Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: I Suddenly Became a Hero - 3
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Exiting the locker room and passing through the tunnel, I stepped onto the field's grass and was suddenly struck by a strange feeling.
One match per week.
A total of two halves.
This had almost become a routine for me, yet I couldn't understand why this unfamiliar feeling was washing over me.
So, I instinctively looked back.
My seniors were walking out behind me.
Only then did I realize why the situation felt so strange.
"Let's go, let's go!"
"Defense! Let's focus one by one and go!"
It was the first time I had been the very first to leave the locker room and step onto the field.
I was always the last one out.
Whether in the locker room or the tunnel, I used to come out following my seniors, watching their backs.
Coming out first like this, showing them my back, was a first.
Of course, it didn't mean anything special.
I hadn't thought, "I should go out first today," or anything like that. I simply came out because it was time to go.
So, it's just a little unfamiliar, but it doesn't really mean anything... I don't know.
The only thing that matters right now is winning today's match.
Pweeeeeeet!
The whistle blew, and the match began with the opponent's kickoff.
Today's match was at our home, and I didn't think we were such an easy team to beat, but.
The opponent seemed to have no intention of losing.
Of course, it's natural to approach every match with the mindset of winning, but it felt like they considered even a draw a failure.
In other words, they started playing even more aggressively than in the first half.
"Back! Align the line!"
"Hey! Think about the space behind! Be aware of it!"
The ball kept circling around our territory.
We had chosen to sit back and fight in midfield rather than press, while the opponent held the ball in a high position to find our gaps.
As a result, as a forward, I spent more time looking at our own territory rather than the opponent's.
Meaning, I spent a long time just watching my 10 teammates defending hard.
I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable.
It was like, when everyone else is cleaning, I'm the only one lying on the couch. I just lift my feet slightly when the vacuum cleaner passes by. I felt like I was the only one doing nothing, so I felt awkward.
Of course, when the ball came near me, I diligently performed the press. However, I couldn't go down and actively help with the defense.
I was, after all, a striker, and in case of a counter-attack, my role was to target the opponent's back.
Just before entering the second half, the coach had told me this:
"You are a male lion. The king of beasts."
"...Huh?"
"You know how in documentaries, the male lion just lazes around? When the lionesses are hunting hard, all he does is lie down and yawn, right?"
"...Yes."
"But when a threat like a hyena appears, who protects the pride? The male lion. In the second half, you must become that male lion. Conserve your strength, and at the critical moment, sink your teeth into the opponent's neck and sever their breath."
Well, it was similar in the first half, but in the second half, physical exhaustion is inevitable, so he was telling me to save my energy on defense and focus more on offense.
The metaphor was grand, but if I filtered it appropriately, that was the gist.
I have a hobby of secretly studying tactics during class, so I have a general idea of how tactical trends have changed.
Recent trends are less about clearly dividing roles between positions; it's more in vogue for forwards to defend when defending and defenders to attack when attacking. However, no matter how much that's the case, there must be some division of roles. Whether it's a false nine or whatever, in defense, I am positioned at the very front.
That's why I'm the one at the forefront during counter-attacks, and I'm the one who can reach the opponent's goal the fastest.
If I go down to help with defense, the team's ability to counter-attack becomes difficult. As the absolute distance increases, the number of defenders we have to get past multiplies, and the time it takes to reach the goal gets longer.
So... in the end, I'm not standing here because I don't want to defend. I'm not being lazy and just coasting. I'm not enjoying the honey alone; I'm waiting for my moment to step up with the heart of a male lion.
...Hmm.
Maybe I should grow my hair out a bit.
No, never mind.
Ji-woo said she doesn't like long hair...
I probably won't have a chance to grow my hair out in the future anyway.
*
The real honey isn't just about being physically comfortable. Both body and mind must be at ease for it to be true honey.
In that sense, even though I barely touched the ball during the second half, I couldn't say I was enjoying the honey. My mind was uncomfortable.
The opponent was pressing us that hard.
The opponent's front three were exceptionally fast and aggressive, and they even switched positions to torment our defenders.
As I played, I ended up memorizing their names, not just their numbers. The combination from the left was Insigne, Osimhen, and Lozano.
Usually, when communicating, you'd say "here," "left," "right," or call out the number, but today our defenders were calling out the players' names to communicate.
Things like, "Don't give the ball to Insigne!" or "Don't lose track of Osimhen!"
For some reason, calling them by name instead of number made it feel like we were respecting the opponent a bit more. I can't explain why, but it felt like, "This guy is someone we have to stop." Anyway, that's how it was.
Napoli's attack was very threatening, and we had to defend with maximum concentration. Seeing all that and not being able to do anything, I couldn't be at ease. It would be better if I could defend together, but I couldn't stray far from my position, so I was helpless.
Of course, it wasn't like I didn't touch the ball at all in the second half. There were a few counter-attack opportunities. There were moments when we had the ball and controlled the flow, even if only briefly. However, we couldn't create any meaningful chances.
The opponent was strong not only in attack but also in defense. Especially when I got the ball, they would mark me intensely. It might be because I looked easy to deal with, but it was probably because they conceded a goal in the first half, so they were paying more attention.
Of course, that's just an excuse. Whether the opponent's defense was strong or they were marking me intensely, I should have broken through. That's why they took me out of the defense. If I can't do that, I become a player who doesn't even contribute one unit's worth, a minus to the team.
If the team doesn't win, the goal I scored in the first half means nothing.
Therefore, as time flowed toward the end of the second half, I had to raise my concentration even more. In fact, it wasn't easy to maintain my concentration. It wasn't the flow of the game I liked. I prefer a style where we hold the ball longer, exchange frequent passes with my teammates, and build up the play. A situation where everyone is looking only at me is, of course, not something I would like.
But you can't always do what you like. To do what I like, I have to do what I don't like. That's how the world works. What I like is for our team to win, and to achieve that, I had to concentrate more.
The time on the electronic board was already past the 45th minute of the second half.
"Think about stopping just one thing! Focus!"
Luckily, we hadn't conceded yet. However, we couldn't let our guard down. My teammates were defending with intense focus, but this was a time when both physical stamina and concentration were bound to drop. But that was the same for the opponent.
Moreover, the opponent had attacked three times every time we attacked. If they ended up drawing after attacking so much, it would be the opponent who felt wronged.
The opponent's line was getting higher, and all their concentration was focused on attacking. Was it because of what the coach had told me? I found myself unconsciously cracking my neck left and right. I was even putting force into my eyes.
It feels like it's time for the male lion to do something...
Just as I thought that, the opponent's pass was intercepted.
A horizontal pass from the left toward the center was cut off, and the location was near the midfield. It meant the ball was close to me.
"...!"
I made eye contact with Bonaventura, who had intercepted the ball. However, I extended my right hand and pointed to the right, and his gaze followed that way. It looked like he was about to give it to me because the right side was wide open, so I hurriedly pointed in the other direction.
Booooom!
His pass went to the right... no. Now that we had turned toward the opponent's territory, it went to the left. The space was wide. The ball headed into that wide space, and at the same time, Sapornara made a dash.
Tatatat!
I ran along with the opponent's defenders. It was the last chance anyway. Plus, I had saved a lot of my stamina. I pushed off the ground with all my strength, using both legs to move forward. It felt like becoming a male lion running across a prairie. ...This is all the coach's fault. I'm only 16, how can he talk about lions?
Tatatat!
Anyway, even if a lion is the king of beasts, in front of an elephant, it's just a cute meow. The defenders running in front of me were elephants, and I had to move cleverly. Not just by running.
Tatat!
I started running while subtly shifting my direction to the right. Since the ball was on the left, all the defenders' eyes were pointed that way. To sever the prey's breath in one go, you must bite the nape of its neck. I had to move from behind. From the blind spot in their vision.
Tatatat!
As I ran, stepping on the defenders' shadows, I soon found myself near the box. Sapornara, who had caught the ball on the left, was pulling it deep to buy time, and just as my teammates and I arrived...
"...!"
"...!"
Sapornara and I made eye contact. I pointed to the space in front of the defenders with my hand, and he immediately pulled back his left foot.
Booooom!
A powerful low cross flew in. Into the space between the defenders and the goalkeeper.
"Lee!"
"Get it, Lee!"
I could hear voices calling my name from behind. They didn't sound like my seniors, so they must have been players from the opposing team. But it might already be too late.
Hiding behind the defenders, I was the first to dash toward the cross. Like a lion charging at its prey.
Swooooosh!
I threw my body and stretched out my foot as if baring my fangs. The cross was so powerful that it would go in if I just touched it. If only I could just touch it...
Paaaaang!
...I touched it...
Thwack!
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
The ball hit my toes and slammed into the net, and at the same time, a huge roar erupted. It went in.
Tatat!
I, who had slid, naturally got up and ran toward Sapornara, pointing at him. I just added the final touch; it was a goal he created...
"Over here!"
He took an awkward stance, turned his back to me, and shouted. It looked like... he wanted me to get on his back.
"Come here!"
I just wanted to end it with a hug, I had no intention of getting on his back, but... Sapornara had such a delighted expression that I couldn't bring myself to refuse.
...Sigh.
"Heave-ho!"
I reluctantly got on his back, and he walked all the way to the electronic board, showing me off to the spectators. Then, the spectators' gazes and cheers poured down on me.
"This! Is! Our youngest!"
"Th-that's enough..."
He even lifted me up and down as if soothing a little child, making me want to die of embarrassment.
"This guy! Is! Our baby!"
I felt like I had become six years old, not sixteen.
...
─Lee Ji-an, scores a last-minute dramatic goal in the 90+1' minute! With his multi-goal performance, including the late drama, Fiorentina secures a 2-1 victory over Napoli!
💬 Comments
⭐ Top Comment
— User_1234
The youngest is the best!!!!!!!
— User_8888
Youngest? Who are you calling the youngest? Show some respect to the King!
— User_5555
I bow to you, my hero.
— User_7777
Lee >>>>>>>>>> Osimhen
— User_9999
King >>>>>>> Insigne+Osimhen+Lozano
— User_6666
Seeing Koulibaly and Rahmani getting torn apart was honestly a bit of a shock.
— User_4444
I bet they were the most shocked of all.
— User_2024
Ji-an is my boyfriend.
— User_3030
Heroes appear in troubled times. To those who said Fiorentina would be ruined after Vlahovic left. Say it again. Louder.
— User_1010
Sell that guy and give all the money to Lee. That's the most valuable way to use that money.
— User_8080
I am a Catholic, but from today, I have two gods. God exists in reality, and he plays soccer.
— User_2025
🚨 Breaking News: Vatican considering relocation to Florence...
─Led by Lee Ji-an, Fiorentina overtakes Juventus, who had previously drawn with AC Milan, to climb to 3rd place in the league.
💬 Comments
— User_4040
Vlahovic with 0 goals!! Lee with 2 goals and the winner!!
— User_6060
I'm sorry for cursing you for not recognizing the God of Investing and only caring about money.
— User_7070
The timing of the sell was a god-tier move.
— User_9090
Hey Juve fans, do the dishes well.
— User_1011
Sold a used car and got a sports car for free.
— User_1012
A used car that guzzles gas? Meanwhile, our sports car has great fuel efficiency.
— User_1013
We're in 3rd place, trampling on the thieves. How long has it been since this happened?
— User_1014
I should take a screenshot and frame it.
— User_1015
Hey, don't get too ahead of yourself. We're going to climb even higher from now on.
— User_1016
If Lee hadn't been here, the thieves would have been in this spot.
— User_1017
You idiots. You're going to get destroyed when you play Milan.
— User_1018
There, there. Our little thieves are here. How does it feel? Seeing a free prospect you let go fly around, while the gas-guzzling used car you bought for 80 million euros is still crawling?
— User_1019
Go easy on him. The kid's about to cry.
— User_1020
Let's wait and see, you idiots. You have Milan in the third round, right? The team that's going to lose will lose.
— User_1021
Characteristics of the least scary person in the world: They say "let's wait and see."
The match was over.
Kim Ji-woo, checking the internet reactions, let out a small laugh.
Today, once again, Ji-an had become a god.
She was starting to understand the humor of these people, so she could even laugh along while reading the comments.
Hmm. By the way.
'My comment got a ton of dislikes.'
Kim Ji-woo chuckled as she saw the dislikes on her comment. It's not a lie, but they think it is. Well, it was a bit unfair, but it didn't matter. Because at the same time, she felt an inexplicable sense of superiority.