Chapter 98
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 98
Chapter Title The Eldest Son Craves Soccer
As soon as the second half kicked off, the score flipped to 32, sending the fans into an even greater frenzy, with Taeyangs chant resounding from every corner of the stadium.
Silva was worried deep down.
Provoking Bell Atrom like that was bound to backfire, so why on earth was that kid poking the bear?
While he puzzled over it, Liverpool came charging forward.
They were still playing rough.
Arms and elbows flew freely at players approaching from the side, while those blocking the way shoved them aside like tacklers.
They didnt hesitate to step on feet, poke, or even strike.
The Newcastle players, looking shellshocked, were keeping their distance.
That was when it happened.
Slash.
Someone sliced through the dewkissed grass, lunging into a tackle on Liverpools midfielder.
Its Yoon Taeyang! How did that kid drop back that far?
Liverpools Abel tumbling hard!
Abel rolled on the ground, clutching his shin in agony.
But the referee didnt blow the whistle.
The tackle had been deep, but Taeyang had cleanly touched the ball first.
In the meantime, Taeyang sprang up with the ball and bolted forward.
Seeing Abel writhing, Liverpools players charged at Taeyang with fire in their eyes.
It might have looked like a mindless mob rushing in, but they hadnt lost their heads.
Even if their blood was boiling, they followed Charlie Adams ordersonly a few moved to press Taeyang.
Defy him?
No one defied General Charlie.
But the players dashing to mark him had essentially been granted license by the general.
A license to do whatever it took, short of a yellow card.
One player sidled up, feigning a shoulder barge while jabbing his elbow into Taeyangs side.
Taeyang blocked it with his opposite arm, then slipped his hand through the gap in the opponents arm, shoving him backward instead.
What the...!
It looked like a simple arm tussle, but unbeknownst to anyone, Taeyang had jabbed his thumb into the guys ribs.
No amount of muscle training could ignore that shock.
As one player swallowed hard and stumbled to a halt, Taeyang accelerated forward.
Targeting him, another Liverpool player came in with a deep sliding tackle, just like the one Taeyang had laid on Abel.
One leg cocked higha straightup killer tackle.
The moment the tackle closed in, Taeyang slowed, chipped the ball over the player with his toe, and locked eyes with him.
Taeyangs eyes were smiling.
What the hell?
In that split second of confusion, Taeyang subtly hooked his leg against the incoming players midthigh.
Then he toppled forward onto it.
Crushing the opponents gut with his knee in the process.
Gah!
The heavy weight slamming into his stomach brought excruciating pain.
Taeyang rolled over him, clutching his own shin.
Tweet!
Even this referee couldnt ignore that one.
The sprinting ref pulled out a yellow card for the Liverpool player writhing and clutching his belly.
RRef! HHe tripped on purpose! This is unfair!
You really need to go that hard on a kid? Ease up next time.
The ref rebuked the Liverpool player firmly.
He didnt buy the players story. Taeyang had fallen too perfectly, but more than that, no one couldve imagined a kid fresh to the Premier League pulling a stunt like that.
Plus, the crowd and TV viewers had clearly seen the leg raised for the tackle.
If I dont whistle and card this, my SNS will explode.
Thinking that, the ref awarded Newcastle a free kick.
The taker was Taeyang.
Taeyang eyed the goal.
Too far for a direct shot. The odds of it going in were slim.
Before setting up the ball, he called over Illyne.
Hey.
Yeah?
Dont you think youve been playing too soft lately?
Me? Why me?
This is the Premier League. But youre playing like a little girl.
Red card. Nuisance.
Nuisance, huh.
Taeyang thought to himself.
Illynes really picked up some vocab.
The problem was it was Korean, not English.
The guy refused to learn English on principle but was picking up Korean hand over fist.
Whether Taeyang was home or not, hed show up at the house to hang with Grandpa or Taeyangs siblings.
Theyre playing rough. You play rough too. Match Liverpools intensity, and the ref wont blow.
Got it.
Illyne hurried off to the box where players were already jockeying for position.
As Taeyang and Silva exchanged words and got set, the refs whistle blew, and Silva broke first.
Silva ran past, and Taeyang timed it perfectly, whipping in the free kick.
The ball arced into the penalty area.
Meanwhile, Illyne barreled toward it like a bull.
Liverpool players tried to grab him, but it was no use.
Two Liverpool players latched onto Illyne at the landing spot.
One pinched at his butt but got no flesh the other yanked his arm, but a shake sent him reeling.
Then they all leaped together.
The Liverpool players, jumping in sync, were flung sideways by Illynes power, leaving him towering alone.
Illyne thrust his head at the ball.
It smacked off his forehead and dropped into the bottom corner, crossing the line before the keeper could react.
Yes! Goal! Illyne scores! Newcastle equalizes!
Illyne roared.
Liverpools players stared at him in dismay.
Illyne had bulked up lately. Not on purposeKorean food meant more carbs. But instead of fat, all that training turned it into muscle and size.
The crazy part? It didnt affect his play at all.
Newcastles staff helped, sure, but Illynes body was straightup cheatcode.
With the game reset, Charlie Adam got busy.
He made subs and chewed out the players on the pitch.
Even Bell Atrom, whod been snarling at Taeyang like he wanted to devour him, cowered before General Charlie without a peep.
Wow, you listen to the manager good.
Taeyang taunted Bell Atrom as he jogged past.
Shut your trap, you little shit.
Taeyang sneered at the fuming Bell Atrom.
The guy was at his limit from the constant jabs, but he held back for now.
That kid had no fear.
Or maybe hed never had a reason to.
As Bell Atrom steeled himself to show his true worth, play resumed.
Bell Atrom took a pass from the striker and led Liverpools players into Newcastles half.
Every Liverpool play stemmed from Bell Atroms passes.
He wasnt flashy or elite, but his passing was relentlessly on pointa true specialty.
Good physique, good passingtopclass material, right? But he had a fatal flaw.
Maybe because of his size, he was painfully slow, and short on creativity.
He covered the creativity gap with safe play and dirty tricks, but limits existed.
Predictable patterns and orders made him easy to read.
At least, thats how it looked to Taeyang.
Taeyang, whod been watching Bell Atrom closely, sprinted toward the approaching ball as it neared him.
Yeah, there was another weaknessno, flaw.
He had a bad habit of waiting for the ball to come to him.
Spotting it, Taeyang snatched the ball from Bell Atrom and spun away.
You fucking...!!
Bell Atroms eyes bulged as he charged Taeyang. Taeyang met him headon, like hed been waiting.
It was like two runaway locomotives barreling toward each other.
With all eyes on them, Taeyang ghosted past Bell Atrom with a La Croqueta.
Bell Atrom whipped around, searching wildly as Taeyang vanished.
Taeyang stood behind him, hand on hip, foot on the ball, watching.
You little...!
Taeyang smirked at Bell Atrom, then turned and sprinted toward Liverpools goal.
Liverpool players swarmed him.
Taeyang dodged them like a game of tag, weaving and driving forward.
The longer Taeyang held the ball, the more players piled on.
Plenty of spacethis couldve been a kill pass for a tapin.
Taeyangs still got it. Four Liverpool players chasing him. Add the ones covering zones, and five are marking him!
Is this intentional? Theres space that could turn deadly!
Oh! Yoon Taeyangs off!
Defying expectations, Taeyang charged the goal.
La Croqueta past one, Marseille Turn on the trailing player, then a hard brake and pivot to shake the next.
Wow! Yoon Taeyang blows past three in a flash!
Amid it, he shed another, reaching the backline.
Just a fullback and centerback left.
Taeyang approached them with scissor steps.
A kid, sure, but in that moment, to Liverpools players, he radiated the aura of a legend like Messiimpossible to stop.
The only way to handle this monster...
Foul.
Yeah, foul it was.
The players exchanged glances, and the fullback lunged first.
Taeyang nudged the ball left to slip past.
The fullback spun, reaching for Taeyangs jersey and yanking.
Taeyang whipped his arm, swatting the hand away.
Leaving the fallen fullback behind, he turned to the centerback.
Taeyang met the centerbacks eyes.
Panicked, frozen in indecision.
Then his gaze flicked awaynot at Taeyang, but behind him.
Taeyang accelerated past the centerback, spinning to face forward with his back to him.
Bell Atrom was right there, barreling after him with a murderous glare.
The centerback shoved from behind, while Bell Atrom charged like he was about to launch a death tackle.
Taeyang held firm until Bell Atrom closed in, then hipchecked the centerback for momentum and launched a backflip flap at Bell Atrom.
Slipping sideways, Taeyang rolled his body over the ball in a flick.
The ball lofted over his back, sailing past Bell Atrom and the centerback, who barely stopped in time.
Taeyang glided past the tangled pair and collected his flicked ball.
Insane skill...!
The commentator trailed off in shock.
As Taeyang reached the bouncing ball, the keeper had rushed out.
Taeyang chipped it up off the instep, lobbing it over the keepers head.
The keeper leaped, arching back to claw at it, but it sailed just out of reach.
Taeyang zipped past, volleying the dropping ball clean.
Splash!
Rooooaaaarrrrr!
GOOOAAAL! Yoon Taeyaaaang! My God!
From Bell Atrom onward, five players, then Bell Atrom and the centerback again, plus the keeper! Nine defenders beaten with an unreal solo run for the winner!
Newcastles young prince! The Premier Leagues most dangerous boy finally! Does it against Liverpool! The comeback goal!
Taeyang stood there, arms spread wide, surveying the stands.
The Toons bellowed their prepared chant at him.
Your Prince Regent!!
The Prince Regent.
The title for a prince ruling in the kings steadand the Toons had anointed Yoon Taeyang as Newcastles king in place of their departed Mr. Toon.
Any Newcastle fan had to accept it.
Not everyone yet, but within these walls, Yoon Taeyangs era had dawned.