LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 41
Nuri Sahin was diagnosed with a partial tear in the ligament on the inner side of his right knee, requiring at least six weeks of recovery time.
With only four matches left in the Bundesliga, he has effectively been ruled out for the season.
[Dortmund, the worst crisis? Neither Kagawa Shinji nor Nuri Sahin is here!]
Although Dortmund’s squad has been plagued with injuries towards the end of the match, the atmosphere was not particularly somber.
With just one point needed from the remaining four matches to secure the league title, the players focused on training while the coach and staff fine-tuned their strategies.
“Now, what position do you think is best for Jinho?”
“Shouldn’t we assign him to the role that Nuri Sahin played? He performed well in that position in the last match.”
“I disagree. Considering his attacking talents, I think he’s better fit for Kagawa’s position…!”
“But in Kagawa’s spot, we have Roberto, right? Plus, we have to think about next year; Nuri’s agent is already in talks with Real Madrid!”
Perhaps it’s because a replacement with even more talent than the two has emerged.
“Alright, let’s field Jinho in Nuri Sahin’s position for now. That spot is more urgent.”
Klopp raised his hand to calm the arguing coaches and looked at them with an intrigued expression. No one on Dortmund’s coaching staff objected to Son Jinho’s starting position.
Taking advantage of the injuries, Son Jinho was quickly gaining traction at Dortmund.
*
Meanwhile, Son Jinho was beginning to make a name for himself not only in Korea and Germany but also in Japan.
Thanks to Kagawa Shinji’s ace-level performance at Dortmund, a considerable number of Japanese fans started following the team.
Naturally, they were captivated by Son Jinho’s play as he made substitute appearances.
[Hey, who is this prince? Totally my style (○´ ་།｀)ﾉ]
└ Beach girl…! Now she’s trying to spread her legs for a Korean!
└ But he’s just too handsome, right? (´∀`)
└ It’s all about his face wwww
└ If he signs a pro contract, he’ll make a lot of money….
└ C’mon!!!! He’s totally taken!!!
└ What about the girlfriend? He shouldn’t have one!
└ A promising player shouldn’t have a girlfriend!! Shave your head and focus on football!!!
[Shocking! Son has a Kanojo (girlfriend)!]
└ No way! His girlfriend is super cute~~
└ Hey~! She’s even his childhood friend!
└ It was my dream to marry Son, should I give up now?
└ How about looking in the mirror first? Are you prettier or have bigger breasts than Son’s girlfriend?
└ Ugh! I totally lost! (◞ ‸ ◟ㆀ)
└ Um… I’m a Korean studying in Japan, want to date me?
└ Huh? 〣( ºΔº )〣 I don’t like you because you’re ugly
└ …What a rude girl!
└ Hey, are you just gonna insult me like that? wwwww
[But is there really a reason to hate Son? According to Kagawa Shinji’s interview, they are close.]
└ Right! I saw that interview too! I don’t like the Korean national football team, but I hope Jinho does well.
└ I’m not hating on Son just because he’s Korean.
└ Huh? Then why are you hating?
└ It’s because he’s a real-chung! Die, real-chung!!!
└ www So this is what jealousy looks like www
└ wwwww This is so ugly
And those posts naturally got translated and spread throughout the Korean community.
“Hey, check this out! It’s the Japanese response to Son Jinho!”
“…It was only posted a minute ago. Gyeouri, are you just browsing community sites all day?”
“No! I was studying and got tired, so I took a quick look!”
It was only a matter of time before the news reached Son Jinho.
*
April 23, 2011.
Today was the day of the match against Mönchengladbach, a team in relegation danger. We headed to Borussia Park, Mönchengladbach’s home ground, to play our away game.
Dortmund aimed to secure the league title while Mönchengladbach needed a win to avoid relegation.
As the season approached its end, facing off against teams fighting relegation turned out to be more daunting than facing mid-table opponents.
The clear and easily understandable motivation of preventing a team’s relegation often brought teams together, especially when there were serious conflicts like unpaid wages.
I sensed that it was going to be a tough match as I looked at the Mönchengladbach home fans filling the stadium despite their relegation worries.
“Jinho! You okay?”
“Huh? What’s up?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Mario Götze approached me and, upon seeing my puzzled expression, awkwardly walked away.
Since three days ago, Jürgen Klopp and the starting players had been repeatedly telling me to ignore the media.
It seemed there was quite a buzz regarding my starting position.
[Dortmund obsessed with Asian marketing? Loading undue pressure on a 16-year-old boy.]
[Record breaker Son Jinho, this time shattering the record for the youngest starter!]
└ Isn’t this too early? He did well in the last two games, but he’s still a promising player. I feel like the club is overly focused on Asian marketing lately.
└ Could it be because you’re a Neo-Nazi?
└ If Nuri is the key guy behind the league title, then Kagawa is second; that’s an undeniable fact.
└ What about Kloppo?
└ Klopp is solidly at 0.
While I was checking what articles were out, Klopp entered the locker room and looked at me with a smile. He seemed concerned I might be nervous about my first start.
When I gave a thumbs-up to indicate my good condition, Klopp nodded and began his locker room speech.
“It’s been five years! While Dortmund went through the worst crisis of financial bankruptcy, our loyal fans came here to support and cheer us on at Borussia Park in hopes of our victory!”
The players stood up, linking arms, gazing at Klopp passionately as he spoke.
“Let’s go! Let’s secure our victory in front of our proud fans! Heja!!!”
“BVB!!”
With a determination like steel, we headed to the pitch with somber expressions.
[Marcooo Rois!!! Mönchengladbach’s young star leads the team to victory!]
We lost pitifully.
Even with Marco Reus’s explosive performance pulling Mönchengladbach away from the relegation zone,
[Ah… Dortmund hits the post again. The match isn’t going well.]
[It seems like the football gods are smiling upon Mönchengladbach.]
Overall, Dortmund didn’t have much luck. There were incorrect calls and several missed chances hitting the goalpost, leading to our downfall.
Dortmund’s young players could have found their spirits down due to the unfortunate loss.
“…Hmm. I guess lifting the Meisterschale in front of the home fans would be impressive?”
Klopp’s light-hearted change of tone brought laughter to the players, instantly reviving the previously somber atmosphere.
Klopp’s big brother-like leadership created a good synergy with the easily influenced young players.
*
[Mönchengladbach beats Dortmund 1-0!]
[Son Jinho fails to earn attacking points in his first starting match.]
└ Has the bubble finally burst?
└ There was certainly a tendency to overrate him as an Asian.
└ Chill, Jinho is only 16. He’s already performing fantastically! What’s the problem?
└ I think these guys didn’t watch the match. Honestly, Jinho gave close to a double-digit number of key passes during that game!
└ The second guy is that Neo-Nazi from before? Still alive, huh? Such a waste of oxygen!
└ Fick! I am not a Neo-Nazi!
└ Just look at the things you say. Most of them are racially offensive.
└ Schweinehund!
└ You throw insults because you don’t have anything else to say.
└ Friends, let me share some life wisdom: don’t talk to idiots like him.
└ Personally, I wonder if it would have been better to use Jinho a bit more offensively.
└ The forwards didn’t finish well; this isn’t Jinho’s fault.
└ Lucas’s condition hasn’t improved since his injury, that’s the main issue.
[Leverkusen, with victory in hand, refuses to give up on their dream of winning! “We’ll do our best until the end.”]
*
Defeat is truly bitter.
Despite experiencing countless losses in my last life, feeling down is unavoidable.
“Are you feeling any better now?”
Gyeouri quietly approached and hugged me, as if she understood my feelings.
Come to think of it, she used to do this every time before she tragically left this world.
She would always comfort me when I was angry or sad after a loss.
Back then, I didn’t think about it at all… but having lost her, I came to appreciate her so much.
“Yeah… Thank you.”
At my sudden expression of gratitude, Gyeouri’s eyes widened.
And a gentle smile spread across her lips.
Just as I was about to carefully kiss her lips, Han Gyeouri blurted out a mood-ruining comment.
“Jinho, I saw something funny on the community again!”
I really wish she would cut down a bit on those community sites.
*
April 30, 2011.
Though I couldn’t save the team from defeat in my first starting match, I was determined to secure victory in my first home match, no matter what.
Well… if all I wanted was to win, I could park the bus and settle for a draw.
But that would be a bit beneath my pride.
And it seems our Kloppo has the same idea as me.
“It’s finally time to triumphantly lift the Meisterschale in front of our home fans. Let’s keep it clean and win!”
As Jürgen Klopp spoke, some players recalled last year’s fiasco and broke into laughter.
They say laughter is contagious.
Instantly, smiles appeared on the faces of the other players and the tension in their bodies began to ease.
“Let’s go! You idiots!”
As we walked through the player entrance tunnel onto the pitch.
“Die Menschen im Schwarz und Gelben Ruhrgebiet. (The black and yellow people of the Ruhr area)”
The wave of black and yellow filling the stadium swelled.
“Werden immer stolz an deiner Seite sein. (We will always be by your side)”