Chapter 90
Chapter 90
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Unknowingly -1
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There is a word called 'Unknowingly'.
At first listen, it sounds like English or Italian, but it's pure Korean.
A word I'm quite fond of.
It just has a nice ring to it, you could say.
Unknowingly, unknowingly.
It means 'gradually, without realizing it'.
Spring has also come to Florence unknowingly.
"Hmmm-"
I head to the training grounds, taking a deep breath of the fresh spring air.
During winter, Florence was entirely gray, but before I knew it, it has become mottled with blue.
"Hello. Let's work hard again today."
"Good morning."
These are greetings I exchange every day on my way, faces I see all the time, but for some reason, today feels different.
That's just what spring is like.
Because spring is a new beginning.
Of course, the European season starts and ends in summer, but for me, spring is newness.
Actually, that's why I never liked spring.
Newness, a fresh start.
For others, these might be thrilling words just to hear, but... for me, they were not.
For me, they were closer to frightening words than thrilling ones.
If I were to think about why, well...
It was the same even when I was in Korea.
Back then, when spring came, it meant the new school year was about to start, and whenever I felt the mood of spring, the thought that I had to go to school and get entangled with new friends would come first, making me worry like a mountain.
Maybe I learned my lesson from that.
I did not like spring.
And it was the same this time last year.
Right around this time, when winter was turning to spring, I came to Florence.
My first spring in Florence was not a welcome one either.
Back then, only the gray scenery entered my eyes; I had no room to notice the sprouting greenery.
It was just that this beautiful city looked like black and white to my eyes.
But it's different now.
It's still chilly, and the scenery is still dominated by gray, excluding the red bricks, but...
Well.
The greenery sprouting ever so small enters my eyes first.
I was feeling quite welcoming towards spring.
"Buongiorno! Good morning, right?"
The owner of my regular fruit shop greets me with a spring-like welcome, and I respond with a smile.
Outside, spring is just about to arrive, but here, spring has definitely come early.
The fruits, now much more colorful, boast their own freshness.
"Here, take this today too."
"What is this?"
"The first wild strawberries of the year. I hid them from the display to give to you."
As I pack the usual bananas and a few other fruits, the owner hands me a bag of strawberries.
He says he hid them just for me; I feel he didn't have to go that far.
As I scratch my head, wondering how to express my thanks, the owner speaks.
"Huh? Don't you like strawberries? Too much sugar? Bad for your diet?"
"Ah, no. I like strawberries."
"Really? Then that's a relief. Haha!"
When I say I like them, the owner beams.
To be honest, I don't, but his eyes looked so sorry that I couldn't say I hated them.
I have enough sense to pick up on that.
"Spring came incredibly early this year."
The owner, standing in front of the door with his hands clasped behind his back in high spirits, looks outside.
After taking in a deep breath of spring air, he turns to me and says.
"The lilies might bloom early at this rate. Ah, no. They've already bloomed. Here, this beautiful lily right here. Haha! Thanks to you, the strawberries also got confused and came out early. If a lily that blooms in summer is in full bloom like this, it must think it overslept."
"..."
As the owner puts his hand on my shoulder and says this, I marvel inwardly.
Right now, he just looks like a pot-bellied neighborhood uncle, but this man is an Italian man too.
If I were a girl, my heart might have gone pitter-patter.
...I'm really glad I'm a guy.
"How's your body? Not too tired?"
Nevertheless, the owner, just like always, starts talking about soccer right in front of me.
How I'm preparing for this week's match, if everyone's condition is okay.
I answer sincerely as a way to repay him for the kindness he always shows me.
"Ah, by the way. Did you see that Total Football show this time?"
"...What's that?"
"You don't watch much TV, do you. It's that show. The one where pot-bellied uncles come out and chatter about soccer. Your name came up there."
"...My name?"
The owner nods.
For some reason, I could feel pride from that nod.
"They said you're the pride of Florence, Lee, and that you're the world's best talent. Seems the so-called experts' eyes aren't so different from mine."
"Haha..."
"They say you're among the top ten attackers in the world, but top ten? In my book, you're top five."
It's enough to just walk to the training ground.
Thanks to the owner who even gave me a ride, I awkwardly laugh and scratch my head.
But the plane has only just taken off.
"Amazing, amazing. To be ranked among the top ten in the world. That means you've been chosen by God. I'm the same, I suppose. Since the person chosen by God always visits my shop."
...My whole body tingles.
"Anyway, I hear a lot of talk about how Serie A is in crisis because of the Champions League, but I don't think so. If our representative team went out and got crushed, that would be a crisis. But this time, our team didn't go, right? Without us, this Champions League is invalid."
...For some reason, the uncle is saying the exact same thing as Jiu.
"You have to show me next time. Got it? That Fiorentina is the best team in Italy."
"...I will."
"Let's all work hard in our own positions. I'll be letting everyone know that Florence's fruits are the best, so you let Europe know that Florence's lily is the most beautiful. We can't be the only ones who know this, right?"
I scratch my head and nod at the uncle who gives a sly smile.
"Oh my. I've taken up too much of your time. Have a good day!"
"I'll be back tomorrow. Thanks for the strawberries."
I bow to the uncle, tuck the heavy bag of fruit under my arm, and head for the training ground.
As I do, I chew over the words the uncle gave me.
Chosen by God.
I was quite tense, thinking he might start telling me to go to church soon.
"Ahem."
Anyway, I should put these strawberries in the training ground fridge and give them to Jiu when I get home.
Jiu likes strawberries.
···
Waaaaaaaah—
By the time the spectators' outfits had become noticeably lighter, we welcomed AS Roma to our home.
"Let's grab control of the game and see it through! Let's dominate!"
"Let's go to the Champions League!"
"Okay!"
"Forza-!"
"Viola-!!"
Shouting their fighting spirit, they disperse to their positions.
Everyone seems even more motivated than usual today.
They all want an overwhelming victory.
In the first half of the season, we played a tough match against AS Roma and barely managed a draw.
I remember that time too.
It was not an easy match.
For some reason, I had to clash frequently with their ace, and I struggled a lot.
Because of that, I remember being very angry at myself.
Not simply because I couldn't play my game, but because I was angry at the ugly sight of myself making excuses, blaming my age for not being able to play my game.
That might have been the first time I was so disappointed in myself while playing soccer.
Thanks to that, the memory remained intense, and I feel a strong desire to show a different side today.
One day, the coach was scolding a senior and said something like this.
A mistake is a mistake, but if it happens twice, it's a skill issue.
I don't remember in what situation that came up, but for some reason, it really struck a chord.
A mistake is a mistake, but the second time is a skill issue.
The league is divided into first and second halves, with a system where you play two matches against each team, and I feel like that might be for a reason like this.
I like that system.
That there's a chance to make up for a mistake... and above all, the feeling of facing an opponent you've faced before is different.
Just like when I see Jiu every day, I don't feel it, but when I saw her after three years, I felt the change.
Facing an opponent again after a few months also makes me feel how much I've changed.
It's hard to feel the time passing unknowingly, but through today's match, I want to confirm that time has passed.
Peeeeeep—!
The whistle blows, and we start the match by sending the ball back.
*
AS Roma's captain, Lorenzo Pellegrini, clearly remembered the 11th round of the league.
Roma, starting the new season with the brilliant master Jose Mourinho, was off to a great start and building momentum at the time.
Pellegrini himself was also in the best form of his life.
The injury that had plagued him for a while had completely healed, and his physical condition was at its peak.
If you only looked at his mood at the time, he felt like he could take on anyone.
No, it felt like he could crush anyone.
That's how full of confidence Pellegrini was back then.
And yet, in that state, he hosted Fiorentina at home for a match.
And Pellegrini was in for a huge shock.
He was so confident he could even beat players whose names were known to everyone, but he struggled immensely against a player whose name and face he didn't even know.
No, simply calling it a 'struggle' might be too subjective an assessment.
The match ended in a draw, but if you compared their individual performances one-on-one.
His defeat was clear.
But what was even more shocking was that the player was only sixteen years old.
And it turned out that was only his third match after his first-team debut.
Just what kind of talent was this?
He even felt fear.
But what was truly terrifying was that the kid's first half and second half were noticeably different.
Right. Well, you could say he won a verdict in the first half.
He consistently won the ball duels, held control, and led the game.
In the first half, his honest impression was simply that this kid, with his baby face, was pretty good at soccer.
However, after the second half began, the kid had become a different player.
A much faster, more clever player with a wider field of vision.
And he handed the second half over to the kid.
In that short span, the kid grew in real-time and crushed him.
So today, Pellegrini felt a bit more afraid.
If he grew that much in the short span between the first and second half, just how much more has he grown over the past few months?
That day was so impressive that he had been watching from a distance, so he knew.
At the time, few people knew of the kid, but now he's known to everyone.
So he could expect that he must have grown fearfully.
However, once the match started.
When he first confronted Lee Jee-an, who had the ball, Pellegrini knew for sure.
From that 11th round until now.
Quite some time had passed.
Tak-tak-tak—!
As if stuck by a magnet, the ball sticks to his foot as Lee Jee-an brushes past him.
Pellegrini just watches him.
He couldn't use his feet, nor his hands.
He couldn't believe that the gap had widened this much in just those few months.