A Dream Come True: Camila's First Assist
Camila had dreamed of this moment for as long as she could remember. Since childhood, when she was glued to a soccer ball, she had imagined this exact instant every night before falling asleep.
In her imagination, the soccer ball that left her foot always ended up at Ha-neul's feet. In her mind, the ball that connected through her to Ha-neul would shake the goal net.
And now, just like one of those nightly dreams, the moment the ball left her foot and connected with Ha-neul, every movement of Ha-neul seemed to slow down in slow motion to her. Ha-neul's foot struck the ball, and the pass he connected with the strength he loved most flew with perfect accuracy to a spot the goalkeeper could not reach.
When the ball finally slipped past the goalkeeper's hands and crossed the goal line, Camila felt as if time had stopped. And the instant she realized this was no longer just a dream, time began to flow again for her, and tears of joy nearly spilled over at the realization that her imagination had come true.
Her emotions surged so intensely that her heart felt ready to burst. Camila could barely contain her happiness at the truth.
At that moment, Ha-neul opened his arms wide toward her. In that gesture, Camila ran toward him faster than she ever had, just as she had done as a child.
“Ha-neul!!!!!”
“Camila!”
Just as she always did with the other players, Camila flew straight into Ha-neul's arms. Ha-neul's hands wrapped around her thighs and hips. The firm pressure of his hard chest and the steady hands that held her securely came through the fabric of their clothes and skin.
“…Um, wait a second.”
Back in childhood, the ceremony had been ordinary and emotionless, but after her body and mind had matured, Camila had only ruffled heads or given light hugs during ceremonies. The feeling of Ha-neul's body against hers now was completely different from before.
She had always known that a man's body grew harder the more he trained, but this was beyond anything she had imagined.
Camila's face, proud of its healthy brown skin, flushed instantly.
And the moment she realized what had happened,
“Congratulations on your first assist in the first team, Camila.”
Ha-neul's deep, low voice cut through the roar of the crowd and reached her ears.
Was Ha-neul's voice always this sweet? Camila's heart raced for a completely different reason than before, and she feared the sound might travel through their touching uniforms to reach Ha-neul.
Moreover, if she stayed like this any longer, her face would explode. Camila wanted to escape the situation as quickly as possible.
“U-um… yeah. But your hands…”
“Ah, sorry.”
When Ha-neul's hands finally released her hips, Camila felt a slight pang of disappointment. But upon second thought, it was probably for the best. No matter how close she was to Ha-neul, a woman being hugged by a man was socially awkward, after all.
If she were taller, she could have hugged him instead…
Wouldn't that mean I have to score a goal first?
While Camila was lost in such cheeky thoughts, other teammates approached, ruffled her hair, and congratulated her for the assist and Ha-neul for the first goal. Once the ceremony ended, as they walked back to the team, Ha-neul approached her again and spoke.
“Camila.”
“Hm?”
“Keep doing it like before.”
“L-like before?”
Doing it like before meant hugging during the ceremony, right? Did Ha-neul…?
“Yeah. That pass was great. Your pass is always the best. It fits me perfectly.”
“Ah… okay.”
But Ha-neul's words were not what she had expected. And the heart that had been racing at his words began to calm.
Focus, Camila.
This was still during the match. The feeling of being hugged by Ha-neul earlier still lingered, but she had no time to dwell on it now. The first-team match was just as precious as the emotions she felt.
After the match ended, the memory of being hugged by Ha-neul might stick more than the fact that she had recorded her first assist or first-team debut, but right now, the match mattered more.
“So you believe I can do it alone, Camila? I'll believe in you?”
“Of course. Just believe in me.”
And she could not betray the trust Ha-neul had placed in her.
So Camila gave her all to repay Ha-neul's faith,
70th minute of the second half, Camila is substituted for Joaquim.
Wow, the performance of the player who debuted today was unbelievable? With two assists, Camila completely dominated the midfield today.
Really, a player with great future potential? It feels like they've nurtured a promising midfielder who could become a world-class midfielder at Barcelona.
Yes, of course it's a cup match, but since Celta Vigo is a team aiming for the Europa League, if they've shown this much in today's game, we can look forward to the future.
Barcelona 3-0 Celta Vigo in the away match!
In today's match, Ryu Ha-neul recorded 1 goal and 1 assist including the opening goal. Meanwhile, Barcelona's Camila, who was the first to step onto the first team stage, recorded 2 assists with a strong performance in the midfield and was selected as POTM, announcing the birth of another star in the football world.
After the match against Celta Vigo, Camila had briefly worried that she might be sent down to the B team, but fortunately that did not happen. The next day, Camila arrived at the first-team training ground and sat in her usual seat, chattering nonstop about the previous day's game.
“The first-team stage really is different. If Yelena and Hamara hadn't been coming over to check on me, I would have been in real trouble.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, it felt like I was bumping into a wall. I didn't get pushed at all? Ha-neul, how did you manage to hold on back then?”
“I just kept training. Want to feel my calves?”
“Eh? …No, it's fine.”
The sight of Camila looking embarrassed was quite cute, and Camila had almost leaned in to tease her further, but she stopped. If she kept joking around like this, even close friends might feel awkward with each other.
…There had been an incident where she had figured out Yu-ri's feelings while joking around like this.
Ever since that day, she had been pretending not to notice Yu-ri's feelings, and Yu-ri had not shown any signs, so they continued to act like friends. But honestly, if Camila or Valentina, who had known her for over ten years, had any such thoughts about her and learned the truth, it would be difficult to maintain.
Well, she might have been overthinking it, but it was better to be cautious first than to let something happen.
Still, I'm glad Camila is here. It won't be boring from now on.
Honestly, she was still young among the players, and the gender difference had made her feel lonely during away games so far. But judging by the coaches' atmosphere, they seemed determined to keep Camila in the first team even as a candidate, so it probably wouldn't be boring anymore.
But it's kind of annoying. I got sent straight to the B team right after getting POTM in the Champions League…
And completely separate from those feelings, she was slightly annoyed with Diana, the coach who had sent her to the second team like a knife the moment she debuted in the Champions League.
She wondered if things would have been different if she had been a woman, but she had no intention of becoming one, and the thought of feeling jealous of Camila made her drop the idea.
“Ha-neul, aren't you coming down?”
“Yeah, I have to.”
“Coming to the training ground together like this reminds me of the old days. After I got promoted to the first team, we always split up here.”
“So if you want to keep playing together, stay in the first team. Camila.”
“Of course. I won't be going down like you. Well, even if I do, I won't cause any trouble by drinking and partying.”
“W-what?”
“Ha-neul, you were honestly a bit cold back then, right?”
“Eh? Camila? Hey! Camila! Don't stand there!”
After joking around with Camila as usual, they arrived at the first-team training ground,
“Ryu!”
Someone called her name cheerfully. Turning her head, she saw a familiar but slightly awkward face.
“Arnal?”
“Long time no see, Ryu.”
Arnal, who had been injured, was preparing to return to training.
…Has time already passed like this?
Arnal was a player with enough skill to become Barcelona's starting striker. Although she was confident she was a step above in ability, she could not ignore Arnal's career so far, so she could not be sure she would win the starting spot competition against Arnal right now.
Of course, it would take about a month to regain match sharpness and play in a real match, but even after Arnal returned, she could not afford to waste even one game if she wanted to stay the starter.