Second Half Chapter 56

Since even the club is like this, it was obvious without looking how the Korean broadcasting stations, who are even more crazy for money than the club, would act. When Jerim showed a reluctant reaction, Juhan began to rub his palms together, trying to persuade him.

“If you aren’t called up, you’ll be resting for almost two weeks. It’s perfect—it’s good for you to film something so you aren’t bored, good for the fans, and everyone wins. It’s just perfect.”

“What kind of variety show is it?”

“I Live Alone. You know it, right?”

It was a familiar name. It was a variety show he watched often, and since he only had to show his daily life spent truly “alone” just like the title, his worries naturally vanished. Jerim immediately shifted his stance and nodded.

“Ah, if it’s that, then fine. I’ll do it.”

“What the. Then what kind of variety show did you think I was going to ask you to film for you to be that disgusted?”

“I thought it would be like the club’s original content… where they make me do things with other teammates… or something like that.”

“How could a Korean broadcasting station recruit your other teammates? They’re all far too expensive for that.”

“That’s true. No, but Mr. CEO, why did you suddenly come here? Surely it wasn’t just to persuade me to film a variety show.”

Since he was now the CEO of a sports agency and no longer a coach of a youth soccer academy, he couldn’t possibly have time to spare. The variety show matter was something Changsik, his dedicated agent, could have handled with just a phone call. At Jerim’s sharp interrogation, Juhan hesitated and avoided his gaze.

“I just wanted to see my old student’s face… and my daughter has been singing and singing about wanting to go see Buckingham Palace.”

“So in the end, the goal was sightseeing.”

“No, you rascal. Would I have come all the way to Sefton if I only wanted to see Buckingham Palace?”

Since London and Sefton were quite a distance apart, Juhan had every right to talk big like that. Even if the reason he came to England was because of his daughter, Jerim felt touched that he had traveled all the way to Sefton alone just to see him, so he joked back.

“You should have come when I was a bit free. Then I could have acted as your guide.”

“Oh boy, my hands would shake too much to use a guy who ranks in the top five for weekly wages in the PL as a guide.”

“I said I’d volunteer for free, so what. Ah, are your wife and daughter doing well?”

“Of course. How have you been doing? Looking at your recent performance, it would be stranger if you weren’t doing well, but still.”

“Can’t you tell? My face is glowing.”

When Jerim raised his chin boastfully, Juhan pinched his own lips with his fingers and tutted. The persistent gaze observing every corner of Jerim’s face was a bonus.

“Tsk, maybe I really should have told you to become a talent instead of playing soccer when you were a kid.”

“Mrs. Hwang would have refused that. The reason she sent me to the academy in the first place was to drain my stamina.”

“True. She did say at first that the kid was like a flying monkey, and since she was expecting her third child, she couldn’t handle you, so she asked me to send you back exhausted.”

Hearing this welcome testimony, Jerim struck the table with both hands, his face flushed with excitement.

“She said I was like a flying monkey? My mother did?”

“Why are you so surprised? When you were little, really… ugh, your temper and your stamina.”

“Right? My stamina is re—really good, isn’t it?”

“Do you even have to ask? You even handle a full-time box-to-box8) role when necessary.”

“Right? Phew, that bastard keeps saying such useless things…”

Jerim was muttering curses when he unconsciously took a sip of his coffee and wrinkled his nose again. Ugh, bitter. He didn’t know what he had been thinking to drink this coffee and find it delicious until now, when it was just bitter like herbal medicine with zero nuttiness.

Or was it that his palate had become too high-end because of Aaron’s coffee? Even after drinking it just once? Should he ask him later what kind of beans he uses? Despite worrying about the comment that his stamina seemed lacking, his face naturally became serious as he contemplated something that had absolutely nothing to do with stamina. Toward that Jerim, Juhan got fiery angry.

“That bastard? Who? Who says my student’s stamina is falling behind?”

“Aaron. He told me my body is worse than a jellyfish and…”

Since it was night then, he had left without even finishing the coffee in case he couldn’t sleep… what a waste. Because he was constantly thinking of other things, he didn’t realize his tone had become like a spiteful tattetale snitching on a classmate to a homeroom teacher. Nor did he notice Juhan’s somewhat slow reaction.

“…Aaron? Aaron Reyes?”

“Is there another Aaron? There’s only that guy.”

While there might be players with the name Aaron in other clubs, the only player one would recognize by just saying the name “Aaron” without any prior explanation is the Aaron on our team. At Jerim’s indifferent answer, Juhan suddenly pulled his legs together politely, interlaced his fingers, and asked.

“Ahem, how is it…? With him. Weren’t you two very… close in the past?”

“We aren’t that close now. Just so-so as teammates.”

“…”

“Why? Ah, are you worried we’ll fight? How old are he and I both, we don’t do that anymore.”

Thinking Juhan might be worried because of what happened during the World Cup like Changsik, Jerim added those words. Though for someone who decided not to fight, he had just swung a towel like a whip and made the guy’s trap swell up… he brushed it off, rationalizing it as a common type of prank among teammates.

However, even after hearing Jerim’s assurance, Juhan didn’t seem relieved and rubbed his interlaced hands for a while. His lips kept twitching as if he wanted to ask something more. But he eventually let out a deep sigh and changed the subject.

“No, never mind… Are you dating anyone lately?”

“Why is it that all my Korean acquaintances are curious about my love life…?”

Looking fed up, Jerim shook his head. His mother, Changsik hyung, CEO Kang, Hansung, Yeobin, and even other national team teammates—whenever they get in touch, it eventually comes down to this. That guy Kim Hansung even took a guaranteed scoop right without giving any money, saying I absolutely have to tell him first if I’m getting married.

“Why do you think? It’s because for a soccer player your age, it’s usually the age to have at least one kid.”

“That’s only true for foreign guys. Yeobin isn’t married either.”

Most foreign players tend to marry early. Even if they don’t marry, it was certainly a universal trend to have children early. Since the common-law marriage system is well-established, they start families by having children from their early to mid-twenties even without a marriage certificate. Take William or Robin for example; they already have kids who are three or four years old despite being younger than Jerim.

But that’s by the standards of foreign players, and while Korean players also generally marry earlier than average civilians, there were often cases where they didn’t. Like him or Yeobin. As Jerim picked at his ear, Juhan thumped his chest as if frustrated and exhaled sharply.

“Are he and you in a position to be compared to each other? He went back to Korea, and you’re going to play in England until you retire? To put it bluntly, he’s moved away from the public eye now. Your situation is completely different…!”

“…Yeobin is also your student, Coach, and he belongs to your agency. Please don’t speak so carelessly.”

Before Juhan could make any more out-of-line remarks, Jerim quickly stepped in and cut him off. He didn’t know why Juhan suddenly got so worked up while talking about the useless topic of dating and marriage, but naturally, he didn’t feel good. Fortunately, Juhan quickly regained his reason and apologized.

“…I misspoke.”

For a while, a stinging silence dominated the reception room. Jerim was the type who hated such awkward atmospheres to death, but for this once, he didn’t open his mouth first. Juhan, sensing the mood of his coldly frozen student, awkwardly smacked his lips and broke the silence first.

“Anyway, what I mean is, it’s better to have a family if you want to show consistently stable skills. Do you think players get married before transferring overseas for no reason? They do it because it’s all necessary.”

That would be true. Whether one comes to a distant foreign country alone or with family makes the psychological sense of stability completely different. That’s why his mother had tried so hard to follow him to England at first. He had managed to send her back to Korea by stubbornly insisting he wanted to live alone now that he was an adult.