Episode 22: A face genius is good at soccer

Episode 22: Two Cakes in Hand by Doing Nothing (1)

It was just another ordinary day.

During a routine morning practice, things felt different thanks to a recent, one-sided victory. The team was in high spirits, and even though there was no noticeable improvement in stats, everyone was motivated by the sense of progress.

Right in the middle of practice, the coach’s phone started ringing loudly.

<Why does love run away~ like a shy child~> The ringtone blared repeatedly, irritating the coach, who eventually turned his phone off. Not long after, a young admin employee came running in, out of breath, and scolded the coach.

"Coach! Why did you turn off your phone? I’ve been trying to reach you for ages!"

"Ahem. Ahem. Uh, sorry about that. I didn’t know it was from the admin office."

The coach, who had been dragged away after being scolded by the young female employee, returned after quite some time and called me out.

"Hong Min-jun, come here."

What’s this about?

The assistant coach, who had been leading the training session in the coach’s absence, asked on behalf of everyone.

"What’s going on, Coach?"

"There’s good news for the team."

The coach had been sulking after getting scolded earlier, so why is he suddenly so full of pride?

Receiving the curious stares of the entire team, the coach put his arm around my shoulder and smiled proudly.

"See? You always need at least one good-looking guy on the team. Look at this—when you’ve got someone with looks, good things happen."

"What’s the news?"

"Ahem. Our handsome Min-jun here has received an interview request. Everyone, give him a round of applause!"

An interview?

The seniors, who had been anticipating something big, immediately lost interest and half-heartedly clapped.

"I knew this would happen eventually, ever since I first saw him."

"Same. Honestly, with that face, it would’ve been weird if he didn’t get interview offers."

"Coach! Does that mean we’ll also be part of the interview since it’s good news for the team?"

As everyone started grumbling, the team captain, ever the responsible one, raised his voice and asked directly.

Looking around at the expectant faces of the team, the coach paused for a moment before speaking heavily.

"Sorry, but none of you are included."

"What? Why not? Why only him…?"

The senior who had been pointing fingers suddenly seemed to realize something and flinched.

"Well, because you guys don’t have this," the coach said, waving his hand up and down in front of his face for emphasis.

Everyone burst into tears of frustration.

Man, I was this close to being lumped in with them.

Who knows what I’d do if I caught their ugliness.

"Damn, I’m jealous! He’s gonna be in the school newspaper!"

"Huh? It’s not the school newspaper, though."

"…If it’s not the school paper, then where?"

"Where was it again? Some women’s magazine, I think."

"…Oh."

A heavy silence fell over the room.

"But Coach! How is this good news for the team? I’m not excited at all!"

"That’s right! This only benefits Min-jun!"

The coach waved his hand to calm down the angry losers… I mean, the frustrated team members.

"Listen, Min-jun will be representing our soccer team! We’re all in this together! Haven’t you heard of the trickle-down effect? If Min-jun does well, you all do well too!"

"BOOO!"

I was almost chased out like a president facing impeachment by my own teammates.

Ah, men’s jealousy is truly ugly.

* * *

"I heard that a women’s magazine called 'Woman People' or something asked to interview you."

"Woman People?"

Is there even such a magazine?

And why the hell would a women’s magazine want to interview me out of the blue?

"Coach, why would a women’s magazine interview a soccer player? I’m not even on the national team."

"Exactly! It’s strange, but they specifically asked for you. Don’t you have any idea why?"

"Not at all. I’ve never even heard of 'Woman People' until today."

"That’s odd."

The coach tilted his head in confusion, then looked at me as if something clicked.

"Then again, with a face like yours, it makes sense."

"…"

Why does everything always come back to my face?

"Anyway, the school generally accepts interview requests as long as they’re not from weird places. Whether it’s a newspaper or a magazine, having the school’s name out there is good publicity. So the school negotiated to include one more person in the interview since they’re promoting the arts and athletics departments. They wanted to feature two promising students together. You’re okay with that, right?"

I knew it. He was buttering me up just to tell me they were adding someone else to the interview.

"I don’t mind."

"Great. You’re already familiar with the other person anyway."

Familiar?

Aside from the soccer team, who do I even know at this school?

Never mind that—what kind of questions would a women’s magazine ask a guy like me? That’s more concerning.

After a quick shower, I followed the coach to the interview location, which turned out to be a cozy little space about 10 pyeong (roughly 33 square meters) in size. 

In the middle was a table with two chairs placed across from each other, all neatly set up in advance.

"Just wait here. I’ve got to go now."

As the coach wandered off, I sat on the sofa, snacking on the treats laid out on the table, when suddenly, the door burst open with a cheerful knock.

"Huh? You got here before me. Hey there!"

"Hello."

The person who entered was a slim beauty with bright blonde hair, contrasting with a white tennis skirt—a sight that naturally brought a smile to my face. Her short skirt fluttered with each lively step, and her ponytail swayed playfully from side to side.

... I kind of want to pull on it.

Why does she look familiar?

There's no way I would forget such a cheerful beauty. It's strange.

She nonchalantly brushed aside the loose strands of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail, then plopped down next to me. Without hesitation, she extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you! I feel like I already know you since I've heard so much about you from my brother! But wow, you're even better looking than I heard!!"

What's with this energy?

Before I even had a chance to shake her hand, she grabbed mine and shook it enthusiastically.

"Oh, uh, thanks. But... who’s your brother again?"

"Huh? My brother's my brother!"

Who is this girl? Who’s her brother?!

And then, a sudden realization flashed through my mind.

"Yoon Hyuk's older sister?"

"Bingo! But no prize for guessing it too late! Haha, don't we look nothing alike?"

She giggled mischievously, which seemed out of place for someone her age.

If she's Yoon Hyuk's sister, then she's definitely older than me. But... how old is she?

She looks like she just entered college, but considering Yoon Hyuk is 22, she must be at least 23.

Whoa! Is this mischievous girl already in her mid-20s?!... Just as I was thinking that, she suddenly pointed a finger at me.

"Hey! You just thought something rude, didn't you?"

Her finger poked me right on the tip of my nose.

"No, I didn't."

I wasn’t lying. Not technically.

I was just wondering how old she is.

"Really."

"What?"

"You’re as sly as they say."

"Huh? Me? Sly?"

This is such an unfounded accusation. It's unfair.

"Wait, did Yoon Hyuk say that about me?"

"...No, not him."

"Wow~ I didn't expect that from him. So, he's been talking about me behind my back, huh~"

"No, no. It wasn’t my brother who said it."

"Then who did?"

"...I just heard it as a rumor?"

"Don’t lie. Today is the first time we’ve met, so how would you know? It was definitely Yoon Hyuk, right?"

Her large eyes rolled around nervously, making it easy to tell she was trying to avoid answering. She had honest eyes. I guess that’s just her personality.

"Oh, what kind of interview are we doing today?"

She awkwardly tried to change the subject, which was kind of cute.

What’s with this girl? Why is she so adorable?

"I don’t know either. They said it’s for a women’s magazine called 'Woman People' or something."

"Huh? A women’s magazine? Why are they interviewing us?"

"Exactly."

She stared at me, blinking.

"Why don't you know?"

"Uh... because no one told me?"

"I see."

Then she went back to staring at me.

It’s starting to feel a bit awkward being stared at so intently.

"I heard from Yoon Hyuk that you’re a tennis player."

"Yup! Oh, did you hear? I just won the WTA Tour Korea Open!"

"W-T... what?"

"WTA! Women’s Tennis Association! They hosted the tournament... you’ve heard of them, right?"

She looked disappointed, so I quickly waved my hands.

"Oh, yeah, yeah! I heard about it. Yoon Hyuk was bragging about how you won."

That’s true. I’m not lying. Not technically.

He did mention it in passing during our evening practice.

"Right? The points for winning a WTA event are way higher than at an ITF tournament! I earned 280 points this time!"

"Wow! That's amazing! 280 points? That’s huge."

"Haha! Right?"

She proudly puffed out her chest and raised her chin... but honestly, I had no idea what she was talking about.

But she looked so happy, so I just kept nodding and praising her.

"You're a really nice guy, you know that?"

After chatting—or rather, after she spent a long time bragging about herself—she finally smiled in satisfaction.

I’m exhausted. I just want to go home.

"To be honest, there aren’t many people interested in tennis, so I don’t have many chances to brag about it."

She crossed her legs and rested her chin on her hand, letting out a cynical sigh.

When she wasn’t smiling, her face gave off a surprisingly cold vibe.

"Korea is a barren land for tennis, especially for women’s tennis. That’s why I take every chance to do interviews, no matter where they are. I have to raise awareness. As a female tennis player, that’s my duty."

There was nothing I could say in response to her sigh.

Soccer is a major sport. It’s probably the most globalized sport in the world.

There may be other sports with bigger prize money or higher salaries, but in terms of global popularity, nothing beats soccer.

That’s why I’ve never once thought about trying to promote soccer.

I hadn’t realized how tough it must be for athletes in less popular sports.

This mischievous-looking woman suddenly seemed different to me.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!!"

Just then, the door burst open again.

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