'When is he coming out...'
Sitting in a corner of the sparse stands, Kim Ji-woo was watching the match with her hands clasped together anxiously.
She checked the time almost every five minutes.
The first half had ended, and quite a while had already passed, yet Lee Ji-an still hadn't come out.
Before the match, when they were exchanging messages.
He had said that since today's opponent was a weak team, he might not play because he was the ace.
Was he really not going to come out today? Anxiety and disappointment washed over her.
But then, just as she was fidgeting restlessly.
"Oh... It's Ji-an...!"
Lee Ji-an had finally appeared.
Three players came out from the bench and started warming up, and Ji-an was among them.
"Ji-an...!"
In her excitement, Ji-woo jumped up from her seat before she knew it, then sat back down and looked around with a slightly self-conscious expression.
Thankfully, there weren't many people around, so she hadn't drawn attention.
"Phew..."
With her hands clasped together, Ji-woo watched Ji-an warming up as he ran along the white lines of the field.
He rotated his shoulders in circles, lifted his knees up to his chest, and did short sprints at full speed.
Watching Ji-an warm up as if he would enter the match at any moment made her heart pound like crazy for no reason.
The strange thing was that Ji-an's face looked calm from far away, so why was she the one trembling more?
Her palms were drenched in sweat.
"When is he coming on...?"
When quite some time had passed since he started warming up with no changes happening, Ji-woo murmured as if she was about to cry.
No, they had him warming up and nobody was paying attention to him! He was warming up so diligently!
At this rate, he was going to exhaust himself!
Whether it was that manager or whoever, hurry up and send Ji-an in!
She was about to let some harsh words slip out without realizing it.
"Oh...!"
Ji-an took off the bib he was wearing.
Then he stood in front of the white line as if to enter the field. Soon the match paused briefly, and one player in a purple jersey started slowly walking off the field.
'Get off quickly, you!'
Our Ji-an needs to get in quickly. She was annoyed, but since he was on the same team, she kept the thought to herself.
Anyway, with that, Ji-an ran onto the field.
'Oh my god! He actually went in!'
Now her heart was beating as if it would burst.
It was strange. This wasn't her usual personality.
She had never been the type to get nervous, and when her friends obsessed over actors or idols, Ji-woo had never understood it.
But the moment Ji-an stepped onto the field, her heart dropped as if she had let a child near water.
Why was she so nervous when she wasn't even the one playing?
At the same time, she wished Ji-an would overcome all those blond-haired kids and score a goal.
'Give it to Ji-an, to Ji-an! Pass the ball to Ji-an...!'
Give him the ball, you big-nosed guys!
You all already got to kick the ball plenty, right?
When someone new just came on, you should let him kick it too. These kids have no generosity...
"Oh, oh, oh! Yes! The ball! Get it! Ji-an!"
Perhaps her earnest wish had been heard—when the ball flowed toward Ji-an, Ji-woo half-rose from her seat.
Ji-an ran toward the ball.
At the same time, one big guy was hot on his tail, and it was really scary.
If that hulk rammed him from behind, Ji-an would just flew right out.
If you try anything like that, I won't let it slide, seriously!
"...Wow!"
But Ji-an was faster than Ji-woo had thought.
As soon as he got the ball, he quickly turned and shook off the big guy—he was like a nimble cat.
And Ji-an continued driving forward with the ball.
Continuously, pushing ahead.
It was amazing how the ball stayed glued to his feet while he was running that fast.
No one could catch Ji-an.
-Thwaaaang-!
And the moment that clear sound echoed.
Ji-woo, whose eyes, nose, and mouth had all reached maximum size, felt as if time was flowing slowly.
-Swoooosh-
No, it wasn't just a feeling.
Time really did slow down!
'If you block this, you're dead!!'
When the very tall goalkeeper leaped and stretched his arm toward Ji-an's shot, Ji-woo clenched her fists tight.
He had let in three goals just earlier.
If he suddenly started saving them now, he was dead, seriously!
She didn't know what he ate to have arms that long, and it seemed like those long arms would block the ball.
But contrary to her worry, the ball was already flying into a place that couldn't be stopped.
-Thwack-!!
In that moment, Ji-woo burst into unknown noises and jumped up and down in her seat.
*
"Ho dett-! Puoi farl-! Nessun proble-!"
"H-Hey! Calm down!"
When Coach Luca tried to rush off the bench, Manager Tony grabbed his clothes and calmed him down.
"Look at that! Did you see that!"
"I know, so just... the kids are watching."
"Ah, hoo... Yes. Whooo-!"
Despite Manager Tony's restraint, Coach Luca couldn't contain himself, his face flushed red as he kept letting out exclamations.
About 5 minutes ago.
In the discussion about who to put in after taking Gino out, it was Coach Luca who had argued for putting in Ji-an.
Manager Tony was worried that it might be too early, but Coach Luca's strong insistence had won out.
Of course, Manager Tony also wanted to see how Ji-an would perform in an actual match as soon as possible.
However, it had only been two weeks since Ji-an's attitude had changed.
He had hesitated, worried that putting him in too hastily might make him unable to handle the pressure and tension, causing him to revert to his passive state.
But Coach Luca, having observed Ji-an in the reserve group, had pushed the matter.
He said Ji-an had definitely changed, that he seemed to have truly made up his mind.
He even pressed Manager Tony, saying there was no less pressured opportunity than this, given they were already winning 3-0.
He argued that if they didn't put him in despite his hard work, it might break his motivation instead.
As a result, look at him.
He was doing it.
Actually, right up until he entered the field, he had been frozen stiff, so Luca had momentarily wondered if he had made a mistake.
But once he got in, his training form came out exactly as it was.
That's talent, that right there.
"Whew..."
Manager Tony let out a long sigh.
Manager Tony was also pleased that Coach Luca had been right.
After all, it was Manager Tony who had recognized Ji-an's talent before anyone else.
In fact, to be honest, up until just a few weeks ago, Manager Tony had been pessimistic
He had thought that a person's personality... couldn't be changed as easily as one might think.
He had thought it was actually easier to change one's skill.
Like those cases where a kid who didn't seem to have much talent builds up experience and suddenly explodes with potential.
Manager Tony had seen such cases from time to time.
But cases where someone overcame their innate personality and grew could be counted on one hand with fingers left over.
Yes.
It's not about changing, it's about overcoming.
That's why it's difficult, and that's why he had been rooting for him.
How could he not root for a young child challenging something so difficult?
"Whew, that feels so satisfying. Seriously."
Watching Coach Luca clench his fist and fail to calm his excitement as if it were his own achievement, Manager Tony chuckled.
Having been with Coach Luca since his playing days, Manager Tony knew why he was so worked up.
It was because Luca himself had suffered from trauma during his playing days.
It would be a long story to explain, but in short.
There had been an incident where they lost a championship trophy because of Luca's mistake.
And of all seasons, it happened to be the retirement season of the manager at the time, who was Luca's mentor.
Thinking that he had thrown away the last gift for his mentor with his own hands, Luca was shocked and fell into a deep slump for a while.
This might seem unrelated to Ji-an, but in terms of suffering emotional wounds from being burdened by pressure, it was the same story.
Though the circumstances differed, the pain could be the same.
Manager Tony placed his hand on Coach Luca's shoulder and said.
"He'll overcome it."
"Of course. If I had suffered like that at such a young age, I probably couldn't have overcome it. But he's stronger than me. He may not look it, but he's a strong kid."
"I know, I know. Calm down. You don't trust me?"
"Of course I trust you."
It was Coach Tony, then a coach himself, who had pulled player Luca Caparoni back up when he had fallen into his slump.
"How about starting him in the next match?"
"Starting him."
"Contract renewal isn't far off, is it? The director will come with that stubborn face of his soon."
"Good timing."
"I hope they just go ahead and give him a pro contract."
"We'll have to wrap it up nicely."
"No. If we can just show him as he is, that'll be enough."
Coach Luca and Manager Tony.
The two nodded as they watched Ji-an.
*
"You really are different!"
"Nice shot!"
"There really is a difference!"
After my shot shook the net.
The kids ran over to congratulate me.
I had trouble understanding what they were saying, but anyway, congratulations seemed like congratulations.
It's not that I couldn't understand Italian—I just didn't get what they meant by "different."
No, but that's not what matters...
It went in.
And on my very first shot.
Actually, this was the picture I had been drawing in my head the whole time I watched the match.
Carefully observing Gino's movements and the opponents' movements, thinking about how I should move if I went in.
What I had been continuously thinking about was exactly that movement from just now.
Drawing the defense out and dropping down, switching with Domenico just like we did in training, driving into the center with a quick turn, then shooting.
It was a picture I had drawn myself, but I didn't expect it to be perfectly realized on my very first touch.
I was so dazed that even after scoring, I stood there blankly, then suddenly came to my senses and looked around the stands.
I had promised to look for Ji-woo first if I scored a goal.
Where might she be...
Ah.
Finding Ji-woo wasn't hard.
There weren't many spectators to begin with, but...
It would be hard not to find her when she was jumping up and down like that calling my name.
What should I do... should I give her some kind of acknowledgment?
After thinking of an appropriate gesture, I raised two fingers in a salute and turned around.
...Did I look too cool just then?
*
"Hey. Do that again."
"...What?"
"That thing earlier. What you did to me after you scored."
"...Why would I."
"Just do it again? Why? Embarrassed? Hm? Hm?"
...Why did I do that?
I think I've just created a dark memory.