The Best Debut Match (1)
There! Han Gang-rok tears through the back line and feeds it straight back to Baek Yi-an. Yi-an takes the ball, drives forward—is he going to shoot from here?!
It's not a shot—it's a pass! Baek Yi-an straight to Yoon Seung-hwan! Seung-hwan! GOOOOOOOAL! It's in! Yoon Seung-hwan! Seung-hwan! Is this even real?! Jeonbuk's little giants, still only eighteen years old, are writing a miracle and dragging their team out of the fire!
If I may be so bold, I truly believe this goal will go down as the greatest moment of the season for every Jeonbuk fan! It was an absolutely absurd sequence!
Exactly! Early on Jeonbuk were completely strangled by Suwon Ohseong's prepared tactics, but Baek Yi-an's introduction was pure surgical precision!
Watch the replay—the instant Jo Tae-yeong connects the pass, Yi-an is already using his back to pin the marking Choi Yeon-jun and hold him off. At that moment his body is already opened toward the outside, so he can immediately transition into a half-turn, accelerate, and take it all the way into a shooting action!
And Yoon Seung-hwan's finish deserves every bit of praise. Baek Yi-an hit that pass with real venom, yet Seung-hwan still forced it home through sheer obsession with the ball! Hard to believe these are just kids.
And as we speak—Baek Yi-an is driving forward with the ball again! Kim Choon-jae drops from the second line to offer himself, immediate return pass! Yi-an switches it wide to the opposite flank, Han Gyeong-rok receives in acres of space and surges forward himself!
It looks like Manager Sun Ki-baek has given Seo Chan-hee the pure holding role and tasked Baek Yi-an with a full box-to-box brief that includes attacking the penalty area himself! That decision is starting to tear Suwon apart! Ah—look! The defensive gaps are opening again! Yoon Seung-hwan's run! Baek Yi-an! Baek Yi-an!
GOOOOOOOAL! Yoon Seung-hwan! Moments ago he scored his debut goal with his face—and now he buries it with his neck!
Unbelievable... both of these players are something else. Baek Yi-an's pass was hit with serious power—it's not an easy ball to control at all—and yet Yoon Seung-hwan somehow turns it into a goal!
And there he is again—Yoon Seung-hwan collapsed on the pitch... looking at how hard he's gasping, those must be tears of pure emotion!
Truth be told, Shin A-yoon had never expected Baek Yi-an to see the pitch against Suwon.
It wasn't that she doubted his ability. As his childhood friend she had watched him up close for years—she had even cut class without permission on match days just to go see him play. She knew perfectly well that his quality was more than enough.
The reason she assumed he would sit this one out was simply that Jeonbuk's situation was that desperate.
To reach the quarterfinals they have to beat Suwon by four goals or more.
What manager in his right mind throws a debutant into a match like that?
This was the ACL. Win it and you can abandon the league entirely and still send the fans home happy—the biggest prize of all. In a fixture that heavy, managers cling to veterans. That was why A-yoon had kept her expectations at zero.
Even if he got minutes, it would only be the two full-backs already blooded pre-season to satisfy the U-22 rule.
"Tch... Unnie, I actually took the day off streaming and came all the way to Suwon because of what you said, and this is what I get? Yi-an oppa's only on the bench. If I'd known I would've just gone and broadcasted."
"We're already here, so just watch. Because of you I even bought jokbal with my own allowance."
"Bought it? Please. I saw Uncle Han-ho pay for everything earlier."
That was exactly why she had answered her little sister's whining with such a blank face. She simply hadn't been expecting anything. Just seeing Yi-an's name listed on a first-team squad sheet in a Jeonbuk Future Motors jersey was already enough to make Shin A-yoon content.
When her lips curved into a small smile at the sight of him, Shin Seung-ah—still chewing jokbal—pouted.
"By the way, Unnie. Weren't you and Yi-an oppa fighting? A few days ago you were bawling about never seeing him again. What happened?"
"Are you crazy? When did I ever fight with Yi-an? And I never cried, okay? Just shut up and eat."
"Right... must've been hearing things."
Leaving her sister's disgusted expression behind her, A-yoon turned back toward the pitch.
I just hope he isn't disappointed...
No matter what anyone said, she knew Baek Yi-an had the makings of an outstanding player. Before she realized it her hands had folded together as if in prayer, and she squeezed her eyes shut—
Then a strange sound reached her ears.
Substitution for Jeonbuk Future Motors! Number 32 Lee Seung-yong will be replaced by number 26 Baek Yi-an!
"Huh? Unnie! Did the stadium announcer just say Yi-an oppa's name? Not the number—I think I misheard... Wait, Unnie, what number is Yi-an oppa? Is it 26?"
"Y-yeah, 26! We both have birthdays on the 26th so he said he picked 26..."
"It is! Yi-an oppa's coming on!"
Seung-ah pounded her sister's shoulder in a frenzy while A-yoon sat there with her mouth hanging open, completely stunned. A debut in the AFC Champions League? Was that even possible?
He had told her to come watch because he was definitely going to play, of course. But honestly—how was anyone supposed to believe that?
What lunatic of a manager throws a rookie into a match this important? Especially when three other young players were already in the starting XI.
And yet—Baek Yi-an came on around the thirtieth minute of the first half.
The miracle didn't stop there.
"Wh-what? Unnie kept saying Yi-an oppa was good at soccer so I knew he was decent, but... he's way better than I thought? Unnie! Was he always this good?"
"Wh-what is this? How is he suddenly..."
She wasn't a soccer expert, but she was training to become a performance coach—she knew enough. She could tell which players were making the right movements and which ones were killing the flow.
Which meant she understood exactly how difficult what Baek Yi-an was doing right now truly was.
One single mistake in that position and the whole team could collapse. Yi-an was operating right in that danger zone, and so far he had not allowed himself a single error.
He even fixed everything... all of it.
The most shocking part was that he had actually corrected every single issue she had pointed out. Instead of forcing speed with an aggressive forefoot strike the way he used to, he was now driving with a stable midfoot strike. When he received the ball or turned sharply he was using perfect preparatory movements and handling everything cleanly. Even when the opponent's press knocked him off balance he was actively adjusting his posture to reduce injury risk.
There were players who needed years just to fix one simple posture. And he had done all of this in three days? For real?
The moment her own eyes witnessed the miracle, she remembered Baek Yi-an after his assist—striding toward the S-block seats where she sat and celebrating right in front of her.
"Unnie! Yi-an oppa got another assist! Is he insane? For real? That's already two assists!"
"Really? W-wait a second!"
"What are you doing, Unnie? Are you texting right now? He can't even check his phone!"
Watching her sister suddenly drop her head and hammer away at her smartphone, Seung-ah tilted her head—then glanced sideways and finally understood.
"Unnie? Why are you suddenly searching for headgear and eye protection?"
"Hmm? Oh, this? That Yoon Seung-hwan kid—Yi-an's going to use him a lot from now on. So we need to prepare early so he doesn't retire young. If he messes up his neck or head and has to quit, Yi-an will have a hard time stacking stats, right?"
...Is my sister actually crazy?
She was her own sister, but she was definitely not normal. Giving up on conversation, Seung-ah just shook her head and stuffed more jokbal into her mouth.
Whether it's a soccer novel or a baseball novel, there's one iron law that never gets broken.
The protagonist does not get injured.
There are other rules too—like the protagonist's team isn't allowed to lose because of him—but the important one right now is the injury clause.
Nothing matters more than staying healthy. There's nothing more painful than watching a teammate you've finally built chemistry with drop out right before a big tournament.
Thinking about it brings back memories.
"Huh? This is the 12th floor? Not the 11th? Weird, I definitely pressed 11 in the elevator..."
"Th-that's strange? It's Mom's birthday so I need to call her, but I can't remember her number..."
"...Man, my body's been weird lately. Queasy, head spinning... and the match is tomorrow. This is bad."
Guys who couldn't even score properly somehow always had the weakest bodies.
Compared to those types, Yoon Seung-hwan was a genuine gem. Better technique than any of the strikers I'd linked up with in my past life, and unlike those triangle-haired bastards he actually had finishing. On top of that, his body was solid as hell.
Even if Baek Yi-an lands a murder tackle on him he just limps for a second, and later when he gets put in naked chokes mid-match he still runs the full ninety. Absolute Iron King material.
Even I, who used to be called the Iron King back in my playing days, had to take my hat off to that durability.
Where else was I going to find a better striker? At this level I could comfortably call him a complete package.
Of course he still had a few flaws.
"Seung-hwan! How's the body? You can still run, right?"
"Huff... huff! P-please save me, it really hurts so much!"
"S-Seung-hwan! Quick, how many of these do you see?"
"Uh... two?"
"Hmm? Looks fine to me. Just some torn skin and a little blood. I'll disinfect it and wrap a bandage—let's keep going."
"N-no, I was lying! I actually saw eight fingers! I need a substitution!"
"Nah. From where I'm standing you can still play."
"I said I can't! Where are you going?! Don't leave me! Please sub me off!"
"A bit dramatic, but... he'll get used to it eventually."
"Gyeong-rok, is that guy actually okay? I honestly can't tell."
"Hyung... the way I see it, Yoon Seung-hwan's gonna retire at twenty."
A few more matches together and he'd settle down. The strikers who used to play with me always started like that, then went quiet after a couple of days.
"So... just two more goals to go, right?"
"Mmph!"
Yoon Seung-hwan flinched the second he heard my voice. For a moment I wondered if my words had scared him, but—
"Nah, no way. Who turns down a debut quadruple?"
Deep down he was definitely happy about it, so I decided not to worry.