In 2008, the most frequent visitors to the sports section of Korean portal sites were usually five names: Kim Yeon-ha, Park Tae-wan, Park Chan-oh, Park Ji-seok, and Ho-young.
Among them, Ho-young's presence was rapidly increasing. Whenever you clicked on the overseas football category, you would always find an article related to him.
This was also influencing the ranking games, a popular pastime among sports fans.
[Park Tae-wan vs Park Ji-seok vs Kim Yeon-ha vs Ho-young]
└Park Tae-wan is an Olympic gold medalist, isn't he? Shouldn't he be number one?
└Go ask foreigners if they know "Marine Boy."
└Still, Park Ji-seok, if you ask any English person, they would know him.
└Ho-young would probably be known if he went straight to Madrid, right?
└I don't think so.
└What do you mean? His jersey is already sold out, isn't it?
└It's probably just media hype. Do you really believe that? Are you naive or just dumb?
└Media hype? Hahahaha? Here's the link^^ www.shop.realmadrid.com/stores/7-Woo
└Oh, it's true.
└There might be a bit of promotion, though. They probably didn't stock up thinking it would sell out this much.
└Anyway, it's sold out for sure, lol.
└Wow, then he's going to make a lot of money at 16. But what if he gets kidnapped? Isn't Spain full of mafia-like guys?
└His agent drives him around every day.
└How do you know?
└I saw his agent once when I was waiting in front of Ho-young's school during my trip to Madrid. He looked like Winnie the Pooh.
As he said, Lucci was picking Ho-young up every day.
Today, just after finishing his morning meeting, Lucci came to wait for Ho-young in front of the school gate.
'Ah, I came too early. There's still 40 minutes left.'
Thinking of taking a nap, Lucci reclined his seat.
That was when someone knocked on the window.
Knock, knock.
'Is he here already?'
Lucci sat up and frowned.
The person who knocked wasn't Ho-young, but a man in his late 30s.
At first, he thought it was another overzealous fan looking for Ho-young's autograph.
That was until he saw the man's gentle face.
"Leonardo?"
"Haha, long time no see, Lucci. It's been a while since we left São Paulo, hasn't it?"
Leonardo Araujo.
A Brazilian, he was once called the legendary midfielder of AC Milan and was now the club's technical director.
He had an impressive track record, bringing in Brazilian talents like Kaká, Thiago Silva, and Alexandre Pato to AC Milan.
And he and Lucci had known each other for a long time.
"I'm sorry to drop by unannounced. I tried to reach you through the old email address but didn't get a reply. So, I took the liberty of coming here."
"Haha, your boldness hasn't changed. And there's no need to apologize between us. It's fine."
"Thank you for saying that."
Leonardo spoke politely, and Lucci stepped out of the car and extended his hand for a handshake.
"But what brings you here? You didn't come all this way just to see me, did you?"
Lucci asked, though he had an inkling of what was going on.
Why else would AC Milan's technical director be here?
As expected.
"I'd like to meet Ho-young. Could you arrange a time for me to see him?"
"Today's difficult. We have an away game, and I won't be at the Madrid airport until around 11 PM."
"I'm fine with that."
"We'll contact you first. I need to check with the player before making any plans."
The two briefly wrapped up the conversation and went their separate ways.
Five minutes later, after finishing his classes, Ho-young sat in the front passenger seat.
"Did you wait long?"
"No, but you look happy. Something good must have happened."
"I just spoke with the principal. From January 21st, I can switch to elective courses for the second semester."
"Just like I expected. Congratulations."
"Thanks. But is there something going on with you, Lucci? You don't look too cheerful."
Lucci didn't have the face of someone who was celebrating.
He seemed to be deep in thought.
But since they had to go to the airport, Lucci decided to start the car and speak on the way there.
"AC Milan's technical director visited earlier. I didn't get the full details, but he wanted to see Ho-young."
"Again?"
"Yes. It seems they're looking ahead to the transfer markets next year or the year after. It could even be as soon as next January."
"Seems like Ancelotti is testing the waters whenever he forgets about him."
"Sending the technical director means they're seriously courting him."
"I'm not really concerned. I still have a lot to accomplish in Madrid."
"I understand."
Ho-young spoke firmly.
He still had a lot to achieve at Real Madrid, and he had loyalty to the club that helped him grow.
At least for this season, he needed to stay to learn from the best talents at Real Madrid.
If he were to move later, he could decide when the time came.
But one thing still bothered him.
"How's the AC Milan squad looking?"
"Including the loan players, there's Dida, Nesta, Maldini, Ambrosini, Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Inzaghi, Beckham, Ronaldinho, Shevchenko, and Ronaldo."
"...Hmm."
Why did it seem like their squad was better than Real Madrid's?
'It must be my imagination...'
"But to move to Italy before turning 18, you'd have to deal with FIFA's youth transfer regulations, right?"
"That's why the technical director came personally. He needs to solve that issue in advance."
"I see. So that's what you were worried about, Lucci?"
"It's not exactly worry, more like mixed feelings. The last time I saw Ho-young was almost four years ago, and now he's reached such a position. I'm proud, but I also feel like this is just the beginning. Haha. The real competition is about to start."
"That's how life goes, right? You've done well so far. Don't worry too much, and take care of your health too. You're already forty..."
"Excuse me?"
"Never mind. I should take a nap."
Ho-young, glancing at Lucci's receding hairline, closed his eyes and mouth.
'He must be stressed from work.'
When hair restoration technology improves, I'll have to help Lucci restore his hair, Ho-young thought.
At the Benito Villamarín Stadium in Seville, with 55,000 fans packed into Real Betis' home ground, the match began.
[Real Betis on the left takes the kick-off.]
[Real Betis is playing with their expected 4-4-2 formation, while Real Madrid is lining up with 4-2-3-1. We can expect a fierce battle on the wings.]
On paper, Real Madrid had the advantage.
With numerical superiority in the midfield, they could control possession and use that strength to dominate the physical battles.
Additionally, Real Betis, a team struggling at the bottom of the table, was considered one of the weakest teams in La Liga this season. In fact, they could be seen as a second-division team.
For Real Madrid, even without much effort, this was a game they could win.
As expected, the game unfolded as everyone anticipated.
With Gago and Diarra leading the midfield with their superior work rate and pressure, Real Madrid took control of possession like a vacuum cleaner sweeping up everything in the middle.
Marcelo and Ramos contributed with their overlapping runs, providing width and attacking options, controlling the game with ease.
The flow of the game was entirely in Real Madrid's favor.
In just the 14th minute, Raúl's goal proved it.
[Real Madrid takes the lead! What a great start!]
But that was just the beginning.
Within 10 minutes, two more goals followed in quick succession.
Raúl's hat-trick silenced the home crowd.
And in the early second half, as the game was cruising along, Schuster made substitutions to conserve the energy of the starting players.
The first to leave the field was captain Raúl.
Receiving a standing ovation from the away fans, he passed the baton to Ho-young and returned to the bench.
[Real Madrid makes a substitution, bringing in Ho-young! It'll be interesting to see where he plays.]
[Oh, he's playing alongside Saviola up top. Sneijder has moved to the right, forming a 4-4-2 formation.]
[Every time Ho-young steps onto the field, he adjusts to new teammates. Let's see how he clicks with them this time.]
That expectation was soon met.
With the free role given to him by Schuster, Ho-young moved around the pitch like a fish in water, injecting fresh energy into the team.
The brief lull after Raúl's hat-trick was reignited by Ho-young's presence.
The game's tempo quickly picked up.
It was counter-attack time.
[Ho-young drops back outside the box, linking up with Robben and Sneijder in a triangular movement, constantly passing the ball.]
[Great stuff. Ho-young's movement is dismantling Real Betis' pressing. They need to wake up. This is a very dangerous situation.]
The Dutch duo of Robben and Sneijder were supporting Ho-young, helping create chances.
'Damn.'
The first line of defense for Real Betis, defensive midfielder Mehmet Aurelio, couldn't keep up with Madrid's fast passing.
Though Aurelio was a seasoned player with strong positioning and anticipation, the skill gap was clear.
This wasn't something that could be covered with effort and experience.
And then.
Thwack.
[A pass finds Ho-young in the open space up front!]
[Aurelio needs to close the space quickly. You can't give a player like Ho-young time and room to operate.]
Real Madrid's attack came suddenly.
Everything clicked perfectly, and before long, the ball was at Ho-young's feet.
He then used his dizzying footwork to confuse Aurelio's positioning.
It was then that Ho-young made a sudden sprint.
Thwack!
"Ugh!"
Aurelio tried to catch up, but even at 30, his age couldn't match Ho-young's agility, acceleration, and sharpness.
Unable to keep up, Aurelio had to give way.
[Aurelio tries to follow, but it's too much! Ho-young continues his run!]
**[Ortiz comes charging in!]
Aurelio was left behind as Ho-young used a quick heel chop to evade the aggressive defender, Alex Ortiz.
Then, Ho-young took a shot with his right foot from the edge of the box.
The distance to the goal was only 17 meters.
With the angle he was most confident with, he didn't hesitate to strike.
Clink!
It was Ho-young's fourth goal of the season.
[Ho-young does it again! It's unbelievable every time we see it.]
[He's a genius. The only regret is that we only get to see this kind of play for 40 minutes.]
Even though Real Betis was one of the weakest teams in the league, the fact that they were a top-flight team couldn't be denied.
And in that moment, Ho-young's class was proven once again.
As the match drew to a close, the scoreboard on the northern side of the stadium flashed 5-0.
Even though they were both Real teams, the difference in class was clear.
After the match, in the away team's locker room, the air was thick with sweat and the sound of hums.
And then, a well-dressed figure walked in.
Clap, clap.
It was Perez, the president, clapping as he entered.
As soon as he walked in, Raúl and Casillas approached him.
After exchanging handshakes, their conversation continued.
"Florentino! How was today's game?"
"'Fantastic' is the only word that comes to mind."
"Hahaha."
"You all played great. Cannavaro and Pepe, the defense was impenetrable. Sneijder and Van der Vaart, as expected, didn't disappoint."
"Thank you."
Perez raised his thumb, holding a deflated ball.
He didn't seem like the typical president. More like a big brother.
It was a rare sight after a big win, so the players didn't pay much attention and focused on their own tasks.
Then, it happened.
"Young, let's have a word."
Perez called Ho-young over and pulled out his latest iPhone 3G, showing him an internet article on the small screen. The title included Ho-young's name.
It was an article Ho-young hadn't seen before.
Perez pointed at it and asked,
"Is this article true?"
Ho-young narrowed his eyes.
For a moment, their gazes met in the air.
With the atmosphere growing tense, Ho-young spoke.
"Yes."
At those words, Perez raised his eyebrow.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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