"I should stop looking at this…"
It was already 2 AM. Before I knew it, I had even started watching game footage of Chris Allen.
If he grows properly, he could easily surpass a transfer fee of 100 billion, and he could become the world-class player I aimed for. Those thoughts had transformed into temptations that consumed my mind. I raised both hands, slapped my cheeks, and closed my laptop.
"I shouldn't be doing this right after getting hired…"
After turning off the lights, I quickly lay down on my bed.
Of course, sleep didn't come.
Since I was awake anyway, I turned on my phone and searched for Sébastien Rodríguez.
I felt guilty. I shouldn't have been searching for random players instead of looking up my assigned player. I needed to reflect—very seriously.
Unlike Chris, Sébastien's social media address popped up right at the top. Perhaps because he was an elite player who had gone through the U-20 national team and Atlético Madrid's youth system, he had more followers than most first-division players.
"He was really cheerful."
The photo album on his social media was filled with pictures of him smiling brightly.
There were photos of him joking around while doing a phone celebration with Antoine Griezmann, the star of Atlético Madrid, and one of him hanging on the back of world-class defender Diego Godín.
As I scrolled through the posts, I realized something new.
"This isn't just a bright personality; he's attention-seeking, isn't he?"
There were tons of dance videos with Manchester United's Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, and Eric Bailly. He had uploaded similar content for every trending issue during that time.
As I continued flipping through the pages, I couldn't help but chuckle at the different posts compared to what I had seen throughout the day.
Then, I stumbled upon a video from last August when he arrived at Brighton.
It was a video of his transfer announcement in front of a billboard plastered with sponsor logos.
Reporter: "Why didn't you stay at Atlético Madrid? Coach Simeone publicly requested you to stay and said you would be included in the rotation this season…"
Sébastien: "I love Atlético Madrid. However, I'm a very ambitious player. At my age, I need to play full-time. That's the only way I can grow. I came here because I want to play."
Reporter: "I've heard you received many good offers from several teams, including proposals from first-division clubs in major leagues. Why did you choose to come to Brighton & Hove Albion FC in the second division? Isn't the level different?"
It seemed the reporter wasn't a Brighton fan. There was a bit of commotion in the press conference room. Once the atmosphere calmed down, Sébastien spoke calmly, while the interpreter diligently relayed Sébastien's words to the reporters.
Sébastien: "My mother was a second-generation immigrant from the UK. She always shared good stories about England, and I grew up hearing them. I received transfer offers from various countries, but my mother's influence was significant. I want to create many good memories here."
Reporter: "Could you share your future plans?"
Sébastien: "I will adapt to English football and grow further. I want to be a player who contributes to the team's promotion and leaves a lasting impression on the fans."
Even after the video ended, I found it hard to click to the next page.
I slowly scrolled down.
There was a picture of Sébastien holding up a Brighton jersey with a bright smile. There were especially many photos with fans, and Sébastien always had a cheerful smile.
Another video started playing.
It didn't seem like it was filmed by a professional; it was noisy, and the focus kept shaking. From the background, it looked like it was after a game. One of the nearby fans asked him a question.
Fan: "Are you enjoying playing for Brighton?"
Sébastien: "Of course!"
Fan: "When do you enjoy it the most?"
Sébastien: "When I receive the support of the fans. The supporters of this team are truly amazing. I'm really happy to be able to play for this team."
After this video, there were almost no posts on his social media for about four months.
The last post, this video, still had new comments appearing until just yesterday. I read through the comments carefully.
There were mild fans asking when he would play in a match and plenty of insults saying if he was just going to collect his weekly salary, he should go back to his country.
I read through those comments one by one.
And at some point, I fell asleep.
"Hey! Good morning!"
As soon as I opened the door, I saw Sébastien finishing up washing his car. He waved his hand at me.
The weather wasn't great. It was almost 11 AM, but the sky looked gloomy. Even by the coast, the weather was like this; it seemed it was going to drizzle soon.
As I approached Sébastien, my phone suddenly vibrated.
I thought it might be a message or KakaoTalk, so I checked the screen, but… huh?
"Did you not sleep well?"
"Can you tell?"
Before I knew it, Sébastien had approached me. It looked like he had dark circles under his eyes. I touched the area around my eyes and smiled awkwardly.
Sébastien went inside to put away the car-washing tools, and I picked up my phone again to look at the screen intently.
New information about Sébastien had been added.
[Sébastien Rodríguez]
Had chocolate cereal for breakfast.
It was the fourth piece of information. How was this added? While I was pondering this, I saw Sébastien waving me over to get in the car.
I got in the passenger seat to check the veracity of the information.
"Isn't chocolate cereal bad for you?"
Sébastien's face suddenly turned red. I thought he might have gotten into an accident if he was driving at that moment. I decided I needed to be more careful next time.
Sébastien's eyes were darting left and right.
"How did you know? Is it the mysterious East again?"
"There were crumbs around your mouth."
Sébastien immediately wiped his mouth. There probably weren't any crumbs; that was a lie. I had said it because I didn't want to keep using the mysterious East excuse after I saw him seriously asking about horoscopes yesterday.
Sébastien was rambling on about his excuse.
"Sometimes... I get cravings..."
"It's okay. It happens sometimes. How can you be perfect all the time?"
"I swear, it was the first time in almost a month."
That was probably true. I didn't feel disappointed. It was amazing that he had maintained his previous diet with all the stress he must have been under.
"Yeah, yeah. But still, eat chocolate in moderation. I'm not an athlete, but I hear it's not good for your body. I remember Messi saying that not eating chocolate is the hardest part for him."
"I said it's just today!"
Sébastien looked like he was about to cry. His small mouth wouldn't stop moving.
"I eat the same cereal every day, so I got sick of it. I only had it once today, the first time in a month. I couldn't eat anything like this for almost a month because I haven't been able to play…"
Sébastien's voice was starting to quiver.
I couldn't help but chuckle and decided to change the subject.
"Do you eat cereal every morning?"
Given how he ate dinner last night, he seemed like the type to only eat organic health food, so it was surprising to hear he ate cereal. Not that cereal was bad, but still.
"I'm not a morning person, so I usually oversleep. I used to have someone take care of my meals, but they quit about a month ago."
"Oh, you used to live at that house?"
"Yeah, that's right."
I tilted my head.
Arriving at the club, we had lunch at the same restaurant as yesterday, then moved to a place that resembled a university lecture hall. They mentioned there would be a team meeting.
Today is Tuesday.
They said that the day after the game, which was Sunday, the team had a day off (Sebastian mentioned he trained individually), and yesterday was mainly a light training session to loosen up.
So today marked the beginning of serious training to prepare for the league match later this week.
Before the team meeting started, I turned off my phone's vibrations. Since entering the club, the incessant buzzing had been overwhelming.
I guessed that it was likely additional information being added, just like with Sebastian. I was curious about the mechanism for this fourth piece of information, but work took priority.
A moment later, the coach and coaching staff entered.
The head coach sat with his arms crossed at the side, while the head coach and two tactical analysts began their briefing.
They analyzed the tactical movements of the next opponent, Wolverhampton Wanderers, through video clips. They paused the video intermittently, with the head coach explaining the tactics, so I had to translate those remarks to Sebastian.
It was impressive how diligently he took notes. I wondered when he had even prepared his notebook, as he scribbled my translations along with little sketches.
Although his drawings weren't great, it was nice to see his earnestness.
After the team meeting, I separated from Sebastian, who said he would quickly change into training gear, and headed towards the training ground.
As soon as I turned the corner of the hallway, I came face to face with a trio blocking my path.
I quickly scanned the surroundings and looked straight at them.
"I've been waiting, translator."
"I'm sorry about yesterday."
One of the three, Kevin McGregor, had a bright red face. He was the one who embarrassed himself yesterday.
"I really apologize. That incident… um, it was truly unintentional."
Kevin McGregor looked like he might burst. Just like he had yesterday.
As he began to raise his voice, the black guy on the opposite side, Daniel Knight, interrupted.
"I have something to say, so come with me for a moment."
"Let's talk here."
"This guy is quite cocky. You little yellow brat."
Well, you shouldn't be saying that.
I frowned in disbelief, probably reflecting my confusion in my eyes as Daniel Knight's dark face loomed over me.
If we were in a secluded place with these three, I might have been scared, but right now, club staff were running around the hall preparing for training. They would also need to train soon.
Trusting that, I stood my ground.
"Let's talk here."
The one holding the center, Liam Grant, spoke up.
Then he said something strange.
"I'll be brief. If you don't want to get into trouble, stop translating for Sebastian."
What nonsense is this?
"Why?"
My blunt question slipped out.
Kevin McGregor and Daniel Knight puffed their chests out, trying to make themselves appear larger. Then they moved to either side of me, surrounding me with their imposing figures and intimidating faces.
I asked again.
"Why?"
It seemed that the three of them were flustered. They appeared to be trying to intimidate me like neighborhood bullies, but I wasn't scared.
How immature is this for grown men? This is child's play.
Liam Grant chuckled, trying to act relaxed.
"I just don't like seeing that guy make a fool of himself."
"Why? What do you dislike about it?"
It seemed that no one had asked for a reason before, as Liam Grant hesitated. The other two looked at him.
After hesitating, Liam Grant suddenly grinned like a villain.
"Because it makes me feel bad."
"What?"
"It just makes me feel bad. If a monkey is joyfully laughing among people, it's only natural to feel uneasy, right? Monkeys should stay as monkeys. They shouldn't try to talk to humans."
The other two began to laugh similarly, and soon all three of them were snickering.
In my mind, their status dropped further, no, it hit rock bottom. Among trash, there might still be some recyclables, but these guys were nuclear waste level.
Suddenly, I recalled what Sebastian had said yesterday about letting me know anytime he wanted to quit.
"How many have you scared off like this?"
"Was it five or six?"
"It was probably seven."
The three recounted stories like war tales of how previous translators had been intimidated. It was disgusting.
"What if I refuse?"
"Life in Brighton & Hove might start to get a bit more frightening."
At that moment, Liam Grant's eyes glinted menacingly.
Do they have some backing?
"I don't like annoying things, but you seem fearless. I'll give you exactly one week to think it over. Do your best not to bother me. Got it, yellow monkey?"
Liam Grant finished his piece and patted my shoulder as he walked away with the other two.
Annoyance surged within me.
What do they even believe in to act like this?
Openly engaging in racism within the club? In this day and age, even the slightest controversy would mean they'd be out on their asses.
First, I took out my phone and powered it on. Gathering information before taking action was key.
There might be a clue in the information added to Helper.
I opened the app and pressed on Liam Grant first.
The added information was as follows:
[Liam Grant]
°°His father and brother are affiliated with Brighton's hooligans.