I rejected the school bully’s confession because of soccer.

The coach of Alevin A stood on the bench with his arms crossed.

His expression seemed calm, but his mind was swirling with all sorts of complex thoughts.

‘Can he do well?’

Honestly, he wasn’t confident.

Even as he put Kang Tan in as a substitute, he wondered what he had done.

Of course, a substitution was necessary.

It would be difficult to reverse this flow with the kids currently on the field.

But Kang Tan?

A child who hadn’t even been in Alevin A for a week?

To be honest, even if it were an ace of the same age group, the possibility of achieving something in this situation…

‘It’s slim.’

That’s why he was more anxious.

Whether he had made an unreasonable move.

But this game’s atmosphere had already sunk.

In this situation where even the kids seemed to have given up hope, he was the only one who hadn’t lost confidence.

He was the only straw to grasp at.

As soon as Kang Tan was put in, an opposing defender engaged in physical play.

The coach’s eyes reflexively widened.

Kang Tan had a small and thin build.

The opponent was a much bigger and more mature-looking child.

‘But he’s not being pushed back?’

Of course, he wasn’t pushed back, but his posture collapsed.

His lower body held up, but his core shook, and he eventually lost the ball.

However, the coach wasn’t disappointed.

‘An impossible possibility.’

If he had strained to hold up, he would have scolded him not to do so due to the risk of injury.

But the lower body was clearly…

‘I saw him holding up with ease.’

Not long after, Kang Tan received the ball again.

This time was different.

As if not wanting to allow physical confrontation, he pushed the ball into empty space and ran at full speed.

‘He’s applying the experience he just had?’

The coach’s mouth half-opened.

‘Is it possible to grow during a game?’

He had only heard of such things.

It’s like a legendary story.

Yet to actually witness such a scene in a game he was directing.

If there was a concern, it was the stamina consumption due to the full sprint.

But since there wasn’t much time left, he decided to keep watching.

‘This… even if we lose, we’re gaining too much.’

Just when he thought he’d be satisfied even if the game ended here, Kang Tan created a goal.

The atmosphere suddenly reversed.

Not stopping there, a mid-range shot followed.

The coach unconsciously half-rose from his seat.

‘From a distance even the children dare not attempt?’

The ball flew beautifully.

The goalkeeper dived, but the ball stuck precisely in the corner of the goal.

Cheers erupted from the surrounding stands.

‘Such power coming from that small body.’

It’s already an equalizing goal.

That alone was enough to prove his genius.

Kang Tan had kept his promise of at least a draw.

‘Though the game isn’t over yet…’

The coach rubbed his forehead as if he couldn’t believe it.

The game resumed, but the opposing team went into full defense, parking the bus.

Kang Tan could be seen gesturing on the field, seeming to give some instructions.

It looked like he was telling them to pass to Lucas.

The coach momentarily felt uneasy.

‘Lucas’s confidence has dropped a lot.’

He soon shook his head.

‘No, if I decided to trust Kang Tan once, let’s trust him till the end.’

The ball was passed to Lucas as Kang Tan instructed.

Lucas hesitated for a moment, then looked at Kang Tan and seemed to gather his resolve, his eyes changing.

He seemed to have regained his confidence.

He sent a pass towards Kang Tan.

But that ball was overly powerful.

“No, that’s not a cross, it’s a shot!”

This isn’t professional soccer.

In other words, if a cross is sent like that, no one would be able to receive it unless they hit it by luck.

The coach was about to be disappointed for a moment.

But then, Kang Tan jumped up.

And he turned his body in the air.

The coach’s eyes widened in an instant.

In the air, Kang Tan’s foot perfectly caught the ball, and the ball flew towards the goal with powerful speed.

‘Th-this isn’t just luck?’

But it’s straight at the goalkeeper.

An angle that would be blocked if the goalkeeper just jumped in place.

Just as the coach was about to sigh, the goalkeeper’s reaction was slightly delayed.

The ball hit his fingertips, but unable to overcome the force, it was sucked into the goal net.

As the winning goal was scored, a cheer that seemed to shake the world erupted from the stands.

The coach watched the scene blankly with his mouth open.

‘An impossible monster.’

Meanwhile, there was someone watching the game with a similar impression.

‘Is that child the one Jorge mentioned?’

Joan Laporta’s lips drew a satisfied smile.

‘It was quite an amazing game.’

In a corner of the club’s cafeteria.

Trays were stacked neatly on the table where Kang Tan had settled.

One, two, three… it was the fifth one.

The teammates sitting around the table couldn’t hide their subtly surprised expressions as they glanced at him.

“Kang, you’ll get indigestion. Eat slowly.”

A teammate sitting next to him said with a smile.

“It’s okay. I’m eating seriously, thinking of eating as training too.”

Though he was stuffing food into his mouth, there was a hint of playful laughter at the end of his words.

Lucas, who was watching this scene from the same table, burst into laughter.

“Eat a lot since you worked hard. But, Kang. You might have to work harder later to lose weight.”

Kang Tan looked up at Lucas, stopping his chopsticks.

“No way. I’m building my physique now.”
“Physique?”

Lucas asked, tilting his head.

Kang Tan put down his spoon and patted his thighs.

“During today’s game, my upper body was pushed back in physical confrontations. My legs held up, but my upper body collapsed and I lost the ball. So I’m eating and eating more to build up my size a bit.”
“Hey, you don’t build muscle just by eating like that, you know?”

Lucas smiled as if he couldn’t stop him.

“I know. But eating is the start. Koreans have ‘rice power’. If I eat well, I’ll be pushed back less.”

Kang Tan added as he changed trays.

“And by increasing my weight, I can prepare for when my body gets heavier. I need to maintain my speed even when my weight increases.”
“You’re really intense. How old are you to be thinking like this already?”

Lucas said in an admiring voice.

“It’s not being intense, I just don’t want to miss the opportunity.”

Kang Tan chuckled.

It’s an opportunity he had worked hard to get.

“And whatever it is, it’s fun when you do well, right? It’s just a desire to have more fun, that’s all.”

Lucas looked at Kang Tan for a moment, then shook his head and smirked.

“I’ve really never seen a kid like you before. Alright, do as you want. But be careful.”

On the table, empty trays were now stacked six high.

The surrounding teammates no longer tried to stop him and just silently appreciated Kang Tan’s energy.

That night, when Kang Tan returned home, he recalled the physical confrontation scene.

That moment was quite shocking to him.

In his previous life, he never had the chance to face such a difference in physique.

He had a good build himself, and far from skipping grades, he always played games with his peers.

But this time he realized.

No matter how good your footwork is, if you’re pushed back in one collision, you’ll eventually lose the ball.

A few days later, Kang Tan was sitting across from the coach in a small room at the end of the corridor.

‘He said it was a meeting, but his expression is quite serious.’

That thought was brief.

The coach’s face softened.

“The last game… you did well. We couldn’t have won without you.”

Kang Tan’s face brightened along with the coach’s.

“Thank you!”

However, the coach’s smile didn’t deepen.

He soon continued in a firm voice.

“But… you shouldn’t be too arrogant. Your play was amazing, but you can’t solve every game alone like that.”

The coach sighed and placed his hands on the table, speaking calmly.

“Kang, soccer isn’t a game you play alone. Not everyone is happy just because you do well. Look carefully. Do you remember what expressions your teammates had every time you scored?”

Kang Tan scratched his head.

“Um… everyone liked it, didn’t they? They came running with smiles… didn’t they?”

The coach shook his head and continued his explanation.

“You shouldn’t think everyone is equally happy just because your teammates smiled. Today, you scored and we won, so everyone outwardly seemed happy.”

Kang Tan nodded and listened attentively.

“But if only you get the spotlight, and it feels like ‘your victory’ rather than the team’s victory, later on, other children might close their hearts to you.”

Kang Tan recalled memories from his previous life in his mind.

Moments of cheering with teammates after scoring a hat-trick.

‘Everyone was happy even when I scored a lot of goals alone.’

Then he quickly realizes.

At that time, it wasn’t solving everything alone, but the result of creating goals through the team’s passes and connections.

Everyone’s roles were clear.

Of course, he never forgot that soccer is a team game, and that selfish play becomes poison.

‘I just wanted to quickly confirm my limits.’

He understood the coach’s concerns.

“No matter how great a player you are, if the team has no reason to give you the ball, goals won’t happen. That’s not soccer, it’s just an individual sport.”

The coach added with a smile.

“That’s enough nagging for now. There’s another reason I called you.”

Kang Tan raised his head with round eyes.

“Let’s hone your skills for just one year. It won’t be a year spent idly. You should try 11-a-side soccer now.”

And so, a year passed.

In the same place as a year ago, Kang Tan carefully asked the coach.

“Am I really leaving here?”

The coach leaned forward from his seat on the sofa and looked at Kang Tan.

The child, who had a youthful face just a year ago, now had a more mature expression.

“Yes. You can do it sufficiently. While you were able to become who you are today thanks to your time here, it’s time for you to go to a wider place now.”

The coach took out a document from the drawer and handed it to Kang Tan.

“Here’s the information about the tournament you’ll be participating in. If it’s difficult to read, just know that you’re going to a tournament.”

The tournament the coach was talking about was the MIC Football Tournament.

Messi, Neymar, Pique, Marcelo, Juan Mata.

A tournament where players whose names you’d recognize have played.

It was the Mediterranean Cup, known as the undisputed best youth soccer tournament.