TRCSSITE 10

Episode 10. The Play maker’s Talent (2)

“What the hell is that kid?”

Seo Jae-woo is a good player.
The conclusion had already been reached in the match against Yeongdeok High.
At minimum, starting lineup caliber. At maximum, the potential to even aim for the team ace position.
But that change in status was planned to happen slowly.
Both Seo Jae-woo and the team would need time to adapt to each other.

“That’s what I’m saying.”
“It was perfect, like he was wearing clothes that fit him perfectly.”
“He seems way better than some mediocre college players, doesn’t he?”

Ham Gwang-chun sank into thought.

He’s good.
But when he’s bad, he’s utterly and completely hopeless.
His judgment and game intelligence are impressive enough to draw admiration, but his movements look so sloppy and clumsy.

He reached a conclusion quickly.

“Starting today, I’m excluding Seo Jae-woo from tactical training.”

“What?”
“He did well today. We finally found a good option, so we should refine it further—”
“No. From tomorrow, Seo Jae-woo isn’t even allowed near the field.”

Director Ham Gwang-chun’s eyes were filled with conviction.

The next day.

“Seo Jae-woo. Your training spot is over here.”

The physical coach pulled me off the field.

“In the morning, refine your fundamentals here.”

In the afternoon?

“After you eat and digest, come to the fitness center.”

So it’s physical training.
I just can’t figure Ham Gwang-chun out.
He seems competent, but then there’s this frustrating feeling of being stuck, like his thinking is clogged.

‘I clearly did well yesterday.’

According to my expectations, I thought we’d have training to further specify tactics utilizing me and reduce my weaknesses.
That’s what I would have done.
But Director Ham Gwang-chun’s choice was different.

‘Well, this isn’t bad either.’

He’s giving me personal time to solve my shortcomings.
Still, a hint of unease seeped into a corner of my mind.

‘Could it be… I’ve been excluded from the plans?’

Come to think of it, it’s possible.
He’s a man who should have retired long ago, age-wise.
Having played as an active player longer than I have, a literal grandfather.
In other words.

He might prioritize a player’s growth over the team’s win-loss record.

‘Was it a mistake?’

He and I are fundamentally different people from the start.
Our judgments are bound to differ.
Player growth? Of course it’s important.
But by my standards, it’s not worth accepting defeat for.

I quickly changed my mindset.

‘No need to rush. Besides, these are necessary drills.’

Quite some time has already passed since I gained these legs.
And I’ve reached a conclusion.
I have no choice but to be good at soccer. I have the talent.
My current abilities might be lacking.
But the potential overflows.
So without showing impatience, I silently continued with the assigned individual training.

“Okay— stop there! Take a short break, then one more set!”

Individual skill training.
Physical training.
These are all things I desperately need.
If I neglected these while focusing on preparing for matches, I might hit a wall sooner rather than later.

I poured in passion with the heart of a blacksmith tempering steel.

“Good work today. You’ll continue with a similar routine until the day after tomorrow, so don’t miss it.”
“Understood.”

The training continued repeating.
All the way until the point when there were only three days left until the match.
Only the menu changed slightly; the routine remained unchanged.
And the results were quite satisfactory.

Fight!

“Nice shot! That’s it!”

My kicking felt much more familiar.
Passing? First touch? It was unrecognizable from the beginning.
I could now handle the soccer ball just as well as any ordinary player.
Furthermore, during this period, Seo Jae-woo’s body became as natural as if it had always been mine.

“Coach, should I come here again tomorrow?”
“Well— until Director gives separate orders—”
“There’s no need for that.”

Suddenly, Director Ham Gwang-chun was standing behind me and the physical coach.

“You’ve improved a lot.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ll be starting in the match three days from now. Rejoin tactical training from tomorrow.”
“What position and what role?”
“Why, planning to prepare in advance?”

Oh ho.

It feels very unfamiliar yet familiar.
Unfamiliar because it’s a perspective I never directly faced.
Familiar because it’s a method I used a lot on players myself.

This old man. He’s testing me right now.
He wants to gauge, through my reaction, what thoughts and intentions I bring into the match.

“Yes.”
“Preparing alone could backfire.”
“Would the person who ordered me isolated from the team for days, while planning to put me in the match, worry about that?”

His expression is worth seeing.
Hit the sore spot, huh.

Whether Ham Gwang-chun’s judgment was right or wrong doesn’t matter.
The moment he said I’d play, his intention becomes transparent.

‘He must have judged my adaptability to be extremely high. Also, this conclusion probably came from his deliberations on how to maximize my growth.’

I don’t think it was a bad method.
It was exactly the solution I needed, wasn’t it?

“I won’t prepare separately. I’ll just play as Director and the coaches instruct. You trusted me first, Director, so it’s only right that I trust you too.”
“When did I ever say I trusted you?”

This man keeps making me say the same thing.

“Well… isolating me from the team for days and then putting me in the match…”
“You don’t have an ounce of cuteness in you. Fine. We’re planning to go with that method we used in the last training session. Might need some adjustments.”
“Thank you. I’ll be able to sleep soundly now. You know how important sleep is for condition—”
“I know. I’m aware. So just go in now. You’re a tiring kid, really.”

I bowed politely and left the training ground.

‘Whew, I’m absolutely delighted.’

Director Ham Gwang-chun clearly tried not to show it. But in my eyes, the flow of all his emotions was visible.

‘A man with such great passion,incredible his age.’

What I sensed from him was nostalgia and longing.
Probably reminded him of his younger days.
He must have roamed the field as a player in the past.
He built a decent career as a coach afterwards too. I figured as much, but his career was actually quite impressive.

Three domestic league championships, even coached a national team of another country.
Well, that says it all.
Isn’t that the top tier a coach from this country can achieve?
He must have spent a considerable amount of time with adult players on professional stages.

‘He must have caught that scent from me.’

I was a coach without authority.
Because I had no playing career.
So early in my career, no matter which team I went to, I first had to go through the process of proving myself.
The method I used a lot back then was communication with players.
Nothing is as sure a way as forming a consensus and instilling the consciousness of moving towards a single goal.
Once I produced short-term results that way, they naturally followed.
Players become completely captivated by a coach who lets them taste victory.
Through that process, I naturally learned.
How a player should act to make the coach happy.

‘Coach, you want to develop me.’

In the twilight of his career, if he produces a major star player?
What greater reward could there be?
It’s not bad if the youth team of Suwon F C, which I belong to, does well.
But more than that, isn’t the growth of soccer player Seo Jae-woo far more important?
It seems our interests happen to align, his and mine.

Whether for his sake, or for mine.
I needed to lure this old coach whose inner thoughts were so transparent.

The coaching staff of Suwon F C U-18 team couldn’t hide their astonishment.

“What on earth is this…?”
“Why is he better? What did he even do?”

The tactical training held the next day.
This was the reaction of the coaches after seeing Seo Jae-woo’s changed performance.
Chief Coach Yoo Hae-wan also shook his head.

“Director, what kind of trick did you use?”
“What trick?”
“Many of the tactical weaknesses we identified have been resolved.”

It was the same training content as before.
They were trying to increase tactical perfection by slightly changing detailed instructions and help players adapt, but—

“Seo Jae-woo’s ability to handle pressure has improved remarkably. And that single change has left us without a counter.”

There is no perfect tactic.
There is no perfect player either.
That’s what makes soccer fun.

“We’ll find weaknesses if we look.”
“Still, isn’t this good enough to use right away?”

Director Ham Gwang-chun slowly nodded.

“Coach Yoo.”
“Yes?”
“Realistically, how far do you think our team can go now? Our team’s realistic goal.”

A completely identical question to before.
Chief Coach Yoo Hae-wan’s answer back then was this:

[Making the round of 16 would be the best, reaching the quarterfinals would be a miracle. We were lucky with the group draw.]

But after observing today’s tactical training?

“Director, I’m not joking.”

He spoke with utmost gravity.

“Shall we aim for the championship?”

“Stop talking nonsense. With that habit of overreacting, you’ll never make it as a head coach.”
“I’m serious, not overreacting. It’s because I can’t even imagine how other teams are supposed to stop this.”

Director Ham Gwang-chun plans to retire at the end of this year.
He has already delegated a significant portion of team operations to Coach Yoo Hae-wan.
Although Director Ham Gwang-chun makes most final decisions regarding team affairs arbitrarily, ultimately, it is Chief Coach Yoo Hae-wan who presents those options.
Most of his opinions are accepted.
This time was no different.

“Shall we go with your wishes, Coach Yoo?”

Match day.
I proudly had my name on the starting lineup.
No complaints arose. Someone had to lose their spot, but it was unavoidable.
Because I was good.
One actual match.
And three team training sessions.
Through this process, I perfectly proved my value.
My teammates all understood.
They had no choice. If you know even a little about soccer, you can’t fail to notice the team getting stronger.

‘Step by step, I need to climb.’

I studied this country’s soccer extensively too.

‘The playing field is surprisingly narrow. And I’m lucky too.’

Korean soccer was small.
Fortunately, I was a youth player for a team in the top division.
That means I can advance straight to the professional stage if I do well.

‘First, debut with the senior team.’

I was different from other star coaches from the starting point.
I had to start as a coach in the lower leagues.
It’s the same now that I’m a player. The environment called South Korea given to me wasn’t suitable for building fame as a player.

‘Someday I’ll have to move on. To Europe.’

Because the world’s best players are there.
Because I have to compete with them and prove my talent.
But to do that, I first need to survive here.
No, go one step further and be overwhelmingly outstanding.

‘I don’t need to wait until I’m 18.’

I’ll move up before that.
That’s how it works here.
Even if it’s a fringe league, there are definitely eyes watching.
Soccer has a way of spreading rumors if you’re good. Scouts are desperate to bring in talented players, even from remote places.
I needed to make my existence known to them as soon as possible.

‘Alright— so the next match is…’

I looked at the tactics board placed in the locker room and drew images in my head.
I told the coach I wouldn’t prepare, but…

‘The tactics rely heavily on my creativity. No harm in having a plan.’

Looking at the tactical instructions, they guarantee considerable autonomy.
So if I prepare thoroughly for this match, the probability of winning will increase accordingly.
Reviewing the training.
Predicting how today’s opponent will approach.
Keeping countermeasures in mind accordingly.

The series of processes flowed through my mind in an instant.

‘As expected, being a player is more comfortable than being a coach.’

A coach cannot directly intervene in the match.
Ultimately, the game flows based on the judgments of the players on the field.
All a coach can do is predict that flow.
I was at the top tier in that field.
And now, I’m a player.
This merit was significant.
At the very least, I could now not only predict but completely control one player: Seo Jae-woo.

“Seo Jae-woo! Hey! You’re starting! Come out and warm up!”
“Yeah— coming now.”

The plan.
And the alternative plans.
Even countermeasures for various variables.
I could step onto the field with everything prepared.