Man of the Match

Not long after Cha Kangmin's dramatic equalizer off Kim Hanbin's assist, the referee's whistle sounded to bring the match to an end.

Final score: three apiece. A hard-earned draw, wrestled back from a numerical disadvantage and a three-goal deficit.

The moment the match ended, Suwon World Cup Stadium erupted in cheers all over again.

The Suwon supporters were in a frenzy, as if the team had actually won, chanting the club's name over and over until the stadium rang with their roar.

"Suwon! Suwon! Suwon!"

Out on the pitch, the Suwon players, who had run themselves ragged for the entire second half, collapsed where they stood at the sound of the whistle — some slumping to the grass, others flopping flat on their backs.

They looked utterly drained, every last ounce of energy spent, but their faces wore expressions of pure relief and satisfaction.

The supporters showered them with generous applause and encouragement.

"Well played!"

"You never gave up till the end! That was the best!"

Having caught their breath for a moment, the Suwon players rose one by one to shake hands and exchange greetings with the Gangwon FC players, who had fought every bit as hard.

That was when Gangwon's defender, Song Minjun, walked over to Cha Kangmin. His face was full of curiosity about one particular player.

"Hey, Kangmin. Good game out there. But who's that number 50? Never seen his face before, and he was no ordinary rookie."

Song Minjun jerked his chin toward Kim Hanbin, who was chatting with teammates a short distance away.

Cha Kangmin grinned at him.

"Ah, Hanbin? He's our secret weapon, hyung-nim. Kuk kuk. You'll be seeing a lot more of him from now on."

At that, Song Minjun let out an awkward chuckle. "Huh. Secret weapon, eh..."

Just then, Kim Hanbin came over to greet them.

"Kangmin-hyung, great work out there!"

"Hey, Hanbin, you too! Man, you really made your debut count today!"

Cha Kangmin clapped Kim Hanbin on the shoulder in praise, then introduced the man standing beside him.

"Hey, Hanbin. Say hello. This is Song Minjun-hyung of Gangwon FC. A real veteran with deep roots in the K League."

"Yes, it's an honor to meet you! I'm Kim Hanbin!"

Kim Hanbin bowed politely at the waist, and Song Minjun nodded back and offered his hand.

"Hey, good. You're good, kid. Especially that free kick... you really struck it well."

"Thank you, sunbae-nim."

With that, Song Minjun moved off to exchange greetings with the other players.

Once he was gone, Kim Hanbin quietly asked Cha Kangmin, "Hyung, about earlier, when I bumped into that sunbae... honestly, I did a bit of Hollywood acting. I was trying to draw a foul. But he didn't say a word about it? He seemed absolutely furious during the match."

It seemed the earlier incident had been weighing on Kim Hanbin's mind. Cha Kangmin snorted with amusement at the sight of him.

"That hyung's always clean ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠about stuff like that. He's the type to end things on the pitch. Once the match is over, no matter how hard you went at each other, he lets it go without any grudge. So don't worry about it."

"Ah... I see."

Only then did the relief show on Kim Hanbin's face.

He was chatting with Cha Kangmin on the way to the locker room when, all of a sudden, a roar of waaaaah! went up behind them and a torrent of ice-cold water came crashing down.

"YAAAGH!"

Kim Hanbin spun around in shock. His teammates had come swarming up with ice boxes and buckets full of water, drenching him without mercy.

"Hey! Kim Hanbin!!"

"You carried us today!!"

"Multi-goal on your debut! Plus the assist on the dramatic equalizer!"

The players whooped and hollered as they surrounded Kim Hanbin and doused him in a water baptism.

In an instant he was soaked from head to toe, but he didn't mind one bit.

If anything, it was exhilarating.

Kim Hanbin burst out laughing and shouted, "Come on, we didn't even win! It's a draw — why are you guys like this?"

But his protest was drowned out by his teammates' even louder cheering.

Just as the frenzied water-throwing and cheering began to die down, a K League official hurried over to Kim Hanbin, who was drenched in sweat and water.

"Player Kim Hanbin!"

"Yes?"

"You need to come for your interview right now. The broadcasters are waiting."

"Me? An interview with me?"

Kim Hanbin asked back, flustered.

The official smiled warmly at him.

"Haha, if not you, Mr. Hanbin, who's giving the interview today? You're the man of the match. Come on, hurry along."

At the official's words, Kim Hanbin set off after him.

The interview zone set up at one end of the pitch was already equipped with cameras and an advertising backdrop, and an announcer stood waiting with a microphone in hand.

"Ah, Player Kim Hanbin! Over here!"

The announcer welcomed him warmly. Kim Hanbin shuffled awkwardly into position in front of the camera and accepted the microphone the announcer held out.

"All right, if you're ready, we'll begin."

At the camera director's signal, the interview began.

"Yes, we're here today with the hero of this dramatic draw — Suwon Blue Sky's rookie forward, Kim Hanbin! Hello there, Mr. Kim Hanbin!"

"Hello, yes."

"What an incredible performance in your K League debut today! An unbelievable kick-off goal and a free kick for a multi-goal night, and then the assist on that dramatic late equalizer! Could you share your thoughts on today's match?"

At the announcer's excited voice, Kim Hanbin took a breath and began.

"Uh... well, first of all, the team was in a really difficult position today, but we fought without giving up and managed to take a precious point, so I'm truly happy about that. And... I'd also like to say thank you to our manager Kim Seongcheol and the coaching staff of Suwon for believing in me and putting me on the pitch, and to my teammates who fought alongside me."

"Yes, your debut goal especially was so shocking because it came the instant the ball was kicked off — a shot from that distance. What was going through your mind when you attempted something that bold?"

"Uh... well, we were down 3-0 at the end of the first half, so going into the second half, all I could think about was somehow closing the gap as fast as possible. At kick-off I noticed their goalkeeper was standing a bit off his line, communicating with his coaching staff, so I decided to just go for it and shoot... I guess I got lucky. Haha."

Kim Hanbin answered with a sheepish laugh.

"Ah~ so that's the story behind it! What an incredible goal. We look forward to seeing much more of you in the K League. Thank you for the interview today, Mr. Kim Hanbin!"

"Thank you very much."

"This has been Kim Hanbin of Suwon Blue Sky!"

With the announcer's closing remarks, the interview came to an end. The camera director gave the OK sign, and the surrounding staff began busily packing up the equipment.

The announcer came over to Kim Hanbin and offered a handshake.

"Mr. Kim, I really enjoyed watching you today. I thought we were headed for a painfully hollow first half, but from the second half on, I was on the edge of my seat!"

"Ah, thank you so much!"

"See you next time."

After a brief exchange of farewells, the announcer and the broadcast team packed up and left.

Only then did Hanbin feel the tension drain out of him, and he let out a long breath.

Interviews... are more nerve-wracking than I expected?

He touched the uniform, still damp with sweat and water, and made his way to the locker room.

The moment Kim Hanbin pushed open the locker room door, every gaze inside — the teammates mid-change or just stepping out of the showers — swung toward him.

The first to approach were Manager Kim Seongcheol and the coaching staff. The manager gave Hanbin's shoulder several firm pats.

"Hanbin, you were brilliant today. You did something truly special for us."

The head coach and the other coaches were just as generous with their praise — great work, absolutely outstanding.

"It was nothing. It's all thanks to every member of the team running their hearts out."

Kim Hanbin bowed his head, embarrassed.

Manager Kim walked to the center of the locker room and addressed the whole squad. His voice carried both pride and gratitude for his players.

"Today was a truly hard match. But all of you fought to the very end without giving up — even in that desperate situation, you refused to quit and fought your way back here. I want to say thank you. Truly."

The manager paused for a breath, then continued, looking at Kim Hanbin.

"And especially our new boy, Hanbin — he did something enormous for us today. Let's give him a hand, everyone!"

Hot applause and cheers erupted from the players.

"It was nothing, Manager. I just got lucky."

"No need to be humble. In any case, we didn't take the win today, but pulling a precious point out of a situation that dire — to me, that matters more than anything. We ride this momentum straight into next week's match and take it! Understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

The players' thunderous answer rang through the locker room.

"Good! Rest up tonight — see you at training tomorrow! Dismissed!"

With the manager's words, the players began gathering their things and dispersing.

Then the athletic senior defender — the one sent off with an own goal in the first half — approached Kim Hanbin with a crestfallen face.

"Hanbin..."

"Yes, sunbae-nim?"

"Really... thank you. Truly. Because of you, I can hold my head up today. I was a complete burden on the team today, and..."

His face was full of genuine remorse and gratitude. He held out to Kim Hanbin a fairly large tub he had been carrying.

"I don't really have anything else to give you right now, so... please, take this at least."

"What is this, sunbae-nim?"

When Kim Hanbin asked, puzzled, the senior laughed awkwardly.

"This is my most treasured supplement... it's really good stuff. Imported straight from the States. Anyway... thank you. Truly, for today."

"Ah, you don't have to, sunbae-nim. This is really too much..."

As Kim Hanbin tried to decline, the senior pressed the tub into his hands.

"Hey, punk. If you don't take this, what does that make me? I'm just genuinely grateful for today. Just take it."

Faced with such sincerity, Kim Hanbin couldn't bring himself to refuse any further and nodded.

"...All right, sunbae-nim. Then I'll gratefully take it."

And so the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠locker room meeting wrapped up, and the players, fresh from their showers, began boarding the team bus one by one.

Kim Hanbin was about to climb aboard when a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Hey! Kim Hanbin!"

He turned to find Cha Kangmin, already changed into civilian clothes, grinning and jingling his car keys.

"Hanbin! Over here! Get in! We're going for hanwoo beef!"

"Huh? Right now? Shouldn't we be taking this bus to the clubhouse?"

When Kim Hanbin asked, bewildered, Cha Kangmin waved him off.

"Ah, forget it! Get in!"

Kim Hanbin hesitated for a moment, but under Cha Kangmin's urging he gave in and climbed into the passenger seat of his car.

Kangmin's car wasn't as flashy as Enzo's sports car, but it was a black imported sedan that looked unmistakably premium to any eye. The interior, too, carried a clean, upscale leather scent.

"Whoa, hyung. Isn't this car amazing? How much did this cost?"

When Kim Hanbin asked in admiration, Cha Kangmin shrugged his shoulders smugly.

"More than a hundred million, easy. Hey, your hyung's not exactly broke, you know. I should at least drive something like this."

"Whoa... how much is your salary, hyung?"

At Kim Hanbin's innocent, curiosity-driven question, Cha Kangmin grinned and answered.

"Over a billion won, kid. Hey, your hyung didn't make national team for nothing, did he?"

As Hanbin marveled, fiddling with the car's fittings, Cha Kangmin watched him and muttered almost to himself.

"The way I see it, Hanbin, you'll be driving cars like this soon enough. No — something far better than this..."

A little later, as the car glided onto the road, Hanbin asked carefully.

"Hyung... is it really okay for just the two of us to slip off like this? The other players are all taking the bus to the clubhouse..."

As a newcomer who had only just joined the team, breaking away from the group activity quietly bothered his conscience.

But Cha Kangmin just laughed it off.

"Hey, punk, relax. I'm doing this on purpose — to light a fire under the other guys. The guy who put in an MVP performance today, and the captain is treating him on his own dime — what are they gonna do about it? If they're jealous, they can go play better themselves."

His words carried the confidence of a team captain.

"Anyway, you were brilliant today, Hanbin. Thanks to you, the team avoided the worst. Now all those punks whining about your career record or 'nepotism signing' or whatever will finally shut up. Kukhukhu."

Cha Kangmin laughed his kukhukhu laugh, delighted with himself.

Kim Hanbin left Cha Kangmin to his private celebration and quietly took out his phone. He logged onto the Suwon Blue Sky gallery. It had been about an hour since the match ended.

He was curious how the fans were reacting.

The further down Kim Hanbin scrolled, the more the corners of his mouth lifted on their own.

A place that had been filled with criticism and mockery mere days ago was now transformed into a flood of praise and expectation.

Beside him, Cha Kangmin glanced over at him from the driver's seat and asked, "Hey, what are you looking at that's got you giggling to yourself? Something funny?"

"Ah, hyung, sorry. You're driving and I was being rude... I was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠just reading the Suwon Blue Sky gallery."

Kim Hanbin answered with an awkward smile.

"Nah, it's fine. Sublgal? Kukku, that place must be in total chaos right now, huh? Probably wallpapered wall to wall with your name?"

Cha Kangmin let out his kukhukhu chuckle again, plainly delighted.

"Hey, you should write a post yourself at a time like this. People would love it. You were the star of the show today, so the star himself should make an appearance and drop a few words. That's how you nail fan service."

"What? Another post from me?"

Kim Hanbin remembered the post he'd made a few days ago, and the reaction it had gotten.

"Yeah! And this time, when you write the title, slap 'The Gallery Owner Has Arrived' right in there. Maximum impact."

"Gallery owner? What's that? Is it something good?"

When Kim Hanbin asked, tilting his head, Cha Kangmin answered as if it were obvious.

"Yeah — gallery owner! It means you're the master of the gallery. It's a great thing, obviously. You were the owner of today's match, weren't you? So hold your head high and post 'The Gallery Owner Has Arrived'! The fans will eat it up!"

"Owner, huh... Hmm... Is that really how it works...?"

Kim Hanbin still felt awkward about it, but Cha Kangmin was immovable.

"Hey! What's there to hesitate about! Just write it, write it! Listen to your hyung! That's just how it's done!"

Hmm... well, Kangmin-hyung does know these internet communities way better than I do... so I suppose I should follow his advice?

Kim Hanbin mulled it over for a moment.

Then he recalled the fans' rather passionate reaction to the post he'd written days ago, the one laced with slang and casual speech.

Right, the reaction wasn't bad back then... some people actually liked how candid I was. He did say this place is a rough neighborhood...

Kim Hanbin picked up his phone, looking like a man who had made up his mind.

And drawing on Cha Kangmin's advice and his own recent experience, he began writing a new post for the Suwon Blue Sky gallery.