Field Commander - Chapter 8

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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 8.

Chapter 8.

Chapter 8.

– Thud…

I can’t see the ball clearly because of the sweat.

“Huff… huff… ugh…”

It’s been almost 3 months now.

My heart feels like it’s going to burst and my breathing feels like it’s going to stop…

The portable heart rate monitor kept beeping warning sounds.

I slowed down the pace a bit, but I didn’t stop.

– Do you know what the difference between a pro and an amateur is? A pro maintains the same performance as the beginning of the game even when they’re so out of breath they feel like dying. If you can’t do that basic thing, you’d better choose a different path.

Those were the words of the coach I heard when I first joined the soccer club in high school.

I wasn’t a defender from the start when I began playing soccer.

Until middle school, I mainly played as a midfielder when playing soccer.

I was very good at handling the ball, good at passing, and had good shooting skills, but back then I was shorter than the average for my age.

Before entering high school, I grew tremendously tall, and when my physical balance was disrupted and my ball-handling sense became dull, the coach told me to play as a defender.

During my first year of high school, I regained my disrupted physical balance and my ball sense, but since I was so good as a center back, I continued to play in that position.

– Thud.

Dribbling while running wasn’t simple running.

I had to focus on the ball and carefully watch for people and objects that suddenly appeared in the park.

I had to keep controlling my breathing and create a rhythm, and pay attention to my heart rate so I wouldn’t go beyond the Zone2 range.

Compared to the beginning, my body and stamina have improved incomparably now.

The speed of that change began to accelerate now that 3 months have passed.

Every single day is different.

The more I felt such changes, the more confident I became, and my motivation kept growing.

– Beep beep beep…

The alarm on the digital watch on my wrist went off, and only then did I slowly stop my feet.

My heart really feels like it’s going to burst out…

A smile naturally formed on my face from the satisfaction of achieving my goal.

“Huff… huff…”

While I was doing cool-down exercises while catching my breath, my mobile phone rang.

It was another unknown number.

– Hello?

– Hello. Are you player Kim Sang-hyuk by any chance?

– Yes… who is this?

– Do you remember me by any chance? I’m Shin Ui-cheol, the coach of Geumwang High School.

Geumwang High School…

It’s a high school that’s considered a traditional soccer powerhouse.

It’s a school that always makes it to the semifinals in competitions, but when Jang Jin-woo and I were there, they never won a championship.

And…

After several semifinal matches against Geumwang High School ended, he would come over and give me lots of praise and various advice.

That became a great help later on.

So I couldn’t help but remember him.

– Ah, yes, I remember you. Coach. Have you been well?

– Of course. I’ve been doing well. Has your body recovered?

I became curious about how he knew.

– Yes. Fortunately, I succeeded in rehabilitation.

– That’s really fortunate. I heard you started playing soccer again?

– Yes…

– Agent Jung Seung-jin is my friend.

– Ah, is that so?

They say the soccer world is really small, but were they connected like this?

– He asked me to help him objectively assess your skill level. Could you possibly come to Gwangju? Would you like to play together with our players in a practice game? By the way, the guys who won last year’s National High School Championship are still here. There are even three guys who will advance to the pro league. It would be a good opportunity to test your skills, don’t you think? How about it?

I had no reason to refuse.

They were offering to let me play in a high-level game.

– As long as I can play soccer, I don’t mind going anywhere. I’ll come visit you, Coach.

– Good. Then come visit around 2 PM the day after tomorrow.

– Understood.

* * *

Geumwang High School.

Perhaps because they’ve maintained their status as a high school soccer powerhouse for over 40 years, the soccer field was natural grass.

There were separate dormitory facilities for the players, and there were also separate director’s offices and administrative offices related to soccer.

‘Wow. This is nice.’

The new team Maedong High School didn’t have a soccer field, so we used the sand playground that regular students used, and since there were no dormitory facilities or anything like that, we used nearby empty houses as boarding rooms with the help of the district office.

Director’s office.

– Knock knock knock.

When I knocked on the door, I heard a deep voice from inside.

“Come in.”

When I opened the door and entered, I saw Shin Ui-cheol, who despite being in his 40s, had hair that was almost completely white.

“You came.”

“It’s been a long time.”

“You’re still bright with greetings?”

“If I didn’t have that, I probably wouldn’t have even stepped onto the high school stage.”

“How modest. Sit over there.”

I sat on the sofa, and Shin Ui-cheol brought two cups of tea.

“You seem to have grown taller?”

“Yes, I’m 196.5cm. I grew just a little bit more recently.”

“Wow… for someone who took a 3-year break, you seem to be in good shape too. Are your legs really okay?”

“Yes. I haven’t felt any major problems doing exercise at the level of morning soccer tempo yet.”

“That’s really something to congratulate you for.”

“Thank you.”

Coach Shin Ui-cheol is originally someone who doesn’t smile much, but he’s smiling quite kindly.

“You were a really unique player. From your first year. Most kids listen with one ear when other coaches give them various advice, but you even called to ask questions?”

“Did I do that? My memory is a bit hazy…”

“I was so envious of your talent that I thought about trying to tempt you once, but when I saw you flying around in your second year, I completely gave up on that idea.”

“It’s a team sport, isn’t it? I didn’t do it alone.”

“That’s your strength. When I watched you in your third year, it was like watching Sergio Busquets. You didn’t attempt dribbles often, and you weren’t particularly fast… but you played while compensating for all your teammates’ weaknesses. While ordinary people paid less attention because you didn’t have the flashiness of someone like Jang Jin-woo, pro league coaches were all clamoring that they absolutely wanted to recruit you.”

Past glory briefly flashed through my mind, and I naturally let out a bitter smile.

“Still, since you’ve started playing soccer again, I really want to cheer you on tremendously.”

“Thank you.”

“A few days ago, I asked the players if anyone knew who player Kim Sang-hyuk was.”

Unnecessary anticipation made me swallow my saliva.

“Nobody knew.”

It was perhaps a natural story, but it was somewhat sad.

“So I’m planning to completely hide your identity and proceed with today’s game. Is that alright?”

“Just being able to play a high-level match is enough for me.”

“Right. A player is finished if they don’t play. But since you’re a current professional player that I know, I’ll tell them to give their absolute best and show their skills. The guys will probably want to test how good they are. That’s the only way they can gauge your abilities.”

Not only simply measuring my abilities, but also providing motivation for the players he’s coaching?

“…What if I end up crushing the junior players’ spirits?”

“That would be even better. Some of those guys are going into their third year and already have contracts with professional clubs. But they’re getting too cocky. Kids who just hatched from their eggs acting like they own the world will never become good players. So if you can do it, I’d love for you to completely demolish them.”

If I can do it…

Even though he called me here, Director Shin Ui-cheol clearly had doubts about my abilities too.

“I’ll put you in during the second half, so sit and watch the players’ game during the first half. Do you have a preferred position?”

“Yes. Defensive midfielder.”

“Why?”

“Someone said my play style resembles Busquets a lot. Let me test it out.”

“I like that. That confidence. Players who’ve been out long due to injury… many of them collapse mentally and give up soccer.”

I briefly recalled memories from a few months ago.

– If you can’t make Korea win the World Cup within 15 years, you’re definitely going to die.

“…There’s a reason I have no choice but to do this.”

* * *

Today’s practice match was an OB vs YB game.

It was a game between 2nd-3rd years and new 1st years.

OB maintained the same strength as the team that won several major tournaments last year, while YB consisted of promising players scouted from middle school to Geumwang High School.

Thanks to Director Shin Ui-cheol’s consideration, I warmed up lightly indoors.

And before the game started, I sat next to the director and watched their match.

There was no need to distinguish – the physical difference was clear.

One side was at the age of physical completion, while the other side consisted of players who needed to grow steadily for three years.

“Did you give them different tactics?”

The physically disadvantaged first-year team consistently used defensive tactics.

“I told them to figure it out themselves. Once a year, I let them play however they want to play.”

That meant after today, they’d have to be controlled by the director.

“Korea’s youth development system has improved so much that there are many young players who play well. In our time, you had to graduate university to go pro, but now there are guys signing professional contracts in their second year of high school.”

“I see. The first-year team is holding up pretty well.”

“They have to work hard. The sooner they secure a starting position, the higher their chances of going pro.”

With that conversation ended, Shin Ui-cheol went out to the field and started shouting like cannon fire.

“Hey, OB guys! You bastards, how many days have you been starving? Why is your play so pathetic?”

So much for letting them play comfortably once a year…

I watched the game with full concentration.

While watching the first half, I tried hard to understand the tendencies and habits of the players on the ground.

I also checked tactical peculiarities and main attack directions.

The OB team’s tempo quickened due to the director’s shouting, and they quickly scored 2 goals in a set piece situation before the first half ended.

The first-years, who couldn’t properly attack or defend, looked like they were about to cry.

‘That’s natural though… they’re competitive kids. But from the looks of it, I’ll be put into the first-year team.’

During the first half, one player caught my eye.

A first-year left fullback with considerable speed.

His ball touch was excellent and his agility was good, so if utilized well, he could be used as a good attacking route, but no one was utilizing him.

‘They’re not at the age to see such things yet. But I was already seeing such things from my first year.’

Even without the director’s explanation, I had a clear sense of how the players moved.

“Alright, everyone gather around.”

When the first half ended and the players’ break was about to end, the director called the players together.

“I invited a guest today.”

All the players’ gazes focused on me.

“Amazing size, right?”

“Yes!”

“Looks like a soccer player too, right?”

Laughter erupted among the players.

“Yes…”

“Are you bastards going to answer so weakly?”

“YES!!!!”

He seems like a good director.

“In the second half, the guest will play with the first-year team. He’s a senior player active in the pro league, so OB guys stay alert and first-years follow his instructions well.”

At Shin Ui-cheol’s words, the players’ gazes focused on me again.

‘I’m… not a professional player yet though?’

Some had eyes full of doubt.

Someone had eyes of admiration.

Someone tilted their head, not understanding the situation…

Quite a variety.

“I’ve never seen him before, is he really a K League player?”

A guy who looked like a third-year asked the question.

“The second half starts now. I’ll take questions after the game. First, clash with your bodies directly. See how high the professional wall is.”

He really knows how to make situations interesting.

I got about 15 minutes to talk with the young-looking first-years.

“You guys all have incredible skills, don’t you?”

These guys, who were less suspicious, showed really pleased expressions at my words.

“That’s why you could come to this prestigious high school, right?”

“Yes!”

Several players answered.

“But there are too many outstanding seniors, right?”

“Yes…”

Honest, at least.

I smiled inwardly.

“You need to show good performance here to play in official games, right?”

“Yes!”

“Shall we try to win once?”

At my words, everyone’s eyes widened.

“How?”

“Number 43.”

At my words, the guy wearing number 43 looked at me.

“You’re confident in breakthrough dribbling, right?”

“Yes. It’s what I do best.”

“Your crosses are decent too, right?”

“The director said he picked me just for that.”

“Those two things should work well enough today.”

Based on the game I saw in the first half, I gave some advice to the 10 players and suggested an attacking direction.

“Let’s collapse the left side through number 43, and attack by putting low, fast crosses inside the penalty area to cut them off.”

Whether the director’s statement that I was a professional player and my initial praise and analysis worked, everyone actively listened to me.

“In set piece situations, I’ll block as much as possible with my size, so the striker and number 43 should be ready to immediately launch counter attacks. Everyone else, let’s block the opponent’s attacks like you did in the first half.”

“Yes!”

Their answers were really refreshing, and seeing these guys reminded me of my high school days.

The junior players who used to look at me with such infinite trust.

“Well then, shall we go give the seniors a shock?”

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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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