Field Commander - Chapter 28

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 28.

Chapter 28.

Chapter 28.

“…How did you get here…”

She looks that way too, but honestly I’m just as bewildered.

But is that really something to blush about?

“I’m studying abroad at the University of Freiburg. But how did you get here, Sang-hyuk?”

“Ah, I came here to play soccer.”

“Really? You’re really playing soccer again? Wow! Congratulations!”

She talks as if she knows me.

And with a very sincere expression.

“Uh, you knew I played soccer?”

“Of course.”

She did say she liked soccer back then, right?

“But you really don’t remember, do you?”

When I blinked in confusion, she smiled brightly.

“What memory?”

She looked at me with sparkling eyes and smiled pleasantly again.

“Hmm… It’s too disadvantageous for me, so I won’t tell you.”

She keeps making me curious…

“Ah. Right. You probably don’t know my name either?”

“No.”

“It’s Su-yeon. Kang Su-yeon.”

She soon made a disappointed expression.

“Ah, I actually made too much food today and was wondering what to do with it. Would you like to have some?”

I had come into my room carrying the food she gave me.

“How fascinating.”

The world is so big, yet we meet in a place like this.

Looking down, I could see side dishes neatly arranged on a tray on the desk.

Stir-fried anchovies, cucumber kimchi, Korean-style bulgogi. And even rice.

She even brought chopsticks and a spoon.

I’m kind of touched…

I haven’t been in Germany long, but Korean food…

I tried a few of the side dishes…

“Oh, this is delicious?”

I wondered if she majored in cooking rather than sports medicine.

“If you can cook this well, there was no need to eat triangle kimbap in the morning, was there?”

Did she really come every single day for 2 years at the exact same time to buy triangle kimbap and milk?

She’s an enigma.

* * *

Freiburg II belongs to the Regionalliga Southwest.

There are 18 participating teams.

Only the champion gets promoted, and the bottom 4 teams are relegated.

Bundesliga second teams like Frankfurt II and Mainz II don’t care much about rankings, but the other regional teams approach matches with ambitions for promotion.

If promoted, it would be to Division 3.

A truly professional league.

“…This year’s team goal is to stay up.”

Freiburg uses their second team for player development, so they don’t obsess over promotion.

“It would be nice if we could go up.”

“I don’t know why they always say that. If we’re going to do it anyway, we should aim for the championship.”

Jeff, the team captain, grumbled.

I had roughly heard the reason from Jung Seung-jin.

– If we go up to Division 3, they have to make salary contracts with all the second team players. It’s a burden for a club that’s already tight on first team finances. The goal is to pick only good players cheaply and move them up to the first team. So there’s no need to overdo it for victories. It would be really troublesome if someone gets injured.

I just need to play soccer well, but the club’s circumstances are sometimes hard to understand.

‘But… what do I do?’

The thing I hate most in the world, as much as being bad at soccer, is losing.

“Do it if you can. Even if we win the championship, there’s no promotion.”

Ah, so winning the championship is okay?

Of course, I don’t know how long I’ll play here…

That made me feel much more relieved.

“How boring.”

“You always found it boring anyway.”

Come to think of it, the manager and Jeff seem to be around the same age.

“The other guys at least have hope of making it to the first team. Adam and I don’t even have that chance, so it’s even more boring.”

“A guy who’s about to transition to coaching shouldn’t be dampening the team mood.”

“It’s already muddy water, so stirring it up more won’t show anyway, right?”

Laughter erupted from here and there.

‘Is that something to laugh about?’

Germany and Korea have different cultures.

I just brushed it off like that.

‘Whoever it is, I just won’t lose in matches.’

If I can’t win, I should at least draw.

When the laughter died down, Jeff pointed to Gunter across from him.

“But when are you going to get rid of that complainer?”

“I’d like to send him away right now, but I can only do it when orders come from above.”

I happened to exchange glances with Gunter, who was frowning, and he gave an inexplicable sneer.

‘Did he curse me in his mind?’

Well, I’m definitely not petty enough to get angry over something like that.

I’ll have to really press him down on the field.

After the wave of laughter ended, Klaus made a serious expression.

“I clearly gave you one warning. Don’t come back fat, right?”

Several players quickly turned their heads, and my gaze naturally went to their bellies.

Oh wow… jiggling…

“Who was a starter last season and who was a substitute doesn’t matter. I’ll select the starting lineup through 2 weeks of preseason training. It means we’re starting from scratch. Guys who didn’t manage their bodies will face very serious penalties.”

Since I had been thoroughly managed at Cheongju FC and brought my physical condition up, I’m in a state where I could be put into a match right away and play for over 70 minutes.

Ah… since there’s jet lag, let’s say I’m at about 70% condition.

“Do we have a chance too?”

Adam said, pointing to Jeff.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

The manager nodded.

“Hey, but why are you including me in ‘we’?”

Jeff asked complainingly.

“We’re both going over 40, so don’t be petty about being a goalkeeper, okay?”

When Adam spoke up, another wave of laughter erupted.

‘The atmosphere is really free.’

It’s completely different from when I was in Korea.

“For now, I’m thinking of having a short practice match today. I need to see just how much of a mess you’ve become during your month-long vacation.”

Klaus finished the first training session briefing and posted the roster on the whiteboard.

“Take a 15-minute break, then gather in front of the training ground.”

The players began checking their roster and heading outside, and I also squeezed in among them to check the roster.

It was divided into Team A and Team B.

Both sides used a 3-5-2 formation.

My name was listed at the defensive midfielder position on Team B.

“Is this a match between last year’s starting team and the reserves?”

Adam and Jeff approached me.

“That’s right.”

“Then today we need to sync up with the new recruit?”

Adam and Jeff looked at me.

“Kim. Since you don’t know the team tactics yet, you’ll make a good impression just by playing your role well.”

Adam gave me some advice.

“But why is that bastard Gunter playing left wingback?”

“He played that position in the Bundesliga last season. They probably requested a position change from above.”

“So they’re planning to work him more in the reserves?”

“Probably.”

I just quietly listened to their conversation.

“So that’s why he was keeping his mouth shut today.”

“He must have heard a convincing explanation.”

“This means that bastard can attack too?”

Adam grinned, imagining something.

“Take it easy. Don’t destroy the kid.”

Jeff looked at his expression and shook his head.

“I’m not an idiot. Hehehe.”

Adam’s two front teeth are gold, and they really suit his menacing expression.

But…

Gunter can attack in today’s practice match?

Between defenders, there’s no reason to clash except during set piece situations…

“…Hey rookie, why are you grinning like that?”

The captain looked at me with an uneasy expression.

“Nothing.”

Jeff looked back and forth between me and Adam.

“Both of you really take it easy today. But just looking at your faces, you guys look like the league’s best defense.”

“Pfft.”

That seems like a pretty harsh appearance-based insult, but I’m laughing because he’s not being serious.

* * *

“Keep a close eye on that guy from behind?”

Before the match started, captain Jeff had a brief conversation with Klaus.

“He’s the team’s only signing this season.”

“Well, that’s what happens with clubs that have no money.”

They may not have money, but the stadium is very beautiful and the facilities are good.

A stadium owned by the fans…

They don’t spare any expense investing in stadiums for fans and facilities for players.

There’s a university nearby so the cost of living is cheap for Germany.

The transportation is comfortable and there are many trees, forests, and parks, making it a very nice place to live.

With Spain and France bordering on both sides, you can easily visit Spanish and French restaurants that are rarely seen in other regions.

That’s why players from Freiburg can’t easily leave this team.

Most of the coaches and first-team players here are also from Freiburg.

“Streich seems to have high expectations.”

“Really?”

“I heard he completely shut down Schalke 04’s Jang Jin-woo during their school days.”

“Oh? Really? That monster?”

Jang Jin-woo was one of the players likely to become the Bundesliga top scorer in the upcoming season.

A player who had all the abilities a striker should have, lacking only flashy footwork, and transfer rumors with prestigious EPL clubs were already circulating.

“Why was a guy like that buried?”

“Seems like he had a major injury. Nothing came up in the medical test, but there are some things we need to check.”

“Ah… injury.”

Jeff nodded in understanding.

“Check if there are any uncomfortable aspects. You know those noticeable movements when pain is involved?”

“Okay. Got it.”

The match started, and Jeff bounced his goalkeeper gloves while surveying the front field.

‘To think of using someone 185cm tall as a wingback…’

He did quite well as a center back in the reserves.

Gunter was fast and had good footwork, making him the core of build-up play in the reserve team.

‘But the Bundesliga is crawling with monsters. 185cm is a bit precarious for a center back.’

Smart and experienced people had gathered, so they must have made the most rational decision.

‘Ha, that stupid bastard.’

Maybe because he was a center back who was good at physical battles, Gunter was flying around.

The wingback on this side would tumble when hit, and often lost the ball during attacking chances.

‘The class difference is clear.’

However, Adam provided solid backup, so it didn’t lead to fatal chances.

‘Until his stamina drops, that bastard Adam is also a Bundesliga player. But what is our new guy doing?’

He wasn’t particularly noticeable yet.

Not only did the players not pass to him much, but Team A’s attacks were also concentrated on the opposite side from Kim Sang-hyuk.

‘Hmm?’

Watching carefully, the attacks weren’t just concentrated toward Gunter, who had the best ability here.

Kim Sang-hyuk was subtly blocking pass routes and positioning himself so that play went to the left.

They could dribble directly to break through him, but maybe they were avoiding it after seeing Gunter get destroyed yesterday?

Since the attack direction kept focusing on the left, the defenders on this side also defended centered on the left, resulting in meaningless back-and-forth play.

“Hey! Did you abandon the right side?”

Klaus shouted in frustration.

As if responding to him, the opposing center back sent a deep cross toward a forward penetrating on the right side.

‘Dangerous.’

Just as Jeff tensed up and got into position, Kim Sang-hyuk suddenly jumped.

‘Huh? It doesn’t look like he’ll reach… what?’

His jumping power was so high that he jumped to meet the sharp cross and trapped it with his chest, not a header.

‘What kind of jumping power is that?’

Then he quickly touched the ball once and immediately sent a cross toward the opposite left direction.

‘Concise and very fast? Even under pressure, you couldn’t stop that.’

The ball’s speed was tremendous and its trajectory was sufficient to target Team A’s back space with their high line.

‘But do we have a player who can receive that?’

I thought, but when that cross hit the ground, it suddenly bounced up gently like soft tofu.

‘Backspin?’

Adam stared at the back of Kim Sang-hyuk’s head as he pushed up the field with other players simultaneously with sending the cross.

That kind of accuracy with backspin too?

What the?

That guy…?

The substitute players.

Many of them also wanted to make it into the starting lineup, and Smith wearing number 21 was no exception.

He ran like his life depended on it, waiting for any opportunity to come his way.

He had to show something so the manager would use him as a starter, and only then could he aim for a higher league.

‘Ah, it’s too fast… should I give up?’

The direction and timing of the cross were too good, but it felt like it would go out over the goal line as it was?

But to show his never-give-up attitude, he ran like crazy.

But as soon as that ball touched the ground, its speed died completely.

‘Oh, my God! Insane nice pass!’

As he quickly touched the ball and sprinted forward, he saw the goalkeeper rushing out with a panicked expression.

The keeper probably didn’t expect the ball to bounce like that either… he recklessly left his goal and came charging out.

Instead of dribbling past the goalkeeper, Smith lightly chipped the ball up.

The ball drew a slow parabola, bounced once on the ground, and nestled gently into the net.

“Wow!!!”

It was just a practice match…

Smith was so thrilled about scoring his goal that he shouted out like it was a goal celebration.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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