Chapter 6: The Bullfrog's Appearance (1)

"Wow, that kid... his ball handling is not just ordinary."

Jonggangrye stood by the window, letting out a small exclamation of admiration at the two players he saw outside.

Preparations for the opening match against Incheon were already a secondary concern.

Chief Coach Kim Gwangsu also couldn't hide his surprise at Homariu's play.

'Is that kid really that good at soccer?'

With his extensive experience in the soccer world, Kim Gwangsu knew.

Homariu's ball control and balance, as well as his individual skills, were beyond the realm of ordinary people.

He even had the strength to withstand Jeong Jaemin's rough charging.

'He looked so frail on the outside. But inside, he's a tough guy.'

Of course, Jeong Jaemin's performance last season was at rock bottom.

Even so.

"Chief Coach, what's that kid's name?"

"Oh, right. His name is Homariu."

"Homariu! His name sounds like he's destined to be a soccer player! Is he from the Ho family in Sinpyeong? No, but he hasn't even joined the soccer club yet?"

"Yes, as far as I know, that's the case."

"His skills are at that level, and he hasn't received any scouting offers from high school teams... hmm."

"Ha, ha. That's what I'm saying."

Kim Gwangsu's mind was filled with such questions.

Homariu, who grew up with his daughter Mijeong since childhood.

Even though Kim Gwangsu didn't know much about Homariu's school life, he had seen him a few times as his daughter's childhood friend and knew a bit about him.

'He seemed like a timid kid who had built a wall against sports.'

The Homariu Kim Gwangsu knew was a very weak child.

A kid who would cry after being beaten up by neighborhood kids and seek comfort from Mijeong.

Because of this, Homariu was always remembered as a small, frail child.

However.

"Look at that, look at that. Wow!"

Exclamations of admiration kept coming from Jonggangrye's mouth.

This time, Homariu quickly advanced the ball with his right instep, and when Jeong Jaemin closed in, he turned with a crossover.

Jeong Jaemin stumbled and lost the ball in an instant.

Homariu made Jeong Jaemin look like a helpless pedestrian, then lightly stepped to the penalty mark and scored another goal with his right foot.

"Wow...!"

Jonggangrye let out a short exclamation.

Even though he was not a regular player, it was clear that Homariu was playing with ease against a pro-level player.

Jonggangrye, who had a higher eye for talent than Kim Gwangsu, kept exclaiming in admiration.

Kim Gwangsu's gaze couldn't be taken away from Homariu.

Right then.

"Chief Coach."

"Yes?"

"That kid. Let's put him in the practice match tomorrow."

"Is that really okay?"

Jonggangrye's words made Kim Gwangsu's eyes widen.

Even if he was exceptionally talented, putting a non-semi-pro civilian in a practice game?

Jonggangrye shrugged and took a cigarette from his chest pocket, putting it in his mouth.

"I heard that kid is aiming for the Primeira Liga?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Then we should test him beforehand."

Kim Gwangsu felt a bit embarrassed.

At first, it was just to make Jeong Jaemin realize the gap between him and pro soccer players.

But Homariu's unexpected play crushed Jeong Jaemin.

When Jonggangrye first heard this amusing story, he was busy scolding Homariu.

"To save our Chief Coach's face, shouldn't we check him out through a practice match?"

Now, his attitude had completely changed.

"Is that really okay?"

Kim Gwangsu was also curious to see if Homariu could show the same skills in the practice match.

It could be that his freestyle soccer skills were exceptional, or that Jeong Jaemin's skills were worse than expected.

Jonggangrye exhaled the smoke he had inhaled and added.

"Phew! Tell him to be here by 2 PM tomorrow."

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. As you know, discovering young talents is my hobby. Whether they become my players or others', I just want to see good players emerge."

This was a relief for Kim Gwangsu.

If it were another coach, he wouldn't even let him on the training ground.

Fortunately, Jonggangrye was a man who took pleasure in discovering young talents and helping them debut as pros.

This season alone, he had called up Kim Dongchun and Kim Yeonwoo, who had been demoted to the second team under the Park Hang-seok system, back to the first team.

The media didn't call Jeonggangrye's team the "Jeonggangrye Kindergarten" for nothing.

Kim Gwangsu quietly took out his phone.

* * *

When the sports backpack I had placed on the bench started vibrating, I quickly opened the zipper and took out my phone.

"Ugh..."

Jeong Jaemin, who had been hit squarely in the face by the soccer ball, was still writhing in pain and groaning.

"You bastard...!"

Curses kept spewing out like coughs.

Hmm, he's just being dramatic.

Turning my back to Jeong Jaemin, I pressed the call button and answered cheerfully.

"Yes, Father!"

(Come to the practice match at 2 PM tomorrow, 30 minutes early. Make sure you're in good condition by then.)

Click!

The call ended with those few words.

Snap!

Closing the flip phone, I glanced at Jeong Jaemin and smiled.

"Today was fun. I'd like to ask you to be my punching bag again, senior! You were amazing!"

With that, I slung my backpack over my shoulder and strode toward the training ground entrance.

"Hey, you! Where are you going? Aren't you supposed to stay there!?"

What a vulgar kid.

Jeong Jaemin, who had struggled to get up halfway, shouted curses, but I ignored him.

Both of my parents are alive and well.

* * *

"Ugh!"

Thud!

It takes almost an hour to travel from the Masan intercity bus terminal to the Jinju intercity bus terminal.

Taking the train would cut the time in half, but I didn't have a thousand won to spare, so I passed on it.

After the long journey, I returned home and threw myself onto the bed.

Lying in the dark room, I stared at the ceiling and fell into thought.

'I'll make a strong impression on Kim Gwangsu in tomorrow's match and then leave for Portugal.'

From a professional player's perspective, the instruction to play a practice match with a civilian would naturally cause complaints.

'But they can't say anything, right?'

In this era, the culture of doing as you're told is deeply ingrained, so they have no choice.

If things go wrong, they might start with a beating.

'They'll probably just take out their frustrations on me and make my life miserable.'

However, after several reincarnations, I was confident that the path I was about to take was the cleanest.

'If everything goes according to plan, I'll smoothly go to Portugal, meet Sporting Lisbon's scout, and take the entry test.'

It was simpler than joining the K League, which has a complex structure.

I just need to show my skills in front of the coach and officials.

However.

'Given my current young body, which has never played soccer, and my almost bare stats, I can't handle the Primeira Liga right now.'

I definitely felt my body was heavier than when I was in full gear.

Until a few days ago, I had dominated the EPL with a strong physique, but now I was back to my weak high school body.

In the match against Jeong Jaemin, my ball control wasn't as free as I wanted, and my flexibility was so poor that my body creaked with every big movement.

If I didn't have the physicality of a 3-year-retired Peter Crouch, I would have been overpowered in the physical battles.

'I need to train my body consistently.'

Every time I reincarnate, I feel the same frustration at the beginning when I have nothing.

I'll probably be in pain for a while.

But after a moment, I subtly smiled.

"Mission window."

At my words, a holographic window appeared.

It read:

Defeat Se Sungmin in the competition!

The more victories you have, the higher the value of the random item!

2010-2011 Season Random Item ???

Retired 10-year Wayne Rooney's Belly D-

"Not bad, no, it's very good!"

In previous reincarnations, I had grown through 'sudden missions.'

The advantage of sudden missions was that there was no limit to the item grade.

Even in easy missions, I could get more efficient items than expected.

Of course, the probability of getting A-grade or higher items was extremely low...

But the difficulty also came from the fact that they were 'sudden' missions.

'Sometimes a time-limited mission would pop up while I was in the bathroom.'

Fortunately, this mission came at just the right time, and the better I performed, the better the reward.

Even if I got an unnecessary item, I could save it for item synthesis to get a higher grade.

Moreover.

'Se Sungmin.'

The rookie who joined Jeongnam FC through the 2007-2008 end-of-year draft was my target.

His position was midfielder.

'He's the brightest star among the rising stars.'

He was destined to have a career like An Jung-hwan, Kim Do-woon, Choi Sang-guk, Seo Dong-hyun, and Choi Chil-woo, scoring his debut goal in his first match.

Not only that.

'He was the first to score two goals in his K League debut... and he'll wear the Taeguk mark in a few days.'

Soon, the 24-man roster for the 2010 South Africa World Cup, the third round of the Asian qualifiers, would be announced.

Se Sungmin would be the first player from Jeongnam FC to wear the Taeguk mark.

But I was confident.

"Hehehe."

Even if I was bare, how many could beat me against the Tanus of Mabul?

Almost none.

At least, there was no one in the K League who could beat me.

* * *

The next day.

Masan Comprehensive Stadium.

After the morning training, the players were resting near the bench, and most of them were discussing the rumor that had started the day before.

"Did you hear? Jaemin got beaten by some high school kid yesterday."

"What? Not even a college player, but a high school player?"

"No, I heard it wasn't even a high school player, just a regular student."

"Wow, is that even possible? So he only learned soccer until middle school?"

"No, I heard from Dong that the Chief Coach and the manager were talking secretly, and he said he didn't even try to join a middle school team."

"Are you lying to me?"

"I'm not lying."

"I heard he came to Korea after playing in an overseas youth league."

"Who did you hear that from?"

"I heard a fan muttering beyond the fence a little while ago. He said he saw with his own eyes that the kid crushed Jaemin yesterday."

While the team members were chatting, Se Sungmin, who had joined Jeongnam FC through the end-of-year draft, was stretching on one side of the pitch.

Kim Dongchun, who was the same age, was also with him.

"Is it true?"

"What is?"

"That he didn't even try to join a middle school team."

At Se Sungmin's question, Kim Dongchun, who was doing stretches in place, exhaled and nodded.

"I think I've heard that 30 times today, Sungmin."

"So is it true?"

"Yes, it's true. And it's not that he didn't try, he didn't even attempt it. And if you see that Jaemin is skipping training today because of a stomachache, you know, right?"

"He might really have a stomachache."

"Shut up. He's just embarrassed. I know that punk well as his roommate."

Se Sungmin turned to the side and let out a short exclamation.

"Still, he's impressive. To beat Jaemin."

"Are you going to keep making me say 'shut up'? To me, Jaemin is just a terrible player. He was always drinking during the season."

"Hey, be careful, the seniors might hear you. Still, he's like a god to us."

"Let them hear. Jaemin deserves the criticism. How many players has he intimidated because he was annoyed? Phew! Anyway, the kid who beat him is going to play in today's practice match."

"I'm looking forward to it. I wonder how well he'll do."

"He's just better than Jaemin, that's all."

Time flowed like water as the two continued their conversation.

And around 1:30 PM.

Creak!

A small, green-clad young man stepped into the rusty training ground entrance.

The players' gazes all turned to him.

And.

"Hello, seniors! I'm a rising star who dreams of becoming a pro, Ho, Mariu!"

Homariu, introducing himself as a rising star, bowed 90 degrees.

At that moment, Se Sungmin, who was doing abdominal exercises with his back to the pitch, shuddered.

That's because.

'Is he smiling?'

Homariu's lips, which were bowed, were curled up very maliciously.