Chapter 7: The Olympic Coach Came To See Me.

“I’ve finally found it.”

Cheon Mu-seok watched the game with a face full of elation.

He had finally discovered the last puzzle piece for the ‘Wave Pressing’ tactic he had been envisioning since his coaching days in Germany.

Jeong Tae-woo was originally known as a stable, defensive goalkeeper, so while Cheon Mu-seok rated him highly, he hadn’t considered him for national team selection.

However, today’s game changed everything.

Explosive speed, individual skill, and even the composure to wait for the goalkeeper to come out before chipping the ball. ‘He’s just like the ideal goalkeeper I’ve been looking for.’

In Cheon Mu-seok’s eyes, Jeong Tae-woo appeared as the ideal goalkeeper he had dreamed of.

At his strange laughter, the people around him looked on anxiously.

Cheon Mu-seok, with his 190cm frame and stern expression, made those around him tense, but he paid them no mind, deeply lost in his own thoughts.

***

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cheon Mu-seok, the football coach for the 2036 Madrid Olympics.”

“Ah, yes. I’m Jeong Tae-woo.”

I answered politely. It definitely wasn’t because I was intimidated by his scary face.

At 187cm, I wasn’t short by any means, but the coach looked even taller than me.

“First, have a seat.”

As I sat down, the coach, with sparkling eyes that contrasted with his gruff face, asked.

“By any chance, what do you think must accompany a strong defense?”

‘In the novel, he used extremely offensive tactics.’

“A strong offense makes a strong def-“

Bang!

“That’s right! That’s exactly it!”

“Coach Cheon Mu-seok, please calm down.”

Coach Kim, who was behind him, stopped Coach Cheon Mu-seok as he slammed the desk and stood up.

“Ahem, I got a little excited.”

Coach Cheon Mu-seok sat back down and said.

“Your thinking is correct. A strong offense is the best defense. And the tactic we’ll be using for this Olympics is also a very aggressive one.”

I nodded.

As someone who had read the novel, I already knew all about it.

“Have you heard of Wave Pressing?”

‘Wave Pressing?’

‘The name of the tactic wasn’t specifically mentioned in the novel.’

‘Or am I just not remembering it?’

“No, this is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“It’s natural that you haven’t heard of it. It’s a tactic I came up with in Germany.”

‘Did he just make up a name for a tactic he only thought about and asked me?’

‘Coach seems to have a pretty strong sense of self-love.’

“Let me explain. Once you hear the tactical explanation, you’ll immediately understand why I came.”

Hearing the coach’s explanation, I could certainly understand why he had sought me out.

Wave Pressing was an extremely offensive tactic where even the goalkeeper joined the attacking line.

‘It’s definitely a tactic that no one but me could pull off.’

A tactic where the goalkeeper goes all the way to the attacking line to participate in the offense.

It was a strategy unimaginable with common football sense.

Wouldn’t that only be possible if the goalkeeper was a top-tier attacker from another world?

‘Seeing that this is a different tactic from the one in the novel, it means he couldn’t find the right goalkeeper before seeing my solo play in the finals and had to compromise.’

The tactic used in the novel was very similar to the one Napoli used when they won, a typical tactic that placed immense responsibility on the defenders.

But because there was no player like Kim Min-jae, they conceded a lot of goals.

“This tactic, it demands a lot from me, doesn’t it?”

Coach Cheon Mu-seok nodded and replied.

“Yes, the core of this tactic is your judgment.”

“The entire defensive line changes depending on when and how you move.”

“You’ll not only have to fulfill your role as a goalkeeper but sometimes move like an attacker or a midfielder.”

He paused for a breath and continued.

“It will also be a position that is quite demanding physically.”

“You’ll have to constantly move back and forth between the goal and the attacking zone.”

“But from what I’ve seen of you, I believe you can definitely do it.”

‘Hmm… What should I do…’

Going to the Olympics is definitely a good opportunity. There was the issue of military service in the novel too.

But if I join a team that was eliminated in the preliminaries, can I actually win a medal?

Many thoughts crossed my mind.

“I understand.”

“You must have a lot to consider.”

“There will definitely be people who point fingers and curse, calling this tactic a joke, but…”

At that moment, Coach Cheon Mu-seok’s eyes sharpened, and a smile spread across his lips.

“Wouldn’t it be fun, this tactic?”

I paused for a moment at the coach’s words.

Right, since when did I categorize football by ‘can I do it or not’?

It was true that I practiced hard with the belief that I could succeed, but it wasn’t just that.

I genuinely loved football.

‘Right, since when did I set my own limits?’

With this thought, I felt the dormant fighting spirit, which had won many awards, reawakening within me.

“I was thinking too timidly.”

I said with a smile.

“There will be no one else who can execute your tactic 100% besides me.”

“Good.”

“You’re as fiery as your looks.”

“Let’s meet at the training ground next time.”

After finishing his words, Coach Cheon Mu-seok bid farewell to Coach Kim Seung-hyun and left the coach’s office.

“Tae-woo, will you be okay?”

“If this tactic fails, the position that will get the most blame is-“

“Coach, you know.”

I cut him off with a grin.

“That I’m good.”

Seeing my confident expression, Coach Kim Seung-hyun smiled.

“Yeah, who am I worried about?”

***

Late evening at 7 PM, two girls were dancing passionately to the music echoing in the GY Entertainment practice room.

“Now, let’s just make it mine~”

Matching the song’s lyrics, the two perfectly synchronized their movements and struck the final pose.

“Ugh~ Okay, good job.”

Sweeping up her sweat-drenched bangs, I looked at Mi-na reflected in the mirror and said.

“Unni, it’s so hard~~”

Mi-na whined, collapsing onto the floor.

“Still, we have to do it somehow.”

“Next week is the monthly evaluation.”

“There’s no one who works as hard as we do.”

“But… Unni, aren’t your dance lines too good? Ehehe~”

“Hey, hey, don’t cling to me, we’re sweaty.”

I gently pushed away Mi-na, who was approaching with aegyo.

“Tsk, so mean.”

‘Mi-na really has a lot of aegyo and a pretty face, so why is Jeong Tae-woo so uninterested in his own younger sister?’

“It’s late, let’s shower quickly and go home.”

And so, on the way home after showering with Mi-na.

“But Unni…”

“Yeah?”

“By any chance… do you like my older brother?”

At Mi-na’s question, I stopped walking and looked at her.

Suddenly, my heart started beating rapidly.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

My voice trembled slightly as I answered Mi-na.

“No, it’s just, you two have known each other for a long time, and you look good together, but you say you’re not dating…”

“Mi-na, we’re just friends.”

“We’ve known each other since we were little…”

I tried hard to answer calmly, but my friend’s words from school echoed in my ears.

“Hey, are you guys really not dating?”

‘So, to others, we look like we’re dating.’

“Unni, why are your ears suddenly turning red?”

“Are my ears red?”

When I touched my ear, I felt a hot sensation.

My heart began to pound.

“Unni, don’t tell me…”

Mi-na’s eyes widened, and she smiled knowingly.

“Ah…No! It’s just… I’m cold.”

“Oh really? I’m super hot though.”

“Y-yeah, I’m a bit cold.”

“Unni, could it be that you got a fever thinking about Oppa?”

“Is this the legendary love sickness?”

“Hey! What are you talking about!”

Mi-na giggled and ran away, and I chased after her with a flushed face.

Chatting like that, I took Mi-na home and was on my way to my own.

“Why did my ears suddenly turn red?”

Touching my ear, it was still hot.

My heart was beating fast, and Tae-woo’s face kept popping into my mind.

‘No, this is just… Right, it’s because of the weather.’

‘The night air is cold, that must be it.’

I tried to convince myself, but Tae-woo’s smile and mischievous eyes kept appearing in my thoughts.

“Hey, we’re just friends. We’ve known each other since we were little…”

Even as I mumbled, a strange fluttering sensation arose in a corner of my chest.

‘This is just… Right, it’s because Mi-na said something weird.’

‘Why would I… Tae-woo…’

I stopped walking and looked up at the night sky. Under the twinkling stars, I tried to calm my confused heart.

‘I’m tired from practicing for so long.’

‘Everything will be fine tomorrow morning.’

Comforting myself like that, I hurried home.

Beep beep beep beep- Clunk!

“I’m home.”

I flinched in surprise at the familiar voice that greeted me as soon as I opened the front door.

“Well, well, Father, your eye for football is truly remarkable.”

“Kyahaha, Tae-woo, you rascal.”

“Since when did you become a Man City fan?”

“Then you should have come to me first, you brat.”

‘Why is Tae-woo here?’

I took a deep breath and headed to the living room.

“Ah, Da-min. You’re here?”

“Uh, yes…”

And when my eyes met Tae-woo’s, I felt my ears burning again.

“Hey, Jang Da-min.”

“Why are you so late?”

“I’ve been waiting for a while.”

At Tae-woo’s words, I answered sharply without realizing it.

“What’s it to you?”

“Whenever I come.”

“Why are you angry?”

“I came to tell you some good news.”

“Haha, our Da-min these days is going through pubert-“

I glared sharply at my father, and he stopped talking and cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

“Alright, let’s go to my room first.”

Urging Tae-woo, I headed to my room, and as soon as I closed the door, Tae-woo excitedly spoke.

“Oppa did it, Da-min.”

“Oppa, what.”

“So, what is it?”

“If it’s nothing special, you’re dead to me.”

Tae-woo said with a playful smile.

“I’m going to the Olympics.”

“Huh, really?”

My voice rose unknowingly.

“The coach came to me directly to ask me to go with Oppa.”

“How about that, is this much?”

“Does it feel a bit like that goalkeeper then?”

At Tae-woo’s playful question, I felt my face flush for a moment.

‘He remembered.’