Became a World Class Striker, Episode 2
Hero?
“With a dramatic equalizer, you went to extra time and then even to a penalty shootout, right? We’re here with Suwon FC’s striker and the scorer of the equalizer, Lee Chang-ryong. Hello! Lee Chang-ryong!”
“Ah… yes.”
“You scored a dramatic equalizer in stoppage time of the second half. It showed tremendous concentration. Today you’ve become the protagonist of this historic day as Suwon FC advances to K League 1. How are you feeling?”
At her question while holding the microphone, I couldn’t help but make a bewildered expression. No, I couldn’t believe the current situation.
[Sangju Sangmu 2:2 Suwon FC]
Suwon FC, which had caught up to tie the score, gone through extra time, and won in the penalty shootout, had become the “promoted” team.
It was a result befitting a team that had blazed like fire throughout an eventful season.
But… I put the final punctuation mark on that result?
Even now, sweating profusely, I couldn’t believe it. Of course, my hurting nose throbbing suggested it wasn’t a dream….
“…Yeah. Of course I’m happy.”
“I see! The fans are sending lots of support. Especially when you scored with the header, your nose bled. Many said they were moved by your fighting spirit through injury.”
‘It’s not fighting spirit through injury, I was really hurt….’
“You turned your head precisely where the ball was coming.”
‘No, someone called me so I turned….’
“It was a really great equalizer and will be talked about continuously!”
‘No way….’
It’s a fluke.
Honestly, I admit this was a fluke. I just happened to be standing in the right place, the ball flew in, and someone called me so I slightly turned my head.
Thanks to that, the ball hit my face and flew toward the goal. The net shook up and down. At the unexpected equalizer, my teammates looked at me with surprised expressions, and I just teared up a bit because my nose hurt.
“You showed tears when scoring the equalizer… it must have been a great emotion, right?”
‘Ahem…. It’s a bit much to say I cried because it hurt….’
She was misunderstanding something strange. Thanks to that, I—who had been called a money-eating hippo, a wage thief, and various other mocking nicknames—had become a great player with just one equalizer today.
But I knew this bubble would burst soon. Because I knew! So I thought, let’s just enjoy this moment—and emptied my complicated mind. Yeah, what is life anyway. Since it’s come to this, let’s put on some airs!
“Ahem. Well, it’s the promotion playoff so I was nervous. And at the moment hope appeared for the team, tears came out without me realizing it.”
“Aah, as expected….”
…She believes this? Is this why people value the words of the winner more than the loser?
“Fighting spirit through injury… honestly, I anticipated the ball the moment it came. But I thought I’d do anything if I could just score.”
“Lee Chang-ryong’s love for his team is amazing.”
“Running for the team, I think that is football.”
“As expected….”
I just spouted cool words and enjoyed the cameras coming from everywhere. Yeah, anyway, after today, who knows what will happen in my football life—finishing like a hero isn’t bad either.
Thinking like that, I finished the interview.
‘Sigh, what will happen from now on…. Am I getting released after all? What would change just from scoring one goal?’
* * *
“Coach Lee Geon-il! How do you feel about today’s victory?”
“I’m very happy. I really wanted to win and get promoted, and today that dream came true.”
The owner of bristling wrinkles. With a darkly tanned face and a slightly protruding belly, the middle-aged man was Suwon FC’s coach, Lee Geon-il. Tremendous attention was pouring down on him.
Cameras from various broadcasters came in, and announcers approached to ask questions for interviews. It was literally the situation of having become a great coach who led the team to victory. For Lee Geon-il, this moment felt truly like a dream.
‘To think a day like this would come….’
Promotion. It was truly not an easy thing. Furthermore, it held great meaning that a 2nd division team had beaten a 1st division team. Thanks to that, Coach Lee Geon-il was intoxicated.
Intoxicated by the feeling of victory.
“Hello. This is the commentary box. Coach.”
“Hehe. Yes. Hello.”
“First, congratulations on the victory.”
“Thank you. Hehe.”
“Haha. You brought in Lee Chang-ryong at the end. In the end, the coach’s substitution strategy paid off. Was that the expected result?”
But upon hearing the name Lee Chang-ryong, the coach snapped to attention. Honestly… that was an unexpected result.
‘Strangely, he positioned himself very well today. Gosh.’
“Coach?”
“Uh… umm… ahem. As you know, due to injuries, there weren’t many players available in the team, and the only person who could be substituted in was Lee Chang-ryong. I trusted him and sent him in.”
“I see! How did you feel when Lee Chang-ryong scored the dramatic equalizer?”
“It was amazing. It must have been a scramble inside the box in many ways, right? In that situation, accurately meeting the ball with your head isn’t easy.”
“Indeed.”
“Although Lee Chang-ryong showed poor form in several past matches, he was the best when it came to never missing training and always working hard.”
Since it was an interview to celebrate the team’s victory, he had to bring out good stories. There was also the team image to consider.
Strengths of player Lee Chang-ryong? Honestly, in the eyes of Coach Lee Geon-il, who had watched him continuously since recruiting him, he was a so-so player with almost no strengths.
He couldn’t score goals well and sometimes ruined matches with mistakes. If he had to pick a strength by stretching it re~~~~~~~~~~ally far, it was that he was diligent.
“Lee Chang-ryong is… hmm, anyway, a hardworking player.”
He had no choice but to say that.
“That hard work created today’s result!”
The broadcast crew accepted that very fittingly. And no one knew what repercussions the player and coach’s interviews would cause at this time.
* * *
Articles were posted. And comments piled up below them.
-That crazy equalizer honestly gave me chills. I thought we were losing lol
-I was pissed when Chang-ryong came in, but he ended up scoring the equalizer. You know that feeling when your anger just melts away?
-Chang-ryong, who only made a fool of himself all this time, is really getting his image laundered here lmao
-But it’s a sweet laundering. lmao
-Chang-ryong was originally a hardworking player. Just bad luck. You can tell just from how he turned his head toward the goal this time. It was a set-piece situation that requires a lot of practice!
-He watched the ball until the end. In the end he pulled it off, with one shot.
-Congratulations on Suwon FC’s promotion.
-I believed in you, Changryong!
Most of them were talking about me, Lee Chang-ryong. Since they were probably mostly Suwon FC fans, it was natural, but the mockery they had poured out before had disappeared and changed to mostly positive evaluations.
As expected, even if you mess up many times, if you do well once, people see you differently? I was currently walking that exact path. Surprisingly so.
Thanks to that.
“…You’re saying I can keep playing? That I’m staying for next season too?”
“Yeah. There’s still some contract left, and the atmosphere upstairs isn’t bad either.”
The situation had changed a bit.
At Coach Lee Geon-il’s words, I had a rather bewildered expression. The expression of *no way my release got postponed*… At that, the coach unnecessarily slapped my back. Rather sharply.
Thwack!
“Ouch!”
“You rascal, you should think yourself lucky, what are you surprised about? Surprised my foot.”
“Ouch—no… I really thought I was getting out.”
“Honestly… I thought so too until before this match. But that one shot you showed this time. It definitely left a deep impression on the fans. And on me too.”
“Coach?”
“You positioned yourself very well this time. Thanks to that, you created the equalizer. Heh heh.”
“…….”
The coach too… was firmly misunderstanding something. Did he really think I calculated the angle and scored?
“Show me that kind of form next season too. With Jason injured too, you know our team’s available resources are limited, right?”
“I know.”
“You know we’re a citizen club?”
“Of course!”
“So you know our finances aren’t ample either.”
“Ah.”
Well, right. In a tight situation, plus Ace Jason’s injury. I could understand why the club held off on releasing me. But that was absolutely not a comfortable situation.
‘I can already tell if I don’t do well next season, I’m out for sure.’
I had really accidentally obtained a small opportunity. A threadbare opportunity at that.
“But you stayed and worked hard, so you seized this opportunity. I trusted you.”
“…….”
Moreover, misunderstandings were piling up upon misunderstandings.
‘In the end, if I can’t do it, I can be released anytime?’
Suwon FC would definitely secure resources they could supplement for next season. Because of the injured players.
What should I say… a feeling like standing at the edge of a cliff? It was while I was blanking out like that.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
“Thank you.”
“Huh?”
A familiar face entered my eyes. A player with impressive sharp eyes. Park Won-woo, who plays as our team’s midfielder. And from my faint memory, this guy….
“I didn’t know you were tracking the ball then. I thought you were spacing out so I shouted… but you had it all planned?”
‘…It was because this guy called me that I turned my head. Thanks to that, the goal went in.’
The guy in the box who shouted at me. The owner of that voice was exactly this guy.
‘Should I thank him? Or should I scold him for why he shouted then?’
“Ah, anyway. Thank you. All the team members are thinking of thanking you. Because we got promoted to K League 1 thanks to you.”
“Aah. Th-that’s right. We’re playing in K League 1, huh?”
“What… is that a joke? That’s novel. Haha.”
“…….”
It’s not a joke, it just doesn’t feel real. I was a player who wandered in the 2nd division. I had dreamed of the 1st division, European leagues in the past, but it had been long since I gave up after hitting a huge wall.
But to think I’d play in K League 1, the 1st division, at age 26… it doesn’t feel real.
“Of course there are still players who don’t acknowledge you. Saying this goal was a fluke or whatever.”
“Yeah, it is a fluke….”
“But I saw it. You watching the ball and turning your head like that…. That wasn’t a fluke, it was a calculated movement.”
“…….”
I wanted to say no! But his expression was so serious I couldn’t bring myself to say no. No, since the interview had already turned out that way, saying no would be weird too.
Whenever fans posted praise on my SNS, my heart itched for no reason because I felt guilty.
“I want to do well. K League 1… it was really a dream. I don’t want to be looked down on as a team that just got promoted from the 2nd division.”
“I-I see….”
“Let’s combine our strength and make Suwon FC shine from now on.”
“…….”
In this situation, it’s a bit hard to say that wasn’t intentional. Severely so.
“Let’s do well. In K League 1.”
“Y-yeah….”
* * *
No matter how thick-skinned a person is, they have a conscience. Yeah, even as the situation grew this big, a corner of my chest was screaming that I wasn’t a hero.
“Sigh. Anyway, it’s a bubble that will disappear and my skills are a fluke so is the ending getting released…. Bitter. What hero, hero…. Should I just tell the truth and put down this burden? Or like leaving while they’re applauding, it’d be cool to leave the team on my own.”
I had that much conscience. Yeah, a person should have a conscience.
But… after receiving one phone call, I decided to sell that conscience.
“—Chang-ryong.”
“Yes, Mother, what is it?”
“Congratulations on the promotion. My son….”
“Mother?”
“Sob sob.”
“Mother, what’s wrong? Is something wrong?”
“Your father, what to do…. It’s a big problem, a big problem.”
As I said before, there are two types of people in this world. Those who succeed, and those who don’t. It seemed that the type that doesn’t succeed suited me more than the type that does.
“Your father got scammed, you see?”
“…What?”
“Thanks to that, the house is in quite an uproar. Sigh. It’s a good thing things worked out for you or else….”
“…….”
“Chang-ryong? Are you listening?”
“Uh, uhh… y-yes…. Father got scammed badly?”
“Yes. All the money in the bank account….”
After hearing that story, I thought. The hell with leaving of my own accord…. I had to stick quietly to this position, this place.
“Oh, hero!”
“Our hero has come out to practice! Hahaha!”
“Chang-ryong, thanks to you we got promoted! You rascal, you pulled off one thing, huh?”
“…….”
As the hero that the players and staff spoke of.
‘Somehow… I feel like I have to work harder.’