Episode 21: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 21: Woman Power Magazine Editor Kang Su-Yeon (4)

The game between Hojin University and Seongsil University was progressing predictably.

Football is a sport where even a single goal can lead to victory. That’s why some extreme pragmatic coaches often use a certain tactic…

The extreme defensive tactic.

It's called "parking the bus in front of the goal."

This strategy involves piling up players in front of the goal, focusing entirely on defense, almost like an impregnable fortress. It’s similar to stacking siege tanks, mines, bunkers, and turrets on a hill in 'StarCraft' and waiting indefinitely.

Of course, the team facing this tactic would be driven insane.

Just like right now.

“Damn it! Get that f*cking bus out of the way!!”

“Hey, watch your language and act like a proper coach.”

“Ugh…!!”

Seongsil University’s coach, Oh Sang-Tae, felt the back of his neck tighten at the sight of two buses parked in front of the goal and the smug, grinning bus driver mocking him.

“What kind of tactic is this! This is anti-football! Anti-football, I tell you! They should be banned from football altogether!!”

“Hey! Anti-football? It’s a defensive tactic, man. If you don't like it, try breaking through.”

“We’ve been attacking non-stop! Look carefully!”

Losing by one goal or two is the same loss. At least in the regional qualifiers where goal difference doesn't count.

That’s why Seongsil University, after conceding the first goal, had pushed up their lines and launched wave after wave of attacks, trying to equalize.

“Can you even call that an attack? It's just passing the ball around.”

Despite Hojin University coach Na Geon-Seong’s taunts, Oh Sang-Tae couldn’t argue back.

It looked like they were in control and attacking, but in reality, they hadn't created a single proper chance. It was just exhausting, pointless efforts, which as a coach, he knew all too well.

Meanwhile,

“Hey!! That guy’s running again!! Block him, you idiots!!!”

Hojin University’s counterattack, conducted by only two players, was relentless.

Seongsil University’s players were being completely overwhelmed and constantly outplayed with every counter.

‘Damn it… again!’

At the center of it all was Seongsil University’s captain and ace, Jeong Hyo-Gi.

Coach Oh Sang-Tae’s trusted man, the symbol of reliability, the pillar of the team, Jeong Hyo-Gi was being utterly destroyed today.

‘Where is it? Where is it this time?’

With trembling eyes, Jeong Hyo-Gi focused on the ball.

The opposing team’s number 15 was lightly tapping the ball, making quick, dizzying moves.

That devilish bastard was faking again.

His body seemed to be leaning to the right… If he reached out now, he could take the ball…!! No, he had to resist! He’d already fallen for this trick several times.

He felt like he was losing his mind, but gritting his teeth—

“Huh!”

He got beaten.

Again.

“Jeong Hyo-Gi, you bastard!!”

At the coach's furious shout, Jeong Hyo-Gi quickly turned around and desperately chased after the opponent.

How many times has this happened? Four? Five? And the first half isn't even over yet?

Never in his life had he been this thoroughly humiliated by a single player.

Half out of his mind, Jeong Hyo-Gi, ready to commit a foul, rammed into the opponent with his body.

Spin.

Using Jeong Hyo-Gi’s aggressive shove as leverage, the opponent spun around gracefully. Meanwhile, the ball spun along with him, ending up at his feet.

That elegant turn sent Jeong Hyo-Gi’s mind spinning as well.

“Damn it!!!”

Wham!

“Ugh! Ack!”

Jeong Hyo-Gi, with eyes rolling back in frustration, body-checked the opponent, who flew off like a piece of paper and crashed to the ground. Jeong Hyo-Gi immediately realized his mistake, but it was already too late.

Beep!!!

The referee, who had been closely watching the overly excited Jeong Hyo-Gi, eagerly rushed over and pulled a red card from his chest pocket.

“No, no!”

And that was the last act of resistance from Seongsil University that day.

* * *

“Oh, that was sweet.”

The opponent’s condition seemed off, and they were getting riled up, so I intentionally kept toying with them, and they self-destructed.

The opposing team’s key player got sent off in just the 35th minute of the first half.

After that, Seongsil University couldn’t do much, and the game ended 1-0 in Hojin University’s favor.

We could have scored more, but our tactics were too defensive, and the opposing team had completely given up on attacking, just curling up into a ball. It takes two to make a goal happen.

With them just standing back and not even trying, the coach subbed me out early in the 10th minute of the second half.

Since they were down a man and had no intention of attacking, the substitution was to prevent any potential injury.

It was a bit disappointing, but considering I’d already been slammed from behind by a guy over 190cm tall, and my body was still aching, it wasn’t so bad.

After the substitution, I got checked out in the medical room and was lounging around when the game ended. As I came out, the coach nudged me forward.

“Hey. Go do some fan service.”

Fans? What fans?

As I looked in the direction my coach was pointing, I saw a group of female college students huddled together.

Each one of them was holding their phone, snapping pictures of me. When they noticed I was looking at them, they squealed in delight, which was kind of heartwarming.

"When did they start gathering like this?"

"I guess word got out somewhere because their numbers have been gradually increasing. Looks like they all came to see you, so why don’t you go over and say hi."

They weren’t team fans, but my personal fans?

This was a situation I had never experienced before, and though it was bewildering, I couldn’t deny that it felt pretty good.

As I awkwardly approached them, the female students cheered and began shouting various things at me.

"You're so handsome!!"

"How old are you?"

"Go out with me! I’ll treat you well!!"

"Please wave your hand at us!"

Phew, this is overwhelming.

There’s a saying that a high school girl is as strong as a Special Forces operative, so how strong are college girls who have evolved from them?

I suddenly felt a deep sense of pride in our country’s security.

Caught up in the frenzy, I waved, shook hands, took photos, and smiled. Then, out of nowhere, a large camera was thrust in front of my face.

“Uh…?”

“Wait, wait, could you run your hand through your hair for me?”

What is this?

The woman shoving the massive camera at me had a completely different vibe from the other female students.

“L-Like this?”

While the college girls, who still had a youthful charm despite being adults, contrasted sharply with this woman, it wasn’t because she was less attractive.

In fact, she was much more beautiful.

It was just… maturity? She gave off the aura of a grown woman, something distinct from the freshness of the college students.

‘She looks like a career woman.’

Ah, right. A career woman.

She was exactly that type.

“Sigh… A man covered in sweat….”

“…Sorry, what?”

I heard her mutter something strange as she really started snapping away with her camera.

Ah~ I guess she’s the woman I saw earlier with the large camera. I didn’t notice it when I saw her from afar, but now that she’s this close, the pressure is unreal.

“Are you a reporter, by any chance?”

I couldn’t imagine an ordinary person carrying around a camera like that.

Especially not at a soccer field.

So, she had to be a reporter… but could she really be?

“A r-reporter? Oh, um, y-yes, that’s right. I’m a reporter.”

She stuttered, which only made me more suspicious. Was she really a reporter?

Sensing my doubt, she quickly pulled out a business card.

It looked fancy, but the name on it was kind of odd…

‘Woman Power Magazine? Editor Kang Su-yeon? Is this really what a reporter’s business card looks like?’

How would I know if I’ve never done an interview before?

As I glanced at the card, tilting my head in confusion, she hurriedly spoke up.

“I’m not a sports reporter… I was just in the area covering a story and happened to see the game. But you looked so photogenic.”

“Ah, I see.”

I wasn’t really sure what she was talking about, but I nodded anyway.

“So, um, do you mind if I take some pictures?”

“Of course, of course. Take as many as you like.”

Even when I look at myself in the mirror, I get startled by how handsome I am, so I can only imagine how shocking it must be for someone seeing me for the first time.

Ah… being too handsome can be a problem. It's exhausting, really.

With a satisfied smile, I let her take as many pictures as she wanted.

…But isn’t this getting a bit excessive?

It feels like it’s been more than 10 minutes already.

And then, a few days later, my popularity started to explode.

* * *

Su-yeon anxiously fidgeted as she glanced over at the editor-in-chief’s office.

‘Ugh, what was I thinking?’

Regret always comes too late, and as they say, humans are always full of regrets.

Su-yeon was currently drowning in a sea of it.

‘Why on earth did I do that? What was I thinking?’

The day after she cast all her worries aside, not caring about work or feminism, and found peace of mind, Su-yeon checked her bank account and plunged into a pit of despair.

‘Rent, savings, pension, phone bill, taxes, living expenses, fangirl expenses… And on top of that, this month there’s car repair costs too!!’

The only silver lining was that she had at least been sensible enough to submit some content that night.

But the real disaster was that the content she submitted was nothing more than hastily scrawled articles and photos of that healing presence, the beautiful young man who brought peace to her heart.

It was too late to take it back now.

Yesterday, the magazine for this month’s issue had already been published.

"No, the editor must have cut it out in the middle. There's no way they published it as it is."

For a brief moment, Su-yeon found peace of mind.

"Wait, no. If the editor didn’t cut it, I’ll be in for a world of trouble today. Please, let them have missed it."

But then again,

"No! That would mean the article I hastily scribbled got published just as it was! That can't happen!"

Su-yeon fell into despair again.

The morning passed with her in a state of restless anxiety, but the editor hadn’t come in yet.

"Is today a day off...!?"

Of course not. The editor came in after lunchtime and, as soon as they sat down, raised their voice.

“Hey, Kang Su-yeon!!!”

“Yes, Editor!”

Su-yeon barely poked her head out from her desk.

“What? Speak up! Louder!!”

“YES!! I WILL!!”

Damn it. Crazy woman.

Su-yeon, looking ready to cry at the editor’s usual nitpicking, noticed the editor motioning with their hand.

What does that gesture mean?

“Come here!!”

“Yes!!”

She hurriedly got up and ran over, only for the editor to slap something down on the desk.

“What’s this?”

“Our magazine that was published yesterday.”

“Oh, right. But why…?”

The editor flipped through the pages with a fluttering motion and stopped at a particular section.

“Look at this, look at this.”

There it was, a prominently displayed photo of the handsome guy.

The A-grade cut that Su-yeon had carefully chosen was now front and center.

“Ah! I-I’m sorry—”

“This photo!! No, this model!! Who is he!! What’s his story!!?”

“Well, you see… you see…”

As Su-yeon quickly scanned the page, her face turned pale.

Oh no. They really published it exactly as I sent it.

That crazy editor! I had a feeling, but I didn’t think they’d skip the review entirely!

The editor was supposed to cut it or ask for revisions, but clearly, they just passed it on because they couldn’t be bothered. Yet Su-yeon couldn’t exactly say, “Do your job properly!” in this situation.

Caught between the excitement of quitting, her newfound heartthrob, and all the photos she’d taken to satisfy her fangirl needs, Su-yeon was at a loss for words.

“Well done!!! See! You can do it when you try!!”

“W-What?”

“The readers’ reactions are insane!! Our passionate readers are already asking to send fan letters!!”

“What kind of nonsense… I mean, what the heck…”

“What!? What did you just say!?”

“N-Nothing!!”

The editor, who had been glaring at her, banged the desk.

“Great! Now go set up an interview with this guy!!”

“Suddenly?”

“You’ve got to strike while the iron’s hot!!!”

'It's row while the tide is in, not set sail.'

“What are you doing not setting sail!!!”

At the editor’s urgent shout, Su-yeon hurried back to her seat and began looking for his contact information.

“Oh!! And don’t forget to make him do 'that hand gesture' during the photoshoot!!!”

“…Oh, dear.”

Su-yeon stared blankly in disbelief at the absurd request, while the editor declared,

“And with that, I’m heading out!!”

The editor who had just come in suddenly left like the wind.

It was only 2 p.m.

"That crazy woman…."

But that crazy woman was her boss.

What was even more maddening was that crazy woman was also the CEO’s niece. Damn it.

“Ugh. First things first, I need to contact him… Contact info… Contact info… Huh?”

No matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find his contact information.

Su-yeon thought hard. Did we exchange contact details?

‘I gave him my business card, though.’

Turns out, I only gave him my card.

"……."

I’m screwed.

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