My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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“Let’s stop this.”

I sighed while grabbing the arm of the Hojin High School coach.

“What the hell are you doing!?”

The coach, whose arm I had caught, jerked his arm away in irritation and glared at me, but I ignored him and looked at the center back.

‘No matter how I look at it, he looks like Chan-hyung.’

Honestly, I had no intention of getting involved in this situation. Unless the center back of Hojin High wasn’t going to be my agent in the future.

‘Is it because of his hair? His face was so different I couldn’t recognize him at once.’

It was a bit awkward to see Chan-hyung with full hair.

– Coach, that bastard mentioned our mom. I got so pissed off that I almost beat him up. I also exploded with the evidence I had collected from all the crap I went through before quitting soccer. Later, I heard that the soccer team was disbanded because of that incident.

If it hadn’t been for something Chan-hyung said long ago, I might not have remembered at all. There was that much difference in his impression.

– Hwae-eeng.

Well. I mean, for a guy who’s in his thirties and bald, I guess the signs were already showing.

“Hey, you little bastard! Are you ignoring me? Huh?! What kind of family education did you receive!?”

The Hojin High coach was throwing a fit because a kid was ignoring him.

“Coach, calm down!”

The Hojin High coach’s helper, who didn’t want the situation to escalate, came over and started to intervene.

For now, they could brush it off under the pretext of punishment, but if they touched me, it would be classified as assault, not punishment.

“Ah! Let go! Just let go already!”

Well, even without that.

This bastard can’t do anything to me.

These types are typically strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

They bully student-athletes who are weaker than them by using their position as a coach.

They can’t do anything to those in higher positions than them.

I’m not exactly high-ranking myself as just a student.

But behind me is the chairman.

The chairman, a respected figure in society and education, could easily say something like, “Ah. Isn’t that coach’s character a bit… inappropriate for teaching students?” at some gathering.

In an instant, his source of income would be cut off.

No matter how many soccer team members aim for a professional career, the place they currently belong to is ‘school,’ and the formal title used by the education office for soccer team members is ‘student’ athletes.

As much as the soccer coach wields imperial power, he has to consistently guide students’ lives and counseling activities, and he must also undergo audits from the education office.

In such a situation, a coach who’s supposed to teach students suddenly has personality issues cited? The chance of him getting re-employed goes straight down the drain.

Then, he would need to climb the association line to become a coach or manager for a professional team.

Unless you have relatively strong connections, who would want to hire a controversial coach? In fact, even if you do have connections, there are problems with hiring.

‘Even if you get into trouble, you need to have the ability to cover it up. If controversy erupts, it means your greed exceeds your ability.’

Therefore, the Hojin High coach is unlikely to lay a finger on me.

‘The problem is if he doesn’t know that my backer is the chairman…’

Well, that’s unlikely.

I have spread quite a reputation for being connected to the chairman, due to the parents of the Geumsun High soccer team who fell behind because of me.

There were even rumors that I was the chairman’s hidden child.

Anyway, in such a situation, what the Hojin High coach could do? Only shout loudly.

“Fuck. You come here!”

The Hojin High coach was pointing at me, but strangely, despite his wildly moving upper body, his legs weren’t budging at all. The assistant coach was a head shorter than the coach.

Well. This must mean he doesn’t intend to fight. He’s just making loud noises for the sake of face, unaware that looks much uglier.

Anyway, I took a step closer at the call. At that, both the coach and the assistant coach stepped back two steps.

“Pu-huh─!”

The ridiculous sight made Hojin High players burst out laughing, and the coach’s face turned red with shame.

“Hey! Damn it! Hurry up and follow me, you bastards!”

The coach yelled at the students who were blankly watching from the bench before leaving the field, while I helped Chan-hyung, who had fallen down from being hit by the coach, to his feet.

“Uh… um. Thank you.”

I was ready to hear things like why I helped him and if he would take responsibility if my soccer career got messed up because of him.

But Kang Chan, being a naturally innocent and kind person, simply expressed his gratitude for the help.

“No problem. If anything, I feel like I caused a big mess barging in like this.”

“Haha… Well, it’s okay. It’ll work out somehow. By the way, since we’re fated, how about exchanging phone numbers?”

I worried that the coach might take out his anger on Chan-hyung, but he smiled and said not to worry, exchanged phone numbers, and left.

I left a request for support with the chairman. In matters like this, Chairman Hwang Geum-soon was a highly reassuring figure.

‘Oh, and I need to ask Coach Han Kwang-jong for help too.’

As far as I know, Coach Han Kwang-jong is also someone who actively works to solve problems.

I contacted both of them, and both Coach Han Kwang-jong and Chairman Hwang Geum-soon promised to help actively.

***

That evening.

The Ho-woo gallery started to see an influx of posts.

[Title: Ho-woo with Gallery Master.]
Ho-woo─!!

└ Ho-woo! I envy you, Ho-woo!

└ Ah, I should have gone too.

[Title: Manchester United Doctor, fucker.]
Why didn’t you come when you said you would?

└ Manchester United Doctor: I went though?

└ Stop messing around.

└ Manchester United Doctor: I’m serious. You three came all in your training suits.

└ Huh? You really came then?

└ Manchester United Doctor: I was with the parents, lol. The parents thought you three were jobless and pitiful.

└ … I really am jobless though.

[Title: Today, those who went to watch. Did anyone ask what Ho-woo means?]
JGN

└ Huh? Lol I forgot to ask.

└ How can you forget that, you idiot.

└ But lol, there was a situation where I couldn’t help but forget it.

└ What happened?

└ Ah lol, I can’t tell you that, haha.

└ If you don’t want to die, hurry up and tell me.

└ Soon, Koo Re-hoo will probably post it. Gd.

However, the most attention was drawn to Koo Re-hoo’s post.

[Title: Fuck. The reality of high school soccer in Korea. (Beware of madness) And that bastard, our hyung.]

(Violent Hojin High coach and Ho-woo intervening. avi)

└ Wow, you went up alone to scold the adults who did nothing? God-perfect;;

└ Is this our hyung? Is this our hyung?

└ While it’s true, it’s still a bit much to do that to an adult. And I guess they were punishing him for something he did wrong.

└ Stupid old fart, that’s not punishment, that’s assault!

└ For real, an adult should act like an adult. Is it normal to hit kids just because he’s angry?

└ Fuck lol I searched where that coach is from. Is the school name ‘Hojin High’ for real?

└ Hojin High lol fuck. The school’s name suits the pathetic coach, lol.

└ Hey, Hojin High is still somewhat famous!

└ Yeah, lol, but still, sad~ high~.

└ But if it continues like this, what will happen next?

└ The Hojin High players have to return to the soccer team, right?

└ For real;; won’t they just get beaten more when they go back to the coach?

└ I heard they requested help from the chairman and U-19 national team coach Han Kwang-jong.

Koo Re-hoo’s post quickly spread to other communities and began to gain attention.

“Hey!? Senior! There’s a high school soccer violence scandal?”

“You little shit! I told you to write articles with your feet and not on the community!”

“No one writes articles like that these days. Everyone just takes reports!”

“A journalist should be out gathering news…”

“So don’t write it?”

“… Do write it. The content is stimulating, so it’s good.”

The articles based on that post recorded incredible view counts, quickly catching the attention of the public due to the increased interest in soccer with the upcoming World Cup season.

[The player has become the garbage can for the coach’s emotions. Internet users are outraged, calling it ‘assault’ not ‘punishment.’]

└ Wow, is that a coach? This is why our country’s soccer isn’t developing, damn.

└ My friend who used to play soccer also quit because of the coach.

└ There are coaches who think forcing students to go through hell after getting drunk and barging into dorms is life guidance. I figured it would blow up someday.

[The courageous act of a boy who stopped the coach’s indiscriminate violence. Turns out to be the youngest Son Jinho of the U-19 national team?]

└ Wow…. even adults can’t do this…. this young student is really commendable….

└ What, none of the many adults stopped it? That’s impressive in itself!

└ If you meddle carelessly, you could ruin that student’s future too. In a case like this, it’s fortunate that it’s been publicized. Otherwise, that student could have ended up with a blocked future.

└ Still, what he did was good. If he gets stamped because of this, Son Jinho’s future could be blocked too. But he mustered the courage to stop it. It’s weird not to commend that.

The articles written as predicted by the journalists achieved tremendous views. The public’s outrage swelled, and search engines pinned ‘Hojin High,’ ‘Hojin High coach assault,’ ‘Son Min-ho,’ and ‘What does Ho-woo mean?’ in real-time search results.

[Shock! An elementary school student brutalized under the guise of ‘punishment’ by a school teacher. Among the assaulted students, there was also a child with hemophilia….]

└ Has the teacher gone mad?

└ Wow, isn’t this attempted murder?

And while watching this, the nationwide parents’ association in Seoul revealed the past abuse case by the teacher.

[‘It’s not just the Gojangpung teacher. There’s the assault by a high school soccer team coach. The reason? ‘Because I didn’t get a bribe?’]

└ There were no valid reasons, right? Lol.

└ Wow lol for real, he was just garbage. I thought he was allowing a free goal, but it was just for a bribe? Real scumbag.

└ Didn’t we also have a female teacher who beat girls for not paying donations before?

└ But really, there are so many scum who think it’s fine to hit kids just because they feel bad.

[From the case of the Gojangpung teacher to the Hojin High coach assault case. Are students becoming the trash cans for adults’ emotions? The Gojangpung teacher saying, “I got hit as a child, so it’s okay to take out my anger on kids.”]

└ Just because he got hit when he was young, does that mean he can vent his anger on kids?

└ A guy who can’t even control his anger, how can he teach someone? Tsk tsk.

Both cases were amicably handled, further escalating the controversy surrounding punishment, and rapid results of audits soon followed due to nationwide attention.

[Hojin High coach under police investigation for bribery and assault allegations. ‘The investigation has been ongoing since January.’]

[The Korea Football Association has put Hojin High on standby. If allegations are confirmed, they will be permanently banned.’]

[Seoul City Education Office, Gojangpung teacher’s position terminated. ‘Therapy will be provided for affected students, special audits to follow for disciplinary actions.’]

[Seoul City Education Office, ‘Hojin High’s designation as a specialized sports school is canceled. There will be measures to ensure that student-athletes aren’t affected.’]

Thus, both cases met their anticipated conclusions.

[‘I was hit too.’ Identities of violent teachers posted all over the internet. But there are unverified issues.’]

└ Yesterday, our homeroom teacher apologized for hitting us all this time. Stupid idiot. Hey~ I’ll make sure you pay for it~

└ Wow lol all those violent teachers are trembling in fear.

[Teacher Gojangpung claims the disciplinary action labeling is excessive, saying it’s just simple punishment.]

└ You scum, would you accept it if your child was treated the same way?

[Complete ban on school punishment initiated, concerns arise over infringing on teacher rights.]

This resulted in a complete ban on corporal punishment.

***

Two months passed since the incident. With the help of the chairman, Chan-hyung was able to take an entry test for the Geumsun High soccer team.

Since it’s originally a private school, the tuition was exceedingly high, making it impossible for Chan-hyung to enroll. But who is our chairman?

He’s a person who believes that students with ‘talent’ shouldn’t be forced to give up their dreams just because of money.

According to the chairman’s educational philosophy, if Chan-hyung passes the test, he would receive a full scholarship.

“…You’re saying I’ll be tested as a striker?”

But in such an important situation, that crazy Kang-chan started saying he wanted to be tested as a forward.

“Uh. I was originally a striker. And the forwards at Geumsun High don’t have great finishing skills.”

Kang-chan, who had become friends by now, replied in a comfortable tone. I mean, it’s accepted that the forwards at Geumsun High have bad finishing skills, and I’ve heard the story that he played striker before, but testing as a forward? He’d only played as a forward in elementary school, though.

While I was looking at him with an incredulous expression, we arrived at the playground.

Coach Choi Gi-hyun clicked his tongue at Kang-chan’s statement of wanting to test as a forward.

“Tsk. Are you kidding? A defender suddenly wants to play as a striker? That’s ridiculous.”

This time, I agree with Coach Choi Gi-hyun’s words. Anyone can see that Kang-chan is a lunatic.

But Kang-chan successfully scored a multi-goal in the 11:11 practice match held for the test.

Honestly, he had many deficiencies as a striker, but his calmness in front of the goal was another level.

– When I shot in elementary school, I scored about 9 out of 10!

I looked at Kang-chan, who was celebrating, and remembered a conversation we had long ago.

‘That wasn’t a lie after all?’

That day, I succeeded in acquiring my personal assistant, and Coach Choi Gi-hyun wore a strange expression similar to Pep Guardiola.

He must have been inwardly shouting, ‘Am I a master who raised two national team players? It’s me.’