Assist Shuttle.
"Cut it out already."
I grabbed the Hojin High coach's arm and let out a sigh.
"Who the hell are you!?"
The coach, whose arm I'd seized, irritably shook me off and whipped his head around to glare at me. Ignoring him, I turned my gaze to the center back.
No matter how I look at him, he seems just like Chani hyung.
Honestly, I hadn't planned on getting involved in this mess. Not if Hojin High's center back wasn't the guy who'd become my agent brother in the future.
Is it the hair? His vibe's so different, I didn't recognize him at first.
Chani hyung with a full head of hair felt a bit off.
If it weren't for that story Chani hyung had told me before, I might not have pieced it together. The difference in his appearance was that stark.
-Fuck.
Well, at thirty-something, balding like that suited him. The signs were already there, anyway.
"You little shit! Ignoring me? Huh?! What kinda upbringing did you have?!"
The Hojin High coach, thinking he'd been dissed by some snot-nosed kid, started throwing a tantrum.
"Coach, calm down!"
A Hojin High assistant coach, not wanting things to escalate, rushed over to restrain him.
Right now, it could pass as corporal punishment and get swept under the rug, but if he laid a hand on me too, it'd be straight-up assault.
"Argh! Let go! Let me go, damn it!"
Even without that, this guy couldn't touch me. These types were classic bullies—strong against the weak, weak against the strong.
He'd abused his position as coach to torment weaker students. Against anyone higher up, he was powerless.
I was just a student, sure, but I had the chairman behind me.
If someone like the chairman—who held real social status and respect in education—dropped a casual line at some gathering like, "Eh, that coach's personality is a bit... Isn't he unfit to teach kids?"
His career would be toast in an instant.
Even if the soccer team was full of pro hopefuls, they were still school athletes. The official term from the education office was "student-athletes."
Coaches wielded king-like power, but they had to handle daily guidance, counseling, and audits from the education board. A coach with character issues? No rehire in education. He'd have to network into pro teams as a coach.
Who'd hire a controversial guy without serious connections? Even with them, it'd be risky.
You need the pull to bury scandals. Controversy means your greed outstrips your ability.
So, no way this Hojin High coach would swing at me.
The problem is if he doesn't know about my chairman backup...
Nah, unlikely. Word had spread wide from Geum-sun High parents we'd edged out—me being the chairman's secret kid, even.
Anyway, his only move? Yell loud.
"Fuck! Get over here!"
He pointed at me furiously, but while his upper body thrashed wildly, his legs stayed planted. Even the restraining assistant was a head shorter.
Guess he had no intention of fighting. Just saving face with noise—didn't he know that looked even more pathetic?
Anyway, I stepped forward at his beckon. He and the assistant backed up two steps.
"Pfft—!"
Hojin High players burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight, and the coach's face flushed with humiliation.
"Ugh! Buncha bad luck! Follow me, you punks!"
The coach bellowed at the benchwarmers gawking idly, then stormed off the field. I helped up Chani hyung, who'd been knocked down by the coach.
"Uh... yeah. Thanks."
I braced for "Why'd you butt in? You gonna take responsibility if it screws my soccer career?" But true to his kind, honest nature, he just thanked me sincerely.
"No biggie. If anything, I stuck my nose in and made it worse."
"Haha... Nah, it's fine. It'll work out. Hey, since we're connected now, wanna swap numbers?"
I worried the coach might take it out on him later, but he brushed it off with a smile, we exchanged numbers, and he left.
I messaged the chairman for backup. Hwang Geum-sun was rock-solid for stuff like this.
Oh, and gotta ask Coach Han Gwang-jong too.
From what I knew, he'd be proactive about fixing this.
I contacted both, and they promised full support.
That evening, posts started flooding the Hoo Gallery.
But the post that drew the most attention was KkureHoo's.
KkureHoo's post spread like wildfire to other communities, sparking buzz everywhere.
"Whoa!? Sunbae! High school soccer assault scandal's blowing up!"
"You idiot! I told you no communities—run your ass off and write the article!"
"C'mon, who writes articles like that anymore? We just take tips!"
"Reporters run on their—"
"Then don't write it?"
"...Write it. Clickbait gold."
With World Cup hype boosting soccer interest, reporters saw prime story fodder and turned it into articles fast.
As predicted, the articles racked up massive views. Public outrage shot "Hojin High," "Hojin High Coach Assault," "Sonminho," "What’s Hoo?" to real-time search trends.
The national parents' association Seoul branch, seeing this, released the Gojangpoong teacher incident earlier.
The cases merged, fueling the corporal punishment debate nationwide. Audits came quick.
The cases wrapped up predictably.
Resulting in a total ban on school corporal punishment.
Two months after the incident, Chani hyung got a Geum-sun High tryout thanks to the chairman.
Private schools cost a fortune, but who was our chairman?
A guy with the philosophy that talented kids shouldn't quit dreams over money.
Per that, Chani hyung would get full scholarship if he passed.
"...Trying out as striker?"
But in this crucial moment, this mad lad Kang Chan declared he'd try as forward.
"Yeah. I was originally a striker. And Geum-sun's forwards suck at finishing."
Now buddies, he answered casually. Yeah, their finishing was trash, and I'd heard he played striker before—but really trying out there? Last time was elementary school.
As I stared in disbelief, we reached the field. Coach Choi Gi-hyeon tsked at Kang Chan's striker plan.
"Tch. Not kidding—defender suddenly playing striker? Bullshit."
This time, I agreed. Anyone could see Kang Chan was nuts.
But in the 11v11 practice match for the tryout, he bagged a multi-goal haul. Plenty lacking as striker, but his composure in the box? Next level.
I watched him celebrate, recalling that old chat.
Wasn't bullshit after all?
That day, I scored myself an assist shuttle. Coach Choi Gi-hyeon grinned like a Pep Guardiola pervert. Probably screaming inside: "Legend who raised two national teamers? It's me."
