Dae-min's Room Tour and a Promise of Tomorrow
The front door swung open, and Tae-woo paused for a brief moment, as if uncertain. But I took his hand and guided him inside.
“Okay, this is our house. Tae-woo, come here! What do you think of our house?”
He looked exactly like someone showing off a treasure vault.
“Sit on the sofa. Is it comfortable? This is the best spot in our house.”
Tae-woo sat down, and I settled right beside him.
“Tae-woo, want to see Damin’s room too? Damin has soccer posters and stickers in there!”
“Hey, Damin. When you brought me home from outside, didn’t I say we should do things in a certain order?”
“A~”
Tae-woo stood up quietly and said, “I’ll wash my hands.”
Tae-woo rose from the sofa and headed for the bathroom. I followed him.
“Let’s go together!”
From the living room, Tae-woo’s mother, Jung So-ra, smiled as she muttered, “Oh my, how wonderful.”
After washing our hands, I took Tae-woo’s hand again. His fingers were still damp and cool, yet warm.
“Come on, Tae-woo! I’ll show you my room!”
Excited, I grabbed his hand and pulled him toward my bedroom.
“All right… Let’s go slowly.”
I opened the door, and Tae-woo’s eyes widened slightly.
“Hehehe.”
Even his tiny reaction made my shoulders perk up.
“Isn’t it super cool? Look, there are stickers too!”
My room was nothing like a girl’s. A Manchester City logo blanket covered the bed, and the walls were covered with players’ posters.
Tae-woo slowly walked around the room. His expression stayed calm, but his eyes darted everywhere, sparkling with wonder. Anyone could see it.
“Hmm… Pretty nice.”
“Now let’s draw soccer players and play together!”
“Sure.”
We sat on the floor and pulled out paper and colored pencils. I began drawing a player wearing a Man City uniform, while Tae-woo started on the player from the posters on his wall.
“Hehe, Tae-woo can’t draw at all.”
Tae-woo’s drawing was horribly crooked; you couldn’t even tell who it was supposed to be.
“What?”
Tae-woo was about to explode when the sound of someone entering the password at the front door rang out.
“Daddy’s here!”
We hurriedly cleared away the drawings and headed to the living room.
“Damin, Daddy’s come~ Oh? A friend’s here?”
“Yes! Daddy, this is my friend Tae-woo!”
“So you really are the prince Damin was talking about. You look every bit as handsome as she said.”
“Hey, what are you talking about, Dad?”
Daddy smiled at Tae-woo. “Hello, Tae-woo. Did you have fun playing with Damin?”
Tae-woo nodded a little awkwardly. “Yes…”
“But, Tae-woo, you can never date Damin.”
“What?”
“Honey, what nonsense are you saying to the kids?”
Jung So-ra, Damin’s mother, looked bewildered.
“But…”
Daddy had always come home from work and cheered himself up by staring at a sketchbook filled with Damin’s drawings of himself in Manchester City clothes. Then one day the sketchbook became packed with pictures of a handsome boy instead. His heart grew complicated.
“Damin, wouldn’t it be cooler if Daddy wore the Man City jersey and kicked the ball?”
“Yeah… I think the prince would look even more awesome.”
He still felt a pang—his young daughter seemed to be losing her heart to another boy.
“Sigh, this image, I never get jealous of you, so why am I jealous of a much younger kid?”
Jung So-ra sighed.
“But…”
Daddy tried to defend himself, but the sharpness in his wife’s eyes silenced him.
At Jung So-ra’s firm expression, Daddy’s shoulders drooped.
“Fine… Hic.”
Damin and Tae-woo, watching everything, exchanged bewildered glances. The adults’ world still felt far too complicated and difficult to understand.
* * *
“Okay, dinner’s ready~”
Everyone sat at the table. Steaming kimchi jjigae and various side dishes made the air delicious.
“Whoa, the kimchi jjigae smells amazing.”
When Daddy reached for his spoon, Jung So-ra stopped him.
“Wait, have Tae-woo eat first.”
“I worked hard, you know.”
“Tae-woo, eat lots.”
Ignoring her complaining husband, Jung So-ra smiled gently at Tae-woo. “Yes, I’ll eat well.”
Tae-woo’s mother had called earlier, saying work would run late, so we were eating dinner together.
“Just a second, let me think!”
“Honey, you stopped eating—why?”
“Finally, we waited so long for the Manchester Derby, you can’t tell me you already scored a goal, right?”
Daddy hurriedly turned on the TV. The screen showed Manchester City and Manchester United still 0-0 after twenty minutes of the first half.
“Phew~ Good thing it’s still 0-0.”
At that moment, Manchester United’s legendary captain and star player, Alexander Wright, took the ball.
“Whoa.”
Tae-woo’s delighted exclamation made Daddy’s eyebrows furrow.
“What the— I just got here and you’re already acting like a pro…”
Damin covered her eyes with her hand but peeked through her fingers at the screen.
Leo’s Legendary Save
“Waaaaah! Manchester City’s Lion Leo saves us!”
“Yeah, that one-on-one save in the corner—super hard!”
“Hahaha! I knew Leo would save it. No girl’s shot can ever beat Man City’s goal.”
Daddy boasted.
“Mom, you’re worrying too much. You thought Leo would definitely save it?”
“Of course! I believe in our City’s Guardian, Leo. Even if you’re my wife, doubting my faith—unforgivable—”
“Ah, another chance for Manchester United!”
Seeing his husband worry again, Jung So-ra smiled cutely. She had been a Manchester City fan just as devoted as him.
“High-ty!”
Damin pumped her fist, cheeks puffed out, cheering with food still in her mouth. It looked hilarious.
Tae-woo smiled at her.
But the match refused to cooperate.
“Phew, good thing…”
Daddy sighed.
“Honey, why is this match so one-sided?”
Manchester Derby Shock
📍 Location: Manchester
🎁 Reward: Leo’s Heroic Save
“This is unbelievable. A match that doesn’t match the name of the Manchester Derby is happening.”
“Yes, if it weren’t for City’s Leo, it would already be 5-0.”
The stadium tension spilled into the living room through the TV.
Families cheered with relief after Leo’s string of super saves.
“Leo, please!”
Jung So-ra clenched her fists while staring at the TV. “Just this once…”
One minute left. Leo suddenly booted a long ball.
The ball flew like a guided missile straight to the striker’s foot.
-[damage] HP
[Unbelievable scene! Leonel Messi receives Leo’s missile pass and scores with one touch in the final minute!!!]
The moment the goal crossed the line, the whistle blew.
“W-we won! We finally beat Man U—”
Daddy shot up, shouting.
“Kyaaak! We won!”
The TV blared Leo’s cheering song.
Oh~ Leo, our Guardian, the final line of defense at Etihad
Under the blue moonlight, all your dreams live on the tip of your fingers
Leo! Leo!
Victory dances on the tips of your fingers
Leo! Leo! Guard the heart of Blue Moon
An iron-clad wall that no one can step past
Every attacker falls silent before you
Throughout the ninety minutes, protecting our fortress—Man City’s hero, Leo!
Daddy sang the anthem with all his heart. His voice filled the living room. Jung So-ra hummed along with a smile.
Damin giggled at her dad’s passion. “Wow, I like Leo uncle the most now!”
Daddy laughed. “Really? If you like a guy like Leo, this dad approves too. Huahaha~.”
“Hehe, then I’ll marry a super amazing goalkeeper later!”
Tae-woo suddenly lifted his head.
“Huh?”
Damin nodded enthusiastically, grinning wide.
Jung So-ra and Daddy exchanged glances, both smiling awkwardly.
“Really?”
Tae-woo asked again, his voice trembling slightly.
“Yeah, I’m marrying a great goalkeeper.”
Tae-woo fell silent. His eyes flickered, then he said with sudden resolve, “T-then… I’ll…”
His voice grew softer.
“What? Tae-woo, what did you say?”
Damin tilted her head, looking at him.
Tae-woo took a deep breath and gathered courage. “I… I want to be a goalkeeper…”
“Hehe, if Tae-woo becomes a goalkeeper, it’ll be so cool!”
Tae-woo’s face flushed a little at Damin’s pure reaction. But he found more courage and spoke again. “So… don’t marry another goalkeeper. I… I’ll become a better goalkeeper than Leo.”
Damin tilted her head thoughtfully, then smiled brightly. “Hmm… Okay! Until you become a goalkeeper like Leo uncle, I won’t marry anyone. Promise!”
Daddy suddenly shouted in an exaggerated voice, “Kids, marriage promises are too early—think about it again—”
Jung So-ra quickly pinched his arm and whispered, “Honey, close your mouth.”
“Hic… I don’t like it.”