The day after the practice game against Cheongun FC.
Maybe it was because of yesterday's victory, but the Blue Hawks players looked happier than they had in a long time.
Before practice even started, Hyunwoo said to Taeyoon,
“Did you see my second goal yesterday? I finished that one perfectly, didn’t I?”
Taeyoon chuckled.
“I’ll give you credit for the finish. But that pass did half the work for you.”
“Half?”
Hyunwoo shrugged.
“I thought the other half was harder.”
Junho, who had been listening beside them, smiled.
“Next time, score one by yourself.”
“No way. Keep feeding me.”
A brief laugh passed between them.
The atmosphere that had been frozen for days seemed to thaw, at least a little.
Minseok, watching them from a distance, let out a relieved sigh.
‘Maybe things will be okay if we keep this up.’
But the thought didn’t last long.
Coach Cha walked onto the field, but instead of opening his notebook as usual, he called the players to the center.
“Everyone in.”
The boys gathered quickly.
Coach Cha slowly looked over their faces.
“Forget yesterday’s result.”
The players who had been smiling stiffened.
“Nothing changes just because you won one practice game.”
No one answered.
Coach Cha pulled out a sheet of paper.
“Starting today, we’re reopening the position competition.”
The field stirred with whispers.
Minseok furrowed his brow.
“Are the positions changing too?”
“They will if necessary.”
The answer was short.
Coach Cha began reading the lineup.
“Kang Junho.”
“Yes.”
“Today, you’ll play attacking midfielder instead of central midfielder.”
Junho hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
“Choi Hyunwoo.”
“Yes.”
“Right wing instead of up front.”
Hyunwoo’s expression hardened.
He had always played striker.
“Coach, I…”
“Is there a problem?”
Hyunwoo closed his mouth.
“No, Coach.”
Coach Cha continued reading the lineup.
“Park Minseok.”
“Defensive midfielder.”
“Kim Doyoon.”
“Center back.”
“Lee Taeyoon.”
“Goalkeeper, same as before.”
The players looked at one another.
It was a sudden change.
Once practice began, the confusion only grew.
Junho kept receiving the ball at attacking midfielder, but he was much closer to the opposing defense than usual.
He didn’t have time to hold on to the ball for long.
Hyunwoo was frustrated on the wing as well.
Even when he got the ball, the goal was too far away.
He tried cutting inside a few times, but Coach Cha’s voice rang out.
“Hold your position!”
Hyunwoo gritted his teeth and moved back out to the wing.
Practice wasn’t going as planned.
The timing of their passes was off by just enough, and the players made more mistakes than usual as they tried to sync up with one another.
When practice paused for a moment, Taeyoon said quietly,
“Why is he suddenly changing everything?”
Doyoon answered between breaths,
“He’s testing us, I guess.”
Minseok shook his head.
“Even if it’s a test, there has to be a reason.”
Just then, Coach Cha blew his whistle again.
“Kang Junho. Choi Hyunwoo.”
The two stepped forward at the same time.
Coach Cha looked back and forth between them.
“You’re both good at attacking.”
He paused, then continued in a low, firm voice.
“But a truly good player has to be able to keep the team alive from any position.”
Junho turned the words over in his mind.
Hyunwoo, on the other hand, still didn’t understand.
He had always believed his role was to score goals, and the coach was shaking that role at its very foundation.
Coach Cha placed a ball at his feet.
“From now on, you two are on the same team.”
Junho and Hyunwoo looked at the coach at the same time.
“Attacking midfielder and winger.”
“Create something together.”
“What I want to see isn’t goals. I want to see how much you can bring out of each other.”
Hyunwoo quietly exhaled.
Junho slowly looked down at the ball.
His rival was on his side again.
But this time, they weren’t practicing to win together.
They were practicing to prove each other’s worth.
Junho and Hyunwoo were on the same team again.
But it didn’t feel as comfortable as it had before.
This practice was meant to build cooperation, but it was also an evaluation.
Coach Cha placed a ball near the halfway line and said,
“You two are responsible for the attack.”
“Don’t worry about defense.”
“I’m only watching how you create goals.”
The whistle blew.
Junho received the first ball.
He looked up as usual.
Hyunwoo moved slowly along the right wing, then suddenly picked up speed.
Junho didn’t miss the timing.
A low, fast pass.
The ball went straight to Hyunwoo’s feet.
Hyunwoo beat the defender with his first touch.
He shot immediately.
But it went straight at the goalkeeper.
Taeyoon caught the ball and said with a grin,
“Hundred out of a hundred on the setup, but the finish needs work.”
Hyunwoo scratched his head.
“I’ll score next time.”
Practice continued.
This time, Hyunwoo received the ball first.
Junho moved toward open space in front of the penalty area.
In the past, Hyunwoo would have chosen to shoot himself.
But after hesitating for a moment, he passed to Junho.
Junho let the ball roll past him, drawing the defender in.
Then he sent a return pass back in front of Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo swung his right foot with all his strength.
Whap!
The net rippled.
“Nice!”
Taeyoon raised both hands.
Minseok nodded too.
“That movement just now was good.”
Junho caught his breath and looked at Hyunwoo.
Hyunwoo smiled and gave him a thumbs-up.
For a moment, it felt like they were in sync again, just like before.
Coach Cha silently made a note in his notebook.
Then he placed the ball in the center again.
“Once more.”
This time, he increased the defensive pressure.
Doyoon and Minseok pressed the two of them hard.
The passing lanes didn’t open easily.
Junho tried to protect the ball in the tight space, but Minseok closed in on him.
The moment Junho lost his balance, the ball slipped away.
Doyoon quickly cleared it.
“Again.”
Coach Cha didn’t stop the practice.
A second time.
A third.
A fourth.
The same situation repeated over and over.
Junho and Hyunwoo gradually grew quieter.
Their breathing grew ragged, and their movements slowed.
It was their final attack.
Hyunwoo got the ball on the wing.
Junho made a run through the center.
Two defenders closed in on Hyunwoo at the same time.
There was no angle for a shot.
There was barely enough space for a pass.
He had only a moment to choose.
Hyunwoo tried to dribble all the way through.
In the end, he lost the ball.
The whistle sounded long and loud.
Practice was over.
Coach Cha called the players over and lined them up.
“That last play.”
Hyunwoo looked up.
“Why did you try to handle it alone?”
Hyunwoo hesitated before answering.
“I was confident I could do it.”
“And the result?”
“…I failed.”
This time, Coach Cha looked at Junho.
“Kang Junho.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you call for the pass?”
Junho thought for a moment.
“I thought Hyunwoo could finish it.”
Coach Cha shook his head.
“Trust and standing by are two different things.”
The field fell silent.
“Trusting your teammate doesn’t mean waiting.”
“When the moment comes, you have to call for it, shout, and move.”
Junho couldn’t say anything.
Thinking back, all he had done was run into open space. Not once had he called loudly for Hyunwoo to give him the ball.
Coach Cha walked over to the two of them.
“You know each other too well.”
“That’s why you don’t say anything.”
Junho and Hyunwoo both looked up at the same time.
“Soccer isn’t a sport where you read each other’s minds.”
“You talk, confirm, and adjust.”
Those words stayed with them.
After practice.
A red sunset settled over the field.
Hyunwoo approached Junho with a soccer ball in his hands.
“Hey.”
“Yeah?”
“About that last play.”
Junho looked at him quietly.
Hyunwoo gave him an awkward smile.
“I thought you’d call for it.”
Junho smiled faintly too.
“And I thought you’d pass even if I didn’t.”
Silence lingered for a moment.
Hyunwoo set the ball down first.
“I think Coach was right.”
“About what?”
“We’ve played together for so long that we thought we understood each other without having to say anything.”
Junho slowly nodded.
“We thought that was just how it was supposed to be.”
Hyunwoo lightly kicked the ball up.
“Then let’s make a promise.”
“What kind of promise?”
“From now on, don’t hold back. Shout.”
Junho answered with a smile.
“What if you don’t pass? Can I cuss you out too?”
Hyunwoo burst out laughing.
“I’ll let that slide.”
For the first time in a while, natural laughter broke out between them.
Coach Cha, watching them from a distance, closed his notebook.
He said nothing, but his gaze lingered on the two of them for a long time.
‘They’ve finally taken their first step.’
The competition Coach Cha wanted wasn’t a fight to bring each other down.
It was competition that made them stronger.
And that fact…
Junho and Hyunwoo were beginning to understand it, little by little.