Chapter 4: High School Football Tournament Final (2)

Wow, these b*stards are truly hopeless.

I’ve already blocked 8 shots on target in the first half alone.

If I’ve blocked that many, they should repay me with a goal.

No, I wouldn’t even say anything if they had as many shots on target as the other team.

But zero shots?

Are they even human?

Piiiiik-

“Ha, I’m sorry. I should be the one scoring goals.”

Lee Tae-yang muttered with a sigh.

His voice was laced with self-blame and frustration.

‘Actually, I kind of understand.’

‘The ball distribution is messed up starting from the midfield…’

‘No, I don’t understand.’

‘If the ball isn’t coming, they should drop back to receive it.’

‘Just staying up front because they’re strikers… Sigh’

A heavy silence filled the locker room as they entered.

The coaching staff were racking their brains over the strategy board, while the players sat in their spots, wiping sweat and catching their breath.

When the door opened and the coach came in, everyone’s gaze turned to him.

“Hoo…”

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“From now on, we’re switching our tactic to a 4-3-3 formation.”

The coach’s gaze turned to me.

“Tae-woo.”

“Yes.”

“You did very well in the first half. Just keep doing that.”

“Understood.”

‘I had already made up my mind, but I knew the coach would definitely oppose it if I mentioned my plan here, so I hid my thoughts and just said I understood.’

‘Would he be even more annoyed if I just did it without saying anything?’

‘Eh, but if I score a goal, he’ll probably cut me some slack, right?’

And so, on the way back to the field.

“Yeah, we can do it!”

The players encouraged each other, walking with determined expressions.

“I’ll definitely go out and score a goal this time.”

Lee Tae-yang, who was next to me, also shouted loudly.

Despite being a first-year, he was a target-type striker in the starting lineup, and he had scored many goals with his tall height and excellent physique.

‘Tae-yang, I’m sorry.’

‘But the first goal of this final will be mine.’

‘There’s no rule saying a goalkeeper can’t score, right?’

‘I’ll show you what a real sweeper keeper is.’

Clenching my goalkeeper gloves tightly, I headed to the field with new resolve.

Peeeeep!

As the game started, I immediately left the goalpost and ran out.

As soon as Lee Tae-yang passed the ball back and I saw it heading towards the central midfielder, Kim Chan-wook sunbae,

“Pass!”

I shouted loudly.

At my voice, Chan-wook sunbae passed the ball, but his surprise was evident.

“Hey, why are you there?”

I heard Chan-wook sunbae’s surprised voice, but I had already received the ball and was advancing.

Murmurs could be heard from the stands as well.

The sight of a goalkeeper suddenly running around like a field player must have been a shocking spectacle for everyone.

I dribbled the ball lightly, moving towards the center.

The opposing midfielder had a ‘Why the f*ck is that punk here?’ expression, but he came to block me anyway.

All sorts of sounds could be heard from the surroundings.

The crowd’s murmurs, the coach’s shouts, my teammates’ calls.

But in this moment, I couldn’t hear anything.

Only the ball and I existed.

The opposing midfielder, perhaps underestimating me because I was a goalkeeper, immediately stuck out his foot.

‘Hey, even if I am a goalkeeper, you’re underestimating me too much.’

I instantly twisted my body, evading him with an elegant turn.

The two defenders rushing in next, I faced them with quick footwork.

Shifting the ball from my left foot to my right, then back to my left, I threw them into confusion.

I toyed with them with a fantastical double phantom dribble, as if the ball were dancing in mid-air.

‘Sorry, but the one you’re facing now isn’t goalkeeper Jeong Tae-woo, but Kim Chan-ki, who was called the God of Football.’

While the defenders got tangled and fell, I sprinted forward like a beam of light and reached near the penalty box in an instant.

The opposing team’s goalkeeper rushed out towards me.

Bewilderment was written in his eyes.

‘Yeah, who would have ever imagined this situation where a goalkeeper is trying to stop another goalkeeper?’

I didn’t get into a shooting stance until the very last moment.

And the moment the goalkeeper and I got close,

‘Narrowing the angle was good, but then you shouldn’t have hesitated.’

I lightly chipped the ball with my right foot.

The ball drew a beautiful parabola, flying over the goalkeeper’s head.

The entire stadium seemed to hold its breath, everyone’s gaze fixed on the ball as it slowly soared through the air, and for that moment, it was as quiet as if time had stopped.

But I knew without even looking.

My football experience up to now was screaming it.

This was definitely a goal.

The goalkeeper tried to reach out somehow, but it was too late.

The ball, untouched by the goalkeeper’s hands, slowly rolled into the net.

At that moment, time began to flow again, and the stadium erupted with cheers.

“Goal!!!”

“Woooooow!!!!!”

“That’s crazy! What was that!”

“I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“I don’t know, just enjoy it for now!”

All the sounds from the spectators who witnessed the unbelievable scene mixed into one, becoming a giant wave that engulfed the stadium.

“Hey, you crazy b*stard!”

Lee Tae-yang shouted, hugging me.

“If the goalkeeper scores goals too, what are we strikers supposed to do for a living!”

***

At a certain middle school.

“Alright, alright, focus!”

The teacher said, standing in front of the blackboard.

“This problem can be solved like this.”

“First, move x over here…”

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the back of the classroom.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Who dares in this sacred math class-“

“Is it you again, Lee Seol-ah? What is it this time, for our Seol-ah to be screaming her head off during this sacred math class?”

“Teacher, Mi-na’s oppa just scored a goal in the football tournament final!”

“Yes, yes, that’s something to celebrate. But you know,”

“Yes?”

“Does that mean you were watching football on the phone you were supposed to hand in during class?”

“Ahahaha, does it turn out that way?”

“Stop laughing, you rascal.”

“Yep.”

“Hmm, but isn’t Mi-na’s oppa player Jeong Tae-woo from Pungwol High?”

“Ooooh, Teacher, you remember.”

“Of course, kid. He’s famous, isn’t he? But isn’t player Jeong Tae-woo a goalkeeper? How did he score a goal?”

“No, Mi-na’s oppa just did this with his feet, like this and that, and the goal went in, I tell you!”

Caught watching my oppa’s football video, I tried to stop my friend next to me with an embarrassed expression.

“Hey, stop it.”

“Aish, wait a minute! Our Tae-woo oppa scored a goal, and you don’t believe it!”

Her best friend, Lee Seol-ah, stood up during class and imitated my oppa’s recent individual skill with strange footwork.

‘Ha… I shouldn’t have brought her home back then.’

I sighed, recalling what happened a month ago.

I had brought Seol-ah, who was pestering me to hang out because she was bored, to my house.

That day, she accidentally ran into my oppa and was completely smitten.

“Hey, hey, Mi-na, is that person perhaps…”

“Yeah, that’s my oppa.”

“Mi-na, I’ve fallen in love right now.”

Since then, Seol-ah has declared herself my oppa’s ardent fan and is more enthusiastic than anyone in her fan club activities.

“Hey, sit down. Look at the teacher’s expression.”

“Huh? The teacher’s expression?”

Seol-ah stopped her dribbling imitation, looked at the teacher, froze for a moment, then quickly sat down.

Seeing the teacher’s stern expression, Seol-ah too seemed to finally realize the seriousness of the situation.

“Alright, are you done with your individual skills?”

“Uh… well… Yep, all done.”

“You’re all done, you say… Then you two should hold hands, go outside, and raise your hands, right?”

“Yes, I think I should do that too.”

After saying that, Seol-ah got up from her seat and looked at me, still sitting, with a

‘What are you doing?’ expression.

“Mi-na, we have to go raise our hands quickly.”

I sighed and slowly got up from my seat.

The thought of my oppa scoring a magnificent goal didn’t make me feel entirely bad.

Rather, I felt a sense of pride welling up in my chest.

‘He was so nervous, but he’s doing great.’

A small smile unknowingly formed on my lips.

“Aren’t you coming out quickly?”

“Yep.”

***

Pungwol High’s coach, Kim Seung-hyun, was currently experiencing immense cognitive dissonance.

At first, when Jeong Tae-woo left the goal and darted out, anger surged within him.

“Hey, you punk! What do you think you’re doing? Stay in your position!”

But as Jeong Tae-woo started to weave past opposing players one by one with incredible dribbling,

“Uh… Uh… Yeah, good job, now pass quickly and get back!”

And then, the moment Jeong Tae-woo actually scored the goal,

“Th-this… Does this make any sense?”

Experiencing an emotional rollercoaster, rapidly shifting from anger to worry, and then from astonishment to joy,

He felt the foundations of football common sense he knew crumbling.

“Coach Yu, am I hallucinating right now? My eyes see Tae-woo scoring a goal and celebrating.”

“It looks that way to my eyes too, so I believe it’s probably true, but…”

Coach Yu, observing the situation, cautiously asked.

“Coach, should we still substitute Tae-woo out?”

‘Substitute Tae-woo out here…’

‘A goalkeeper needs many talents.’

‘Physical condition, animal-like reflexes, the ability to read the game’s flow.’

‘And Jeong Tae-woo was a player immensely talented in all of these.’

‘Look even now.’

‘Isn’t he blocking every shot in one-on-one situations with unbelievable reflexes?’

‘He understood why the assistant coach suggested taking him out.’

‘Acting so recklessly could be seen as insubordination towards the coach.’

‘However…’

“Are you crazy? Why would we take Tae-woo out?”

‘Still, I can’t just give up those saves.’

‘Absolutely not.’