Lunch break.
On the playground, picnic mats were spread out here and there as students from each class gathered in small groups to take out their lunchboxes.
Under the canopy of Class 1-B, kids were laughing and chatting while unpacking the lunches they had prepared.
I took out the lunchbox that Harin had made for me and opened the lid.
In the first compartment, neatly arranged kimbap slices were evenly organized.
I liked that there were two rows of ham.
In the second compartment, there were cute octopus-shaped Vienna sausages and rolled omelets, with a disposable ketchup packet beside them.
‘All this effort? Just kimbap alone would’ve been enough.’
While I was thinking that, Jinyoung looked at my lunchbox with a surprised expression.
“Wow, what’s this? Did your mom make it?”
“No, my younger sister did.”
“Unbelievable. It looks like something from a restaurant.”
A man’s pride.
I couldn’t help but feel a little smug as my shoulders puffed up.
I picked up my chopsticks and put a piece of kimbap made by Harin into my mouth.
‘Oh. It’s good.’
Jinyoung, staring at the lovingly prepared lunchbox, looked envious.
“Hey, be good to your sister. Who else would pack such a nice lunch for their brother?”
“Really?”
“Of course! Look at my sister. She’s always plotting my demise.”
‘Damn it. If I’m not careful, mine might actually kill me someday.’
***
“Hey! Soccer team, gather up quickly!”
After lunch, the P.E. teacher’s voice echoed from behind the canopy.
The boys who were scheduled to play in the match started gathering one by one.
“Who got hurt?”
“I heard Junhyun sprained his ankle during lunch. He said he can’t play.”
The murmuring among the students grew louder.
With one player missing, Class 1-B’s roster now had a vacancy.
The teacher began looking for a substitute player.
“So, who’s stepping in for Junhyun?”
The kids glanced at one another, hesitating.
When no one volunteered, Jinyoung tapped me on the back and said, “Hey, can you step in just this once?”
His eyes looked desperate, like someone searching for an oasis in the desert.
But it wouldn’t work on me.
Emotional appeals don’t sway me.
I hate doing anything bothersome.
“Why should I?”
“Just stand there and pretend to play. We won’t win against Class A anyway.”
Jinyoung spoke in a resigned tone.
Yesterday, he acted like the protagonist of a shonen manga, and now he was already defeated.
At that moment, the teacher shouted as he scanned the student roster.
“Isn’t there anyone who can step in for Junhyun? No one’s finished their event yet?”
Some boys near the canopy shouted back.
“I still have the 100-meter dash left!”
“I’m in the relay, so I can’t spare the energy!”
The P.E. teacher frowned in frustration as he flipped through the roster.
“You guys are going to be disqualified for lack of players!”
At that moment, Jinyoung shot his hand into the air and shouted toward the teacher, “Kim Dohyun is available!”
‘Ah, this is why they say you should choose your friends wisely.’
Our ancestors weren’t wrong about everything.
I glared at Jinyoung.
“Hey, do you want to die?”
“Please, I’m begging you. Dohyun, remember when I helped you find Santa last time?”
‘Hmm… he’s got a point.’
If someone helps you, you should return the favor.
Besides, this is my first real friend, and he’s begging so earnestly.
“Ugh… fine.”
Jinyoung ran to the teacher with a big grin.
“Teacher! Kim Dohyun says he’ll play as a substitute!”
“Kim Dohyun? Alright.”
All the kids turned to look at me at once.
The atmosphere felt oddly heavy, as if the team’s fate rested in my hands.
‘Ah, this is why you should always try to stay unnoticed.’
“Hey, Kim Dohyun. I’ve never seen you play soccer before.”
“You’re always sitting in the stands. Are you any good?”
“If you get the ball, just pass it to us, alright?”
‘These adorable punks.’
I was dragged around in the military for two years, forced to play soccer with officers the whole time.
Without a word, I began warming up.
“Hey, what position are we putting Dohyun in?”
“Junhyun was an attacking midfielder, so he should just stay there, right?”
“How can he play as an attacking midfielder? Wouldn’t it be better to make him a defender?”
“But that would mess up the positions we’ve practiced.”
The murmuring around me continued, but I didn’t pay much attention.
‘Midfielder or defender, I’ll just wing it.’
Jinyoung asked, “Hey, what position do you want to play?”
‘Defender sounds boring… midfield feels more familiar.’
Soccer is all about controlling the midfield.
A midfielder isn’t just about attacking.
They create opportunities for strikers and even fall back to help fill defensive gaps when needed.
Controlling the center lets you dictate the game.
“Hey, what position are you taking?”
“This one.”
“Midfield? Do you even know how to play as a midfielder?”
“Yeah.”
Jinyoung still looked skeptical as he stared at me.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
I smiled lightly and replied, “Don’t worry. I’ll handle it.”
***
Beep!
The whistle blew, and the match began.
Class A came out strong from the start, with sharp movements and precise passes.
‘They’ve prepared well. Their movements align perfectly with their tactics.’
What stood out the most was the shaggy-haired guy controlling the game from the center.
He skillfully read the passing options and orchestrated the flow of the match.
‘Has he played a lot of street soccer?’
In contrast, Class B stumbled around like children, constantly losing possession of the ball.
“Hey, block them! I said block them!”
The defense was helplessly breached, and within just ten minutes of the first half, they conceded the first goal.
‘This is hopeless.’
Class A’s relentless attacks didn’t stop.
Their wingers dribbled the ball down the flanks, crossing it precisely for their striker, who once again struck the net with precision.
“Goal! Class A leads 2-0!”
The cheers from the Class B supporters under the canopy began to fade.
‘Jinyoung is playing decently. His passes aren’t bad, and his positioning is solid.’
The problem was…
Those useless wingers.
Their movements were sluggish, and they kept trying to take on defenders one-on-one, only to get blocked.
When the wingers were isolated like that, attacking was impossible.
Even if the ball was distributed from the center, it was pointless if they couldn’t follow through.
By the end of the first half, another goal had been conceded, making the score 3-0.
As the whistle blew to signal halftime, the team trudged back to the bench with their heads hung low.
Even the girls who had been cheering earlier were now distracted, doing their own thing.
The canopy was enveloped in a cold, somber atmosphere.
I took a sip of water and looked around at my teammates.
Everyone looked utterly exhausted.
“There’s no way we’re beating Class A.”
“Just GG. Let them head straight to the World Cup or something.”
Jinyoung, his face filled with frustration, lifted his head and said, “Hey, it’s not over yet.”
“What do you mean it’s not over? A 3-0 halftime score is game over.”
“We wasted so much time practicing for nothing.”
I took another sip of water and glanced at Jinyoung.
He was biting his lip in frustration.
‘At least he’s been moving alright out there.’
I set my water bottle down and spoke calmly.
“It’s not over yet.”
“It’s already hopeless. What’s left?”
“I’ll handle the second half. Just follow my lead.”
The rest of the team stared at me in confusion.
“What? You’ll handle it? You barely even touched the ball in the first half!”
“Let’s just play casually and avoid embarrassing ourselves.”
Shaking my head, I replied, “When the ball comes to you in the second half, pass it to me. Jinyoung, you stay upfront and wait. Wingers, don’t bother trying to get the ball. Just stay far enough forward to avoid being offside. I’ll send the passes to you.”
Jinyoung asked with a puzzled expression, “Hey, what are you planning to do?”
“You’ve practically given up already, haven’t you? Just take a chance and trust me.”
“… Fine.”
***
“A Class, let’s go! A Class, let’s go!”
“Looks like B Class went to the library!”
“If we win this soccer match, we’ll clinch the overall points!”
Beep!
The whistle signaled the start of the second half.
I quickly took my position in the midfield.
The moment the ball came to me, the shaggy-haired Class A player moved to block me.
‘Damn, look at that smug expression.’
His smirking lips were full of mockery.
I lifted my head, scanned my surroundings, and gently rolled the ball with my foot.
He stayed focused, not letting his guard down for a second, watching my every move.
‘Good eyes.’
I feinted slightly with my left foot, shifting my direction.
His upper body leaned to the left for just a moment.
Taking advantage, I quickly pivoted to the opposite side and nudged the ball forward.
As his hand sliced through the air, I was already past him.
“Here!”
Jinyoung waved from the front.
I glanced up, scanned the passing lane, and sent a sharp, precise pass between two defenders.
The ball split the gap perfectly and landed at Jinyoung’s feet.
‘He’s one-on-one with the goalkeeper. He should be able to finish this.’
With a quick, powerful shot, the ball left Jinyoung’s foot and flew into the top corner of the net.
“Goal! Class B gets one back! The score is 3-1!”
The field buzzed with cheers.
Under the canopy, the girls who had been slacking off slowly started paying attention again.
Among them was Seo Yuna.
“Wow, what was that? Dohyun, that pass was insane!”
“At least we got one back.”
“Yuna, your boyfriend’s pretty good!”
“He’s not my boyfriend! Not yet….”
As the game resumed, Class A launched another attack.
The shaggy-haired guy came at me again with the ball.
He looked like he still hadn’t gotten over being outplayed earlier.
His smirk had faded a little.
He tried to feint with a quick dribble to the side, as if to confuse me.
‘Ha, feints are my specialty.’
I stepped back slightly, observing his movements.
After watching the first half, I’d already figured out his patterns.
‘Fake with the left foot, then push through with the right.’
As he shifted the ball left, preparing to break through, I reacted swiftly.
Extending my foot, I blocked his move and took possession of the ball.
“Damn it….”
He cursed in frustration, but the ball was already under my control.
“Dohyun, over here!”
Lifting my head, I quickly located Jinyoung.
Finding a gap in the defensive line, I delivered another pinpoint pass.
The ball cut perfectly through the defense and reached Jinyoung’s feet.
Without hesitation, he sprinted forward.
The opposing goalkeeper rushed out to close the angle, but Jinyoung calmly lobbed the ball.
“Goal! Class B scores again! The score is now 3-2! And let’s talk about that pass—absolutely brilliant! While the striker executed the finish well, the midfielder’s pass was exceptional!”
Even the commentators’ excitement seemed to have escalated, their voices rising dramatically.
Suddenly, a deafening cheer erupted from Class B’s canopy.
“Wowwwww!!!”