A Sweet Reward

Jung Hyuk's goal exploded just before the final whistle. That miracle winner decided everything between the two sides.

The referee's whistle shrieked a moment later.

Even with every last drop of stamina gone, the Jeongun High players threw their arms around one another and roared. Legs jelly, cramps locking their muscles, shirts plastered to their skin with sweat—they still laughed and howled in pure joy.

On the other side, Unnam High had conceded two goals in four minutes and watched the championship slip away. They sank into disbelief and hot tears.

One team celebrated. The other grieved. A match in which both sides had poured out everything finally ended.

"You all worked hard."

Jung Hyuk sought out every crying Unnam High player and offered quiet words of comfort. It was the least courtesy he could show opponents who had given everything. Only after he had shaken every hand and spoken to every man did he finally drop onto the grass himself.

Ugh, my legs are shaking.

He was exhausted too. The schedule had been brutal. If he had played like this in the Premier League of his past life, the overwork controversy would have been deafening. Fans would have protested, articles would have flooded the papers, and the manager would have been under siege long before he ever reached this point. The old Jung Hyuk would never have accepted such a mad calendar; rest would have been non-negotiable.

This time was different. He knew full well how punishing the load was, yet he played every minute of every match. His work rate led the team. He made himself the side's workhorse for one simple reason: he no longer feared injury. No matter how drained he became, his body would not break.

I feel like a zombie.

Then, still sitting on the turf, Jung Hyuk began to grin. He quickly clamped a hand over his mouth and bowed his head, desperately smothering the laughter so the weeping Unnam High players would not hear it. Holding back the joy that wanted to burst free was almost impossible.

"Hoo… hoo…"

For once he could not hide his emotions. He was simply too happy.

"This is insane."

It was not the miracle goal or the championship that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠made him smile. It was not even the European scouts who had just stamped his name in their notebooks.

The messages announcing his stat gains—that was what lit him up. And more than anything else:

"Speed finally went up."

The attribute that had stubbornly refused to move for so long had finally climbed, and that made him even happier. The rewards were not finished, either. They had not arrived yet, but Jung Hyuk already knew.

"It'll come soon."

A very sweet reward was on its way.

An alarm chimed right in front of his eyes—the sound that always preceded a new message.

"Been a while since I saw one of these."

Jung Hyuk flashed a bright, white-toothed grin.

Still sitting on the grass, Jung Hyuk turned the problem over in his mind. After so many matches and so many minutes, the truth was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠clear: his current abilities were still far from enough. That made the next decision even harder.

What do I fix first?

His present stats looked like this:

Compared with the day he first regressed, the growth was enormous. Honestly, the numbers were solid. They might still lag behind true European professionals, but for his age they were excellent. Yet Jung Hyuk still felt the shortfall. Measured against his prime, they were far too low—and they still could not fully support the football he wanted to play.

No matter how fast I grow, getting back to peak form is still going to take time.

That made the choice even more critical. He had to spend the points with maximum efficiency. From experience he knew two reliable paths to satisfying results: polish what you already do well, or shore up what you do poorly.

Both are good options.

That was the problem—both were excellent. He exhaled a long breath and decided to diagnose himself first. He started with the glaring weaknesses.

Speed and dribbling feel so damn limited.

Compared with his previous life, both attributes were night-and-day worse, and they frustrated him constantly.

I definitely need to raise Speed and Dribbling.

Next he checked what currently felt strongest.

Physicality was better than I expected.

It might still be a touch light for Europe, but at high-school level he never once felt outmuscled. When he used his body efficiently he often dominated opponents outright. Sitting on the grass, Jung Hyuk suddenly rose to his feet.

Decision made.

He would pour every point into the single attribute that would give the highest return. All-in on efficiency.

"I'm using the points. Everything into Speed."

The moment the words left his mouth, messages bloomed before his eyes.

In football, raw pace is a massive advantage. In attack it piles pressure on defenders; in defense it lets you recover, chase, and win second balls. Jung Hyuk contributed heavily at both ends of the pitch, so Speed was, without exaggeration, the single most efficient investment he could make.

"My performances should jump a bit now."

Satisfied, he closed the status window and walked toward the cluster of Jeongun High players. Manager, coaches, domestic scouts, and the overseas scouts were all gathered there. The domestic scouts who had previously clashed with him kept their distance. Then the atmosphere around him suddenly grew lively.

"Oh! They're going over to Hyuk! What are they gonna say?"

"No way the Europeans liked what they saw, right?"

"What do you mean 'no way'? With Hyuk's level he belongs in Europe. Honestly, he's in a different class from the rest of us. I've been saying that for ages."

"…Yeah, he really is that good. It was almost weird how good he was, and now Europe's taking notice."

"After a performance like that, it'd be weirder if they weren't interested."

The European scouts had approached Jung Hyuk. They offered warm smiles and outstretched hands.

After a short conversation with the European scouts—and after accepting their business cards—a fresh stir ran through the group. Jung Hyuk had spoken fluent English with them without any interpreter. Players, manager, and coaches all stared at him in open surprise. To Jung Hyuk it was the most natural thing in the world. Years in the Premier League had left him near-native, and he had paid for expensive private lessons on top of that.

This is a little embarrassing.

He quieted the fuss by claiming he had simply been studying English on his own for a long time. Then the awards ceremony began.

The championship-winning manager and coach of Jeongun High took the Best Coach award. Almost every other individual prize was swept by Jung Hyuk and Oh Jung-hoon, with only a couple going to Unnam High players.

When is this going to end?

The honors were genuine, yet Jung Hyuk had zero interest in trophies.

I need to train.

His head was already full of the next session.

The moment they returned to Seoul, Jung Hyuk moved without rest. He wanted to train, but something more urgent came first.

"Is this the place?"

"Yes, Father. This is the building."

Jung Hyuk stepped out of the car with his father. A moment later, after surveying the interior, his father spoke carefully.

"…You looked into this properly, right?"

"Yes. It's correct."

"Hmm…"

Jung Hyuk gave an awkward ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠little smile. He understood the reaction completely. Even to his own eyes the sports agency's exterior signage looked painfully tacky.

Still the same old-fashioned taste, I see.

He needed to put his father at ease.

"Yes. I've heard a lot of talk that the representative here is extremely capable."

"Is… that so? Hmm… I don't know, but let's go in and see."

"Yes."

Inside, the office was clean and professional—nothing like the gaudy exterior. A single man sat buried in a mountain of paperwork.

Seeing this hyung looking so young feels weird.

Even after Jung Hyuk and his father entered, the man stayed locked on his work, so focused he never heard the door. Jung Hyuk spoke first.

"Hello."

"…Ah! You startled me!"

The man shot up from his chair in shock, then scrambled to offer his hand to both father and son. Jung Hyuk couldn't help a quiet snort of laughter at the clumsy fluster.

It's amazing how someone who looks this scattered can be so damn good at the job.

The man launched into a quick self-introduction.

"Hello! I'm agent Park Young-nam."

Park Young-nam. In the previous timeline he had been Jung Hyuk's first agent and had stayed with him all the way until retirement. Knowing exactly what the man was capable of, Jung Hyuk shook his hand with genuine pleasure.

Meeting you again while you're still young, Young-nam hyung.

His father, however, was less convinced. He managed a polite expression while taking the offered hand, but the unease showed. That unease did not last long. The moment talk turned to business, Park Young-nam became a completely different person and put the older man at ease.

"Shall we take a look at some of Jung Hyuk's footage?"

At those words Jung Hyuk produced a USB he had prepared in advance. It contained the full video of the semi-final against Boeon High—footage he had made sure to record because he knew he would need it. A short while later the video ended. Park Young-nam, who had watched every second without moving, looked straight at Jung Hyuk.

"Do you have any other match footage?"

"Yes."

This time Jung Hyuk handed over the quarter-final video—the match against Chungjeon High in which he had recorded four goals and four assists. That clip finished as well.

"…"

Silence filled the office. Park Young-nam stared at the monitor without speaking. Jung Hyuk's father did the same. Even though the video had clearly ended, neither man said ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a word. After a stretch of quiet, Jung Hyuk's father spoke first.

"Um… Representative. And I'm not just saying this because he's my son… but isn't he… a little too… no, way too good…?"

Park Young-nam finally found his voice. His face was flushed red.

"Yes… Father. He is extremely good. Play like this at his age… wow… this is… honestly, it's on a completely insane level."