Chapter 8
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 8
Chapter Title LongAwaited K League Junior Debut
The day of the longawaited K League Junior 1st round finally arrived.
Since it was a home game, we gathered at our middle school field.
Bro! Brooo!
As I jogged lightly around the field for warmups, Yeoreums voice rang out.
I turned my gaze to the stands and saw Yeoreum wildly waving from Dads lap.
I flashed a grin and waved back, and Gaeul and Gyeoul followed suit, mimicking their little brother.
Thinking back to the countless matches from my previous life, this was just a tiny youth team gamenothing majoryet my heart started pounding anyway.
Probably because it was my first game of this life, with my family watching.
Daddy!
Right beside me, as we ran side by side, Gong Sehwan shot his hand up high.
Following his gaze to the stands, I spotted his parents.
Id seen them before in my past life.
They looked much younger now, but Sehwans dads bulging belly and bald forehead, and his moms awkwardly high nose bridge, were just the same as back then.
Huh? Mom!
Jin Yujuns parents must have come all the way from faroff Yeosu to watch their sons game.
It was his debut match, sort of, so everyone was probably buzzing with excitement.
Everyone except my dad.
Dad was wearing a blue shortsleeved teenot quite Suwons symbolic blue uniform, but closesitting there with a very uncomfortable look on his face.
Just seeing that told me everything about his feelings.
Sure, my body was at Nanji Island, but my heart and soul belonged to Suwon.
Something like that.
Putting aside my uncomfortable dad, I finished warmups and lined up in front of the coach.
Today, Id beaten out a 3rdyear starter striker for a spot in the lineup.
Thats how ruthless the starting lineup battles are in middle school.
No matter how hard you train for three years, if you dont have the skill, you cant even make the bench on a youth team.
I glanced at the downcast senior sitting in the stands, then turned to Coach Jo Bongsu.
Coach Jo was busily moving the round magnets representing us on the tactics board, explaining todays strategy.
As he earnestly briefed the other players, his eyes landed on me.
Not his usual intimidating glare, but the warm look of the worlds kindest grandpa.
Our Taeyang.
His voice calling me was gentle beyond words.
Our Taeyang gets it, right? Youll handle it on your own, but dont overdo itpass when you should, okay?
Yes, Coach.
And dont drop back too far. Got it?
Yes.
Good, our Taeyang will take care of it himself. Right?
He glanced at the coaches as he said it, and they nodded with smiles.
Id shown such great form in training that the coachs expectations were skyhigh.
Alright, everyone, lets go.
With the tactical instructions done, the ref called the players together.
We stood in the middle of the field, shook hands with the opponents, and got ready for kickoff.
Tweet!
The whistle blew.
The match had begun.
Mom, has the game started?
Gaeul asked Mom.
Mom nodded.
She didnt follow soccer much, but thanks to her husbands obsession with it, she knew the rules.
Bros running!
Yeoreum jumped up from his seat, chasing after his moving brother.
Oppa? Where?
Bros back says 19!
19? 1 and 9?
Gyeoul, whod mastered twodigit numbers, wiggled his fingers before looking at the field.
Players in identical uniforms dashed around chaotically, so he couldnt spot his brother by jersey number.
Cant see oppa!
No wonder.
He was sitting so obediently in the stands, listening to Mom, that the guy in front blocked half his view of the field.
How about asking Dad for a piggyback ride? Youd see great then.
Yeah! Gyeoul loves piggyback.
Honey, Gyeouls a bit Ugh! What are you doing!
Mom spotted Dad and immediately smacked his back.
Enough with the Nanji Island talk already!
Dad startled at her words, glanced around, and clamped a hand over her mouth.
Youre talking Nanji Island in enemy territory? Disaster, honey!
What enemy territory is this? Its your eldest sons soccer team!!
Thats that, and this is this!
Shut it and give Gyeoul a piggyback! He cant find oppa!
Dad, piggyback!!
Shall we?
Dad hoisted up the scampering Gyeoul onto his shoulders, arms raised high.
Whoa! Its oppa!
Just then, Taeyang got the ball.
Grabbing it between the first and second lines, Taeyang quickly scanned around, then slipped into the halfspace between the right fullback and defender.
Wooow!
The terrifying speed drew gasps from the parents in the stands.
Dodging the closing opponent, Taeyang weaved through, peeked at the goal from the penalty area, and curled a shot.
The ball streaked out, arcing wildly before sucking into the far top corner.
Goooaaal!
The stands erupted at the stunning strike.
Oppa scored!
Bro!!
Did oppa win?
Taeyangs siblings all threw their hands up, cheering wildly.
Wow, our eldest Thought he was Son Heungmin for a sec.
Dad stuck out his tongue in amazement.
The spot where Taeyang scored was the exact Son Heungmin Zonethe legendary position where Koreas greatest player netted his goals.
Meanwhile, Taeyang himself brushed off his rushing teammates like it was no big deal and sauntered back to the halfway line.
Anyone would think the goal had been disallowed.
That attitude fired up the Seongnam kids.
They took his casual vibelike scoring on them was obvious and easyas a slap in the face, and right from kickoff, they pressed Seoul ferociously.
Kids, stick to the plan!
The Seongnam coach yelled from near the line, but the hypedup kids ears were already sealed shut.
They pushed the line up, pressing Seoul hard.
Truth be told, it was understandable why the Seongnam kids were pissed.
Theyd never lost to Seoul even once last year.
In fact, their last match was a 40 thrashing.
Getting scored on in just one minute by the team they saw as pushovers? No wonder they were raging.
But Seoul wasnt last years Seoul.
Coach Jo Bongsu had set up a double pivot to shield the defense line that Seongnam had sliced through easily.
Especially the two defensive midfielderspositions Seoul invested heavily in. Gong Sehwan, with his insane work rate, smartly blocked the gaps Seongnam tried to exploit.
His reads on disrupting attacks were prolevel, comparable to high schoolers, let alone 3rdyears.
Frustrated and out of options, Seongnams ace found a bit of space from distance and unleashed a shot.
Couldnt ignore it.
Midrange screamers on the sneak were his specialty.
Plus, Seouls 3rdyear keeper had leaked three goals to those exact shots last year.
But guarding the goal now wasnt the 3rdyearit was Jin Yujun.
With physicality unbelievable for a middle schooler, Yujun snatched the ball effortlessly.
Yujun! Launch it!!
Coach Jo bellowed the instant he caught it.
Yujun unleashed his physique, punting the ball forward with all his might.
Like a cannonball, it rocketed into Seongnams half.
Seongnam players spun desperately to chase, but someone slipped between them, sprinting even faster toward the ball.
Bro!!
Yeoreums brotherTaeyang.
Thats it!
Coach Jo pumped his fist, loud enough for the whole stand to hear.
His entire tactic boiled down to buildup to Taeyang.
Counterattacks especially? Every player had just two options ping it long back there, or pass to Taeyang.
Taeyang didnt betray that trust.
Goooal!!
Yeoreum jumped up again, arms triumphant.
His shirt rode up, exposing his pudgy belly and belly button, but he didnt carejust pure joy.
Mom, bro scores so good! Right?
Yeah, your big bros amazing, huh, Yeoreum?
Yeoreum bro isnt bro! Gyeoul bro is!
Right, Yeoreum and Gyeouls big bro is awesome. Happy?
What about Gaeul?
Gaeuls Daddys girl!
Dad shouted at Gaeul, who sidestepped him to look at Mom.
Im oppas first little sibling!
Yeah, Taeyangs first little sibling is Gaeul, right.
Daddys girl.
No? She seemed ready to say, but the kids ignored Dad, eyes glued to the field, chanting oppa and bro nonstop.
Sidelined, Dad sighed and watched the pitch.
Still hated that redandblack uniform on his son, but one thing was crystal clear.
Good call starting him in soccer.
Whod have thought a kid not even half a year inlet alone a full onewould dominate a tourney full of 2nd and 3rdyears like this?
Dad played casual morning soccer himself, but already he was thrilling at the thought of his son in the EPL or something.
But it was too early to get ahead of himself.
After restart, Seongnam sensed danger and hunkered down like turtles, passing cautiously without pushing the line.
Seoul, momentum surging, hammered them relentlessly.
Gong Sehwan shone again.
He anticipated every pass like hed scripted it, intercepting and turning it over to Seoul.
Hey! Dont passtake it!
Sehwan got the ball, eyed forward, but his partner senior panicked and held him back.
Sehwans passes were still raw.
He passed to the senior with a frustrated pout, no greed.
The senior onetouched it short ahead.
I could do that, Sehwan lipped, but the ball crept forward in short passes.
Unlike the earlier blistering attack, it dragged, boring the crowd.
Then Taeyang dropped to the 1.5 line and took the ball.
Seongnam kids faces tensed two mids and a defender swarmed him.
Surrounded, Taeyangas if hed planned itslipped a pass into the space hed created.
Instant attacking chance.
Seongnam chased frantically the winger who received Taeyangs through ball fired quick.
Rash shot.
Compared to Taeyangs elegant curler from the first goal, this hooked wildly into the keepers punch, dropping inside the box.
Seoul won the loose ball.
In the scramble, Taeyangs senior grabbed it and blasted at goal.
Clang!!
Great trajectory, out of keepers reachbut it rattled the post and bounced out.
Seongnam snagged it this time the player booted it out for a throw.
No way!
But it didnt go out as intended.
Taeyang arrived first, hooking the ball back to his feet midflight, breezing past the kid toward goal.
A defender practically on the keepers hip rushed him desperately.
Taeyang charged the bullrushing defender headon, then just before entering his zone, rolled the ball sideways with his sole, opening space to goal, and smashed it.
Splat!
The net rippled Taeyang notched a hattrick in his K League Junior U15 debut.
What the hell is that kid?
Seongnams coach gawked at Taeyang, whod casually hattricked like it was nothing, hands on hips, trudging back to halfway.
Seoul dug up a gem.
A 1styear not just starting amid 2nd and 3rdyears, but hattricking?
National team talent level.
But by full time, the coach had to revise that.
K League Junior U15
1R Seoul UTD 60 Seongnam UTD
Yoon Taeyang 1, 12, 34, 52, 67, 70
Taeyangs double hattrick powered Seouls rout.
Why isnt that kid in Europe already?
The coach wondered what a La Masialevel prospect was doing here.