227_Debt Settlement -2
“Lee! There’s another Lee! And there!”
“Stop making such a fuss, Mom.”
“Oh my, all three of them over there are Lees!”
“…Good grief.”
Kim Jiu sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
It was because of his mother, who was looking around everywhere and making every kind of fuss imaginable.
In the late afternoon, the sun was gradually setting.
Kim Jiu, his parents, and Lee Jian’s father Lee Wonhun were heading somewhere amidst the crowd filling the streets.
The streets were filled with a sky-blue wave.
As if they were all wearing matching outfits, they walked side by side, all seemingly heading to the same place.
The name most commonly found on the backs of those walking ahead was LEE.
This was because the largest number of fans were wearing uniforms marked with Lee Jian’s name and heading toward the stadium.
Thanks to that, the fuss had been nonstop since earlier.
“Wow, Jian really must be the most popular. I’m seeing more and more of him. He’s amazing, right?”
“Well, I saw on the news that it sold out online in one minute on the first day. Some sales record or whatever.”
“Oh my, heaven be praised.”
“…Why should you be grateful? He’s not even your son.”
“Hey. We’re basically family! You know how well I took care of Jian whenever he came over to our house as a child!”
Kim Jiu shook his head.
Lee Wonhun, the actual family member, was being quiet, yet here was his own mother making a bigger spectacle beside him, so he somehow felt embarrassed.
But truthfully, Kim Jiu couldn’t help but feel secretly proud as well.
“You don’t know soccer, right, Mom? Do you know Jian’s team name?”
“I do. Manchester City. It’s a cool name, isn’t it?”
“Do you know what kind of team it is?”
“They must be good. I saw on the news that they have a ton of money and have won a lot.”
“Mmhmm. So you only know as much as the average person, huh.”
Kim Jiu shook his head with an exaggerated air of superiority and waggled his finger.
“They’re not just a good team. They’re an incredibly good team. Mom, do you know what a Treble is?”
“Has this little runt drunk some foreign water and now thinks lowly of his mother? It’s a trip. Travel.”
“Sigh… No! I’m asking what a Treble is in soccer.”
“…In soccer? A soccer trip? Ah, an away match! I’ve heard of that. Right?”
At his mother’s answer brimming with confidence, Kim Jiu let out a deep sigh and began to explain.
“This might be a little difficult for you, but listen carefully. There are three major tournaments in soccer.”
“One is the World Cup, what are the other two?”
“…Quiet and just listen. The World Cup is for national teams! When you only consider club matches like today, the three are the League, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.”
Nod, nod.
Since he told her to just listen, his mother simply nodded.
“Winning all three of those tournaments in a single season is exactly what a Treble is. Simply put, one team wins everything. Do you know what that means?”
“It means it’s incredibly difficult?”
“Ooh, you’re following well. Right. It’s incredibly difficult. You might win one or two by playing well, but winning all three isn’t something that just happens by playing well. To show you how difficult it is, only eight teams have ever completed the Treble.”
“Isn’t eight a lot?”
“How many soccer teams are there in Europe, Mom? There must be hundreds. And only eight among them. And one of those eight—the team that completed the Treble just three months ago—which team do you think it is?”
“No way?”
Kim Jiu smiled smugly and crossed his arms.
“It’s Man City. The team Jian joined this year.”
“Oh my, good heavens. So that’s why it was such a big deal. For a while, the news was nothing but talk about Jian.”
“That’s basically it. It’s like getting into Harvard. But it’s still too early to be surprised. He didn’t just get in. It feels like he’s the class valedictorian? Man City paid the highest transfer fee ever for Jian. Do you get the picture?”
“Hearing it like that makes him even more amazing.”
Anyway, the bottom line was that he was the best of the best.
She had already known that, but hearing it laid out in detail made him seem even more incredible.
“Really, it’s fascinating. We watched him since he was a little kid. To think that cute little brat grew up to be such a big shot.”
“I’m the most surprised of all.”
“Sigh. Meanwhile, the person who was by his side while he grew up like that still hasn’t matured at all.”
“…Are you talking about me?”
“What, does it sting?”
“This is absurd, Mom? Jian is the special one; it’s not that I’m weird.”
“If you know that, treat him better. Even bowing to him three times a day wouldn’t be enough.”
“Ugh, come on.”
Perhaps because they hadn’t seen each other in a while, they were bickering even more than usual.
Kim Jiu’s father, who was at least used to this scene, wore an enlightened expression, while Lee Wonhun already looked drained.
Anyway.
While they walked down the road chatting tirelessly, following the crowd.
Before they knew it, a building of magnificent scale revealed itself in the distance.
Manchester City Etihad Stadium.
The stadium awaited the fans for the League Round 2 match between Man City and Newcastle, which would also serve as the home opener.
*
“Goodness. It looks so much bigger inside than from the outside. Look at how packed it is.”
“I think they said it holds 53,000 when full. Seems like today is one of those days.”
Etihad Stadium, Sky Box seats.
The four seated side by side took in the stadium at a glance and couldn’t close their mouths.
Even at a glance it was obviously massive, but with it packed to the brim with people, they felt almost overwhelmed.
“So this is where he plays. Jian.”
Kim Jiu’s mother shook her head as if in a daze.
Now that she was actually at the stadium, it finally felt real.
From afar, it might look glamorous, but she realized that running around as a soccer player couldn’t be easy.
Just standing in front of this many people would make her legs tremble.
Having to compete on top of that… her heart felt uneasy just imagining how difficult it must be.
“We’re feeling this way just watching; it must be hard for you.”
“Well, yes.”
Lee Wonhun gave a bitter smile.
Some might say it must be nice to have a son like that, but in truth, there were many difficulties.
Of course, it might sound like he was complaining from a place of privilege, and he thought so himself.
Watching his son stand before so many people was definitely not an easy thing.
Especially since in Lee Wonhun’s eyes, his son was still barely bigger than a newborn baby.
Every match felt like watching a baby left by the water’s edge.
“But it can’t be harder than what Jian is going through.”
Lee Wonhun let out a shallow sigh.
No matter what, it couldn’t be harder than what Jian himself was experiencing.
After all, Jian was the one standing before all these people.
That was why he only wished for Jian to do well.
There was no other reason.
He didn’t wish for Jian to earn more money, nor did he care about Jian becoming a better player from a father’s standpoint.
He simply believed that if Jian did well, he wouldn’t get hurt and would be happy.
Because Jian was that kind of child, he always just wished for him to do well.
As always, today was no different.
-Introducing our team’s players today······
Between awe and tension.
As the electronic display located on one side of the stadium lit up, the announcer’s voice echoed throughout.
It was time for the players taking the field today to be introduced.
-Number thirty-one! Ederson!
As the players’ faces appeared one by one on the display and their names were called, the fans filling the stands chanted each name back.
“···”“···”
At the sound of those voices, everyone without exception felt chills run down their bodies.
It sounded like a battle cry bestowing courage upon warriors heading into war.
-Number six! Nathan Ake!
From goalkeeper Ederson to number six, Ake.
After the names were called in order, now came number seven’s turn.
As everyone, including Kim Jiu, gulped, Lee Jian’s image appeared on the display.
It was a confident pose with arms crossed and chin slightly raised—undoubtedly something the club had told him to do.
-Number seven! Jian Lee!
And when that name was called, a voice much louder than before filled the stadium.
“Lee!”“Lee!”
Lee Wonhun, Kim Jiu, and Kim Jiu’s parents.
They all vividly remembered what Lee Jian looked like as a child.
That was why chills ran down their bodies all the more, and they couldn’t help but feel their hair stand on end.
Tens of thousands of people were shouting the name of that small, frail-looking little boy.
“Do well…”
“Please… do well…”
The desperate wish for him to please do well flowed out as naturally as exhaled breath.
*
I had never wished so much to start a match as I did today. Fortunately, I was in the starting lineup.
Because I had been able to come out as a starter like this.
Exiting the tunnel, I stood on the pitch and looked around at the stands.
It wasn’t my first time standing in this stadium, but since it was my first time as a home team player, the emotion felt new.
Moreover, somewhere up high, Jiu and my father, as well as Jiu’s parents, were there.
Could I do well today too?
I wanted to do well.
Only such emotions dominated my mind and body.
“All the best!”
“All the best!”
I shook hands with the opposing players as we passed by.
Today’s opponent was a team called Newcastle United.
Unlike Burnley, whom we had faced last week, Newcastle was said to be a strong team that had finished fourth last season.
Finishing fourth in the league meant a lot.
That was because teams ranked first to fourth qualified for the Champions League.
In other words, from fourth place up were teams recognized at the European level, which meant they would not be easy opponents.
On one hand, I felt they weren’t exactly the ideal opponent to meet today; on the other, I calmed myself with the thought that it wouldn’t change anything anyway and headed onto the pitch.
We were the strongest team, and whether the opponent was 4th or 20th, they were a team we had to beat just the same.
“Let’s do it like we trained.”
“Okay-!”
“Let’s Go-!”
After drawing a small circle, shouting a cheer, and breaking apart to our respective positions.
Today, my position was directly below Haaland again.
The central attacking midfield role.
But if there was something different from last time, it was that De Bruyne wasn’t here today.
He hadn’t played as a precaution against recurring injury.
Because of that, there was no partner beside me.
Instead of two players standing in the center of the second line, one dropped down so that the third line had two players.
So before the match, the manager had told me to be more aggressive, to move as I pleased.
That there was a lot I had to do.
“Huu-”
Normally, that would have sounded burdensome, but today, I only felt that I should do exactly that.
Honestly, when De Bruyne was beside me, it was hard to play that way.
Even when I was about to take a mid-range shot, if I saw De Bruyne I would pass; even when I was about to play a through ball, if I saw De Bruyne I would leave it to him.
With a player better than myself there, it was difficult for me to take the initiative and do something on my own.
But now that he wasn’t here.
I thought I might as well play with more confidence, remembering the second half of the match against Burnley.
…And honestly, today of all days, I wanted to be the protagonist.
Because I wanted to show Jiu’s parents a performance that would make them think, “He’s someone we can trust and entrust our daughter to.”
Someone might misunderstand if they heard, but I only meant that I wanted to reassure them, even a little, after they had sent their daughter to the other side of the world.
Well, anyway.
Peeeeep-!
With the whistle, the match began.
*
Newcastle was different from Burnley.
Burnley had looked like a team that would be satisfied with a draw.
But Newcastle seemed to want to win.
A situation where we were holding the ball in the back.
Rodri, who had the ball, looked toward our side but couldn’t easily think of giving it to us.
Because there were far too many players in front of him.
…Five.
The number of opposing players blocking Rodri’s path forward.
Was this a 4-5-1 defensive formation?
All five midfielders had pushed up high and laid out a net.
Newcastle was blocking us from a high position.
“Hey-!”
Thanks to that, the space between the opponent’s defense and midfield was actually quite wide.
The right winger, Foden, had moved into that space and raised his hand asking for the ball.
But as mentioned, even for Rodri, it looked difficult to make the pass in one go.
Because if that pass were intercepted, we could immediately find ourselves in a dangerous counterattacking situation.
Newcastle’s counterattack was said to be among the very best in the Premier League.
So we had to play a little safer.
Tat-tat-tat-!
I escaped from that space between the defense and the midfield, dropping down.
It was a decision to help in the midfield battle, and moving in sync with me, Doku, the left winger, could be seen narrowing inside as well.
As expected, everyone was frighteningly quick in their thinking.
Pa-ang-!
Once the numbers in midfield were matched, Rodri began to create the flow of the ball.
To Kovacic nearby, Kovacic to Walker on the side, Walker back to Rodri.
The ball had returned to where it started, so at a glance the passes might seem meaningless, but they weren’t.
Because while the ball was moving, the opposing players had moved with it.
Pa-ang-!
Rodri stabbed the ball forward in one go.
Through the gap that had briefly opened as the opponent shifted a few steps to the left.
And that direction was toward me.
Swoooosh-!
While the ball was coming, I quickly organized my thoughts.
There were three options to continue the next play.
Normally, I would have chosen the safest option among them.
Because it was early in the match, and at 0-0, there was no need to make a risky choice.
But now, things were a little different.
The manager had told me to be aggressive.
Also, the opponent’s fearless high line was getting on my nerves.
I wanted to push them back a little.
And more than anything… today was a day I wanted to stand out a bit more.
Tat-!
I went with the flow of the ball, turning my back.
Immediately, opposing players closed the distance and rushed in, but I didn’t stop and moved forward.
Tat-tat-tat-!
I was essentially putting myself into pressure.
With opposing defenders blocking in front and opposing midfielders chasing from behind and the sides.
But that meant that somewhere, at this very moment, a large space was opening up.
I suppressed my fear and waited until the distance to the opposing players reached a dangerous level.
And when that distance was reached—
Swoooosh-!
I sprayed a pass to the left side of the field.
I didn’t need to raise my head to check that side.