Thoroughly Crush Them
Every Premier League club has a home ground.
Some are vast and imposing; others look shabby beside the rest. Naturally, the clubs that own the better stadiums take pride in them. Certain fans even trade barbs over whose ground is superior, turning size and quality into a matter of pure ego. A fine stadium can also draw envy from rival supporters.
Southampton FC was one of those clubs whose ground other fans quietly coveted. Their own supporters carried enormous pride in it.
St. Mary's Stadium.
Capable of holding more than thirty thousand, it was Southampton FC's home and the largest football ground in southern England. A well-built, imposing arena—and a place the fans were proud to call their own.
And today, St. Mary's was about to host Southampton's second match of the season.
The opponents: Sunderland.
Before kickoff, the players came out early to loosen up—stretching, shooting, passing, dribbling. Part of it was ordinary preparation; part of it was getting fully used to the pitch itself.
"Hyuk, Sunderland's pretty weak, right?"
Jung Hyuk answered while still stretching.
"They were last season. Barely avoided relegation. You studied that yourself."
"I know, but still…"
"This season's a different story, though. The Premier League's full of teams that reinvent themselves overnight."
"…Yeah. So we have no idea what kind of Sunderland we're getting today."
"None. Why? Nervous?"
"Yeah… Hoo. A little."
Oh Jung-hoon answered with a deep breath. He said "a little," but his face was tight and trembling. Jung Hyuk smiled at the sight.
"Of course you're nervous. You might make your EPL debut today."
It was only natural. Jung-hoon wasn't starting, but he was on the bench. The chance of getting on the pitch was real.
Still looking tense, Jung-hoon asked, "Think I'll actually play?"
"Only the manager knows. But you prepare like you're going on every single time. You're a pro now."
"What about you? You don't get nervous? You looked completely calm even in your debut."
My debut…
Jung Hyuk murmured under his breath and let the memories surface. Of course he had been nervous. He had debuted in the EPL past thirty. He had already played plenty of matches in the K League, but the pressure of the Premier League was another dimension entirely. Just standing there had made it hard to breathe. His legs had shaken. It was a kind of tension he had never felt before.
And yet the nerves that once felt unbeatable had faded after enough matches. Now, almost nothing rattled him.
"…Hyuk! What are you thinking about?"
"…Huh?"
"What's with the blank stare all of a sudden? You okay?"
"…Something else just popped into my head."
"Random. So you're not gonna answer?"
"About whether I get nervous?"
"Yeah. Do you?"
"Depends on the situation, but right now I'm fine."
"Amazing… You're seriously ice-cold."
"Ice-cold, my ass."
After a little more light talk, Jung Hyuk's expression turned serious.
"Jung-hoon. Stretch properly today. Extra careful."
"Why?"
"Sunderland's going to want a different result from last year. They already lost the opener. So today? They'll do whatever it takes to win."
"Meaning they'll come out rough."
"Exactly. They'll have their knives sharpened. In games like this the injury risk spikes, so loosen every muscle you can."
Jung Hyuk remembered how rough Sunderland had been in this period—and exactly what kind of man their manager, Di Canio, was.
Di Canio is a rotten human being as a manager. And if my memory's right, Southampton players get injured in today's match.
In his previous life he had watched Southampton versus Sunderland on television. Di Canio's Sunderland had picked up five yellows and one red. The game had been that brutal. Two Southampton players had suffered serious injuries. The whole thing had been so shocking it still stuck in his mind. After that, Di Canio had kept losing and eventually been sacked.
And if Di Canio tried the same dirty football today, Jung Hyuk intended to accelerate that sacking.
Kickoff approached.
St. Mary's Stadium held far more spectators than the previous season. Even before the match began, a massive roar filled the stands—most of it from Southampton fans. It reflected the club's recent mood. Faces in the crowd were bright with expectation after the team's dominant opening performance.
Both sets of players walked out to cheers. Their expressions told different stories. Southampton's side carried the lift of a recent thrashing; confidence sat plain on their faces. Sunderland's eyes burned with venom, a hard determination to win at any cost.
Jung Hyuk's expression hardened.
Definitely… looks dangerous.
If memory held, someone would get hurt. The problem was he could not remember who. Guessing was nearly impossible. He wanted to protect his teammates if he could. Watching a colleague go down right in front of him was something he hated. Knowing the horror that was coming left a sour weight in his chest.
He drew a deep breath, then let it out slowly.
"Focus."
It had not happened yet. The match came first. His eyes sharpened as he locked onto the present.
Beeeeeep—
The game began.
Di Canio's Sunderland, on the road, set up in a deep 4-4-2, packing the defense and looking for one clean counter. It was a formation that said they refused to lose. Against them, Pochettino's Southampton lined up in a 4-2-3-1, built to dominate the middle and create goals—and well suited to attacking the flanks.
One side came to smash through with pure attacking force. The other came to shut everything down. The two collided.
Southampton moved the ball quickly. Jung Hyuk, who had shown blistering speed of late, hovered near the right wing, hunting openings. Deployed as a right midfielder, he linked repeatedly with Adam Lallana, who was playing as the attacking midfielder. Pochettino wanted the two best ball-retainers in the squad to be the heart of midfield, and both were delivering exactly what the manager asked for.
"Hyuk!"
Lallana drove a long ball forward, aimed into the space Jung Hyuk was already surging into. The pass was accurate, arcing ahead of his run.
There was one problem: Sunderland's full-back was closer to the ball—and he reacted fast, charging in.
Jack Colback.
Jung Hyuk flicked a glance at the full-back tracking him. Jack Colback, Sunderland's left-back—a versatile player who could fill several roles, especially strong in the tackle. Not an easy man to beat one-on-one.
But he was not perfect. With One Who Sees Through, Jung Hyuk already knew the weakness.
Weak in physical duels and in the air.
He used it.
Both players sprinted toward the dropping ball. The gap closed fast—even though Colback had started closer—because of the pure speed difference Jung Hyuk brought. The ball fell between them. They jumped almost together. Bodies collided. Their faces told the result: Jung Hyuk stayed calm, eyes locked on the ball; Colback grunted in pain and twisted his face.
The aerial duel was decided. The ball glanced off Jung Hyuk's forehead and dropped forward. Colback staggered on landing and lunged again.
This was where Jung Hyuk's individual skill shone. He let the ball fall from his forehead, back to Colback, and bounced it twice off his knee. Even under heavy pressure from behind, he never lost his balance.
What the hell is this kid?
Colback was rattled. Jung Hyuk stayed composed. He dropped his center of gravity, trapped the ball with his knee, then struck it with the instep as he spun and exploded into acceleration.
Colback was left standing. He could not catch a man already at full speed.
Full-back completely beaten. A high-percentage chance was forming. Jung Hyuk planned to whip the cross in at full stride; he already knew where his teammates were. All he had to do was hit it.
Then—
Impact.
Ghk—!
Agony tore through his ankle. Colback, chasing from behind, had gone in with a back tackle. Jung Hyuk's balance shattered. The studs had found his ankle cleanly, and the challenge had raked deep enough to catch his leg as well.
He went down hard.
The referee's whistle cut through the air as the official sprinted over. The ball was long gone. It had been a deliberate back tackle aimed at the ankle.
Jung Hyuk's face went rigid. He had One Who Never Gets Injured; he knew he would not actually be hurt. Even so, the challenge had been vicious enough to shake him.
Is he insane?
Clutching his ankle, he glared at Colback. There was no apology. Colback would not even look at him—he was already feeding excuses to the approaching referee.
"I didn't realize the ball was gone! There was no intent, I swear!"
Then the pitiful expression vanished. Colback turned and shouted at Jung Hyuk.
"Hey! Quit faking and get up!"
"…What?"
Jung Hyuk stared at him in pure disbelief. A back tackle aimed at the ankle—and that was the reaction. Unbelievable.
He did not bother answering. The man was about to see a card anyway.
You're getting sent off, you bastard.
Except the unexpected happened.
The card the referee produced was not red. It was yellow.
A wave of boos erupted across St. Mary's—aimed squarely at the official.
And Jung Hyuk laughed.
Only his mouth moved. The rest of his face stayed carved from stone. It was the expression that appeared when he was truly angry.
"Fine."
He rose with the medical staff supporting him. Pain still throbbed in the ankle. No injury, but the challenge had been severe enough that they needed to check him properly.
Off the pitch for a moment, his gaze found one man.
The manager.
Mauricio Pochettino was already roaring at the referee, veins standing out in his neck, genuinely furious.
Then Jung Hyuk locked eyes with another man.
Di Canio.
Sunderland's manager was staring at him with an open sneer. Looking was not enough. Di Canio stepped closer and muttered just loud enough to hear.
"Hey, kid. Quit faking it and get back on already, yeah?"
Jung Hyuk laughed again—short and sharp. Then he met Di Canio's eyes and spoke.
"Go eat shit."
"What? You filthy Asian bastard—!"
Di Canio's face twisted into something ugly. He lunged with the curse still on his lips; only the coaches around him kept him from throwing a punch.
Jung Hyuk exhaled slowly. His eyes were ice as he looked from Di Canio to Colback in turn.
"So this is how it goes."
He had known it would not be a clean match. He had not expected the filth to surface this fast.
"Looks like I'll have to thrash them mercilessly."
The thought settled behind an expression cold as winter steel. Today he would bury Sunderland under an overwhelming scoreline. Today he would make Di Canio's day a living nightmare.
And right then, a message appeared before his eyes—one he was very glad to see.
Ding!
Special reward condition has been generated.
📍 Objective: Thoroughly crush Sunderland.
🎁 Reward: A Card will be awarded upon success.