Episode 11: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 11: Two People Watching the Opening Match (2)

Kim Ha-yeon stretched her stiff body and looked around.

The old buildings she had seen once before.

"Ah, damn. Why is the transportation here so inconvenient?"

She was already exhausted just waiting for a bus with a 30-minute interval.

Grumbling, she made her way through the old buildings toward her destination.

If it were her first time here, she would have surely gotten lost in the complicated streets. But since she'd been here once before, Ha-yeon arrived at her destination without much trouble.

As soon as she passed through the narrow space between buildings, her view widened, revealing a vast field.

On the soccer field, filled with green grass, the game had already started, with the loud shouts of coaches and players echoing through the area.

"As expected, there are no spectators."

Well, that's typical for university leagues.

As someone who had often gone to support the soccer team as part of the Jangdae University cheer squad, Ha-yeon knew how little attention university leagues received.

Even though it was the opening match, the only people in the stands were a few people who seemed to be officials and... just one beautiful woman...

"Huh? Who's that woman?"

In the corner of the stands, hidden behind a tree that had grown through a crack in the seating, there sat a woman.

Her appearance was quite suspicious.

She was wearing a black ball cap pulled down low and sunglasses...

‘Wow, she’s really going all out. Who does she think she is, a celebrity?’

Ha-yeon scoffed, but she could tell at a glance.

The mysterious woman was quite the beauty.

Forgetting the reason she had come here, Ha-yeon, curious about who this woman was, cautiously approached her. As she got closer, a sweet fragrance carried by the gentle breeze reached her.

‘Sniff sniff. Oh wow, isn't that Bottega perfume?’

It was an expensive brand, costing hundreds of thousands of won per bottle.

Among them was a fragrance called 'Bottega No. 8' that Ha-yeon had been eyeing.

Though she had never had a chance to actually try it, her determination to buy it someday had led her to memorize the scent when she had the chance.

‘Who the heck is this woman?’

Her curiosity growing, Ha-yeon sat a bit of a distance away, and only then did the woman glance at her. And that was it.

Whether she noticed Ha-yeon’s curiosity or not, the mysterious woman propped her chin on her crossed legs and kept watching the game, allowing Ha-yeon to discreetly steal glances at her.

With flawless, glossy white skin, a high and straight nose, and full, red lips.

Even with her cap pulled low and her dark sunglasses on, the aura of beauty radiating from her seemed to pierce through.

‘Damn! Isn’t that a Graia cap? And those sunglasses are from Minu Magnon.’

Ha-yeon’s head spun from the parade of luxury brands she had only ever seen online.

Who on earth was this woman?

Shocked, Ha-yeon blatantly stared at her. The woman, who had been ignoring her, furrowed her brow as if uncomfortable and looked back. Startled, Ha-yeon quickly averted her gaze, pretending not to have noticed. The woman then turned her attention back to the soccer field.

What could be so interesting about a bunch of boys chasing after a single ball? The woman was completely focused on the game. Taking advantage of the situation, Ha-yeon secretly took a picture of her and posted it in the group chat.

— Does anyone know what this chick is wearing?

The message was quickly followed by replies.

— Ji-kyung: She went to see a guy, and now she's taking pictures of a girl.

— Soo-yeon: Our Ha-yeon has awakened to forbidden love? Just from the photo, her beauty is blinding.

— Park Ah-young: Hey, aren't those jeans from Laous?

— Hye-jin: Yeah, looks like it.

— Hye-jin: [Link]

Ignoring the nonsense her crazy friends were spewing, Ha-yeon clicked on the link one of the members had sent. The link led to a pair of jeans identical to the ones the woman beside her was wearing.

“Gasp!”

"Ugh."

“S-sorry….”

How much did those cost?

Shocked by the unexpectedly high price, Ha-yeon gasped, drawing an irritated look from the woman.

Intimidated, Ha-yeon lowered her head.

Ha-yeon, who had always been the center of attention, both among guys and girls, thanks to her pretty looks and keen fashion sense, was not the type to easily lower her head. But it was different depending on the person she was dealing with.

To make matters worse, her phone kept pinging with notifications from the group chat.

— Soo-yeon: Ha-yeon, Ha-yeon, who is it? Someone you know?

— Hye-jin: Wow, even the cap is super expensive.

— Park Ah-young: She probably just pulled that photo from Instagram, right?

Already annoyed, Ha-yeon became even more irritated by Park Ah-young’s remarks.

Ignoring the useless group chat notifications, Ha-yeon continued to sneak glances at the woman beside her.

‘Look at her skin. How much does she have to take care of it to make it look like that? What kind of moisturizer does she use?’

I’m jealous.

Without realizing it, Ha-yeon muttered to herself, then quickly caught herself.

She had never been outshone by anyone in terms of beauty, so meeting someone even more impressive made her feel strange.

Admiration.

Like a young girl meeting her role model, Ha-yeon continued to secretly admire the woman before finally letting out a sigh.

‘Damn… where did this girl come from?’

She pouted in frustration, but her phone continued to buzz.

— Ji-kyung: Did you meet him?

It was a direct message from Ji-kyung.

— Not yet.

— Ji-kyung: It’s the opening match, so he’ll definitely be there.

— Ji-kyung: I told you, you’ll know him when you see him.

— Ji-kyung: Look carefully.

Oh, right.

Remembering why she had come here, Ha-yeon finally turned her attention to the game.

‘Alright, let’s see.’

Where is my cutie?

He's a freshman, so… She scanned the bench, but all she saw were potato heads.

"Is he not on this team?" 

She scanned the opposing bench, but again, it was full of potato heads.

Ha-yeon tilted her head in confusion.

With two years of experience in the cheering squad, even though she had no interest in soccer, she knew the ins and outs of the team through her connection to the cheer squad.

'He's definitely supposed to be a freshman recruit… Is he not even on the roster? Or could it be…?'

With a sinking feeling, she scanned the field.

The sight of men running around frantically chasing a ball baffled her. What was so enjoyable about this?

Though she couldn’t understand it, Ha-yeon knew one thing well.

Boys love it when a girl shows even a little knowledge about the sport they’re passionate about, especially athletes.

It was easy to flirt with those simple-minded jocks. Just pretend to know a bit about soccer, tell them they were impressive in the game, praise their passes or dribbling, and they’d soon be grinning ear to ear.

Scanning the players, Ha-yeon quickly spotted the guy Ji-kyung had mentioned.

Amidst the crowd of running men, one player stood out with his fair skin and handsome looks.

'Wow… He's really good-looking.'

Even though she'd seen him a week ago when she came with the Jijiang University cheer squad, he still amazed her with his looks.

If Ji-kyung hadn't snatched him up first, he would've been hers. Grinding her teeth, Ha-yeon observed the handsome boy.

'He must be pretty skilled. It's impressive for a rookie to be in the starting lineup for the opening match.'

The way he dribbled the ball and kept succeeding in his moves…

Even someone like Ha-yeon, who didn’t know much about soccer, could tell his footwork was something special.

‘A good-looking guy who also plays well… Look at his stamina.’

Although all the players on the field were running around actively, Ha-yeon only had eyes for him.

‘Just like Ji-kyung said, soccer players must have incredible stamina.’

Watching the sweat-drenched pretty boy made Ha-yeon think of her friend's words, and she could already feel a twinge down below.

Ha-yeon let out a hot breath as she recalled her friend’s words.

'He's an animal… a real beast. I thought I was going to die.'

Ever since her friend had stolen the boy from her, she had lost a lot of weight, and her dark circles had drooped all the way down to her chin.

Wondering what was going on, Ha-yeon asked, and at first, her friend tried to avoid answering, but eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore and confessed the truth, begging for help.

'Is he really that good?'

Despite looking like a slender pretty boy… Knowing her friend's history with men, it was hard for Ha-yeon to believe, but seeing her in that state, she couldn't help but trust it.

So she had come to check for herself.

'Help me, Ha-yeon.'

‘You crazy girl, if it's that bad, just stop.’

‘It’s too good. It’s so good that it’s driving me crazy, and that’s the problem.’

‘If it’s that good, then what’s the problem?’

‘It’s exhausting. I feel like I’m going to die. I want to stop, but… every time he wants to, I’m already dripping down there, and it’s driving me insane.’

Her friend, who had never had issues with wild group affairs, was now begging for mercy.

Watching the pretty boy running around, dripping with sweat, Ha-yeon's face flushed with excitement.

And beside her…

The woman in sunglasses was stealing glances at the scene, breathing heavily.

‘What’s this woman doing, panting like a dog? Is she crazy?’

* * *

Before the game started, the coach had said:

"Today, Hong Min-jun will be handling the ball progression. Support him whenever he gets the ball."

It was the same everywhere. The fastest and most skilled player usually took the lead in counter-attacks.

And everyone knew, both the coaching staff and the players, that I was the best suited for that role at Hojin University. That's why I was receiving the ball from the start.

Against Jijang University, a mid-tier team in the college league, I showcased my overwhelming skills. Against today's opening match opponent, Hago University, who were weaker than Jijang, it was no contest.

'But my stats are lower than before, and I need to conserve my energy.'

If I didn’t want to get subbed out after the first half, I needed to manage my stamina.

With my stats reduced and needing to pace myself, I couldn’t make as many breakthroughs as I would’ve liked.

When the other players, who had been passing the ball meaninglessly, passed it to me, I knew they were expecting me to break through and start an attack.

But since it wasn’t a counter-attacking situation and the opposing defense was well-organized, I couldn’t break through, so I passed the ball back to keep possession.

We repeated this several times. Eventually, we worked our way into the final third through passing plays, but we lost the ball again.

Maybe because it was the opening match, but the cautious opponent focused on defense, making counter-attacks hard to come by. The only chances I had to dribble forward were a couple of frustratingly timid attempts.

Of course, I succeeded in both of those dribbles, but since their defense was well-organized, they didn’t lead to any decisive chances.

And then came halftime.

The coach slammed his tactics board down.

" Hong Min-joon! You're not playing properly!! Do you not want to be on the field!?"

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