NOVEL NEXT Chapter 25
**August 29. Sunday.**
Just as I was about to leave home earlier than usual for the Dortmund training ground, I heard Gyeouri’s voice behind me.
“See you later at the game!”
“Oh! See you then!”
I waved my hand with a smile at Gyeouri as I left the house. My footsteps felt light, so it seemed like I was in good condition.
“What a great day for a match.”
Today was the day of the match for my team, the Dortmund U19 team.
The Dortmund U19 team is part of the A-Junior Bundesliga league.
The A-Junior Bundesliga is the highest youth football league in Germany and consists of three districts. The ultimate champions are the winners of each district plus the runner-up with the best performance over the last three years, making a total of four teams to qualify for the German Youth Football Championship (Deutsche Fußballmeisterschaft der A-Junioren).
Well… I guess it can be thought of as similar to the national high school football league. The German Youth Football Championship is the champions’ championship.
However, the difference with Korea is that in Korea, tournament results determine college admission, while in Germany, it focuses on the individual growth of players.
“Oh! There are a lot of spectators.”
Lost in thought, I walked without realizing it and soon arrived at Hohenbuschei Football Park inside the Brakel Training Center.
As I moved away from the crowd filling the stadium, I headed to where the players were gathered.
“Ho-woo! Welcome!”
Assistant Shuttle No. 2, Pascal Nimpf, greeted me warmly.
“Oh. Yes. Good to see you too.”
As I lightly nodded in acknowledgment, silence fell between us. A communication breakdown due to language.
“Ah… I really need to work on the language, though?”
While I was burning with enthusiasm for studying German, the match start time was approaching.
“There are many fans visiting the stadium.”
Coach Hannes Wolf started his pep talk as he looked at the players who would be starting. Perhaps out of consideration for me, a beginner in German, he spoke slowly and clearly with simple words, allowing me to understand at least the gist.
“Don’t disappoint all those fans by losing to those stupid Schalke guys!”
At the mention of Schalke, the faces of the Dortmund youth players changed. Should I call it the expression of warriors preparing for battle?
“Just how much do you hate Schalke….”
I shook my head inwardly, recalling the relationship between Dortmund and Schalke.
Dortmund and Schalke have a notoriously fierce derby relationship.
While the Der Klassiker with Munich is a fake derby created by the media, the Revierderby with Schalke is a true derby with emotions added, based in the Ruhr area of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Hmm. If the atmosphere of the spectators is the coffee of Munich, then Schalke is the TOP?
The matches between Dortmund and Schalke are so intense that police forces from the region where the game is held are mobilized.
It seems this rivalry between the two teams applies equally to youth matches.
“Heute wollen wir siegen, wir gehen mächtig ran. (Today we want victory; we will win.)”
Even for a mere youth match, over 300 Dortmund fans came to watch just because it was a game against Schalke.
“300 people, you know! Jinho! You’re playing soccer in front of 300 spectators!”
Unlike Assistant Shuttle No. 2, Rico Benatelli, with a little ink smudge on his head, spoke to me in English with an overly excited expression.
“Uh… I’ve gathered 100 spectators with just Ho-woo?”
…Is this the difference in star power?
I lightly patted Rico Benatelli’s shoulder, who had built a wall around the word “star power,” trying to comfort him.
“This guy’s hairline has already receded a lot.”
For a bald guy to have star power, he would need to be ridiculously good at soccer like Zidane and also be handsome…
It’s just unfortunate.
***
Meanwhile, at that moment.
In the Ho-woo gallery, the spirits who couldn’t leave began posting despite the gallery’s owner disappearing.
[Title: Ah. Damn. I miss my brother.]
I want to shout “Ho-woo!” every time we score during the match.
“Ho-woooo─!”
└ “Ho-wooooooo─!”
└ “Why does this Ho-woo sound like it’s crying?”
└ “Ho-woo!”
└ “Is that true?”
└ “Ho-woooo!”
└ “Damn. Ho-woo villain, you’re still around!”
└ “For real, it used to suck, but it’s nice to see after such a long time.”
└ “Ho-woooo!”
└ “Villain’s also glad to see you.”
└ “Damn, that guy is translating that, lol.”
[Title: Ah. I want to watch my brother’s match even on the broadcast.]
Any plans for the youth league to be broadcast on SBK?
└ “It’s a youth league, so are they going to broadcast it, idiot? lol”
└ “Seriously, think before you write, lol.”
└ “Ha. If they broadcast the youth league, that’s a waste of the subscription fee, damn.”
└ “It’s not about the value of the subscription fee; it’s about wasting it, dumbass.”
└ “And how long has he been studying abroad to start in the first place? He has to adapt locally first.”
└ “…? What nonsense is that? My brother is starting today!”
└ “How do you know, Mr. Manchester University?”
└ “I’m currently in Germany. Ah. I can’t upload photos in the comments. I’ll make a new post.”
└ “Dumbass is just stirring up trouble again. Sigh.”
[Title: My brother’s starting certification.]
(Image of my brother in a yellow uniform ready to play.)
“Honestly, it’s true. You don’t believe me.”
└ “Wow…. That’s amazing. Did my brother immediately become a starter?”
└ “Isn’t it the U-17 team at best?”
└ “He got promoted to the U-19s.”
└ “If he had the age, he might have been promoted to the reserve team.”
└ “Age? Why suddenly talk about age?”
└ “In the Bundesliga, you need to be over 16 years and 6 months to play in the reserve team or first team.”
└ “Ho-wooooo!”
└ “It says the Ho-woo villain is jealous because he’s watching live?”
└ “You all come too. Germany is nice.”
└ “So jealous. Did you take a picture with my brother?”
└ “A photo? I live with him!”
└ “Living together and talking about how you don’t want to get punched in the gut with a beefy right hook.”
└ “For real, lol. Since they pamper you, you get cocky.”
***
“Heh. No one believes this.”
Han Gyeouri chuckled as she looked at her smartphone. She felt joy that no one would believe the truth even when she revealed it.
Imagining the expressions these people would have once the truth came out was one of her small joys.
Beep!
Just as she was about to stir up trouble with another post in the Ho-woo gallery.
The referee’s whistle was heard, and the match between Borussia Dortmund and FC Schalke 04 began.
As soon as she heard the whistle, Han Gyeouri tucked her smartphone into her pocket. She wanted to watch Son Jinho play on the field.
“How strange….”
She knew Son Jinho was good at soccer, but she never imagined he would come to Germany for soccer training.
And when she heard he was refusing such a great opportunity just because he didn’t want to be apart from her.
– Mom! I want to study abroad in Germany!
All she could think about was following Son Jinho and going to Germany herself.
In a way, it was a decision bordering on impulse, but everything had been satisfactory so far.
“Woooh!”
The crowd’s cheers echoed.
Han Gyeouri saw Son Jinho steal the ball and make an incredible pass right into the feet of an attacking player.
“Heja BVB, Heja BVB, Heja, Heja, Heja BVB!”
Everyone in the stands thought it was a goal the moment the magical pass was served right up like a spoonful of rice.
“Argh─! How could you miss that!”
The Dortmund attacker flipped the table.
***
“Argh! Argh! Are you the center-back? Why do you keep clearing the ball over the goal!”
I burst into laughter at the sound of Gyeouri’s voice in my ears. Maybe because it was the only Korean amid the incomprehensible German, it stood out distinctly.
“Well… as Gyeouri said, the finishing ability is indeed the worst.”
I raised my hand to the guy with the awkward expression and showed him it was fine.
This guy, who got the nickname Assistant Shuttle No. 2, seemed to be struggling a bit with his targeting this time unlike in practice.
Tsk. What I needed for such a guy is a midfielder—unfortunately, he was a striker, making it impossible to use him.
Well… It can’t be helped.
As Korea’s best box-to-box midfielder, I had to solve it myself.
“Hey! Hey! Hey!”
In Dortmund’s build-up, I raised my hands outside the penalty box, calling for the ball.
Rico Benatelli, who needed star power hugely, looked puzzled but still passed it to me.
The ball came toward my feet.
The Schalke players rushed to block the shot. I pathetically took a shot with my right foot inside the area known as the future Son Heung-min zone.
The ball seemed to evade the goalkeeper’s arms and curve inwards to pierce the top right corner.
As soon as the net swayed, I ran straight toward the stands where Gyeouri was seated, leaving behind the crowd’s cheers.
Amidst the white people joyfully bouncing, it was easy to spot Gyeouri’s figure.
“Ho-wooooo─!”
I immediately ran up to Gyeouri and performed the Ho-woo celebration.
As some Dortmund fans frowned at my bizarre celebration,
maybe they too would soon shout Ho-woo as if under hypnosis.