Episode 3: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 3: Ace of the Training Camp (2)

Huh? Wait a second.

What stats did I allocate again?

‘Damn it… I put everything into charm!’

I’m screwed!

In a moment of panic, my opponent quickly extended his foot.

He must have sensed that I flinched and instinctively saw it as a chance to steal the ball.

His move was sharper than what I’d faced in high school leagues, but this was still manageable.

As soon as his balance faltered, I swiftly kicked the ball between his legs.

Leaving him behind, stunned and falling on his rear, I sprinted forward at full speed.

‘This is my chance!’

The moment I regained possession of the ball, I dashed forward again.

Opponents rapidly closed in.

In the brief moment I glanced up, I saw a gap between the defensive midfielder who had pushed forward and the side defender providing backup.

Although the success rate wasn’t high, I confidently nudged the ball through the gap with the inside of both feet, quickly passing between them.

“Pass, phantom!”

As soon as I got past the shocked defenders, the goalpost came into view. A center-back stood in my way.

Even though I was thrilled with the success of this risky move, my balance was too shaky to take on the center-back as well.

Luckily, the flustered center-back rushed toward me, blocking the goalkeeper's line of sight.

Now that the goalkeeper's view was obstructed, this was my only chance!

Forcing myself to regain my balance, I firmly planted my foot.

* * *

Right after the game started, the head coach noticed the team of freshmen conceded a goal and twitched his lips before asking the Assistant coach beside him.

“What do you think, Coach?”

“About what?”

“The goal we just conceded.”

“If you saw it, why are you asking? Of course, it was successful.”

The Assistant coach’s wrinkled face remained impassive as the head coach asked more pointedly.

“I know, I saw it too. But do you think anyone caught on?”

“Not at all. Kids these days are good at acting naturally. No one noticed.”

Even as they talked, the Assistant coach mumbled as he watched the game continue.

“They’re all calm, even after such an easy goal. The kids are composed.”

“They’re not calm. They’re just unaware.”

“Hmm. Should we let them concede another goal?”

“Don’t bother. If we do that, the young ones will get so discouraged they won’t be able to play their game. Let’s push them a bit instead. If any of them have some fire, they should come out now.”

“I still don’t get your preference for fiery players.”

“You’ll get it with more experience. In critical matches, it’s these fiery ones who pull off the unexpected.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Nodding absentmindedly, the Assistant coach suddenly got a smack on the rear as the head coach shouted loudly.

“What are you doing? Are you going to just pass the ball around after conceding? Be aggressive, aggressive!!”

Sure enough.

As soon as the head coach’s shout ended, one player raised his hand and called for the ball.

“It’s Hong Min-jun.”

“That kid’s got good footwork. …Wait, does he actually plan to dribble from the halfway line?”

“Wow~ That’s some serious fire. Just the type you like, Coach!”

“Exactly. A player needs to have that kind of fire!”

As he received the ball and dribbled forward, he got into a standoff with an opponent.

“It’s a relief he’s not a pushover… but that kind of stuff only works when you’ve got the skills. Once he faces the level of college leagues and gets discouraged, make sure to polish him up, Coach.”

“Understood. Watching his quick steps, he’s got good body balance, and he’s quick too. With a year or two of training, he could be great.”

“You could see his potential even in the high school leagues. But… was his face always that delicate?”

“…I’m not sure.”

“That’s weird. I’ve observed him in several matches, but I don’t recall his face. You’d think a face that soft would be hard to forget—”

“What? Oh no! Coach!!”

Both men’s jaws dropped as they watched.

“…I saw it too. That kid’s the real deal.”

The game ended.

4:1.

Of course, we’re the 1… Damn.

The coach said we did well, but no player feels good after a loss.

Especially when I noticed that the coach seemed pleased with me, grinning ear to ear. But my actual feelings—

‘I was just lucky.’

That sums it up.

From the results, it looked like I was the only one who scored in a struggling team, and I even dribbled past three players from the halfway line to score a so-called wonder goal…

But the detailed stats were terrible.

In the 60-minute match, played with 30 minutes per half, I played for about 45 minutes.

Pass Success/Pass Attempts: 25/27

Dribble Success/Dribble Attempts: 6/8

Shots on Target/Shot Attempts: 1/4

At first glance, these look good, but I didn’t make a single key pass, and I only managed three forward passes in the opponent’s half, with only one being successful.

My technical skills worked well, but when the opponents stopped underestimating me and cooperated in defense, I kept losing the ball after successful dribbles or had to pass it back.

‘Ha… I didn’t accomplish anything.’

After that initial wonder goal, I was practically erased from the game.

If our team had been a bit stronger, things might have been different. When teams are evenly matched, they can’t afford to focus too much on one player defensively. If they do, it leaves open spaces and becomes dangerous.

So, saying the team was weak is just an excuse.

If only I were better at passing. If I were more skilled in team play. If my decision-making was quicker. Things would have definitely been different.

Once again, my weaknesses held me back.

The same weaknesses that were so glaringly obvious during my high school days and caused me to underperform.

‘Damn it.’

Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself through the rest of the training.

Even though it was the first day and the training wasn’t particularly intense, I gave it my all, sweating as I trained. After a long-overdue shower, I looked in the mirror, and the tight knot in my chest started to unravel.

‘Wow… is this really my face? Investing in charm was definitely the right choice.’

I was regretting my stat distribution just a moment ago, but seeing my face makes all that regret melt away.

And somehow, today of all days, I noticed a heaviness below. My normally average-sized buddy had grown into something beyond my imagination.

“Wow~ This guy’s really packing.”

“This is insane. I was hoping it was a mistake, but even down there, it’s huge. What am I, some kind of Black guy?”

“This sucks. Some people have a good-looking face and even pack like a Black guy.”

Sigh. The jealousy of other men feels particularly pathetic today.

Well then, let’s check out the results of today’s training.

‘Status window!!’

[Skills]        [Mental]       [Physical]

Tech 062 | Vision 046 | Speed 059  

Dribble 055 | Anticipation 044 | Acceleration 063  

Trapping 057 | Judgment 042 | Balance 056  

Short Pass 048 | Focus 056 | Agility 059  

Long Pass 041 | Off the Ball 047 | Reaction 079  

Shooting 045 | Space Marking 038 | Power 054  

Free Kick 042 | Composure 052 | Jump 046  

Header 038 | Leadership 040 | Stamina 047  

Tackle 032 | Teamwork 039 | Recovery 065  

[Hidden]

Genius 046 | Charm 095 | Intelligence 028

[Height 175cm | Weight 63kg]

[Available Points] 0P

After skimming over my charm stat of 95, which never fails to bring a smile to my face, I noticed the 0 available points as a reward for all that hard training… Why? Whyyyyyy!!!

‘Why? Why didn’t I gain any points??’

I worked so hard today.

I gave my all in the game and in training, so why… Oh, is that it? Is that the reason?

‘So, one day isn’t enough, huh? Ha… Of course, it’s not enough to become a Ballon d’Or winner. Even Ronaldo trains a lot, so I guess I need some extra practice after the regular training.’

I grabbed my soccer shoes and stood up, only to see my seniors staring at me.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to do some training.”

“…Training? Now?”

“Yes!”

“……”

The seniors exchanged glances.

But their looks weren’t of pride, nor were they condescending. It was something else—something very subtle.

“Uh… Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“No problem at all!!”

I may not have the best stamina, but I do recover quickly, so if I train hard and get a good night’s sleep, I’ll be fine.

“Well, okay… I’m sure you know what you’re doing. Just don’t overdo it.”

“Thank you!!”

Tsk tsk.

If you lack skill, you should at least train harder.

Seeing the seniors lounging around, messing with their smartphones, only strengthened my resolve to learn from their example.

Right.

Today marks my rebirth.

What’s so great about the Ballon d’Or?

With the status window, not only is the Ballon d’Or within reach, but becoming the greatest player of all time isn’t just a dream!

I may not be someone who lives and breathes football, but as someone who plans to make a living out of it, it’d be ridiculous not to have dreamt of being at the top.

Every football-loving kid has probably imagined it at least once.

Being the best footballer. Seeing themselves as the Ballon d’Or winner.

Of course, most eventually give up on that goal when faced with the reality of their talent’s limits… I too had long abandoned that dream, but now, I think it’s possible.

I placed some cones on the empty field and worked hard on my dribbling and trapping, sweating profusely.

While I was at it, the coach, out for a walk, stopped and stared at me with wide eyes.

“Hong Min-jun! What are you doing here?”

“Training, sir!”

“Training??”

“Yes!”

“Is this your first time at a preseason, or rather, your first time at a training camp?”

“No, sir!!”

“Then why… never mind. You must be confident if you’re doing this.”

The coach shook his head as he walked away, clearly puzzled.

What’s going on?

I tried to shake off the creeping sense of foreboding and refocused on my practice. It wasn’t until late at night that I finally wrapped up and headed back to the dorm.

My whole body was sore, but in a good way—it felt refreshing.

At this point, I should have at least gained 1 point—there’s nothing!! Nothing!!! Why!!!

And the next day.

Having spent a sleepless night full of anxiety, I finally understood why the coach and seniors had looked at me like some sort of odd creature.

“Hah, ugh, cough, cough…!”

“What’s wrong, Hong Min-jun! Are you tired already? Move faster! Run! Time is ticking!”

“Keuh, ugh…!”

D-Damn… Is this hell?

I didn’t get any rest last night, so I didn’t recover…!

The training camp for the Hojin University soccer team… is an absolute hell of stamina training.

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