112. Call-Up. (4)
Amira was a conscious Muslim. No, more precisely, she believed she was a conscious Muslim.
The reason Amira thought that was simple. She didn't scold Ryu Ha-neul, who was training alongside her in the training ground teeming with women without wearing a hijab, but merely frowned.
If this situation had been known to the imam (an Islamic religious leader, similar to a pastor in Christianity), he would have erupted in rage demanding an honor killing.
Although she strictly followed religious laws, since her parents were Dutch immigrants, Amira secretly felt a sense of relief that she was more tolerant towards men than typical radical Muslims.
Still, she was reluctant to commit murder.
However, it was indeed a fact that she was worried.
The great prophet had taught that a man who exposed his body for the purpose of seducing a woman could not even smell the fragrance of heaven, and Ha-neul was a man who seduced countless women by himself.
Shorts that revealed half his thighs, functional uniforms that highlighted his body lines, and armpits that peeked out slightly when he raised his hands, looking even more lewd. After training, his sweaty appearance was more than enough to seduce countless women, and the sight of him cooling down with water after practice seemed like deliberate seduction.
Other teammates at the club must have thought lewd thoughts while staring at Ha-neul. Especially during full training, when Amira trained alongside him, she felt it bone-deep.
Actually, from the moment she first saw Ha-neul, when he smiled at her and said “please take care,” Amira felt the evil heart she had harbored deep inside.
A body with appropriate muscles for a man over 170 cm, unlike other men who neglected self-care, was visible even under the uniform and looked sexy. His cheeks, still soft and not fully grown, made her want to knead them right then and there.
Adult sexiness mixed with childish cuteness, Western familiar and mature beauty blended with Eastern mysterious and pure beauty. It was Ha-neul who possessed all these dual attractions. So from their first meeting, Amira had felt the evil mind taking root in her heart.
Even herself, who controlled her sexual desires with utmost religious discipline, had felt her mind bulge just from watching him train. How deeply corrupted must Ha-neul’s soul be, who had lived surrounded by women since childhood?
Probably, Ryu can’t go to heaven.
Amira felt sorry for such a Ha-neul. But it was not too late. Ha-neul had more days ahead of him than he had lived so far, and since Allah was merciful, even a dirtied man could still repent sincerely from now on, perform regular prayers, and wash away his sins through good deeds and charity as taught in the Quran.
Additionally, satisfying his wife’s intimate life and fathering many children?
Of course, for that, a woman religious person who followed God’s words would need to stand by his side.
While thinking that, Ha-neul who was running in sync with the attacking line passed by. And in the space Ha-neul passed through, instead of the disgusting sweat smell, a fragrant body scent lingered as if perfume had been sprayed.
As expected, I have to save Ryu Ha-neul’s dirtied soul.
Since watching Ha-neul run like this, it seemed I couldn’t just leave him.
While I was suspended, Ha-neul had already appeared on TV playing in the Champions League. Unlike the U-17 World Cup, the Champions League was a massive stage watched by hundreds of millions worldwide. Among the women watching Ha-neul on TV, how many couldn’t sleep thinking about him running on the field?
Even if only one percent, that was millions of people. And as more people like that existed, Ha-neul’s soul grew dirtier.
No, fundamentally, the very fact that a man was playing football among women was already a problem. Football was a sport where bodies collided, and thinking about how many women would grope Ha-neul’s body made not only his soul but his body dirty as well.
And as a religious person, I had to stop such horrific things.
First, I needed to find a way to save this poor soul in this place full of women.
After thinking it over, the solution was surprisingly simple. If I stopped playing football, there would be no reason for my soul to get dirty.
If I became a body that couldn’t play football, I wouldn’t come to places full of women, and wouldn’t appear on TV to dirty my soul.
Players who suffered sudden injuries in training accidents and could no longer play football were plentiful. It wasn’t impossible for one of those players to become Ha-neul.
After that, I would purify the dirty soul myself.
Although she was only fifteen years old, it didn’t matter to Amira. According to religious law, once a man reached the age to bear children, he could get married.
Having made up her mind, the only thing left was to act.
“Coach, I want to do today’s mini training on the opposite side from Ryu.”
“Huh? Amira, weren’t you the one who said you didn’t like bumping into men? That’s why I put you on the same team.”
“Well, I also don’t like clashing bodies with foreign men. But Ryu needs to know his own situation. So it would be better for me to face him directly.”
“Haha, good idea, Amira.”
And without knowing Amira’s scheme, Diana accepted her suggestion, hoping Ha-neul would break Amira’s high nose in this training.
Wait, Ryu. I, I will save you…!
So Amira fell into her own fanaticism and continued to stare at Ha-neul training with lewd eyes.
*
Shit, why do you keep staring at me?
Many players stared at me during training. First, my appearance was decent, and men playing football was a strange sight. But as I became more famous and familiar to the teammates, such gazes naturally disappeared. Yet Amira, the team’s core defender, stared intensely at me while I stretched.
If it had been a normal gaze, I would have understood, but the gaze that couldn’t be put into words made me feel unpleasant.
Actually, receiving a beauty’s gaze was always pleasant. I knew Amira was a Dutch woman of Arab descent, tall around 187 cm, with striking features and moderately tanned skin that made her look attractive. Anyone would call her beautiful.
In fact, she proved her beauty not only as a transfer but also as a defender whose uniform sales ranked high.
How did I know about Amira’s uniform sales? Honestly, it was embarrassing, but I kept checking how many of my uniforms sold after my Champions League debut. As my popularity grew, I could even sit on the bench with Tifa.
And with just one appearance, quite a few uniforms sold. Probably some effect in this call-up too.
Anyway, under such conditions, Amira was objectively beautiful enough to sell many uniforms.
But right now, receiving such a beauty’s gaze made me feel strangely unpleasant.
Was this hormonal influence?
I had cried and gotten drunk with the kids, and lately I often felt like I wasn’t myself. Seeing me feel unpleasant at a beauty’s gaze of that level made me think hormonal influence was definitely at play.
…Shit, I’m not going to turn into a real girl, am I?
Thinking that after a few years I’d be talking nonsense like “mom, mom,” suddenly nausea hit me.
When that happened, I had to find myself!
As expected, when like this…!
The world’s rule when receiving a beauty’s gaze was to respond with a smile.
I shot a slight smile at Amira staring at me, then stretched while showing my side for charm release. Few women didn’t fall for my well-trained abs from my past life.
K, this is Ryu Ha-neul. If it was the original me, I’d take her to my room right after training…
But I couldn’t. In this life, scandal would be fatal, and especially scandals with teammates would be unacceptable to fans and coaches.
Even more so thinking of the past life where gay players were caught having sex and stoned to death by paparazzi.
Moreover, honestly, my current mental state didn’t seem capable of handling such scandals.
I had been scolded for getting drunk and acting crazy after just being demoted once, but being criticized by people worldwide? In the old me, it would have been manageable, but now it was impossible. Before becoming the world’s best, no cracks could be allowed.
Well, protecting me to this extent is okay, right.
I had no intention of causing scandal, but flirting to maintain myself was within acceptable range.
I finished stretching, shooting the smile I had practiced since childhood at Amira staring at me strangely.
“Ryu, don’t smile at women too freely. The more you do, the more sins accumulate in your soul.”
“Ar… ne…”
Shit, did I look so bad that smiling at me is a sin? …I don’t think I’m that ugly. Is the standard of beauty different? Objectively, I’m handsome, right? I told the others too…. No, it’s not that there’s no other man near shit, so I said I’m handsome, right?
Of course, the words Amira gave me after receiving my smile and after stretching ended were something I couldn’t have expected.
“Then today’s mini game will be 7:7. First, Team A is…, …………, and Ryu. Ryu, understood?”
“What?! Yes! Understood!”
“I have high expectations, Ryu. I hope you prove that you can replace Arnal.”
“Of course, Coach. Please believe in me.”
Hearing Amira’s words, I was a bit confused, but fortunately I could clear my mind before the next training. For a football player, what mattered was not appearance but football skill!
Yeah, shit. What good is being handsome if you’re a football player? Football players have to play football well.