After school, in the training room, we were receiving feedback on today's practice match.
Devon spoke while Jack and I listened attentively.
"Listen while you exercise."
Sure, why not? It didn't seem like a bad idea to combine training and feedback.
The problem, however, was the intensity of the workout.
"Did you see how terrible your defense was?"
"Ughhh!"
"Gaaah!"
"Can't you hear the coach talking? Shut your mouth and focus."
But this isn't weight I can lift quietly…
Regardless, Devon continued.
"Without proper orders, you're just flocking around here and there. How do you expect to achieve anything like that?"
He started explaining the basics of defense—how to organize strategies and execute team plays.
"Remember these fundamental principles. You need to give orders based on them."
"Gaaah!"
"Geez, so noisy."
Once we finished a set and collapsed, Devon immediately launched into another lecture.
"Every situation is different. Gathering all the information and making the right call isn't easy. But what choice do you have? If you want to win, you have to do it. Right?"
According to Devon, proper leading requires a wide field of vision and quick calculations.
"It's easiest for me if you two just learn from me, but even that causes issues of its own."
Jack and I are left and right wing attackers.
Taking one of us out and placing them in the back?
"That's like clipping one of your wings. Your opponents would love that. They'd immediately target the remaining attacker."
"Can't we pull one person into defense and bring in a new attacker?"
"Who?"
"Someone like Leo, who performed well today…"
"He's decent as a substitute, sure, but make him a main? He'd be cut down within five minutes."
The relaxed part of the lecture ended there.
We picked up the barbells again.
"Gaaah!"
"The best option is for you two to play as wings. The difference between having one attack option versus two is night and day."
"Ughhh!"
But… what about defense?
I couldn't bring myself to voice the question aloud, but Devon seemed to read it in my eyes.
"A half-baked leader is worse than none. You can't just force one to emerge. In that case…"
"…?"
"You could always focus on extreme offense: concede one goal, but score two."
But what if we score two and concede three?
"Then that's your problem."
Ugh!
The tactical explanation dragged on for a while, and even after training officially ended, we had to do additional workouts.
"Gaaah! I can't… I can't take any more!"
Jack and I collapsed in exhaustion, gasping for breath.
Just then, Devon's grinning face appeared in our vision.
"Pizza, chicken, or burgers—your choice."
Tonight's dinner was pizza again.
Too exhausted to make a choice, I just kept panting, and the same menu as always came back around.
Not that it mattered.
I grabbed the cola first and chugged it down.
Slurp.
Now, I finally felt like I could breathe again.
Devon stacked two slices of pizza together like a sandwich, opened his mouth wide, and bit down.
Chomp, chomp.
In no time, the pizza vanished as if it had never existed. Devon turned to look at me.
"Why aren't you eating?"
"I-I'll eat."
Chew, chew.
"You know, I may be your gym teacher and make you train hard…"
"…?"
"But don't forget your main role as students just because you're into rugby."
"Of course. I make time whenever I can…"
"Good. Now, in those rare spare moments, go date someone."
What?
Not studying, but dating?
"If life is barren, and there isn't even a pond of love, where else will you quench your thirst?"
"…"
"Why aren't you responding?"
Just then, Jack chimed in.
"Ji-hoon is really popular."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Yes. I'm sure there are plenty of people who like him."
This was news to me.
Even if it were true, I wasn't particularly interested.
But Devon seemed to think differently.
"You, kid, what's with that dry expression?"
"Pardon?"
"Here I am, buying you food and giving you life lessons, and you act like a sage who's figured out the world instead of taking notes!"
I'm not quite enlightened; this is just my second life.
Regardless of my reaction, Devon continued with his speech.
"Breathing and dating are two things you shouldn't take a break from."
"And you, sir…?"
"It's been half a year since I last took a breath."
Devon looked like he might keel over any second.
Snicker.
Anyway, these days, we sweat through training, and afterward, we share meals together.
Not bad.
I smiled to myself, feeling quietly content.
***
Meanwhile, in the Second-Year Student Council Room
"Pass it to the left."
Carl handed a magazine to his rugby teammates.
With the chaos surrounding Queensman, Carl had decided to create his own magazine.
Finally, the sample was ready, and he'd just distributed it to his peers as soon as it arrived.
However, since they all started flipping through from the last page, Carl's face darkened as he spoke.
"I had no intention of including anything as lowbrow as comics."
"Oh, wow…"
"Honestly, we were worried there might be some and checked. What a relief. Ha ha."
Awkward laughter broke out here and there.
"So, how is it?"
How is it, after just flipping through it?
Even so, responses were forced out.
"The… the quality is something else."
"Just looking at the table of contents tells you enough. It's different. Definitely."
Even half-hearted murmurs have their limits.
As their words began to run out, an awkward silence started to settle.
It was then.
"Captain!"
A voice suddenly burst in as the door to the student council room swung open.
Turning to look, they saw Ralph, the vice-captain, standing there.
"I found out."
"What's all the fuss about?"
They were in the middle of an informal review meeting, after all.
But Ralph spoke with utter confidence.
"It's about Park Ji-hoon. You told me to find out why he's been acting so cocky, right?"
"And?"
"Turns out, he's been getting private lessons from the teacher."
"Private lessons?"
"Apparently, he's learning rugby every day after school. It seems like he's been sticking to Devon like glue to properly challenge us."
As soon as Ralph finished speaking—
"..."
—a vivid image surfaced in Carl's mind.
"Here, the first-year Boss wants to propose something to you."
That day, when Park Ji-hoon had the nerve to act arrogant.
It was none other than Coach Devon who had called Carl out.
Even when the disciplinary committee convened, Devon didn't submit any statement against Ji-hoon.
The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.
So, they thought they were being clever, huh?
"Does learning rugby make you any good at it?"
"Exactly."
After all, Park Ji-hoon was the type of guy who thought the world revolved around him.
"I heard they even put up a post on the first-year bulletin board."
"…?"
"They're apparently recruiting teammates for a match against the second-years."
Look at that.
Even without a confirmed match, they were already recruiting a team?
"Of course, it's an anonymous bulletin, so there's no definitive proof of who posted it, but…"
"It's obvious."
Of course.
Already assembling a team, are they?
"Shall we mess with them a bit?"
"Mess with them? How?"
At Ralph's question, Carl didn't reply.
He simply smiled mischievously.
***
That Night
I got a pass to go out and headed to a store.
Having played a practice match in the morning and trained after school, I was completely drained.
I could have fallen asleep on the spot, but…
What could I do?
I had something to take care of, so I had to go.
"Ugh."
At the store, I was greeted by a familiar face.
It was Faber, who had been away on a trip.
"What? You're already back from New York?"
"Professor Jo So-deok really went all out with a full course."
Faber looked exasperated even just recalling it.
Jo So-deok's full course was infamous.
On the first day, he'd treat you to a hearty dinner upon arrival.
But from the next day onward, it was all work, work, work.
Using his extensive network, he would meticulously plan a minute-by-minute schedule and make you race through countless appointments in bullet-speed taxis.
After a week of that grueling schedule, anyone would start reevaluating their entire life.
You think you've been living efficiently, cutting back on sleep and working hard… but then you meet him.
What is this guy? Is he even human?
Heh heh heh.
Only the best of the best can be my closest aides!
While I was chuckling deviously to myself, Faber shook his head as if trying to shake off a haunting specter.
"I couldn't delay any longer, so I hurried back."
"And? Any results?"
"Of course!"
He pulled out a piece of clothing from a large box.
"It's the rugby jersey—here's the sample."
"How is it already done?"
"Well… it just happened."
Let's not push him further.
If I press for details, he might cry.
"Can I try it on?"
"We made it specifically to your size, Boss."
Wow.
It fits perfectly.
The fabric feels amazing, clinging comfortably to my body.
"This is a classic rugby shirt design. It combines red, symbolizing Ultimate, with green, representing Gucci."
Since it's rare to pair red and green together, they balanced the tone by adding black accents at the ends.
Just adding black makes it look this good?
And that wasn't all.
"If you look at the back, you'll see embroidery. We kept the tones subtle to give it a sophisticated touch."
"This is excellent."
"It's just a sample for now, so there's room for revisions…"
At that point, Faber shuddered.
"What's wrong?"
"Sorry. I just had a sudden bad memory."
"…?"
Apparently, Jo So-deok had drilled some serious discipline into him.
Something like this:
When presenting something to the Boss, it must be perfect in every way!
Even if it's just a sample, it should be as good as a finished product!
That's the proper respect owed to the Boss!
The mental toll must've been heavy, as Faber shivered again.
Anyway.
"This is great. There's nothing to fix in terms of design."
"Do… do you really like it?"
"Does my opinion matter? It's your work, Faber. What's important is whether you are satisfied."
"Well, that's true, but… Ahhh…"
Heh heh heh.
"How about sending Lukash on a business trip next?"
"I fully support that idea. That guy should experience… I mean, he needs some intense training as well."
The Gucci collaboration seemed to be in a good place.
"Designer, I have something personal I'd like to ask you."
Did my tone sound different from usual?
Faber tilted his head slightly and looked at me.
"The clothes we've released so far…"
"Yes, Boss?"
"Thinking about it, we've only ever released standard sizes."
"Pardon? We've tried to make the sizes as diverse as possible."
"I know that. But…"
"…?"
"Unfortunately, giants can't wear our clothes."
"G-giants?"
"That's why I have a suggestion. What if we re-released some of our past designs in big sizes?"
"If that's what the Boss wants, we'll proceed. Why do you even ask for my opinion?"
"These are your designs, Faber. Of course, I need your agreement."
"No need to ask me from now on."
"Excuse me?"
At that moment, Faber's face seemed to overlap with Jo So-deok's in my mind.
Limitless trust in the Boss.
What happened to the rebellious, defiant Faber I used to know?
Anyway.
After discussing it with Faber, we agreed to produce a small batch of big sizes for re-release.
As I left the store, I couldn't help but think, Big sizes, huh.
Imagining Devon standing in line at the store, I smiled to myself, feeling oddly satisfied.