought, the last match against Napoli was the problem.
I’ve lived here for a few months, so I know this too, but there isn’t much to do on the weekends here. The most popular pastime is definitely soccer.
Since first-team matches aren’t free, I’ve heard that students with limited allowance go to watch youth matches.
The kids who recognized me first were exactly those kinds of kids.
“I’m Nancy. Can you take a picture with me?”
“A picture? Ah··· okay.”
As this commotion unfolded, even girls who seemed not to know me came to get my autograph or asked to take a picture with me.
One kid even···
“You’re really cute. Want to be friends?”
“Huh? Ah, uh··· sure.”
“Can you tell me your phone number? I want to learn Korean.”
She made such a troublesome request that I had a hard time turning her down.
“What, you don’t have a phone? Really?”
“Sorry. I only do soccer.”
“Hmph, fine.”
Phew.
No, well. I don’t think she asked with any other meaning, but still, if something troublesome happened, it would be a problem··· I don’t even have time to meet Ji-woo right now.
“Now, everyone, take your seats-”
Well··· anyway.
My unexpected autograph session could only end after the teacher arrived, and I finally let out a sigh and wiped away my sweat.
“···.”
Somehow, I had a feeling that my school life was going to be difficult in a different way from now on.
*
I’ve always been a bit strange.
I was a kid who liked class time more than break time.
That wasn’t because I had a hobby of studying; outside of history or language classes, I’d secretly study tactics, but anyway, I preferred the class time where I could sit alone quietly over break time.
And that was the same today too.
It was too tiring. Every break time.
I’d try to get some rest, but kids would come over and talk to me. After the second period ended, kids from other classes started coming to find me too.
No, it’s not like I’m a professional player who just debuted.
I couldn’t understand why they were so fascinated by me.
It wasn’t a break time; it was practically a fan service time.
Well··· I was just a bit drained, but it wasn’t that my feelings were hurt or anything.
After all, everyone treated me favorably.
They even said they’d support me in the future···
Before I opened the classroom door, I was worried about what to do if someone picked a fight. Fortunately, that’s all it was.
“Phew.”
As I left the school gate, a sigh escaped me.
Having finished class a little earlier than my other friends, I was heading to the training ground.
Ah, wait. Look at my head.
Now that I think about it, today is Ji-woo’s first day of school too.
I quickly took out my phone, and as expected, there were tons of messages from Ji-woo.
Ji-woo: What are you doing? Can’t use your phone there until you’re done??
Ji-woo: What. Our Ji-an is hiding in a corner of the classroom again
Ji-woo: I was waiting, thinking you’d come bother me
Ji-woo: Anyway, contact me when you’re done
I couldn’t take my phone out in the classroom because I was afraid she’d find out I lied about not having one. I was also too busy with the kids swarming me every break.
I immediately sent a reply.
Me: Just finished now··· couldn’t use my phone at school···
Me: How are the kids there? Make any friends?
Me: Kids from other classes came to find me too···
Me: They want to be friends···
As I sent the message and was about to put my phone in my pocket, a reply came before I could even do that.
Ji-woo: ㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Ji-woo: ㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㄱㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
Ji-woo: Aww, is that so?
Ji-woo: Our Ji-an is a popular guy now ^^?
What kind of reaction is this.
This time, it’s not a lie. It’s the truth.
I chuckled and headed for the training ground.
······
Just after I first signed the contract and came out, and until that night. Until then, I was just feeling good. My weekly wage had increased significantly, and I thought I could do the things I wanted to do without worrying.
But the thrill of the re-signing (?) didn’t even last two days.
Once my head cooled down a bit, I started to feel not just joy, but also a sense of burden.
A weekly wage isn’t free money, after all.
Especially since I was suddenly getting 20 times what I used to get. I felt like I had to do 20 times harder and 20 times better.
In fact, my training hadn’t changed since that day, and the coach, the other coaches, and the kids all treated me the same. It was just my own mindset.
So I just worked hard.
I just worked hard at team training, and after team training ended, I worked hard again at personal training with Coach Luca.
I’d look up the opponents I’d be facing on the weekend in advance and prepare for the games by analyzing them in my own way.
That was all.
As I was training so hard and heading home one day, I suddenly had a thought.
I think I’ve changed a bit.
If this were the past, I would have taken this burden much more heavily. No, I would have waved my hands away, saying I don’t need such a large salary.
Instead of being happy about the increased salary, my mentality would have been shattered. ‘Am I not that kind of person? Why are they expecting this from me?’ I would have thought.
And then I would have trained while crying inside.
Trying to somehow meet that ridiculous expectation.
But not now.
Of course, the burden is still there··· but I decided to think about it a little differently.
By remembering what Coach Luca told me.
“If you believe in yourself more, others will recognize your value.”
Why are people expecting this from me?
It’s because I’m the kind of person who can do it.
That’s what I decided to think. And surprisingly, my mind became a little more at ease.
I just reversed the order of how I accepted it, and decided to trust myself a little more. The thought of running away disappeared.
Instead, I was filled with the thought that I must show them.
Even now, that’s what I think.
“Alright, let’s go! Forza-!”
“Viola-!!!”
After we all put our hands together and shouted “Fighting,” we left the locker room.
Today’s opponent is Bologna FC.
A team holding the middle of the group table. They’re no match for Napoli, but they’re not a team you can take lightly like Sassuolo or Empoli.
And above all, Bologna is Fiorentina’s traditional rival team.
Their rivalry is so strong that their matches are called the Derby dell'Appennino.
Of course, it doesn’t really resonate with me; I only know about it because I heard such a thing exists.
Anyway, the thought that I have to do well and win hasn’t changed. I will live up to the trust the team has shown me.
With that thought, I stepped onto the field.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Win! Win!”
“Forza Viola-!!”
I was flustered by the cheers erupting from the stands.
Huh··· I didn’t expect this.
*
“Waaaaaah!”
“Win! Win!”
“Forza Viola-!!”
The small stands of the small stadium are bustling today.
Usually, the spectators who come to watch the U17 team matches are just the players’ relatives and friends, or bored local residents.
But today, students from a nearby school came in a group to watch, making the small stands noisy, almost completely full.
And sitting among those spectators, Kim Ji-woo was fiddling with her phone with a pouty expression.
‘What day is it today···?’
When she came last time, there was almost no one. She didn’t know why there were so many people today.
Is today some important match? If she had been any later, she wouldn’t have been able to get a seat.
Well, let’s just say that’s the case···
“That’s him, right? The one at our school.”
“Yeah, that’s him. Ji-an!”
“He’s cute? Like a K-pop idol.”
“Right? I took a picture with him.”
“What? Really? You should have called me!”
The murmur of the kids around her was getting on Kim Ji-woo’s nerves.
She couldn’t understand everything. She had been studying consistently since deciding to study abroad, but that wasn’t enough to understand everything the locals said.
Still, there were words that stuck in her ears. Like ‘Carino’ (cute) or ‘Bello’ (cool). The screams of the girls going “Gyaaaah-” are something you can understand even without knowing Italian.
Above all, what annoyed Kim Ji-woo was that the name ‘Ji-an’ was always heard among those fleeting words.
It wasn’t just a little annoying; it was very annoying.
Let’s say the boys are like that, but these girls also seem to have clearly come to cheer for Lee Ji-an.
‘Seriously. What did he do at school?’
Kim Ji-woo crossed her arms and pouted her lips.
He said he had a lot of friends and was popular with the kids··· It seems that wasn’t a lie.
Well, whatever. He said here, if you’re good at soccer, you’ll be popular no matter what. Ji-an’s face is also decent··· hmm!
Anyway, seeing the kid who used to be quiet in a corner of the classroom now grown up like this and receiving support from his friends.
It’s something to be congratulated, and something to be deeply moved by···
‘···Tch.’
She didn’t know why she kept feeling displeased by this situation.
It’s clearly a good thing. Something to be proud of.
It’s like···
Like when a singer only you knew suddenly became popular, and you feel petty for no reason?
Ah, I don’t know. I don’t get it.
Just play the game well, Lee Ji-an.
Don’t get distracted by other things for no reason···!
As she was watching the game with such mixed feelings.
“Waaah-! Go! Go!”
“Break through! Go up!”
“Show us-!”
About 10 minutes had passed since the game started.
The stands started to get noisy again.
It was the moment Ji-an got the ball. He caught the ball from far away, and as he dribbled and beat players one by one, cheers erupted from both sides.
Those cheers grew louder and louder.
Lee Ji-an kept running towards the opponent’s goal, passing the ball with his teammates with a ‘bang, bang,’ and before he knew it, he had reached the front of the opponent’s team’s goal.
And then···
“Woooooah-!!”
“Amazing!! He scored! Goal-!!”
“Yeeeeeeah-!!!”
He scored a goal.
The stands went wild in an instant. Everyone started jumping around, shouting cheers.
Then, Lee Ji-an ran towards those stands.
He ran like that, looked around for something with his eyes for a moment, then made a two-finger salute and returned to the field.
“Gyaaaah!”
“Hey! Did you see? He did the celebration for me?”
“What are you talking about! He did it for me!”
“No! It was for me!”
The girls made a fuss, screaming like dolphins at that celebration. They all collapsed as if they’d been shot in the chest, fighting over who he did the celebration for.
“···How pathetic.”
Kim Ji-woo shook her head disapprovingly at those kids.
Hey, why are you guys happy···? Do you really think he did that for you guys···?
I wonder if that’s really the case···?
“···Heh.”
Kim Ji-woo, who had been pouting just a moment ago, raised one corner of her mouth while keeping her arms crossed.
That celebration, he didn’t do it for you guys; he did it for me.
You guys are different from me.