Chapter 80
Chapter 80
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: A New Experience -5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I've realized something recently, and I Must Be a Genius.
Back in Florence after finishing the match against Bologna.
Lee Ji-an and Kim Ji-woo were walking near their home supermarket.
The two had stepped out for a quick grocery run.
"Hey, you know what?"
Kim Ji-woo asked.
"That Romero guy, the player you mentioned."
"Yeah."
"How tall is he?"
At the somewhat sudden question, Lee Ji-an tilted his head and answered.
"One hundred and sixty... five, I think? Around there."
"Ah, really?"
"...Why?"
"Huh? Ah, no. Just curious."
Kim Ji-woo walked ahead, leaving Lee Ji-an looking at her as if she were being ridiculous.
She had suddenly thought of something earlier.
When Lee Ji-an and that player Romero stood side by side, they gave off a strangely compatible vibe.
No, it wasn't that she had any peculiar tastes. When she said they were compatible, it was more like the height difference between the two was the kind of height difference that made your heart flutter.
The kind where if you hugged them, they'd fit perfectly into your arms...
...
Realizing what kind of imagination she was having, Kim Ji-woo's ears turned slightly red.
Coincidentally, Kim Ji-woo's height was similar to Romero's. That meant, if she stood next to Lee Ji-an, she would feel the same way... if she hugged him...
'Ah, what am I thinking!'
Kim Ji-woo shook her head.
Even so, the corners of her mouth kept rising.
Ah, whatever.
Let's stop thinking weird thoughts and just get the groceries.
"The sauce... Ah, it's over there."
Kim Ji-woo, who was looking for the sauce needed for dinner, tilted her head back. The sauce bottles were displayed on the top shelf of the aisle.
"Hup!"
She reached out, but she couldn't reach. Even standing on her tiptoes and jumping a few times was useless.
Ugh.
Why did they put that so high up?
As Kim Ji-woo was sighing, Lee Ji-an approached from behind.
"What's wrong?"
"Ah, that... it's too high."
"This?"
Lee Ji-an, standing behind Kim Ji-woo, stretched his arm out fully.
Then, he pointed at one of the sauce bottles with his finger and looked down at Kim Ji-woo to confirm if it was the right one.
Kim Ji-woo, for some reason, shrank her shoulders and quietly nodded.
"What else did you say we needed to buy?"
"...Huh? Ah. Ah... onions."
"Onions... were they over there?"
Lee Ji-an, who had put the sauce bottle he took out into the shopping basket, casually headed toward another aisle.
As Lee Ji-an's figure disappeared beyond the aisle, Kim Ji-woo quickly grabbed her earlobes with her hands.
...
They were hot. Her ears had suddenly become incredibly hot.
Her heart was also pounding.
No, it's because he suddenly came up from behind and surprised me.
Because I was startled, my heart is pounding like crazy.
Because my heart is pounding, blood rushes to my head, and that's why my ears are turning red...
Yeah...
...
Kim Ji-woo subtly lifted her head and looked around.
Then, she started looking to see if there was anything else she needed to buy from the high shelves.
···
It was a pleasant feeling to have advanced to the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia by defeating Bologna, but we couldn't enjoy that joy for long.
It was because we lost in the subsequent weekend league match.
The opponent was Lazio. It was an away game for us, and I was excluded from the squad for that trip.
Because of that, I had to watch that match on TV at home.
It was because there was a slight problem during training.
While I was training as usual, I felt a slight pull in the back of my calf.
The pain wasn't that severe, so I considered just enduring it and continuing, but I decided that wasn't a good idea and reported it.
And then, I was told to take a break, no questions asked.
I got checked out right away, and thankfully, they said there were no visible problems.
They said it just looked like accumulated fatigue, so I just needed to rest well.
Thanks to that, I ended up missing the away game against Lazio entirely, and had to watch the game from home.
-Ah, you can definitely feel the absence of Lee. The ball distribution isn't going smoothly.
As I watched the game on TV, I felt a strange feeling.
My seniors were running so hard out there, and I was just lying on the sofa, so I felt a bit guilty.
And as the game wasn't going well, I felt a bit frustrated.
Most of all, I was a little angry.
It was because the commentator kept mentioning my name, even though I wasn't on the field.
-As the game progresses, you can really feel the void left by Lee. There's no one to hold up the ball up front, no one to dribble and crack open the defense. Even Saporola, who was so active in previous games, feels like he's dying without Lee.
The commentator is supposed to commentate on the game.
But he wasn't doing his job, and kept talking about me, even though I wasn't there.
It wasn't just that hearing my name was grating. It was the way he was saying that my seniors were struggling because I wasn't there that annoyed me.
It was annoying because he made it sound like my seniors were people who depended on me.
To be precise, it was the complete opposite.
The seniors who played against Lazio were all exhausted and in tough shape. After training, the treatment room was so packed there was no place to step. Everyone was in a state where they needed treatment.
Yet, the seniors played without being able to rest. Unlike me, who couldn't play just because I was a little tired.
Listening to the commentator's rambling, not knowing any of these circumstances, it was only natural that I got angry.
Anyway, since we ended up losing the game, that feeling only doubled.
-Coincidentally, as soon as Lee was absent, Fiorentina's winning streak was broken. You could definitely say today's game...
I wanted to sew that commentator's mouth shut right up to the end.
···
"If you feel even the slightest bit of pain, you won't be able to play in the next game either. Are you really okay?"
"I'm okay."
"You have to be honest with me. If you rush back and play, you might end up having to miss the next three games. Besides, if you get injured, I'm the one who'll get all the blame. So, are you really okay?"
"I'm really okay."
I was called to the treatment room, listening to the team doctor's nagging, which wasn't really nagging.
I've already answered that I'm okay so many times.
I say I'm fine, and the test results are fine, so I don't know why he's so worried. He seems to worry more than my dad or Ji-woo.
"He says he's okay?"
"What do you think? It's not an injury, right?"
As I came out of the treatment room, the other seniors also asked one by one. I told them I was okay, that there was no problem at all, and only then did they all make relieved faces.
···Next time, I should just hide it even if I'm in pain.
They're all worrying about me this much, so I'm wondering if I overreacted.
I didn't even get a real injury, it was just a slight muscle pull.
"Maknae, are you okay? Can you train?"
"Yes, I'm okay."
As I was hurriedly tying my shoelaces, the captain came over and spoke.
When I said I was okay again, the captain let out a sigh.
"That's a relief. I saw an article that said Korea was trying to call you up. But I heard it was rejected due to an injury, so I was really worried. I thought the injury was more serious than I thought."
"...Is that so?"
"What? You didn't know? How can you not know about your own story? Anyway, I'm glad it's not an injury."
Hmm...
This is the first I'm hearing about this.
A strange irritation surged up.
I was just tired, and the manager told me to rest for one game, so I rested.
I don't know what's going on.
It's strange that, as the captain said, I don't know my own story.
I just want to play soccer well.
The world of adults doesn't seem to work that way.
Maybe it's because I talk too little. Because I don't talk, people just speculate and interpret things however they want.
In many ways, there's more and more to worry about.
...
I felt myself getting a little sensitive.
···
"Just in case, no. There will definitely be some difficult questions. You don't have to answer those. Just pretend you don't understand. I'll answer, so you get it, right?"
"Yes. I understand."
Two days before the weekend game, after finishing training, I was leaving the training ground with the manager.
We were on our way to do something like an interview.
Not the interview they do after the game, but the one they do before the game.
I knew there were interviews like this.
On the last training day before the weekend, I'd always seen reporters hanging around the training ground.
After training, the manager and the captain would always go deal with those reporters, and thanks to that, I could avoid them and go home quietly.
But today, the manager casually asked me.
If I could possibly say a few simple words.
He said the fans were worried because I rested for one game last week, and asked if I could just say that I'm okay.
So that's why we're on our way now.
The manager said I didn't have to do it if it was too burdensome, but it wasn't particularly so.
As long as it's not being broadcast live on camera, I know what to say and what not to say.
Anyway, I realized that even if I stay quiet, my story still comes out... so I wanted to say a word.
"Please step back. That thing in front is a line. Please go behind the line."
When we arrived at the designated spot, there were quite a few reporters. Watching them jostle for good positions, I suddenly thought that their job must be really tiring too.
"I'll take questions for 10 minutes."
Soon, the question-and-answer time began.
The manager stepped forward, and questions flew at him.
The manager took those questions quite comfortably.
"It seems the fatigue accumulation of the squad has reached its limit. Do you have any countermeasures for the second half of the season?"
"I'll only take questions about the weekend game. Next."
"Both Inter and Milan were eliminated from the Champions League group stage, so you no longer have an advantage in terms of schedule. It seems like it will be a difficult game when you meet them next, but to maintain your current ranking..."
"Next."
...I wonder if the manager was a defender in his playing days.
It's an iron wall defense.
The manager ruthlessly shuts down questions he deems pointless.
It seems a bit too ruthless, but the reporters don't say anything and just continue with their next questions.
As expected, there are benefits to having a somewhat intimidating look.
Maybe I should put some force into my eyes during interviews too.
"I'll proceed with the next interview. 5 minutes."
The manager, who said he would take questions for 10 minutes, ended the interview in just 5 minutes.
And now it's my turn.
As I stepped forward, hands shot up from all over the place.
The manager decided who to give the opportunity to.
The selected reporter threw a question at me.
"How is the extent of your injury? Are you in a state to play in the next game?"
Hmm.
I thought about shouting "Next" like the manager, but I sighed and answered.
I'm treated like an injured player, even though I was never hurt.
"There's no place I'm hurt. I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine. I'll be playing in the next game. If the manager puts me in."
If it weren't for the camera with the red light on, I could speak well too.
The next question followed.
"This summer, the clubs that want to sign you..."
"Next."
The manager shouted "Pass" as if he had been waiting for it.
Then, the manager standing next to me turned his head back and I could feel him chuckle.
Did he find it funny?
Anyway, seeing the reporter immediately lose the right to speak because of my one word, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Reporters don't have the right to torment me.
On that note, I directly picked the next reporter to speak and gave them the floor.
"Thank you. By missing last week's game, it was proven that Fiorentina's performance without Lee was very poor..."
...
Hmm.
I chose wrong.
I should have just left it to the manager.
"This game's opponent isn't easy either. Fiorentina has a poor record against Atalanta. Atalanta has also shown considerable confidence ahead of this game. They said they can win even if Lee plays."
I listened silently as the long question continued.
"They also said that Lee only stands out because the other players' skills are lacking. Do you have anything to say about that?"
The question was so long that I had to organize my thoughts for a moment.
First, I had to interpret the question, think of an answer, and then assemble the words I knew to convey that answer.
The fact that I still can't speak Italian like a native speaker was a relief right now.
If the interview had been in Korean, I wouldn't have been able to answer after organizing my thoughts like this.
Because the question was stupid.
"I received a lot of help and learned a lot. From the senior players in the first team. Thanks to them, I even heard that I was a genius. So right now, I feel very insulted. The current me was made by the manager, the seniors, and the fans who support me."
After pausing to catch my breath, I answered again.
"So, don't just run your mouth as you please."
I was speaking to everyone.