Chapter 92: An Even More Special Victory (7)

Everyone was focused on me.

The players’ gazes, the coaching staff’s gazes, and above all, Coach Guardian’s flushed face.

‘Ha… this is really awkward.’

But dragging it out here would be rude to Elizabeth.

As someone who already had a precious person named Damin, I had to answer her courageous confession honestly.

“Elizabeth… I’m already seeing someone.”

Elizabeth just blinked at my answer.

She probably never imagined she’d be rejected.

Well, it was understandable for her to think so.

She was really pretty, after all.

‘Though Damin is much prettier…’

“Jeong! Tae! Woo!”

Coach Guardian’s voice thundered across the training ground.

The coaches were holding him back, but his anger seemed to have already passed its breaking point.

“Are you daring to turn down Elizabeth right now?

She’s an Oxford medical student!

Do you know how incredible my Elizabeth is?

She was top of her class, does volunteer work every week, and won an award at the UK national piano competition!

What on earth is lacking in my Elizabeth…”

Coach Guardian’s voice grew louder and louder.

Now, the disappointment of a father whose daughter was rejected was seeping through.

“Hahaha…”

I looked at him with an awkward laugh.

‘Just a moment ago, he looked like he’d kill me if I dated her, and now that I’ve turned her down, he looks like he’s going to kill me again.’

Damin’s face came to mind.

No matter how perfect Elizabeth was, my heart was already full of Damin.

“…I didn’t expect to be turned down, but I’m still a fan.
Thanks to you, Jeong Taewoo, my father is always smiling.”

At Elizabeth’s words, the heavy atmosphere in the training ground lightened a little.

Coach Guardian, who had been angry, coughed awkwardly as if embarrassed by his daughter’s words.

“Ahem… When did I ever… smile like that…”

“I’ve soured the training atmosphere because of me. I’m sorry.”

“Haha, not at all. A person’s heart doesn’t always go the way they want it to.”

Matias, who was standing next to me, quickly stepped in to lighten the heavy mood.

Elizabeth opened her mouth again.

“Still, Jeong Taewoo…”

“Yes?”

“I’m not going to give up.”

Instead of answering, I offered an ambiguous smile.

Elizabeth didn’t seem to want an answer either, as she smiled brightly.

“This little sh*t…”

I thought I heard the coach’s small monologue, but I purposely ignored it.

If I turned my head that way now, I felt like an even bigger mess would ensue.

“Haha, I’ll be going now!

Dad, I came because I missed the players so much, and I think they’re all really great players.

I’ll be cheering for the next game, too.

Fighting!”

Elizabeth struck a cute fighting pose with a bright smile.

Then she turned around, waving to the training ground.

“Dad, walk me out.”

“Hoo… Alright.”

The coach let out a deep sigh and walked with her, then suddenly turned back to us.

His gaze was sharp, different from his usual charisma.

“You guys keep running laps around the training ground.”

The players had words they wanted to say stuck in their throats, but they all started running with their mouths shut.

Right now, in this moment, arguing with the coach, whose mood was thoroughly soured by his daughter’s confession, felt like it would really get them on his bad side.

And everyone cast a pitiful gaze towards me.

‘Poor guy… being that handsome isn’t always a good thing.’

‘Yeah, someone like me is just right. Being that handsome is actually tough.’

I also let out a deep sigh and started running silently.

As I took each step, Elizabeth’s final expression kept coming to mind.

‘Still, that’s a relief… It doesn’t seem like she was hurt.’

***

Peter Guardian watched his daughter walking ahead of him with a worried expression.

His daughter, even setting aside the bias of a doting father, was a child who was truly perfect in every way.

Not only did she have the outstanding academic ability to get into Oxford Medical School, but she also excelled in arts and sports.

On top of that, she had a warm heart that helped those in need.

He hated Jeong Taewoo for rejecting his daughter, but… on the other hand, he was grateful.

If he saw his daughter dating someone, he felt he wouldn’t be able to focus on the last two games of the season.

But this thought was fleeting, and Peter’s brow furrowed again as he looked at his daughter’s back.

She had never once been in a relationship.

For such a daughter to confess courageously in front of all the players, only to be rejected… how heartbroken she must be.

“Elizabeth… are you okay?”

He asked cautiously, out of concern.

No matter how bravely she acted, a father’s eyes could see his daughter’s trembling shoulders.

Elizabeth stopped walking and turned around.

In that moment, my heart sank.

Tears were already welling up in my daughter’s eyes.

“Ah… Dad… I…”

The tears she had been holding back finally burst forth.

My daughter, who had always been so confident and brave, was sniffling like a little child.

I was flustered.

Just a moment ago, she had been smiling bravely and saying goodbye, so I thought she would be somewhat okay, but I never expected her to break down like this.

I hastily pulled my daughter into a hug.

“It’s okay… it’s okay…”

“I… I really liked him…”

My daughter’s shoulders trembled with sobs.

I said nothing and just patted her back.

A corner of my heart ached.

‘That little bastard… I’ll never forgive him.’

“It’s okay, our daughter is a hundred, a thousand times better than that guy. It’s okay…”

Still…

That Jeong Taewoo guy.

A deep sigh escaped me for a moment.

At least he was honest with my daughter… I might have to admit that.

The fact that he didn’t hide his girlfriend and told her right away.

If he had met Elizabeth while hiding the fact that he had a girlfriend…

A chill ran down my spine.

I don’t know what I would have done then…

I might have forgotten I was a coach and everything else.

Of course, right now, comforting my daughter was the priority.

“Dad… has also cried a lot because of love.”

Elizabeth looked up with a tear-streaked face.

“Really…?”

“Of course. When your mother broke up with me… I couldn’t study properly for a month.”

“Dad…? That happened?”

My daughter’s sobs subsided a little.

I gently stroked my daughter’s hair.

“I can talk about it with a smile now, but back then… it really felt like the world had ended.”

Elizabeth’s tears stopped.

Now she was looking at me with curious eyes.

“But how… with Mom…”

I smiled for a moment.

“Your mother and I… were destined for each other in the end.”

I said, wiping away the last tear lingering on my daughter’s eyelid.

“You too, once you overcome this pain, you will surely meet your destiny. Dad is sure of it.”

“Hmm… It would have been nice if Jeong Taewoo was my destiny.”

“Good grief! That guy is an absolute no!”

“Hehehe.”

Hearing my daughter’s laughter, a sigh of relief escaped me automatically.

She wasn’t completely okay yet, but seeing her able to laugh made me feel like she was a little better now.

‘Now, how should I deal with that guy…’

I’m grateful he answered honestly, but…

I can never forgive him for hurting my daughter’s heart.

The next day at the training ground.

“Aargh! Help me, Coach!”

“Taewoo, stand right there!”

It is said that there was a particularly intense ‘personal guidance’ session at the training ground.

The screams of one goalkeeper, in particular, were heard for an unusually long time.

***

[Waaaah!]

[Jeong Taewoo is back!]

[Manchester City’s goal has become an iron wall again!]

[This… this is a save that cannot be explained with words!]

[On top of Lucan’s amazing defensive coordination shown in the last Chelsea match, today we have Jeong Taewoo’s unbelievable save show!]

[Brentford’s decisive chance… no, a ball that should have been a goal is blocked again by Jeong Taewoo!]

[Does this make any sense?]

[Is it because he’s rested?]

[Jeong Taewoo is really flying around today!]

How can a goalkeeper fly?

In today’s game, I was perfectly executing not only defense but also attack development.

I came out of the penalty box several times to participate in pass plays, and sometimes I even went up to near the halfway line to become the starting point of an attack.

The steps of the Brentford players had already grown heavy.

The look of resignation was evident in their eyes.

The 4-0 score on the scoreboard clearly showed the one-sided flow of this game.

‘The rest was helpful.’

My body felt significantly lighter after a good rest.

[Jeong Taewoo’s kick once again crosses the halfway line!]

[This time, it’s a fantastic combination with Guerrero!]

Lucan, watching all this from the bench, smiled without realizing it.

Every single one of Jeong Taewoo’s movements was like watching a work of art.

“Are you okay?”

I turned my head at the voice that suddenly came from my side. It was Matias.

“Ah, Captain. What are you talking about?”

“There are two games left… If Taewoo starts today and tomorrow, you might get angry.”

“Hmm, not really. That spot belongs to Taewoo anyway.”

It was true.

Lucan was actually admiring the game as he watched.

To think that such play was possible in the goalkeeper position.

Jeong Taewoo was showing new possibilities that he had never even imagined.

Besides…

He now had a different dream.

“Captain.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you know what Oliver said after watching the game?”

Matias tilted his head with interest.

“Oliver is your son, right? Hmm… Did he say you were cool?”

A warm smile spread across Lucan’s lips.

“He called me a magician. A soccer magician.

He said the players move to where I point with my hand… So, I’m thinking of becoming a real magician.”

“A magician… you mean you’re going to become a coach?”

“Yeah. Now my dream is to be the coach of City.”

Lucan looked at the field for a moment and then added.

“While I’m a player, I’ll teach Taewoo as much as I know… and learn a lot from the coach… and in the future, I really want to lead Taewoo.”

“You can do it.”

Matias’s words were sincere.

Lucan’s game analysis and defensive coordination skills shown in the Chelsea match were already on par with those of a coach.

[Manchester City, a 4-0 complete victory against Brentford!]

[Only one game remains!]

[If they win the Nottingham match, Manchester City’s historic first undefeated championship will be achieved!]

The excited voices of the commentators echoed through the stadium.

Lucan, sitting on the bench, clenched his fists without realizing it.

One day, he wanted to write a page of the new history that Jeong Taewoo was creating, together.

Not as a player, but as a coach, with Taewoo.

Dreaming of that day, Lucan looked at the field once more.