vs Liverpool (2)

I set aside any further thoughts about the Camera Celebration and simply kept playing.

Surely nothing will come of it?

It hadn't been meant as mockery the way it had in the North London Derby. I'd done it with good intentions — a wish that everyone from the youngest fans to the elderly would leave this match with a fond memory.

The world would understand what I'd meant by it.

After the early opener, Arsenal — buoyed by the home crowd — seized the momentum and poured forward in wave after wave of attacks.

"One-nil to the Arsenal, One-nil to the Arsenal."

The heat of the stands fed straight into the players' legs. They hammered away at Liverpool's sagging back line, but they couldn't break through.

Twenty-fifth minute of the first half.

Liverpool finally snapped the rhythm, launching a counterattack and pushing their line high at the same time. Arsenal, fully in the ascendancy, pressed hard and closed them down — only for Liverpool's crisp, rapid passing to carry them to the edge of the box.

The striker took a low, driven pass and shot first time.

But Adrian, whose form had been soaring of late, produced a miraculous save.

Wright gathered the ball, scanned the field ahead, and launched a long kick.

"Yujin!!!"

The long pass came arrowing straight toward me near the halfway line. Before the surrounding pressure could close in, I claimed it with a clean touch and, remembering that Liverpool had pushed their line up, slipped a ball into the space behind them.

Davis, already making the run, used his pace to latch onto it — only to be snuffed out by Liverpool's swift recovery and tidy defending.

In a match moving this fast, the crowd never took their eyes off the pitch for a second. Even a quick trip to the bathroom carried the risk of missing a goal from their favorite player or team.

Neither side looked short of stamina; both sets of players ran without pause.

Thirty-fifth minute of the first half.

The game briefly settled, and Liverpool began to build from the back. I took one calm look around, read the passing lanes in an instant, and sprinted in to cut the ball out without hesitation.

In the same motion, with the barest of touches, I turned and laid it into the path of Simon, who was driving through the middle.

Thump—!

The shot, struck from a one-on-one before a defender could close him down, was tipped away by the goalkeeper's fingertips.

Simon's long-range effort earned Arsenal a corner.

"Hoo…"

I took a moment to catch my breath and settled at the edge of the box.

It's fiercer than usual today.

Maybe it was because Liverpool had already lost to Man City — the stadium felt hotter than it ever had. Looking into the opposing players' eyes, I could see a desperate will to win even if it killed them.

That was what a fight for first place looked like.

Let's score.

Those Liverpool eyes were more than enough to drive home the conviction that Arsenal had to win.

Thump—!

Padric floated in a short cross. Wright won the aerial duel and headed it on. The header, with just a slight change of trajectory, struck the far post and bounced free. Davis sprinted in to shoot, but with a defender and the goalkeeper collapsing on him at once, he dragged the ball wide instead.

While the Liverpool players caught their breath, the ball slipped out between the pressing bodies and found its way into the center.

Can't hit it.

I'd been ready to volley it first time — then I saw the center-back closing on me and knew instantly I couldn't take the shot. Before receiving, I scanned my surroundings.

The moment I confirmed that the most trustworthy person on the pitch was right beside me, I calmly laid the ball off and made my run.

Hong Seoin read the intention behind the pass and slipped it back into the half-space.

One exchange, and the half-space was open. Two opposing defenders locked onto me — and the space that created for Seoin was exactly where I cut the ball back.

The ball took a slight bounce as it skipped past the defenders' outstretched legs. Hong Seoin met it with a non-stop volley, low and vicious, and smashed it into the near post.

My tenth league assist.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!!!"

The roar of the crowd only doubled the rush.

"Yujin!!!"

"Seoin!!!!"

"Korean Duo!!"

As the fans bellowed our names, we jogged back to our positions.

And in that moment, the substitution board went up from the Arsenal bench — for me.

I should listen.

I wanted to keep playing. I could keep playing. But too much of a good thing becomes poison. Highways have rest stops for a reason — after you've been running hard, there comes a time to stop.

At my age, body management had to be even more rigorous. That went double for me. After tearing around without rest every single match, I needed the break.

Yeah… I really have been running too much.

Even I had to admit that lately I'd been pushing myself close to the edge. At this rate, Manager Alexandro could end up facing overwork accusations.

Clapping through the disappointment, I headed for the bench — and the Arsenal fans rose from their seats to answer me.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

A standing ovation.

Arsenal fans and Liverpool fans alike. Everyone in the ground stood and applauded the player who had kept the tempo alive and given their eyes something to enjoy.

After Baek Yujin's substitution, no further goals arrived, and the first half came to a close.

Then the second half.

A clean, few-touch move — and Simon had one.

Three goals down, Liverpool produced their trademark counterattack for a consolation strike — and that was how the match ended.

After the Liverpool match, once I got home, I started an SNS live stream. I didn't have much else to do, and I was free.

"Hello, everyone."

"Streamer Jia? Who's that? First I've heard of her."

I said it loud enough for Noona — who I was pretty sure was in the next room — to hear.

"She must be really good at streaming. Just from the name, she sounds like she'd be great with words."

As the chat kept talking about Streamer Jia, the door creaked open and Jia Noona walked out.

"Noona?"

"Mm. Yujin."

Jia Noona glanced at the chat rocketing upward, then perched on the edge of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the bed at an angle that kept her off camera.

"What were you talking about?"

"Oh, they said there's a streamer who cheers for me. Jia, I think? Funny — same name as you, Noona."

At my teasing, Jia Noona let out a soft snort of laughter.

"Really? Is she good at streaming?"

"I've never watched her myself, but they say she is. Nice voice, apparently?"

By now, saying it with a smile, Noona would know I'd figured it out. Someone as sharp as her couldn't possibly miss it.

"Hmm~ If she's cheering for you, I might have to check her out sometime. I'm getting jealous."

The way she said it, though, made it clear she intended to keep treating Streamer Jia and her girlfriend Lee Jia as two different people.

"They say her commentary's great, so now I'm curious too. Does she cover other matches?"

"She only cheers for you, I bet."

"You've never heard of her before, Noona?"

"…I was home and it popped up, so I've seen it once."

"Haha. Sure."

We kept the stream going a little longer, and once more time had passed, I ended it.

"See you next time."

Click.

The stream ended. Noona propped herself up on one arm, reclining at an angle, and said to me,

"Streamer Jia would really love it if the Yujin she likes would hand her some water~"

"…"

…So this was her revenge for bringing up Streamer Jia?

This was a foul.

I'd pretended not to know, so she was pretending to be someone else too — a stranger who liked me, which made her jealous… That was the vibe of this foul play.

And because I'd started the pretending first, I couldn't even call her out as the same person.

"…Here."

I had no choice but to get up and offer her the water — but Noona didn't take it.

I'd even opened the cap for her, so I tilted my head in confusion. She grinned and pointed a slender index finger at her own mouth.

"By mouth."

"…From my mouth?"

"Mm. Mouth to mouth."

"…"

I took a sip of water and slowly leaned down.

This was completely unavoidable.

Right. I was only doing this because she'd fouled me first.

Peck.

I'd only meant to tease her a little by playing dumb on stream — and I'd been the one who got got.

This was why sharp people were the worst.

Of course, Jia Noona was the best.

The water I drank today tasted just a little sweet.