Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 17

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“Coach, it’s just as we expected. He’s exactly 20 minutes late.”

“…”

“Shouldn’t we say something? I’ll go give him a piece of my mind.”

“Leave him.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I said leave him alone, you idiot.”

The day after the practice match.

Just like the first day, Johan showed up 20 minutes late for training.

It was expected.

Yesterday,

I figured that after playing so well in the practice match, the kid would lose his motivation and go back to being lazy.

Sure enough.

Look at him.

He’s already 20 minutes late.

It’s not just the laziness, but the nerve of this kid is something else.

Even 30-year-old veterans tremble at the thought of getting scolded by Coach Schmidt for being late to training.

Doesn’t he find Coach Schmidt scary?

Or is his laziness just stronger than his fear? Seriously.

“Still, we have to say something, Coach. As the assistant coach, I can’t just let this slide.”

“What are you, a student guidance counselor?”

“Did you eat something wrong, Coach?”

But,

What’s even more absurd is Coach Schmidt’s reaction.

Coach Jamie stares at Coach Schmidt with a dumbfounded expression.

It’s only natural to say something when someone’s late,

But he’s telling me not to.

He’s usually the first one to get angry when someone’s late to training.

“Then what about the fine? We have to collect the fine, right?”

“You want to fine that young kid? You heartless bastard.”

“Wow, who’s calling who what now?”

As the assistant coach supporting Coach Schmidt, Jamie had a wide range of responsibilities.

Increasing the font size on various documents,

Teaching him how to rewatch game footage,

Driving him to and from work every day,

Shouting on his behalf to protect his voice,

And collecting fines from players who were late.

Among these, Coach Schmidt emphasized collecting fines the most.

He was always so adamant about checking and fining anyone who was even a minute late to training.

Even if Johan is just a kid, isn’t the old man usually an inflexible, zero-tolerance type?

This is clear discrimination.

“Discrimination?”

“It’s discrimination. You’re giving him special treatment.”

“What did I do?”

“You’re not scolding him for being late, and you’re telling me not to collect the fine.”

“Do we have to be so strict over one mistake? To a sixteen-year-old? My grandson is sixteen, you know. Didn’t you ever make a mistake at that age?”

“Wait, now I’m the one getting scolded?”

Coach Schmidt clears his throat.

Yesterday, after training ended and he returned home.

Coach Schmidt was deep in thought.

How should he handle this kid, Johan, going forward?

Even though the initial plan failed,

He couldn’t give up on his desire to tame him.

Because the talent he confirmed once again through yesterday’s game was, in a word, ‘real’.

A guy with an unbelievably short football career, and who hadn’t even trained hard during that short period.

Yet, he showed that kind of performance against the first-team players.

Even in his current state, there was no doubt about his talent.

But,

How could a coach be satisfied with just that?

A coach’s duty is to draw out 150% of a player’s potential, if they have 100.

If this kid, who’s already this good even when he’s lazy with training,

How far could he develop if he started training hard?

He couldn’t help but want to see it.

If he could make that happen, the kid would undoubtedly become one of two things.

Either he’d lead West Ham to a whirlwind success,

Or he’d gift the club with a record-breaking transfer fee.

No,

Maybe he’d even become the best player in the club’s history.

Looking at his potential alone, that wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.

So, he couldn’t give up this easily.

He had to find a way.

A way to make him show the same motivation as yesterday again.

After spending all night brainstorming, Coach Schmidt concluded that there was only one fundamental answer.

The reason Johan showed such uncharacteristic motivation yesterday was

Because he had a goal.

A clear goal to prove that he wasn’t wrong.

Even a lazy guy like Johan,

If he has a goal, he’ll throw himself into it without anyone telling him to, in order to achieve that goal.

“Bring Johan in here.”

“Ah, yes.”

So,

Coach Schmidt had concluded that all he had to do was create a new goal for him and help him move towards that goal.

“Oh, hello. Johan.”

“Yes.”

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“Ah, no. I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief. You didn’t look too good.”

“I’m just a little… sleepy.”

“Hahaha. Yes. It’s the age when you sleep a lot in the morning.”

Jamie frowned as he watched Coach Schmidt smile kindly and pat Johan’s shoulder.

This isn’t like the old man.

If McCarthy, the team’s biggest troublemaker, was late and said he wasn’t feeling well because he was sleepy, he would have been kicked out with a kick to the butt.

“Did you have any thoughts while playing in yesterday’s game?”

Johan shrugged at Coach Schmidt’s question.

Thoughts, huh.

“I realized that everyone runs really hard.”

“So… did you think that you should do that too, even just a little bit?”

“…Not really. I can’t run like that.”

“You can’t run? There might be… something to that. Hmm. Yes. Everyone is different, after all.”

Coach Schmidt barely swallowed the words he wanted to say at Johan’s answer.

Jamie was practically gagging himself.

If McCarthy had said the same thing, he might have been slapped across the face, no exaggeration.

He’s holding back?

That old man?

‘It’s all about talent. Talent is everything. You can’t catch up to natural ability…’

Jamie looked at Johan with envious eyes.

Well, anyway.

Coach Schmidt slowly got to the main point.

“So, there’s something I’m curious about, Johan. May I ask?”

“What is it?”

“It might seem out of the blue, but just think of me as talking to your grandfather and answer comfortably. What is your dream, Johan?”

“…Dream?”

Coach Schmidt asked with a serious expression.

A dream, that is, a goal.

What does he want?

In order to create a new goal for Johan, he first needed to know what Johan wanted.

“Um…”

Johan paused for a moment, caught off guard by the question.

A dream, huh.

In fact, Johan had never had any grand dreams like others since he was very young.

Why is it that when people talk about dreams, they talk about professions like doctors, soldiers, or lawyers, or wishes like traveling the world or becoming rich?

Johan never really had anything that came to mind.

Ah.

Come to think of it, there was one thing he always said like a habit.

And that is.

“To do nothing and live… that’s my dream.”

“To do… nothing and live?”

To do nothing and live.

If he had to find a dream, that would be it.

Really, to do nothing.

It might sound ironic, but Johan was someone who could do anything if he could do nothing.

“Hmm… That’s a wonderful dream.”

Coach Schmidt held back something after hearing Johan’s very Johan-like answer and said.

In his heart, he wanted to scold him for being so lazy, but.

He had to hold back.

He had to hold back this much for Johan’s sake.

Okay, good.

He didn’t really like it, but it was okay if he could make that his goal.

What’s important is having a goal, no matter what it is.

“This old man might be able to make that dream come true.”

“…You, Coach?”

“Yes. To make it so you don’t have to do anything. But, Johan, you know this, right? You can’t achieve your goals without any effort.”

It’s the law of equivalent exchange [a concept where to gain something, something of equal value must be lost or sacrificed].

To achieve a goal, effort is required.

“Johan. There’s a league match this weekend. The opponent is Norwich City, a team currently ranked 18th in the league.”

“Yes.”

“Would you like to play in that game?”

“A game? Me?”

Coach Schmidt made a surprising offer.

Play in a game…?

I wonder.

Johan scratched his head at the unexpected offer.

If the coach tells him to play, he has to play, but…

If it’s not mandatory and he has a choice, Johan’s choice is definitely set.

He won’t play.

Playing in a game is a very bothersome thing.

So, just as Johan was about to shake his head,

Coach Schmidt added a condition to the offer that he couldn’t refuse.

“If you play in the game, I’ll make you one promise. For every attacking point you get in that game, I’ll give you a training exemption coupon for one day.”

“A training… exemption coupon?”

“Yes. A coupon that allows you to not come to training and rest at home.”

He doesn’t have to come to training?

He can rest at home?

Legally?

A look of contemplation appeared on Johan’s face, and Coach Schmidt grinned.

“Will you try it?”

“…”

Training exemption.

Johan’s lifeless eyes suddenly began to sparkle.

ㆍㆍㆍ

“…Tickets. Tickets! I need to get tickets! Surely they’re not sold out? Norwich isn’t that popular of a team!”

Thump, thump!

Johan was horrified by his father, who suddenly started moving at the speed of light.

He had just told them the news that he would be playing in the game against a team called Norwich City this weekend.

Coach Schmidt’s offer, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

If he gets attacking points in that game, he’ll get a training exemption for each one.

How could he refuse this?

Johan was someone who could do anything if it meant he didn’t have to go to training.

So,

Johan accepted Coach Schmidt’s offer.

Of course,

It was also because he thought he could do it.

Since it’s one day for each attacking point, if he doesn’t record even one attacking point, he might not get anything.

He might have to play the game and still go to training.

But,

The reason he answered that he would play in the game without much hesitation was because he was confident that he could get attacking points.

Honestly,

It didn’t seem that difficult.

“Two, two seats. No, three seats. Mom has to go too. It’s her son’s debut! Ugh, this damn internet! Rohan! Rohan!”

“Yes? Did you call me?”

“Try to get these tickets. Quickly!”

“What game is it that you’re in such a hurry for?”

“West Ham versus Norwich! This weekend’s game!”

“Norwich? It’s not even a big match?”

“It’s not that! Johan is going to play in that game!”

“…Really? Really, Johan?”

“Yeah.”

“Phone! Phone! Damn it! Dad, the card! Give me the card!”

“Here, here! Get three seats! The best seats!”

…Why are they in such a hurry?

Johan rubbed his forehead as he watched his dad and brother make such a fuss, as if a war had broken out just to book a ticket.

“Got it! I got it! Three seats!”

“Great! Come on!”

“Wow, is this real? Johan is already making his debut?”

“Dad can’t believe it either!”

Johan was the one who was going to play in the game,

But his dad and brother hugged each other and started jumping around.

Well, it was definitely something to be excited about.

The thing they had only dreamed of had become a reality so quickly.

“Johan!”

Ban Seok-ho grabbed Johan’s hand.

“Do well. No, you don’t have to do well. There’s no need to feel pressured. Just show as much of your ability as you have. That’ll be enough. Then, the world will be amazed. Got it?”

“Yes.”

Johan nodded.

He’s going to do well.

It’s a game he has to do well in.

That way,

He can rest.

He’ll definitely get it.

The training exemption coupon.

‘I’m really going to sleep all day.’

Johan was already looking forward to the day he would use the exemption coupon.