Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: The Real and the Fake - 3
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It was a moment when a sense of frustration began to creep in.
The opponent was playing an incredibly stifling defense, and with 20 minutes having passed in such a situation, the fans' patience was starting to wear thin.
Of course, in soccer, there are plenty of matches where no goals are scored for 90 or even 120 minutes.
But soccer fans aren't rational enough to take all that into account.
If a team plays well, they're happy; if they're frustrated, they're frustrated. The very appeal of soccer is that you can experience every emotion of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness within that short 90-minute span, and they are simply enjoying it to the fullest.
So, it was at that moment, as a few fans were beginning to feel the absence of Vlahovic and voicing their frustration.
"Whoa—"
"Waaaaah—"
The spectators' mouths dropped open as if spellbound.
A prime-era Roberto Baggio had appeared right before their eyes.
He created a shooting angle with a magically soft first touch to the left of the goalpost, followed by a precise finish with a light curler into the far post.
But when they rubbed their eyes, it wasn't Baggio, but Lee Ji-an.
"Ma... Mamma mia!"
"It's, it's the yellow Baggio!"
"You damn racist! Call him the black-haired Baggio!"
"Baggio's hair is black too, you know?"
"What's important about that?!"
It was only natural for the fans' jaws to drop.
However, the roar soon grew even louder.
Ji-an was running towards the corner flag.
"Siiiiiii-!!"
"Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee! Lee!"
Ji-an was a great player, but he had one regrettable trait: he was hard to see up close.
He was a player who mainly operated in the center, and even when he scored, he didn't really do the usual celebrations everyone else did.
He would just be surrounded by his teammates to receive their congratulations and quietly return to the half-way line.
For someone who started making a name for himself early, he wasn't the type to enjoy the spotlight.
But for such a shy guy to run towards them, it was only natural that the spectators went wild.
Especially the fans seated near the corner flag looked as if they were about to break through security and rush onto the field.
"Hey! You little charmer! Come here!"
"Just let me hug you once!"
"Ti amo!!"
The funny thing was, in response to the fans' reactions, Ji-an, who had been running, hesitated and stopped in his tracks.
He made a face as if he'd made a mistake.
Then, he started looking back and forth, unable to decide what to do.
Troubled by his dilemma, Ji-an was eventually caught by his teammates and showered with congratulations, and the sight made the stands erupt in delighted laughter.
At times like this, he's just a 16-year-old boy living next door.
But the moment he touches the ball, he seems ageless. He's such a fascinating player.
*
"Thank you, thank you! I'll do whatever you tell me to!"
Saponara kept thanking me all the way back to our side of the pitch.
I don't get it.
I was the one who received the assist, so why is he thanking me...
Well, whatever.
Back on our side, I fixed my uniform and pulled my socks back up to my knees.
I quietly let out a sigh of relief.
"Phew..."
I scored a goal.
I succeeded in scoring even without Vlahovic.
Of course, I didn't score entirely on my own power.
But the fact is, I scored even without Vlahovic. That fact finally makes me feel a little at ease.
To be honest, the burden was quite immense.
I was deeply worried whether I could dare to fill the void left by Vlahovic.
Just because I'm a fake striker doesn't mean I don't have to be responsible for the team's goals.
To be honest, I didn't even want to be in this position.
But I scored.
I didn't play the role of a real fake striker, but of a fake fake striker.
Now, my mind is a little more at ease.
Thinking about it, my life is pretty strange too.
A life of a fake pretending to be real, both on and off the field...
But, if a fake becomes so real that it's no different from the real thing... wouldn't you say that's real?
I don't know.
"Peeeep-!"
Now was the time to focus on the match.
*
"If we can play like this even with the starters gone, does that mean we were actually a strong team all along?"
"It's been a while since we've seen this kind of performance."
"Looking at just the attack, it might even be better."
Fans watching the match, which had now entered the second half, said.
It was the 30th minute of the second half, and the score was 3-0.
Ji-an scored one goal in the 23rd minute of the first half, Sottil added another in the 38th, and Saponara's goal came in the 62nd. Both of those goals were assisted by Ji-an.
Fiorentina had been pinning Verona down and attacking them from start to finish, and all three attackers were showing a satisfying performance by scoring goals.
"I can't believe we can score goals even without Vlahovic. Is this really the team I knew?"
"Vlahovic? Who's that?"
Truthfully, the Fiorentina the fans knew was a team that became a completely different beast depending on whether Vlahovic was there or not.
Of course, having him didn't mean the performance was always satisfying, but he did bring results.
But without him, Fiorentina was a team that couldn't even bring results, let alone performance.
In that situation, the one who appeared like a comet and solved the performance problem was Ji-an.
But even with a player like Ji-an, there were still questions about whether he could create something on his own in Vlahovic's absence.
Paradoxically, it was because he had such great chemistry with Vlahovic.
Ji-an would make runs into the spaces Vlahovic created, break through the defensive line with one-two passes, and Vlahovic would win the aerial duels while Ji-an would handle the second balls.
The combination of a physical striker and a skillful ace has been a foolproof duo since prehistoric times, and they were no exception.
Their synergy was just that good.
That's why we were worried that the performance might crumble again if even one of them was missing.
Especially when Vlahovic wasn't there, the worry was even greater. Ji-an was a newly emerging star, but Vlahovic had been the team's main striker since the season before last.
But seeing him today, the feeling wasn't as bad as I thought.
No, it wasn't just not bad.
Ji-an without Vlahovic looked very frustrating, but Ji-an was performing his role perfectly well even without Vlahovic.
And it wasn't just that.
"Seeing Saponara like this, he's not so bad, is he?"
"Right. When used like that, he's not completely useless."
The performances of the other players seemed to come alive as well.
Especially Saponara.
In the fans' perception, Saponara was a bit of a chicken-or-egg player. He had his own highs, but in a team structure that funneled all opportunities to Vlahovic, it was awkward to make full use of him.
But right now, those shortcomings weren't very visible. It felt like only his strengths were being highlighted.
Even someone who doesn't know soccer deeply could tell who was responsible for that.
"Lee is saving a lot of people."
It was a time when rumors were circulating that Vlahovic's contract renewal was being delayed.
The premonition wasn't good. Most fans were pleading with him to stay with the team, but at the same time, they thought their pleas would never work.
So, many fans were already preparing themselves for a future without Vlahovic.
Some even said that in the worst-case scenario, the team would be stuck in a slump for the entire second half of the season.
There were even fans who said there was no answer anyway, so they might as well go terrorize Vlahovic's house.
But seeing him today... I get the thought that maybe it won't be so bleak after all.
It even feels like the team is sturdier with Ji-an at its center than with Vlahovic.
Of course, we have to consider that the opponent was Hellas Verona. But if we also take into account that we were missing a large number of starters as well.
The fans of Fiorentina might have been witnessing the moment the team's future became its present.
*
Around the 25th minute of the second half.
Artemio Franchi Stadium was filled with the sound of applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap-
It was applause for Ji-an, who was coming off the pitch as a substitute. Everyone applauded with one heart and mind for the 16-year-old boy who had run until his hair was completely soaked.
Ji-an's father, Lee Won-hoon, and Kim Ji-woo also stood up from their seats and applauded enthusiastically.
"Woooooooah!"
"You worked so haaaaard!"
Ji-an was impressive again today.
He showed everyone the full extent of a soccer prodigy. He was incredibly brave and did his best until he was exhausted.
"Ah, phew..."
"So tiring..."
Even after Ji-an sat on the bench, Won-hoon and Ji-woo, who had been applauding for a long time, plopped down into their seats.
They were both worn out from cheering for Ji-an.
By now, they should be a bit used to it.
But it's still not easy to watch the game.
Other fans can just watch with joy, but they can't.
They would be so anxious their hearts ached, get angry, and jump for joy until their knees hurt.
They probably had a harder time watching the game than if they were playing themselves.
Maybe that's why.
There were people who noticed they weren't ordinary fans and struck up a conversation.
"Excuse me, are you perhaps the player's family?"
"...Huh?"
Won-hoon turned his head at the man's words from the seat next to him. He tilted his head.
Huh. His face looks familiar.
"Yes... we are..."
"Ah, really? Then you're the youngest's, ah. I mean, are you Ji-an's father?"
Won-hoon nodded as he saw the man looking at him with wide, delighted eyes...
Wait a minute.
Huh? This man... isn't he that guy?
"...Aren't you Player Bilagic?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"But, next to you..."
"I'm playing with your son."
"Oh, my! So you're my son's coworkers!"
"So you're the youngest's father!"
When Won-hoon stood up to greet them, Bilagic and Bonaventura also stood up straight and bowed.
They didn't know much about Eastern-style greetings, but just hearing he was the youngest's father made them bow instinctively.
"Thanks to you, we owe you a great debt, Father!"
"Thank you for giving birth to him!"
"Ah, no. What... Hahaha!"
Won-hoon gave an awkward smile as Bilagic and Bonaventura bowed their heads as if they had met a savior.
After expressing their gratitude for a while, Bilagic glanced at Kim Ji-woo and asked.
"And this person is also family? A younger sister? An older sister?"
"Ah- no. She's Ji-an's friend."
"Ah, a friend... Ah? Ji-an's girlfriend!"
"Yes, yes."
At Won-hoon's answer, the two of them turned and bowed again.
If she was a precious person to the youngest, she was also a precious person to them.
"Who, what, who is she?"
Kim Ji-woo, who was still flustered and didn't know what was going on, asked. Won-hoon answered that they were players who played with Ji-an.
At that, Kim Ji-woo also exchanged greetings with the two of them, nodding with an "Ah."
After the four of them introduced themselves, they talked about Ji-an.
Mostly, Bilagic and Bonaventura would give a long speech about how amazing Ji-an's talent was, and Won-hoon and Ji-woo would just laugh and nod.
Then, Bilagic suddenly asked.
"But, I can't really imagine it. How did you start dating? That kid Ji-an, he's so timid, he's not the type to confess first."
When Won-hoon translated that question, Kim Ji-woo shook her head with wide eyes.
"We, we're not dating!"
"Huh? But she's your girlfriend, right?"
"No, that's... not yet... Ah! It's not that it's not yet. We're just friends, we're not dating, so please tell him that."
Kim Ji-woo answered flustered, and Bilagic tilted his head as if he couldn't understand.
Everyone else thinks they're dating, so he couldn't understand why only they say they aren't.
"Why? You don't want to date? Do you dislike Ji-an?"
"No, that's..."
When Bilagic asked, Kim Ji-woo couldn't answer.
Bonaventura clicked his tongue from the side.
"Judging by the look of her, the youngest is just too shy to say it."
"Should we help them? What do you think?"
Again, Kim Ji-woo couldn't answer, just her face turning red.
At this, Bilagic thumped his chest as if making a grand declaration.
"Just trust us. We'll help you. We'll teach that kid Ji-an the proper way of an Italian man."
Ah, no.
I don't know what they're planning to help with...
Kim Ji-woo didn't particularly feel like stopping the two of them from being so meddlesome.