Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Protect the Maknae - 3
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I've realized something recently: becoming a first-team player means becoming famous.
Not just the kids at school, but people started recognizing me on the streets. Even when I search my name on the internet, my face pops up.
People now know I exist, they talk about me, and they want to know more about me.
This means...
I'm now in a position where I can't lie even if I want to.
On the bus heading to Genoa for an away game.
After checking Ji-woo's message, I gulped.
She's been doing this a lot lately.
She finds some internet news article, translates it herself, and sends it to me along with the link.
She says it's for studying Italian...
Well... studying Italian like that is fine, but there's a problem. The problem is, all those internet articles are about me.
For example, articles like this:
— Fiorentina's 16-year-old supernova, a debut that surprised everyone! Livening up Fiorentina's dull attack!
...In the 26th minute of the second half, with Fiorentina leading 2-0, Coach Vincenzo substituted youth player Lee Ji-an (16). Lee showed active movements as soon as he came on, and in just 5 minutes after entering the pitch, he scored a goal while showing great chemistry with Vlahovic...
There were also articles like this:
— [Luciano's Football One Cup, 9R] A new bud blooming in the city of flowers, Florence
...In the 26th minute of the second half that day, a delicate-looking Asian boy stepped onto the ground. It was a face I'd never seen before. Even the fans who came to the stadium couldn't read his name correctly. But exactly 5 minutes later, the spectators at the Artemio Franchi started memorizing his name and face. Not only that, but all the Fiorentina fans watching the broadcast must have started looking him up too.
It was inevitable. It was a flower they were seeing for the first time, but that flower was fresher and more fragrant than any other...
There were even columns like this.
I really...
It's embarrassing to see it again. I'm cringing so hard I can't even unclench my fist.
To be honest, I don't think I've performed well enough to receive this much attention.
They're calling me a supernova for playing about 20 minutes.
Hmm... I guess that's about right.
Well, anyway.
Ji-woo sent me quite a few others, but thankfully, there didn't seem to be any bad content.
However, it was a bit burdensome.
Every time Ji-woo sends a link, my heart drops.
I wonder what the content is this time, hoping it's not something bad.
Well, it's not that I'll be hurt by it.
I just hate the thought of Ji-woo seeing something like that.
Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any yet.
Anyway, in this situation, I can't just act arrogant anymore.
Because it could be exposed quickly.
Whatever the case.
I wonder what the content is this time. After clicking the link Ji-woo sent, I quickly squinted my eyes.
And I slowly scrolled down to check what kind of article it was.
— Rookie who captivated Fiorentina fans in 20 minutes, expected to start against Sampdoria... Sampdoria's Daversa coach, "I'm not worried at all."
...Sampdoria's coach Roberto Daversa, who finished training that day, held an interview with reporters.
Here is the Q&A with Coach Daversa.
Q. How are you preparing for the Fiorentina match?
A. Strong pressing and defense. Fiorentina is an easy team to face.
Q. Why do you think so?
A. The simplicity of their attacking patterns. It's a fact everyone knows.
Q. But in the last match, Fiorentina revealed a new attacking option.
A. I don't know what you're talking about.
Q. A 16-year-old rookie. A playmaker type that Fiorentina never had.
A. I'm not worried at all. 16 years old? He'd be better off not playing in our match.
Q. Why do you think that?
A. We don't want to injure a 16-year-old boy either.
...Hmm.
Wow, articles like this are coming out now too.
The opposing coach is mentioning my name.
The world has really changed a lot.
That said... what does he mean by not wanting to injure me?
Is he saying he'll show me the spicy taste of the pro stage with rough defense?
Actually, I don't know yet if I'll play in the match.
But seeing this... for some reason, I feel like I want to play.
Of course, just hearing it is scary.
I can already picture players who look like mafias running at me.
I can't help but be scared.
But... Ji-woo saw this.
For that reason, I feel like showing off a pride I didn't even have.
In the end, he's ignoring me, right?
Do you think I'm a coward who gets scared just because you threaten me?
"..."
Whatever... I sent a message to Ji-woo first.
I roughly corrected a few slightly wrong translations and sent them back...
She replied immediately.
After checking the message, I chuckled.
I replied.
After sending the reply, I covered my mouth to hold in my laughter. Wow, even I thought that was pretty witty.
Ji-woo will be impressed, right?
Waiting for her reply with an excited heart...
"..."
Hmm.
Alright.
I'll try not to get hurt.
I was just about to reply obediently that I understood.
"Who is it?"
"Ugh, you scared me."
"What. Why are you so startled? Is it your girlfriend?"
"Ah, no. Weren't you sleeping?"
"I just woke up."
Wow, I thought my heart was going to drop.
I was sending a message to Ji-woo when a face suddenly popped out from the side.
It was the senior Torreira sitting next to me.
"It looks like it's your girlfriend."
"Ah, I told you it's not."
When Torreira senior grinned while looking at my phone, I quickly hid it.
But then, faces started popping up one by one from the seats in front.
They were seniors who looked pleased, as if they were bored and this was interesting.
"What? Girlfriend?"
"The maknae has a girlfriend?"
"This punk, so he was into guys?"
...I'm really going crazy.
If I get hurt, it won't be because of anything else, but probably because of these seniors.
Seriously.
The home stadium of UC Sampdoria, located in the city of Genoa, the Luigi Ferraris stadium, was smaller than our home stadium.
Hmm.
Seeing it this way, our home stadium doesn't seem that small after all.
The opposing home fans are waving flags and singing cheer songs, but I don't feel much excitement.
Our team's cheer song is definitely much better made. Ours has a feeling that really gets you pumped up, but theirs is somehow lacking from the melody.
Anyway, we've already secured one win before the match even started.
"Forza, Forza!"
Whatever the case.
I sat on the bench and watched the seniors head to the ground, shouting "Fighting."
Actually, the reason I can be this relaxed is that I'm not a starter today.
Just like in the last match, my name is on the substitution list.
I heard the coach was a bit worried too. The opposing team is physically superior.
He seemed to think I would have a hard time.
However, he told me to be prepared.
He said to watch the game situation, and there might be a time for me to go in depending on the circumstances.
I answered that I understood without hesitation.
Thinking about it, maybe it's not the world that has changed, but me.
The world is the same, but I feel like the world has changed because I have changed.
If it were the old me, I would have hoped that a situation where I had to play wouldn't come.
Now... if such a situation comes, my only thought is to do my best.
"Forza, Forza!"
"Let's go!"
Anyway, my second first-team match began like that.
*
The game flowed quite calmly.
More than I expected.
What kind of match did I expect?... I expected a match where they would fight back and forth, with a whistle blowing every 30 seconds.
The opposing team said they play rough soccer, and our seniors are also a feisty bunch.
I expected a very intense match.
But it wasn't like that in reality.
Is it because they know each other well?
It felt more cautious.
Because they both know that the other side is the type to explode if you just touch them lightly.
So, both our team and their team.
It felt like neither wanted to provoke the other first.
In other words, it felt like they were both being careful.
That was the flow of the first half.
"Hmm..."
Anyway, the opponent's defense was quite solid. Well, in this country, the best players play defense, so it's expected.
Even though Sampdoria is a lower-ranked team, their defense still looked solid.
Their defensive formation wasn't much different from Genoa's. A form where they stack up defenders in the center.
But even with the same form, the opponent today feels more suffocating.
It must be because of the defenders' physicality.
The fact that senior Vlahovic, standing among the defenders, looks ordinary says it all.
If senior Vlahovic, who is 190cm tall, looks like that, I must look like a real kid.
Anyway, because of that, we couldn't get much out of a few crossing situations or corner kick opportunities.
In the Genoa match, we still scored the opener in the first half.
Today, the first half was more frustrating.
"Beep, beeep-!"
The first half ended like that.
The seniors came out of the ground and headed to the locker room. I was just about to follow them in.
The coach called me over.
"Ji-an."
"Yes?"
"You stay here and warm up."
"Ah, yes."
"You'll be going in right away in the second half, so make sure you warm up properly."
"Understood."
I stayed on the field and warmed up.
*
"From now on, you all need to get your heads on straight. Everyone know what I mean?"
"Okay!"
"Forza, Forza-!"
"Viola-!!"
The seniors shouted "Fighting" and scattered to their positions. I also settled near the center circle.
I was substituted in right at the start of the second half.
He must have decided to change the flow of the game.
The formation was changed to 4-2-3-1, the same as last time.
Still, I've played a debut match, so I'm not that nervous...
For some reason, the seniors look more nervous than in the first half.
Is it because it's still 0-0?
"Beeep-!"
Anyway, the game starts.
I received the kick-off from Vlahovic, passed the ball back, and started moving slowly.
Paaang-
Paaang-
The ball circulates slowly.
While our team's defenders were circulating the ball, I settled in the center and looked around.
Hmm.
For some reason, I feel a different energy from the opponent I've been seeing throughout the first half.
When we had the ball, the opponent in the first half would retreat and defend.
It was a defensive attitude that felt like they were pre-positioning and saying, "If you want to come in, try it."
But not now.
They're coming up.
I can see the opponent's forward passing by my side to apply pressure, and the opponent's midfielders are positioning themselves near me.
Overall, they've raised their line.
That means the space behind the opponent is wide... Good. My head is spinning, and the things I need to do are being organized in order.
The role I need to take on now is the link between offense and defense. I need to play to quickly transition from defense to offense.
Tatatat-!
I subtly glanced around, backpedaled, and moved behind the opponent standing next to me.
And I secretly ran into the empty space on the right.
The opponent, with their eyes fixed on the ball, lost sight of me for a moment.
In that gap, I quietly raised my hand,
Paaaang-!
The pass comes to me.
While the pass was coming, I turned my head to grasp the situation behind me.
I was planning to pass the ball with one touch if possible, so I wanted to check the situation in front.
But, as I turned my head, what entered my eyes was a huge figure running towards me.
Perrooook-!
Whoa.
The world is spinning round and round.
I'm rolling around like I've become the ball.
I got body-checked.
"Kuk..."
When the spinning world stopped, the pain finally set in.
Wow... it hurts quite a bit.
The power was on a different level from when I collided with the seniors during training.
Well, it's not unbearable, and I don't want to show a pathetic look, getting discouraged by just this much.
I tried to get up quickly without showing I was in pain...
I could hear shouting from somewhere.
"Hey, you fucking bastard!"
"Are you crazy, that son of a bitch!"
I looked up and it was the seniors.
The seniors were swearing and running towards the opponent who had bumped into me.
Even...
"That fucking bastard!"
"That son of a bitch, picking on a kid?"
I could see seniors who were far away all running over.
Everyone's eyes were turned upside down.
Ah, no.
I'm fine, though?
"Uh, I'm okay..."
"Maknae, you stay out of this!"
"Uh, yes..."
I'm the one who got fouled, but they're telling me to stay out of it. So I stayed quiet for now.
The seniors looked like they were about to kill someone, and it was scary.
It was scary...
"Shit, everyone get your heads straight and protect the maknae!"
"I'll mess that bastard up."
"Don't go easy on the other bastards either. They're all the same kind of bastards anyway, let's mess them up first!"
Seeing the seniors, who were teasing me right before entering the field, act like this...
For some reason, my chest felt hot.
"Ah... it hurts a bit..."
"It hurts? You fucking bastard!"
I acted cute, clutching my chest for no reason, to boost the seniors' combat power.
When the seniors started getting even angrier, I quietly held in my laughter.