Not Yet -1
"So, nothing hurts?"
"No, nothing."
"Nothing unusual at home either?"
"Uh... No. Nothing."
"Good."
Coach Tony, who had been asking me questions while reading some documents, nodded his head.
I sit awkwardly in front of him.
Today is Monday.
I had just finished a light recovery training session and was about to head home when Coach Tony called for me.
We're having brief one-on-one meetings, and today was my turn.
It was something I did with the coach about once a month, so I headed to his office without much thought.
Which is why I'm sitting here like this, feeling awkward.
The coach, who had organized the documents and put them in a drawer, glanced at me and spoke.
"Do you have any plans tomorrow evening?"
"Tomorrow evening? Hmm... Nothing in particular."
When I answered, the coach nodded.
"Perfect. There's a match at Artemio Stadium at five o'clock tomorrow."
"Yes."
"It's a Coppa Italia Round of 64 match, and the opponent is a team called Palermo. Palermo may be a B-League team, but I've heard they're doing well lately."
"...Yes."
If it's the Coppa Italia... I heard it's something like Italy's FA Cup.
Even as I answered, I wore an expression that said, *why is he bringing this up right now...* So the coach continued.
"Tomorrow, I'll excuse you from training, so go watch that match."
"...Excuse me? Skip training?"
The coach nodded.
"Yesterday's match was incredibly intense. It was your first full match, too. Take a day of rest."
"Uh... It's not to the point where I can't train."
"Now, now. When the coach says rest, you rest. Are you planning on rebelling?"
"Huh? T-there's no way."
I panicked and waved my hands, and the coach laughed heartily.
To be honest, the aftereffects of yesterday's match still lingered.
The back-and-forth schedule itself had been tough, and more than anything, the match itself hadn't been easy.
I had been so tired yesterday that I went straight to bed without even seeing Jiwoo's face.
So it wasn't that I hadn't thought about wanting to rest for a day... but is it really okay to rest?
Well, if the coach says to rest, then I rest.
The coach, who had been laughing heartily, spoke.
"Instead, I'll give you an assignment. Watch that match tomorrow and come back with your own thoughts on it."
"Thoughts...?"
"Well, freely. What kind of football our team plays, things like that are fine. What we need to improve to play better football, or what role I could play if I were out there. Things like that are good too."
"Hmm... Ah, yes."
Thoughts on the match...
Come to think of it, I've never properly watched our team's matches. I mean the first team's matches.
Lately, I couldn't watch because I've been busy playing myself, but even before that, when I had free time, I never went to the stadium. Even though we get free tickets.
It's just, how should I put it.
Maybe it felt like a place that had nothing to do with me.
Well, whatever.
I was thinking that I should take this chance to watch, when the coach casually added.
"If you're going anyway, go with that girlfriend of yours."
"...Excuse me?"
"Why so surprised?"
"Girlfriend...?"
"Ah, goodness. Was it a secret? I heard it from Luca."
...Coach Luca betrayed me like this?
I answered, dumbfounded.
"She's not my girlfriend, she's a friend..."
"Really? I heard you bought her a present with your weekly wages."
"No, that's... Can't you buy a present for a friend...? She doesn't have to be a girlfriend..."
"What did you buy?"
"...Clothes and shoes."
"Clothes and shoes. Yes, well, you could. You can certainly buy clothes and shoes as a gift for a female friend."
The coach said that and then looked at me with a sly grin.
It was somehow... a smile that said he knew everything, which made me want to get defensive for no reason.
"No, it's just... It's not because she's a girl. It's because we've been friends since we were little. And I'm grateful to her..."
"Ah, right. You said you knew each other from Korea?"
"Yes."
"But what brought her all the way here?"
In response to the coach's question, I briefly explained about Gim Jiu.
She's someone who was studying cooking, and she happened to get a good opportunity to come study abroad in Florence.
However, after hearing that explanation, the coach raised an eyebrow and smiled again.
"There are much better cities to study cooking in than here... Did she really have to choose Florence, where you are?"
"I know, right. It's a fascinating coincidence."
"Is it really a coincidence?"
"...?"
What on earth are you trying to say?
If it's not a coincidence, then what...
"Well, anyway. It's truly a wonderful thing to have a good friend nearby. That's why I'm saying you should go watch together."
"Yes..."
"Alright. Get going. Rest well."
"Yes. Thank you for your hard work."
I bowed my head and got up from my seat, but since the coach kept watching me with a strange smile, I frowned.
"...Why do you keep smiling?"
"Hmm? No, no. But, she's really not your girlfriend?"
"Ah, I told you she isn't."
"So you're saying not yet?"
"Coach..."
"Alright. Don't get angry. Go on home. See you Wednesday."
"Yes..."
Good grief.
If Gim Jiu heard this, I'd be the one looking like a weirdo for no reason.
Girlfriend? I'd get hit by Gim Jiu. She'd ask where I go around spewing such nonsense.
I pouted and left the coach's office.
By the way.
Why are both Coach Luca and Coach Tony so interested in other people's love lives?
Are they having fun with it, both being married men?
"Sigh..."
I let out a sigh and headed home.
...
"I'm bored..."
Gim Jiu, who had been lying on the bed fiddling with her phone, sighed. She then placed her phone by her pillow and put on a sulky expression.
"..."
...I'm bored.
Around this time, I would always be texting or calling I Jian.
But today, my phone is silent.
Because of that, I have nothing particular to do, and I don't even know what I should do.
"Come on, how tired could he be? Too tired to even send a message?"
Gim Jiu, who had been furrowing her brows at the ceiling, picked up her phone again.
And when she turned on the messenger, the last message from I Jian was still from yesterday.
Jianing: I think I'll just go straight to bed today...
Jianing: I'll contact you tomorrow...
He said he'd contact me! He said he would!
Not seeing him yesterday—fine, he said he was incredibly tired, so I understand that.
Then he should have contacted me as soon as he woke up! What is he doing? Doesn't he have the energy to send a quick message?
"Training should be over by now, too?"
Well, fine, he was busy going to school in the morning.
And he can't use his phone during school or training, so I'll give him that, too.
But once it's over, shouldn't he contact me right away then? Wow, I Jian has really gotten too full of himself lately.
Isn't he being too neglectful of his only friend?
"...Hmm?"
Wait.
His only friend...?
Could it be... that it's not the case anymore?
"..."
Gim Jiu recalled what had happened last week.
Those people who had come to see I Jian.
Especially those girls who would shriek and cause a ruckus whenever I Jian did anything.
He had said he was popular with his girl friends, and she had laughed it off, but it had been true.
Could it be... that those girls won't leave him alone even at school? No, of course. If they came all the way to watch his match, they'd definitely act all friendly at school. Asking to eat together for no reason, asking to hang out in the evening...
"This is ridiculous."
A dumbfounded Gim Jiu let out a hollow laugh.
Jian hates troublesome things. Imagining those girls who don't even know that bothering him made her angry without realizing it.
And he can't even refuse well, so he probably couldn't say no and just stammered.
These girls really...
Thwack! Thwack!
Gim Jiu punched her pillow.
Then, suddenly hugging the pillow, Gim Jiu pouted.
"..."
Come to think of it, this situation itself is ridiculous.
Why am I getting annoyed all by myself?
The fact that I'm annoyed is even more annoying.
This is really ridiculous...
"What am I even doing, seriously..."
It was while a deflated Gim Jiu was taking it out on the innocent pillow.
Bzzzz—
Her phone vibrated.
Gim Jiu checked her phone with lightning-fast reflexes, and her face immediately brightened.
It was finally a message from I Jian.
Jianing: Um... do you have plans tomorrow evening?
Jianing: If not, want to go watch a match?
Jianing: The coach told me to take a day off from training and go watch it...
Jianing: It's kind of weird to go alone
Tomorrow evening!? I don't have any particular plans.
Asking me to watch a match together?
Of course I'd love to...
"...Tch."
Gim Jiu pulled her finger away from the chat window, where she had been about to reply immediately.
She then buried her face in the pillow and let out a muffled groan.
I Jian was too cocky to reply to right away.
No, actually, he didn't really do anything wrong, but... he's just so cocky. I can't explain why, but he's just cocky, that's all.
Besides, she had waited for so long, so replying immediately to his message felt somehow like losing...
"..."
Gim Jiu waited with her face buried in the pillow.
She pinched the pillow as time passed, then pouted and raised her head.
This should be enough.
"...Only four minutes have passed?"
What? I thought at least ten minutes had passed.
Ah, whatever. Waiting doesn't suit my personality.
Gim Jiu tapped the screen irritably and sent her reply.
Me: Don't wanna???
She had to play hard to get for now.
It was time to set him straight.
I Jian has gotten too cocky lately.
"...Pfft."
Imagining I Jian scratching his head after receiving the message made a small laugh escape her.
He's the type who can't refuse others well, but he's also not the type to ask someone twice or thrice.
He'd probably reply with "Okay..."
Then she'd nag him.
"And you'd give up just like that?"
"You're supposed to ask a girl two or three times..."
Bzzzz—
"...Huh?"
But when Gim Jiu checked the reply, her eyes went wide.
It wasn't the response she had expected.
Jianing: Why? Let's go together...
Jianing: I don't want to go alone
Jianing: You're the only person I can go with...
...Would you look at him?
Wow. I said he'd grown a lot, but he really has grown a lot, hasn't he?
Then what about this?
Me: Why am I the only person you can go with
Me: You have friends at school
Me: Just go with them
Answer carefully.
Jianing: They're kind of annoying...
Jianing: We're not even that close
Jianing: Anyway, it's because you're the only one ㅜㅜ
"..."
You're the only one?
At those words, Gim Jiu raised one corner of her mouth and shook her head.
Hah.
If he's going to go this far, what can you do.
Me: Sigh
Me: Can't be helped, then
Me: Guess noona has no choice but to save poor little Jian
Me: I'll go. I'll go. Happy?
Me: What time should we meet?
The reply comes immediately.
Jianing: It's a 5 o'clock match
Jianing: So meeting around 4 should be okay?
Jianing: It's not that I don't have friends!!
Whatever.
Well, anyway, if it's at 5, we can watch the match and then have dinner, which would be perfect.
"Hm, hm, hm."
Smirking, Gim Jiu got up from her bed and headed for her closet.
And she began carefully choosing what to wear tomorrow.
...
"Whoa, there are so many people...?"
"I know, right."
"I feel like we'll have to wait in line for 30 minutes to get in."
Gim Jiu scratched her head with a troubled look.
It was because of the people filling the area in front of the stadium.
From far away to the entrance, a long line stretched out.
Hmm.
I didn't know there would be this many people.
No wonder the neighborhood was empty on weekends; on match days, everyone was here.
"Hmm."
I had met up with Gim Jiu about 30 minutes ago, stopped by a café, and arrived at the stadium.
Gim Jiu said she wanted to eat cake, so we had that too, and after chatting for a bit, we arrived with less than 30 minutes until kickoff.
"We'll have to enter after it starts. Is that okay?"
Gim Jiu asks with a worried expression, and I shrug my shoulders.
Well, it doesn't matter.
Actually, I had suggested we meet up slowly on purpose.
Because I don't need to wait in this line.
"Follow me."
"Huh?"
I avoided the line and took the lead.
As I walked, I figured out why the line was so long: there weren't many entrances.
Of course, this is Florence's stadium. It seems the stadium is old. That's why there aren't many entrances.
However, one of them had an unusually short line.
Hardly anyone was there. I took Gim Jiu and headed that way.
"Is this also a place to line up?"
"No. It's a place where we don't have to line up."
"A place where we don't have to line up?"
I nodded and fished a ticket out of my pocket.
It's a ticket the team gave me separately.
When I showed the ticket to the guard at the entrance, he immediately stepped aside and opened the way.
"Wow, what? We can just go right in?"
"Yeah."
"Why? What is it?"
What do you mean, what.
"Because I'll be playing here soon, that's why. Have you ever seen a player wait in line to get in?"
"Whoa... You're not wrong, but why does it sound so cocky?"
Right?
Even I thought I sounded a bit cocky after saying it.
But it couldn't be helped. I had been thinking about saying that ever since yesterday, wanting to use my youth ticket to bypass the line like this.
"I feel a bit sorry for the people."
"That's true, but it's not like we have to wait in line either."
"That's true...?"
"Let's go."
I headed to our seats with Gim Jiu.
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