Proposal. (2)
“Eh?”
“...No. I don't quite understand.”
“So, with your level of skill, you should be able to do it alone, right? Just, do it alone. Is this too much of a request?”
Kang Sae-young's words were unbelievable, but her arrogance made it almost amusing. Glancing slightly behind her, Kim Chae-ri was shaking her head. Her expression looked displeased, probably because she had been dragged against her will.
‘...More vicious than I thought.’
Kim Chae-ri was still a junior on the team and only twenty years old. She probably thought that because she was younger, she would accept the ridiculous proposal. Moreover, since they shared a room, it would have been difficult for her to refuse in front of me.
Furthermore, by bringing Kim Chae-ri to me like that, it seemed like she was trying to pressure me into believing this was public opinion or something.
What a shitty example of a senior?
But I couldn't spout refusal here. The best policy was to avoid crazy women who said such things without shame or embarrassment.
“...I-I'll try to read the atmosphere.”
“Alright, I believe you understand what I'm saying. You know it too. Players like Seo-hee don't work against Sweden and Germany. And for Mexico, even at Seo-hee's speed, you won't be able to keep up with the tempo?”
“...I might not be able to.”
When I responded similarly, Kim Chae-ri's expression changed to a downcast look behind Kang Sae-young.
‘She was dragged against her will. Sigh... What kind of person is this?’
“Alright, I believe you understood. And, just in case, if you accidentally tell someone else, you know...?”
“Ah.... Yeah.”
‘Understood my ass.’
I barely held back a laugh at the lame threat and answered.
‘Tsk, who should I tell? The coach? Seo-hee senior? Or my mom?’
If I were a real child, I might have been scared of Kang Sae-young's threat, but living this long, I wouldn't be intimidated by such ridiculous threats.
“Then, I'll ask for a favor tomorrow, Ha-neul. Let's go, Chae-ri.”
“Yeah...”
With that, Kang Sae-young left. I gave Kim Chae-ri a signal to check her phone later when I had the chance. If she had any sense, she'd check in the bathroom or something.
Anyway, after sending Kang Sae-young away, when I entered the room, there was an urgent call from Kim Chae-ri on the phone I left behind.
“Sigh...”
Even the phone felt dead. The fact that a player called up to the national team couldn't focus on training, and now telling a player who will play tomorrow that it's over.
Clearly, Korean society has this problem.
In my previous life, how many seniors acted superior...
I just couldn't see seniors bullying juniors like this.
At best, just fighting between seniors and juniors?
I might not have known about such things happening in places I don't know, but the fact that someone openly acted up to me for the first time was refreshing.
‘Because I'm a man...?’
Thinking about it, this life was better than the previous one.
In the previous life, from a dirt-poor family, I scraped together money to barely study in Spain, got stuck in non-EU quota, lived in Barcelona's second team, and only entered first team after, then got called to national team.
But this life, at 16, with Barcelona first team spot and being son of Ryu Ji-hye, legendary in Korean football.
Just looking at it, it was unbelievable that someone would try to blackmail me like this.
Well, back then, I didn't want to be looked down on as dirt-poor, and due to racial discrimination trauma, I would cause a scene if touched a little.
Anyway, since I was born with good conditions, there was no reason not to use them.
‘Then, the coach is better than unreliable Seo-hee senior.’
Usually, when there's a problem between players, it's proper to talk to the captain first, but thinking about Yoon Seo-hee's behavior so far, it seemed better to directly go to the coach.
And when such things happen, it's proper to go directly. Luckily, it wasn't hard to figure out the coach's pattern.
Like old people, the coach without morning sleep habit, he jogs or walks around the training ground. I had met him a few times while jogging in the morning, so it didn't seem odd if Kang Sae-young saw it.
So, the next morning. Like usual, I woke up early, washed my face a bit, went out to the surroundings,
“Tsk, hah...”
I saw the coach, who woke up even earlier than me, panting and walking or running around nearby? Anyway, roaming.
“Coach, good morning!”
“Eh, it's Ha-neul. Hah, you run hard even on match day.”
“I have to. Coach.”
“When we're alone, call me grandma.”
By the way, why the coach says that is simple.
The current national team coach, Lee Young-hee, is close with my mom, and when my mom debuted, she helped as club team coach for foreign transfer, so to speak, my mom's mentor.
“Aigoo, how can that be. You're the coach.”
“Kid...”
But I don't interact much with people, so Kang Sae-young didn't know.
If she knew, she wouldn't have called me last night, so probably didn't know.
Anyway, since I met the target, I slowly reduced speed and started running next to the coach.
“Ha-neul?”
Normally, when meeting like this, I would greet and pass, so the coach looked curious when I stuck next to him. His expression seemed to expect me to call him grandma.
‘Hmm... Should I call grandma? ...No, if I call grandma only when asking for favor, it might lower my evaluation.’
I thought of doing as the coach wanted, but since I'm in the position to ask for favor, doing something I don't usually do would be too obvious, so I decided to speak as usual.
“What, got something to say?”
“Ah... Just, it's my first time as national team in Korea...”
“Haha, even you are nervous. Well, El Clasico is just club match.”
I had felt nervous in El Clasico but not in national team matches except World Cup, but no need to deny, so I smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“...Yes, that's right. And there's something to worry about.”
“Worried? Why, is someone bullying you because you're young?”
As expected, with her age, the flow makes it easy to talk.
“That is true...”
When I trailed off without denying, the coach's smiling face became serious.
“Not bullying, just...”
With the expression acting to deceive referees since childhood, practiced for years, the coach stopped in his tracks. He seemed to sense it wasn't something to hear while running. I also stopped in my tracks following the coach's movement. Well, since it's far from the dorm, no one would see anyway.
“Ha-neul, speak comfortably. You're like my grandson since you're Ji-hye's son.”
“But, today is match day, so is it okay to say this...”
“Haha, don't worry about the match, I'll handle everything after the match.”
Well, no need for it to spread to reporters before World Cup.
“That... Yesterday's talk. ...There seems to be a player who doesn't like the coach's selection.”
“What? Who? No, who would say such things to Barcelona's starting striker...”
“No, it's not that I don't like being selected as starter... Kang Sae-young senior...”
Well, at 16, Korean age 18, it's forgivable to tattle to grandma at this age?
*
[Heading goal, creating the first goal for Korea! Yang Hyun-hee, who had been troubled by Honduras with high crosses, finally records the first goal!]
[Just now, Ryu Ha-neul's cross was very sharp, right? While pretending to slip to the side, he got past one with footwork, then immediately crossed from that spot. The cross was so accurate that it was hard to believe it was made in a hurry!]
- Waaaaaaaah!!!!!
The Seoul World Cup Stadium shakes with the fantastic individual skill breakthrough followed by the cross and the first goal, which any Korean in the stadium would admire.
But among the Koreans, there was a person biting their nails anxiously inside the stadium.
‘...Ryu Ha-neul, this bastard!’
Her identity was Kang Sae-young sitting on the bench.
Clearly, despite yesterday's explanation, he crossed on purpose.... Moreover, this cross wasn't forced; it was like he had been crossing all day from attacking third area.
If Yang Hyun-hee was a bit more capable striker, it would be accurate cross to make hat-trick with head.
And crossing like that means he had no intention of accepting her proposal.
Thinking of the guy who avoided eye contact yesterday when they met, this is betrayal.
‘Fuck, damn bastard.... Was all of it an act? That's why men are... kids or adults...’
Revenge is always needed for betrayal. Moreover, the reason Korea national team can't use tall target man type attackers well is always because of weak crosses, but since Ryu Ha-neul showed such crosses on the field, his World Cup participation is essentially over.
‘This bastard... Lied to me? At half-time, you bastard.’
So Kang Sae-young looked at Ryu Ha-neul dominating the field with anger in her eyes, waiting for half-time.