Chapter 67
Chapter 67
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: The Goddess of Victory -1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Flying really is convenient, isn't it?"
"Tell me about it. We have so much more time to rest now."
"I heard they're even building a new fitness center soon."
"Money is a wonderful thing. There's just no helping it."
"At this rate, I wonder if we'll get our own private jet."
We were cycling for recovery training. The seniors' conversation drifted over to us. This was about last week and the week before; after our home game against Napoli, we went on two consecutive away games.
Last week was Genoa, and the week before was Verona.
Truthfully, both destinations were only about a two-hour bus ride away. That is to say, we should have taken the bus.
Our team's policy was to take the bus for trips under three hours, like the one to Rome, and to fly if it takes longer. But for those two away games, we flew both times.
According to the seniors, the reason was simple. The club had more money now.
They said it was thanks to Vlahovic. The transfer fee he left behind when he moved had filled the club's coffers, and because of that, we were able to enjoy such luxury.
I'd heard from various sources that his transfer fee was around 80 million euros. Doing the math, that's over 100 billion won in Korean currency—a staggering amount of money.
I'm not particularly knowledgeable about the details of the contract, so I'm not sure if all of that money went straight into our team's coffers. But one thing is for sure: the club made a huge amount of money.
Thanks to that, we could fly even to nearby locations, allowing us to play in better condition.
I don't know if that was the reason or not, but we won both of our previous two games.
But, this felt a little strange to me. When Vlahovic left the team, I wasn't in a good mood. It was just a feeling. It's not like you'd feel good about a senior you used to have fun playing with suddenly leaving your side, only to meet him as an enemy.
Especially since he went to Juventus, the sense of betrayal was even greater.
However, I had never even considered the possibility that we could benefit from the transfer fee he left behind, just like this. If you dig deeper, it's not just the transfer fee. We can save on the salary we were paying him now, too.
It's obvious without even looking up the data that his salary must have been high.
"..."
I had felt a sense of betrayal towards him, but the fact that his departure allowed the remaining players to play soccer in a better environment... It made me think, "So the world doesn't work as simply as I thought."
It makes me wonder if this is what adults call "circumstances."
The fans expressed immense anger over his transfer, but seeing how none of the other seniors said a word about it... Perhaps leaving the team isn't just a simple act of betrayal.
Well, anyway. As I was lost in these thoughts while cycling...
"Everyone, listen up for a moment!"
At the coach's voice, everyone's attention turned. As I looked in that direction, I saw a familiar-looking face standing with the coach.
...Hmm? He looked unfamiliar, yet I felt like I'd seen him somewhere before. As I frowned, trying to recall, the coach spoke.
"Most of you probably know, but I'll introduce him formally, so think of him as family and get along well. He's a friend who will be training with us starting today."
The coach patted him on the shoulder, and the unfamiliar face took a step forward and gave a slight bow. He was standing with one leg crossed over the other.
"I'm Riccardo Romero, starting today. I'm from Argentina and came from Lazio. I'm 16 years old."
So he was a new signing. The new signing, who had finished his simple self-introduction, scanned all of us with his eyes... then...
"...Oh!"
"...?"
As his eyes met mine, he suddenly beamed and pointed at me with his index finger. Then he started running towards me, and the kid standing in front of me held out his hand.
"I've missed you! My friend!"
"..."
"Since that day, there hasn't been a single moment I've forgotten about that game. That's why I came myself! Did I surprise you? Right?"
He greeted me as if we were close, and I could only scratch the back of my head in confusion.
"From now on, you and I! The two geniuses will join forces and lead this team! Muhahaha!"
...Who the hell is this guy?
***
"Well? How was it? Number one, amazing! Number two, incredible! Was it number one or number two?"
"..."
"Ah, it was too hard to choose? I get it. Muhahaha!"
The kid, who had been doing shooting practice, ran all the way to where I was stretching, rattled on by himself, and then went back laughing. I watched him with a dumbfounded expression, shook my head, and focused back on my stretching.
It took me a little while to remember who the small kid named Riccardo Romero was. He was the kid I'd met as an opponent in the game against Lazio. Back then, Coach Luca had told me I absolutely had to win.
If it weren't for that, I probably wouldn't have remembered him at all.
Anyway, Romero said he had joined our team on loan. He said he came here because of me, but I'm not sure what that means.
According to the seniors, this kid is also part of Vlahovic's legacy. Now that we have more funds, we'll be buying the players we need, and Romero is one of them. They also said that more new players might be coming in the future.
Our team didn't have a very deep roster. Because of that, the fatigue of the starting players was visible to the naked eye. They said bringing in new players would be a good way to solve that problem.
The manager said the real fight starts now. He said that while we've done really well so far, the league is what really matters from now on. He said that if we want to maintain our current position by the end of the season, even tougher battles await us.
Even without that, the atmosphere as we prepared for the next match was quite solemn. It was because, as the manager said, the second half of the season is more important, and also because our opponent was a tough one. Our opponent this week was AC Milan, who were currently leading the league.
So, having a new teammate like this to join forces with is a welcome thing, but...
"Wow! How about this one? Number one, awesome! Number two, mind-blowing!"
...I had a feeling things were going to get tiring from now on.
······
"...What's so funny?"
"Eek!"
"...What's wrong with you? Why are you so surprised?"
"Ah, you scared me! Why are you suddenly peeking over my shoulder!"
Ji-woo, who had jumped in fright and tried to hide her phone, looked at me with an absurd expression.
What do you mean, 'peeking'? I wasn't even looking.
"Are you hiding something?"
"H-Hide what? What is there for me to hide?"
"Then why are you so surprised?"
"Well, it's because you suddenly t-t-started talking, that's why!"
"...You're really acting strange."
"How am I strange? Forget it, let's just eat quickly."
Seeing Ji-woo stutter, she looked even stranger. She's not the type to get flustered by just about anything. What was she looking at to be that surprised?
I tilted my head and went back to eating.
"..."
Wait, but the more I think about it, the stranger it is. It's not just now. I've felt it on occasion before as well. Lately, Ji-woo seems to be spending more time glued to her phone.
She used to be the type who didn't even know where she left her phone when we were together, but lately, she checks her phone all the time. What's funny is that she keeps giggling or trying to suppress her laughter while doing so. Then she'll start typing something furiously.
I thought maybe she was playing some game at first, but it doesn't seem to be that either.
Hmm.
What on earth is it?
"..."
For a moment, my jaw, which had been chewing food, stopped. I was wondering what could be so interesting that she can't let go of her phone, when something suddenly flashed through my mind.
Could it be...?
"...Hehe."
Ji-woo is giggling while looking at her phone again. And then she's typing something again. As if she's replying to a message from someone she's waiting for.
Thinking about it, there are a few strange things. Especially how her Italian has suddenly improved so much. It's not that Italian is incredibly difficult, but even considering that, Ji-woo's Italian skills have skyrocketed.
A few days ago when we went grocery shopping, she was even haggling with the merchants without my help. And she's only been in Italy for less than six months.
I heard a story when I first came to Italy. The fastest way to learn a language is to date someone of the opposite sex from that country. Someone told me that then your skills are forced to improve.
"..."
I sneak a glance at Ji-woo. She's still smirking. Who is it? Who is making you smile like that?
I'm dying of curiosity, but I can't ask outright, which makes me even more miserable. I don't know why, but I'm getting annoyed all by myself. It's not something to be annoyed about, but I don't know. I'm just annoyed, so what am I supposed to do about it? What is this feeling?
...Should I pretend to be contacting someone else too?
"..."
I mindlessly take out my phone and browse my contacts. It's incredibly sparse. The recent call list is full of only Dad and Ji-woo. In my contacts, there's the manager, the coaches, and teammates. That's all.
Even then, there's no one I can contact without a specific reason. It's surprising to realize anew that my social circle is this narrow. If it weren't for Ji-woo and Dad, I probably wouldn't even need a phone. I really only have Dad and Ji-woo.
I almost sent a message to Romero, my last resort, since I have no one to contact, but I stopped. If I called him by mistake, it would probably get very tiring.
Whew. I was feeling depressed and poking at my pasta with a fork when...
"Hey, by the way."
"Huh?"
Ji-woo finally took her eyes off her phone and spoke to me, and I answered right away.
Ji-woo asked.
"Is the team AC Milan that good?"
"...Milan? Why?"
"Just curious."
"They're... good, I guess? Since they're first right now."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
At my answer, Ji-woo nodded blandly and became engrossed in her phone again. I watched her for a moment, then put down my fork and said...
"Uh, hey."
"Yeah?"
"Since we're on the topic of AC Milan..."
"Yeah. What about it?"
"That game is on Saturday. An away game. So, I was thinking..."
As I trailed off, Ji-woo tilted her head and looked at me.
"Yeah? So, what about it?"
"Well, you know, the jinx?"
"I know roughly."
"When I think about it, I've won all the home games, right? But when I went on that away trip to Rome, I drew."
"And?"
"So, it's kind of a jinx. You win when you're in the stands, and I draw or win when you're not... It's not a big deal, but it's bothering me for no reason. The game against Milan is really important..."
I was rambling on, thinking I didn't even know what I was trying to say. Then, unable to get it organized, I just blurted out what I wanted to say.
"...Want to come with?"
I said it without thinking, but I guess I wanted to test the waters. I thought that if my uneasy feeling was right, Ji-woo would hesitate when I asked her to come with me like this.
But...
"Come with you? Really?"
Ji-woo smiled brightly without a moment's hesitation.
"Really? I can really come with you?"
"Uh? Yeah. There's no reason you can't..."
"Then I have to go! Of course, I have to go! Yay!"
She was so happy that she was even cheering, making me wonder what I was so worried about. It was enough to make me wonder if it was really something to be this happy about.
Seeing her like that, I let out a hollow laugh. Anyway, the strange feeling I had just a moment ago became comfortable. At the same time, an inexplicable confidence swelled up inside me.
If I'm with the Goddess of Victory, AC Milan or whoever, I have nothing to fear. For some reason, now that I felt at ease, I asked comfortably.
"By the way."
"Yeah?"
"What have you been doing on your phone since earlier?"
"Ah, this? I was just reading the news."
At my question, Ji-woo showed me her phone screen with an innocent look. It was a real news article.
"...Then what was all that typing you were doing?"
"What typing? Ah, I was running it through a translator?"
"...Ah."
...What have I been doing?