ALL NOVEL Chapter 22
“Snap out of it!”
After scoring the opening goal, I strongly reprimanded my teammates.
‘Ugh… Did I mention a scout was coming for no reason?’
I occasionally noticed my players getting way too tense.
‘Tsk. Acting like they don’t care. Why are they so stiff?’
Strangely, the players who had flared up with passion after my words were less tense than those who remained indifferent.
“Damn. If you’re gonna show off your dribbling, at least don’t lose the ball!”
Even now, while it was time to pass, someone was busy showcasing their footwork and got intercepted by the Australian center-back.
The Aussie center-back, having intercepted the ball, immediately attempted a long pass, starting a counterattack.
The starting left-back, Lee Gi-se, was in a competition with the Australian right winger, but the Aussie winger snatched the ball away just a bit quicker than Gi-se.
The Australian right winger lightly tapped the ball and sprinted into the open space where Gi-se had just been.
“Backup!!”
Center-back Lee Tae-beom requested backup from the defensive midfielder, moving to cover Gi-se’s space.
Contrary to expectations that he would cross, the right winger chose to charge straight into the center.
Caught off guard by the sudden change of direction, Tae-beom allowed the breakthrough.
As the right winger entered the penalty box and was about to shoot…
I raced madly into our penalty area and successfully kicked the ball out before he could take his shot.
“Fuck!!”
“Nice defense!”
I held my head in frustration while the right winger, defeated, clutched his head, and I shot a deadly glare at the guy who had given us a chance to counterattack.
***
At the same time.
“Oh…. What great passion!”
The scout from Swansea nodded his head, wearing a satisfied smile. Despite several aspects of modern soccer, he believed the most important factor was the desire to win.
The desire to win ignites passion, and that passion spreads through the team. Before long, a winning mentality emerges.
Some might think it’s an outdated mindset, but that competitive spirit is precisely what binds the team together.
‘The players’ atmosphere has changed.’
The dedicated play could not grab the spectators’ attention compared to the flashy performances of other players, but it was enough to win the hearts of the teammates on the field.
“…Do you know when prestigious teams go downhill? When the club is financially troubled due to poor management? No! It’s when a locker room vibe arises that doesn’t feel the sting of defeat.”
The Swansea scout, who enjoyed Japanese manga, recited this profound line while being impressed by how the game had shifted to South Korea.
“Well, I suppose a team with a ridiculous locker room atmosphere that dances after losing wouldn’t exist.”
Surrounding him, people cast wary glances at the scowling white scout, but…
“Mom, that guy’s weird.”
“Later, we have to study hard to avoid being like that, right?”
It was of no concern to the Swansea scout, who didn’t understand Vietnamese.
***
The U-19 national team, having won against Australia, also triumphed in their subsequent matches against Thailand and Vietnam, claiming victory in the AFF U-19 tournament.
[U-19 ‘Golden’ National Team, victorious in the U-19 friendly tournament held in Vietnam after the UAE friendly!]
└ I’m glad to hear the good news after making it to the round of 16 for the first time in history^^
└ I’m really looking forward to it! Go, South Korea’s golden generation!!
[South Korea’s future ‘football genius’ Son Jinho proves the reasons for his advancement!]
└ Comments are disabled on this article.
The news of the U-19 national team’s victory received some coverage in Korea.
“Hi….”
Han Gyeouri smirked at the article. She liked both the article’s content and the photo of Son Jinho.
“Just… smile, okay? Is Jinho really that impressive? Now you’re smiling while looking at his article photo.”
Struggling to suppress her laughter, Gyeouri’s mother, Hwang Mi-yeon, lightly teased her with a smile.
“Oh, no! I was just smiling because I saw a funny video!”
Gyeouri’s face turned red, as if her secret had been exposed, at her mother’s words.
“’Oh no’? Your mouth’s like this wide open!”
“…I’m leaving!”
At that moment, as Gyeouri tried to escape her teasing mother and head to Son Jinho’s house…
“Ah! Gyeouri, wait a minute. Bring the marinated crab and put it in the fridge!”
Her mother’s words halted her in her tracks.
Okay. I can’t resist marinated crab.
Having secured the precious food from her mom, Gyeouri headed to the home where she and Son Jinho would be staying.
“How delicious is the marinated crab!”
Entering the house by entering the password from the day she first met Son Jinho, she put the marinated crab in the fridge, spinning around to survey her home.
“The place feels a bit empty….”
Even though this was a home filled with her personal touches, it felt unexpectedly hollow.
“I wonder when he’ll come.”
Gyeouri sat on the sofa, shaking her legs. This was the much-awaited vacation, yet it felt strangely boring and dull.
Wooow─!
“Ha. Our Jinho really isn’t a gentleman.”
At that moment, Gyeouri smiled and checked her vibrating smartphone…
“…Why isn’t he sending a message?”
Then her expression fell as she lowered her head. It wasn’t a message from Son Jinho.
“Has he not arrived yet…?”
Then, a little while later.
A smile blossomed on Gyeouri’s face as she stared blankly at her smartphone.
– Jinho♡: (photo of the airport)
– Jinho♡: I arrived!
– Jinho♡: ㅠㅠ I missed you ㅠㅠ
– Gyeouri: ㅠㅠ I miss you too ㅠㅠ
– Gyeouri: (photo)
– Gyeouri: Waiting at home….
– Jinho♡: I’ll hurry!
– Gyeouri: Okay! Come safely!
***
“…Stop smiling.”
Maybe it was because I met Gyeouri after a long time. A grin lingered on my face.
Although Gyeouri shot me a glare, even that looked adorable, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Ahh— So where are you going?”
Finally surrendering, Gyeouri sighed heavily and asked. Without any hesitation, I replied to her question.
“I’m planning to go to Dortmund.”
I had received offers from Swansea as well, but my heart was already leaning towards Dortmund, Germany.
There was a difference between the first and second divisions, but even more, the work permit issue was significant.
A few years ago, a player named Buk-tae Heo was also studying soccer in Reading through an excellent player study abroad program.
But at the moment he was trying to sign a pro contract, he had to transfer to a team in France, Valenciennes, because the work permit issue made it impossible for him.
‘There’s no need to study in a team that can’t sign a pro contract.’
For both me and Gyeouri, who would live together, getting a pro contract at the study-abroad team was the better choice. Adapting isn’t that easy.
Well… If Gyeouri wanted to go to the UK, I might consider Swansea.
“Well then, well then~ You should enter the UK wearing red!”
Fortunately, Gyeouri nodded her head with a satisfied expression regarding my decision.
‘Hmm. Liverpool also wears red…’ I thought, and decided to remain quiet as I opened the marinated crab my mother had prepared.
***
With studying abroad in Dortmund confirmed, every day passed very quickly in preparation for it.
Oh. Not me, but the staff from the Football Association.
I was busy enjoying dates with Gyeouri all day long.
Well. Although time passed quickly, it felt slower than the association staff who were promoting my overseas studies.
The staff from the Korea Football Association sent a formal request to the FIFA Ethics Committee for permission for my study abroad.
They requested official documents required for my study from Dortmund. They relayed the received documents back to the FIFA Ethics Committee.
They also re-evaluated the character of coach Choi Gi-hyun, who was participating in competitions in the provinces. They sought a local interpreter in Germany and distributed promotional materials to the media.
[Son Jinho, following Son Heung-min to study soccer in Germany.]
[What club is Son Jinho going to in Dortmund?]
[The National Association of Youth Football Parents claims there was fraud in Son Jinho’s selection for study abroad.]
[The Korea Football Association insists the process was fair. Local scouts wanted Son Jinho.]
[Opposition from professional clubs and academy football coaches about the overseas study program. ‘Good players are all being taken to Europe!’]
[The Korea Football Association has no thoughts of reviving the overseas study program yet, and it is expected to be just a one-time affair.]
Moreover, when I said I was going to study abroad, there were complaints over the phone about why their sons weren’t being sent too, and reports addressing criticism about me poaching promising players from professional clubs and academy football teams.
It was unbelievable that all this was happening just because I was going to study abroad in Germany.
Oh. By the way, I don’t have an agent, so Dortmund was helping me find a house near the school and stadium where Gyeouri and I would attend.
“Alright! Let’s go! To Germany!”
Anyway, after all of everyone’s efforts, our departure schedule was finally set, and we headed to Incheon Airport.
And.
“…Who hasn’t applied for their passport before going abroad? It’s me.”
Our self-proclaimed mentor, Coach Choi Gi-hyun, didn’t realize his passport had expired and hadn’t applied for a renewal, causing the departure schedule to be delayed.