Chapter 81: Racism (4)

The first half ended 1-0 with a fantastic goal from Guerrero.

The Arsenal fans, believing they could finally break through Manchester City’s goal this time, cheered passionately, but a sense of disappointment was evident as they ultimately failed to score.

“Why the hell isn’t the ball going in!”

“It’s because of that Asian guy…”

“To think we have to lose to that yellow monkey again.”

Hate-filled voices erupted from the stands.

But their anger and ridicule only served to expose their helplessness more starkly.

No matter how much they attacked, no matter how much they cursed, Jeong Taewoo’s goal remained unmoved.

It was then.

A small movement arose among the few City fans gathered in the away section.

“This won’t do. We need to lift Taewoo’s spirits.”

“That’s right. If Taewoo crumbles, City will crumble too. We have to be strong!”

The fans, having gathered their resolve, began to shout thunderously through the Arsenal fans’ boos as the players came out for the second half.

“Taewoooooooo!!!!”

“Show them your class in the second half too!”

“You think you can score a goal when Taewoo is standing in front of the goal!!”

“Our handsome goalkeeper, fighting!!!”

Though small in number, their voices echoed louder than any boo.

Leaning against the railing, watching them cheer enthusiastically through the boos, I smiled brightly.

“Thank you!”

As I clapped my hands along with my words, they screamed even more enthusiastically.

The sound of their cheers seeped deep into my heart.

Thump- thump-

As I entered the field, I slowly looked around.

Hendricks was still glaring at me with disgust, and other players sent similar hostile glances.

From the stands, a constant stream of racist boos and curses poured down.

‘I give it five minutes.’

A faint smile touched my lips.

Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!

The whistle blew as the players took their positions.

[The second half of Manchester City vs. Arsenal is starting. The second half begins with Manchester City’s kick-off. Will Arsenal be able to break through Manchester City’s iron wall, Jeong Tae… Huh? Wait a minute, why is Jeong Taewoo standing there?]

A card no coach had ever tried, or even thought of trying.

The goalkeeper is standing in the midfielder formation, not in front of the goal.

There is no problem with the regulations.

There are no restrictions on the goalkeeper’s position before the start of the game.

[This is… truly amazing. It’s a well-known fact that Jeong Taewoo is an excellent dribbler despite being a goalkeeper, but…]

[A completely empty goal! If the ball is stolen, it’s an immediate goal. Isn’t this a gamble?]

[Coach Peter Guardian… Is this the innovation of new football that he will show, or a fatal misjudgment? The entire stadium is holding its breath.]

Even the sound of boos from the stands momentarily ceased.

Everyone was watching this unbelievable sight.

Guerrero received the ball and immediately passed it back,

and the ball landed at my feet.

A sneer spread across Hendricks’s face as he ran towards me.

“Ha, your team’s coach is strange too. What kind of goalkeeper doesn’t know his place…”

Smirk-

“You’re smiling?”

Hendricks’s voice rose sharply.

[Jeong Taewoo completely gets past the blocking Hendricks with a phantom dribble of incredible speed! No, is Jeong Taewoo really a goalkeeper? How is such a god-like dribble possible?]

It was a play I had shown often in the Olympics, but in Europe, I had shown myself as a stable goalkeeper rather than an aggressive one to fit the team’s tactics.

So most people only know me as ‘a goalkeeper with good saves.’

My current appearance would be nothing short of a shock to them.

‘But my personality isn’t that great…’

Even after completely getting past him with a dribble, I stopped in my tracks.

I slowly turned my head towards Hendricks, who was standing blankly behind me,
and beckoned with my finger in a provocative manner.

As if to say, ‘come on.’

[Oh… oh! What is this? Jeong Taewoo, even after completely getting past Hendricks, deliberately stopped in his tracks! It’s as if… as if he’s gesturing, ‘Want to try again?’ Such a provocative gesture… Is this a response to the racist ceremony in the first half?]

[To be honest, I don’t like such plays from a sportsmanship perspective… but considering the unpleasant situation in the first half, I understand how Jeong Taewoo feels.]

“Waaaaah!!”
The roar of the City fans shook the stadium.

Though they were few, their cheers were more intense than ever.

“Tear that bastard’s eyes out!”

“Hendricks! Break that bastard’s legs!”

Even harsher curses poured out from the Arsenal stands.

The racist boos became even more blatant.

Hendricks’s face flushed red.

A torrent of venomous curses erupted from his mouth.

“You son of a b*tch… you dare ignore me?”

Hendricks charged, enraged.

‘You were the one laughing at me in the first half.’

The moment he charged, I gracefully performed a Marseille turn.

The ball rotated smoothly along the tip of my foot, passed between his legs, and my body, like a dancer, elegantly turned and completely got past him.

[Oh… oh my god! Jeong Taewoo’s Marseille turn! A goalkeeper with such a skill…!]

Hendricks, caught off guard, hastily turned his body.

His face was contorted with anger.

“You f*cking bastard… I’ll break your legs.”

Hendricks charged again.

But this time, I had a card prepared.

The skill that strikers hate to be beaten by from a defender the most.

The ball, lightly lifted, drew a graceful parabola over Hendricks’s head.

Rainbow flick.

[This is crazy! Jeong Taewoo with a rainbow flick this time! He’s made a fool of Arsenal’s ace striker twice! Is this really a play a goalkeeper can make?]

As the ball passed over his head, I whispered in his ear as I passed by.

“What are you going to do if you can’t use your feet better than a goalkeeper?”

Those words were the trigger.

Reason completely vanished from Hendricks’s eyes.

He grabbed my uniform as if he would never let go, but I slipped out of his grasp with ease.

Rather, he, who was trying to grab me forcefully, lost his balance and tumbled onto the grass.

[Ah… no, this is… Hendricks has completely collapsed. By Jeong Taewoo’s skill, and his provocation… he’s been completely made a fool of. The stadium, which was full of curses and boos, has completely quieted down…]

[Looking at it so far, I understand why Coach Peter Guardian used him as a field player instead of in front of the goal. But it’s not over yet. No matter how outstanding his individual skills are, if he loses the ball at the end or fails to score, he could allow a tie with a single counterattack.]

After breaking through Hendricks, I looked ahead and saw Guerrero charging up the left flank.

“Taewoo! Here!”

The moment I saw him, I didn’t hesitate.

I hit a cross with the outside of my right foot, as if curling it.

The ball flew towards Guerrero in a perfect parabola.

If it had been Coach Cheon Museok’s tactics, I would have had to return to the goal by now.

But Coach Peter Guardian was different.

According to his tactics, I had to run towards the goal just like a normal field player.

Guerrero, who received the ball on the left flank, passed the ball back.

It was Mathias who received the ball.

‘Now’s the time.’

Mathias and I had practiced this scene countless times without needing words.

The moment his cross flew in,

I was already running towards the goal.

The trajectory that I had blocked thousands of times as a goalkeeper was clearly drawn in my mind.

0.1 seconds. The time the ball grazes over the defender’s head.

0.2 seconds. The moment the goalkeeper starts to react.

0.3 seconds. The timing I need to jump.

I knew better than anyone how a goalkeeper reacts when a cross comes in.

In the split second that the cross came up and the goalkeeper was making a judgment,
I was already throwing my body.

I floated in the air with a jump that seemed to have been shot up.

Before the goalkeeper could even react, my head strongly pushed the ball.

[Unbelievable! Jeong Taewoo’s heading shot! The timing was as if he had perfectly calculated the goalkeeper’s reaction speed! The Arsenal goalkeeper couldn’t even move!]

[An amazing scene! It was a perfectly timed jump, as if he knew where the ball would come from beforehand. His amazing reaction speed, honed as a goalkeeper, is now shining in attack as well. Jeong Taewoo is now showing the sharp sense he showed in defense in attack as well!]

My reaction speed is certainly a special weapon that transcends the position of a goalkeeper.

A normal player would have to go through the process of ‘situation awareness – judgment – execution,’ but I am different.

The moment a thought comes to mind, my body is already reacting.

Guerrero’s movement was as fast as lightning.

If it had been another player, by the time they found him and worried about the timing of the pass, the Arsenal defense would have filled the gap.

But I was different.

In the split second that Guerrero came into my sight, thought and action became one.

As if input and output were happening at the same time, like a computer.

As soon as the goal went in, I picked up the ball from inside the goal.

Picking up the ball meant ‘I’m going to start the game right away.’

But my steps were different.

With the ball tucked under my left arm, I slowly ran towards the Arsenal stands.

My teammates, who were running towards me in a state of joy, must have read my intentions,
and suddenly slowed down and followed me, slowly staring at the stands.

As I ran towards the silent stands,

I imprinted each and every one of their faces in my eyes.
The faces that had been booing me just a moment ago.

‘The Asian you were laughing at just now shook your goal. Can you still make that gesture to me now?’

On my way back to our side of the field,
I saw Hendricks with his head hung low.

“Hendricks.”

At my voice, he raised his head.

His face was full of frustration, not anger.

“This is how you attack.”

“Damn it.”

He couldn’t say anything more and returned to his side of the field.

His back was endlessly pathetic.

Like a loser who has lost everything.