Kiss the Ground Chapter 9

“What’s this? Are you wearing makeup too, Yuan?” 

“You seem too conscious of the camera. Besides, it’s mostly guys who watch the interviews anyway.”

Yoon Chahyun sat in front of the mirror, his face in the hands of the makeup artist. His colleagues, dressed neatly in black suits, took advantage of Chahyun’s inability to respond and teased him mercilessly. They used to just wear gym clothes, so wearing suits did give them a certain charm, but it was a waste to flaunt that model-like body for nothing; it was truly a pity.

“I won’t have time for gossip… it’s your turn next.”

Chahyun’s makeup was finished with the application of something red and waxy to his lips. As soon as he stood up, Alois was dragged over like a calf and sat in front of the mirror. Naturally, the target of mockery shifted to Alois. Always maintaining an air of arrogance and dullness, he seemed uncomfortable with the unfamiliar sensation of the brush touching his face. But there was no choice. Even if he was an athlete, he couldn’t appear in front of countless cameras with a sunburnt face as it was.

The atmosphere at the club before the upcoming interview was bustling. Staff and coaches ran around the building preparing for something, and the seminar room had transformed into a press room with workers carrying desks and chairs. In the corridor, journalists, who were only half the size of their camera and bag, walked in line.

This interview was an opportunity for Winchester FC to reveal their future plans, aspirations, and outlook to the public.

As it was an official event of the club, all the players of Winchester, including the staff and coaches, were wearing black suits with the club logo embroidered on one side of their chest. Thanks to this, even Blue, who was usually mistaken for a churros seller in the park because he always wore jumpers, looked like a European dignitary today.

Chahyun adjusted his tie while looking at his reflection in the lobby’s metal pillar. The questions thrown at Yoon Chahyun today were likely to be, as expected, mostly related to his current condition. The reason why his performance suddenly dropped since the Umberti game… Probably questions that any fan would be curious about by now.

But being able to anticipate means being able to respond. At least, it guaranteed that he wouldn’t be kicking the desk in the middle of the interview. Jude walked over from the corridor and stood next to Chahyun.

“Are you nervous, Yuan?”

“Not really, it’s not my first interview anyway.”

“Yeah, the days of freezing up like before are over. Do you remember when you did your first interview after joining? You were shaking so much, you spilled water everywhere and caused a commotion.”

“I remember when you suddenly took off your suit to wipe that. You were nervous too, just like me.”

Jude, who received a counter-attack, shut his mouth awkwardly. There was no point in teasing each other when they were classmates. When Chahyun let out a sniff, Jude changed the topic.

“Who’s going with you for the coach’s interview this time?”

“Cahill Love.”

“Oh, really? I thought it would be you for sure. Lately, everyone’s all about Cahill, Cahill.”

“In such situations, the captain should go. He’s in good condition these days, and he’s a promising candidate for the next starting lineup.”

At Chahyun’s words, Jude shrugged his shoulders. Before the group interview with the players, there was a precedent for an interview with the coach, and it was a rule that one player accompanied it. The condition for being able to sit in that position with the coach was one: to be the most prominent player in the current club. In that regard, Cahill, the forward of Winchester, who was the captain and had returned after overcoming a long-term injury, was more than qualified to stand next to Blue.

“What about Misha?”

“What?”

At the sudden mention of a person, Chahyun turned to Jude in surprise. He met Jude’s gaze with his chubby face.

“How about Misha? He’s always in the spotlight during interviews. It won’t be any different today.”

“Why are you asking me that?”

“You guys have been getting along lately, right? Whether you’re fighting or whatever, you’re always sticking together and disappearing somewhere. At that level, you should know each other’s circumstances, right?”

“….”

Did it look that way? Chahyun turned his head to Jude in surprise, and at that moment, someone tapped on his shoulder from behind. It was the perfect timing, as they say. The one standing behind him was Coach Blue.

“Yuan! Is the interview preparation done? I asked for a lot of effort in makeup. I hope everyone looks great for this interview.”

“Ah, I see. No wonder the artist wouldn’t let go. Right now, Alois should be in their clutches.”

“Alois? He probably won’t like it.”

“Not at all. He’s cooperative.”

Blue grabbed his big belly and chuckled. Despite wearing a well-fitted suit, the neighborly warmth, like that of the man next door, hadn’t disappeared. Behind Blue stood Cahill, who could be considered the main character of today’s interview. Cahill, tapping the paper cup in his hand, greeted Chahyun and Jude.

“It’s been a while, Yuan, and Jude.”

“Yeah, Cahill. You’re going to the interview with Blue today? Congratulations on your comeback.”

“That’s right.”

“How do you manage to get attention right after your comeback? You’re still doing well. Impressive.”

When Jude made a sarcastic comment, Chahyun elbowed him secretly, and at the same time, Cahill’s eyebrows twitched. Jude, generally a straightforward person, had an aversion to Cahill, who was much more highly evaluated than he deserved, thanks to the so-called club’s internal favoritism. The reason was that, although he was a skilled player, he was receiving much more attention than he deserved. The rumors were that, while Chahyun was leading the club to the Champions League tournament, Cahill, who had only been on the bench, quickly took over the starting position as soon as he recovered from an injury.

However, there was no need to pick a fight on an important day. Chahyun tried to restrain Jude’s mouth before things got unnecessarily complicated. But at that moment, something covered his eyes in front of him.

“Oh no…”

What had completely stained Chahyun’s suit chest was the coffee Cahill was holding. Someone with a large bag blocked their narrow path, and in the end, it turned out that Cahill had knocked over the paper cup he was holding. Cahill approached Chahyun, looking embarrassed.

“Are you okay? It’s an old coffee, but…”

“Oh, it’s fine… It’s not hot.”

Although the coffee that Cahill poured on Chahyun was a considerable amount, it wasn’t too noticeable because of the black suit. Blue, who was surprised, assessed Chahyun’s situation.

“You better go and change quickly, Yuan. There’s still time until the player interview, so go and freshen up.”

“Ah, there’s probably no need to change. I’ll tidy up a bit in the restroom and come back.”

Very slick. While Jude sarcastically muttered to Cahill, Chahyun quickly left the scene.

Once in the restroom, Chahyun stood in front of the sink, looking down at his clothes. The suit, fitted for his debut, fit well and was a beautiful outfit. It wasn’t like he had been waiting for the day to wear it like a child, but it felt strange that the club suit he brought out for the first time was now damp and dirty.

To remove the stains, did he have to take off the clothes first? Chahyun put his hand on the button to unbutton it without much thought. When he casually looked in the mirror, he unexpectedly discovered someone reflected behind him.

“Misha.”

Leaning against the wall in front of the restroom corridor with his tall stature, Misha was familiar to Chahyun, yet currently the most awkward person present. Misha had his arms crossed, staring at his phone in one hand, completely unaware of Chahyun standing not far away.

With his characteristic absent-minded gaze fixed on the screen, he was dressed like everyone else in a black suit. The dark fabric draped over his sturdy, broad shoulders and long limbs exuded an elegant yet somewhat precarious atmosphere. Although made of the same design and fabric as everyone else, the suit worn by Misha Asplund seemed slightly more valuable once it was draped over his body.

Despite appearing as if he would be better off modeling under the scorching sun rather than kicking a ball, his silhouette was heavy and stubborn. Even a lean forward, who had no match in dribbling, could be held back mercilessly.

Chahyun stared silently into the mirror without taking off his clothes. From afar, he could see the brown hair draped over Misha’s furrowed brow. It made Misha look like a prince from a fairy tale with a very tragic ending.

But Chahyun now understood the strangely persistent determination within him. It was due to this that he quickly hid behind the wall when Misha’s hair, which seemed to shake as if he was about to raise his head to look in this direction, was noticed.

Chahyun leaned against the wall, holding his breath quietly. Did Misha finally lift his head? Did he notice that I’m here? Chahyun’s heart rang an inexplicable alarm in his ears. As if sensing Chahyun’s tension, the footsteps of someone walking down the hallway were heard. One step, then another. If the owner of those footsteps was Misha, what excuse should he use to explain his current escape?

“Come further inside. You’ll be reflected in the mirror if you stay there.”

Someone whispered, grabbing Chahyun’s elbow and pulling him backward. It was in that moment. If he hadn’t had his mouth covered, Chahyun would have screamed for sure. Startled, Chahyun stumbled backward, and the man’s hand held his shoulders steady. Chahyun slowly turned around with wide-open eyes.

The person who slowly lowered the arm that held Chahyun’s shoulder was a man with neater hair than Chahyun’s, wearing glasses. The man raised his index finger to his lips. Shh. Like in a spy movie. Even though there was no need for such a signal, he was already in a situation where he couldn’t smile.

Chahyun looked into the man’s eyes, still unable to remove the hand covering his mouth. Behind the glasses, blue irises quietly flickered. As an eternity passed, and realizing that no one was coming behind the wall where they were, the man lowered his finger.

“I hope I didn’t do anything unnecessary, Player Yoon Chahyun.”

The man spoke softly with a well-modulated voice. It was a gentle voice tinged with intellect. However, faced with an unexpectedly urgent situation and being addressed by a stranger, Chahyun was not as composed as the man’s voice.

“Do you know me?”

At Chahyun’s question, which came out unexpectedly and with a hint of fear, the man smiled momentarily, but soon answered as if the question was as natural as water flowing.

“Yes, of course. I can assure you there’s hardly anyone in this building who doesn’t know Player Yoon Chahyun right now.”

“W-What just happened…”

“You hid to avoid Misha Asplund, didn’t you? Or am I mistaken?”

Chahyun, like a fish brought to the surface, stammered like a muttering stream. The man, after delivering the short question, smiled and observed Chahyun’s face. There was no sign of probing questions or hints in his demeanor, no indication that he sought Chahyun’s response.

What is this person doing? Chahyun rolled his eyes, carefully observing the man’s behavior. The casual attire and the gaze behind the horn-rimmed glasses emitted an intellectual yet refreshing atmosphere. His behavior, effortlessly delving into someone’s personal affairs while avoiding discomfort, was straightforward and natural.

However, how did this person know about Yoon Chahyun avoiding Misha Asplund? Chahyun could have pressed the man about his identity, but instead, he took a moment to exhale slowly and adjusted his clothes. Hoping not to show any confusion, he spoke with a calm and composed voice.

“Why do you think I’m avoiding Asplund?”

However, the man continued without any apparent discomposure.

“Well, you hid when Player Yoon Chahyun noticed Player Asplund. So, I thought there might be some awkward relationship. Was I wrong? Observing people and situations is my job, so I had my own speculations… but.”

“In front of your eyes?”

“Yes. I was here. Before Yoon Chahyun.”

The man pointed with his finger to the area above. Where his finger pointed, there was a sign indicating the current location.

「Restroom」

Chahyun’s strength instantly drained away. Right, that makes sense. Unless he had superpowers, there was no way a person he just met would know about his relationship with Misha. The mental fatigue from the past few days, involuntarily thrust upon him, had lowered his threshold for tension. In a disheartened mood, Chahyun lowered his head and let out a small sigh.

But that brief relief shattered into pieces with the man’s next words.

“And… If the relationship between Misha Asplund and Yoon Chahyun players is uncomfortable, I thought it might be partly my fault.”

What kind of nonsense is this? Chahyun, completely forgetting to hide his confusion, stared at the man’s face.

“What do you mean?”

Facing Chahyun’s bewildered expression, the man smiled. Observing Chahyun’s face as if observing something very interesting, the man, after a few seconds, seemed to remember something and took something out of his pocket.

“Before I share my thoughts, I think I should introduce myself. I am this kind of person.”

Chahyun, who received the rectangular piece of paper held out in front of him in a vague manner, slowly scanned the contents written inside. There were only a few lines of English written on it.

「London Times Sports Reporter, Ilya Park」