00005 A Special Friend ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
The next day, Suman came home having bought a truly huge load of soccer equipment for Minjun.
He brought various soccer supplies, including one labeled as a children's soccer practice set, along with marker cones and such, and Yeonhui couldn't help but be startled at the sight.
"What is all that?"
"Ah~ I was just going to buy a ball at a stationery store, but there was a shop specializing in sports?"
"So?"
"But the owner there used to be a soccer player. So, when I said my son plays soccer, he asked his age and all sorts of things, then recommended I buy this. Even a textbook. He said since Minjun is still young, there's a separate kids' ball instead of an adult one."
As Suman showed her the ball in the soccer net in one hand, Yeonhui saw that the size was indeed different, and thought that while he had been overcharged, it didn't seem like he'd been fleeced too badly.
"Still, it looks like you got overcharged."
"Tsk-tsk, they say children often get hurt using adult equipment. How can you say that. We can just play with this lower-grade ball for now, and sometimes kick the big one around with me at home."
"You're going to play soccer too?"
"Yeah. I talked to the village head and joined the Sangbong-ri Youth Soccer Club. The village head and I are forwards. The others say they get tired and can't run for long. Haha."
Whether the title of "forward" pleased him that much, Suman broke into a broad grin, while Yeonhui let out a sigh as if dumbfounded.
Thinking that whether in the past or present, he certainly made impulsive choices in strange areas.
"Goodness, who would try to stop you. Minjun must be thrilled. He likes playing with his dad the best. If you say you'll play soccer together, you know."
"Ahem. Right? Since this is German-made, it'll work even better. German soccer is really good, isn't it. There's even that player Cha Beom-geun. Krrr~ I used to play soccer a bit in my youth, you know. If you spoke of the Golden Foot of Seoul Technical High School, it was this body."
"Don't lie. Your mother told me all about how clumsy you are."
"Heheh! A-, ahem. That was about dancing; I was good at sports… And if I read this book a bit, I can teach Minjun in a fun way too. Ahem. I'll go put these in Minjun's room."
Watching Suman disappear toward Minjun's room as if fleeing at the word "clumsy," Yeonhui smiled slightly, thinking that Minjun, who would return around evening after playing for a while, would be very happy to see those things.
"Our son will like it, so I should just let it be. Goodness."
* * *
Minjun's soccer thus developed systematically in the form of play, based on the soccer that his father Suman had learned from books after coming home having been overcharged in what was at least a "reasonable"(?) way.
When playing with Seongmin, wildly kicking the ball around had been the most fun, but kicking a ball hung by a string and dodging the strange cone-shaped marker cones this way and that also gave Minjun great joy.
But the problem was…
"He's hopeless."
"He's hopeless, I tell you."
"He's hopeless, they say."
While he could at least exchange passes with some practice, Minjun's talent for shooting was not very good. Whenever the youth club soccer team watched while Suman played with Minjun, they all said the same thing about Minjun's shooting: hopeless.
Minjun, too, wanted to score goals himself, and was incredibly frustrated that he couldn't kick the ball as he wanted, gradually falling into greed to score a cool, perfect goal.
Of course, because he continued to enjoy it, it turned out that way; but as he advanced in school and grew, thanks to that practice, he displayed a level that was at least around lower-middle.
"He really doesn't get it. Strange. Running in water, running in the mountains—he's really good at everything else, so how come he can't get soccer at all?"
Before anyone knew it, Sani, now in 5th grade, spoke as if frustrated while watching the ball Minjun kicked, and Minjun let out a deep sigh.
"I know. That's why I can't even play offense."
"Your dribbling and passing are pretty decent, so it's strange. Really strange. Even doing it by the textbook… Didn't the village head uncle coach you?"
"Yeah. I go to the youth club soccer team and participate with them… but I can't attack. When I occasionally join, I play midfielder or defender. At least I can do that much. Tch."
"Krr… That's really ambiguous. By the way, I have to get home quickly today. My father's boat comes in today, so he told me to come home early."
"Huh? Really? Then this is the end for today?"
Sani's family was in the fishing business, and there were days when his father would go out to sea and be away from home for several days. On such days, the family always gathered early and ate together, so Minjun put on an expression full of regret.
"Yeah. Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. Of course you have to. It's family. Then I'll wrap up here early today too… no, I should go up the mountain. I set a trap on the path where hares come out last time. I should go check it."
"Ooh! Trying to catch rabbits?"
"Yeah. I set it with the village head, and I think it's time to check. It's been about 3 days."
"Ah~ I want to go see."
"Heheh, don't come home with your calves whipped purple by your mother and hurry home."
Sani's curiosity was greatly piqued by the mention of the rabbit trap, but then he seemed to recall the beating Minjun had mentioned, and with lingering regret, picked up the bag he'd thrown under a tree and spoke.
"Damn. Set another one later. Let's check it together."
"Yeah. Got it. I learned from the village head, so I can set them alone now. I'll return the stuff to the village head, so hurry up and go."
"Oh! As expected of Kang Minjun, the man of loyalty! Then I'll trust you and go!"
"Okay."
Seeing him run with hurried steps, Minjun felt grateful to Sani, thinking that he had probably stayed about 30 minutes later than he should have because Minjun had asked him to stay and play soccer.
"I really have to make sure to return it to the village head."
If he went home like that, even if he didn't get a beating, the chances of getting an earful for quite a while were very high.
With that in mind, Minjun tapped the soccer ball along as he moved toward the area of Songamsan where he had set the trap.
Tok— roll roll—
Tok— roll roll—
Dribbling with quite delicate ball control, Minjun walked along the riverside path as usual.
"I followed the book exactly, so why can't I kick the ball as I want? If only I could at least reach the level of my passing when passing."
Since Suman also learned from books, he had no idea where or how to guide Minjun's soccer, and Suman himself didn't have much aptitude for offense either.
Of course, he was at least average, so it wasn't a complete loss of face, and in Minjun's eyes, he looked like a truly amazing father.
"Dad doesn't seem to know either. Sigh."
Letting out an involuntary sigh, Minjun raised his head to look at the sky, and at that moment, he witnessed something truly astonishing.
"Huh!?"
He felt something like a flash, and in an instant, a strange object was floating in the sky.
"It doesn't seem to be a plane or helicopter?"
As some flying object different from what he'd seen on TV or in books floated in the sky, Minjun tilted his head wondering if it was some new kind of aircraft, but soon saw it emitting black smoke.
"Wha—!?"
As if it had lost its direction, it went back and forth in the sky and then disappeared from his eyes in an instant.
"That's toward Songamsan?"
With a feeling of "what if," Minjun stopped dribbling, grabbed the ball, and began running diligently, arriving at the foot of Songamsan—a 1 hour 10 minute distance—in 50 minutes.
Catching his panting breath and looking around, he couldn't detect any burning smell at all, so he was relieved for now.
"Was it like car exhaust?"
Thinking that since it was some new kind of aircraft, that was certainly possible, and since he had come up the mountain quickly anyway, he decided to dig up some bellflowers before going back.
"While digging bellflowers, if there's arrowroot too, I'll dig some up and then check the rabbit trap."
Having definitely learned about bellflowers and arrowroot from the village head and already having dug quite a bit before, Minjun smacked his lips, erased the whereabouts of the strange plane from his mind, and began wandering around the foot of Songamsan.
Perhaps because he had come to the mountain with a kind heart worrying about the plane, he dug up bellflowers unusually well and was able to harvest mushrooms and arrowroot too, when he saw bellflowers clustered together in a truly unexpected place.
"W-wow! Jackpot!"
There were bellflowers blooming while shyly revealing purple light, and also bellflowers with white flowers, but the white bellflowers had a somewhat unusual shape.
"Huh? It has arms and legs like a baby shape. Amazing."
Thinking the plump one would taste better than the other bellflowers, he was about to put it in his mouth, but then thought his mother at home would like it, so Minjun put it separately in his pocket, chewed on another white-flowered bellflower of similar but smaller shape, and moved to check the trap.
The sun sets quickly in the mountains, so calculating the time spent playing at the field, coming here, and digging bellflowers and arrowroot, he figured the timing should be just about right.
"Tomorrow I should ask for seasoned bellflowers. Hee~"
Just as he had harvested a full load and was about to go down in good spirits, Minjun heard a rustling sound and couldn't help but flinch.
He turned his head but saw nothing; however, thinking it might be a wild boar or other wild animal, he tensed and tried to move carefully. But then he heard the rustling sound again and began climbing a sturdy-looking tree, hanging on. When he thought he had settled in a relatively safe spot, he carefully examined all around, hoping it wasn't a wild boar.
And when he turned his head toward the bushes from which the rustling sound was heard once more, there was a truly unexpected presence there.