A major upset.
Throughout football history, there have been countless surprises.
North Korea defeating Italy at the World Cup, the United States beating England, and Senegal toppling France.
They were matches that truly made people feel the meaning behind the phrase, "The ball is round."
And today's match was one worthy of joining that list.
[South Korea has just won its first-ever Olympic football bronze medal here in Beijing!]
[With this, South Korea finishes third overall in the tournament. Not only that, but Ho-young has climbed to the top of the scoring chart with seven goals. Unless Messi scores four goals in the final between Argentina and the Netherlands, he will finish as the top scorer.]
And that wasn't all.
By reaching the podium of an international tournament, Ho-young had also fulfilled Ronaldo's hidden condition.
The talent he acquired from Ronaldo was Perfect Composure (SS).
His technical talents like dribbling and skills had deteriorated to below S-grade over the past year, so this was a much-needed upgrade.
While he failed to meet Robinho's hidden condition of "Winning by a three-goal margin," everything else was already satisfying enough.
'I did it.'
That thought kept echoing in his mind. He couldn't form any other words.
Ho-young's legs gave out and he collapsed onto the ground.
Roughly 100 minutes, including extra time.
He couldn't remember how he had made it through it all.
Then, staring up at the dark night sky, a sudden thought came to him.
It had truly been a long journey.
And he had gained so much.
Most importantly, military exemption.
It felt like a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
He still had many goals left to achieve, but this felt like crossing the halfway point.
Next up was La Liga and the Champions League.
The real stage was waiting for him.
Today was the very launch point.
A short while later—
"You've worked hard."
"You too, captain."
Team captain Gi Dong-jin came over and helped Ho-young to his feet, followed by Ronaldo, who extended his hand.
"Congratulations. You were the best today."
It wasn't just something said out of mentorship.
Anyone would've said the same.
Because no matter who looked at it, the protagonist of today's match was Ho-young.
"Thank you."
Ho-young replied with sincerity, engraving this moment deep in his heart.
He then approached Marcelo and Breno to encourage them.
Meanwhile, on Brazil's bench—
Robinho sat with a flushed face, still unable to recover from the shock.
'No way...'
A wave of regret washed over him.
If only he had yielded a bit more to Pato, they might have won. But his greed had backfired.
That, more than anything, was the reason for their defeat.
He had been too conscious of Ho-young.
'Damn it...'
It made his skin crawl.
He felt like Ho-young had ruined his tournament.
But even worse was something else.
This season's battle for a starting position.
If Ho-young could perform like this with such a "weak" team, no one knew what kind of havoc he could wreak alongside world-class players at Real Madrid.
Robinho already felt his position trembling.
This could very well become a turning point in his career — and not in a good way.
---
The next day at noon.
The Olympic final between Argentina and the Netherlands kicked off at the Beijing National Stadium.
The result was 2-0.
Messi scored twice in quick succession, leading Argentina to a clean victory.
With that, Ho-young officially secured the Golden Boot, and the tournament organizers selected Messi as the MVP.
The news quickly spread across the globe through various media outlets.
South Korea was in a celebratory mood, but that didn't mean there weren't some lingering concerns.
Journalist Hwang Tae-seok pointed that out.
[The Shadow of 'Olympic Golden Boot' Ho-young]
[South Korea, which previously had no history of success in Olympic football, managed to reach its best-ever result of third place thanks to Ho-young's seven goals.
However, this tournament also highlighted the clear limits of relying on an individual.
The semi-final against Argentina exposed the issues starkly.
If South Korean football is to progress further, a strong midfield to support Ho-young and a stable defensive line are essential.
Ho-young commented, "It's a shame we didn't reach the final, but we fought well. I gained a lot from this tournament, and now I'll fully display my skills on a bigger stage."
With this, Ho-young broke the previous record for the youngest to earn military exemption, which had been held by Kim Dong-sung (28, coach at the US Skating Club).]
While there were some regrets, the achievements outweighed them.
Korea also enjoyed a massive Olympic success overall, with 11 gold medals, creating a festive atmosphere.
And the day wasn't over yet — baseball and taekwondo matches were still to come.
Ho-young, who had been given free time after the bronze medal match, made his way to the taekwondo arena.
He was there to cheer on Kim Sung-min, a gold medal contender in the under-58kg weight class.
'Come on, win it!'
If Kim won a medal, Ho-young would be able to acquire a new talent.
That's because there were specific conditions:
(Condition 1: Win a medal at the Olympics)
(Condition 2: Support Kim Sung-min's medal-winning match as a fellow Korean)
(Condition 3: Complete 5,000 minutes of leg strength training)
Since Ho-young had already won a bronze, and was now fulfilling Condition 2, he only needed to continue with his leg training to meet all three.
Though it would take some time...
'Of course, nothing's ever easy.'
Still, thankfully, the conditions didn't include something impossible like "Win a taekwondo sparring match."
Just then—
[Kim Sung-min wins gold! He's secured the gold medal!]
"Yes!"
Ho-young's eyes lit up.
He had been eyeing the talent Monstrous Leg Strength (A+3), as the most desirable Piercing Kick like an Awl (S) was locked behind a hidden condition he couldn't meet.
'He's only 58kg, but still A-grade? If he were heavyweight, that would've been at least S-grade.'
It was a talent also possessed by Roberto Carlos. If acquired, it would significantly enhance Ho-young's kicking power.
'Alright. That's done.'
Truthfully, there were plenty of other talents in the Olympic Village that he wanted.
Especially from stars like Usain Bolt, the biggest name of this Olympics, whose talents were absolute must-haves.
But Ho-young had focused solely on the tournament, leaving no time or opportunity to meet them. So he was content with what he had achieved this time.
After all, he was only 16.
There would be many more opportunities ahead.
And so, the long summer in Beijing gradually drew to a close.
August 24.
The Beijing Olympics officially came to an end.
Although there were plenty of criticisms regarding excessive control and human rights concerns, the performance and facilities were widely considered a massive success.
Especially in football.
Many young stars emerged, which helped energize the summer transfer market.
For Perez, this pre-season was especially fortunate.
In June, Spain had won Euro 2008, catapulting his club players into stardom, and now, the Olympic participants were returning as heroes.
Ho-young had claimed the Golden Boot with 7 goals, and Robinho had proven his worth with 5.
Even if he ruined the 3rd-place match.
All in all, it was a dream scenario for Perez.
By the end of August, Perez had a one-on-one meeting with Robinho.
"You've still got great skills. No need to whine like this. Your position won't change much since you and Ho-young play different roles."
"But the tactical direction will change. And sooner or later, so will the face of the team."
"You think you'll lose the leadership battle, huh? You're afraid of Ho-young."
"That's ridiculous! That guy just doesn't mesh with my style. So make your choice. Keep me at Madrid, or let him go."
Robinho's final ultimatum.
Understandable, since he had already received offers from Manchester City and Chelsea. He was ready to leave at any time.
But Perez didn't let him go easily.
"I can't just let you go. I valued you more than anyone."
"Then you'll accept my request?"
"No. My stance hasn't changed. It's you who needs to change."
Negotiations failed.
Robinho finally revealed his true feelings.
"Then I'll leave. Send me to Chelsea."
"Sorry, but as I said, I have no intention of letting you go."
But Perez's true thoughts were the opposite.
From that day on, he stalled Robinho's transfer while simultaneously demanding a higher fee from Manchester City.
City grew desperate, and eventually, Real Madrid got what they wanted.
A massive fee of €43 million, the highest ever in the Premier League at the time.
With breathing room secured, Real Madrid further reinforced their squad by signing Garay, who had impressed at the Olympics, and Van der Vaart, who had starred at the Euros.
At the same time, they offloaded seven players — Balboa, Baptista, Soldado, Granero, Cassano, and others — to restructure their wage budget.
They also made a contract renewal offer to Ho-young.
"What?"
Back at the club right after the Olympics, Ho-young received the news from Lucci.
"My weekly wage is going up to €7,200?"
"If you officially debut in the first division, it'll be renewed again this winter or next summer under better terms."
Lucci then dumped a large stack of documents in front of him.
It was all related to bonus payments from Adidas for Olympic participation.
"Whoa... so this is all mine?"
"Of course. Whose else would it be? Hahaha."
Even excluding bonuses, his annual salary would now be around 600 million won.
After taxes, he'd take home around 300 million, but it was still a huge increase from before.
Looking at the new figures, Ho-young finally felt how famous he had become.
And that wasn't all.
"And as you can see here, you're now guaranteed image rights income as well. The percentage will gradually increase based on your wage."
"So my jerseys will go on sale too?"
"That's right."
"Which means..."
"We did it!"
Lucci beamed.
"Ho-young, you've officially made it onto the final 25-man La Liga roster. With the jersey number you requested."
"Finally..."
"Once the front office gives final approval, it's official."
Everything had fallen into place while Ho-young was away in Beijing.
"Thank you. You've worked so hard."
"Haha, not at all."
Ho-young genuinely appreciated Lucci, who had believed in his potential and stuck with him.
Then Lucci spoke again.
"Ah, right. You asked me to take you to the airport around lunch, didn't you?"
—
That morning, at Madrid International Airport.
At the departure gate, a beautiful girl looked around, dragging a large suitcase behind her.
Monica Stocki.
She spotted someone and waved her hand high.
"Ho-young!"
"Monica!"
Even though Ho-young was wearing a fedora and sunglasses to hide his face, Monica recognized him instantly.
Overwhelmed with joy, she ran straight toward him.
Neither of them said a word.
They simply embraced lightly.
"Finally, we meet again."
As if it were a lie, energy surged through Ho-young's body.
They greeted each other with a cheek kiss.
The reunion of boy and girl began just like that.
(To be continued.)