Lazy Genius Striker [EN]: Chapter 24

< 023. Can I Trust You? >

“Hey, you idiot! Don’t come here!”

“Don’t come! I’m telling you not to come here!”

An impromptu rugby match unfolded on the soccer field.

Johann was trying to return to the halfway line, and West Ham players were trying to stop him.

The Liverpool players, already dumbfounded, were completely stunned by the bizarre sight.

What the hell are these guys doing?

“Don’t come here, you said?”

“Yeah! Go back! Go to your goal!”

“Why? We don’t have time.”

“Just stall for time, even if it’s just a little!”

“You may not know it, but every minute and second is agony for us!”

“Is this bastard trying to kill someone?”

Johann was also bewildered.

Wait, instead of blocking the Liverpool players, why are they blocking him?

He’s busy trying to score another goal.

“Give me the ball, you punk.”

“Here, go celebrate or something!”

Eventually, Johann had the ball stolen by his teammates and was pushed away.

Sighing, Johann, who was being pushed, yelled,

“Waaaaaah-!”

Finally, he faced the massive roar of the crowd that he hadn’t been paying attention to.

“Where was this guy hiding!”

“I love you! I love you!”

“Ughhhhh!”

Johann froze slightly at the sight.

Everyone was jumping up and down like crazy, cheering.

Everyone was looking at him with expressions of pure joy.

Why… why are they so happy?

Is this something to go so crazy over?

“…”

Johann looked around, not only in front but also around him.

How many people are there?

Thousands? No, there must be tens of thousands.

Those tens of thousands of people,

Were cheering because of him.

As if they were going crazy with joy.

Only,

Because of him.

What is this?

Johann began to feel a feeling he had never felt before.

He didn’t know what to call this feeling.

His heart was beating faster.

“Kid. Feels great, right?”

“…”

Gordon approached and put his hand on Johann’s shoulder.

Gordon smiled contentedly.

Gordon leaned in and said in Johann’s ear.

“Want me to teach you how to make those people go even crazier?”

“…?”

“The team emblem on your chest? Kiss it. That’s a guaranteed hit.”

“Emblem…”

At Gordon’s words, he looked down.

On his left chest, there was an emblem with two crossed hammers. [The West Ham United team emblem]

If he kisses this, those people will go even crazier? No way.

“…Mwah.”

“Uwoooooooo!”

“Uwaaaaaaaa!”

“You son of a biiiiiiitch! You know what’s up!”

…Huh.

It’s real?

Johann chuckled in disbelief.

*

“N-no, I didn’t see it wrong, did I…?”

“I-I think I saw it wrong too… Mom. What did Johann just do…?”

“Huh? What do you mean? He scored a goal! Only one goal left now!”

“N-no. After that.”

Ban Seok-ho and Rohan doubted their eyes.

The goal scene was definitely something to make their eyes pop out, but let’s put that aside for now.

After that.

“What, wiping his mouth with his uniform?”

“No, how is that wiping his mouth! He kissed the emblem!”

“This guy, the holy emblem kiss right now!”

“What. Funny. Why are you guys getting mad over that.”

Johann kissed the emblem.

Johann did!

The emblem kiss ceremony is a celebration that players often do.

But the important thing was that Johann did it.

What does it mean to kiss the emblem?

I love this club.

I’ll be buried in this club.

Isn’t that what it means?

Johann did that.

Johann of all people!

“I have… no regrets even if I die…”

“My two favorite things kissed…”

It was a scene that drove Ban Seok-ho and Rohan crazy.

If Ban Seok-ho or Rohan had to pick the two things they loved most in the world, they would both pick family and West Ham.

But, those two met.

The words that he would have no regrets even if he died were not a lie.

“My brother is full of class!”

“Of course! What kind of family do you think we are! Aren’t we a family with class!”

“You fought with Dad over ancestral rites [traditional Korean ceremonies honoring ancestors], but what are you talking about class for.”

“No, not that!”

Fans are incredibly proud just to see a youth player come out in a game, perform well, and be loyal to the club.

But,

If that’s my son. If that’s my brother.

If that club is the club I love the most.

How happy would I be?

Happiness was pouring out of Ban Seok-ho and Rohan’s faces.

“Ah, a picture. I couldn’t take a picture! What should I do?”

“It’s okay. If you search the articles or Instagram after it’s over, it’ll all come out.”

“Y-yeah. Find it and send it to Dad. I’ll have to set it as my profile picture.”

“I was going to do that too.”

“Sigh. You never thought about taking care of my picture like that?”

“Why your picture…”

“Why?”

“No, it’s because I only want to see your picture!”

“Tsk. Whatever you say.”

Even though Kim Ra-hee shot lasers with her eyes,

Ban Seok-ho and Rohan were just happy.

*

Just one more.

Let’s just put in one more.

Johann’s goal was just that.

He won’t be greedy anymore, just one more goal.

He needs to rest for at least 3 days.

If he has to rest for two days, it’s Monday, the day after the game, and Friday, the day before Saturday, when there’s no training.

It would be best to rest for two days like this, but he’s not confident he can endure Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

At least he has to take off Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

So, just one more goal.

Anyway, it didn’t seem like he would have a chance to score two goals in the remaining time.

Um… no.

He’d be lucky if he got one chance.

“Beeeep-!”

Minute 28 of the second half.

Liverpool’s goal exploded in anger.

They missed the opponent’s header in a corner kick situation.

Liverpool finally made a comeback.

Certainly, Liverpool’s power was not easy to withstand, no matter how much momentum they had.

Liverpool, who had made the score 3-2, then took a step back.

Now they’re taking a defensive stance.

There were only 15 minutes left, and Liverpool could lock down the game as much as they wanted if they put their minds to it.

Only in the last 15 minutes did West Ham begin to gain some momentum.

“Beeeep-! Corner out!”

Time passed without any gain,

Minute 44 of the second half.

The ball went out of the goal line due to a touch-out by the Liverpool defense.

West Ham’s corner kick.

At the point of preparing for the corner kick, the scoreboard announcing extra time was already heard.

Additional time is 1 minute.

In fact, it was safe to say that this corner kick was the last chance.

“Grab people! People!”

“Don’t give up your spot!”

“Let go! I said let go!”

A fierce battle for position unfolded in front of the goal between the two teams.

The fight was so fierce,

“Beep, beep!”

The referee briefly suspended the corner kick and gave warnings to several players.

But that was only for a moment, and the players who received the warning and returned, saying they would refrain, soon grabbed each other’s uniforms and clung to each other.

A fight in front of the goal without an inch of concession.

The referee’s sign to take the corner kick was barely given.

Bbaaaaaaang-!

However,

The overheated melee in front of the goal eventually caused an accident.

“Beeeeeeep-!”

The referee, who had been watching the inside of the box closely, pointed to the center of the box and blew his whistle firmly.

Gordon had fallen.

With the neck of his uniform stretched out.

The Liverpool’s greed to stop it at all costs caused the disaster.

It was a penalty kick.

“Uwaaaa!”

The crowd and West Ham players cheered at the last chance that came decisively.

In terms of time, it’s over if you take the PK [Penalty Kick].

The decisive opportunity to finish this game in a draw at the last moment had come.

“Captain, I believe in you!”

“Just kick it like you always do, Cap!”

The ball was passed to Gordon.

It was a PK that he earned, but Gordon is originally West Ham’s PK kicker.

Although he is a midfielder, he is a top-class kicker with a PK success rate of nearly 85 percent.

Because of that,

The faces of the Liverpool players darkened when they saw Gordon placing the ball on the penalty mark.

They have to stop it at all costs… but Gordon is a player who almost never misses a PK.

Damn it.

If they only get 1 point today, they may lose their second place.

But what can they do.

They can only hope for the goalkeeper’s save.

But then, at that time.

“…Huh?”

A glimmer of hope appeared on the faces of the Liverpool players who were in despair.

Because Gordon had given up the kicker position.

It was to Johann.

“You take it.”

“I will.”

“…Even if it’s just pretense, shouldn’t you at least ask, ‘Can I?’ Well, whatever. Anyway, you take it.”

“I understand.”

“I’ll take responsibility even if you don’t score, so don’t feel pressured.”

“No. I have to take responsibility if I don’t score.”

Gordon chuckled as he watched Johann step forward without hesitation.

That audacious guy.

Even if he’s not an ordinary guy, there aren’t many guys who can step up so confidently in this situation. He’s definitely a different guy from the start.

Anyway, thanks to Gordon’s concession.

Johann became the kicker for the penalty kick at the end of the second half.

“Hey. Is that okay? They’re entrusting that important thing to a rookie?”

“Even so… is it right to pass that on to the youngest?”

Seeing Gordon giving up his position to Johann,

The West Ham fans were agitated.

No matter how much Johann has shown that he is not an ordinary youth player, he is still sixteen.

Isn’t it a bit 불안 [unstable/anxious in Korean] in this situation?

“Well, I know what he means? He’s trying to give him experience for the future.”

“Yeah. If you feel this kind of pressure at times like this, won’t you be able to stay calm when it’s really important later?”

“That’s right, and it’s a hat trick. A hat trick against Liverpool. How valuable is that experience? It’s the best way to gain confidence.”

Although they were 불안 [unstable/anxious in Korean], many fans nodded.

Because they could fully guess the reason for Gordon’s concession.

It would be a great experience to take a PK at times like this.

He also wanted to give him the gift of a hat trick record.

Those reasons.

Reasons that they could fully nod to.

However,

There was one fact that even those fans didn’t know.

Gordon gave up the PK to Johann,

Of course, there are those reasons too.

The most important reason is,

He just thought Johann would kick the PK better than him.

“Beeeep-!”

As the whistle blew, Johann ran towards the ball without hesitation.

Anxiety?

Pressure?

It was a useless worry.

Bbaaaaaaaang-!

Shooooooong-

Thud-!

The penalty kick that Johann kicked was sucked into a course that even Yashin [Lev Yashin, a famous goalkeeper] couldn’t stop.

Uwaaaaaaaat-!

It was Johann’s first career hat trick, boasting a career of a whopping 3 games in the league.

*

The game ended in a 3-3 draw.

If it’s an upset, it’s an upset.

A draw against Liverpool, who came out to win no matter what. It was a very encouraging result.

Of course,

80% of the reason why they were able to draw today was thanks to Johann.

Without Johann? It would have just been a normal Liverpool game, losing 0-3.

“No, a guy who can run like that… he’s really a funny guy.”

Coach Jamie laughed in vain as he reviewed Johann’s goal scenes.

The sprints that Johann showed in both the first goal of the first half and the second goal of the second half were amazing.

It was like watching a track and field athlete.

From the coolness of the long arms and legs, to the explosive power that was firmly 잡혀 [captured/controlled in Korean] and 쭉쭉뻗어나가는 [extending out in Korean].

Even though the Liverpool players weren’t slow at all, the sight of him overtaking them as if he was running in a different time was a scene that made him feel tremendous joy.

That’s why he laughed even more, thinking, ‘That guy, 참 [truly/really in Korean].’ It’s a shame because a guy who can run like that doesn’t usually run.

But coach Schmidt’s thoughts were different.

“He knows how to concentrate his strength.”

Johann’s stamina is definitely not good.

Perhaps, if he hadn’t saved his stamina by walking most of the time, that speed wouldn’t have come out.

In some ways, it was a smart play.

Anyway, even if he tries to do the defense that he can’t do, it will just be a meaningless movement.

In that case,

It’s better to give up what you have to give up, and instead do your part 200 percent.

Rather than knowing that, he’s just too lazy to run around hard.

Anyway.

‘I can’t say for sure that it’s a complete type.’

Usually, they use that expression.

They express a player who is 만능 [all-around/versatile in Korean] without any shortcomings as a hexagon.

If you make a hexagon with Johann’s current abilities,

It would probably be a very distorted shape rather than a balanced shape.

Some parts are abnormally protruding, and some parts are abnormally recessed.

To express that a little negatively, you could say that he is a half-baked player.

‘Half-baked.’

What the original Schmidt coach preferred was naturally a player with a balanced hexagon.

A half-baked player like Johann would only harm the team’s chemistry, and even more so if the recessed part was related to 성실성 [sincerity/faithfulness in Korean], Schmidt coach could not choose him.

‘But…’

However, Johann was different.

The protruding part is protruding so much that it’s severe. Enough to cover the recessed part.

Because of that,

As a Schmidt coach, he couldn’t help but want to save that half.

Today’s game was an important test.

He passed the test wonderfully.

‘If it’s half-baked, just make it look like only half is visible…’

Hide the half that can’t be seen, and only make the half that can be seen.

If you’re a coach, shouldn’t you be able to do that much?

He’ll be able to do it.

‘If I roll the other guys until they die…’

Instead, the other guys will die.

They’ll understand too.

Rather, it’ll be more comfortable for them.

They just have to hold on, and he’ll score the goal himself.

It’s all good for each other.

That’s, after all, the synergy that the team creates.

It’s the coach’s job to 뽑아내는 [draw out/extract in Korean] the maximum synergy that can be created.

‘Let’s do it.’

Schmidt coach made up his mind and nodded.

Next season.

It was worth betting a lot on him.

Very, fully.