Proof (1): Is This For Real?
John sat with a hollow look on his face. He had already conceded two goals. Meanwhile, he himself hadn’t scored a single one. And as if that weren’t enough, Hugo Romero—who had quietly looked down on Suhyuk alongside him—was now wrapped in Suhyuk’s arms. Suhyuk wore a distinctly uncomfortable expression.
…This can’t be happening.
He couldn’t accept it. After all, John was a striker who had poured every ounce of effort into his craft for years. Called a genius since childhood, he had trained without rest, never pausing, all to become Espanyol’s star youth product. Yet what was this?
A year ago, Suhyuk had appeared. His starting spot was stolen right away. To reclaim it, to earn his way back into the lineup, John had trained day and night without distinction. His skills had risen naturally while Suhyuk’s had suddenly plummeted. Even so, seizing the starting role hadn’t been easy. The manager and coaches still trusted Suhyuk far more than him.
Only now—only now—had he thought he’d finally grasped his chance.
…I finally believed I could play as a true starter. That I’d be able to show my face to my family in the Barcelona Derby.
The world was unfair. A guy who had slumped for an entire year had become a genius overnight.
Having lost his focus, John barely remembered how he played the remaining fifteen minutes. He simply… came back to himself to find he had squandered two clear goal-scoring chances while Suhyuk had slammed home four.
At the same time, Ben wore a complicated expression.
“He’s too… far too good.”
“No kidding. It’s like there’s a halo around him. Reminds me exactly of how he looked a year ago.”
“Exactly.”
Lee Suhyuk had been nothing short of phenomenal. The talent he had shown so briefly had burned so brightly that Ben couldn’t give up on him for an entire year. And right now, Suhyuk looked exactly like he had back then. He was radiant. Brilliant.
“Coach, I’m… worried that brilliance won’t last until the derby. If his mentality cracks again, Lee’s ability will plummet.”
“Well, I think Lee’s motivation comes from the derby itself. Seems like he’s finally found a real reason to start in this match.”
“So you believe that talent will keep shining at least until then.”
Ben nodded. Assistant coach Ivan still looked unconvinced. No matter how brightly Suhyuk’s talent burned, starting him in the derby seemed to require more careful thought.
“I believe we need Lee in the starting lineup if we’re going to break through La Masia’s wall.”
“Then what exactly are you worried about?”
Ben’s gaze shifted to John. When Suhyuk performed well, the team players had swarmed around him. You finally found your touch?Why the hell were you so bad before? Teasing remarks flew left and right. Only John remained apart, sitting alone with a heavy expression, fingers digging into the grass. His clenched fists trembled faintly.
“John spent a whole year trying to escape Lee’s shadow and prove himself. We were too blind to see it and only pushed Lee forward.”
“…”
“Just when John was about to seize his opportunity, Lee surges ahead again…”
“Ah, John must have a lot on his mind.”
“A lot? He might never show his true ability again after this.”
They couldn’t be certain Suhyuk’s form had truly returned after a single practice match. If John’s level dropped here as well, the team would be left without a proper striker.
“It’s difficult. Who should get the starting chance in the derby…? On pure skill, it’s Lee. But John has carried this team for a year.”
“Benching him now might break him entirely.”
Ben nodded. After long deliberation, he stepped in front of the squad.
After the practice match ended, I finally felt the weight of reality. How should I describe it…? I had been completely lost in my own delusions, trapped inside my personal fantasy world. When I slowly reviewed my performance after the match… I had scored four goals. I had been an absolute madman out there today.
How the hell did I manage that?
They say a man exerts transcendent power when protecting a woman. Looks like I succeeded in keeping my girl safe from John, who had been trying to steal Hayun away.
…Maybe. Just maybe I’ll actually get to start in next week’s derby.
While I was thinking that, the coach walked up to the players.
“Gentlemen.”
“Yes!”
“Everyone performed well today. Never forget that next week’s Barcelona Derby is an important match for all of us.”
“Yes!”
“It may be an underdog versus top-dog fixture, and Barca may see us as nothing more than a weak side rather than true rivals.”
Ben laid out the painful truth. It was true that FC Barcelona barely paid attention to a team stuck in the relegation zone.
“Even so, we must give everything. Even if the whole world predicts our defeat, even if we’re only a youth team.”
“…”
“That means we must play with everything we have in the Barcelona Derby. It’s good to run for the sake of turning pro. But for next week’s match, I want you to think of an even more important reason and play for that.”
“…”
“We must give our all for the fans who come to watch a mere youth-team game. At least in this derby, we are their pride, their self-respect, their face.”
The players’ faces flushed with emotion. That’s right—everyone had their own reasons. Reasons they had to play soccer, reasons they had to take the field. For some it was a professional debut, for others honor and money. And for Lee Suhyuk, it was the fans. More precisely, the female fans of Espanyol.
“I will be revising the starting lineup for next week.”
Ben’s words landed like a bomb. He was changing an already confirmed lineup. All because of a single practice match.
Both Suhyuk and John instinctively came to the same conclusion.
Ah, I’m going to start. That was Suhyuk’s thought.
…Damn it. A substitute again? Even after this it doesn’t work? I have to lose my place to Lee, who slumped for a whole year and only played well for one day? That was John’s thought.
Hope and despair flashed across their faces in equal measure.
In the end, was it still not enough? John clenched his fist so tightly his knuckles turned white.
It was then that Ben spoke.
“4-4-2.”
“…!”
“…!!”
“That will be our formation for the derby. You’ve trained it constantly, so everyone can execute it, correct?”
4-4-2. A two-striker formation. They had only trained it because it required both strikers to be exceptional; they had never used it in a real match. Ben had decided that now—with Suhyuk back in form—was the perfect moment.
He looked between John and Suhyuk.
“John.”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Your job is to pull the defenders out of position. Hold the ball with your back to goal.”
“…Yes, understood.”
Next came Suhyuk.
“Lee.”
“Yes.”
“Exploit the space John creates. You will be our goal poacher.”
“Yes, understood.”
John smiled. The fact that he wouldn’t have to watch the derby from the bench filled him with excitement. Suhyuk was simply overjoyed to be named in the starting lineup.
“I know the two of you aren’t exactly close. But on the pitch, no one should have better chemistry than you two. I’ll be watching closely during the two remaining training sessions. If your coordination isn’t good, it will be difficult for either of you to start.”
“…”
“Gentlemen, what I want is not competition. It’s harmony. Competition is against the opponent, not your own teammates.”
The two strikers stared at each other. From a distance, their teammates thought the same thing.
Fuck, changing the tactic a week before the derby?
It was ridiculous. No matter that it was only a youth team, this was too much. Of course such situations weren’t unheard of—most teams prepared three different tactics. But John and Suhyuk had never actually played a two-striker system together in a match. They had only ever trained it.
John and Lee aren’t even on good terms, and they’ve never played together in a real game. Suddenly switching to this tactic?
Every player harbored complaints. Most of all, they couldn’t understand why Suhyuk was starting. All because he had one good practice match?
After Coach Ben left and the players began grumbling among themselves, Hugo Romero’s loud voice cut through the noise.
“You bunch of men whining like little bitches behind everyone’s back—shut the hell up.”
“…?”
“You’re not going to complain to the coach, are you? We just do what the coach says. That’s it.”
“Yeah, but still… Lee and John aren’t even friends. Suddenly asking them to play together is—”
“Who knows? Maybe they’ll click perfectly.”
“…”
No one dared argue with Hugo. His fiery personality was legendary, and above all, Hugo Romero was the team captain.
“If those two end up ruining the derby, then you can throw stones at them later. The tactic’s already decided. There’s nothing we can do about it now. And most importantly—I believe in Lee.”
Hugo gave Suhyuk a small wink. Suhyuk felt a complicated mix of emotions. He was grateful someone was taking his side, but…
He’s been hugging me and winking at me and acting crazy since earlier.
It was honestly a little burdensome.
Then one player spoke up again.
“Still, this match is really important. What if Lee and John’s chemistry is terrible?”
Hugo thought for a moment before calling out three names.
“Lee, John, Daniel.”
Daniel was the player set to play RM in the derby.
“The four of us will do extra training before heading home. If John and Lee still can’t connect during that session, I’ll personally ask the coach to change the tactic tomorrow. Any objections?”
…
Suhyuk’s head drooped. He was supposed to message Hayun, but now he had extra training. With that golden-boy John and the crazy guy who kept winking at men, no less.
“Just so you know, I believe in Lee. Anyone who doesn’t can join our extra session. Even if the chemistry with John is bad, I trust Lee’s talent and skill to handle it.”
Hugo’s faith in Suhyuk was absolute. The players who couldn’t understand that faith decided to join the extra training. More than ten of them.
Most of the team doesn’t believe in me.
Watching them, Suhyuk unconsciously felt strength flood into his clenched fist.