Chapter VI

Wasted Opportunities Come Back to Haunt You

Standing in the dark tunnel, Yongsun could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She jumped once, twice, then rolled her shoulders and shook her palms. Nothing helped. She was not usually this nervous before a match, excited and a bit restless, yes, but never to a point when a simple, friendly match felt like the World Cup final. Was it because it was the first match since that dreadful league final, or because she actually knew the opponent’s team better than her own team? Probably both.

She stared at the blonde ponytail that partially covered the number ten, glad that she was standing as the last one in line. She would probably be even more jumpy having Byulyi behind her back. Taking one last deep breath, she tried to clear her mind as they began leaving the tunnel.  

Once her feet made contact with the soft grass, and the wild cheers of supporters reached her ears, she began regaining the sense of familiarity. This was her passion; the game she loved, and it was her moment to shine again and regain her pride.

Taeyeon won the coin toss, picking the ball which meant that Yongsun would begin the match together with Byulyi. They stood in front of each other, waiting for the referee’s whistle. The blonde’s smile oozing confidence, not a trace of nervousness in her posture although it was her debut in the national team. Yongsun’s hands clenched at her sides unwittingly as the shrill signal cut through the air. She passed the ball to Byulyi, and the match begun.

Implementing their coach’s strategy, they were attacking from the first minutes. The first attempt came from the left side. Yongsun and Byulyi ran into the penalty area, but Eunjung’s cross was too powerful, and the ball flew over their heads to the Vietnam’s defender. Using the opportunity, their opponents launched a counterattack but were stopped in the middle by Hyoyeon’s intervention.

The tempo slowed down. Yongsun kept to the Vietnam’s half of the pitch, waiting for her team to create another opportunity to attack. In her peripheral vision, she could see Byulyi as she tried to escape the two defenders who covered her closely. They must have gotten clear instructions to keep their eyes on her at all times. Yongsun scoffed. She’s not the only one you should be afraid of, a thought flashed through her mind as Wheein landed a perfect long pass into her sprint through the center. A duo of tall defenders was immediately onto her. She noticed Byulyi’s raised palm, signaling her that she was free, the two women who covered her left far behind her back.

Just let me score the goals, the scornful words rang out in Yongsun’s mind. She ran at the two women, certain that she could evade them, and then it would be just her versus the goalkeeper. Skipping away from the first defender, Yongsun came to a grinding halt when the second woman easily tackled her, regaining the possession of the ball. Yongsun kicked the grass in frustration when a faint sound of clapping reached her ears. Of course, it was Byulyi with her infuriating smirk  and…

Yongsun spun around as she heard the referee’s whistle. The stadium boomed with cheers while the screen displayed Sooyoung with and expression of disbelief painted all over her before the replay of the action played out. Vietnam had scored after a counterattack prompted by Yongsun’s failed finish. It was a really impressive goal shot from a distance, taking the goalkeeper by surprise.

Once again Yongsun found herself facing Byulyi in the middle of the pitch. It happened earlier than she had expected and from all the wrong reasons, which would explain why she felt as though everyone from her team were shooting her accusatory glances. Nevertheless, she ignored them along with the annoying voice in her head telling her that she let Byulyi mess her up again. They were just twenty-five minutes into the game, plenty of time to catch up and win.

Byulyi resumed the game. Now that Vietnam had an advantage, they became even bolder,  pressuring them into their half of the pitch. However, Taeyeon, Wheein and Hyoyeon were doing great job repelling their attacks. The ball wandered from one to another as if following an invisible thread. Gradually moving closer to their opponent’s penalty area, they were awarded with another chance when Eunjung’s clever pass freed Byulyi on the left. Cutting to the center, the striker lunged to the left then to the right, throwing the defender off balance and passing her.

Yongsun ran into the penalty box, already imagining the ball in the net since the goalkeeper had no chance against Byulyi. Evading the woman as she tried to block her feigned shot, the blond striker had the empty goal in front of her when she… passed the ball over to Yongsun.

Caught off guard, Yongsun did not have time to prepare for the shot and kicked the ball at an incorrect angle, sending it over the crossbar. She clutched her head in astonishment, not believing what just happened while Byulyi simply trotted back to her position as though she had not just wasted a perfect opportunity to draw. Yongsun was livid, but she had to stifle the surging within her ire because the goalkeeper had already resumed the game.  

They had two more opportunities to score: one had Taeyeon from a free-kick, and one Nana after a corner kick, but in each case the ball missed the goal by inches. In the end, they went for the break losing one nil.  

~~~

Yongsun and several of her teammates flinched when Boa entered the locker room and threw her clipboard onto a bench. Jaw shifting in barely contained anger, she glowered at them. Yongsun had expected their coach to be angry but not quite to a degree in which she looked like she was ready to tear off their heads.

“Kim and Moon.” Boa looked at each of them respectively. Her icy tone send shivers down Yongsun’s back. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, but I’m this close to kicking you out of this locker room for that comedy show that you two performed out there.” The volume of her voice rose with each spoken word until she practically hollered at them. “You’re out for the second half, and I’ll talk to you two after the match. Joohyun and Dahyun, I trust you’ll perform better than these two. We still have a chance to win this,” she said as she came up to the drawing board.

What followed was the explanation of the strategy for the second half, but Yongsun ignored it; her entire attention concentrated on Byulyi. Digging her fingernails into her palms and grinding her teeth, she glared at the blonde who seemed completely unaffected by what just transpired as she listened to their coach, her eyes following intently the arrows and spots that appeared on the drawing board.

Her friends told her that the girl would not provoke her because they were in the same team and Yongsun’s loss equaled her loss. However, they did not consider the fact that Moon Byul Yi, for some unfathomable reason, cared more about getting on her nerves than about winning.

~~~

The second half began.

Yongsun was watching the game from the bench, arms folded across her chest. Byulyi was sitting right next to her since they were the only ones who had gotten substituted. As much as Yongsun hated the situation she was in, she did not lose her hope in her team and firmly believed they could still win.

She looked sideways at Byulyi; the girl was bouncing her legs, hands hidden in the pockets of her jacket. As though sensing that she was being observed, she glanced at her and their eyes met for a split second before Yongsun averted her gaze back to the game.

“You know,” Byulyi spoke up then paused to yawn. “In case you’re wondering why I passed the ball to you, it was because you seemed pretty hell bent on scoring goals.”  

Yongsun pulled her jacket closer to herself. Byulyi’s words struck something inside her, making her feel uncomfortable. They did not sound accusing, or mocking. She was just plainly stating facts, which did not mean that Yongsun found her explanation satisfying. But still, a seed of doubt was planted in her mind because maybe, just maybe, it was her fault they were losing after all. 

“Next time, don’t be so generous,” she muttered, craning her neck to get a better view of the pitch.

Eunjung sprint along the touchline ended with a low cross into Vietnam’s six-yard box. Dahyun lunged at the ball and nudged it with her head, sending it to the far left corner of the goal. The goalkeeper threw herself into its direction but was too slow. The small striker, who surprisingly was famous for her vicious headers, began performing her dance of victory.

Everyone leapt up from the reserve bench and began cheering and clapping. Yongsun raised her clenched fist in a gesture of triumph. Finally she could relax a bit. They still needed one more goal to win, but at least they were no longer losing.

“Next time, be a bit more generous.”

Yongsun turned to Byulyi with a frown. The girl spared her a brief, emotionless glance before further elaborating on her words.

“I mean, I know that you want to impress the girl, but barreling at those two defenders like a battering ram was pretty dumb.”

What the hell is she talking about? Wait… does she mean Seulgi? But how does she even know she’s here? And speaking of which, where is she sitting?

“Over there, section two, row three. The camera guy seems to like her.”

Startled by the answer, Yongsun’s frown intensified.

What the hell? She’s reading my mind, now?

“You should at least know where’s your girl at if you want to dedicate goals to her,” Byulyi said, her tone mocking.

Lo and behold, she actually thinks that I’m somehow involved with Seulgi. Yongsun snorted, stifling her laughter. And seriously? Dedicating goals? That’s so cringey. I wouldn’t even do that with Joohyun. However, as much as it amused her that Byulyi fell for Seulgi’s ploy, she was disappointed that in the end, it did not quite solve her problems as one could assume from the situation in which she currently was.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed Joohyun falling down right before the penalty box after being fouled by the Vietnam’s defender. Worried, she stood up from the bench to see whether her friend was okay, but luckily nothing major had happened and Joohyun immediately got back to the game.

With bated breath, Yongsun watched as the free-kick played out. Taeyeon did not go for the goal, instead, she squared a perfect pass to Joohyun who waited in the right corner of the penalty box. Cutting back onto her right foot, Joohyun shot at the goal. The ball spun beautifully in an arch and landed in the net.

Yongsun jumped out of joy, her shouts the loudest among her teammates as Joohyun ran with her spread arms along the touchline. She was radiating pure happiness, and Yongsun felt her chest swell with pride and love.  

The match ended fifteen minutes later, and even though both teams fought till the last whistle, the score did not change; South Korea won two to one. As soon as the team left the pitch, Joohyun leapt into Yongsun’s arms, hugging her.

“Did you see that?”

“Yeah, it was pretty epic.” Yongsun giggled at her elated friend.

“Do you think Seulgi saw it? She must have, right? I saw her on the stands. She looked soo cool,” Joohyun rambled, high on victory.

A heavy sensation clogged Yongsun’s throat, intensifying with each word that passed Joohyun’s lips.

“I’m sure she saw you,” she croaked, smiling lopsidedly.

Just then Byulyi passed them, tossing a glance over her shoulder, and Yongsun could swear she noticed a smirk on her lips.  

“Anyway, what happened out there? Was it because of your yesterday’s encounter?” Concern replaced joy in Joohyun’s voice as she stared at the blonde’s retreating figure.

Yongsun sighed. “I don’t feel like talking about it,” she said, and together they went to the locker room.

~~~

Yongsun felt as if she went back in time to her high school days. She would never forget the day she was called into the principal’s office for breaking a window in one of the classrooms with a ball and for playing soccer in her school uniform. She was sitting in front of a bulky man in a suit with her head hung low as he reprimanded her. He probably thought that she was afraid of him and regretted her actions, but all she really thought about back then was how the hell she missed so badly and that she needed to practice her free-kicks.

A very similar situation was happening right now in the locker room with Boa playing the part of the principal. She stood in front of Yongsun and Byulyi, who both sat quietly on the bench, and spoke to them in her stern voice. 

“Many people has questioned my choices. They said that I’d scouted too many rookies. That the new players would have a hard time playing with the veterans. But I’m confident in my decisions, and  it’s not a coincidence that I’ve chosen you as the main strikers. Twenty-five,” she looked at Yongsun and then at Byulyi, “and twenty-six goals. These are pretty impressive numbers, showing that you’ve been playing consistently throughout the season. And then there’s that hiccup in the last match which I’ve chosen to ignore,” she hung her voice.

Yongsun’s hands lying listlessly on her knees, clenched into fists. Her attention divided between listening to the coach and trying to figure how to become resilient to Byulyi and her rouses so that she could finally play like she used to.

“But perhaps, it was a mistake to do so as obviously there’s some bad blood between you two that influences the way you two play together. Nonetheless, I still perceive you as the best strikers whom South Korea has to offer, right now. That’s why, I’m willing to give you another chance. You’ll play in the first match of the Asia Cup, and if you prove to me that you got over your personal issues, you’ll stay in the first squad. Are we clear?”

They both nodded.

“Good, you’re dismissed.”

Yongsun grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room to get away from Byulyi as quickly as possible in case the girl tried to mess with her head yet again.

~~~

Joohyun was waiting for Yongsun in their hotel room. Her friend was already packing her clothes when she entered. With a small, travel iron in hand, she was smoothing out a shirt which Yongsun had never seen her wear. A fond smile spread across her lips, Joohyun was such a neat freak sometimes. And she was so absorbed in her activity that she did not even notice Yongsun until she dropped her bag onto the bed.

“Finally!” Joohyun exclaimed. She turned off her iron and put it aside on a nightstand before she made her way to Yongsun, looking at her with her anxious eyes. “So? What did the coach say?” 

Yongsun deflated and plopped onto the bed then told her friend about their coach’s ultimatum.

“I just don’t understand why things can’t be like they used to. I mean, we were doing a pretty good job together when you were in the first squad. Why did she feel the need to change that?”

“Because Byulyi is a better player than me?” Joohyun prompted with a smile then quickly added before Yongsun could retort. “Don’t even try to deny it. She has twenty-six arguments against my what? Ten? Plus, admit it, you were impressed by her skills as well.”

Yongsun bit the inside of her cheek, wishing she had an appropriate argument that would prove her friend wrong, but nothing of that sort came to her mind.    

“Yongie,” Joohyun continued softly.  “I know that competitiveness runs in your blood, and that you always strive to be the best, but just imagine what could happen if you put that aside and learnt to co-operate with Byulyi. You could become unstoppable.”

Yongsun huffed indignantly, leaping to her feet. “That’s the point!” She threw up her hands in frustration. “She doesn’t care about co-operation, or even about winning. You’ve seen yourself what she did today. Apparently, her life revolves around humiliating me whenever she has a chance to do so.”

Joohyun left the bed and enveloped Yongsun in a gentle hug, unware that her gesture rather than comfort her friend, only further distressed her. They had not talked about yesterday’s events, but Yongsun vividly remembered the feelings that coursed through her veins when she was laying on the bed with Joohyun in her arms. The bitter-sweet mixture of happiness and suffering that she did not want to relive, not now, not ever.

Slowly, so that she would not offend her friend, she retreated from the hug. It seemed to work for Joohyun’s smile was firm on her lips.

“Then perhaps, you should go and you know, talk to her.”

Upon hearing her friend’s advice, Yongsun became even more tense. The very perspective of talking to Byulyi face to face was making her skin prick.

“Yeah, maybe,” she blurted curtly to cut off the topic and began packing her stuff, but stopped the moment she noticed Joohyun still standing next to her bed, acting all fidgety suddenly.

“What? Something happened?” She asked.

“No, it’s just, I’m just wondering whether Seulgi is taking the same plane as we do.”  

“No, idea,” Yongsun answered, tossing a shirt into her bag and not even bothering to fold it.

“Oh, okay…” Joohyun muttered sadly and got back to ironing.

Yongsun sighed inwardly and swore to herself that it was the last time she shared a hotel room with Joohyun. “I’ll call her later to find out.”

“Thanks,” Joohyun said, smiling gratefully.

Later it turned out that Seulgi was staying in Vietnam for a couple of days to do some sightseeing which basically meant that Yongsun was stuck to sit next to sulking Joohyun on the plane.   

~~~

Go and talk to her…

Throughout the past week, the five words had been constantly haunting Yongsun’s thoughts. Even now, when she was jogging along the bank of Han river, they kept replying in her mind like some broken record, which she did not even enjoy listening to when it was working properly. The setting sun was casting a pink glow over the water, but she remained unmoved to the beautiful view. After her conversation with Joohyun, she went to seek advice from Wheein and Hyejin who basically said the same thing: ‘go and talk to her’.  

As much as she understood that it was the most logical and sensible solution, she dreaded the potential confrontation. She even considered going to the sports psychologist, though in the end, she concluded she was not that desperate yet. The problem was that Byulyi had a special way with words, effortlessly spinning them to stir chaos in Yongsun’s mind. Meanwhile, Yongsun was not a woman of words; she was a woman of action. Thus, if she was to confront Byulyi, it would be on her own terms.

She stopped her jog and called Eric.

“Hey, Yongsun. What’s up?”

 “Hey, I’ve been wondering. Could you get me Byulyi’s address?”

“Uhm… yeah, I probably could, but why do you need it? God Yong, don’t tell me you’re planning some hooligan endeavors again.”

Yongsun ignored her manager’s apprehensions. “I just need to pay her a visit,” she said, smirking under her breath.

The orange, flaming sun setting above the Han river looked truly magnificent this evening.

TBC

A/N: And here it is, the long awaited match chapter :D I'm curious what you guys have to say about it. Was it boring? Was it exciting? Should it be longer or perhaps shorter, or maybe it was just right? Let me know what you think in the comments section! ;) Also, I don't know if everyone noticed the message I left on the story's feed but the updates will be now on Sundays, since I need Saturdays for editing and last tweaks as I'm busy on Fridays xD As usual, thank you for your support guys! You're awesome! And for those who aren't really soccer fans and have no idea what's, for example, six-yard box here's a picture of a soccer field with explanation :D

Bonus: Top 10 Funny Worst Open Goal Misses so that Yongsun would not feel so bad about herself xD