My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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“Kyoooot─!”

At the same time that Son Jinho’s voice let out a deer-like cry, referee Günter Perl, overseeing the match between Borussia Dortmund and SC Freiburg, quickly recited the rules.

‘… Doesn’t seem like a foul?’

Many players scream after scoring, but no one screams before scoring, which left Günter Perl, the referee, in a quandary. Ultimately, he pointed to the center circle and acknowledged Son Jinho’s goal.

The SC Freiburg players protested that it was unfair for the referee’s decision, but Perl shook his head firmly.

“Can’t you all just scream as well?”

As Son Jinho’s opening goal was recognized, SC Freiburg began to falter more as time passed.

[Zino shoots, looking at Lewandowski! Lewandowski!! What a goal!! Zino receives the pass and slots it into the corner of the goal!]

Dortmund successfully defeated SC Freiburg with a score of 4 to 0 in their home ground.

*

[Match End] Dortmund 4 : 0 SC Freiburg.]

[Son Jinho’s scream controversy? German Football Association: ‘Not a rule violation.’]

[Son Jinho scores a multi-goal in the last league match!]

[Dortmund engages in social contributions ahead of Christmas.]

*

The match against Freiburg has concluded. Now the remaining schedule for the first half is the DFB Pokal Cup Round of 16 against Düsseldorf.

Before facing Düsseldorf in the DFB Pokal Cup Round of 16, Dortmund held a small event for pediatric cancer patients as part of their social contribution activities.

The Bundesliga, which has regulations that require the club itself or club fans to hold more than ‘50% of one share’ in the club, effectively maintains a strong connection among local cities, businesses, and clubs compared to other leagues, consistently continuing social contribution activities.

For this Christmas event by Dortmund, I, along with Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa, who had shown great performances in the first half, participated.

“Who do you want to see the most?”

I whispered softly from behind the curtain in response to the event moderator’s question.

“It’s me. My face is on a whole different dimension, right?”

“Zino, shut up. It’s me.”

“What are you talking about! It’s me!”

“Mario, be quiet. Your voice is too loud.”

With that, a battle of pride ignited, and we listened to the child’s voice beyond the curtain.

“Zino!”

The child’s voice rang out.

“Do you see it? The difference in levels.”

I smiled victoriously as I gazed at Mario Götze and Shinji Kagawa.

“Is this a hidden camera?”

Mario Götze, unable to accept the outcome, displayed a look of disbelief as he stared at the camera director.

*

Of course, this Christmas event was not a hidden camera.

“I’m Götze!”

“I’m Shinji!”

In the first place, Dortmund had drawn fans for each player through a lottery.

‘Well… I suppose it makes sense to draw like this.’

Imagine if a player showed up for charity work only to hear their name called out constantly while someone else’s name gets mentioned—that would be a disaster.

It would hurt the player who participated in good spirits, and the club would end up getting criticized despite doing a good deed.

We exchanged various conversations with the children, leaving them with unforgettable memories.

“… Should we make a small donation?”

“Okay.”

“I felt a bit uneasy going back just like this.”

After the event concluded and before heading home, the three of us decided to donate money to a hospital.

“Waaah! Shinji, take me home.”

And not yet having a driver’s license at 17, I hitched a ride in Shinji Kagawa’s car back home.

*

[Borussia Dortmund holds special event for pediatric cancer patients.]

[Son Jinho, Kagawa Shinji, and Mario Götze delivering donations after the event ends.]

*

[Dortmund advances to the DFB Pokal Cup quarterfinals!]

[How did financially troubled Dortmund revive?]

[The rising young manager, Jürgen Klopp! Big club love calls pour in.]

On December 21, Dortmund wrapped up the first half of the season on a high note, defeating second-division Düsseldorf in the DFB Pokal Cup Round of 16.

[Bundesliga enters the winter break, what are Son Jinho’s plans for returning home?]

As soon as the match concluded, the winter break began. Dortmund’s players gradually set off for vacation.

[Son Jinho expresses no plans to return home during this winter break….]

With no schedule to return home during the winter break, I expressed my regrets but—

– Personally, I think Son Jinho made the right choice. Coming to Korea would just attract pesky journalists, which would ruin his condition, so he might as well rest properly there.

Most of my fans supported this decision.

Anyway, on the day the winter break began.

“When are you heading to Korea?”

I chatted with Gi-hyun Choi.

“I’ll leave tomorrow.”

Gi-hyun Choi, who spearheaded my studies in Germany, planned to return to Korea during the winter break to propose something to high-ranking officials in the Football Association.

Over the weekend, Gi-hyun traveled around Germany, preparing a report on how Bundesliga teams manage their youth.

“I’m the god of reports? It’s me.”

“Wow….”

I exclaimed as I read the report Gi-hyun had handed me with a smug expression.

Seriously, why did this person waste their talent when they were just a high school soccer club coach?

After reading through the neatly organized report, all the reports I had read before seemed like trash.

‘Well, it’s a good thing you found your calling now.’

Anyway, Gi-hyun’s report was submitted to the Football Association. Recent public opinion had not been favorable towards the association, but they based their youth player development plan on Gi-hyun’s report and declared their intent to discover the second Son Jinho.

[Football Association announces youth development plans for the New Year.]

└ What’s the point of creating a second Son Jinho when the first one retired because of you;;

└ Seriously lol, you broke the barn after losing the cow and are now saying let’s build it again ㅋㅋㅋ

And so I received a good deal of backlash.

At this point, there was no way for the football association to escape criticism for anything they did.

Perhaps, if the performance at the London Olympics turned out well, the critiques might quiet down a bit?

‘Wait, no. If I were there, they might receive more backlash for winning Asia’s first football gold medal instead.’

Imagining the football association facing criticism no matter the outcome, I shook my head.

‘Well… it really is all self-inflicted.’

*

On December 26, we crossed over to England.

The official holiday had long started, but the preparation took longer than expected.

“Oooh…! This is England!”

After touring around London, we managed to secure tickets for the Chelsea vs. Fulham match on December 28, thanks to our agent, Mino Raiola.

“Hey, Son Jinho, look at this.”

“What is it?”

Han Gyeouri held out her smartphone.

[Title: Seems like Son Jinho might go to Chelsea.]

(Caught on the broadcast camera. jpg)

└ Wow~ That blue uniform really suits you.

└ As expected, the heir of Lampard, wow.

└ Seriously, seeing him score makes him a true midfielder, right?

└ The blue heart, Son Jinho!

“Chelsea fans are getting all flustered thinking you’re joining them.”

Well… I had anticipated this ever since we promised to watch the match live.

“Hmph. Our Jinho is going to Manchester United, right?”

“… Sure.”

“Your answer was a little late, wasn’t it?”

“Oops. The match has started.”

With the sound of the referee’s whistle, the game began, and I quickly changed the subject.

Right from the start, Chelsea took the lead with Juan Mata’s opening goal off an assist from the 90 billion won man, Torres.

“He is a blue, he was a red, Torres, Torres!”

My mother-in-law stood up joyfully and sang Torres’ chant at the top of her lungs.

Perhaps since we were in VIP seats, many were sitting politely and clapping, but my mother-in-law stood out as the only one standing and belting out the chant.

“Ah… so embarrassing.”

Han Gyeouri’s face turned red, and I smiled as I lightly hugged her.

“Ah…”

“Boooooooooo─!”

Chelsea, who had taken the lead with Torres’ goal, soon conceded two consecutive goals to Fulham, losing 1 to 2 at Stamford Bridge.

“Mom, hang in there! Losing to a weak team can happen in life!”

Han Gyeouri comforted my mother-in-law, who was feeling down over the loss.

“… Han Gyeouri, lower your hand from your mouth.”

That day, Han Gyeouri didn’t lower her hand from her mouth until we returned to the hotel.

*

After the Chelsea match, we moved on to Manchester.

“Hey? It’s Son Jinho!”

Perhaps because Jisong Park plays for Manchester United, there were many Korean fans at Old Trafford compared to Stamford Bridge.

A Korean fan spotted me and came up to ask for a photo and autograph.

They then wrote a brag post in their community.

[Title: Who said my bro is a Chelsea fan? lol]

(A photo of Son Jinho in a Man Utd uniform. jpg)

Haha. Surely my bro looks great in the red uniform, right?

“Indeed, our Jinho looks great in red.”

I chuckled at Han Gyeouri’s words as I watched the Manchester United match.

And….

[Title: Has Son Jinho been cursed? Why does every match he attends end in loss?]

└ Went to see two teams, and both lost lol.

└ Manchester United even lost at home to a relegation team ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

└ The Loss Fairy, lol.

└ At this point, aren’t you the lord of curses?

└ Haha, Son Jinho’s curse, lol. If you cheer for him, your team loses, lol.

└ Hello, I’m a fan of the Cop, and I hope Son Jinho won’t come to watch our games. See you later at the signing.

Rumors started online that every team I watched live would lose.

“… Next time, I’m not watching live with Son Jinho.”

“Gyeouri, let’s go together next time.”

“Sure, mom.”

Why am I to blame for this?

*

After the Manchester United game, I finally had the chance to say goodbye to Jisong.

“See you at dinner tonight. You can bring your family along.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tonight, hyung.”

If it weren’t for the loss, I might have also talked a bit more with the Manchester United players.

“Even the club officials said they were sorry and would invite you next time. Don’t be too disappointed.”

Sadly, the atmosphere in the locker room was not good after the loss.

“Yeah… next time, I need to take photos and get autographs.”

I consoled Han Gyeouri, who had become noticeably sullen.

And then came the dinner with Jisong.

“Nice to meet you.”

There, I was able to meet Ferguson.