Chapter 177 – World Cup Convocation (1)

177

The season is over.
It’s the first season I’ve experienced full-time, so it’s been a while since the last game ended, but I still can’t feel it.

When I wake up at dawn, I feel like I have to go to training, and in the afternoon I feel like I have to attend analysis of the opponent team or movements.

Harin tilts her head at my hazy state that has been going on for several days already.

“It’s not aftereffects, why is this? You still don’t realize it? Even after we returned to Korea?”

Like Harin said… Yes, this is an aftereffect.
The aftereffects of a full-on season over the past year—

“Leave it alone. Judging by the look on his face, he said he still couldn’t forget the welcome ceremony. I’ve been dying to love it ever since the car parade, but it’s still like this.”
“The car parade was so impressive? It was just a festival held in the city, right?”
“That’s because people chanted their name and got drunk on that mulberry. Leave it alone.”

… Okay.
To be honest, it’s the season, it’s Nabal, and I’m drunk with the city’s huge welcome when I returned to Frankfurt with the Europa Cup.

The scene where people from all over the city gather and chant my name during the car parade… Ugh, even thinking about it again, my nostrils are wide open, my butthole is twitching, and my spine is thrilled.
It was a very special experience for the first time in my life.

However, it is impossible to reveal this fact out of shape.
He said with a strict, dignified, and serious expression toward Yoon Da-ye, who was snoring with her arms crossed as if he were certain.

“You’re reviewing this season and mulling over your shortcomings. Next season, you’ll need to improve—”
“It’s funny. I’ve known you for several years. Be honest. You still haven’t missed the mulberry that people in the city just shouted Hong Min-joon Hong Min-joon?”
“…Not really?”
“Damn it. I’ve been with you all my life, I wonder if I don’t know you.”
“…”

Anyway, Yoon Daye is a bitch.

All men have a heroic mentality.
It was the first Europa League title won in 54 years since 1980. Of course, the whole city of Frankfurt was excited and a festival was held, and a grand welcome ceremony was held to mark the return of the athletes who had accomplished that feat.

A full-fledged welcome ceremony was prepared, including a car parade.
And among them, the one who received the most cheers and enthusiastic chants was the captain, Alexander Meyer, and the ace of the team, Hong Min-joon, who was the core of the team that led to the victory.

The whole city goes wild calling out my name, so how can the mulberry not be silent?
Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands shout my name… How thrilled it was at the time.

“Guys. Shall I play for one more year at Frankfurt? If we win the league and the Champions League, will you do another car parade?”

Recalling the feeling of that time, I mumbled vaguely without even realizing it.

“Look. What did I say?”
“Hmph. If the time spent unnecessarily clinging to you is long.”
“It’s not like a shallow relationship like you. I’ve been growing up together since I was very young. That idiot changed my pants when I peed on them, and taught me the Korean language I couldn’t speak so I could enter elementary school. Got it? It’s different from you. .”
“Huh~ Really? But what to do. By the time I really became an adult, I was always by your side.”

… Are you guys over there?
Can you hear me? I’m thinking of extending the contract for another year?

‘… Let’s just be quiet.’

Seeing the two wives starting to fight loudly makes me feel very realistic.
Okay. What is the 1 year extension?

League and Champions League?
In Frankfurt?

Assuming you invest your stats by collecting as many points as possible before the next season—

‘Impossible.’

I can’t either.
I felt it clearly in the second half, and I realized why a strong team is a strong team.

One more year here? Well… Of course, it could have gotten better ratings than it does now.
However, I cannot be confident that my personal or team performance will be better than this year.

‘I played an active part in this World Cup and quickly transferred to a big club… Wait, what time is it?’

I bit my tail and thought about miscellaneous things, and when I suddenly came to my senses, it was noon before I knew it.
I must start slowly now.

“Stop fighting and let’s go quickly. Today is the convocation day.”

On the way to Cheonan NFC, the new home of Korean football after Paju NFC.
Sitting in the back seat of Harin’s car, I stared blankly out the window and entered the community on my smartphone.

‘Huh. Also.’

This community stake will be 70-80%?
My name is everywhere in the soccer-related community.

While looking at various posts with a hearty smile, there were comments that I often saw with similar content, whether it was a popular meme or not.

It was a comment saying that Hong Min-jun wanted to marry someone.

Various people in the middle… Or the race was entered, for example, ‘Pray for marriage with a Brazilian woman, Hong Min-joon. If you give birth to 11 children, you can win the World Cup with Korea’s national team’.

Interestingly, specific people were often mentioned rather than race… The most talked about—

—Hong Min-joon Wish to marry Elena
—Pray for marriage with Hong Min-joon and Yoon Hee-yeon

It was Heeyeon noona and Elena.

But.
‘Tennis Empress’ Heeyeon noona has become a hot topic as she has settled into the top 10 in the women’s tennis world rankings.

In particular, at the French Open, ‘Roland Garros’, which was held just a while ago, did not he record the highest score ever in Korean tennis, both men and women, by finishing runner-up?

If you had to pick two sports stars that are the hottest topic in Korea right now, it would be me and Heeyeon noona, who are doing as well as I am.

The best tennis talent in Korea is probably the best in terms of skill, but the already outstanding beauty has recently risen.

To what extent is she eating? Her beauty, which used to get prettier now, is so overwhelming that it is difficult to find it on TV.

From their athletic abilities to their visuals, aren’t they a pair that really suits me well?
If Heeyeon noona received the most support among Korean women in my virtual coupling, then Elena was definitely the most supported among non-Korean women.

Elena, who was famous enough to be called America’s national sister, has gained sensational popularity in Korea as a result of her ‘Chinfan’ certification.

She giggled alone at her joke about having a baby with two people with both her athletic ability and her visuals and revival of Korean soccer, then showed it to Daye.

“You’re doing great.”

Isn’t that a chic response?
… Uh? How are you doing? What?

“Hey. I’m asking because I can’t believe it… Isn’t this what you guys posted on the comments?”
“It can’t be. You must be wrong.”

The answer came from Harin, who was driving.
Phew, that’s right I thought it was so absurd—

“I had Kang Su-yeon go through several channels and subcontracted it to Korean-Chinese, so it doesn’t get caught.”
“Yes. The comment I wrote myself was buried because there was no response, so you don’t have to worry.”

… I see
I see.

Through the window, which slowly slows down, I see reporters crowded to film the news of the entrance ceremony.

“Get off here and go alone. I decided to give the reporters a chance to take a solo shot, so stop and smile for 2-3 minutes before going in.”
“The reporters on the far right are important, so settle down in the center. Don’t be too direct, but slightly twisted.”

It was heartbreaking to see the two women talking so hard.
How did these good kids become like this? I’m worried.

* * *

At the sound of pterodactyls outside, Korean national soccer team coach Oh Ji-je and head coach Shim Gi-cheol looked back at each other.

“What? Is an idol here? Why are you so noisy?”
“Idols are idols.”
“Ah. Hong Min-joon is here.”

Watching reporters and fans (mostly female) crowding around the Cheonan NFC entrance looking out of their office windows, the two of them clucked their tongues.

“Hong Min-joon is amazing. That’s not what I was waiting for to see Hong Min-joon in the scorching sun. How many of them are there?”
“You know what, coach? I knew this and kept the date of Hong Min-joon’s enlistment a secret, but today, sentries who saw a lot of reporters contacted me and gathered around.
“I’m also raising a daughter, but girls these days are so polarized. No matter how good it is, you can just watch it on TV.”
“I mean. If my daughter did that, I’d just put her leg club on… Huh?”
“What’s wrong, Simcoe?”
“Uh… Hey… Why, my daughter…?”
“What? Your daughter? Where… Uh huh? Isn’t that our Miyeon!?”

After urging enlistment through security, the two continued their concerns while looking at the tactics board.

“Um… That’s difficult. Where did you place Hong Min-joon?”
“Hmm…”

The preparation period for the World Cup is four years.
Oh Ji-je, who took over as head coach right after the last World Cup, and head coach Shim Ki-cheol, who had assisted him for four years, finished the national team’s framework last time.

As someone said in the past, the World Cup is not a stage to grow, but a stage to prove.
Korea is not a soccer powerhouse like Spain, Brazil, Germany, France, Argentina, or Italy, and it is almost obvious that it is a talent pool.

During the past 4 years, there are players who have emerged as new players and players who have lost, but the prospects who have been attracting attention have risen, and the existing faces that have already been known as they are already known among football officials have only faded as they get older.

But last year there was a big change.
The appearance of Hong Min-jun and Yoon-hyeok.

These two players were ‘new faces’ in the true sense of the word, away from the eyes of soccer officials.

Hong Min-joon was famous as a genius until his middle school days and was selected for the national team for each age group, but that’s the story of his middle school days.

3 years was enough time for a prospect to be forgotten, Hong Min-joon, who had become distant from the national team after high school, was forgotten like any other prospect, and Yoon-hyeok was a truly unknown university leaguer who had no national team experience by age.

It’s not that they don’t have great personal connections, so the rise of the two is bound to be a real surprise.