Chapter 53: Jealousy

‘Mary D’s’, a pub near Manchester City’s home ground, Etihad Stadium.

It was a traditional pub that had been in operation since the 1970s, and due to its proximity to the stadium, it had become a space where many Citizens gathered to talk.

“I’m so excited for the next match. It’s been so long since I’ve felt this way!”

A gray-haired old gentleman in a classic City uniform raised his beer glass and exclaimed with a bright smile.

The 30-year-old City scarf around his neck was a testament to his long life as a fan.

“If we keep this up, we can definitely return to the City we loved most!”

“I agree. We’ve been growing steadily since Peter Guardian arrived.”

The old gentleman drinking beer right next to him smiled in agreement.

“The Red Devils… those d*mned bastards won’t be able to act so cocky for much longer.”

“Of course not. We beat them 3-0, even after Crystal Palace signed all those incredible players. We returned the humiliation we suffered last season.”

“Haha, I hated how they were celebrating from the start as if they’d already won. You should have seen them crying and making a fuss after the match.”

“Serves them right. Do they think just signing players makes a strong team? You need history, history like ours!”

The cheerful laughter of the fans echoed throughout the pub.

The faces of those who had supported City for a long time were filled with pride.

“Besides, the four players Peter Guardian brought in this time are really good.”

“Tell me about it. That crazy guy scored a brace in his debut, and Sanchez’s passing reminded me of City’s midfielders of old.”

“And what about that defender, Castillo? It’s so satisfying to watch him knock everyone down with his physique.”

“For me, our new young goalkeeper reminds me of Leo.”

At the last old gentleman’s words, the pub fell silent for a moment.

Leo was a legendary City goalkeeper.

And the man who mentioned him was a living witness who had been with City through all its moments, from its glory days to its downfall.

He had consistently supported City through moments of victory and even during the dark ages when they were at relegation level.

Because of that, his words carried a different weight.

For him to bring up Leo’s name was nothing short of the highest praise.

“Just seeing him in the goal, giving a sense of stability to the fans and players, reminded me of the moment Leo first came to City.”

“Wow! A toast to Tae-woo, who will become the second Leo!”

In an instant, beer glasses were raised from every table in the pub, and the sound of clinking glasses echoed as they chanted ‘Tae-woo!’.

“By the way, I’m worried about Ederson and Tae-woo. When you think about it, Tae-woo took Ederson’s spot.”

“What are you talking about, man? What do you mean he took it? It’s only natural for the better player to start.”

“Still, even if Ederson was in a slump last season, imagine how bad he must feel having his starting position taken by such a young player. I think their relationship might be sour.”

“That could be true. But if they get along and Ederson passes on his experience to Tae-woo, he could become a symbol of our City, just like Leo.”

The old gentlemen looked at each other for a moment without a word.

“Our Peter Guardian will figure something out.”

“Yeah, what’s going to change if we worry about it? Let’s put aside these useless thoughts and drink more.”

***

The day after the league match against Crystal Palace.

Normally, Chan-gyu hyung and I would have spent a quiet morning together, but today, my mother was here.

She was already busy in the kitchen, preparing breakfast.

The savory scent of my mom’s special soybean paste stew filled the house.

I never thought I’d see my mother preparing breakfast in England, a sight so familiar back in Korea…

“Tae-woo, it’s almost ready, so please set the table.”

“Ma’am, I’ll do it! It’s my job, and you’re already going through so much trouble for me. The least I can do is this.”

Chan-gyu hyung called out loudly to my mother and headed for the kitchen.

As he passed by me, he whispered in a small voice.

“You rest. You had a game yesterday.”

“Thanks, hyung.”

A small smile spread across my lips.

Thanks to his consideration, I had a moment of leisure, and the God of Football’s letter came to mind.

‘I had my debut match, but there are no achievements or anything? That’s strange…’

“That b*stard, don’t tell me he’s gambling again and not even paying attention to my games?”

I muttered under my breath and headed to my room.

As I entered, a faint light was leaking from the bag I carry to the club.

‘Last time, when it glowed, the contents of the letter had changed.’

With the resolve to scold him somehow if the letter mentioned gambling again, I opened the bag and unfolded the letter.

[Congratulations on Jeong Tae-woo’s Premier League debut!]

[Finishing with a clean sheet!]

[I’m so proud of you~]

[Achievements Unlocked: Best Debut (Goalkeeper), Best Prospect, Troublemaker]

[To achieve three at once, that’s our Jeong Tae-woo for you, isn’t it?]

[But what kind of strange things did you do to get the Troublemaker title?!]

[It’s a title you can only get when 70% of your teammates see you as a troublemaker or a madman…!]

“What? My teammates see me as a madman? Me, not Guerrero?”

My voice rose involuntarily.

It was utterly unbelievable.

Where else would they find a teammate as exemplary and gentlemanly as me?

To be treated the same as Guerrero, a certified madman…

“Tae-woo, is something wrong?”

I heard Chan-gyu hyung’s concerned voice.

“No, I’m fine. A bug just showed up out of nowhere…”

I quickly lowered my voice and turned my attention back to the letter.

“Right, that’s not what’s important. Hey, God of Football, I achieved three whole achievements. Isn’t there a reward like last time?”

‘If I get an ability like last time… the next match’s MOM is mine for sure.’

It’s definitely not because I’m annoyed at seeing Guerrero brag about getting MOM.

It’s just… professionalism, you could say.

As Manchester City’s goalkeeper, I just want to show a better version of myself.

[Ha… ha… ha… ]

[Well… the points right now… uh… let’s see…]

[(⊙﹏⊙)]

“Don’t tell me… you didn’t blow all the points I collected on gambling, did you? You definitely said you wouldn’t…”

[F-found it! Phew, thank goodness! ]

[It’s not that I didn’t have anything, I was just pondering what great gift to give you!]

[My gift for you is, drumroll please… ]

[The ‘How Tall Are You Going to Get’ pill! ]

[A height of 187cm is tall enough,]

[but for a goalkeeper, it’s a little bit disappointing, isn’t it?]

[Take this pill, go to sleep, and when you wake up, you’ll be taller!]

[If we add height to Jeong Tae-woo’s amazing reaction speed…]

[My my, you’ll be able to catch almost any ball, won’t you? Kyahahaha~]

As soon as I finished reading the God of Football’s letter, a single pill appeared on top of it.

‘Huh… so if I just eat this, I’ll get taller?’

Honestly, I hadn’t felt any inconvenience due to my height during the game.

But considering the average height of Premier League goalkeepers is 188cm…

it was true that I was below average.

In the goalkeeper position, you need to be over 195cm to be considered tall.

‘How much will I grow… It’d be a bit much if I suddenly grew past 195cm…’

[You’ll grow 3cm per pill!]

[I feel like even at 190cm, Jeong Tae-woo would still dominate everyone… ]

[So I’ll just give you one! Hehe (＾▽＾)]

A growth of 3cm certainly didn’t seem like much of a burden.

‘Come to think of it, if I sold this pill to a big corporation, I could make some serious money…’

It’s not that there weren’t height-increasing pills on the market, but most were just exaggerated advertisements.

This one, although from a god with no dignity who just gambles…

is still a god.

The amount of money I could get for a height-increasing pill guaranteed by a god would be beyond imagination.

‘Well… it’s not like I’m actually going to sell it.’

I was about to take the pill on the spot when I suddenly stopped my hand.

‘On second thought, it’s best to take medicine after a meal. I’ll take it after I eat.’

***

The next morning.

“Hmm…”

I lingered in front of the mirror for a while.

I examined the mirror from various angles, something I’d normally just glance at once.

I should have grown taller, but I couldn’t really feel it.

It should have happened overnight… Is this really 3cm?

“Tae-woo, you’re going to be late!”

At Chan-gyu hyung’s urging, I quickly got dressed.

‘Did I really get taller? I’m not sure…’

I scratched my head and organized my thoughts.

There was no need to worry about it here; I could just get my height measured at the training ground anyway.

I quickened my pace and headed to the training ground.

As I opened the door to the indoor training facility with its green turf,

I saw the captain, who, as always, was the first to arrive and was doing his warm-ups.

“Captain!”

At my call, Matias turned his head.

“Oh, Tae-woo, you’re here?”

As Matias approached me, he suddenly wore a puzzled expression.

Then, he placed his palm at the level of his own head and moved it as if measuring my height.

“Tae-woo… I think you got taller?”

‘I knew it… The God of Football wouldn’t have lied to me.’

“Wow, Tae-woo is still in his growth phase? Are you going to grow to two meters at this rate?”

“Nah, it’s not that much.”

As I was chatting with the captain, someone suddenly hit my shoulder hard from behind and passed by.

“Ack!”

‘Who was that? Guerrero?’

When I turned my head, I saw it was Ederson.

He glanced at me with an indifferent expression, then walked past without a single word of apology.

“Ederson, what do you think you’re doing! If you bump into someone, you should apologize.”

“It’s okay, Captain.”

“Hah… I’m sorry. I’ll talk to him later.”

Well, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand.

He had been the undisputed number one for a long time, only to have his spot stolen by some kid who came out of nowhere.

And he must have seen my debut was good, so imagine how much his pride was hurt.

He probably kept comparing himself to me, and in that process, his pride must have been wounded even more.

‘But if he keeps acting like this, one of us will have to leave the team…’

I watched Ederson’s departing back with a cold gaze.

‘And it certainly won’t be me.’