54 — Training Camp III

Coach Ahn Ki-seok's POV:

These kids ran more than the required laps in their haste to beat one another.

They didn't know each other, had barely warmed up, but that didn't seem to stop them. Each player, from the first stringers to the reserve members, sprinted to overtake one another. The last one in was Kim Min-hyuk, but that was expected since the guy was the tallest out of all of them, a veritable wall of muscle. Unfortunately, that very same wall had poor stamina and even poorer agility, due to his size.

But he still managed to finish the required laps with only mild difficulty. He had enough potential to go around, especially in defense.

Everyone was panting, sweating. Their faces were red, bodies soaked, but they didn't seem to be in pain or discomfort. Quite the opposite; they seemed eager for the challenge. And he couldn't be happier to witness it. Ahn Ki-seok didn't interrupt them once, didn't stop them or tell them they had done enough. He just stood and observed.

Because in that simple competition, Ahn Ki-seok was shown something he had feared wouldn't come about. Competition within. The desire to improve, not against an opponent, but against each other.

In other words, it wasn't a meaningless competition for pride's sake. At the center of it all, there were two boys: Cha Jae-il, the prodigious striker, and Kim Jun-hwan, the prodigious midfielder.

The other ones were good, of course. Some of them might end up playing overseas in the distant future. They wouldn't be the first or only South Korean players that played outside the K League, after all.

But Ahn ki-seok wasn't sure any of those guys would be worth a try out for Bayern, Barcelona or even Ajax.

Those boys, on the other hand...

He was absolutely sure of it. These boys had what it took to carve a place among the greats.

Now if he could just nurture their growth, turn them from boys into men, then Ahn Ki-seok had a good chance of proving he still knew how to make magic with nothing but a ball and his players.

"Good work boys." Ahn Ki-seok's voice rang clear. "But don't forget why you're here. We're not playing around, now. This isn't a holiday. I expect every one of you to show me how serious you are about this."

"Sir! Yes sir!"

He nodded approvingly.

"Now, back to it!"

Ahn Ki-seok blew the whistle and had his assistants place cones for drills. "Line up. Pass through. Dribble, control the ball."

And just like that, they went through drills and practices, from the most basic, like dribbling, passing, to more complex tactics, such as the movement of certain positions, set-plays and team combinations.

Ahn Ki-seok didn't favor one style of play, as some managers did. He was willing to change and adapt, use the tools he had on hand to shape the team as it needed to be.

He believed South Korea's football had to change. Discipline and teamwork alone weren't enough to compete on the world stage.

Traditionally, Korea has played reactive football: defending first, hoping to frustrate the opposition, and relying on physical endurance to grind out results. When they did try to attack, they often lacked creativity, leaning on predictable patterns rather than imaginative play.

The worst flaw was their risk aversion. Too often, players were afraid to take a chance. Passes went sideways instead of forward, shots were scarce, and dangerous moments were sacrificed for safety. Possession was rarely a weapon; it was a shield, used to avoid mistakes rather than to threaten the opponent.

The results told the story. Against stronger international teams, Korea frequently fell short. They might've been considered undisputed titans in the Asian continent, but the moment the giants left that continent...

They were reduced to little ants, trodden over with each and every defeat.

They had to change.

And it started here.

That's why, he was fascinated by Cha Jae-il. A miraculous kid that didn't play like a South Korean. He didn't play like anyone else Ahn ki-seok had coached. He had that carefree, imaginative playstyle. The kind that stirred the crowd. 'The magic touch.'

He stared as Cha Jae-il, surrounded by his now resting teammates, flicked the ball with his sole and began idly juggling.

The ball spun off Cha's instep, rolled around his heel, then up again. In the span of a single minute, the boy had managed to weave the ball across his feet, heels, and knees in rapid succession, never allowing it to touch the ground. Never once stumbling or almost losing possession of it. An around the world. Then a double. A triple. A crossover. An Akka.

The ball soared, face to face with him. Then he stalled it on his neck, rolling it down to the back of his neck and then flicked it upwards again—

The others were staring at him as they caught their breaths. Cha did it so easily, so gracefully. Ahn Ki-seok almost burst out laughing when the kid did an in-air elastico.

Jong-su exclaimed. "Are we looking at an alien or what?!?"

Song Sung-tae rolled his eyes at Jong-su. "Do we need to get you some oxygen? I don't want you fainting because of a minor case of gay panic, buddy. Let's save it for after practice, shall we?"

It didn't take long for them to fall into familiar banter.

"Shut your trap, you smartass." Jong-su playfully said.

"Guys." Kim Min-hyuk, always playing referee, intervened.

"I'll stop once he stops ogling Jae-il."

"I mean..." Kim Min-hyuk scratched his cheek awkwardly. "He is very... uh, you know... handsome and talented..."

Everyone looked away at Sung-tae's scatching look. "You're all guilty of ogling!"

Ahn Ki-seok sighed as he made his way over and ushered everyone into the showers.

xXx

Jae-il's POV:

The rest of the day was as you'd expect. After the first session of training, we had a period of recovery, lunch, then another session in the afternoon. In the evening, a team meeting plus video analysis and then a light fitness session to wind down the day. I lost count of how many times I'd done this in my last life. I lived for this.

But if I had to pinpoint something that hadn't been there before, something that was new and disconcerting... was a constant presence and knowing smile in my mind.

As I lay in bed, I couldn't help but mentally facepalm myself.

Mia. Of course.

Of course, it had to be her. Who else?

As if she hadn't already tormented me. Now even here, she was trying to invade every corner and crevice of my mind.

Ah, fuck.

Was I really being haunted like this, by my sister, of all people?

Not that I knew that many people, but still...

This was messing with me. It was like a heavy, tingling sensation on my chest. Like someone telling you not to—under any circumstance—open that door. A very particular door down the hall, under a crimson halo. There are many doors in the hall, and you can open any one of them.

But not that one.

That one is off-limits.

And you don't, because you're a sensible, smart guy, and curiosity kills the cat.

But curiosity is an inherent trait that makes humans, humans.

So, while I wouldn't open that door, I still found myself thinking about it.

About that door down the hall.

Under that crimson halo.

And I would keep thinking and imagining about the possibilities that lay past it. Even as I found myself in a winding hallway, surrounded by hundreds of doors, of possibilities, I still walked on and on.

Until, by the time I realized it, I'd be standing before that door. And I'd feel a warm, soft hand, pulling my hand towards the knob.

"Just push a little harder, and it will open…"

I heard a whisper. And I realized, with a start, that I recognized that whisper.

"Noona?" I asked.

She giggled. The sound echoed all around me.

"Jae-il~ open it. Come on, little bro. Open it for me. You won't regret it."

My eyes widened at the sudden warmth and wetness I felt against my ear.

"Mmm...! What do you say?"

Another wet lick, then, I saw the ghost of her lips moving. Her pink tongue slowly, sensually moving along my neck, my Adam's apple, the line of my jaw. "Don't you wanna find out...?" She murmured. "About what's on the other side...?"

I didn't want to.

But I... kind of wanted to, at the same time.

It was all her fault, for making me curious.

I had never seen that door before. Never even knew of its existence.

She made it aware. Planted tiny beautiful lights around it. Dressed herself up like an angel to show me a twisted side of heaven.

"Come on..." I felt a warm, slender finger press against my chin and tilt my face to the side. A familiar and pretty pair of hazel brown orbs appeared in my vision, followed by soft lips that hovered before my own. "... You can be a bad boy for just this one time..."

Sometimes, we do things we wouldn't normally do. Circumstantial influence. I'd have never picked up a gun if my mother hadn't been killed by one.

For the same reason I wouldn't have ever thought about that door, if Mia hadn't made me aware of it. Made me aware that the door wasn't locked.

So, I did.

I reached out, and the innocent, angelic pale light of the hall faded from my skin, replaced by the deep, burning glow of crimson.

The knob was hard. Stubborn. My hands were clammy. It was so difficult to breathe.

But finally—finally—I turned the knob, and...

Beep...! Beep...!

With a start, my eyes flew wide open and I gasped as I was thrown into the cold reality that had greeted me.

The dream vanished like a mirage, and I woke up.

The alarm by the nightstand was screaming like a dying animal.