Shooting Trajectory is Visible - Chapter 18



Only Krnovel

Two days later, we were scheduled to play against Seoul Deer FC.

Suyang High School took an extremely defensive approach, taking advantage of the fact that they were ranked first due to the fair play rules, and that they could advance to the tournament with just a draw.

If I just got a few cards, the situation would change, but that was the order from my superiors.

However, Seoul Deer also feared that their back space would be breached with a single counterattack, so they laid down sufficient defense before going on the offensive, and as a result, the game went on sluggishly without either team achieving anything.

Then I heard some news. It was about Donghaeng Soccer and Ayeon High School.

As the rule is that the last game is played at the same time, they were also playing at the same time as us, and there was news that Donghaeng Soccer had scored first.

So, the one who got the fire under his feet was Seoul Deer.

Although they were still one goal ahead of Donghaeng Soccer, additional goals could have been scored, and the odds of that happening were high because Yeon-go’s condition was not very good.

And if that happened, it would really be an elimination. Seoul Deer had more cards than not only us but also Donghaeng Soccer.

In comparison, Suyang High School will go up just by maintaining this situation. (Of course, there are disadvantages in terms of schedule.)

The Seoul Deer fans (mostly parents) who knew the situation kept urging them to attack, and the coaching staff also made tactical changes.

Suyang High School, which had been crouching and focusing solely on defense, also experienced a tactical change at the same time.

Even if they draw, they will advance, but since they have to rest for 4 days if they advance to 1st place and 2 days if they advance to 2nd place, catching Seoul Deer was the best option for Suyang High School.

So, Suyang High School played less defensively than before, and Seoul Deer Played more aggressively than before.

After the first half ended, the situation worsened.

We were careful to only aim for one goal through a counterattack, and the opponent was careful to only score one goal by any means necessary.

And Seoul Deer’s intention was to suffer defeat time and time again.

“Hit him! Hit him!”

“oh my!”

“Ah, what a pity!”

Every time Seoul Deer hit a ball, a sound like this would erupt from the stands.

“That’s right! That’s right!”

“Your defense is so good!”

“Let’s just score one goal!”

Every time Suyang High School closed the stadium, a shout like this would erupt from the stands.

And as time passed, the one who felt more and more pressure was Seoul Deer.

Because we heard that Donghaeng Soccer added a goal in the second half.

The fire that fell on Seoul Deer’s feet was now burning fiercely. If this situation continues, Seoul Deer will be eliminated with 1 win and 2 draws.

I haven’t heard any news of receiving a card, even though the Donghaeng Soccer team manages the cards.

Seoul Deer had deployed a minimal number of defenders out of fear of a counterattack in the back space, but now even those minimal number of defenders have joined the attack, and Suyang High School, which had been holding its breath and waiting for an opportunity, has finally had a decent chance.

It was a counterattack from the flank.

He steals the ball, runs through the gaps between the opposing players, passes it, passes it to the running Han Seung-woo, who passes it to the empty Kim Jun-young without any guard, and Kim Jun-young, who is in a 1-on-1 situation with the goalkeeper, finishes it.

The goalkeeper narrowly missed, but the ball bounced off his butt and into the net.

The opposing team’s defense was so helpless that they jumped up in frustration and fell to the ground.

As the long-awaited goal was scored, screams of joy and laughter erupted from one side and shrieks from the other.

Seoul Deer, who were in desperate need of a goal, were in a desperate situation from then on.

Because it was the same one way or another, except for the goalkeeper and one defender, everyone came up to Suyang High School’s camp, and it was in such situations that I was able to show my true worth.

“Ahh!”

Block it.

“Fuck!”

Block it.

“Eww!”

Block it again.

With the opposing defense almost empty, we managed to score another goal.

This time it was Han Seung-woo.

Han Seung-woo, who was only marked by one defender, ran like a wild horse and even beat the goalkeeper to score.

Then, midfielder Lim Seung-min scored a goal, and the game ended with the final score being 3:0.

Suyang High School advanced to the group stage in first place in Group 9 with 2 wins and 1 draw, earning 7 points.

Donghaeng Soccer went to the tournament with us with 1 win, 2 draws, and 5 points, while Seoul Deer and Yeongdeungpo were ultimately eliminated.

Seoul Deer had a spot in the tournament in their hands, but it was taken away from them. What poor guys…

“Everyone did so well!”

The director raises his hand and says he likes it.

By the way, I said that it’s been quite a while since Suyang High School advanced to the tournament in a cup competition like this. Was it 5 years ago when they last advanced?

That’s why he likes it so much. In the past five years, other Suyang High School coaches have had poor results, but Yoo Jin-ho took the reins this year and advanced to the tournament with decent results.

In addition, he passed in first place and even the schedule smiled on Suyang High School.

This tournament does not start with the round of 16 like the World Cup, but rather the round of 20. Only the teams that advanced to the second place in the group stage will start in the round of 20. The first-place teams will wait in the round of 16.

A few lucky second-place teams skipped the round of 20 and started in the round of 16, but they were few and far between.

And the teams that made it through the round of 20 have to advance to the round of 16 again, so they are at a disadvantage in terms of schedule.

However, this does not apply to foster care.

We are given four days of rest while the second-place teams are being worked to death, playing every other day.

*

After the game, we had a meal, did some brief recovery training, and then finished our day’s schedule.

The schedule was finished, but there was still some time left before work was done, so it was free time.

I immediately posted the report in the family chat room.

==

[Kim Min-woo: We won the last match of the group stage 3:0. Up until now, all the matches I’ve played in have been shutouts.]

Then a reply comes right away.

[Kim Shin-ah: Don’t be so arrogant.. Don’t be blinded by pride..]

[Kim Min-woo: There are four games left until the finals, and I think I will start in all of them]

[Kim Shin-a: Do you think we can make it to the finals..?]

[Kim Min-woo: Stop using weird historical dramas; I think I’ll make it to the finals if I don’t make any mistakes?]

Then my mother joined the conversation.

[Choi Sung-hee: Oh my~~ Our son! You did so well! If you don’t let your guard down and just do as you say, our son will definitely make it to the finals. Mom believes in her son ^^!]

[Kim Min-woo: Will you come and watch me when I go to the finals?]

Mrs. Choi is unable to answer readily.

Are you disappointed?

Instead, the father answers.

[Kim Min-seok: Of course I have to go see it! If my son wins the competition, I’ll brag to my friends haha]

[Kim Shin-ah: Seeing you guys getting all excited like this, I guess you’ll get eliminated in the quarterfinals]

[Kim Min-woo: No, no]

*

And it was as expected.

Suyang High School ran through the tournament at breakneck speed.

They knocked out the favorite in the round of 16, sent the rookie home, and eliminated the lucky guy.

The other teams seemed to be caught off guard by Suyang High School’s sudden surge.

“Brother! Brother! Look at this!”

Kim Jun-young runs towards me, panting, and shows me his cell phone.

There was an article floating on the phone.

[Shock! Jungang Cheongun High School, who won all the preliminaries, meets dark horse ‘Suyang High School’ in the round of 16 of the Geumgang competition and is eliminated!]

[The miserable downfall of the championship contender Jungang Cheongun High School? Parents are outraged, saying, “The problem is the coach.”]

“What is this?”

“What the heck! It’s an article! I saw it now, too! And that’s not all.”

Kim Jun-young took his cell phone back, fiddled with it, and then showed it to me again.

[Dolpung vs. Dolpung, Suyang High School and Hanla High School Clash for a Ticket to the Quarterfinals]

[Anonymous and cheerful rebellion, Suyang High School advances to the quarterfinals!]

[Big upsets in every game. Unknown Suyang High School, countdown to advancing to the finals]

“No, you even wrote a story at a high school competition? Was the competition here that bad?”

“Didn’t you know? This competition is still a long-standing and prestigious competition, hyung! Oh, and look at this too.”

Kim Jun-young takes his phone back and taps on the screen. New articles appear again.

[The whirlwind continues. Suyang High School defeats Gangneung Yeonsan High School and advances to the finals, creating a ‘breeze’]

[Suyang High School has kept a clean sheet for five games, and every game is an upset.]

[Will Suyang High School, which is in the finals, defeat the Gangwon native team and win the championship?]

“Brother. And please read this.”

Kim Jun-young, holding back laughter as he shows me the full article, seems to be very excited.

「······In particular, Suyang High School goalkeeper Kim Min-woo is considered a promising star to watch. Kim Min-woo, who recently established himself as Suyang High School’s starting goalkeeper, has not allowed a single goal so far, including in high school league and friendly matches.

It will be interesting to see whether this clean sheet trend continues in the finals, and officials say that his save ability is the best among the goalkeepers participating in the tournament······.

“You got a knight award, hyung! Congratulations! Well, actually, if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to get here! Congratulations!”

“······Ouch.”

Beyond being awkward, something felt strange.

I only read a few lines, but my heart started racing. My heart was literally pounding under my ribs.

Not only that?

I feel nauseous and have trouble breathing.

In just a few lines.

Is this what it means to be in the public eye?

The excitement and pressure are no joke.

“It feels good to receive this much attention, but I also feel a huge burden.”

“If your skills back you up, interest will follow, hyung! And look at this too.”

Kim Jun-young quickly scrolled through the pages and then held out his phone again.

「Also, Suyang High School’s unique click-and-goal soccer is worth watching. Suyang High School, which basically aims for a counterattack after defending, has two strikers who are showing excellent scoring ability. Among them, freshman Kim Jun-young’s finishing ability is in the spotlight, having scored 7 goals in 6 games. Also, with his outstanding activity on the ground······.」

“I was also featured in the article!”

“Wow. That’s great.”

“It’s possible because the defense supports it, hyung!”

This situation is both shocking and surprising.

“Can you send me the link? I can show it off to my family.”

“Oh, yes! I definitely have to send it! Hehe.”

I put my hand on my chest and smiled. I could feel my heart beating so hard that I could feel it. Let’s calm down. The finals are tomorrow.

My family will be coming tomorrow, and there were quite a few people for the semi-finals, so I’m looking forward to seeing how many more people will come for the finals.

***

Eugene Ho brought and put on glasses that he didn’t normally wear.

In front of Yoo Jin-ho, there were two local newspaper reporters holding laptops and smiling brightly.

“Suyang High School wasn’t a school that excelled in the Gyeonggi area. That is, until the coach took office. However, after the coach took office, the growth graph went up and then suddenly exploded at this Geumgang Banseok competition. In a short period of time, you’ve developed Suyang High School to this extent. What do you mainly demand from the players and what do you think is the driving force behind their growth?”

Eugene Ho smiled kindly and made a kind expression.

And instead of answering hastily, he took a moment to gather his thoughts and moved his gaze between the reporter and the area around the cafe.

‘Okay. I guess I’ll go with the answer I originally thought of.’

Director Yoo Jin-ho had prepared an answer in advance for this day and moved forward according to Plan A.

The reporters nodded occasionally as they took notes on Director Yoo Jin-ho’s words.

and······.

Director Yoo Jin-ho said, “We have achieved remarkable growth in a short period of time,” and attributed it to everyone’s efforts, dedication, and vision.

He also added, “I didn’t ask the players about technical skills or physical abilities. Instead, I emphasized discipline, diligence, and the mentality of never giving up no matter what,” and “I asked for organizational commitment, perseverance, and camaraderie, not individual talent.”

Also, coach Yoo Jin-ho pledged that they will definitely win the finals of this tournament, saying, “Our storm is not over yet. Suyang High School is looking further ahead. We will probably see Suyang High School more often in the future,” expressing his confidence in winning this tournament.

“What is this?”

Kim Jun-young and Kim Min-woo, who happened to see the article, made eye contact.

Kim Min-woo asked Kim Jun-young.

“Discipline? Diligence? Have you ever heard that from your manager?”

“······No? I’ve heard people say that if you’re going to play soccer, you should just give up.”

“Heh heh.”

And what? It required dedication, perseverance, and camaraderie?

“I clearly only looked at skills and potential for growth···.”

“They say that even a bastard who eats his friend’s wife gets praised if he has good skills···.”

“Yeah. I remember that too. It’s so engraved in my mind.”

Kim Min-woo and Kim Jun-young continued to bring up the thoughts that came to their minds.

Only the capable ones will survive, and if you’re a piece of shit, prove it… That kind of talk.

Whatever it was, it was clear that the dedication, patience, and camaraderie that Eugene Ho mentioned in his interview were absent.

“Well, if you say something like ‘I ate my friend’s wife’ in an interview….”

Kim Min-woo shivered as if he didn’t even want to imagine it.

By the way, Director Yoo. Your interview skills are pretty good. How did you package it like that?

End

ⓒ Doctor Am

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