A Pleasant Thrill -1
Coach Tony Rucho of the U17 team, watching the game, recalled a famous passage.
‘Blessed are those who wait.’
They say there’s not a single thing wrong with old sayings.
It seems blessings really do come to those who wait.
Even when I Jian had been snatched away by Juventus.
He kept an eye on his situation and waited, and eventually brought him into the fold.
Even when I Jian, after joining the team, was still drifting on the outskirts due to adaptation issues.
Rather than pressing him, he simply waited patiently, and now, wasn’t this the response he was receiving?
Honestly, he didn’t know if the boy had opened the door to his heart because of the team’s consideration, or if there was another reason.
Either way, it was good.
Because the only important thing was that the kid was showing enthusiasm.
‘I fell for that talent.’
Coach Tony’s gaze fixed on I Jian.
Truly... a fascinating kid.
His physique wasn’t particularly good, nor was his innate speed exceptionally fast.
His on-the-ball skills were good, but it wasn’t as though he felt a cut above the rest.
Yet the one exerting tremendous influence on the field was none other than I Jian.
How should I put it.
Like lubricating oil, so to speak.
He was always positioned exactly where he needed to be, always reacting and making judgments faster than others, and almost every time he made the optimal choice.
The kids who played every week couldn’t even keep up with I Jian’s tempo.
When Gino was there, the game had definitely felt like it had stalled.
But with the lubricating oil that was I Jian added in, it felt like a stalled machine was running smoothly again.
‘The most amazing thing is...’
Coach Tony shook his head.
The most amazing thing was that this I Jian was an I Jian who had been unable to grow properly for a whopping two years.
And it wasn’t just any two years—it was two years during his growth period.
From thirteen to fifteen.
It was a well-known fact that this period was more important than any other.
There was arguably no other period in a long career where one’s skills improved as explosively.
Unfortunately, I Jian had wasted those two years.
And yet, that was how good he was.
In the end, it meant he was born with it.
The ability to read the flow of the match, to know how to move and how to play in order to win the game.
Simply put, one could say he had a high soccer IQ.
It was a very unique style.
Especially at this youth level.
“···.”
Coach Tony looked at I Jian with a somewhat bitter gaze.
This might be a bit cruel to say, but Coach Tony thought that such an ability probably stemmed from the environment in which the kid had grown up.
It was mere speculation, but I Jian was a child who had grown up under pressure.
He didn’t know for what reason the boy’s mother had whipped her son on.
It could have been simply from a desire for her son to do well, or it could have been for other reasons.
It was an unknown matter, but what was certain was that it must have acted as a burden on I Jian.
Naturally, he couldn’t help but become quick to read the room.
A child who had grown accustomed to reading the room... it was a truly sad thing to say, but...
In any case, on the field, that had become an irreplaceable talent.
He was a child who reacted most sensitively to everything that happened on the field, and because of that, he was a child who could lead the flow.
“At that level, you could send him out in the weekend match right away and it wouldn’t look out of place.”
Coach Tony nodded at the words of Coach Luca, who had approached at some point.
Was it merely not out of place?
As long as his mental issues didn’t flare up, he would undoubtedly dominate the U17 level right away.
As far as Coach Tony knew, there was no other player who knew how to lead a game to that extent.
“Still, we can’t rush things.”
But that mental issue wasn’t something to take lightly.
If they suddenly threw him into matches or rushed his promotion, things would go wrong.
After all, why had he waited for the kid with patience? He couldn’t make that painstaking wait come to nothing.
“Still... I think it might be okay to move on to the next step.”
“What’s the next step?”
“To praise him lightly. Just enough that he doesn’t feel pressured. So he can find his confidence.”
“That’s not easy. It’s not like we’re befriending a stray cat.”
Coach Luca spoke with a smile, and Coach Tony smiled too.
A stray cat. It was a fitting expression.
“Then specifically, what should we do?”
“Don’t praise him for the results. Let’s focus on the process.”
“Hmm. You mean we should acknowledge his effort, right?”
“Yes. That would be best.”
Praising the process rather than the results.
From the kid’s perspective, that would be much less burdensome.
“Understood. I hope he just keeps going like this.”
“Hmm.”
Coach Tony looked at I Jian and nodded.
*
“Beep— Beeep—!”
“Okay, good work everyone!”
The moment the whistle blew to signal the end of the match.
I collapsed right there and fell flat on my back.
“Huff... huff...”
I could barely breathe.
The sky was spinning round and round.
I even felt like something was bubbling and boiling inside.
‘This is brutal...’
It was so hard that harsh words almost slipped out without me realizing.
It was really, really hard.
It wasn’t simply a matter of physical stamina.
My stamina was drained, but more than that, it felt like all my energy had been sucked out.
It was only natural, since I had maintained full concentration throughout the match.
Not just inside the field, but outside it, too—I even had to watch the bench’s reactions.
I had expended an enormous amount of mental strength.
It felt like I had finally set foot on solid ground after walking on thin ice.
“Pheww...”
Actually, it had barely been about 20 minutes.
Furthermore, it was just a practice game, not even an official match.
Even so, I was completely drained, which made me realize how high the level of the starters was.
For about the first five minutes, I had thought, ‘This is manageable?’
My pass had created a decisive chance, and that chance had even led to a goal.
But after that goal went in, the game’s tempo became insanely fast.
Maybe they were offended that I, of all people, had made such a pass, or perhaps they had all come to their senses.
After that, it flowed almost like a real match.
From then on, I naturally felt that I really couldn’t let my guard down for even a second.
I felt like if I did, I would fall behind in an instant.
If it hadn’t been for Jiu, I might have been knocked out of the game a long time ago.
...Hmm? That’s a weird thing to say.
Let’s just say it wasn’t because of Jiu, but because of a lie.
Anyway, fortunately, it seemed I hadn’t shown any big mistakes or an inability to keep up with the flow.
That was enough.
“Phew—”
I sat up and grabbed the soles of my feet with my hands, stretching.
Doing this naturally brought back old memories.
When I played soccer in Korea.
Back then... I was like this every time.
After every match, I was completely drained.
Even then, it wasn’t hard simply because my body was tired.
I had to do well, so every time I struggled to perform beyond my abilities.
Fortunately, the results were good back then, so I heard that I had talent, and sometimes even that I was a genius.
But honestly, I had never once thought I was a genius.
I mean, come on.
What kind of genius struggles half to death while working hard?
I simply had to do it that way.
It’s the same now.
“Jian.”
“...Ah, yes.”
When I came to my senses, the coach was already standing beside me.
I dusted myself off and stood up, and the coach placed his hand on my shoulder and spoke.
“Thank you for working hard. It must have been tough being called up suddenly.”
“Ah... it’s nothing.”
“Go back and get some good rest. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes. Good work.”
The coach lightly patted my back and turned away.
Watching him, I felt a strange feeling.
I didn’t know how to explain it...
Hmm.
Then and now, it was definitely a similar situation.
If back then, I had been preoccupied with the worry of whether I could perform tomorrow as I did today.
Now, it felt like... I felt like I could do it again tomorrow.
I didn’t know why, but anyway, this feeling was quite good.
···
—Did something good happen?
“...Why all of a sudden?”
—Just because. Your voice sounds excited.
“No, it’s not. It’s the same.”
—Hey, can’t you be a little more honest?
“About what.”
—You’re excited to meet this noona next week, right?
“...What are you talking about.”
—Oh my, it’s so obvious.
I clicked my tongue at the nonsense coming from the other side of the phone.
What is she saying.
If anything, I’m dying because of that.
After training.
I was walking home and on the phone with Jiu.
...It seemed like she was the one in a good mood today.
Her voice was livelier than usual, so I was holding the phone a bit away from my ear.
I’d always wondered—why does she like talking on the phone so much?
It seemed she had to unload everything that happened today onto someone before she was satisfied.
That doesn’t suit me.
I’m the type who recharges by being alone in quiet.
...Then why am I always on the phone with her?
Ah, well. It’s because she calls me first, that’s all.
—So, did you plan the date course?
“...What? What course?”
—The date course! You have to show me around the neighborhood! Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it?
“Ah... I’m a busy person, you know? Where would I find the time to think about that?”
—Wow, acting busy. You’re meeting me for the first time in three years, and you don’t even care that much!?
Are you my girlfriend or something... I almost said, but swallowed the words.
“Then what... what do you want to do?”
—Huh? Uh, hmm... I don’t know.
“I need to know what you want to do before I can think about anything.”
—Just anything... Saturday is the day before the match, so you need to rest. Let’s meet on Friday and eat.
“Okay. Sure, let’s do that.”
—Then what should we eat? Pizza? Pasta? I want that, and gelato too. Ah! And also...
Ugh.
My head spun from the rapid-fire list of foods pouring out like a machine gun.
What is she, a rapper?
Anyway, whenever food comes up, her tension just shoots through the roof.
She probably felt good just thinking about it; I could almost see Jiu’s face over the phone, grinning from ear to ear.
If I left her alone, she might go all night, so I cut in.
“Hey, hey. Enough. Let’s just go into any neighborhood restaurant and eat.”
—No way! Some neighborhood restaurant?
“I’ll pay. Good enough?”
—Then I approve.
So this is what it means to earn money.
“Anyway, I should hang up soon. I’m almost home.”
—Already? We haven’t even talked for an hour?
“I told you, I’m busy. Let’s talk again later.”
—Damn, acting real busy. Anyway, okay. Text me.
“Yeah.”
As I talked, I was already near home, so I barely managed to hang up.
Phew.
I feel even more exhausted today.
By the way...
“Hmm.”
I stopped walking for a moment and turned on the internet search on my phone.
“Good restaurants...”
What a hassle, seriously.
What did she say earlier.
Pizza, pasta, lasagna, risotto, gelato...
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