Episode 1: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 1: The Day I Had a Silly Dream

I blink my eyes.

...A dream?

There’s an unpleasant dampness on my back, probably from cold sweat.

I sit up, feeling uncomfortable, and the world is dark around me.

I fumble around the unfamiliar bed until I find my phone.

When I turn on the screen, it’s 4 AM.

“…Ha. What a stupid dream.”

I let out a sigh and toss my phone aside.

It's 4:40 AM… Should I sleep more?

I close my eyes and lie down again, but I know I won't fall back asleep.

After tossing and turning a few times, I sit up again.

As I scratch my head, I remember that I have to leave the apartment by 7 AM today. It’s probably better to wake up early than risk oversleeping and being late.

Today’s the first day of training camp.

The first day of training camp.

In other words, today is the day I officially join the soccer club.

It’s the day I become a new member of the proud Hojin University soccer club.

...I feel like dying.

Hojin University.

Also known as “Hujin University.”

It’s one of those obscure colleges, over four hours away from Seoul by car, the type of place that even the legendary warrior who slept through the entire college entrance exam would be accepted into. The lowest of the low in the obscure university rankings.

...Is my future really okay like this?

I can only sigh in despair, but at least I find some comfort in the fact that I didn’t get in through academics.

Sure, Hojin University may be at rock bottom in terms of academic standards, but when it comes to sports, especially the athletic department, it’s considered somewhat decent.

So yeah.

Not to brag, but I’m one of the soccer club members at Hojin University, and I’m considered somewhat of an ace.

“I just want to be a starter soon and make it to the K League~”

People may laugh and ask if the K League even counts as a league, but for a soccer player, even making it to the K League means you’ve reached the elite of the elite.

There are plenty of people kicking a ball around and plenty who’ve played soccer throughout middle and high school, calling themselves players. But how many of them actually make it to the K League?

There are only 12 teams in the K League.

Even if you include the second division, there are just 23 teams in total.

Soccer is a sport with 11 players on the field, so if you count the starting 11 and the rotation of 11 more, that’s 22 players. Adding a few backup members, each team has an average of 30 to 40 players at most.

In other words, the first-team depth of a K League team is at most 30 to 40 players.

With 23 teams in both the K League 1 and 2, that means only around 700 to 800 players can play in the domestic professional league.

There are thousands, even tens of thousands, of kids with dreams of becoming soccer players across the country, but only this many make it to the K League.

And that’s not all.

The famous “Lion King” player kept playing until his 40s.

[T/N: In the K League, the nickname "Lion King" refers to Lee Dong-gook, a legendary striker known for being the league's all-time top scorer and for his long, successful career with Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.]

So in reality, only a few dozen players can enter the K League each year. The competition is so intense that it’s almost mind-blowing.

The K League is scary…!

‘…But, even after all this talk, it’s just the domestic league.’

No matter how tough the competition is or how deep the player pool is… it's still just the domestic league.

If you can’t even dominate the domestic league, how are you supposed to become a player in Europe?

Back in middle school, I was a bit of a prodigy.

With my small stature, excellent footwork, decent acceleration, overwhelming agility and reaction speed, and great body balance, people used to say I reminded them of Messi.

Of course, they only said I reminded them of Messi—I wasn’t actually Messi.

Maybe I had already used up all my future potential, because my slow growth in high school was enough to send a promising prospect like me into a downward spiral.

And that’s how I ended up like this.

“At times like this, if only I had a status window…??”

Why is this really trending?

* * *

I thought it over.

What if the silly dream I had wasn’t just a silly dream?

What if that dream was real, even though it didn’t seem quite right?

‘Something feels off.’

I distinctly remember wishing for sex.

Sex.

That act of getting intimate with a woman.

How is that even related to soccer?

If I try to force a connection, it could be that popular soccer players are obviously attractive to the opposite sex and have lots of opportunities for sex. Plus, since soccer is a sport that heavily relies on lower body strength and endurance, it could lead to better sexual satisfaction?

But that can’t be it.

So, is it… that?

I pulled up the status window again.

【Skills】      【Mental】     【Physical】

Ball Control 062  ｜Vision 046｜   Speed 059            

Dribbling 055｜Anticipation 044｜Acceleration 063  

Trapping 057｜Decision-Making 042｜Balance 056  

Short Pass 048｜Concentration 056｜Agility 059  

Long Pass 041｜Off-the-Ball 047｜Reaction Time 079  

Shooting 045 ｜Marking 038｜Power 054  

Free Kick 042｜Calmness 052｜Jumping 046  

Heading 038｜Leadership 040｜Stamina 047  

Tackling 032｜Teamwork 039｜Recovery 065  

【Hidden】        

Genius 046｜Charm 045｜Intelligence 028  

【Height: 175 cm｜Weight: 63 kg】  

【Available Points: 50 Special Points】  

*Special points awarded as a first-time bonus!  

*Each special point increases any stat by 1!

A translucent hologram appeared in front of my eyes.

‘Ah, damn. There are too many letters. And so many numbers. I’m not good with numbers.’

But these numbers… Aren’t they kind of low?

In most games, the stat limit is usually 99 or 100, but my numbers are in the 40s to 60s. Damn, some are even in the 30s.

“…I see! I get it!!”

The stat limit for this status window must be 80!

Prime Messi probably had a ball control of 8x.

It doesn't make sense that my individual skill, which has been rated at a professional level since middle school, is only 62.

"Huh? There's some points here?"

I hate dealing with a lot of text and numbers, but after forcing myself to look, I noticed some points—probably a perk or something.

Ah, of course, if I have 50 points, I should definitely use them.

"Now, how should I distribute these to get a reputation for good allocation?"

Should I invest in technique to become the next Messi? Or should I start with the lower stats?

The hesitation didn't last long.

After all, a man’s got to go all in.

There's a famous saying in the soccer world: Better to be a player with standout strengths than a small all-rounder.

50 points.

It might seem like a lot, but if I distribute them across too many stats, I’d just end up as a mediocre all-rounder.

So, I'm going to become Messi—huh?

"Hidden? What's this?"

Genius? Charisma? And what's intelligence? Why the hell is my intelligence only 28?

Clearly, the person who made this has no conscience.

Sure, my grades are pretty bad.

But that's because I'm in the soccer club, not because I'm dumb. If I studied like the others, my grades wouldn’t be like this.

I just don't have time to study because of soccer, but if I did, I'd do well.

Even my mom said I'd do well if I tried.

'...Though Da-yeon did say I was dumb.'

Without hesitation, I allocated the points.

[Hidden]

Genius: 046 ｜ Charisma: 095▲ ｜ Intelligence: 028

[Height: 175 cm｜63 kg]

[Available Points] 0P

Man, this is 'sexy'.

Sexy!!

Sure, there are still some disappointing stats, but I have no regrets about my choice. Not a single bit of shame.

Soccer will grow with training, but charisma—charisma is something that doesn’t grow with training.

Ah~ and my intelligence is still 28?

‘Well, soccer isn’t everything in life, right? You need to be good-looking to have se—’

What…?

Why does my whole body hurt?

As my vision darkens, I see my trembling fingers.

Am I really about to die like this?

No, this can’t be happening! I haven't even had sex yet!!

In front of me, the image of my first love flickers.

The girl next door who I’d been close with since before kindergarten. We stuck together all the way from preschool to elementary school... But when I confessed, she looked disgusted and brutally rejected me. She was a bitch, but damn, she was pretty... and her body was insane too.

I was planning to confess again when I got the chance, but… damn.

Why does it have to be this embarrassing memory at the end…

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!!

"Gasp!"

I shot up from my bed to the sound of an alarm.

...Huh? Why does this feel so familiar?

"Ugh, what a crappy dream."

First day of school and it's already off to a bad start.

Checking the time, I saw there wasn’t even enough time to eat breakfast. Forget breakfast, I was already on the verge of being late even if I got ready right away.

I hurried through a shower, barely dried my hair with a towel, threw on my clothes, and rushed out the door.

The school was in such a remote area that everything—the apartment, the surroundings—felt unfamiliar.

While running, I spotted a man and a woman arguing on the side of the road.

"I said no."

"Please, just give me a moment of your time."

"I said no!"

What an unlucky start to the morning, seeing a cockroach couple… though the girl was way too pretty to describe it like that.

She’s probably the prettiest girl I've ever seen.

My pace slowed down.

Ah, how could I pass up a chance to admire such a beautiful woman?

As I passed by, I even sniffed the air on purpose. I think she smelled really nice too.

Ah~ Lucky me. What a great start to the day. Jackpot~

"Excuse me."

Just as I regretfully passed by, the woman suddenly called out to me, making me jump.

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

A beautiful woman like this talking to me? Could she be interested in me…? Nah, only a fool would think like that.

I know my place well.

And with bad memories involving pretty girls, I enjoy admiring them, but I prefer not getting involved.

"What is it?"

"What is it?"

What do you mean, 'what is it'?

"Hah. Could you help get this guy off my back?"

"Why should I?"

"...Why should you?"

It feels like we’re repeating the same conversation.

"Look, I'm busy right now. You handle your own problems."

Even if I help, it’s not like she’d pay any attention to me.

I know this well.

Because I’ve been used by pretty girls plenty of times before.

"Hey! Hey!!"

I don't know, I can't hear you.

I really need to get going before I’m late.

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