Second Half Chapter 11

I countered his sarcasm with my own and waved my hand dismissively. It was a sign for him to get lost inside because I would personally close the door for him. Perhaps those half-hearted gestures, like chasing away pigeons gathered in a square, offended his noble sensibilities again, as a frown creased Aaron’s brow.

“…Why are you trying so hard to hide it? Just how secretive is the conversation you’re going to have alone with Lehmann Fritz? Oh, are you and Fritz ‘just’ teammates too?”

“Yeah. We’re going to have a private talk between ‘just’ teammates, and wouldn’t it look ridiculous if you, who just transferred in, joined us? Newbie, stay tucked away quietly.”

When I pressed him down with my authority as captain, only then did Aaron turn around and enter the bathroom. For a moment, Jerim’s eyes narrowed at his somehow plodding, listless gait, but then—Bang! The door slammed shut with a roar. A gust of wind from the slam blew his bangs back.

Jerim stared at the door that had closed right in front of his nose, then endured it by clenching his fists and opening the front door. Lehmann, who had been waiting quietly for the door to open, looked surprised as soon as he saw Jerim’s face.

“Jeri, sorry for bothering you while you’re resting. But why is your face so red?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say it was because I was in the middle of a dogfight with Aaron—the guy I dated a long time ago and broke up with because he cheated—so I uselessly fluttered my shirt. Thanks to the air conditioning being on full blast, the indoor temperature was chilly enough to cause goosebumps, but I pretended to be hot with all my might.

“It’s because it’s hot. Aren’t you hot? The Korean summer must be pretty tough for a German to endure.”

“When I’m outside, I feel like a steamed dim sum, but it’s okay inside the hotel. Is it still hot even with the air conditioning on?”

“…Yeah, a bit. But what’s up? Why aren’t you resting?”

Seeing Lehmann’s dejected expression, I could roughly guess what he came to say, so Jerim bluffed even more.

“Aren’t you tired? When I fly for a long time, my whole body aches.”

He laughed pointlessly and massaged Lehmann’s shoulders. However, despite Jerim’s efforts, Lehmann’s expression did not loosen up; instead, it turned into an even deeper look of misery. After hesitating for a while, Lehmann began to mumble in a weak voice.

“…Jeri, I’m sorry. No matter how much I think about it, I was so pathetic for not scoring that goal back then…. But more than being pathetic, to you, I’m just so….”

“Hey, hey, I told you it’s okay. Why are you still acting like that? Forget it.”

The guy already had gentle eyes, so seeing him make such a miserable expression made it impossible not to care, as he reminded me of a puppy caught in the rain. Jerim patted his younger colleague, who was taller than him, and squeezed out words of comfort.

“It’s not something you need to feel sorry to me about, and if you’re really sorry, you can just do better from now on. Don’t look back at the past. That’s the worst thing for your mental management.”

…It didn’t seem like words that should come from the mouth of someone who had been fighting with a guy he met for the first time in ten years, calling each other trash while looking back at that very past.

Anyway, until Aaron showed up right in front of him, he had lived his life as if running only forward, so he was half-justified. Jerim desperately rationalized his behavior and shifted all the blame onto his ex-boyfriend.

Seriously, why did he have to come to Sefton and make me feel so agitated? Well, as the team captain, I’m grateful he came, but…. I fucking hate Aaron’s transfer, but I’m also fucking grateful. It was to the point of being amazing that such ambivalent emotions could coexist.

While trying to objectively compare the magnitude of the benefit and stress gained from Aaron’s transfer, Lehmann timely brought up Aaron’s name. In a voice even more mournful than when he was apologizing.

“…Even if I work harder in the future, will there be a chance to prove it? Now that Reyes has come to our team.”

Jerim, who internally judged that it would be better for Aaron to play as a starter than the still young and inexperienced Lehmann in terms of power, avoided his gaze out of guilt.

Lehmann repeatedly wiped his dry face and sighed deeply enough to sink the ground. However, perhaps thinking it wasn’t right to vent even his worries about being pushed out of the starting lineup, he quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, I wanted to apologize to you properly. Before coming to Korea, I boasted that I’d let you hold the Big Ear. I’m sorry.”

At the apology heard once again, Jerim quietly raised his chin and gazed into Lehmann’s blue eyes. A striker who just turned 22, the same age as his youngest brother. Jerim quite cherished this prospect, who was six years younger than him. It might be because he saw him more often than his own biological brothers, with whom he had a distant relationship.

For Jerim, who lived alone with his mother who gave up everything to follow him to Spain when he was young, and who had lived alone abroad ever since becoming an adult, his teammates were often dearer to him than his other family members, except for his mother.

Even back when he lived in Tabarona, the person he cherished most was… none other than Aaron. He only saw his mother on weekends when he could leave the dormitory, and the fact that he was blinded by love at the time also played a big role. He would have no excuse even if he were cursed at for being a supreme unfilial son.

However, no matter how precious Aaron had been to him in the past, now he was just an eyesore, not a dear lover. A thankful brat of an eyesore. No matter how grateful he was, an eyesore was an eyesore, so to the current Jerim, Lehmann was dearer than Aaron. He soothed Lehmann with a stern face.

“Lehmann. I don’t know exactly what you’re so sorry for, but I’ve definitely received your apology, so if you apologize one more time, I’ll get angry. And.”

Before spitting out the next words, Jerim glanced toward the bathroom where he had pushed Aaron. He didn’t care if he heard or not, but it bothered him to bring up his name so openly. He only opened his mouth after confirming the door was firmly shut.

“Is Aaron Reyes that big of a deal? Don’t be intimidated. Right now… you’ll be pushed out of the starting lineup. But think of it as gaining experience and look at the long term. You’re only twenty-two. It’s not like your career ends with this, so why are you so depressed?”

Aaron Reyes was indeed a big deal, but Lehmann was also a player with enough potential. If he could just fix the fact that he often fumbled in clutch situations due to his timid personality and fragile mentality, he was a pretty good player even now. In the first place, the fact that he transferred to a big club like Sefton at 21 and immediately took a starting spot proved his talent.

Jerim looked straight into Lehmann’s eyes and conveyed nothing but the sincere truth.

“And objectively, at your age, how many players are there playing as a first-team starter in the Premier League, and at a big club too? You’re talented enough.”

“I heard you also transferred to Sefton at the same age as me, Jeri.”

“Yeah, because I was also overflowing with talent.”

Jerim had also transferred to Newham FC in England after ending his youth days at Tabarona, and then moved to Sefton at age 21.

In other words, what Jerim just said was also self-praise. When Lehmann pointed that out playfully, Jerim chuckled and fired back with an even bigger joke. Lehmann stopped laughing and suddenly looked gloomy again.

“I want to be like you too…. I envy you because you don’t seem nervous at all even when you come out as the fifth kicker in a penalty shootout.”

“It’s not that I don’t get nervous, but that I don’t show it because I’ve gained experience. If you show that you’re nervous, it becomes easy for the opposing goalkeeper to read your direction.”

Jerim continued speaking with a serious attitude, even passing on the secret to winning PKs.

“There’s nothing as useless as worrying about a lack of experience. Experience is something that naturally accumulates as time passes, so what are you worried about? If you’re really worried, instead of digging a hole for yourself, consider whether or not to go on loan.”

“…I don’t want to go on loan. I like it here.”

After hesitating for a moment, Lehmann lightly wrapped his arms around Jerim’s back and acted spoiled. Since this level of physical contact was something they did every time they scored a goal, Jerim hugged Lehmann back without much thought. Just as he was about to ruffle the soft blonde hair while holding the back of his head as if comforting his own brother, the open door beyond Lehmann’s shoulder came into view.

The bathroom door, where he had personally pushed Aaron in, had opened slightly at some point. And through that gap in the door….

‘Did he really head the ball too much?’

Two eyes, sparkling like those of a beast, shone brightly in the darkness. The realization that he had pushed him into a bathroom without even turning on the light came belatedly. He had no idea just how long he had been peeking.