Official (2)
090
After the Olympics, the rumors about Hong Min-jun's transfer were burning like wildfire.
Prestigious teams from Europe's big leagues were racing to join the recruitment battle, making Korean football fans' hearts flutter. But since it wasn't just one or two teams, and there were links to so many prestigious clubs, the football community was basically throwing a chaotic party.
—Honestly, Hong Min-jun needs to go to the EPL.
ㄴAgreed. His style is exactly the PL style.
ㄴLOL Have you even watched a Hong Min-jun match before saying that?
ㄴI am watching it. Did you?
ㄴOf course I did, f***.
ㄴThen your eyes must be knot-holes. Bye.
—I've been a Hong Min-jun fan for three generations, I'm so excited wherever he goes.
ㄴOnly three generations? I'm on my fourth.
ㄴMy great-great-grandfather even has an autograph he got from Hong Min-jun. Don't even try to compete.
ㄴThey're seriously bullshitting lololol.
—I've been watching him since the University League, and I thought back then that he wasn't a talent meant to stay in Korea... As expected.
ㄴStop acting like you know him lol. How long did Hong Min-jun even play in the University League lol.
ㄴThe Football in Love channel introduced Hong Min-jun back when he was a nobody lol.
ㄴWhat the hell is that, you nerd.
ㄴWhy even live if you don't know FootInLove?
ㄴAh lol. You seriously don't know the soccer-obsessed girl Han So-young? lol
—F***, but where is he actually going?
ㄴOnly f***ing rumors everywhere.
ㄴDoesn't seem like there are any proper articles, right?
—Breaking) Hong Min-jun heading to the Middle East!
ㄴDon't feed the troll.
ㄴIt's real. My acquaintance is an agency insider, and a 100 billion won offer came from the Middle East, holy s***.
—Huh? Looks like Hong Min-jun is going to the Bundesliga? (Link)
ㄴLOL He's being spotted in Italy too.
ㄴHuh? You too? He was spotted in Spain too lol (Link)
ㄴStop it, you crazy bastards lol. Just how many Hong Min-juns are there lol.
ㄴUsing shadow clones. Was Hong Min-jun a ninja after all? That's why he was so good.
ㄴNinja ninja.
ㄴThat's fing unfunny, f.
For the past few days, the sports section has been the 'Hong Min-jun Occupation Period,' starting with Hong Min-jun and ending with Hong Min-jun.
No matter what article was written, no matter what useless post was made, a magic was happening where the view count would skyrocket just by including the name 'Hong Min-jun'.
Among the rumors that were overflowing like that, one started to receive attention.
『(Exclusive) Hong Min-jun spotted in Barcelona?』
[Sports Star] Reporter Kang Su-yeon = The number of witnesses claiming to have seen a Korean football player in Barcelona is increasing. The sightings, which started on the Asiana flight to Barcelona at 10 AM Korean time, spread rapidly through the social media of Barcelona locals.
According to information obtained by this reporter, the final decision of Hong Min-jun, who was agonizing between the EPL and La Liga until the very end, is Spain.
The destination of the plane boarded by Hong Min-jun, who is being courted by numerous Spanish clubs, was Barcelona. Rumor has it that Barcelona offered a Big Signing (a contract to recruit a popular player by paying a large sum) to shake off the pursuit of numerous rival clubs, including Real Madrid.
Having lost Jorge (20, Real Madrid), who was initially their top recruitment target, to their rival team, it is said that Barcelona approached the contract with the determination that they could not lose in the recruitment battle for Hong Min-jun.
With only the medical test remaining, attention is focused on whether Hong Min-jun will be able to wear the Barcelona uniform.
A single article that came out with an 'Exclusive' tag.
At first, netizens just brushed it off as another one of the usual rumors. However, as a few hours passed, sightings of Hong Min-jun in Barcelona started to spread one by one on social media.
Generally, Westerners find it difficult to distinguish Asian faces, but Hong Min-jun is a handsome man who, regardless of race, leaves a deep impression on anyone who sees him.
Furthermore, it has only been a month since he inflicted the humiliation of a 3:0 crushing defeat on Spain in the Olympic group stage, and then faced them again in the final to create a 3:2 masterpiece.
There was no way the soccer-crazy Spanish people could fail to recognize the player who scored 5 goals alone against Spain, the protagonist of the upheaval who is making the soccer world noisy right now as the transfer market heads toward its end.
—What is this;; (Link) It's reported in Marca?
ㄴMarca is a rumor mill, filter it out.
ㄴIt's crazy in Spain right now.
ㄴOther media outlets are saying a move to Barcelona is likely?
—F***, is this real? A Korean is really going to Barca?
ㄴWow, this is crazy, crazy;;
—Ah, this isn't right, f***. No matter how well he did in the Olympics, he's doing his first pro contract with Barcelona? They've lost their minds lol.
ㄴReal, looks like a reservation for the bench.
ㄴCan he even get into the first team spot right now;; It really doesn't seem right;;
—LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL He's a jersey seller for sure.
ㄴCan't you tell just by looking? He went to sell jerseys lololol.
ㄴBench-Hong, the bench is perfect for him!
ㄴReserving this as a holy site, upvote this -> Hong Min-jun is a jersey seller and will be on the bench after a few games, bye.
—Ah, you crazy bastards, calm down. The official announcement hasn't even come out yet.
ㄴFor real, if a correction article comes out, they'll just act like they never said anything.
The community, which had been heated up with arguments about whether it was true or not, exploded when articles announcing Hong Min-jun's move to Barcelona appeared almost simultaneously in ABC, El Mundo, and El País, which are famous as Spain's three major reputable newspapers.
—It's out!!!!
—F***, take off your pants and scream!!
—Wow... I never thought I'd see a Korean go to Barcelona in my lifetime;;
—Hong Min-jun is something else, man lol.
And two days later in the evening.
Along with the news that he had safely passed the medical test, photos of him signing the contract and holding the Barcelona uniform at the Barcelona home stadium, Camp Nou, were uploaded to the official website, and the final official announcement was released.
『(Official) Hong Min-jun into the arms of Barcelona!』
[The tumultuous Hong Min-jun transfer saga ended with Barcelona's victory. Rising to stardom overnight through the Olympics—]
『(Official) Hong Min-jun confirms move to Barcelona! What is the scale of the contract?』
[The contract, which was kept private by agreement, has no exact amount known, but it is said to be a jaw-dropping scale. According to one theory, the contract period is 5 years, and it is a huge amount reaching a total of 10 billion won—]
Looking through domestic news on my smartphone in the hotel room provided by Barcelona, it was a total spectacle.
"What? A 5-year contract? And a total of 10 billion won? What kind of nonsense is that?"
It's not even half of that!
I wondered who would believe such absurd amounts, but looking at the comments, most of them believed it. It's ridiculous.
I agonized a lot, but in the end, my choice was Barcelona.
At first, I considered the EPL... but no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't ignore the dream clubs that every football player dreams of: Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Personally, I prefer Real Madrid, but in Real, there's already a prospect named Jorge holding his ground.
He's the same age as me, similar position, similar... honestly, Jorge is a very, very tiny bit better, but regardless, even if we have similar skills, he's a player brought in with a huge transfer fee and salary, plus the 'domestic prospect premium,' so I would inevitably be the second choice.
I vowed to become the best player, but I'm supposed to just settle for being the second-in-command?
Of course, I could just overwhelm him with skill, but it won't take just 1 or 2 years to overwhelm Jorge with skill.
Even for me, competing for the first team at Barcelona or Real Madrid is tough, and if there's already Jorge, who is halfway to winning the spot, the competition for a starting position would literally be hell-difficulty.
So I chose Barcelona.
While I was at it, I also wanted to face him in a rival position and pay back the defeat in the Olympic final. Besides, Real and Barca are fated rivals, right?
If the teams are rivals and the players become rivals too, that rivalry will be even more pronounced.
It just so happens that our age, position, and skill are similar, and our record in the Olympics is 1 win and 1 loss, so where else could you find a relationship as good as this to tie together?
...That was Yoon Da-hye's analysis.
Hearing it, it sounded right, so I quickly chose to go to Barcelona.
"Now, then... where should I invest my points."
I've been saving up points for today!!
【Technical】
[Individual Skill 75] [Dribbling 70] [Trapping 75] [Short Pass 55] [Long Pass 50] [Shooting 45] [Free Kick 42] [Header 38] [Tackle 32]
【Mental】
[Vision 55] [Anticipation 50] [Judgment 65] [Concentration 56] [Off the Ball 60] [Marking 45] [Composure 52] [Leadership 40] [Teamwork 39 ▶ 44]
【Physical】
[Speed 67] [Acceleration 68] [Balance 65] [Agility 65] [Reaction Speed 79] [Power 54] [Jump 46] [Stamina 55 ▶ 57] [Recovery 65]
【Hidden】
[Genius 48] [Charm 95] [Intelligence 40]
【Height 175cm｜63kg】
【Points Held ▶ 112P】
Ah~ look at this beautiful number.
Teamwork and stamina have increased a little due to training and match experience, but above all, the points reaching 3 digits stand out.
112.
It's a whopping 112 points.
How should I use this so word gets around that I used it well?
Jorge? With just this, someone like him is nothing.
I could raise my Genius and dump everything into technique to become a crazy dribbler who pierces through everything even in La Liga, or I could supplement my weak points to become a truly all-rounder, a hexagonal player everyone dreams of.
However,
'I'll save that for later.'
The place to use the massive points I've collected this time was already decided.
The place my gaze turned to was where my physical condition was displayed.
It was height.
'1 point for 0.1cm. It's a ripoff, but it's the only way to grow my height when I've already finished growing.'
I had already checked if I could use points on height.
I didn't use the points, but thanks to that, I found out the figure of 0.1cm per 1 point.
What was the reason I held back and saved up points when I wanted to use them right away?
Wasn't it for height!!
It's definitely not because my eye level is similar to Oh Ha-rin's.
I assure you, it's not because the height is just right when I hug Elena.
It's really, really not because there's a difference only when I look closely when standing next to Yoon Da-ye.
This is strictly to become a hexagonal player.
Because for a soccer player, physical fights during ball contention or aerial dominance are important factors that cannot be ignored.
'.......'
Now that I'm actually about to use it all on height, other stats are shimmering in my eyes.
A moment of hesitation.
175cm, huh. ...As expected, it's a bit small, right?
『Warning!』
「Point usage restricted while changed physical conditions are applied」
▶Do you wish to continue?
A warning window I've never seen before popped up.
Of course, go!
『Warning!』
「Excessive physical changes cause imbalance」
▶Do you wish to continue?
A warning window popped up this time too.
Hmm? Isn't this a bit dangerous?
The moment I hesitated,
『You can resolve the imbalance using points』
『Do you wish to use points for balance adjustment?』
'Let's gooooo!!!'