⚽ CHAPTER 2: The Calm in the Chaos
The whistle blew for halftime.
Still 0–0.
No one clapped. No one cheered. Some parents checked their phones. The handful of local spectators leaned back on the benches under the modest shade, sipping from convenience-store iced cups.
It was, after all, just a friendly.
No trophies. No scouts today. No headlines tomorrow.
But to the boys on the field, it mattered.
It mattered to Blue Flame FC, a top-tier junior academy with a reputation to uphold.
And it mattered to Jeonma Youth Club, a disciplined team tired of playing second fiddle to the "big names."
Especially to their captain — Do-hyun.
---
Coach Park adjusted his cap as his players jogged toward the bench. The scoreboard didn't show it, but anyone watching closely could tell: Blue Flame had quietly dominated.
Not with goals.
Not even with shots.
But with control. Shape. Rhythm.
And the one behind it all hadn't made a single highlight-worthy play.
Lee Min Son.
Small. Silent. Number 10.
At the center of the storm — moving like still water.
---
Coach Sung approached Park, arms crossed.
"That's the boy?" he asked with a flick of the chin, almost sarcastic.
Park didn't look at him. "Yeah."
"He didn't do much."
"He wasn't supposed to."
Sung narrowed one eye.
Park smirked. "He did exactly what I told him to do. But second half's different. You'll see."
---
🧠 Inside Jeonma's Locker Talk
Do-hyun slammed his water bottle shut.
"He's not even running," he muttered, sitting on the grass beside his teammates.
"Who?" asked one of the defenders.
"Number 10. The kid with the big jersey."
"Oh. Him." The left back scoffed. "He's just walking. What's he even doing?"
"He's messing us up," Do-hyun snapped. "We keep losing shape because of him."
Jeonma's coach, overhearing, looked down at the clipboard.
He'd noticed it too.
Lee Min Son hadn't dribbled once. Hadn't even taken a shot. But he was there, slipping into space, baiting pressure, bending Jeonma's defensive line without touching the ball.
---
🗣 Halftime Talks
While Jeonma's coach urged his boys to stay tighter and press faster, Park crouched by the Blue Flame players, drawing quick adjustments into the dirt.
"Min Son," he said, tapping the right flank. "Second half, you're going here. Right Wing Forward."
Min Son blinked once. "Okay."
"You'll cut inside. Make your own decisions."
The boy nodded. No questions. No emotion.
Park smiled. "He thinks you're right-footed anyway."
Min Son tilted his head slightly. "Am I not?"
Park laughed. "Honestly? Still not sure. Neither are you."
---
🔁 Second Half Begins
The second whistle blew.
No cameras. No fanfare. Just the sound of cleats against turf and small shouts echoing off the nearby fence.
Min Son now hugged the touchline — right wing, far side.
He looked like a ghost. Small, quiet, disconnected.
But not for long.
---
🎯 The First Strike
In the 3rd minute of the half, Blue Flame's defensive midfielder, Junho, stepped into a midfield scuffle and won the ball cleanly.
Without hesitation, he curled a lofted pass down the line — just between Jeonma's fullback and their tracking DMF.
The ball spun with purpose.
Right into Min Son's path.
Coach Sung squinted. "Here we go…"
Min Son was off.
Jeonma's left back reacted fast — he was one of their quickest — and he wasn't about to be embarrassed.
He sprinted.
But Min Son didn't race him.
He drifted.
A stutter-step. A glide to the inside. Then — explosion.
The defender lunged in the wrong direction. He stumbled.
Min Son had already swerved wide, taking the pass in stride.
Do-hyun was charging to cover, doubling the pressure with Jeonma's DMF, determined to contain the boy now that he'd finally touched the ball.
Min Son didn't care.
He let them close in.
And then—
Nutmeg.
The crowd gasped.
The ball slipped through the defensive midfielder's legs, and Min Son was gone again — gliding like vapor to the edge of the box.
The center-back stepped forward. Another defender dropped to cover.
Min Son tapped it once with his right foot.
Then again with his left.
And then…
Left-footed curl.
Not hard.
Not wild.
Just perfect.
The ball soared between defenders, dipped just over the keeper's fingers, and tucked into the top left corner.
GOAL.
For a moment, the field was quiet.
Even Do-hyun stood frozen, hands on his hips, watching the replay unfold in his mind.
"Left foot…" Coach Sung muttered.
Coach Park just smiled. "Wait till you see the right."
---
⚡ The Unfolding Genius
It didn't stop there.
The game cracked wide open.
With the shackles off, Min Son became something else entirely.
He shifted weight like liquid, switching feet mid-run. Left-foot lobs over pressing midfielders. Right-footed no-look passes into tight spaces. He moved like he wasn't playing the same sport as the others.
In the 42nd minute, a loose ball landed near midfield.
Two Jeonma midfielders surged forward.
Min Son took one step with his right foot, glided past both, and slotted a deadly low cross across the box.
Goal. 2–0.
Jeonma's players were unraveling.
Do-hyun tried to rally them, yelling over the chaos. "Keep your heads! Close him down early!"
But it didn't matter.
In the 49th minute, he received a return pass just outside the box.
One soft touch.
One shoulder drop.
The keeper hesitated.
That was all it took.
Right-footed curl.
3–0.
---
🏁 Final Whistle
The referee blew for full time.
A handful of parents clapped politely. Some kids high-fived. Others walked off quietly, heads low.
But no one missed it.
Everyone knew what they had just seen.
Blue Flame FC had won.
But Lee Min Son had arrived.
---
On the sideline, Min Son took off his boots calmly, like it was any other day. No celebration. No grin. Just peace.
Coach Sung walked slowly past Coach Park.
He didn't say anything at first.
Then:
"You were right. He's not like the others."
Park looked out at the boy sitting on the bench, eyes still on the field.
"Told you."