At that single word, "Yes," Perez looked as if he owned the entire world.
Ho-young, on the other hand, looked a little dazed.
He turned his gaze back to the smartphone.
'What is this?'
The article published by the Spanish media outlet AS was hard to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes.
[Written by: Javier Sanchez]
[Earlier today, Ho-young drove AC Milan's Leonardo Araujo out of Madrid. This incident clearly demonstrates Ho-young's absolute loyalty to Real Madrid…]
The article was not entirely factual, but that was not what Perez had been asking about in the first place.
What he wanted to know was simple, whether Ho-young had agreed to make contact with AC Milan later, or whether he had firmly rejected them.
That was all, and Ho-young had answered honestly.
Then how did this reporter find out?
'Could it be Lucci?'
That was unlikely.
If Lucci had intended to let such an article go out, he would have told Ho-young beforehand.
Then there was only one possible answer.
'Did it leak from AC Milan's side?'
Whatever the case, one thing was certain.
He had impressed Perez and earned his trust.
That night.
On the way home, when Ho-young asked about it, Lucci raised his eyebrows and replied.
"No chance. I have no connection with AS reporter Sanchez."
"Then it must have leaked from Leonardo's side."
"Logically, that's the only explanation. Anyway, this works out well. Other clubs will probably stop bothering you for a while."
That was true.
All Ho-young needed to do was focus on football.
Three days later, on the morning of Sunday, September 30th.
Real Madrid headed to Saint Petersburg, Russia, for their Champions League Group Stage Matchday 2 against FC Zenit.
FC Zenit was one of the strongest teams in the Russian Premier League, and with Ki Dong-jin and Lee Ho-sung on the squad, it was well known among Korean fans.
Because of that, many Korean football fans were looking forward to a showdown between Ho-young and Ki Dong-jin and Lee Ho-sung.
Unfortunately, both Ki Dong-jin and Lee Ho-sung failed to even make the matchday squad, and the anticipated matchup never happened.
Meanwhile, considering that Ho-young was still not fully accustomed to long flights, he was selected as a substitute rather than a starter.
He was given a brief appearance late in the second half as an attacking midfielder.
He had 15 minutes.
It was far from enough time to show much, but with the team already leading 2-0, he could play freely without pressure.
Then, just before full time.
After tirelessly moving around and focusing on chance creation, he managed to produce a decisive moment.
[Ho-young's brilliant pass slips through to Arjen Robben! Zenit's defensive line is completely split open!]
Robben's low cross followed immediately, and after a touch from Raul, the ball found the net.
Raul completed his hat-trick.
Kissing his ring, he ran toward Robben and Ho-young to share the moment.
"Young, great pass."
"Thank you."
With that, Real Madrid sealed a 3-0 victory and stood alone at the top of the group.
The day after returning to Madrid was a rare day off.
A true blessing in the middle of a packed schedule.
After completing only his essential training, Ho-young went home and slept all day.
But sweet rest never lasts long.
Training resumed the very next day.
With Round 6 of the league scheduled just four days later, there was no time to relax.
The match took place on October 5th at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The opponent was RCD Espanyol.
A mid-table team, not a particularly difficult opponent.
'This is a good chance.'
Moreover, he was in the starting lineup.
Ho-young intended to pour everything he had into this match.
'Once today's game is over, I can rest.'
After Round 6, La Liga would enter a two-week international break.
Round 7 was scheduled for October 19th, and the opponent was Atletico Madrid, a match he absolutely had to play.
That was why he was determined to leave a strong impression today.
But then.
Shaaahhh.
The light rain before kickoff turned heavier, and by the time the players stepped onto the pitch, it had become a downpour.
'Weather forecasts are always spot on on days like this.'
In a rain-soaked match, the most important factors were fundamentals, ball control, and mentality.
As Espanyol kicked off, Ho-young slicked his hair back and finished mentally preparing himself.
His position today was right striker.
His partner on the left was the Dutch elite striker, Van Nistelrooy.
[Real Madrid lines up in a 4-4-2, keeping wide spacing between players and using the pitch generously.]
[This looks like a setup tailored for a wet pitch. No matter how skilled the players are, heavy rain makes passing and ball control difficult. It seems they plan to play more long balls.]
A wet match consumes enormous stamina.
The heavier the rain, the duller the movement becomes, body temperature drops, and energy drains faster.
That was why Schuster planned to focus on long balls rather than short passing.
[Arjen Robben attacks the space behind the defense, driving down the touchline.]
[A cross toward the center!]
Robben's cross was less accurate than usual and nearly sailed over the goal, but Ho-young used his astonishing reflexes and overwhelming speed to claim prime position instantly.
The center back assigned to him, Daniel Jarque, was a step late and had no chance to intervene.
Ho-young was already airborne, forcing the ball back into the box before it could cross the goal line.
And where Ho-young's headed pass landed, Van Nistelrooy was standing firm, a master of positioning.
Known as a striker with lethal finishing, the outcome was inevitable.
[Goal! 26 minutes into the first half, Van Nistelrooy opens the scoring after receiving Ho-young's headed pass. Real Madrid leads 1-0!]
[Espanyol needs to regain focus. They look scattered overall, and their momentum has dropped significantly.]
Daniel Jarque, having lost track of Ho-young, felt like he was losing his mind.
'I just can't keep up…'
Before the match, he had believed he could handle Ho-young.
This was his seventh season in the top division.
If skill was not enough, he thought experience and know-how would compensate.
He had even undergone special training for this match.
But once the game began, he could barely keep his head straight.
The constant crosses from both flanks were a problem, but Ho-young roaming freely inside the box was a far bigger issue.
'I can't follow his movement at all…'
The gap in fundamentals.
The gap in physical ability.
And the gap in pure skill.
A rain-soaked match could create upsets, but it could also widen the gap in ability.
This was clearly the latter.
'I'm done for…'
It was only the 27th minute.
His body temperature was dropping, but mentally, Daniel felt as if he were walking through a blazing inferno.
The match continued in the same pattern.
Sneijder and Diarra dominated the midfield, sweeping everything up and distributing the ball to both wings during the buildup.
It was a simple pattern.
Even so, 32-year-old right back Steve Finnan could not fully stop Robben's dribbles.
In fact, that alone showed how solid his defending was.
If it had been another mid-table defender, he would have been beaten twice as badly.
But the real problem was inside the box.
Ho-young and Van Nistelrooy were winning more than 80 percent of the balls that dropped there, constantly creating dangerous chances.
It was a situation you could see coming but could not stop.
Espanyol's manager responded by increasing the number of defenders in the box, focusing on denying aerial dominance.
But Real Madrid's attack was not limited to just two players.
Outside the box, Sneijder was always waiting, ready to unleash his explosive long-range shots.
[Ho-young lays the ball off to the edge of the box! Sneijder charges onto the loose ball!]
[Long-range shoooot!]
[Goal! Sneijder scores Real Madrid's second after an assist from Ho-young! Incredible. Ho-young, how many aerial duels has he won today?]
[We wondered, and once again, Ho-young shows us something new.]
Today, there was no doubt about who ruled the air.
And it was not just headers.
Whenever he saw an opening, Ho-young cut through the heavy rain with powerful runs, creating one or two clear chances through off-the-ball movement with Van Nistelrooy.
As the wet grass made the ball move faster, the passing tempo increased, and the match grew more intense.
Then, in the 62nd minute.
'That's it for today.'
Ho-young saw Schuster signaling for a substitution.
[Higuain comes on as Ho-young leaves the pitch.]
[The home fans are giving Ho-young a standing ovation.]
A wave of applause poured down.
With two assists in 62 minutes, Ho-young received unreserved praise from the crowd.
At that moment, in a corner of the away section, one man watched the match with an anxious expression.
Fernando Alonso.
Atletico Madrid's match analyst, he could not hide his shock at Real Madrid's performance, their next opponent.
And above all, Ho-young.
He was already familiar with players like Van Nistelrooy, Robben, and Sneijder, but he did not have much detailed information on Ho-young.
No, he had thought he did.
But after watching today's match, that assumption collapsed.
'Damn it. How am I supposed to deal with this?'
Real Madrid, home to some of the world's best youth talents.
This season, they were simply too strong.
He needed to come up with countermeasures as soon as possible.
The following day, Monday afternoon, October 6th, Majadahonda.
About a 30-minute bus ride from central Madrid, this area was a clean and quiet upscale residential town, far removed from the city's bustle.
Yet even in this peaceful place, there was one spot crowded with people.
Ciudad Deportiva Atletico de Madrid.
Atletico Madrid's training ground, where reporters gathered the day after every league match.
Training was about to begin, and the area was crowded.
On one side, coaching staff in red polo shirts poured out of the parking lot and headed toward the training pitch.
And at the center of it all.
As a man stepped out of a black luxury sedan, the reporters who had been waiting eagerly rushed toward him.
(To be continued.)