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3.77% Football: Passion Unkindled / Chapter 1: Kai

บท 1: Kai

The deep clamouring of voices clashed and battled the dozing state of a person that is half awoken. The light nearby pierced his once-shut eyelids and forced them ajar as excruciating pain hits the eyes.

He squinted profusely, yet slowly and gradually withdraw the closure of his eyes as he attempted to recognise his surroundings.

"What is going on? Am I in a meeting?"

The figure silently cursed as he realised, he must have fallen asleep during the meeting with the company management. What an embarrassment, he was sure his boss would deduct his monthly salary for this disrespectful conduct.

Glancing around the meeting table, the man tried to recognise to what extent has he slept through the meeting, if he was lucky, maybe the senior figureheads of the company he is working hasn't yet noticed him sleeping as they are too focused on the meeting's content.

Observing every one of the figures that are sitting at the oval-shaped hardwood table, the man tried to access whether anyone has noticed him sleeping. But upon further inspection, a weird suspicion arose him, as he questioned whether he had ever seen these people.

The man contemplated every one of the figures that are in the room, faces that he has no recollection of.

"Who are they? I have never seen them in the workplace."

Yet, the man realised that even the room he was in appears to be different from how he imagined. The wallpapers had a grey tint to them, the plain marble flooring was of convenience, and the run-of-the-mill windows. All details that didn't belong to the grandeur meeting room should have had floor-to-ceiling windows that looked over the dazzling streets of the city.

"This location… These people… What is going on?"

The figure scratched his head, confused at the current predicament as he is attempting to come to terms with the current situation. His hearing was almost malfunctioning, as all he is hearing was an ever-present ringing. Irritated, the figure slapped his ears to stop the frustrating noise.

His hearing gradually grew in clarity, with him finally able to hear the chirping of the birds outside and the buzzing chatter that appears to be occurring in another room. Satisfied, the man was grateful as he could finally have peace of mind. But equipped with this new tool, the man focused his hearing, attempting to digest what these strangers in front of him might be conversing about.

=======

"What do you think about him Hugo, he's a quick one alright." A man in his mid-40s, with rugged brown skin, and a head deprived of any hair spoke.

"The kid got the physicality, but none of the techniques. Maybe Right-Back?" Hugo, a man with glasses spoke, which seemingly complimented his intelligence.

"Fair point, his touch seems quite poor. How many times did he lose the ball from a bad touch?" The bald figure named Lanier continued the conversation.

Hugo shook his head and remarked critically and harshly. "Enough to disqualify him as a Winger."

The man that is hearing the conversation was visibly confused, his eyebrows raised with a high arch and his mouth dropped open. Aren't they talking about football?

"But at least he's faster than the average up and comer, and a more advanced defender than the average defender." Hugo looked at Lanier for a moment and added, "Anyways, at least this kid knows how to move, and he's obviously getting better at shooting. I would like to see him play as a striker before making the final decision."

Hugo stated, then repositioned the glasses that were resting on the bridge of his nose, then looked at the man that was quietly pondering at the very end of the table.

"What do you think? Boss, what is your thinking on this boy?"

The dispassionate figure that has yet contributed to the conversation finally opened his mouth, adding his own opinion.

"He does seem to have the physicality for a Winger, even if he does know how to move. But players like him are in abundance, and I don't want to risk playing him in an unfamiliar position just for the sake of it."

"Boss?" Hugo asked, getting the attention of the clear leader within the room.

"I agree with Lanier, he is a player that is not technically gifted. Let's retrain him as a Centre-Back, and slowly implement him as a Wing-Back that overlaps in the final third."

This time, it was Hugo's turn to be surprised. He wanted to object, yet within his heart, he knew the manager's decision is final. And any objectification is useless in his presence.

The manager sitting at the end of the table embarked on his opinion, knowing his words are absolute. He glanced around the room in which the staff gathered for their weekly meeting. He noted their expressions but noticed one in peculiar.

=======

The man that is still unsure of the current situation is confused by his current circumstances, but he nevertheless overheard those strangers' clear and distinct conversation about football. Something about retraining a Winger as a Wingback.

Football? Why would they be talking about football?

The man's bewilderment grew to no end, not understanding and realising any of the current circumstances that are occurring in front of him. But then he heard someone speak, yet this time it seems it wasn't just a conversation about football. It was directed at a person.

"Kai?"

The gentlemen sitting near the opposite end of the table spoke, staring straight at the eyes of the man to which the words are targeted.

"You alright? You seem absent-minded today."

Kai immediately refocused, stopping his internal deliberation of the current situation. He is perplexed, but he could still recognise his name being called, albeit by a stranger that he has no recollection of.

"I'm…"

A soft-toned voice spoke, a bit shaky in tone as Kai appears to be restless, fidgeting with no ends.

But he was too distracted to conjure up an answer. Instead, his memories seems to flow like a flood, a heavy torrent that came crashing in as Kai searched through the decades of archived memories.

Hugo… Lanier… were they not whom I worked with at the football club? But that was years ago, why would I see them here right now, at this moment?

Kai looked at the surroundings once more, the unmistakable staff meeting room slowly became familiar as details of the room he finally recognised. The people in the room were Hugo, and Lanier, both coaches for the team, and Marley, the manager that he longed to admire.

How? Just how are they all here, at this moment in time, at this location?

Kai rose from his seat and made a dart for the meeting room exist. He felt nauseous, sick to the core in a way as things are just too much for him to handle. Yet, as he attempted to exist, he realised his body appeared to be lighter, much more agile than he recounted.

"Where are you going?" Hugo called out, noticing one of the coaching staff headed towards the door.

"I… I need some fresh air." Kai replied without looking back, not in the least bit concerned about the rudeness and the animosity everyone in the room would feel.

He made his way out of the meeting room, and then he was sure that his body appears to be in finer condition than he could remember. Kai looked at his hands, not in the faintest could he detect any wrinkled skin. Kai looked at his body, no longer was he obese, but he had a youthful physique that released a message of health.

Impossible. Kai thought in his head.

He exited the meeting room and made his way across the interior with some sense of familiarity. The corridors and the various rooms within the inner structure, Kai still vaguely remember the layout of the building.

When Kai exited through the main door of the building, he found an open lawn kept in pristine condition by the club's groundsman. The clear white marks of the football field were apparent to everyone observing. An organic grass pitch suited for football, just as Kai had last remembered.

Glancing around, surrounding the multiple football pitches were various buildings that Kai still has a recollection of. Yet, he still didn't dare believe he was truly at the club he once was a player. The sun was still high in the azure sky, with still plenty of time until sunset.

Kai inspected further, and on the football pitch were various players. The players that were on the pitch were wearing their club training shirts but with different colours, and bibs to separate themselves into two teams.

A clatter of shouting, loud communication, and cheers between players transmitted like music to Kai as he listened in to the friendly match ongoing with the youths. He walked closer, with the spirit of the players drawing him in like a current.

Kai stood on the very corner of the pitch, a few meters from the technical areas where the managers, coaching staff, and medical professionals would normally station during matches. He observed the details of the match, livid and boiling in excitement as he couldn't believe he could dabble in the very sport he yearn for.

But even more surprising were the youths that were playing. Those players… how are they so young. So much time has passed that Kai couldn't even believe, couldn't accept that everyone he has observed appears to be from a distant past.

Everything. Everything. Was the past.

Kai sunk his face into his palm, slowly coming into the circumstances and making sense of the situation.

That he had travelled back to the past.


next chapter

บท 2: Already In Trouble?

But.

Just like that.

I travelled back in time?

Kai is sure, almost certain that he has gone back to the past, to his younger days, before his life turned into a mess. But his soul, his brain still contains the memories of the future. It was as if his soul was sent back in time to his younger self.

He was overwhelmed to an extent, by such a sudden occurrence. If you were to tell someone they have the chance to redo their life decision. Chances are most of them will be too confused to conjure up an answer. But Kai raised to observe the pitch and the players competing on it, is it that difficult to steady oneself and grasp that chance tightly?

The man still adorned in the club sweater and joggers moved to take a seat in the technical area, where benches are provided for staff and players alike. On his mind was a herculean mess, but he felt rather peaceful, almost calming to observe the youth team players competing for their hardest. The act merely washed away any concern he had before, but only for a while, only for a few minutes whilst the players were kicking the ball could Kai temporarily forget the fact that he became his younger self.

He consoled himself, focusing on the friendly competition ongoing as a means of distracting himself. The hard-fought possession of the ball was a deranged mess, with the players going at it with aggressive tackles and rough physical play, yet there was a beauty to it that Kai could only marvel at. Their passion, intensity, their enthusiasm, are elements that hit Kai like a tsunami.

At a glance, anyone in the vicinity can see the desire in the players' eyes to win. Kai looked around, searching for the scoreboard, or he thought there was a scoreboard. He looked around the pitch, searching for the electronic panel that states the scores of the team. But it only took a while before he realised that this was the youth team training ground, and such expensive equipment wouldn't be provided here.

The man smacked his head, coming back to the past he could deal with, but so many details had he forgotten.

He didn't know how long he had been observing the friendly, but it was long enough that the players finally took a break. The match has already concluded, long enough for Kai to ponder through the events. He looked dejected, but seemingly had a new perspective and view of his surroundings. He observed the pitch, the lush green field destined for football, he observed the facilities, the headquarters and training facilities built almost years ago for avid footballers, he looked at the players, those who are destined for the professional game. This opportunity… he shouldn't waste it.

Kai stood up from the technical area and grabbed a last look at the players before making his way back to the headquarters, where there is a weekly staff meeting still occurring. But when he recollected that he had a staff meeting, and the fact that he had exited halfway through the event, Kai quickly picked up his pace.

"Oh god. Barely an hour since I came back, and I have already left a bad impression."

Kai entered the building and jolted past the long hallways before finding the one he is searching for. But right before entering, he steadied his breath and fixed up his unkempt hair before knocking on the wooden door.

But to his surprise, before he could even knock on the door, it was magically opened by someone on the other side.

His glasses and pale frame reminded him. Who was he again? Hugo?

Kai was about to thank Hugo for opening the door to the meeting room, but again before he could even speak, more people gathered behind Hugo, and all are staring directly at Kai.

"You're blocking the way," Hugo stated. Which subconsciously made Kai move back without him even realising.

Out came a flock of people, whereby all middle-aged men and women, who exited the meeting room one by one. Kai took a while to comprehend this act, and he half contemplated whether they were all exiting the meeting room as a mutiny against him. But no discontent in the face passed him, he looked at his wrist and smacked his head harder than before as he realised that the meeting had just ended.

"Come in." a voice called within the meeting room. Which shook Kai to some extent, as he was certain that everyone had already left.

He peeked in, only to find the bubbly figure of Manager Marley still rooted to his seat. "Take a seat." He gestured at a spot right beside him, near the front of the oval table.

Kai took a seat, and his thoughts returned to the mistakes he made, the half-truths he told, and the lack of thorough planning. He snapped out of his deep thoughts and focused on the situation at hand.

"So you feeling better?" Manager Marley asked.

"I feel much better. Thank. It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I promise it won't happen again." Kai replied apologetically, and even if he couldn't sense the hostility in the Managers tone, it was better to show his sincerity and humbleness than not.

"I'm sure you will." Manager Marley nodded.

"Umm, is there anything you wish to speak of?"

"Well, you did miss half of the meeting. So I will brief you on what you missed. Mr..."

Marley had a slight pause in his speech, pondering for a moment deeply, searching through his memory before remembering what he desires.

"Mr Kai."

"Right," Kai said back.

Marley, the bubbly man had a plump figure that has a stomach that bounces whenever he walks. Just thinking about it, Kai could finely remember the players made a joke about Marley's stomach being more buoyant than actual breasts. Kai had a snicker which he tried to conceal.

The pot-bellied Manager grabbed a pile of paperwork nearby before quickly scanning them, with quick darting eyes.

"Our next match is against RC Lens U-19, which is happening next week. I want you to delicately read Hugo's opposition report as I am considering giving you a match. We are short on players because of injuires. "

Kai was slightly taken aback. In his past life, he had only really been tasked with warming the bench for the youth teams and always jealously watching his teammates playing for the club whilst he can only watch from the side. What is this? Manager Marley suddenly giving him with such a big chance?

No. Kai shook his head, though only figuratively as the manager would see his actions. This must be a lesson for him to show such disrespect during the meeting. How could one just leave such an important gathering just with a simple excuse of needing some 'fresh air.'

But, Kai also seemed excited at the prospect, even thrilled to be given such a chance. Remember, Kai has several years of memories of the future within him. Surely, with some clever observation and digging into his memories, he could satisfy Manager Marley's demand.

"Got it! No problem Mr Marley!"

The chubby man was taken aback by such enthusiasm. Surely this was not in his script, to see someone so delighted to take such a big step in duties.

Marley shook off his thoughts and took a few extra glances at the paperwork, looking at the agendas mentioned. "We also went through some player development discussions. But nothing that you should be too concerned about. We also went through some footage of our last league match to summarise anything we could improve."

Whilst saying this, Marley handed a small folder to passed it along the surface of the oval table right in front of Kai. "Have a read when you have the time. We will be recorrecting those tactical deficiencies during training."

"Sure. I'll read them at the first opportunity." Kai noted whilst he took a brief glimpse into the content of the folder. But perhaps the first thing he noticed when he skimmed through the pages was not the numerous pages of text, but a multicoloured spreadsheet that specifically outlines the schedule of the upcoming week.

The manager noticed the object that piqued Kai's interest. "That's the schedule Hugo made. Quite impressive hey?"

Kai nodded his head, but not surprised as he had seen this once before. But still, the amount of sheer detail that is put into the schedule is immense, which still never fails to surprise him even if he had seen it before.

Each day of the week, In each separate hour, In each separate minute. All of the time that is available in the week is planned for the players. Which drill would be practised on what time is listed, exactly when the players will eat, and how long will they eat. What time will they rest. The schedule is filled to the brim with details of the week. It's hard to believe that all this info could be squeezed into one A4 sheet of paper.

"Well kid, I read your resume and know this is your first professional club. Don't worry. You will get used to how we do things here." Marley chuckled, doing a choo-choo action with his arm like a small joke.

Kai nodded. "Thanks, Mr Marley. I will try my hardest."

Marley responded with a soft smile and used both of his thick arms to support himself off the comfy leather seat. "The meeting has long finished. Get on the pitch and start training."


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