Family Soccer Marathon and Secret Forgiveness
"When have I not worked hard?!"
Dad was giving a report to his eldest uncle about his recent games, just like he was briefing a superior. He went on to explain the same thing to the second and third uncles. From afar, it looked like a little brother playfully whining to his big brothers.
"Hyung, I'll get up first then."
"Yeah, you're almost thirty now—take it easy."
"Yep."
Before leaving his seat, Dad made sure to visit each of his resting aunts one by one. He slipped them envelopes of pocket money on the sly, and they were thicker than I'd imagined—practically bricks. The eldest aunt stared at the hefty envelope.
"Business is finally going well... Now I can finally pay you back. Please take it."
"No way! What is this... It's too much."
"I know everything you've done for us. You have to spend it on the kids without the uncles knowing. Got it?"
"....."
"You don't want me nagging you next time I bring more, right?"
The eldest aunt sighed at Dad's smile and nodded, carefully accepting the envelope. Even if it was a small amount, money matters could shatter family bonds. It couldn't have been easy for the uncles—who had their own families—to hand money over to Dad. From the aunts' perspective, who had to manage the household, Dad must have seemed like a thorn in their side. Especially since the money Dad had borrowed from the family to raise us wasn't a small sum.
After thanking each one individually, Dad changed back into his athletic wear. We'd already done the same, grabbed a ball, and bolted out like wild dogs. These guys had ball control etched into their DNA. Every one of them outclassed people their age in skill. But to me, who'd inherited those genes straight-up... they weren't enough.
"Whoa!!! What the hell is Do-hyun?!"
With my short legs tearing across the futsal court that looked massive, I felt alive—like a real beast. And the family members each had skills that could dominate a taekwondo dojo. Pulling off super plays amid these powerhouses made me feel like I was proving myself.
That's when Dad, watching my plays, muttered,
"He's putting on a one-man performance art show..."
The uncles' youthful energy from my childhood was still there... And even though Dad—the superstar of the family—had given up on soccer, their love for the ball hadn't faded. As we played 4-on-4 futsal, more family members trickled out to join, wanting to play soccer with our house. The Kim clan crushed regular folks. If we teamed up among ourselves, it'd be such overkill that we always split up to balance things out.
"Uncle's team—rematch! Do-hyun's insane; it's not fair!"
"Seriously... I never imagined getting outplayed by a third-grader. What a letdown."
The fourth brother looked utterly defeated. He'd thought he was hot shit, but realizing his individual skills fell short against mine left him stunned. Dad usually teamed with the youngest kids for balance, but my presence alone wrecked it.
The flashy footwork drew cheers from everyone.
"How about splitting Do-hyun and his youngest uncle onto different teams?"
"This is embarrassing... Up against a third-grader."
"Hyung, not the time. We gotta win."
Our family's competitive fire burned hot. Dad went on the opposing team from me. I'd felt it before regression too: a pro's imbalance shows even without scoring—through sheer presence. He pulled everyone's performance to the max. I'd never gone head-to-head like this, so the gap was crystal clear. My solo plays versus Dad's team support. It hit me how insane our family's stamina was.
We ran nonstop for five hours. Exhausted faces all around, but no one stopped. Soaked in sweat, we crammed into the bathroom to wash up together.
"Whoa? Do-hyun's dick's gotten big!"
"Pfft~ That's rich coming from you, Jeong-hyun hyung."
"In two years, it'll be bigger than Seok-hyun's? This guy's still at 5cm—shorter than his thumb."
"Ah! Fuck! Quit bitching about my dick!"
The eldest brother scolded the sixth.
"Hey! Kim Seok-hyun. Youngest uncle's here—watch your mouth."
"It's fine~ It's fine. Why get all serious? You're worse than Seok-hyun at that age."
It suddenly hit me—plenty of troublemakers in this family too. Not as bad as me, but all hot-tempered. Especially the eldest brother, infamous for brawls; hardly anyone around here didn't know his name.
No showerheads in the house, so we filled the tub like always and doused ourselves with ladles. Once all eight of us finished, the aunts were speechless. But if we didn't burn off energy like this, they'd be even more of a handful. With stamina to spare, lunch was followed by footvolley plans.
Lots had changed from the past, but the biggest? Min-ji sitting on the eldest uncle's lap. He looked triumphant, drawing envious stares. When Min-ji got shy and tried to hide...
"Our Min-ji takes after her mom—such a prim little thing~"
"She's improved a ton though?"
The aunt stroked Min-ji's hair and headed to prep food.
And as expected, after lunch, we went for light footvolley. Others might picture yutnori or go-stop for adults, but we were all about the ball— we'd even brought one to ancestral rites before. Footvolley with the uncles included. Everyone but me and the fourth brother hit a wall. The uncles' skills were no joke; stamina could push futsal or soccer, but footvolley? Forget it. Eldest uncle rivaled a pro player. Rocking sneakers, he turned the Kim second-gen into civilians. Even the frailest third uncle flew here, nailing overhead kicks despite his office bod—pure awe.
Footvolley done, straight to dinner. Five hours straight ball-handling. Boring? Nah—they all craved flair and could entertain themselves. With my flashy moves, brothers kept asking how I did it. Fourth brother's obsession mirrored Dad's—kinda freaky.
"...Haa. Fucking exhausting."
"Agreed..."
We finally calmed down after running till we wailed like banshees. After dinner, I took Min-ji to the room and put on a trending cartoon. I wasn't big on comics, but she'd watch with me. Reason? It helped her studies. Before, she'd never ask about unknowns; now, with her personality shift, questions flew. Made me focus too—bit of a chore.
Evening came; Min-ji whined to Mom about going home. But learning the family was staying together killed that. She plopped down beside me. Family huddled up? She seemed okay with it.
Next morning for rites, everyone behaved. Youngest above me was middle school second-year—potty-trained at least. After the cemetery visit, Min-ji bonded with relatives she'd warmed to. The middle-school bro who touched her doll and made her cry got chewed out by adults.
"Mine!"
"....."
After, no one neared the doll. Anyone eyed it? Min-ji bolted to defend. Her doll was sacred territory. Except Mom and me, even Dad touching it weirded her out big-time. Strangers? Total meltdown. She memorized Seok-hyun's face and ignored him after. Candy fixed it quick, though.
Rites done, we played more futsal till satisfied, then headed home. Copilot Mom gazed out, wiped from the grind. Staring at the clear sky.
No matter how disowned on paper... family gotta tug at the heart, right? New Year's made me realize blood's meaning. Mom's maternal side... Never crossed my mind. Even reading she'd been kicked out over me—just "oh well." Never saw her call family. Now, treated like she didn't exist by kin and friends alike.
Pre-regression, didn't care. What life she'd lived, what she'd sacrificed. Mom's eyes gazing out seemed hollow.
Spring break ended, my birthday passed. Valentine's rolled in. Spoiling the kids backfired? Past life no flood like this—locker and desk drawer stuffed with chocolates.
"".....""
After school, I packed chocolates for Min-ji. Then Yu-bin showed at class, shyly handing me hers.
"Made it with Mom..."
"Nice? Guess I'll savor it alone then."
"Yeah! But... might not taste great?"
"Pfft~ Taste matters?"
Yu-bin nodded hard, beaming ear-to-ear. I headed home with her and Jun-woo. Jun-woo begged Yu-bin for chocolate; she shared some charity-style.