The Second Half Onslaught
The second half began, and La Fabrica came out far more aggressively than they had in the first. They had tested me out during those opening forty-five minutes, and the moment they realized their defense could actually handle me, they switched to an all-out assault. ‘Hmm.’ I wondered if that tactic might backfire. Because the me standing here now was nothing like the me from the first half.
I had come out with the firm resolve to completely dismantle their number four. And it wasn’t just me—every single one of my teammates shared that same determination. They were running their hearts out with the single-minded goal of protecting me. I felt grateful. A deep sense of thanks welled up inside me for everyone putting in so much effort on my behalf.
…Still, why were they all going this far for me? There were probably many reasons, but at the core of it, I suspected it came down to their burning desire to win this match. After all, I was the striker who scored the goals. Alright then. Time to put one in the net.
“Hugo!”
I raised my hand toward Hugo, who had naturally switched positions with the central midfielder. He rolled a low, crisp pass across the grass. The ball bounced sharply a couple of times before settling perfectly at my feet.
“John!”
I exchanged a quick one-two with John and pushed forward up the line. The instant I entered the penalty arc, their number four charged straight at me. The defender wearing number five on the opposing side moved to block John, but John simply burst past him.
As John prepared to shoot after shaking off the number five, the number four immediately closed him down. That guy was faster than anyone else on the pitch. It wasn’t just raw speed—he had excellent footwork. Every single step he took carried more weight than other players’. If John tried to pass it back to me, the number four would instantly cut into his blind spot and intercept.
Coldly analyzing the situation, John had the physical edge but lacked my level of technique. That ball was probably going to get blocked. My plan had been to rush in and steal it back the moment the number four took it from John. That’s why I was already closing in on John’s position.
But John gave up on the pass. Instead, he held his ground in a physical battle. The number four slammed his shoulder into him. Boom—!! The two collided head-on. The moment the number four’s balance finally broke after a long struggle—
Thud—!!
John drove into him once more. It looked like he had tried to start a fierce shoulder battle out of the referee’s sight, but the ref caught it clearly. The whistle blew.
John, having sent their number four flying with his shoulder, let out a smirk. He had essentially dunked the guy. Peeep—!! A yellow card was shown to John. He didn’t seem to care at all. Shaking out his blond hair, he looked down at the number four.
“You pathetic bastard, who the hell do you think you are to insult our maknae?”
…Oh boy. This was going to be trouble.
The opposing number five was glaring furiously at John. The tension between the two teams was rapidly turning into an emotional war.
“Lee. Want me to do more? I’m ready to get sent off today!”
I looked into John’s eyes. There was no light in them. He had completely lost it. I couldn’t leave him like this—he wasn’t the usual bright, cheerful John anymore. He had turned into a wild, rampaging beast.
“…I’ll handle it myself. Let’s keep it at this.”
“Hmph. If I really wanted to, I could make sure that guy doesn’t finish this match.”
“Ah, no… that’s not okay.”
I was genuinely speechless in the face of his pure madness.
“I’ll do it myself. It only means something if I break through on my own. Besides, this match is important for you too, hyung.”
John was already getting up there in age for a youth player. With many professional scouts in the stands today, this game was crucial for him if he wanted to make his pro debut.
“It is important. Of course it is. But I promised to help you as long as we’re on the same team.”
…They say a man’s heart burns hot. My own heart grew warm at the sight of a real man standing before me.
“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”
“You sure? Their number four looks pretty pissed. He’s probably going to come at you even harder from now on.”
“I can overcome that too.”
John nodded as if he understood. “If you need my help, just say the word. I’ll destroy them for you.”
“Gracias, hermano.”
John looked moved. He covered his mouth with his hand, eyes wide. Ah. Come to think of it, this was the first time I had ever called someone “hyung.” John whipped his head away, his ears turning bright red.
…Was it really that big a deal?
A free kick started from La Fabrica’s defensive third. Number four put all his power into a lofted pass, a long ball meant to break our line. The Espanyol midfielders deliberately dropped deeper, tightening up the third line. A battle for midfield control continued, and our defensive line crumbled once. A long-range shot from a La Fabrica attacker followed.
Whew…
Sighs of relief echoed from all around. Our goalkeeper had barely managed to keep it out. Now it was time for the counterattack.
The ball he threw long traveled from the fullback to the midfielder. The midfielder ran from the center to the flank, drawing defenders away. The moment an opponent stretched out a leg—La Croqueta. I stylishly bypassed him and slipped a pass to Daniel.
The instant Daniel received it, he sprinted down the wing and whipped in a cross from the corner line. My eyes sharpened. I ran. I received the ball just outside the penalty box. The distance to goal was about twenty meters.
I pretended to shoot, pulling my leg back before folding it in. Then I curled it with my left foot.
Thump—!!
The ball bounced off the post. John raced in for the second ball. The moment he got it, he nutmegged their number five, and I collected the loose ball.
Boom—!!
Number four drove his shoulder into me. His physical challenge was far more aggressive than before. And it wasn’t just him. Thanks to John’s provocation, every single La Fabrica defender was on edge. Even their number five joined in, sandwiching me tightly.
Sofia covered her mouth, clearly worried I might get hurt. Nearby, Kim Hayun was also watching with wide, anxious eyes. For this one moment, the two rivals were completely united in their concern—both desperately hoping I wouldn’t get injured or fall.
Did that heartfelt wish reach me? Right before I was about to tumble, I caught sight of both girls’ faces. Hayun, who I had eaten with the day before yesterday, and Sofia, who I was supposed to eat with today.
‘…They’re worrying about me this much.’
In that case, I couldn’t afford to look ridiculous. My eyes changed. It felt as if every light in the world was pointing straight at me. Just before falling, I stretched my leg out long to regain balance. I pushed off with my back foot and surged forward.
The ball shot out at the exact moment my back foot left the ground. I collected it and suddenly found myself face-to-face with the opposing goalkeeper. I had just pulled off a fantastic escape from two strong physical defenders, yet I still hadn’t properly set my balance—and the keeper had already rushed out.
He dropped into a low stance, knees bent to close the gap between his legs, arms spread wide to cut down the angle. For a second I thought the chance was gone. Then—
“Fighting—!!”
The voice reached me. In this seemingly hopeless situation where scoring looked impossible, I bent my knees once more. If my balance wasn’t set, I could simply use this posture. I dropped my knee as if I were falling. My knee bent at an unnatural angle—only possible thanks to my exceptional flexibility.
With my knee nearly touching the ground and my body collapsing forward, I somehow held the position. Thump—!! In that falling posture, I pushed the ball forward.
The keeper stretched out his hand. He couldn’t reach it. My instantaneous burst of speed had been faster. One step. Two steps. I reached the ball first. The ball rolled past the keeper into the completely empty net.
Swish—!!
I thrust both hands high into the sky. Two of my three fingers folded down. Only one goal remained for a hat-trick.
— !!!! —
Hooooooooo!!!
Insane! He’s insane!!
LEE!! LEE!! LEE!! LEE!!!
The stands swayed like a giant wave. As I took in that magnificent sight, I thought to myself: if this had been a professional match, there would have been even more spectators. All of them screaming my name.
…How thrilling would that be? Just imagining it made every hair on my body stand on end.
And at that exact moment—
‘That works.’
Sergio, the RCD Espanyol first-team manager who had come to evaluate my potential, clutched his head in disbelief.
‘He’s a genius.’
No, even that word wasn’t enough. There were countless geniuses in Europe. Simply playing in the youth teams of Europe’s top five leagues already meant you were considered a genius.
But Suhyuk was a monster.
‘He’s grown even more since the match against La Masia.’
The situation this time had actually been harder than against La Masia. La Fabrica had marked him blatantly, and the number four defending him possessed talent that wouldn’t look out of place in Real Madrid’s first team.
At the start of the match, Sergio had thought Suhyuk’s performance today was a lost cause. But…
‘This is on another level. He’s shining brighter as the game goes on.’
As time passed, Suhyuk was displaying more and more of his true ability. While others were gasping for breath and tiring out, Suhyuk showed no signs of fatigue and was covering more ground than anyone. The defenders tasked with stopping him were already on the verge of complete exhaustion. That was how relentlessly he had shuttled between the first and second lines, draining their stamina.
‘We have to bring him in. No matter what, we must sign him!’
The youngest player in Espanyol’s first team would be arriving soon. That was what Sergio thought.
