105. The Type to Keep His Word -2
"I'll give you that much today."
"...What?"
"Well, you were pretty cool."
I was sitting at the table waiting for dinner when Jiu, who had been cooking, said with her back turned.
"They say the right place makes the man. I guess it's not wrong."
"..."
At those words, the corners of my mouth twitched as I stared at the back of Jiu's head.
So I pushed down my cheekbones with my hand and replied nonchalantly.
"As if."
"No, I mean it. I'll give you that much just for today."
"...'Give'? What's that supposed to mean?"
I don't know why I need Jiu's approval, but what I really don't get is why it feels so satisfying.
However, getting excited here would make me look lame, so I just revel in it internally.
"Hey, you prepared that speech, right? Have you been preparing for days?"
"Prepare what... I don't even remember what I said."
"I really can't figure you out. You used to tremble presenting in front of less than thirty kids. How do the words just roll off your tongue in front of tens of thousands?"
Hm. Honestly, that's pretty amazing to me too.
Me, who used to tremble presenting in front of just my classmates, kicking a ball in front of tens of thousands and speaking in Italian.
Anyway, seeing as the words just flowed out, I guess at least I didn't look like I was stammering from nerves.
Truth is, I don't really remember what I said either.
"Hey. What were you thinking? It seemed like you'd be in big trouble if you didn't win."
"What big trouble."
"You said it yourself. That you'd bring home the winner's trophy. That's why everyone was shouting and even crying. Rough-looking grown men were bawling their eyes out, I'm telling you."
"..."
"You make people cry like that, and what if you don't win? How are you going to handle that?"
Hmm.
I haven't even brought the trophy home yet; why did they cry just because I said I would?
I shrugged and replied.
"I'll just bring it, then."
"Ha, seriously, sometimes you're confident to the point of having no plan B. Hmm. But you've kept every promise you've made so far, so I can't really say anything."
Come to think of it, luckily... I don't think there's been a single promise I haven't kept so far.
And they were all promises I made without any plan B, at that.
Tomorrow's me always ended up sweating blood and regretting every ten seconds to clean up the words yesterday's me spat out.
Well, it's the same this time.
I said I'd bring home the winner's trophy... so I just have to do whatever it takes to bring it.
"Are you confident?"
Jiu turns her head slightly and asks.
I look into Jiu's eyes, then point my chin to one side of the table and say.
"It's me."
"Sigh. Right."
On the side I pointed to with my chin stood the 21-22 Serie A Best Forward Trophy.
*
"..."
I sit quietly on the bed in my room, looking down at the trophy in my hands.
It's a simple and yet, in a way, very rugged trophy, but the more I look at it, the more charm it has in its own way.
JIAN LEE
Capocannoniere Serie A
2021 – 2022
ACF FIORENTINA
What I like most is that along with my name, our team's name is engraved on it too.
This doesn't feel so much like I became the top scorer, but rather like a top scorer came from our team.
Just as when we concede a goal, it's not an individual's concession but the team's concession... goals are recorded as individual goals, but in the end, they're the team's goals.
Because the fruit called a goal isn't created by my strength alone.
Even if there was a goal where I dribbled alone from the halfway line, beat the goalkeeper, and scored, it would be the same.
Because in that process, there were teammates who ran to draw the defenders' attention away, even knowing the ball wouldn't come to them.
And because I was able to pull off that dribble in a real match thanks to the help of teammates and the coach and staff who trained me for it.
I just received this trophy on behalf of the team; I don't think of it as something I won individually.
That's why this trophy feels so precious.
"..."
I raise my head and look around the room.
I'm looking around to see where I should put this precious trophy...
Hm.
I don't really know where to put it.
Up until now, whenever I received trophies, I'd just shove them roughly into some corner.
"Hmm."
I set the trophy down for a moment and head to the wardrobe.
I open the wardrobe door, take out a heavy bag, and set it on the floor.
What is this, you ask... it's a trophy bag.
When I open the bag, it's full of trophies and medals that feel crude compared to the one I received today.
Taking them out one by one...
Top Scorer of the Geumgang National Football Tournament, Hwayeong Elementary, 5th Grade, Lee Jian... JS Cup MVP, Hwayeong Elementary, 5th Grade, Lee Jian... Top Scorer of the National Elementary-Middle-High School League, Elementary Division, Hwayeong Elementary, 6th Grade, Lee Jian...
There are quite a few others too; come to think of it, I've received quite a lot.
Someone seeing these precious trophies all crammed into a bag like this might not understand, but...
Honestly, back then, winning individual awards wasn't very welcome.
No, I remember feeling rather conscious of others instead.
It's not really something I should say myself, but it was because almost only I received awards at our school.
Maybe because of that, my friends didn't like me very much, and I even felt like the moms who came to watch the games disliked me.
Of course, it might have just been my feeling, but it was really like that.
There was a time I heard it directly with my own ears.
Some mom asking the coach if he couldn't bench me for this tournament.
Saying I was getting too much attention.
Getting those looks... of course I didn't feel good receiving trophies even then.
But I couldn't exactly play poorly on purpose either; I remember feeling frustrated in many ways.
That's why tournaments where there was only a winner's trophy without individual awards were so nice.
When we all lifted the championship cup together, at least the moms wouldn't look at me with those strange eyes.
"..."
I put the trophies back in the bag, tuck the bag into the wardrobe, and close the door.
Then I return to the bed and pick up today's top scorer trophy, looking at it again.
A trophy I haven't held since elementary school.
Strangely, I didn't feel conscious at all when I received this one.
I just felt proud and pleased.
Thinking about why... I think it's thanks to the expressions of my teammates and fans looking at me the moment I received the trophy.
Everyone looked proud and pleased, as if they had received it themselves. The coach, the captain, the other teammates... they all seemed happier than I was.
So I just ended up with strength in my shoulders.
I can't help but keep looking at it for no reason...
"..."
After caressing the trophy fondly, I take it and head to the living room.
I figure I should put it somewhere more visible rather than in my room.
Where would be good... Ah, wouldn't it be nice next to the TV?
I place the trophy next to the TV.
Hmm.
Not bad.
But it feels a little lacking somehow.
I suppose I should get a display case or something.
I'll be winning a lot of awards from now on, so that wouldn't be a bad idea.
...
─[Official] 21/22 Season Top Scorer, Fiorentina's Lee Jian (28 goals)... 2nd place Ciro Immobile (27 goals)
└He debuted in Round 9 and became top scorer... he'll score over 40 next year?
└You're telling me there's a 16-year-old who scored 28 goals and won the top scorer title in his debut season? There's no explanation other than he was born for soccer
└The God of Soccer
└God sent his son down to the human world, and he is playing soccer in Florence.
└A Fiorentina player becomes top scorer for the first time in 16 years since Luca Toni. So proud!
└What. So the kid born when Toni was top scorer is the one who won it this time.
└The really amazing thing is that Lee isn't just a goalscorer. Rather, goals feel like an option.
└Lee is the best number 9, and also the best 7 and 10. His influence on matches is incredible, and his stats are insane too. He's really crazy.
└Right. He has 17 assists too. I've never seen a player like this other than Messi.
└But Messi couldn't do this at 16 either
└I'm so proud that Lee is from our youth academy! Proud to be a Fiorentina fan!
└So does this mean Lee can put pineapple on pizza now?
└Sorry, friend, but not even Maradona could do that.
└It's fine. Lee wouldn't do something like that anyway.
─Birth of the youngest top scorer at 16. What's most amazing is the goal distribution... 14 goals total against Juve, Milan, Inter, Lazio, Napoli, and Roma.
└That's an insane record. Even if he just piled them up against weak teams, a 16-year-old top scorer is crazy. And he was even stronger against strong teams?
└Lee is strong-strong-weak-strong. He doesn't discriminate based on opponent.
└It doesn't matter who the opponent is. To Lee, everyone probably just looks like they can't play soccer.
└Right. It's not strong-strong-weak-strong, it's weak-strong-weak-strong. Everyone becomes a weak team in front of Lee.
└Well, obviously. Top scorers who only bully weak teams and rack up empty-netters need to reflect!
└If you eliminate the homeowner, it is technically an empty house
"Hahaha, this is fun."
"As expected, the reaction is heated."
Watching the fan reactions appearing on the screen, the two hosts of the Serie A news talk show 'Totally Football' burst into laughter.
Soon, the screen shows Lee Jian in a Fiorentina uniform lifting the top scorer trophy.
The host reads from the cue sheet.
"Until the start of the season, he belonged to the U17s, and after recording 10 goals in 6 matches in the U17 league, he received a first-team call-up. He played his debut match as a substitute in League Round 9, scoring a goal on debut. Since then, he has recorded a total of 28 goals and 17 assists in 23 league matches."
The panelist sitting across takes the baton.
"Expanding to the entire season, it's 33 goals and 20 assists. He recorded 5 goals and 3 assists in the Coppa Italia. While amassing these records, his season average rating is 8.8, and he was selected as MOM 16 times."
There are so many records that one person can barely continue listing them, so the host across takes over again.
"Top scorer and top assist provider, number one in dribble success rate, number one in big chances created, number one in pass success rate... are these the records of a single player?"
"Hard to believe, but it's correct."
"It's also true that this player is 16 years old?"
"It makes no sense, but that's true as well."
The host and panelist burst into belly laughs at the same time.
Everything was unrealistic, yet undeniably true.
The host shakes his head and asks.
"How should we evaluate this? If you were to sum up Lee's performance this season in one word, what would you say?"
To that question, the panelist clacks his teeth together without a moment's hesitation.
"I'd say he devoured it."
"That's right. He completely devoured it."
Devoured it.
There didn't seem to be a more fitting expression than that.
At this, the host asks again.
"Thanks to this performance, Fiorentina has secured qualification for the Champions League next season. We'll now be able to see Lee face the best teams from other countries."
"Ah, my expectations are high."
"What kind of performance do you think he'll show?"
To that question, the panelist answers without hesitation again.
"He'll do well, man."
"No, I mean specifically."
"He'll do well, specifically."
"Even against teams like Man City or Real Madrid?"
"Fiorentina might lose, but I think Lee will do well. Look, let's think about him as an individual. Imagine if Lee played for Man City or Real Madrid like you mentioned. Do you think he couldn't do it?"
The host shrugs at the panelist's counter-question.
"I think he'd fit right in."
"That's it. He'll do even better than now, without a doubt. That's the level Lee is at. He definitely won't show disappointing performances in the Champions League either."
"So you're saying we can look forward to it. Since you've guaranteed it so strongly, if he falls short of expectations, it'll be your fault."
"...Why is that my fault?"
"Let's move on to the next question."
"Excuse me?"
Ignoring the panelist's bewildered expression, the host continues.
"The league is over, but Lee still has one match left. The Coppa Italia final. They'll face Inter."
"...Yes."
"However much they have Lee, Inter is the top dog and Fiorentina is the underdog, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, from the team perspective, I suppose so."
"Then, let's say Lee puts on a dazzling performance in the final and lifts the winner's trophy."
"Yes."
"What happens then?"
"...What happens? Fiorentina fans would be overjoyed."
"No, not like that. I mean, if a 16-year-old player who already had the best season in the league lifts the trophy too, could we dare call it the greatest debut season ever?"
To that question, the panelist pouts his lips as if dumbfounded and shrugs.
"I don't feel it's worth answering. You're asking something obvious."
"Is that so?"
"Look. Winning both top scorer and top assist provider, and winning the title for the team for the first time in 22 years? This would undoubtedly be the season of a player's life, not just a debut season, even for someone in their prime."
"Right."
"But to do that at age 16, in a debut season... what words are needed? You won't find a player like this in all of football history."
"So at least in terms of debut season impact, he could become a unique, unprecedented player. If he wins this final, that is."
"Well, even runner-up would be like that. But winning would be better, of course. It completes the picture perfectly. I'd like to see that."
"You're openly showing bias. There are probably many Inter fans watching."
"Hm. That's not it."
"It definitely is."
"No..."
"Thank you for your helpful comments today. Now, for today's outro, we've compiled all 33 goals Lee Jian scored this season. Let's watch together, and we'll see you next week. Thank you for watching."
Behind the flustered panelist, the broadcast of Lee's debut goal begins playing as the talk show wraps up.
This is followed by all the goal scenes Lee has scored this season, but it wasn't actually accurate.
Because there might still be goals left to score.