Field Commander - Chapter 36

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

Chapter 36.

Chapter 36.

Chapter 36.

– Turn off your interest and go to sleep.

Jung Joo-young really hated talking about himself.

And he also hated talking about me.

We shared the same room, but our conversations were limited to “let’s eat,” “let’s go train,” “go to sleep…”

That was about it.

Unlike other players who gathered to play games, he would just sit and stare blankly out the window, and when no one was on the playground, he’d go out for a walk – that was the only thing he did during break time.

‘Is it depression?’

Looking at his droopy eyes made me think that, but watching him train suggested otherwise.

He was the oldest here, yet he trained the hardest and most intensely.

Height: 182cm.

Not short for a soccer player, but you could say he’s small for a striker.

Nevertheless, he could withstand pressure from our team’s center backs and shield the ball with his back, and his flexibility and acceleration were so good that he could shake off defenders with a single ball touch.

His mid-range shooting ability was also excellent, so he could strike when the opportunity arose.

On top of that, his off-the-ball movement and penetration ability were good, which would really trouble defenders.

Because you never knew what he’d do.

The players I’d faced before had specialties, so you just had to block those.

But in my opinion, the only way to deal with that guy would be to stick close and hassle him to prevent passes from reaching him.

A player who would become a disaster if given space.

‘He’s not at Arsenal for nothing.’

There was a reason I was thinking this.

“Kim Sang-hyuk. Go in as a substitute for the B team. Su-mi’s position.”

Because I could finally participate in a practice game after three days.

“Yes!”

I quickly threw off my training bib and entered the field.

Meanwhile, the manager gave precise instructions about the players’ positions and movements.

In terms of team tactics, rather than participating in attacks, my role was to defend alongside the center back when the fullback joined the attack.

When the opponent pressed hard, I’d drop lower than my original position to help connect the ball.

It would be more accurate to say it was the center back role from my high school days rather than the offensive-defensive coordination role I was playing in Germany.

Because Gu Ja-yoon, the captain of the B team, was filling that role.

He was originally a defensive midfielder, but due to poor defensive skills, he converted to an attacking midfielder during his professional career.

He had excellent first touch, outstanding tempo control ability, and his one-touch passes were truly overwhelming within the team.

However, he was greedy for goals and often shot from long distances, which got him scolded by the manager frequently.

At 21, he wore the national team jersey for the 2010 World Cup and scored the most goals after superstar Park Hong-min…

“Reduce your number of shots. Do what you’re good at.”

I also noticed Jung Joo-young, the A team’s forward, frowning and nodding.

“But why are you on this team of all teams?”

And Jang Jin-woo grumbled, seemingly displeased that I had joined.

“I’m not happy about it either. If I were on the A team, I’d crush you.”

It was annoying that I had to work with this bastard, but thinking that my national team soccer career would likely go to the end with this guy unless something unexpected happened, I decided not to actually crush him.

“You’d crush me? Oh, how scary. I should go tell the manager.”

He was better at joking around than I expected.

Did I not know this because we only gritted our teeth and competed against each other in high school?

“You’re a man. How petty.”

“If someone who looks like you says they’ll crush me, anyone would be scared, right?”

“Does your expression look scared?”

“Just defend well. Joo-young hyung is no joke. If you concede a goal, he’ll chase you and smack the back of your head.”

He’s grown a lot.

He’d smack the back of my head?

“Try it.”

“That’s why I’m saying don’t concede goals.”

“You should attack properly. What is this, baseball? Just hitting home runs.”

“Shut up. My condition isn’t great today.”

“Your knee keeps lifting when you shoot. Idiot.”

“…”

He looked at me with a strange expression.

As if asking, “You saw that?”

“Don’t tell me that’s advice?”

“I’m saying it because we’re on the same team. If I were on the A team, you would’ve been hitting home runs all day. Is your sole bothering you?”

“…”

“Then use your head. Why do you keep using your foot?”

“Ugh.”

Even after rolling around in the pros for over three years, he still couldn’t fix that expression.

Still far from a poker face.

Tsk tsk.

“Coach.”

I immediately called Coach Lee Ho-nam.

“What?”

“Please check Jang Jin-woo’s sole. He says it hurts.”

At my words, Jang Jin-woo had a fit.

“Hey!”

Eventually, Jang Jin-woo, who had to take off his smelly soccer cleats on the manager’s orders, ended up being substituted out.

And we got completely thrashed by the A team, who were expected to be the starters.

0-2 defeat.

‘Was it because of Jang Jin-woo?’

From the outside, it looked like the two teams were balanced, but after Jang Jin-woo left, the A team went on the offensive.

It seemed our attack wasn’t threatening.

I also looked for opportunities to send long balls forward, but that’s only useful if there’s someone to receive them.

Everyone was too busy defending to catch the counter-attack timing.

Ki Sung-yueng, my positional competitor playing for Swansea City in the EPL, sending accurate long passes from the back, Gu Ja-yoon distributing balls with one-touch passes in front, Jung Joo-young toying with the defense…

If I could use clone jutsu, I’d split into three to mark all three of them, but that’s not reality.

When I tried to mark Jung Joo-young, I got tangled up because of the continuous switching.

Movement that could only come from matching breath for quite a long time.

The tempo wasn’t as fast as Germany, but it felt good to see what seemed like a solid iron fortress.

‘The level is high.’

Having many such players my age meant we could have at least some hope for the World Cup.

For now, my job was to understand my teammates’ movements and habits.

Who worked well with whom, what movements they made in urgent situations.

I had to keep putting it in my head and get used to the tactics.

* * *

“Did we have too high expectations?”

Lee Sang-cheol shook his head at the coaches’ words.

“If it had been Jang Jin-woo, he would have received that and connected it to a goal.”

The timing of Kim Sang-hyuk’s sharp passes when launching counter attacks after successful defense in the back field.

There was nothing to find fault with in that.

‘Even if the pass is A-grade, it’s hard to receive if there’s no prior arrangement.’

Of course, to people who don’t know soccer well, it would look like Kim Sang-hyuk made a random pass.

The coaches aren’t only watching Kim Sang-hyuk either, so it could appear that way.

“Damn bastard.”

Lee Sang-cheol sighed as he thought of Jang Jin-woo.

He had been training while hiding his foot injury.

Why hadn’t they noticed it until now…

“Manager, we got a call from the hospital. It’s not a serious injury, so he should be fine after resting for 3-4 days.”

All four coaches including Lee Sang-cheol breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Jung Joo-young was in good form, since games were played every three days, Jang Jin-woo was absolutely necessary.

Not just Jang Jin-woo, but all 18 players had to be fully operational to endure this murderous schedule.

“Was Jin-woo always this stubborn?”

“No. He was a bit of a playboy. He would whine even when he was slightly hurt.”

Jeon Young-sik, who had been part of the coaching staff when Jang Jin-woo was in K League 1, tilted his head in confusion.

“Maybe he changed after going to Germany?”

Well, either way, he didn’t dislike that spirit of running until his body broke down.

Without such sacrifice, it was absolutely impossible to achieve good results in international competitions.

Lee Sang-cheol knew this well himself.

“Tell that guy not to move and focus only on recovery. We’ll remove him from the roster for the match against Mexico for now.”

* * *

Team tactical training from 8 AM to 10 AM.

Set piece training from 10 AM to 12 PM.

After meals, mini games including team tactics from 1 PM to 2 PM.

Warming down from 2 PM to 3 PM, then training ends.

After that is free time, but…

Unauthorized outings are prohibited.

Eating food outside the meal plan is also prohibited.

Carbonated drinks and fast food are absolutely forbidden.

Spending all day doing wall-facing meditation with Jung Joo-young in the dormitory is painful.

Fortunately, Gu Ja-yoon, who was the same age and from the same class, would call me over constantly, which was so nice.

“How is this stricter than the military?”

Kim Seong-ryong, one of the senior members, yawned as he put down his PlayStation controller.

“Hyung, didn’t you not go to the military either?”

At Gu Ja-yoon’s words, Kim Seong-ryong cleared his throat awkwardly.

“My heart has already been to the military and back.”

Except for me, everyone was exempt from military service.

That’s how much every player was risking their life for a medal in this tournament.

“But Sang-hyuk, why are you so bad at games?”

Who in the world plays soccer with their fingers?

“Sang-hyuk’s fingers are also a weakness.”

“Fingers too?”

I’m the punching bag here.

Actually, this kind of environment is a bit unfamiliar.

“Face is a weakness, fingers are a weakness, what else is there?”

“How is my face a weakness? Do you know how many female Freiburg fans wear my uniform?”

“Does your face appear on the uniform?”

“…”

My mouth shut tight at Kim Seong-ryong’s remark.

But I can’t lose.

“Hyung, you’re not much better either.”

“Hey, no matter how much of a weakness I am, I’m not as bad as you. Right?”

Gu Ja-yoon looked at my face and Kim Seong-ryong’s face, then smiled.

“In my eyes, you’re about the same?”

“Are you being arrogant because you’re handsome?”

“Still, I’m at least average, aren’t I?”

Gu Ja-yoon is average?

For a soccer player, he’s on the handsome side.

Of course, the most handsome guy on this team is that annoying Jang Jin-woo.

Come to think of it, I’ve been seeing that bastard’s commercials quite a bit on TV…

While chatting and playing the unfamiliar soccer game, the door creaked open.

“Sang-hyuk.”

Jung Joo-young, who should have been holed up in seclusion, suddenly came looking for me.

“Yes?”

“Come out for a moment.”

Did I do something wrong?

I haven’t talked behind anyone’s back since coming here.

Maybe it’s because I didn’t clean up after training earlier?

When someone who’s been quiet suddenly calls you, it makes you nervous for no reason.

“Hey, go out quickly. Joo-young is angry.”

Kim Seong-ryong egged me on from the side, and I shot out like a bullet.

“What’s the matter?”

“Let’s go to the training ground for a moment.”

“The training ground?”

“Just put on your soccer cleats and come.”

When I put on just my soccer cleats and went down to the training ground, Jung Joo-young was warming up with a soccer ball.

‘Don’t tell me he wants to do a 1-on-1?’

A strange tension suddenly took over my body.

‘If I beat Jung Joo-young here, might I get more playing opportunities?’

In a 1-on-1, I was confident I wouldn’t lose even if my opponent was Jung Joo-young.

“I’ve been watching for a few days, and your passes from the back field are really good?”

But what came out of Jung Joo-young’s mouth was different from what I expected.

“Passes?”

“Yeah. Better than Sung-yueng.”

Oh, my God!

Did he praise me?

This person?

Even comparing me to Ki Sung-yueng, the starting defensive midfielder?

“It’s your right foot, right? Those fast and strong crosses?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s work on our chemistry together. I think it’ll be useful in the tournament.”

Of course we should work together.

Soccer should be played with feet and body, not fingers.

“Yes.”

* * *

On the way back to the dormitory after receiving an examination at the hospital, Jang Jin-woo carefully observed the people running on the playground in the late evening.

Jung Joo-young and Kim Sang-hyuk.

He could also see the manager and coaches watching them from the lit office.

Jang Jin-woo unconsciously gritted his teeth.

‘That bastard…’

Kim Sang-hyuk, who instantly noticed what even the coaches couldn’t catch.

‘How the hell did he figure it out?’

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand the process of how Sang-hyuk found out about his foot injury.

But it wasn’t strange.

It was always like that during high school.

Kim Sang-hyuk always made judgments that were beyond reach, and he was always outplayed.

‘That bastard is definitely unlucky as hell, but he’s an outstanding genius.’

Jang Jin-woo acknowledged that himself.

People who just accomplish things that can’t be explained are geniuses.

Compared to Kim Sang-hyuk, contrary to public opinion, he wasn’t a genius.

He was in a similar situation to a swan that kicks frantically underwater beneath a calm surface.

The first emotion Jang Jin-woo felt when he heard that Kim Sang-hyuk was starting soccer again after overcoming his injury was impatience.

That unpleasant feeling he hadn’t experienced when that guy wasn’t playing soccer due to injury.

‘I need to keep training more and getting better. To shake off that bastard’s pursuit…’

But right now he had to rest, while that guy was practicing with Jung Joo-young, the ace striker.

Jang Jin-woo gritted his teeth again, and the staff member driving asked.

“What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

“No.”

“It’s the manager’s orders, but you need to rest and do nothing until the Mexico match is over.”

Those were truly teeth-grinding words.

“…Yes.”

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