My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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“Klopp!”

As the match came to an end, I called out Klopp’s nickname and rushed over to hug him.

“Jinho!”

In moments like this, you’re supposed to secure the score.

Just because it’s the West doesn’t mean there are no connections. People live similarly everywhere.

“Congratulations on the victory!”

“What are you talking about! We won together!”

And on a personal level, Klopp was a good guy.

“BVB! BVB! BVB!”

“Father God.”

“Olé, jetzt kommt Der BVB!”

The Dortmund players celebrated their victory in various ways. Some players bounced in place, while others knelt on the ground to pray, and there were players singing Dortmund’s anthem while shoulder to shoulder with fans who had jumped onto the field.

“Our hero Jürgen!”

While some fans shared the joy of victory with the players, most rushed over to Klopp, the key figure behind the revival of the club, to lift him up in celebration.

“Damn! Jinho, help…! I have a fear of heights!”

As Jürgen Klopp let out a near-scream in excitement, I quietly slipped away from the crowd.

Sticking around there, I felt like I would end up sightseeing in Berlin myself.

“Jino…”

Turning my head at the sound of someone calling me, I saw a little fan with a restless expression.

“C-could I have your jersey?”

With a smile on my face, I took off my jersey and handed it to the little fan, patting their head.

“…Sniff.”

The touched little fan burst into tears.

“Jinho, thank you! This will be an unforgettable gift for them.”

“Hey, you should thank Jinho.”

“Peehee… T-thank you.”

The child’s parent gently comforted them and expressed gratitude, and I once more patted the child’s head before trying to move to find Gyeouri.

Just then, someone came running from behind and hugged me tightly.

“Hey, you went to hug the coach before me, huh?”

With a familiar scent tickling my nose, I naturally smiled.

*

[2010/2011 German Champions: Borussia Dortmund!]

[Dortmund lifts the Meisterschale after nine years!]

[Jürgen Klopp, the birth of a young genius? Reviving the crisis-hit Dortmund!]

[Jinho Son, scoring 1 goal and making 1 assist, instantly becomes the most watched prospect in Europe!]

[Jinho Son lifts his first Meisterschale in his career!]

└ Honestly, isn’t it a bit vague to put this into a career?

└ Seriously, Jinho covered the holes in the Dortmund squad.

└ The contribution this season may be low, but still, the short flashes of brilliance are…

└ Could he be a starter next season?

└ Absolutely possible, haha!

[German media hails Jinho Son for 3 goals and 3 assists in 4 matches! “It feels like watching Michael Ballack.”]

[Michael Ballack: “Jino will become a better player than I was. I couldn’t play like that at his age.”]

└ Kyaaaaa! Waiter! One more bowl of national pride here!

└ ? Haha, I don’t get the joke but it’s really funny.

└ I just made that up; is it okay?

└ Doesn’t seem bad.

[Japanese media features a personal interview with Jinho Son, expressing excitement for next year’s combination with Shinji Kagawa!]

└ Damn, I really want to see a personal interview with my bro!

└ Why does Japan send reporters for personal interviews but we don’t?

└ Better not cause trouble there; staying away is better.

└ For real, haha, my bro will probably start talking casually since they’re younger.

└ Probably not that much? A journalist sent overseas would likely be vetted.

└ [“Jinho Son, controversy over pro-Japanese ties?”] You still believe that?

└ Did they seriously freak out because he did an interview with Japanese media? Hahaha!

└ Realized it? This is reality.

└ By the way, it’s a pity about the Asian Cup. If only my bro had been called up, we’d have won!

└ For real; then we wouldn’t have had to see three consecutive failures?

└ Damn, that three consecutive failures is still ridiculous, haha!

[Dortmund declares a holiday along with the league win!]

*

The league isn’t over yet, but schools and workplaces associated with Dortmund declared a holiday the next day.

After all, they knew people wouldn’t show up for work.

“Yay! No school today!”

Gyeouri was delighted with the unexpected holiday. It might be hard to believe in Korea, but what could you do if there were no professors or teachers? Students also need a break.

When a Dortmund fan professor suffered from the heartbreak of losing to Schalke in the Revierderby, there were times when they’d cancel classes saying they couldn’t teach because their heart was too broken. For folks here, football is part of life.

“Hehe~”

Gyeouri hummed a tune, and my mother-in-law looked at her with a dumbfounded expression.

“I spent a fortune to send this girl abroad for studies, and she’s happy about a school holiday.”

I completely understood my mother-in-law’s feelings. If I later had a daughter, and she got charmed by a boyfriend and wanted to study abroad, while goofing off instead of studying, I’d be burning inside.

“Ah! Why are you like this? I did well on my exams! Jinho helped study German too!”

Well, Gyeouri wasn’t just playing around, but it would appear that way in the eyes of parents.

“Then go help Jinho study! Stop loafing around on the sofa!”

Anyway, Gyeouri seemed to have some talent for languages, having mastered German quickly and been helping with my studies.

“…Son Jinho. Let’s go study.”

After getting a light smack from my mother-in-law, Gyeouri grabbed my hand and dragged me into the room. Once again, my German skills rapidly improved today.

*

Time flowed by quickly. Round 34 of the league.

The final match of the 10/11 season took place at Dortmund’s home stadium, Signal Iduna Park.

Although the championship had already been secured, the stadium was filled with Dortmund fans.

There was a farewell ceremony for Dede after the match, but it was also the fans’ will to capture this moment of the club’s revival.

[Jino grabs the ball! He passes it forward! Lucas Barrios has it! Oh! Kohler just pulled him back from behind?!]

Dortmund wanted to finish the season cleanly with a victory before their home crowd, while Frankfurt, sitting in 17th place in the league, played intensely as they needed those 3 points to avoid relegation.

[Ah! Referee Peter Gagelmann has pointed to the spot! Penalty kick for Dortmund!]

[It was a dangerous foul by Benjamin Kohler. The referee’s decision is on point.]

As Frankfurt’s players needed a win, they seemed somewhat anxious, and their play was rather rough.

[Lukas Barrios steps up for the penalty! He takes it calmly!]

[Ralph Fahrmann with a fantastic save! He saves Frankfurt from danger!!]

With Barrios missing the penalty, the first half concluded.

In the second half, Frankfurt netted the first goal.

[Frankfurt scores! Perhaps they can dare to dream of staying up!]

The joy of escaping the relegation zone was short-lived.

[Sensational! An incredible long-range shot from Jinho once again erupts from his feet!]

[Jinho is giving Frankfurt nightmares. The Frankfurt coach is seen burying his head in his hands.]

Son Jinho’s long-range shot shook Frankfurt’s net. Following that, an own goal from Frankfurt silenced their momentum completely.

Beep!

And thus, the final match of the 2010/2011 season concluded.

*

“Leuchte auf mein Stern Borussia,”

After the match ended, the Dortmund players approached the fans, clapping and expressing their thanks. It meant that everything had been possible because of them.

“…Today, I leave my beloved Dortmund.”

In the following championship celebration, Dede slowly grasped the microphone. As soon as he took the mic, the stadium fell into an instant silence.

“However, this scene will forever remain in my heart…”

He could barely speak due to the overwhelming emotion building up inside him.

Dede stuttered, struggling to continue. The fans quietly waited for him.

“I will return here someday.”

With those words, applause filled Signal Iduna Park.

Dede left Dortmund, leaving behind the promise of his return someday.

*

While there are beautiful farewells like Dede’s, some farewells were slightly uncomfortable.

Nuri Sahin, who had been vague about his contract renewal throughout the season, left for Real Madrid.

Dortmund fans felt bittersweet about Sahin’s departure, but they didn’t dwell too heavily on the sadness.

“Jino!! Have a good trip!”

“Don’t get hurt!”

They already had a replacement player in their midst.

“I’ll be back soon!”

In June 2011, Son Jinho left for Korea, summoned to the U-23 National Team, amid the worried send-off from Dortmund fans.