Chapter 13: Step Up, Brazil (1)

Time flew by in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, I was preparing to depart with the national football team for the Madrid Olympics.

‘Ha… So many things have happened in the meantime.’

Coach Cheon Mu-seok took action the very next day after the announcement.

He gathered all the players except for Park Seo-joon, who plays for Chelsea.

His plan was clear: to thoroughly familiarize the players with the Wave Pressing tactic, which would be their main strategy in this Olympics.

The training drills Coach Cheon Mu-seok implemented were a continuous series of extremely difficult exercises, even for me, who had plenty of experience.

“Don’t rest there, keep running! The most important thing for Wave Pressing, no matter what anyone says, is stamina, stamina!”

Coach Cheon Mu-seok’s sharp voice filled the training ground.

“This time, it’s pressure training! The moment the opponent receives the ball, charge at them immediately. No, if he charged, you should have covered his position!”

Looking back, they were truly nerve-wracking moments.

If someone were to say,

“Hey, it’s just training, how hard can it be? Isn’t everyone doing it?” I could only offer a bitter smile.

Even when going to the World Cup, Jeon Hyung-min was always selected, even if not as a starter.

How furious must he be to lose his spot to a first-year high school student like me?

But for that player, who should be furious, to actually look at me, the starter, with pity… This training was definitely not normal.

Still, perhaps thanks to the training, we won all the friendly matches held in private.

“Hey Tae-woo, what are you doing there by yourself?”

Just then, I heard Jeon Hyung-min’s voice from behind.

“Ah, Sunbae-nim. I was just thinking about our training.”

“Ugh, I don’t even want to think about it, so don’t even bring it up.”

Jeon Hyung-min made a gesture as if he had goosebumps, putting his arms across his shoulders as if he didn’t even want to think about it.

“Tae-woo, but what’s your friend Tae-yang doing over there?”

When I looked where Jeon Hyung-min was pointing, Lee Tae-yang was clowning around for the reporters.

“Hahaha, that’s right. I may not be well-known yet, but I, Lee Tae-yang, will repay you with goals in the Olympics!”

“Um, he’s always like that…”

“That’s true.”

It didn’t take much time for even those seeing Lee Tae-yang for the first time in this Olympics to think he was an idiot.

Whether it was getting caught secretly eating snacks at night, or breaking the ceiling light while practicing heading with a soccer ball in the dormitory…

‘Come to think of it, he’s pretty amazing too. How can he always do crazy things even after undergoing such training?’

As departure time was approaching, I headed towards the reporters to get Lee Tae-yang.

“Lee Tae-yang, we have to go now.”

Just then, exclamations of admiration came from the group of reporters who saw my face.

“Wow, but he’s really handsome.”

“How can he have eyes, a nose, and a mouth all in such a small face?”

Lee Tae-yang replied playfully.

“No, Reporter-nim. You didn’t say things like that when you were talking to me, did you?”

“Hahahaha.”

The reporters’ laughter spread.

I’d heard I was handsome so many times that it didn’t really faze me anymore, but if I didn’t respond at all and just left here…

[Olympic Football Team’s ‘Face Genius’ Jeong Tae-woo, No Reaction to Compliments… Contrasting with Lee Tae-yang.

At the Olympic football team’s departure from Incheon International Airport this afternoon, player Jeong Tae-woo drew attention for his consistent lack of reaction to reporters’ compliments about his appearance.

When a reporter remarked on his good looks, player Jeong Tae-woo passed by without any response.

In contrast, his teammate Lee Tae-yang showed a confident demeanor, saying, “I will overcome the current controversy with my skills,” creating a stark contrast.

Meanwhile, netizens are reacting to player Jeong Tae-woo’s attitude with comments such as “attitude controversy,” drawing attention to his future actions.]

Wouldn’t an article like this be written?

The roster controversy is already quite noisy, but if an attitude controversy breaks out too, oof, I’ll get all the criticism I’ll ever receive in my lifetime.

“Haha, thank you. Our flight time is approaching, so may we leave now?”

“Of course. Hwaiting!”

“Yes, thank you.”

On the way to where the national team was gathered with Lee Tae-yang, Lee Tae-yang grinned and said.

“Hey Tae-woo, soon the internet will be flooded with articles praising me.”

‘What kind of fresh bullsh*t is this now?’

“Why would they praise you?”

“When everyone else was giving short greetings and leaving, this great Lee Tae-yang gave a long interview. Don’t you think all the reporters were moved?”

I had experienced the duplicity of reporters many times, so I knew they could smile to your face and still write a bad article.

‘Well… Still, if there are good reporters, and a first-year high school player is getting criticized, and he gives a good interview… well, they might write something good.’

“Still, your fan club won’t form.”

“Why, isn’t this likable enough?”

“Your face is ugly.”

“You son of a b*tch.”

And so, our football national team departed for Spain.

Thus, our Olympic journey began, and our first group stage match started.

***

An international match is a festival where nations compete with their honour at stake.

Among them, soccer’s World Cup and Olympics are considered the hottest festivals.

However, unlike the World Cup, the Olympics, being an under-23 tournament excluding three wild cards, is a particularly meaningful competition for Korean football players.

The reason for this is military service.

You’ve probably heard the joke, “Public service, exemption? You’re not even a man if you haven’t served in the military,” at least once.

Conversely, if you’ve served in a tough unit like the Marine Corps or Special Forces, you might feel more pride in your military service than anyone else.

But strangely enough, the one place you absolutely don’t want to go if you can avoid it is the military.

If you win an Olympic medal, your 18 months of military service are waived.

What South Korean athlete wouldn’t be desperate?

If there’s still someone who says you have to serve in the military, I want to ask.

“Then why didn’t you re-enlist?”

They would absolutely not be able to answer.

Why?

Because the reality is that everyone wants to avoid military service if they have the chance.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot lose this game, no matter how strong the opponent, Brazil, is.

July 23, 2036, Estadio Metropolitano, located in the heart of Madrid, Spain.

Famous as the home ground of Atlético Madrid, this place has boasted its grandeur since its opening in 2017.

A massive stadium capable of seating a staggering 68,456 people.

Today, the heat of the Olympics adds to its magnificent appearance, making it shine even brighter.

Despite it being a preliminary match, the stands were packed with people even before the game started.

Flags of various countries and cheering tools adorned the stadium, and the murmuring voices of the crowd filled the air.

The Olympic fever was already burning hot.

Awaiting the soon-to-begin match, the cheers and anticipation of the crowd filled the Estadio Metropolitano.

[“Good morning, this is the Estadio Metropolitano, where the match between South Korea and Brazil is being held. I am caster Lee Sung-joon.”]

[“Yes, this is commentator Yoo Jung-hwan.”]

[“This Madrid Olympics, there was a lot of controversy even before it started, wasn’t there?”]

[“That’s right. Coach Cheon Mu-seok, formerly a coach in Germany, caused controversy by selecting players with no prior international match experience and first-year high school students Jeong Tae-woo, Yoo Hee-sung, and Lee Tae-yang.”]

[“Yes, then what do you think, commentator Yoo Jung-hwan? When you commentated on the last high school tournament with me, you rated players Jeong Tae-woo and Yoo Hee-sung quite highly, didn’t you?”]

[“Yes, I believe that Jeong Tae-woo, Yoo Hee-sung, and even Lee Tae-yang will perform sufficiently well in this Olympics. These players, despite their age, are very experienced and have outstanding skills.”]

[“Yes, that’s right. It won’t be easy from the Olympic preliminaries. South Korea, in Group B of the group stage, has to compete against formidable teams like Nigeria and Denmark, even excluding Brazil. Nigeria is known as an African powerhouse, and Denmark is also a team that consistently performs well in Europe.”]

[“Indeed. The competition in Group B seems to be quite fierce. Brazil is a given, and Nigeria and Denmark are also opponents that cannot be ignored. However, our national team’s skills are also formidable.”]

[“That’s right. Jeong Tae-woo, Yoo Hee-sung, and Lee Tae-yang all lack experience on the international stage, but the skills they showed in domestic competitions were truly remarkable. Especially in the case of player Yoo Hee-sung, he showed amazing scoring ability despite being a first-year in high school.”]

[“Yes, furthermore, the other players are also composed of individuals skilled enough to be selected for the Olympics. Especially since we have our nation’s pride, world-class player Park Seo-joon, I believe our players can do well enough.”]

[“Indeed. The mere presence of player Park Seo-joon seems to be a great strength to the team. His experience and skills will serve as a good example for the young players, and he is expected to exert great influence on the field as well.”]

[“Moreover, they reportedly won all three friendly matches held in private. I’m really looking forward to Coach Cheon Mu-seok’s tactics.”]

[“Ah, as we speak, the starting lineup has been announced. Let me check it for a moment.”]

[“Wow, Coach Cheon Mu-seok is really bold! Jeong Tae-woo, Lee Tae-yang, and Yoo Hee-sung are all starting! He’s showcasing a daring strategy by deploying young players extensively.”]

[“Now, the players are moving to their respective positions. It looks like the starting whistle will blow soon…”]

Wheeeet!

[“The match has begun! The first match between South Korea and Brazil in the 2036 Madrid Olympics has finally kicked off! It seems like it will be a truly exciting match, to see what results Coach Cheon Mu-seok’s strategy will bring.”]

South Korea Starting Lineup (4-3-3 Formation)

GK: Jeong Tae-woo

CB: Jang Hyun-sung

CB: Kim Eun-woo

RB: Yoo Ji-yong

CDM: Kang Dong-hyun

CM: Park Seo-joon

CAM: Choi Woo-jin

LW: Yoo Hee-sung

ST: Lee Tae-yang

RW: Yoon Jae-hoon