It had already been an hour since Ho-young started playing with the other kids.
"You've really got so skills, huh?"
Cha Du-ri walked off the pitch and gave Ho-young a pat on the shoulder.
"You remind of Ryong."
"Ryong? Who's that?"
"Oh, there's this kid. Ki Sung-yueng. I raised him."
No way. That Ki Sung-yueng?
The one who would later go on to play in the Premier League?
'This guy raised Ki Sung-yueng? Wasn't it Cha Bum-kun?'
Well, sa difference.
Now that he thought about it, he rembered reading sothing similar in Cha Bum-kun's autobiography.
Before sending Ki Sung-yueng to study abroad in Australia, he had treated him like a real son, even having him live with his actual son.
'In that process, he must've learned football from Cha Du-ri.'
Ho-young was once again reminded of the football royalty he was standing in front of.
When they stepped into the lounge, Lee Sang-woon spoke up.
"How's your body feeling?"
"Feels good. Brings back mories."
"That's how it should be. A footballer has to work it out on the pitch. But weren't you supposed to run an errand for your dad?"
"Haha. He's not ho right now anyway. By the way, has he seen Ho-young yet?"
"Not yet. He said he'd take a look when he visits next ti."
"Haha. Watch him bring the kid ho and raise him again."
Cha Du-ri turned to Ho-young.
"Hey. You planning to beco a footballer?"
"Yes! Absolutely!!"
"Heh. My dad took Ryong in when he was just about your age."
"Then please take in too!"
"Huh?"
Ho-young just blurted it out without thinking.
Realistically, there was no way he could complete 500 minutes of leg workouts with soone he'd just t.
Even if Cha Du-ri was known for liking kids, this was a near-impossible ask.
But it wasn't entirely out of the question.
It was all or nothing.
"I want to learn football from you too, just like Ki Sung-yueng did!"
"You've got Coach Lee Sang-woon already, don't you?"
"Hehe. Then maybe you can teach sothing different from what Coach Lee teaches? I want to beco a great footballer like you and play alongside you soday!"
He was desperate.
A Unique-grade talent might never co around again, so he kept pleading and begging.
With a face made of titanium.
But could sothing like this work under normal circumstances?
"If you're that good, my dad will pick you up himself. Don't take it the wrong way, just keep working hard."
"Then can I visit your place from ti to ti?"
"I'm busy, kid. And your parents would worry."
'Figures. I knew it.'
Ho-young swallowed his disappointnt.
It was only natural to get turned down.
Still, as his dejection beca more visible, Cha Du-ri asked,
"Where do you live?"
"I live in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do!"
"Anyang? Hmm."
For so reason, Cha Du-ri's lips curled slightly.
"I feel so sorry..."
After much pleading, practically on the verge of tears and ready to bow down, Ho-young finally got permission from Kim Hee-sun.
"This already feels like I'm imposing..."
"Haha. Don't worry about it. I like kids who are good at football. My dad used to bring little kids ho all the ti. And it's just an hour a day. Our houses are close anyway. We'll just jog together in the evenings."
"Uh... where do you live?"
"My family ho's in Jongno, but I'm currently staying in Anyang with a close friend."
That close friend was Lee Young-pyo, the K League trickster who played for Anyang Cheetahs, though Ho-young didn't know that.
Anyway, the important thing was that he got a chance to train with him.
The next day.
Ho-young t up with Cha Du-ri and followed him around without complaint.
'I really am being a burden.'
He promised himself to repay this kindness soday.
Determined, Ho-young followed Cha Du-ri and diligently did leg workouts.
As a result, he managed to et both Condition 1 and Condition 2 within a week.
[Select the talent you wish to obtain.]
- Chaminator's Run and Drive (U)
- Legs Faster than a Pass (A-)
- Iron Body (B )
'Feels like I got this U-rank talent easier than expected.'
Now, which one to choose? Ho-young paused for a mont, then realized there was no reason to hesitate.
'Is that even a question?'
Of course it had to be the Run and Drive.
Legs Faster than a Pass was tempting, but the Run and Drive was rarer and more valuable.
Cha Du-ri's explosive bursts when pushing the ball forward were astonishing. People who hadn't seen it in person didn't really understand how fast he was.
It was so extre that so said his legs were faster than the ball, ssing up his balance.
'There's a reason it's classified as Unique.'
Ho-young selected it without hesitation.
[It will take 30 days to fully acquire this talent. You cannot pursue any other talent during this ti.]
'Huh. That's a first.'
The level was clearly too high to acquire imdiately.
Like digesting a heavy al, it would take ti.
'So that ans I won't be able to use Chaminator's Run and Drive for another 30 days.'
Well, it didn't matter.
There weren't any big competitions in the anti anyway. He'd get it eventually.
That was good enough for Ho-young.
He even gained a priceless connection that couldn't be bought with money.
'This is what it ans to walk the path of a footballer!'
Step by step.
He truly felt like he was getting closer to becoming a real footballer.
Amid the routine of training and filming, ti passed quickly.
In mid-November, one of the mbers of Country Kkokko, who was coaching FC Shoot Dori, was indicted by prosecutors on gambling charges.
Despite that, Kick It, Shoot Dori continued breaking viewership records each week, enjoying a wave of success.
anwhile, over in the English Premier League, a 16-year-old debutant at Everton made waves back ho with one iconic line.
Just this one sentence:
"Rember the na, Wayne Rooney."
In 2002, following Cristiano Ronaldo, another star player had erged.
Watching Wayne Rooney's debut, Ho-young continued to dream.
And then ca December 11.
Today's filming location at Paju NFC was more solemn and tense than usual.
Not only were broadcasting staff present, but also the head of the Korea Football Association's Youth Strategy Division and accredited sports journalists.
Ho-young, too, was visibly tense.
Woo Hwang-sun, who had taken a day off work, clenched his right fist tightly.
"My son! No need to be nervous. Those kids may be taller, but you're better at football, right?"
"Of course. I'll definitely win."
"Haha! That's my boy! Let's go!"
Today's opponent for the 9th episode recording was none other than a foreign team.
They had known about the schedule two weeks in advance, but seeing it unfold in real ti made the tension twice as heavy.
[Player Ho-young has been showing much sharper movent lately. Wouldn't you agree, Comntator Kim Byung-jin?]
[Absolutely. While there are concerns being voiced here and there, saying he's overhyped or not, I can confidently say otherwise.]
[Why is that?]
[Because I know him well.]
[Haha. Are you trying to build connections with a future football star early on?]
[Hey, co on. Didn't you do the sa, Caster Choi Seong-don? I saw you giving him pocket money.]
[Hahaha! Viewers are going to get the wrong idea. Anyway, let's take a look at today's match. FC Shoot Dori is desperate for their first win. Will they be able to pull it off today? This might be their biggest challenge yet. Today's opponent is São Paulo FC, the Brazilian club that has produced countless football legends!]
A prestigious traditional club from Brazil, ho to legends like Didi, Leonardo, Cafu, and Rivaldo.
Their U13 youth team had co to Korea during the Christmas break.
Of course, playing against Shoot Dori wasn't the main reason for their visit.
From December 18 to 24, the 2002 U13 World Youth Football Tournant, co-hosted by the Korea Football Association and MBS, would take place over six days.
São Paulo FC was participating as Brazil's representative, and while in Korea, they agreed to play a friendly match against FC Shoot Dori at the organizers' request.
For Producer Choi, this was a golden chance to finally break the 15% viewership barrier.
'Co on. Give another miracle! I'm counting on you!'
Choi's eyes focused on Ho-young.
Ho-young stood still, deep in thought, nerves creeping in.
'Can we win?'
Shoot Dori had been steadily improving with regular training, but realistically, beating São Paulo FC was impossible.
Aside from age, there was already a height difference of 10 to 20 cm.
But the real reason for Ho-young's nerves was sothing else.
It was the boy juggling a ball just ahead, warming up.
Bronzed skin, black curly hair, thick lips. He looked incredibly similar to soone he knew.
And when he saw the na on the back of the jersey, he was 100% sure.
A boy who would one day beco the starting left winger for Juventus.
"Hey! Duggie! Coach said if you score 10 goals today, he'll take us to Korea's Disneyland!"
"Really? Yahoo!"
Anyone who followed international football would recognize his na.
[Douglas Costa]
[Possessed Talents: Football Prodigy (B ), Legs Faster than a Lamborghini (A), Inconsistent Genius (C )]
(You can obtain one talent by eting the required condition.)
(Condition 1: Stop him from scoring)
(Condition 2: Win in a speed competition)
'Now that's tempting.'
Ho-young licked his lips.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ I'll be dropping two bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)
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