Episode 20: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 20: Woman Power Magazine Editor Kang Su-yeon (3)

I first started playing soccer when I was in elementary school.

I think it was around the second grade.

The elementary school I attended was pretty famous for having a strong soccer team, and because of that, the kids on the team had a bit of an ego.

Among them, there was one particularly arrogant jerk who was the top show-off in our class.

Back then, I would watch the soccer team practice on my way in and out, but to be honest… they didn’t seem all that impressive.

I couldn’t understand why the soccer team was so highly regarded, so during a PE class where we were learning soccer, I completely humiliated the guy who usually got on my nerves by outplaying him.

This kid, who claimed to have been playing soccer since before starting elementary school, was so sloppy that he got completely toyed with by me—a kid who only played soccer as a hobby—and ended up crying like a little baby.

…Well, I guess he 'was' just a kid back then.

Anyway, word must have gotten around because the soccer team coach came to find me and asked me to try playing in a practice match. I agreed.

As soon as the game was over, the coach and manager started bombarding me with questions like, "Have you ever learned soccer?" "Do you practice regularly?" "Do you like soccer?" They kept sweet-talking me, calling me a genius and the best talent in the country… To be honest, I didn’t care much about that, but when they said that girls would like me if I was good at soccer, I was sold and joined the team.

My childhood friend, who could be considered my first love, used to say things like, “You’re so cool,” and “I could marry you,” but as we got older, she started talking about studies, going pro, looks… When I finally gathered the courage to confess to her in middle school, she coldly rejected me with a look of disgust. That little…

…Just thinking about it makes me angry again.

Anyway, what I came to realize while playing on the soccer team is that no matter what you do, "talent" plays a big role.

Soccer is no exception.

In the second grade of elementary school, even though I joined the team halfway through the year and was learning soccer for the first time, by the end of that year, I had already become the ace, surpassing all the other cocky players, and not long after that, I was recognized as the top prospect in the region.

Balance, weight distribution, focus… While others were busy talking about these things and failing to execute them properly, I was just doing them naturally, so there was no competition.

What I was especially good at was dribbling.

Even though I had decent acceleration, good physical balance, and wasn’t bad at controlling the ball, there were plenty of other kids at my level.

But what made me stand out?

It was my "instinct."

Oh, this guy’s about to rush at me.

If I push to the left, he won’t be able to catch up.

He’s panicking.

If I fake a pass here, it’ll work.

These were things I knew instinctively, without ever being taught.

Things that can’t be explained theoretically—pure, natural talent.

Just with that, I became the top youth prospect, and from elementary school through middle school, I dominated, earning the nickname “Messi” for my outstanding performances.

Naturally, teams facing a player like me would focus their defense on me.

They used various methods.

Having a player shadow me, sitting back to close off space, cutting off passing lanes to isolate me, and even double-marking me.

And the most common and frequently used tactic was tight marking.

Throughout elementary and middle school, having a strong defender closely mark me and interfere with my play was something I constantly had to deal with.

…Though that disappeared once I entered high school and hit a slump.

‘The last time I dealt with this was two years ago.’

As soon as I received a pass from a teammate who had intercepted the opponent’s ball, the long-forgotten feeling resurfaced when I saw number 5, Jeong Hyo-gi, charging at me.

When defending me, opponents used to react in two ways.

One was to freeze up with tension. The other was to get overly eager and overly aggressive.

Most players, aside from a few exceptional ones, fell into one of these two categories.

But Jeong Hyo-gi was neither.

This guy…

‘If you let your guard down like that… it just makes me want to mess with you.’

He clearly thinks of me as just a typical freshman.

That’s why he’s reaching out so thoughtlessly.

In my slowed-down vision, I can see Jeong Hyo-gi’s every movement.

The sneering curve of his eyes fixed on the ball, the smirk creeping up the corner of his lips.

Oh, you’re smiling?

His weight shifts to his back foot, his body tilts forward. His thigh muscles twitch.

All signals that he’s about to stretch his leg toward the ball.

And to players who let their guard down against me, I always—

“Oh, a nutmeg!?”

I slipped the ball right between Jeong Hyo-gi’s legs as he recklessly lunged forward.

As time returned to normal, a thrill of excitement shot down my spine as I breezed past Jeong Hyo-gi, leaving him gasping in shock.

‘Let’s keep going.’

How much did they trust in Jeong Hyo-gi, anyway?

As soon as I broke through him, the field opened wide. I boldly surged through the gap.

With my cleats, I smoothly pushed the ball forward, advancing quickly while the flustered defenders tried to press me chaotically.

Defenders who charge in blindly out of panic are the perfect prey for a dribble…

“Hup!”

I planted my foot firmly and struck the ball accurately with the inside of my foot.

The ball shot forward at high speed, curving sharply toward the wide-open space left by the rushing defenders, connecting with the player sprinting into that space…

'Tweet' 'Tweeeet—!!'

Yoon Hyuk hyung scored the opening goal with a powerful shot the moment he received the ball. 

"Wow, wow! This actually works!!"

Yoon Hyuk, who had been calm even though he was in the starting lineup, ran over with an excited expression, hugging me and shouting. I responded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course. It’s a proven method.”

“Proven? What do you mean by proven?”

“Wow! These guys scored right after the game started!”

“Yoon Hyuk, are you on something? What just happened out there!!”

Before I could answer Yoon Hyuk's question, the rest of the team swarmed us with congratulatory cheers.

Both Yoon Hyuk, who scored the goal, and I, who set up the decisive chance, got caught up in the team's excitement, celebrating wildly before finally returning to our side of the field.

‘It worked like a charm.’

The “proven method” I mentioned to Yoon-hyuk wasn’t anything special.

It was just a tactic I used back in middle school.

The better the player marking me, the more the team trusted him. When you beat such a player, especially right at the start of the game, the defenders inevitably panic and rush forward in a frenzy.

Of course, my opponents weren’t stupid; after using this move three or four times, word got around, and I couldn’t use it anymore… but that was years ago. Plus, after hitting a slump when I started high school, I never got the chance to use it in the high school league.

I wondered if it would be any different in the university league, but it’s just the same here.

“Woooo! Number 15, fighting!!”

“You’re so cool!!”

“Number 15! Look over here! Here, here!!”

Maybe it’s because it’s the weekend.

A few girls in the stands, who looked like students from this school, were screaming and cheering, so I smiled happily and waved at them.

“…Huh?”

And then, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a woman wearing sunglasses and a cap pulled low, sitting in a spot partly hidden by a metal pillar.

Hmm… Who is that? She doesn’t seem unfamiliar. Where have I seen her before?

“Hey, hey! She’s taking pictures!”

But I didn’t have time to think about it.

One of the seniors, who had been hovering around me, suddenly shouted in excitement. When I looked over, there was a woman with a huge camera, grinning widely as she snapped pictures.

“Heh.”

With a camera like that, I guess I should let her take my picture.

I gave her a cool smile.

* * *

“What the… What the hell.”

Oh Sang-tae’s jaw dropped.

And it was no wonder.

Who is Jeong Hyo-gi?

He’s the captain and ace of Seongsil University, a team rated as a mid-tier contender in the university league.

From his first year, he had played at a near-starter level, and now, in his fourth year, he was expected to join the K-League immediately after graduation!

Since Oh Sang-tae took over at Seongsil, he had recognized Jeong Hyo-gi’s potential from his freshman year and nurtured him carefully. To think that his prized player would be humiliated by a mere first-year…

Oh Sang-tae’s head was spinning, and he found himself unconsciously turning his gaze towards the Hojin University bench.

“Heh.”

There, he saw Coach Na Geon-seong of Hojin University, smirking back at him.

“That… that bastard…!”

Na Geon-seong had been a rival ever since their playing days, following similar career paths with comparable levels of success in coaching courses, as assistant coaches, and now as head coaches.

No way would his pride let him lose now.

“Jeong Hyo-gi!! Hey, get it together!!”

“…My apologies.”

Seeing the fierce determination in his star pupil’s eyes, Oh Sang-tae spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t underestimate him. Judging by how he plays, that kid’s no slouch.”

“Of course. I won’t let my guard down again.”

“Good. Now, go out there and crush him.”

Oh Sang-tae gave his protégé a strong pat on the back and shouted out.

“Referee!! How long are you going to let them celebrate!!”

The referee nodded in understanding and signaled for the game to resume. As Oh Sang-tae turned to head back to the bench, he frowned at the loud commotion.

“Oh my! Oh my, oh my! He’s not just good-looking, he’s talented too!! Wow, he’s so handsome. Where has this gem been hiding? I have to get a picture of this!”

A young woman was making a fuss, snapping pictures nonstop with a big camera.

Oh Sang-tae clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“A telephoto camera? What is she, a journalist or something? She’s really doing the most. Ugh, seriously.”

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