Episode 16: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 16: Tactical Movements (2)

The college league usually schedules one match per week.

First, there’s the regional qualifying league, organized by grouping certain areas together. Only the top teams from the qualifying leagues advance to the national league. The national league is where the best teams from all over the country compete to determine the true champion. For every college soccer team, this is the ultimate goal—a sort of first division, if you will.

Because of this, no matter how much you dominate in the qualifying league, people will only see you as a big fish in a small pond. To be recognized as a prestigious and strong team, success in the national league is essential. Naturally, all top-tier college soccer teams structure their season plans with the national league in mind.

So, where does Hojin University stand?

Well… our university’s soccer team doesn’t have such lofty ambitions.

We don’t even get treated like a big fish in a small pond, so dreaming of the national league is out of the question.

First, we need to make it through the regional league. Planning for the national league from the start would only invite ridicule.

The one silver lining is that there aren’t any particularly renowned teams in our region.

While there isn’t a dominant team, all the teams are of similar strength, which is both a positive and a negative. On the bright side, we don’t face unbeatable opponents, but on the downside, all the other teams see us as beatable as well.

In short, everyone is underestimating everyone else. In such a situation, having one overwhelming team might actually make things easier. With all the teams being evenly matched, you never know when an unexpected upset might happen.

"I’ve got bad news."

And on the opening weekend of the league, the first upset had already occurred.

"The team that was considered the weakest in our region, Ugyeol University, defeated the team thought to be the strongest, Hoseong University."

The match between the strongest and weakest teams… well, to the top teams in the national league, these two teams are probably considered evenly matched. Still, it’s surprising that the so-called weakest team managed to pull off a shock win against the strongest team in our region, especially in the very first game.

"And our next opponent is Hoseong University."

The coach frowned, clearly troubled.

"They got off to a terrible start, so they’ll be coming at us with everything they’ve got. Be ready."

The training schedule was tougher than usual after that.

While the coach and the coaching staff seemed to be taking it seriously… personally, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

Our region has been allocated two spots for the national league. Even if we don’t win, as long as we finish as runners-up, we can still qualify for the national league.

That’s not to say we won’t aim for first place, but I just can’t imagine our team not at least securing second place. Am I being overconfident?

But this is precisely why I chose to attend Hojin University.

I turned down offers from prestigious college soccer teams for two reasons.

The first reason was that Hojin University’s overall strength is weak.

Especially compared to our defense, our attacking resources are lacking, which gives me, a freshman, a chance to compete for a starting position. The second reason is that there are no strong teams in our region, so if I win the competition for a starting spot, our chances of qualifying for the national league will largely depend on my performance.

Of course, even if we make it to the national league, our team will be considered mid- to lower-tier nationally, so it’s unlikely we’ll achieve great results… but that’s a problem for future me to worry about.

Hojin University is generally seen as a mid- to lower-tier team, but our defense is considered decent.

In simple terms, we’re a team with mid-to-upper-tier defense but lower-tier offense.

I’m not sure if this is because of the coach’s defense-oriented tactics, or if it’s because we have good defenders and therefore use a strategy of defending first and counterattacking, but the important thing is that to win, my role as the spearhead of the attack is crucial.

And for that, I need more points… a lot more points!

"Hey, Ji-kyung noona, it’s me. Yeah, yeah. Oh, come on, do you really hate it? Right? Okay, see you later."

After finishing the regular training and staying behind as the youngest to clean up, I called Ji-kyung noona.

As usual, she whined about not wanting to, being tired, and needing to rest, but when I called, she would always show up, happy as ever. Women are such a mystery.

It’ll be evening by the time Ji-kyung noona finishes her schedule and gets here, so I might as well get in some individual training in the meantime.

"Hmm… what should I do about Ha-yeon noona?"

It’s been three days since I spent the night with Ha-yeon noona.

Since then, there hasn’t been anything special.

It’s not like we’ve lost contact completely, but something feels off. She keeps asking pointless questions, like she’s fishing for something, and it’s starting to get on my nerves.

I absentmindedly checked her KakaoTalk profile picture, and I noticed she’d changed it recently.

In the new photo, she’s wearing an expensive-looking coat, proudly showing it off in a selfie.

She really is pretty.

Wasn’t Ha-yeon noona in the aviation program? With her looks, she’d make a great flight attendant. Maybe I’ll suggest some uniform play later… While I was thinking these kinds of thoughts, I noticed her status message.

"<The coat my unnie-nim gave me♥>"

Unnie-nim? What’s with the “nim”? Just say unnie.

"Hey, what are you doing here, not showering?"

"Oh, Yoon Hyuk sunbae."

It was second-year Yoon Hyuk sunbae, approaching with wet hair, fresh from the shower.

"I’m just staying behind to do some individual training."

"Individual training?"

Why is he looking at me like that? What’s so strange about doing individual training?

Yoon Hyuk sunbae stared at me for a long moment, then let out a weary laugh.

"A guy with your talent working this hard… What am I even doing?"

"Oh, come on, sunbae. You’re doing fine."

"Doing fine? I’m just a stopgap player."

Yoon Hyuk sunbae, who rotates between starting and substitute roles, is a classic jack-of-all-trades player.

He’s versatile but not outstanding enough to start regularly, yet he’s invaluable as a substitute. The type of player coaches love to have on the bench.

Because of this, his original position is midfielder, but he often plays in various roles depending on the team’s needs.

Lately, he’s been subbing in for me a lot, covering for the weakened attack with his tireless work rate and defensive contributions after I’ve exhausted myself.

"You’re versatile. That’s why the coach trusts you and puts you in."

"Stop it, man. I know the truth."

"No, really. I actually admire your soccer intelligence, sunbae."

"Me?"

Yoon Hyuk sunbae gave me a puzzled look, so I firmly nodded to show I meant it.

To be honest, I was half serious and half joking.

If I’m the type who plays soccer based on natural talent, then Yoon Hyuk sunbae is the kind of player who relies on his brain. 

The ability to perform well in any position means understanding the role and movements required by the tactics, and being able to execute them. Tactical understanding, spatial awareness, and positional comprehension are all crucial qualities that are difficult to develop without a high level of football intelligence.

I’m reminded of how my own football intelligence is one of my biggest weaknesses, aside from my technique, speed, and physical balance. But honestly, even though I envy Yoon Hyuk’s football IQ, I don’t envy his skills.

To be honest, despite my lack of football IQ, I’m still a first-year starter thanks to my natural talent, right?

“When it comes to studying, anyone can improve. But innate talent like yours is hard to develop later on,” Yoon Hyuk said with a bitter smile, making me realize something.

‘This senior has too little confidence.’

With that kind of attitude, he won’t be able to show his true potential.

After some brief contemplation, I decided to meddle for the first time in a while.

“Senior, intelligence is also a talent. Honestly, no matter how much I study, I have no idea how to move in certain situations. I mean, you call it studying, but in football, every moment and every situation is different. How can you always know the right move in every scenario? It’s not like we have a pause button. By the time a second passes, the situation has already changed.”

There used to be a theory that physical abilities and technique were innate talents, while football intelligence could be developed. But in my honest opinion, football IQ is also an innate talent.

Football isn’t a turn-based game where you can pause to think. The ability to quickly assess the best move in constantly changing real-time situations is a talent in itself.

And I lack that talent.

“You’ve got a way with words. You’ll be great in interviews someday,” Yoon Hyuk said, still with a faint smile.

“Huh? Interviews? What for?” I asked, confused.

“Thanks for the pep talk, you punk,” he replied, standing up with a big laugh. Though he still didn’t seem brimming with confidence, it was clear that as a senior, he couldn’t keep complaining in front of a junior.

“Mind if I join you for training?” he asked.

“Of course! Training with someone else means we can do more, and it’s less boring too,” I replied enthusiastically.

“Ha… This guy’s a smooth talker,” he chuckled.

At prestigious football universities, the lights are left on for nighttime training, but at Hojin University, that’s just a pipe dream.

Though it wasn’t dark yet, time flies during training. So, I settled down in a well-lit area and began warming up while having a casual conversation with my senior, during which I learned something interesting.

“Oh? So, your family’s into sports?” I asked, intrigued.

“Yeah, my dad was a cyclist, and my mom was a fencer,” Yoon-hyuk replied.

“Wow, athletic genes!” I exclaimed.

“Nope. I think my sister got all of them,” he said modestly.

“Wait, you have a sister too?” I asked, surprised.

“Didn’t I tell you? She’s on the tennis team here,” he explained.

Hojin University might be a low-tier school academically, but it’s quite decent when it comes to athletics.

I’d heard of the tennis team a few times, so it couldn’t be that bad. I guess she’s pretty skilled.

...More importantly…

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Yoon-hyuk asked, noticing my gaze.

“…No reason,” I replied.

“Dude, it’s obvious what you’re thinking. Don’t worry, she doesn’t look like me,” he said, reading my thoughts.

“Come on, senior, there’s nothing wrong with how you look. Well, maybe compared to me…” I teased.

“Wow, this punk is cocky. Hey! I’m considered handsome too, you know?” he protested.

“Well… I wouldn’t say handsome, more like… cute?” I conceded.

“Fine. I’ll take ‘cute,’” he grumbled.

We laughed and joked around until my senior suddenly pulled out his phone, opened his chat app, and then handed it to me.

“Here,” he said.

“What’s this?” I asked, puzzled.

“What do you think? Your curiosity is written all over your face,” he said with a grin.

“Hehe… Thanks,” I replied, eagerly taking the phone from him. The first thing I saw was his profile picture.

I was disappointed to see it was just a picture of a trophy or something, but when I swiped to the next photo, I saw a selfie.

“Oh…!” I gasped.

“What? Is she pretty?” he asked.

“Yes. She’s very pretty,” I replied honestly.

A healthy, athletic beauty…! 

And she’s in our school. Maybe, just maybe, we could end up dating…!

My expectations were soaring!!

“Don’t be fooled. It’s all Photoshop,” Yoon Hyuk said, bursting my bubble.

...And now my expectations plummeted.

Still, considering Yoon Hyuk’s looks aren’t that bad, maybe there’s a chance… right?

I’m definitely going to help him with training.

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