Chapter 68 - 66: Bešić’s Home Banquet

Chapter 68: Chapter 66: Be?i?’s Home Banquet

Maximilienplatz was as silent as a cathedral.

The Dinamo Zagreb fans stared blankly at the glaring numbers on the scoreboard.

4:1!

Over ninety minutes, they had suffered a ferocious assault from Zagreb Railway.

Watching those who were once their own warriors don the opposing team’s jerseys and trample all over their most cherished home ground, the sorrow and anger in their hearts peaked.

Damn those Mostic brothers!

Those two pigs had turned a powerhouse that dominated the Croatian League into this sorry state.

They were forced to abandon their pride and accept the reality of a defeat on their home ground.

Yes!

Be?i? hadn’t been able to bring the team victory. Perhaps there wasn’t enough time, or perhaps there were too many problems.

But the Dinamo Zagreb of today was nothing like the team they had imagined.

They had lost their former fighting spirit and courage. Their offense was timid, their defense was weak, and their faith had been utterly shattered.

A shameful defeat on the eve of Christmas.

Not only had they lost this city derby, but they had also lost a precious home victory, leaving their position this season on thin ice.

Sitting in the stadium, he looked around.

Suk felt as if he could hear the sound of countless hearts breaking. The Dinamo Zagreb fans had bowed their proud heads; some were even weeping.

Faced with such a tragedy, such a turn of events, their hearts were filled with immense pain.

Modric, too, had lost his usual energy. He stared blankly at the field, his fists clenched on his thighs.

Suk didn’t feel it as strongly, but for Modric, the feeling was personal.

This humiliation, welling up from the depths of his heart, left him simmering with resentment.

"Let’s go. There’s no point in watching anymore!"

Modric stood up to leave.

He couldn’t bear to watch another second of this terrible match.

Faced with adversity and falling behind, Dinamo Zagreb showed no desire to fight for a comeback. Everyone’s movements were sluggish. All of it made Modric feel ashamed.

This wasn’t the Dinamo Zagreb he remembered, not the team known as Croatia’s ’Iron-blooded Blue Army’.

This match had broken countless hearts.

Modric and Suk stood at the exit of the stadium gate. There were many others around them, all doing the exact same thing.

They were all looking up at the large screen, which was broadcasting the post-match interview with Head Coach Be?i?.

When asked about the match, Be?i? stated nonchalantly that they needed to make adjustments.

But when he spoke of the season’s goal, Be?i?’s words completely broke the fans’ hearts.

"This season’s goal is to avoid relegation!"

...

"Call me back during the winter window, I can help the team! You know my abilities!"

Inside the car, Be?i?, the Head Coach of Dinamo Zagreb, was driving, with Modric and Suk sitting in the back.

The former was shouting indignantly, while the latter was a bit dumbfounded.

’How did I end up in the Dinamo Zagreb Head Coach’s car?’

But seeing the atmosphere in the car, Suk wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Luka, don’t be impatient. Wait until the end of the season," Be?i? said calmly while driving. "Now is not the time. It won’t do any good for you to come back. Wait until I’ve cleared up all the problems, then you guys can come over."

Modric huffed, crossed his arms, and plopped back into his seat.

Be?i? glanced in the rearview mirror, saw Modric’s expression, and shook his head helplessly.

Then, his eyes fell on Suk.

His big, bright eyes, with their clear whites, darted around, holding a hint of sly intelligence.

’This is one clever kid.’

Be?i? was no stranger to Suk.

Mainly because Modric mentioned him so often in his letters.

At first, it was just a little, but recently, entire letters were almost completely filled with stories about Suk and him.

For example, what kind of plays they’d made together, the chemistry they shared, and so on...

Reading between the lines, Be?i? had formed an initial understanding of Suk.

Of course, he had also gone to the trouble of finding and watching tapes of the Bosnia and Herzegovina League.

Yes!

He was somewhat interested in Suk.

"You’re Suk, right?"

Be?i? suddenly spoke.

Suk nodded quickly. "Hello, Mr. Be?i?. My name is Suk. I’m a center forward for Mostar Zrinjski. I’ve scored 3 goals and made 9 assists in 20 matches. I’m good at passing, making forward runs, and organizing plays. Luka and I also have great chemistry..."

After speaking, Suk nudged Modric.

Although still fuming, Modric nodded in agreement upon hearing his friend’s words.

Suk continued in a clear voice, "Don’t mind my height; I’m very fast. Even in the Croatian League, I’d be fast! And I’ll get even faster in the future. As for the height issue..."

Be?i? gave Suk a strange look as the boy enthusiastically promoted himself.

The kid didn’t seem like he was meeting a friend’s elder; it was more like a job interview.

Before long, they arrived at Be?i?’s house.

Be?i?’s wife came out to greet them. She gave Modric a warm hug and shook hands with Suk.

"Hello, beautiful lady. My name is Suk, I’m Luka’s teammate. I’m sorry to bother you so late," Suk said, slightly apologetic.

Be?i?’s wife looked at Suk in surprise. "You’re the most polite child I’ve ever met at this age."

"Thank you for the compliment, I was just speaking from the heart," Suk said with an incredibly innocent smile.

’When it comes to women, you have to seize the opportunity to praise their looks relentlessly.’

’There wasn’t a woman alive who didn’t like this trick. It had never failed him.’

Be?i?’s wife was overjoyed. She put an arm around each of them and led them into the house.

"Don’t be a stranger. You’re Luka’s good friend, which means you’re our good friend too."

While Be?i?’s wife was busy in the kitchen, Suk would bounce over to help carry dishes, chop vegetables, and the like.

He would sneak a taste from time to time, followed by a torrent of flattery.

Suk’s own sunny and cheerful personality made the gathering very lively.

In his good mood, Be?i? also had a couple of extra drinks.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the Be?i?s walked the two boys to the door.

"Thank you both very much for your hospitality."

Suk expressed his thanks very politely.

Be?i?’s wife patted Suk on the head and said dotingly, "You’re like a little grown-up."

Modric also said to Be?i?, "Teacher, we’ll be going now."

Be?i? nodded, watching them as they walked out of the yard.

Gazing at their retreating figures, Be?i?’s wife suddenly said, "What a pitiful child."

"Luka? There’s only half a season left. I’ll bring him back then."

He thought his wife was talking about Modric, but she just shook her head and sighed. "I mean the other one!"

...

The journey back was extremely quiet.

Modric was still angry, thinking about how he would make a big splash when he returned.

Suk was quiet too, also pondering a problem.

’Next season, Modric’s loan will end and he’ll definitely return to Dinamo Zagreb. What’s my next step?’

From the looks of it, Be?i? didn’t seem all that interested in him.

Despite his several attempts to hint at it, Be?i? hadn’t shown much interest.

"I have to win the championship this season!"

Suk clenched his fist tightly and muttered under his breath.

Only by winning the championship would they get to participate in the Champions League qualifiers.

Then, Suk could use the Champions League qualifiers to farm some high-level cards. If he could get some good cards, he’d have the confidence to lead the team to victory by himself, even without Modric.

After the dinner at Be?i?’s house, Suk and Modric didn’t see each other for nearly a month.

Modric had to accompany his parents, and Suk was staying at the orphanage. They were too far apart, and the travel back and forth was too much of a hassle to meet up.

During this time, Suk had no matches to play and no opportunities to farm cards.

Therefore, he dedicated more of his time to training.

He now had a huge stash of Status Recovery Cards. After 20 rounds of matches, Suk had accumulated at least 30 Status Recovery Cards in his system’s pocket.

And these were the foundation of his confidence in training.

He trained to his limit every day, then used a Status Recovery Card to recover.

Suk used one card a day, training from morning till night.

Two months passed in the blink of an eye.

Suk decided it was time to go back.

On this day, he went to find the old director and Di Camoqi to say his goodbyes.

The two of them were reluctant to see him go. Although Suk had been a bit noisy these past two months, he had brought a new vitality to the orphanage.

The children at the orphanage were also very fond of Suk.

Suk always played soccer with them and would buy them tasty snacks, all of which helped them quickly grow close to him.

But Suk had his own life to lead, and the time for parting had finally come.

Suk wasn’t one to dawdle. When he decided to go, he went, very decisively.

Since Modric was staying for another half a month, Suk embarked on the journey back alone.

He took the same route as before.

From Zagreb, he took a train to Sarajevo, then transferred to another one heading for Mostar.

On January 30th, after being away from the small town for two months, Suk returned.