Chapter 3

"Really, you came at the right time."

"But, did I appear in the newspaper?"

I played it cool.

This was the first time in my life that I graced the front page of a sports newspaper.

It was that significant; the sudden selection of me and Lee Dong-gyun was groundbreaking.

"Look at this. You're on the front page! How amazing is it that a high school student was selected for the World Cup team!? It's like being picked by Pelé or Maradona."

"You know a lot about soccer, Doctor."

"I'm a complete soccer fan!"

Kim Seung-jin switched between informal and formal speech, excited.

"K League?"

"Not really. I watch European soccer. Especially the EPL! Arsène Wenger's Arsenal is just~ amazing. It's art."

"You use such words, Doctor?"

"Talking with a World Cup representative and about soccer, I got carried away without realizing it. It's a real honor for a soccer fan. To treat a player who will become a pillar of future Korean soccer! Hahaha."

Kim Seung-jin really seemed happy.

Later, his hearty demeanor would give a lot of strength to injured players who felt down.

I waited for the right moment and then got to the point.

The real reason I came here.

"Doctor, can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure, anything."

"I need you to make a call."

"Where?"

When he heard where I wanted him to call, Kim Seung-jin was taken aback.

But he quickly regained his professional composure.

"Ah, there? Hmm... Right. You must have come to me because you were in pain and needed an examination. I got too excited without thinking. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay."

"Really, it's a very cool judgment. It wouldn't have been easy to make such a decision in this situation..."

"I thought about it a lot last night. That's why I came to see the best specialist in the country."

"What are you saying! I'm far from that."

The nurse came in with the test results.

Kim Seung-jin checked the X-rays and charts with a sharp eye and then began to explain to me.

"Jae-woo, the pain you felt is in this spot. As you can see, the ligament damage is progressing from here. It won't tear immediately, but if left untreated, it will eventually lead to a serious injury."

"What should I do?"

"You need to avoid intense exercise for at least three months and do knee rehabilitation exercises."

"Wouldn't surgery help me recover faster?"

Kim Seung-jin shook his head and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Once an athlete starts cutting into their body, their career lifespan shortens rapidly. Surgery is only done in the worst-case scenarios. You're young and have a lot of recovery potential. If you do the rehabilitation diligently, you can make a perfect comeback."

"I see."

I had only mentioned surgery to gauge his response.

I knew that Kim Seung-jin, a rehabilitation specialist, was against surgery.

"Really, you came at the right time, Jae-woo. Can I call you that?"

"Of course, call me however you like."

In the past, I would have hesitated and stammered, but I answered without hesitation, with a look of admiration.

"There's such a thing as fate. I feel like our meeting is destiny."

"Me too."

"I'll take full responsibility for getting you back to perfect health. Trust me and follow me."

"Thank you, Doctor."

Of course, this wasn't a coincidence or fate.

I came here because I knew his skills and his future, to get my body treated and to build connections.

It doesn't hurt anyone that Kim Seung-jin feels this is fate.

We can benefit each other.

Kim Seung-jin called the soccer association directly, explained his diagnosis, and conveyed that I couldn't participate.

He offered to send photos and a diagnosis report if needed.

If I had called myself and said I was injured, it wouldn't have been so simple.

Since he's a titled person, they couldn't argue with him.

That's how the world works.

After a few exchanges, the call ended.

"It went well."

"Thank you, Doctor."

But that wasn't the end.

I called a number I had prepared in advance.

The 1998 World Cup Korean national team coach.

The most beloved man in Korea right now.

"Coach, this is Kim Jae-woo."

"Oh, that's right. Jae-woo. How are you?"

"Thanks to you, I'm doing well."

Coach Cha Bum-jin had visited once during the spring tournament last month and seemed to have a good impression of me.

I politely informed the coach that I was at the hospital and couldn't join the team due to a knee injury.

"Oh... I see. Did you tell the association?"

"Yes, the doctor who examined me contacted them."

It's a subtle matter, but handling it properly prevents unnecessary enemies and complications.

As a human, Coach Cha Bum-jin would have been upset if he had heard about my condition through the association.

Coach Cha Bum-jin left a few kind words and ended the call.

I felt a pang of sadness.

The man now called a national hero will, in three months, become a national villain, returning to Korea like a sinner without completing the World Cup.

He will become the scapegoat for the Korean Football Association, taking all the blame for the World Cup failure and being crucified.

'If I were the coach, I would have naturalized in Germany long ago.'

Despite the unjust humiliation, he didn't make a single excuse.

Knowing the future, I wanted to give the coach some way to survive, but even Johan Cruyff or Pep Guardiola as coaches wouldn't have made a difference with the players available at the time.

"Did you just talk to Coach Cha Bum-jin...?"

"Yes. Should I have let you take the call?"

"No! What are you talking about! I would have been too nervous to say anything."

"Really?"

"Of course! He was the real deal. A hero in the Bundesliga, still revered as a legend in Germany. Only Koreans don't know much about him."

Indeed, he's a proper person.

Looking around Kim Seung-jin's office, it was filled with sports newspapers and various overseas soccer magazines, making it seem like it wasn't a doctor's office at all.

"Doctor, do you know German?"

"Yeah. I can't speak it well, but I can read and write. But I'm better at English. I did my Ph.D. in the U.S."

"I see..."

"Why?"

"... I want to learn a foreign language."

Kim Seung-jin was overjoyed at my words and said, "I've never met a soccer player as aware as you," and immediately called a language school to connect me.

"A friend from the same soccer club in college. He's a complete goofball but a top-notch teacher. He's so excited to hear your name that he's insisting on sending you right away. Right away."

"Really? Did you play soccer in college, Doctor?"

"Of course. You know the legendary S University soccer team? We never won a single official match in four years. But everyone had the highest passion for soccer. Hahaha."

We talked about various things, losing track of time.

Kim Seung-jin treated me like a younger brother, postponed his work, and even drove me to Gangnam. I felt a deep bond forming from the first day.

At the center of this bond was [soccer].

When I arrived at Gangnam Station and went to the address Kim Seung-jin gave me, I found a language school building.

The name alone exuded the vibe of a hardcore soccer fan.

When I took the elevator up, I saw a FC Barcelona jersey with Cruyf's signature displayed at the entrance.

"Welcome! Kim Jae-woo!"

"Hello."

"I'm Kevin Kim."

A tanned man with yellow-dyed hair, looking like a punk, but he had graduated from S University's English department.

It was hard to believe.

"I heard about you. It's an honor to meet you."

"No, it's not."

"But you want to learn a foreign language?"

"Yes."

"Great idea! Koreans don't know, but soccer is already a global business. With the right skills, you can earn money in any league in the world. But what's the problem? Language."

"I see."

"Once you overcome the language barrier, you can get more opportunities in your career. K League salaries are terrible, and with the IMF, clubs are getting even tighter."

Just a few exchanges were enough to gauge Kevin Kim's expertise.

In 1998 Korea, there were almost no people in the soccer world with such a broad perspective.

"Haha. I talked too much on our first meeting."

"No, it was really good advice."

"Then... which language do you want to learn? English? Spanish? Italian? German?"

"First... I want to learn Japanese."

"Japanese!?"

Kevin Kim's face contorted and then relaxed.

"Great idea! Jae-woo! With the won's value plummeting, earning yen is relatively more profitable."

"Exactly. I want to learn Japanese first, then English, and then Spanish..."

"Jae-woo..."

Kevin Kim smiled and clapped, delighted.

"You're a greedy one! I really like it! It's a great plan, like a real pro. I think I understand what you're thinking."

"Please help me, Teacher."

Kevin Kim immediately called the Japanese language school on the lower floor of the building.

He personally contacted the best teacher to give me Japanese lessons and arranged for me to take English lessons at his school.

"Right now, the internet is spreading globally."

"Yes."

"When the world is connected by the internet, the soccer business will evolve."

"I see."

"When all the leagues are connected by the internet, they will earn a lot of money from broadcasting rights. Later, an era of buying and selling players online will open."

Kevin Kim was eerily accurate in his predictions.

"Then, what will happen to the soccer world?"

"Hmm..."

"Do you know about the Bosman ruling?"

"... No."

How could I not know?

I almost lost my career due to the K League's draft system.

But it's better to pretend I don't know at this point.

"In simple terms, it's a strong regulation protecting players' rights in European soccer leagues. It's changing the European soccer business."

"Really? How?"

"It's causing transfer fees to skyrocket. With the internet, this trend will intensify. It's like pouring oil on the fire. Because the soccer market will become global. Players' values could rise tenfold, fiftyfold, or even a hundredfold."

Kevin Kim pointed at me confidently after finishing his explanation.

What is this guy?