CHAPTER 16: Top Agent (4)

"The stadium is filled with cheers.

It was the same cheer song I heard last week, but today it felt different. It sounded more vibrant.

Maybe it was the seat I was in. Unlike last time, I was sitting close to the bench, and Sebastian was proudly standing in the middle of the field.

[No. 1 ···]

After the cheer song ended, the announcer began to call out the names of Brighton's players one by one.

With each name announced, cheers erupted.

[No. 6 Kevin Kamp!]

And then it was Sebastian's turn.

[No. 7 Sebastian Rodriguez!]

It was the loudest cheer so far, and no other player's announcement received a response like that.

It was a great reaction, but a corner of my mind was filled with tension, making it hard to fully enjoy the atmosphere.

I turned on my phone to check the club's official social media. The fans' lively reactions in the post announcing the starting lineup were no different from an hour ago.

┖ You're going to select a player who hasn't played for three months during such an important time?

┖ Right. No matter how great Sebastian was in the first half, he shouldn't be starting right away.

┖ Don't you know our team's situation? We've lost three key players, starting with Liam Grant.

┖ Class doesn't disappear, right? He'll do well.

Half of the comments were filled with concerns, while the other half expressed belief in him. My thoughts leaned more towards the worried side.

He hadn't played since January, and now he was starting after three months.

After hearing the announcement about the starting lineup during yesterday's training, I was so worried that I went to see the acting coach, Roy.

"Is it really okay to rush him into the starting lineup? Shouldn't he start as a substitute at first...?"

"Are you worried about his match fitness?"

"… Yes."

"Don't worry."

Roy's voice was full of confidence. Apart from looking exhausted with dark circles nearly down to his cheeks and wobbling around, he had a very reassuring tone.

"A Sebastian who hasn't played for a while is still better than the other players."

With his confident words, I couldn't say anything back and just nodded. On one hand, I thought it was impressive. This was because the recently added information from the Helper contained something similar.

Today's ability (3/17): ★★★★★ (Downgraded due to decreased match fitness)

It was information I received the day before the lineup announcement. Roy seemed to understand Sebastian's condition solely based on his experience and knowledge.

There were only three players rated five stars by the Helper: the target forward, the central midfielder and captain Kevin Kamp, and the goalkeeper. Most others had four stars, and some substitutes even had three. I thought I would need to organize how the star ratings correspond to performance levels later.

In any case, objectively speaking, these three could be considered the core of Brighton.

If Sebastian's downgraded condition was similar to theirs, he certainly wouldn't ruin the game. The Helper's information said so. However, my worries didn't easily dissipate. It felt like leaving a child on the street.

Having watched football for over ten years, I was familiar with stories of players who rushed back into games without regaining their match fitness, only to fail in their first game and fall into a slump. I was anxious that Sebastian might end up like that.

I raised my head and looked at the field.

On the field, Sebastian was seriously talking with the forwards and Kevin Kamp, using gestures.

I could have been there as a translator, but Sebastian refused.

Recently, he said he wanted to learn English seriously. So, he started communicating himself, using gestures to get by with most conversations. Nowadays, I was more like his English tutor/friend/driver than his translator.

The agency had sent a caretaker to help with his living arrangements, so I didn't even have to cook.

At first, I felt guilty, thinking it was like taking advantage of him, but after hearing Harry's words that everything goes smoothly as long as the client is satisfied, I soon adapted.

I used the spare time to hire a native Italian speaker to help me brush up on my Italian here and there. I was preparing for the summer transfer window. I covered Spanish by chatting with Sebastian.

On the field, after finishing a serious discussion, Sebastian was now beaming.

Sebastian looked directly at me and waved as soon as our eyes met. I waved back appropriately.

Then he pointed at me, gestured to his eyes with his fingers, and then pointed back at himself.

Hmm... Does that mean I should keep my eyes open and watch closely?

With his confident gesture, I shook off the worries I had and gave him an okay sign. Sebastian smiled and went to find his position.

And with a short, sharp whistle from the referee, the match began.

"Will Rodriguez do well?"

Even though I was sitting behind the bench, the seats next to and behind me were occupied by enthusiastic fans wanting to be close to the bench. These fans had been watching football for a long time, and naturally, their concerns about Sebastian were high."

wanted to tell them not to worry, seeing myself reflected in them, but I thought Sebastian would prove himself on the field.

If he showed that kind of gesture, he would surely do well.

If he couldn't, then it couldn't be helped.

On the field, the away team's long pass was cut off by Brighton's central defender.

The central defender immediately passed the ball to the left midfielder. Brighton's left players were passing among themselves, drawing the opponent's attacking and midfield players to the left. As the pressure became too intense to keep passing, Brighton's midfielder sent a long pass to the right, where Sebastian was.

The moment Sebastian received the ball, I saw a greedy expression from him that I had never seen before.

Sebastian pretended to pass the ball to Kevin Kamp, who was coming up beside him, then kicked it hard between the two midfielders surrounding him. Then he dashed through the gap with all his might.

This reckless breaking through, known as "chidal" among domestic fans, is extremely effective and cool when successful.

Perhaps because they hadn't expected him to play like this from the start, the opposing midfielders missed their chances, only flailing helplessly while Sebastian sped past them.

The attacking player, as if it were a planned pattern, gently chipped the ball through the defenders' legs with the back of his heel at a slow pace.

And there was Sebastian.

The moment Sebastian seized the ball, only the goalkeeper remained in front of him. It all happened in just a matter of seconds.

A scream-like cheer filled the stadium. It felt like the stadium might explode.

Sebastian quickly passed the ball between the rushing goalkeeper's legs, and it rolled into the goal.

"Wow!!!"

I found myself shouting in unison with the fans.

Bzzz.

Suddenly, my phone vibrated, and I quickly checked it.

[Today's ability (as of 3/19): ★★★★★★]

The existing information turned green, indicating a change. It was the first time I saw green text, but I could understand at a glance what it meant.

His rating had risen back to six stars.

It was an update of information.

Sebastian had forcefully raised his match fitness in just two minutes with his bold play.

I raised my head again to look at the field.

Sebastian was in front of the home supporters, showing three fingers in a celebratory gesture. Then, without further celebration, he returned to Brighton's side.

The crowd quickly realized what that gesture meant.

It was a hat trick announcement.

The stadium began to boil over like a furnace.

Watching that scene, I felt a sense of fulfillment that was different from simply watching a good player. My heart swelled.

'It's all thanks to you.'

I felt as if I could hear Sebastian's voice in my ear.

A sensation I would never forget.

I felt grateful for coming to England.

"A bit... embarrassing."

As soon as the match ended, Sébastien was selected as the MOM (Man of the Match) and was answering questions from reporters in front of the advertising boards without even changing his jersey. I was beside him, translating diligently.

A journalist from the Daily Mail asked, "You gave a fantastic performance in your comeback match and received the MOM award, but why are you feeling embarrassed?"

When I relayed this to Sébastien, he scratched the back of his head, his face turning red.

"I said I would get a hat trick, but I only managed one goal and one assist. It's not like I got three attacking points..."

As I continued my translation, the reporters all burst into laughter.

Although his performance was overwhelming, the celebration was the issue.

The away team saw it as provocation and charged at Sébastien like they wanted to kill him whenever he got the ball. Maybe thinking he could get injured, Sébastien started pulling back and ended up adding just one assist.

Of course, the final score was 2-0 in favor of Brighton.

"This might be a sensitive question, but there was some commotion in the team this week?"

It was indeed a sensitive question, so I glanced at the reporter's press badge. Sure enough, it was The Sun, notorious for its gossip and sensationalist journalism.

The club's press officer looked at me, and I nodded.

"I've heard rumors that you are closely linked to the termination of those players' contracts..."

That was a sharp question. But the agency and the club had prepared an answer for this one. Sébastien spoke, and I translated.

"I regret that matter, but I am not aware of it."

"The issue was related to racism; does that mean it was discrimination against other black players besides Sébastien?"

Sébastien whispered to me, but in truth, he said nothing. I had memorized the response. It was almost like my own interview.

"No, I genuinely don't know anything. I only think they were given appropriate punishment for their actions."

The reporters halted their questions with sullen expressions.

The club, the agency, and both Sébastien and I didn't want the truth about racism being pried into by the reporters.

Korean reporters are often criticized, but they are far from the original culprits who do this in England. This is not a country where sensational journalism began for no reason. British journalists will go to great lengths to find something sensational. Korean media still has a long way to go to catch up with England in that regard.

Given this, it was clear that if reporters started prying into the team, the situation would get messy, so we decided to remain evasive.

With two months left until the promotion race, maintaining team morale was everyone's priority.

Additionally, the agency hinted that they would negotiate a generous compensation package for Sébastien.

While everyone was hesitating, suddenly a question in Spanish interrupted.

"You've been in a long slump, right? How did you overcome it? I will be requesting a personal interview separately, but just a brief one here. The fans will be curious."

It was a reporter from Sky Sports. She looked at Sébastien with keen blue eyes.

Without hesitation, Sébastien answered, "Thanks to the person beside me. They gave me strength when I was struggling. The EW agency also provided critical support."

Since it was in Spanish, I couldn't stop it.

The Sky Sports reporter, with a look of interest, glanced at me and quickly left her seat.

A series of typical interviews followed, and the MOM interview concluded with a final request for fans to look forward to better performances in the future.

Sébastien headed towards the dressing room, and I told him I would grab a drink and wait in front.

As I was heading to the lounge, several reporters who understood Spanish suddenly rushed at me to get an interview.

I mumbled something appropriate, saying, "I'm just a rookie interpreter who started three weeks ago, and I just encouraged him from the side."

As I kept giving boring answers, the reporters seemed to think they wouldn't gain anything from me and all retreated. I let out a sigh of relief and headed to the lounge to grab a drink. Just as I rounded the corner, I encountered the Sky Sports reporter who had disappeared earlier.

She approached me with an attractive smile.

"I'm Elizabeth Russell from Sky Sports."

"Ah."

I thought she might ask me more questions and was preparing my answers when she said something unexpected.

"How about we exchange contact information?"

"What?"

I was truly taken aback. Elizabeth Russell, still smiling, leaned in and whispered. She was too close.

"I heard you're a rookie too, and I've only been working for six months as well. It would be nice for rookies to help each other out. More importantly... you have an interesting vibe."

"What kind of vibe?"

"What kind do you think?"

From my vantage point, I couldn't help but notice that she had a nice figure. I hoped my face wasn't turning red and glanced away for a moment.

She giggled and answered her own question.

"The vibe of a good story."

Still flustered, I didn't know how to react, but I composed myself. Then I realized that building connections like this wasn't a bad thing at all.

"Yes, that sounds good."

I smiled to brush away my earlier embarrassment. Elizabeth Russell seemed satisfied with my answer and handed me her phone.

"I mainly cover professional teams in the Brighton & Hove area, and I occasionally cover some teams in London."

I entered my number into her phone and received hers in return.

Once we exchanged numbers, Elizabeth Russell flashed another amazing smile.

"Let's grab a drink sometime. Oh, is it possible to get a personal interview with Sébastien Rodriguez?"

"I'll check with the agency and get back to you."

"I'll be looking forward to it."

Elizabeth Russell winked and flashed a charming smile before leaving the stadium.

I then waited for Sébastien in front of the dressing room. However, after all the other players came out, Sébastien still hadn't appeared, so I decided to go into the dressing room.

Sébastien was sitting in front of his locker, fiddling with his phone.

I was bewildered and approached him quietly to ask.

"What are you doing?"

"Yikes."

Sébastien made a strange sound, but then relaxed. He showed me his phone and said, "Instagram. I hadn't used it for a long time, and I thought I was going to go crazy. I just got a hateful comment..."

Sébastien looked gloomy.

Ah, I remember he really liked social media.

I guess he's starting again. It's understandable to feel lost after a long break.

I suggested it was time to go home.

Sébastien followed me without taking his eyes off his phone. As we were leaving, I almost bumped into him, and only then did he put his phone away.

Since Sébastien's car repairs weren't finished, I had to drive him myself.

As we exited the now quiet stadium, my phone vibrated.

The helper icon had turned into a red piece of stationery, reminiscent of a Howler from Harry Potter.

[Chris Allen]

*Scheduled for deletion tomorrow

It was a long-forgotten red message.