My Girlfriend Wants Victory

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– …Are you racially discriminating right now?

– Nein! It’s Jinho, not Chino! Jinho!

There was a tiny (?) misunderstanding during my return trip.

Fortunately, I managed to clear up the misunderstanding before I blurted out, “Your grandfather is a Nazi Party member, currently being fried in sulfur.”

Still, I think I need to correct my tendency to lash out when I feel frustrated or provoked.

Europe has a higher ratio of crazy people compared to South Korea, and I’m not exactly living alone in Germany right now.

I needed to be a bit more restrained for the safety of my family.

‘…I’ll hire bodyguards when I make a lot of money later and charge in.’

Can’t hit the ground running as a fool? That would eat away at my lifespan.

Anyway, a month passed—a short time if you think about it, but long if you don’t—and I finally returned home.

It felt a bit weird coming home, not to Korea, but to Germany.

Well… wherever Gyeouri is, that’s my home.

“Did Son Jinho come back!? Where’s my gift?”

I placed my hands on my hips and silently hugged Han Gyeouri, who was making a strange face.

“Here you go. A gift.”

Actually, I forgot to buy a gift.

But I thought this was a pretty good improvisation.

I carefully observed the expression of Gyeouri nestled in my arms.

Her face, flushed red like a persimmon, came into view.

“…Ugh. What’s that?”

Gyeouri let out a half-hearted complaint, but she couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips.

I secretly sighed in relief.

I managed to get through this crisis.

*

That evening, just when I thought I had overcome the crisis.

A message came from my father-in-law.

– Jinho Father-in-law: …Can’t you do something about Gyeouri?

I was startled for a moment by my father-in-law’s sudden message.

But with his following messages, I realized what had happened.

– Jinho Father-in-law: So…

Here’s how the incident unfolded.

“Has mom ever received a gift like this from dad?”

Gyeouri bragged (t-bagged) about what I said to her mother, and her mother unleashed that anger onto my father-in-law.

– Jinho Father-in-law: Well, I can’t even control her as a dad… Sorry, Jinho.

I secretly offered my apologies to my father-in-law.

I planned to express more affection in this life than I could in the last.

It seemed my father-in-law would end up getting scolded by my mother-in-law a lot.

*

Dortmund granted me a break after participating in the AFC U-19 Championship.

I got the impression that they were particularly cautious about youth players’ injuries since the goal was to nurture good players rather than focusing solely on results.

Well, South Korea is gradually changing in that direction too.

Regardless, even with these internal circumstances, a handful of Ho-ka (Jinho fans) back home excitedly bashed me, saying I wasn’t even on the substitute list, let alone the starting lineup.

[Title: Isn’t Son Jinho a bubble player?]

You can’t even get on the roster, right? LOL

└ ㅇㅈ I don’t get why Son Jinho is not playing.

└ Tsk tsk, I said he’s only on the Asian level, but those junior kids grit their teeth and pretended not to hear.

└ You idiots, I’m back in Korea, and you think I’ll play right away?

└ Yup, all other pro players are playing! You’re the only one who can’t even get on the bench, LOL.

└ Comparing pros and youths like that?;;

└ Isn’t this the only time you guys remember it’s a youth team? When it’s time to suck up and say the youth are as good as pros, you forget about that immediately.

Some sports media outlets gathered the reactions from netizens and wrote articles.

[Son Jinho’s Sudden Exclusion from the Roster! What’s the Problem? Netizens Claim ‘Son Jinho is Only Effective in Asia; Excluded from Starting Lineup Because He Doesn’t Cut It in Europe!’]

Not all reporters, but it feels like the sense of duty among journalists is rapidly fading.

If they just checked the official Dortmund website, they would have known I was granted a break.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of them writing articles in a “might as well say it since it’s an internet rumor” vibe without fact-checking.

Is it because there are so many online news outlets nowadays?

Still, isn’t this a major media outlet?

“Why are you writing articles without fact-checking?!”

“That’s how the media is. It’s fine; you know the truth, right?”

I comforted the sulking Gyeouri and thought about the necessity of an agent.

‘By the way, Gi-hyun Choi gave me those agency papers, right? I should check it out.’

If I was going to be in the K-League, I wouldn’t need an agent, but Europe is a somewhat different situation.

While I won’t toss chairs like Mino Raiola during negotiations, having an agent on my side to protect my interests was essential.

An agent not only deals with transfer issues but also takes care of various problems so that players can focus solely on football.

In a way, one could see them as overpaid servants…

‘Hmm. Is that a bit harsh?’

Anyway, thus began my quest to find an agent.

“Haha… I’m sorry. Those demands exceed my capabilities.”

“Um… Is that really necessary?”

“…Do you absolutely have to include that condition?”

I had talked to countless agents, but none could meet my standards.

‘Saying it can’t be done without even trying?’

It seemed Gi-hyun Choi left me with nothing but duds.

“There are no talents. No talents.”

Maybe that’s why I was more excited about this meeting.

This guy was supposedly called a super agent.

“Nice to meet you, Jinho.”

Just look at how precisely he pronounces my name. Isn’t that basic for an agent?

Even if it’s a small detail, it felt different from the perspective of someone receiving it.

“I’m Mino Raiola.”

“I’m Son Jinho. Nice to meet you.”

I shook hands lightly with Mino Raiola, the super agent, as he greeted me.

I wondered if the representative would personally come for just a promising player, but well. I guess that means he’s valuing me highly.

– My family’s chihuahua wouldn’t even sign for conditions like these!

For football fans, Mino Raiola might make their blood pressure rise, but from a player’s perspective, he’s the best agent.

Anyway, we quickly became friends and started chatting comfortably.

“So, I’m here for the players’ interests…”

I interrupted Mino Raiola as he was about to talk about the players’ value and proposed just one condition.

“Mino, I want to transfer to Manchester United in the future, and I want enough leverage to influence their recruitment policy.”

To lift the Big Ear trophy at Manchester United, I had to thwart Woodward the Mang Gate, and that was a necessary condition.

“…What?”

Upon hearing my contract condition, Mino Raiola looked at me as if I was looking at Gi-hyun Choi.

‘Oh. That’s a bit hurtful.’

*

Mino Raiola had high expectations for this meeting.

Though he had countless contracts with sports stars, he took pride in taking care of talented prospects like Paul Pogba and Erling Haaland.

It felt like he was personally molding the best players?

‘A talent even greater than Polo (Pogba’s nickname)!’

He recalled the sight of the crowd cheering for an Asian boy during a Dortmund Youth Team match he happened to watch.

The Son Jinho he saw possessed not only brilliant talent but also the qualities to thrill the audience.

“Mino! I think the football market will grow bigger, and players still aren’t getting their fair share!”

Moreover, he felt that the conversation was flowing better than he had anticipated.

According to insiders at Dortmund, he heard that I keep my private life clean and participate in training very diligently.

In every aspect, I was the perfect friend.

Except for one thing.

“…Um? Jinho. I’m sorry, but I think I misheard. Could you say that again?”

Mino Raiola said with an awkward smile directed at Son Jinho.

It might be a prejudice, but the Asian people he had met so far were polite and humble.

But Son Jinho was different from them…

“I want to transfer to Manchester United and influence recruitment policies.”

He seemed a bit out of his mind.

Even while trying to be considerate, he seemed even crazier when he got straight to the point.

‘Oh, Dio (God), you want to influence player recruitment against Ferguson, that genius?’

Mino Raiola was shocked by Son Jinho’s words. It was the difference between Son Jinho, who knew Ferguson was retiring, and Mino Raiola, who didn’t.

‘Can I really do that?’

Not knowing the future, Mino Raiola closed his eyes.

And slowly began to contemplate.

The transfer fees Son Jinho would leave behind and the performances he would showcase on the field.

It all seemed too sweet to just cowardly give up on.

Having finished his thoughts, he shook Son Jinho’s hand.

*

[Son Jinho dining with Zlatan? Signing an agent contract with super agent Mino Raiola, proving he’s the next top prospect!]

└ Are you still saying my brother is only effective in Asia? Are you still saying my brother is only effective in Asia?

└ LOL, even Mino Raiola recognized his talent, but you’re all still whining over regional bias? LOL

└ Ah, LOL, all the Ho-ka kids are in denial, aren’t they? So pathetic!

└ Ah, damn, the junior kids have resurrected.

└ Hoouuuuu─!!