Second Half Chapter 57

It had been nearly ten years since Jerim started living alone in England. While he had felt lonely many times over the years, he had never suffered a slump because of it. The only time he’d experienced anything resembling a slump was around the time he broke up with Aaron.

“I’ve played just fine without a family all this time, so what’s the big deal?”

“Don’t people look at you strangely? Don’t they say it’s fascinating that you haven’t seen a woman in years and seem to have no intention of marrying? There isn’t a world more macho and conservative than this one. You should know that better than anyone.”

“My teammates tease me sometimes, but I just ignore it. And besides, it’s not like it was when you played, Coach—it’s not all about ‘marriage!’ and ‘women!’ anymore.”

Jerim replied nonchalantly, even though he knew that while they might not be overt about it, the culture was still conservative. The fact that not a single player in the four major leagues—the largest in the world—had come out was as good as proof of the soccer world’s unique conservative culture.

Well, it wasn’t like he was going to confess to having dated a man in the past; at most, he was just saying he’d marry a bit late. This much wasn’t a major issue. However, to Juhan, a man of the older generation, it seemed like quite a serious matter.

“…Jerim, I just want my student to live a… stable life. I want you to hit your career high and retire without ever being caught up in gossip.”

Even if he couldn’t understand why Juhan was so worried, this was a statement of goodwill that Jerim could accept with a kind heart. Thanks to the sincere concern from the only coach he had ever truly followed, the ill feelings he’d harbored from the remark disregarding Yeobin softened somewhat.

Jerim, his eyes softening again, wore a faint smile.

“That’s exactly why I’m not dating, so don’t worry.”

“Why?”

“I’ve tried it a few times and it just… doesn’t suit me.”

He was afraid that if he fell too deep, he’d lose his mind like he did when he broke up with Aaron; yet, when he tried to keep things light, it always ended with him getting dumped, so it lost its appeal. The deadline he’d set in his heart for retirement wasn’t far off, and he didn’t want to start a new relationship and create more things to worry about outside of matches.

There was no need to detail these inner thoughts to his mentor. Instead of continuing the conversation, Jerim tidied the table and stood up.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go back to Korea and get married once I retire, so stop nagging. We’re seeing each other for the first time in ages; look at this atmosphere.”

“…I’m sorry. I just…”

“It’s fine. Let’s get going. I should clock out too.”

Jerim took his phone out of his pants pocket to check the time. He had sent Aaron and Lehmann back earlier, so they should be home, and it was time for the other teammates to have left as well.

‘We talked longer than I thought.’

Time really flies these days. Jerim repeated a sorrowful lament that showed his age and checked his backlog of notifications. He replied to the ones needing immediate attention and swiped away the rest, but his expression turned serious when he discovered a certain message.

Help me

“…What’s this?”

What on earth is this? There was no explanation before or after, just a lone “help me.” At Lehmann’s message, which gave him absolutely no clue as to what had happened, a monologue slipped out of his mouth. Juhan, who was in the middle of putting on his coat, asked back.

“What’s what?”

“Oh, I just got a weird message… I think I have to go. Mr. CEO, have a safe trip and I’ll see you next time I go to Korea!”

Jerim, starting to worry if an accident had happened on the way home, was about to try calling Lehmann. But as soon as he opened the reception room door and stepped into the hallway, Juhan rushed out and called Jerim to a stop.

“Oh, wait. Jerim! Do you contact your mother often lately?”

“About twice a month? Why?”

“Try contacting her first. It looked like she started going to the hospital again recently. Alone, without your younger sister.”

“…She didn’t mention anything like that to me?”

The news was the kind that was not at all welcome. Jerim’s face hardened as he recalled the details of a phone call they’d had just a few days ago. His mother had only nagged him about daily things like eating well and sleeping well; she hadn’t breathed a word about being unwell.

It was a stroke of luck that his mother, who had suddenly collapsed from a myocardial infarction a year ago, was found in time. His mother lived in Korea with his younger sister, Jea, but Jea worked and was away from home for long hours.

The reason his mother was discovered after collapsing on a weekday around lunchtime—exactly when Jea would be at work—was thanks to Jerim having returned to Korea after finishing the season. A feast that could break a table’s legs had been set, but he couldn’t see his mother; he had looked around and found her collapsed on the floor of the utility room. How terrified he had been.

Fortunately, his mother had been transported to the hospital within the golden hour and underwent surgery, allowing her to recover without serious after-effects. Since then, she hadn’t said anything in particular about being in pain.

But why the hospital all of a sudden? Was it a regular check-up? But he knew she usually went for regular check-ups on Jea’s days off. Furthermore, if his mother had gone to the hospital for any reason other than a regular check-up, there was no way Jea wouldn’t have passed the word along. There hadn’t been any special contact from Jea…

Seeing Jerim’s face completely devoid of expression, Juhan added quickly.

“I only happened to run into her when I was taking my father-in-law to the hospital the other day… so I don’t know the details. Give her a call and ask, you rascal. What kind of son only calls his parents twice a month? Knowing your personality, it’s obvious you wouldn’t do it first.”

“…”

Just as Juhan said, except for the few months immediately following his mother’s surgery, the times he had contacted her first could be counted on one hand. Realizing anew that he was a heartless son, Jerim kept his mouth shut, and Juhan gave his head a firm pat.

“She’s someone who has lived her life only looking at you. Treat her well. And…”

It was as he was about to continue. Figures that had seemed to be approaching from the far end of the hallway became clearer and clearer. There were two figures. One was walking wobblingly like a jellyfish, and the other was walking with a normal posture a slight distance away from him.

One of the walking forms was bizarre, but Jerim’s eyes widened at the sight of faces he knew well. As the distance closed, the others also signaled their recognition.

“Je, Jeri…”

“What, Jerim. You were here?”

It was Lehmann and Aaron. Before feeling puzzled that the two—whom he had assumed had gone home—were still at the training center, Jerim stared intently at Lehmann.

Both Aaron and Lehmann were equally drenched in sweat, but Lehmann, frankly, looked more like a mollusk than a human being. His voice was as weak as a person about to die.

In contrast, Aaron wore a look that seemed somewhat refreshed. The corners of his lips, which were still slightly swollen, were subtly twisted. Like someone holding back a laugh… Jerim put forward a reasonable deduction.

“…Did you hit Lehmann?”

This guy with the shitty temper finally took Lehmann away and fixed him up while I wasn’t around; that was the only way to interpret the scene. Did he hit him to make him call him by his name without talking back? No matter how much he hates being called by his last name, to a junior in the same position who is much younger…

At Jerim, who was glancing at him with a reproaching look, Aaron grumbled with an aggrieved air.

“What. I just gave him some personal training. This friend’s stamina turned out to be even weaker than yours.”

“You… surely your standard for ‘good stamina’ isn’t yourself, is it?”

“Of course I’m the standard.”

Jerim clutched his forehead at the tone that implied the center of the world is oneself, and all standards are naturally established using oneself as the sample.

“You crazy bastard. Even so, how could you run the kid like that? He can’t even walk straight!”

“I was just practicing running together to prepare for the future… while I was at it, I looked over his shooting form a bit. I didn’t just make Lehmann do it; I did the same training.”

The moment he heard they did the same training, his head spun. The amount of training Aaron handled had, since long ago, far transcended the standards of an average adult player.