My Girlfriend Wants Victory

---

—

The match against Wolfsburg has come to an end.

Suddenly caught up in the midst of a pro contract issue, I became the hot potato among Dortmund fans.

Dortmund fans were begging me not to leave, while the club was busy keeping an eye on both the fans and me.

If I were just some one-sided prospect, the excessive attention from the fans might weigh on me and affect my performance.

But I wasn’t bothered at all.

Outwardly, I might look young, but internally, I was a veteran midfielder who had already been through a retirement.

And everyone, from the board to the fans, already knew it was going to be tough for me to continue playing for Dortmund.

However, despite that knowledge, Dortmund fans continued to protest both at the training ground and in front of my house.

I didn’t feel bad or uncomfortable about seeing them.

It just meant that I held a significant place in the hearts of Dortmund fans.

Well, with that kind of stake, there was a chance I could become an anti-fan due to feelings of betrayal…but.

But I had my hearty ‘friends’ like rice soup, didn’t I?

I thought of my ‘friends.’

‘Sharp’ Shinji Kagawa, ‘Götze the sponge’ Mario Götze, ‘Betrayal’ Robert Lewandowski.

Just hearing their names eased my heart.

No matter how much chaos I caused, there would always be room for reevaluation in the future.

They were reliable friends in many ways.

‘I’m not quite sure if Shinji Kagawa fits into that group, though.’

Well.

That’s not really important.

As time passed, the Dortmund fans gradually began to face reality.

[Honestly, we have to admit it, with our team’s financial situation, we can’t keep Jinho.]

—

“Jinho!”

“Mino! What brings you to Dortmund all of a sudden?”

A few days after the pro contract controversy erupted, my agent Mino Raiola paid a visit.

Since we often exchanged messages, I welcomed Mino Raiola with a bright expression.

“I came to discuss the overwhelming number of offers pouring in.”

I invited Mino Raiola into my home and we shared a lot of conversations.

Advertising offers, sponsorship proposals, national team issues, future plans, and whether there were any inconveniences, etc.

“As we discussed, let’s finalize any sponsorships or advertisements after winning the Golden Boy award.”

“Got it.”

After discussing countless advertising and sponsorship contracts, we concluded that we would sign after winning the Golden Boy award.

With the match against FC Barcelona all but sealing my Golden Boy victory, we believed it would be more beneficial to finalize the contracts afterward.

“Oh! Also, the invitation you asked for is going to be taken care of directly by Dortmund. It’ll be a good way to win over your fans and benefit the club’s image at a low cost.”

Mino Raiola mentioned the invitation for the Gastarbeiter miners I had requested. I thanked him with a smile, and our conversation continued in a friendly atmosphere.

“…In jail? Why?”

Until Mino Raiola answered the call, sounding flustered.

—

Mino Raiola, who had come to Dortmund like the wind, left just as swiftly.

“…In jail? Why?”

Many players managed by Mino Raiola were troublemakers, leading to a variety of incidents.

“Well… I understand. I’m heading there now.”

With the abrupt call from the ‘troublemaker’ Mario Balotelli, my meeting with Mino Raiola came to an end.

There was no time to breathe as Mino Raiola was incredibly busy.

Handling media responses, managing advertising and sponsorship contracts, and sometimes even managing SNS, he also took care of the players’ personal lives and mental health.

‘Some players would struggle to get by without an agent.’

In reality, ‘Why always me’ Mario Balotelli had called Mino Raiola after his house caught fire, and Raiola had advised him to call the fire department.

“Jinho, I’m always grateful that you never cause any trouble.”

Mino, known for dealing with particularly ego-centric players, expressed his appreciation before leaving.

“…Remember, you said something about meeting Ferguson and discussing transfers?”

“If you didn’t go to jail, then that’s not an incident.”

Something about that standard seems strange.

Anyway.

“I’ll contact you again later.”

After finishing our farewell, Mino Raiola rushed off to Manchester.

And time flew by quickly as the match against Bayern Munich, which could confirm the league title, approached.

—

The match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich was unfolding at Signal Iduna Park.

“Who is the German champion? BVB Borussia!”

As the cheers from the Dortmund home crowd resonated throughout the stadium, in one corner of Signal Iduna Park, miners and nurses were beginning to gather at my request.

A few days earlier, an elderly man who had greeted me on the street had come to the stands with his grandchild.

The old man gazed at a player warming up on the ground. A young-looking Korean caught his attention.

The old man slowly closed his eyes, reminiscing about Cha Bum-kun’s days when he played in Frankfurt.

He recalled the moments spent saving every penny just to visit the stadium and cheer for a fellow compatriot.

—

[It has been reported that the invitation for the Gastarbeiter miners and nurses was made possible thanks to player Son Jinho.]

└ Wow…. Son Jinho is truly a gem!

└ All those who called our brother a traitor have disappeared, right?

└ But why did he suddenly invite them to a Dortmund match?

[There’s quite a remarkable story behind Son Jinho’s invitation to the Gastarbeiter miners and nurses, isn’t there?]

[Indeed. According to his agent Mino Raiola, after meeting a grandfather who was bullied due to his skin color while walking on the street, Son Jinho decided to invite the miners and nurses to Dortmund.]

[And since Dortmund is located in a region famous for the mining industry, the club was very supportive of Son Jinho’s plan.]

└ Dortmund is famous for the mining industry?

└ Yup. And not only Dortmund, but clubs located in the Ruhr area often have miners experiences when new players join. It’s a way of showing that they earn money hard, and they should give their best while playing for us.

└ Wow~~ That foundation is amazing;;

[Ah! And here come the players! Today, the referee for the match between Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich is Knut Kircher, who has a connection to Korea, right?]

[That’s right. Referee Knut Kircher came to Korea on the invitation of the K-League to help manage matches smoothly and improve the skills of domestic referees.]

[So many connections have come together. The miners and nurses sent to Germany, the referee sent from Germany to Korea for K-League development, and Son Jinho, who is active in the Bundesliga! I hope Dortmund can secure the title in front of their home crowd.]

—

I scrutinized the expressions of the Bayern Munich players. They appeared somewhat worn out.

Unlike the Bayern Munich of the Lewandowski era, the current Bayern in the 11-12 season seemed to have a squad depth that rivaled Dortmund.

Or rather, their squad depth seemed thinner than Dortmund’s.

Last season, the renowned coach Jupp Heynckes had led Bayer Leverkusen to the second place in the league.

Upon joining Bayern Munich, he swiftly addressed the imbalance created by coach van Gaal.

However, due to the lack of rotation players, he had to reluctantly rotate the best 11.

As the season progressed, injuries and fatigue among the starting players began to affect their performance.

And the result was a record of being runners-up in the treble and the first time in three years without a title since the 08-09 season.

It doesn’t seem that the narrative will change any time soon.

While Bayern Munich struggled, Dortmund surged toward victory faster than ever, with just one step away from securing the title.

“Let’s win and secure the title!”

“Heja BVB!”

As the referee’s whistle blew, the match began, and Dortmund fiercely pressed against Bayern Munich.

Unlike our previous encounter in the first half, Dortmund took control in a dominating manner.

While we had grown, it felt as if Bayern Munich’s players were profoundly exhausted.

We maintained possession and continued to knock on Bayern Munich’s goal.

However, the goals weren’t coming.

Manuel Neuer was still showcasing his incredible goalkeeping ability, just as he had in the first half.

“Scheiße! He stopped that.”

“Get into position. It’s a corner kick.”

As Lewandowski, who had missed a one-on-one opportunity, shook his head in disbelief, I lightly nudged him to get in position for the corner kick.

While a fierce battle for position erupted among the Bayern Munich players, I saw Marcel Schmelzer raising both hands in preparation for the corner kick at the corner flag.

Beeep─!

The referee’s whistle sounded.

Schmelzer’s left-footed corner kick curled savagely towards the penalty box.

A tussle ensued between Jerome Boateng and Lewandowski, but the ball floated higher than expected, sailing past everyone.

Positioned near the corner of the penalty box, I quickly gauged the dropping spot of the ball and rushed forward.

With no clear angle for a shot near the goal line, I focused on the incoming ball and swung my right foot to strike.

Bang─!

The ball balanced on my foot seemed to pop up for a moment but then suddenly dropped.

Reacting quickly to the sudden change in the shot trajectory, Manuel Neuer stretched out his arm to make a save, but the ball slipped past Neuer’s left hand, rippling the net.

—

As children live their lives thinking of the future, the old man reflects on the past.

The elder visiting Dortmund sang the chant at the top of his lungs.

His ears had long since lost their hearing, and his vision had dimmed. Perhaps due to the strain of his youth, dry coughs escaped him continuously.

“Ho─woo! Ho─woo! Even Munich shivers at the sight of him! Soon, the whole world will know his name! Ho! Ho! Ho! Ho-woo!”

Yet, somehow, the crowd had started to sing Son Jinho’s chant in German, having become accustomed to it.

Son Jinho, who had scored with a fantastic volley, sprinted towards where they were seated and raised his fist in a simple celebration.

Though it was a modest celebration without any particular flair and did not make his heart race…

For the old men reminiscing about the past, it was a celebration more magnificent than any other.

—