Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 15



Only Krnovel

The first half passed by in an instant.

I couldn’t let my guard down throughout the game, so I felt like I lost my momentum as soon as the first half ended.

At halftime, the manager and coaches called the players together and explained to the players who were drinking water what they needed to improve. It was scary.

“If the director gives an order, you should follow it. Why are you doing it your way?”

Most of the criticism was directed at the defenders and midfielders. Even Yoo Jin-ho went a step further and used the opportunity to praise me.

“If it weren’t for Kim Min-woo, we would have conceded three more goals. Do you understand? Didn’t the coach clearly say that? You have to prove it. This is the place to prove it! How can you guys be defeated by a dog that hasn’t even started playing soccer for a month! Huh!?”

Everyone listened in silence, because it wasn’t a wrong statement. I had a serious expression on my face, but inside I was smiling broadly.

“I’ll see. I’ll see how things change in the second half! I’ll completely change the formation. And Kim Jun-young. Kim Min-woo. You guys did well. I don’t have any special instructions for you. Just do what you did in the first half, and…”

The tactical pieces on the tactical board were moving around noisily. Detailed instructions were exchanged in a flashy manner. Each player had his own rules, and Kim Jun-young, who was a central midfielder due to his position, went up to form a two-top with Han Seung-woo.

Although they were ahead by one point, Suyang High School seemed not to be satisfied with this at all, and there was a major change in position.

There were also several player substitutions.

So, we entered the second half.

I spoke to the defenders before the referee blew the whistle.

“Brothers! Let’s do well this time!”

When I gave the defenders a thumbs up while they were looking back, they responded by nodding or giving me a thumbs up in return.

You have to keep proving it with your skills before they will react. Kids. You have a cute side, right?

Beep-!

As the second half began, Suyang High School moved according to plan. Ten people moved around like an organism, and I left the goal empty and walked a little forward.

I thought it would be okay since the opponent was far away, but why is this trajectory appearing out of nowhere?

Startled, I quickly turned back and attempted a long-range shot from the opponent’s side at the same time.

I jumped and caught the ball.

‘Wow. Almost···.’

If I had realized it too late or handled it immaturely, this ridiculous attempt would have worked.

I can’t let go of the tension.

I rolled the ball I received from center back Ko Young-jun.

I want to kick it forward with all my might, but I don’t have the confidence. Rather than kicking it strangely and giving it to the opposing player, I’d rather give it to our own player.

As soon as we had possession of the ball, the whole team was energized.

The passing of the ball was a bit smoother than in the first half. The opponent also changed their tactics and didn’t apply as much pressure as in the first half.

‘You said that gegenpressing is a tactic that requires a lot of stamina?’

That’s what I heard from hearsay.

Anyway, in the beginning of the second half, the ball was passed around more freely than in the first half. An unexpected attack point emerged.

After fighting for the ball in a tight space, our team’s midfielder Lim Seung-min won possession of the ball and ran into the empty space on the opponent’s right.

And an exquisite cross pass that cuts through the opposing defenders near the penalty box.

The pass continued to Kim Jun-young’s feet.

Kim Jun-young momentarily missed Kim Jun-young’s marking, and without any interference, he aimed for the left goal with one touch, avoiding the opposing center back’s heel and the opposing goalkeeper’s fingertips to score another point.

It was a multi-goal!

“Whaaaaaah-!”

Kim Jun-young was so happy that he ran to Lim Seung-min, who had passed, and hugged him.

‘Scored multiple goals in his debut?’

When you look at the coaching staff, the coaches and manager clench their fists as if they were in sync.

I followed suit and clenched my fist.

If my running mate is active like that, I will be rewarded as well.

‘Did Suyang High School choose a kid who was that good as their sub’s sub?’

Just how strong is Suyang High School’s legendary 1st team…

Well, Kim Jun-young’s great performance is probably due in large part to Football Manager.

I don’t know about Kim Jun-young, but he received a lot of stats without even knowing it.

Anyway, now the score is 2:0.

Kim Jun-young scored multiple goals.

I have multiple super saves.

It looks like the twins are pulling up and down.

It was nice to see you. Really.

***

“Hmm···.”

Choi Sung-hee, who was watching the first half, kept her mouth shut. Next to her, her husband reluctantly admitted it.

“Sure, there was a reason the director said that.”

Shin-ah cried like a child.

“Are you good? Are you really good? Are you going to let me play soccer? Yeah?”

Choi Sung-hee reluctantly opened her mouth due to the continued criticism.

“I have to watch the second half and then make a decision.”

“I think just looking at this much is enough···.”

“But Shin-ah, do you want your brother to play soccer?”

“Huh? Well… Really? I think it’s right to do it with that level of skill. And if you fail, you can always take the CSAT later. The teachers say that even if you fail the CSAT and retake it, it’s not a big deal in the grand scheme of things.”

That’s not wrong.

Even if the worst happens and you give up soccer after becoming an adult, you can always go to college.

I was always willing to support him for the certificate.

But······ hmm.

‘It would be best to study hard like you always have and get into college right away without having to take such risks.’

For a moment, the scene where the director was confidently persuading and the son’s continuous performance overlapped.

It was only the first half, but I had a feeling that my son would be successful in soccer. Not because he was my son, but because I just felt that way when I watched the game.

‘But I might not be able to do it in the second half.’

Let’s watch the game until the end and then decide.

With that in mind, we wait for halftime and the second half begins.

My son was moments away from the goal, and an opposing team player took advantage of the gap to kick a long-range shot.

The son ran quickly and caught the ball.

The opponent’s trick was sharp, but I was proud of my son who blocked it without any trouble.

After that, Suyang High School scored early in the second half. This made the score 2:0.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to see my son’s performance in the first half, but the offensive sense of the Dongseo High School players was on the rise.

With just one pass, Suyang High School’s defense is completely broken through. Late, all the defenders grit their teeth and run at full speed, but the Dongseo High School attacker who received the kill pass was also very fast.

‘Uh huh. This is···.’

I think it would be better to come out of the goal and narrow the shooting angle.

But the son didn’t miss the goal. Will he concede a goal this time?

The opposing attacker even slowed down to make sure he could score, then calmly hit the ball far away from where his son was.

To the left corner of the goal.

When he sensed that this time he would definitely get hit, the son stretched out his body and blocked it again.

“Wow! I stopped this!”

“Wow······You’re good!”

Shin-ah jumps up and down in delight, and her husband nods and claps his head.

The opposing attacker fell to his knees and thumped the grass with his hands after his brilliant attack failed.

The son jumped up and exclaimed, “Ugh!”

There were sighs and screams from one side of the watching parents, and exclamations from the other side.

When I glanced at the parents who had been picking on us earlier, their expressions were frozen without saying a word.

As I looked at that sight, I felt like all the old weight had come off.

After his son made several crucial saves, the game became one-sided.

Although no additional goals were scored, Suyang High School dominated the game throughout and the game ended with the score at 2:0.

“Mom! So what are you going to do?”

A question has come up that can no longer be put off.

Choi Sung-hee nodded and let out a hollow laugh.

“Let’s look at it positively.”

“Huh? What about dad?”

“I need to talk to the director some more.”

“···To be honest, I knew my brother played soccer, and I happened to see him play, and he was just as good back then as he is now. Well, it’s just okay.”

Choi Sung-hee said while stroking Shin-ah’s head.

“I knew it.”

***

The game is over.

The first half and the beginning of the second half were like a war, but as I kept blocking the opponent’s attacks, they lost their will to fight and after that it was our pace.

Suyang High School, which had gained momentum, continued to attack, but failed to score any additional points, and the game ended with a score of 2:0.

Anyway, the coaches were overjoyed because they won. If you finish the high school league well, you will have a final match of the King of Kings? Since they said they would do something like that, winning was important for the coaches and managers for their careers.

The coach gathered the players and told them to drink water and listen, speaking softly unlike during halftime.

“The second half was definitely okay. We did well. Although it wasn’t perfect, we showed that we understood the tactics, and I think that’s why we won this game.”

The director and coaches took turns giving good words of encouragement.

and,

“And. Junyoung and Minwoo. Honestly, you guys must have felt it too. You guys really improved. It’s not that the rest of you guys didn’t do well. Junyoung and Minwoo did really well. If Junyoung hadn’t done well, it would’ve been hard for us to win this game, and if Minwoo hadn’t done well, we wouldn’t have been able to guarantee a win in this game either. The defense was definitely lacking, but rather than saying you guys weren’t particularly lacking, the opponent’s offense was really sharp······.”

It was nice to hear, but there was something I had to confirm first.

I smiled and checked Football Manager.

If someone saw me, they would think I was smiling like this because I was praised by the director, but that’s not the case at all.

[You finished a game without conceding a goal in the High League! As a reward, the ‘GK Kick’ stat increases by 2. Your running mate’s ‘Dribbling’ stat increases by 1.]

[You performed fantastically in the match. As a reward, your ‘GK Reaction Speed’ stat increases by 2.]

[Running Mate ‘Kim Jun-young’ played a great role, scoring multiple goals. As a reward, the ‘Stamina’ stat increases by 1, and the running mate’s ‘Heading’ stat increases by 2.]

[The player and running mate had a decisive influence on winning the match. As a reward, the ‘Physical Strength’ stat increases by 1, and the running mate’s ‘Stamina’ stat increases by 1.]

The reward stats dropped to a truly bomb-level.

‘How much is all this?’

Even if you exercise all day, you might only gain 2-3 stat points, but if you play well in one game, how many stat points do you gain?

After all, is there no experience as great as actual experience?

I was happy.

Much more than Eugene Ho’s shower of praise.

And the existing soccer clubs would now take the bus back to their respective lodgings, but not me.

To be exact, it’s something like a crescent moon(?), so the director took special care of me.

“Minwoo. Your parents are waiting over there. You should get off work today.”

“Is that okay?”

“Okay. Since today’s schedule is over, there’s nothing else to do. Even if you take the bus, you’ll just go back to school and go home.”

“Ah. Yes.”

“Okay. Then I’ll see you tomorrow. You’ll come out tomorrow, right? No, you can come out, right?”

“If you still say it won’t work after doing this… I’ll just run away from home.”

“Hey. Don’t say things like that, even as a joke.”

“Okay. Then I will go.”

“okay.”

I went to my family, escorted by the director. Kim Shin-ah smiled as she watched me approach.

“Hey, did you do something?”

“Okay, so we came out like this, should we eat out?”

My eyes turned to my mom and dad.

They both nodded.

But then my dad asked a question.

“You, can you come out like this? Aren’t you going together?”

“Yeah. Since you’re a bastard, you don’t have to go with me.”

“Heh heh. A bastard? Well···.”

In fact, it was fortunate to be a concubine, and the treatment was at the level of commoners.

Anyway, we left the stadium in a car. Fortunately, as a goalkeeper, I didn’t sweat as much as the other players.

If that were the case, I would have gone straight home and showered after eating out or whatever.

‘But I have to wash when I get home.’

Because I was sweating.

While driving on the road, I asked my mom, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“So, can I play soccer?”

The father in the driver’s seat and the mother in the passenger seat did not respond to that.

In a brief moment of silence, Kim Shin-ah and I made eye contact. Kim Shin-ah was holding back laughter.

“Do you want to do that?”

My mom looked at me in the rearview mirror and asked. I nodded and answered.

“ignorance.”

Mom looked straight ahead again and answered.

“Then do it.”

Yes!

But Mom’s words weren’t over yet.

“If you don’t make your professional debut by the age of 21, then quit and start preparing for the CSAT. Got it?”

“yes!”

“And just because you’re playing soccer, don’t neglect your studies. Even if it’s not like now, you should continue to study consistently. Okay?”

“yes!”

Oh no! I’m still studying because I have good stamina recovery!

I kept smiling brightly on my way out to eat.

Later, Kim Shin-ah told me to stop laughing because it was disgusting, but I couldn’t stop laughing. What should I do?

End

ⓒ Doctor Am

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