My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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*

Going a bit back in time, before Son Jinho was selected for the Olympic national team.

The head coach of the Olympic team, Han Myung-bo, was deep in thought.

‘Hmm…. What to do.’

The overlapping issue of selections between the adult national team and the Olympic team had been ongoing since the beginning of the year. The archaic administration and workflow of the association made it difficult to call up players.

And in an attempt to alleviate such frustration, having drinks with an acquaintance led to trouble.

“Wow…. Nice job.”

“Who? Son Jinho?”

“Yeah.”

“Is there any way he wouldn’t stack up those attacking points like that?”

“No, not only does he accumulate attacking points, but he also utilizes his teammates well. There are players who are just good on their own and those who elevate their teammates. Son Jinho falls into the latter category.”

At a bar I stumbled into, Dortmund’s match was being broadcast.

And I was merely sharing my thoughts on the game with my acquaintance.

[Olympic team head coach Han Myung-bo shares his thoughts on Son Jinho in a conversation with an acquaintance: ‘He’s a player who excels individually while making his teammates better.’]

This fact was turned into an article.

[Son Jinho with 6 appearances, 6 goals, and 5 assists in Bundesliga! Will he be called up to the Olympic team?]

[Han Myung-bo positive about Son Jinho’s call-up! ‘Regarded as the greatest talent in South Korea’s history!’]

After passing through several media outlets, domestic public opinion started to take Son Jinho’s call-up for granted.

[Han Myung-bo: ‘Son Jinho call-up unsubstantiated. It was merely a mention of a good player in a conversation with an acquaintance.’]

Despite trying to quench the rumors by urgently holding a press conference to clarify that the call-up wasn’t confirmed, the media, already stirred up by the big news of Son Jinho being called, couldn’t be controlled.

Naturally, Han Myung-bo’s anxieties deepened. Since the Olympic team had no obligation to call up players, reaching an agreement with the club was essential. He never envisioned sending Son Jinho, who would play a key role in Dortmund.

Wasn’t Gu Jachil, playing for Wolfsburg, and Kim Bo-kyum, playing for Cerezo Osaka, also lost for call-ups due to opposition from their clubs?

But then, a miracle happened.

[Son Jinho, Olympic team call-up? ‘I’ll think positively as long as the club doesn’t suffer.’]

Once the media caught wind of the buzz, Son Jinho’s side responded first.

Coach Han Myung-bo immediately discussed Son Jinho’s call-up with the Football Association, and it proceeded smoothly.

It was the first time he experienced this as the Olympic team head coach. It felt as if the burdensome influence of the high-ups in the association had vanished when it came to selecting players.

[Jo Yeon-jong, president of the Football Association, reminisces about an anecdote with Son Jinho: ‘Seeing him perform in Germany at such a young age fills my heart with pride. It seems sending him abroad for study was a wise decision of mine in spite of others’ objections.’]

‘So that’s it.’

Though Han Myung-bo understood the reason, he found it uncomfortable.

To be precise, he wasn’t in a relaxed enough situation to find it uncomfortable.

With little time left until the Olympic group stage, and no player selections completed, he felt he needed all the help he could get.

Even though Son Jinho’s call-up was now moving forward without issue, there was still a major problem looming.

That was the issue of mid-season call-ups. Unlike the adult national team’s gathering during the A-match period, the Olympic qualifiers had no designated period. Even if the player wanted to join, the club was likely to refuse the call-up.

‘Still, I should at least be able to call him up for the finals.’

Han Myung-bo thought positively as he looked forward to Son Jinho’s joining. Having a player active in the Bundesliga at such a young age would be a great motivation for others and a good opportunity for player development.

*

The in-flight announcement buzzed in my ear as I turned to gaze outside the window.

Feeling a strange sensation returning to Korea after six months, it felt warm like coming home? It seemed that being abroad had kindled a sense of patriotism within me.

“It’s me….”

While I was lost in my emotions, I heard Coach Choi Gi-hyun mumbling in his sleep.

When I turned my head, sitting next to me was Gi-hyun Choi, just like when we were heading to Germany.

Coach Choi Gi-hyun was returning with me to report on the confirmed successful study abroad in Germany.

I quietly closed my eyes and pondered about boarding the Olympic team.

Despite becoming an orphan before even becoming a middle school student, and not needing to participate due to being exempt from the military, it seemed participating would be a great career opportunity, considering this was the first time in South Korea’s football history an Olympic medal was won.

Anyway, having arrived at Incheon Airport.

“Oh, what the heck. Where the heck is Son Jinho! When is he coming out? Is it okay to keep the reporters waiting like this?!”

“Maybe he slipped out the other way?”

“That kid is ignoring reporters already?!”

“Disrespecting the media is disrespecting the fans!”

With the hyenas of reporters waiting at the arrivals hall, we sent out Gi-hyun Choi first. It was a sort of mine-clearing operation.

“Once again, the former Geumsun High School coach who discovered Son Jinho first! It’s me!”

Stepping into the arrivals hall, Gi-hyun Choi performed a wide-area provocation. The effect was tremendous.

The reporters who were cursing at me suddenly focused their interest on Gi-hyun Choi.

“Haha. Yes, my name is Choi Gi-hyun! I am the one who first uncovered our Jinho!!”

While he began happily addressing the reporters… no, starting interviews,

I quietly moved towards the fans. With my index finger to my lips, the fans cheered quietly with delight.

“Thank you! Where would you like me to sign? Should we take a photo? Do you have any dreams? You look like a student; shouldn’t you be off to school now? Make sure to study hard! I’m also studying German diligently, and it’s a lot tougher than I thought. It seems that language is also a talent.”

“…Ah. Yes. But I really need to go to the restroom….”

“Speaking of restrooms, did you know that there aren’t many restrooms in Europe?”

“….”

And with that extreme fan service, all the fans present were moved.

“Son Jinho!”

In the moment where I was about to give some extra fan service to a spacing-out fan, carefully approaching reporters who hadn’t been sucked into the Gi-hyun whirlpool approached me.

“Shh. Please ask questions in a soft voice. I’ll do an interview for you.”

“Wow…. Okay.”

These reporters, unlike those sucked into Choi Gi-hyun’s allure, were polite and didn’t ask any strange questions.

“So…. How do you feel about being called up to the Olympic team?”

That level of question was an easy one to answer. While giving autographs and fan service to the fans, I conducted the interview with the reporters.

“I consider wearing the Taegeuk mark an honor. Are you a working person? Or a student? I intend to play my hardest as long as my body permits. If you’re my younger brother, I have an app I invested in; we can communicate through it here….”

Having given real-time directions to teammates during matches and playing football made me think I had reached a high level of multitasking.

“…The monster of interviews and fan service.”

The expressions of the reporters looking at me as if I were a monster were quite impressive.

Anyway, having completed all interviews and fan services, I moved outside the airport.

“Huh? I thought it would take longer since the reporters were piled up, but we boarded quickly, huh?”

I spotted my father-in-law who had come to pick me up at the airport. As I got into my father-in-law’s car, I answered.

“Coach Choi Gi-hyun drew the aggro away for me, so I was able to slip out easily.”

“Then should I have waited?”

“I thought it would take a while, so I said I would go first.”

He probably didn’t hear me since I was beaming away with the interviews with reporters….

Well, it’s not like it’s in Germany; I’m sure they’ll manage to take the airport bus or subway.

*

[‘Hide-and-Seek Arrival’ Is Son Jinho already ignoring fans at such a young age? Rumors spread that he has been rude since his time at Geumsun High….]

└ Looks like his character hasn’t changed after all ^^

└ Oh man, it’s a shame to see talented players get buried…. If only the association had given opportunities, my son could’ve possibly done as much as Son Jinho….

└ F*ck lmao is he really being this rude?

└ For real lmao if there were so many like Son Jinho, our country would be a World Cup contender lol

└ But is this article real? If it is, I’d be a bit disappointed in Son Jinho….

└ Nah, another article says he did an interview?

└ True, he probably messed around and couldn’t cover it and is blaming Son Jinho, what a loser of a reporter;;

[Shocking) Reporters hurling insults while waiting for a young player….]

└ I told you? There would definitely be a rude kid emerging, right? lol

└ It’s not just rudeness; they’re outright cursing, right?

└ Wow;; the character of these reporters is real; even I wouldn’t want to do interviews at this point.

└ For real, I understand they’re struggling waiting, but let’s not ignore him just because he’s young; common courtesy, people.

[The spirit of fans and reporters captured in Son Jinho’s fantastic fan service and interview….]

└ If you want to know why the spirits of the fans and reporters have left their bodies, check out online by searching Son Jinho fan service; someone posted a video online.

└ F*ck lmao what are they talking about ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ Is Son Jinho on some dual-core brain mode?

└ Dual-core lmao, no way ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Son Jinho revealed that he will communicate with fans through the stargram account he invested in.]

└ What is this?

└ I heard it’s hot in the US and Europe lately. There are famous football players involved, so fans are signing up as well.

└ Oh…. There’s also an account for Dortmund players; is this real?

└ Yeah, if there’s a ★ < next to the account name, it’s legit. [Coach Choi Gi-hyun, who discovered Son Jinho. In silence regarding questions from reporters about match-fixing, he stated: ‘I can’t answer because I don’t know what happened.’] └ Why are they asking this person about it? └ They’re even asking him today as he just entered the country lol └ No wonder Son Jinho is avoiding interviews;; └ In another article, he’s being criticized for being indifferent to the country lol └ Wow;; does that mean my brother almost went through this too? └ Not to mention the military service deferment controversy regarding Park Joo-yong too lol └ My brother has quite the foresight;;