Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Autograph
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KakaoTalk!
Yoo Ji-na sat at her computer, voraciously digging into every scrap of information about Espanyol.
The KakaoTalk notification sound, which she never usually let ring, now filled the room.
Plus Friend?
That was ancient history.
If her hermit loner lifestyle dragged on, any Plus Friend invites or ad texts that might come her way were either blocked outright or at least muted.
So a KakaoTalk message meant, paradoxically and without fail, it was from a friend.
And she had only one friend.
She snatched up her phone, checked the message, and flung herself onto the bed, pulling the covers over her head.
Sure enough.
It was a message from Si-eon saying he was coming to Korea.
"Heehee..."
Tap-tap-tap...
With flashy finger work, she typed a reply and hit send just ten seconds after getting his message.
Yoo Ji-na - Really?? Lunch at what time?
...
The little "1" next to her sent message wouldn't disappear.
"Yeah, Si-eon's a soccer player now and super busy, so I just have to wait a bit!"
She turned on YouTube, pretending like it was no big deal.
"Oh."
A soccer review video she usually watched had just gone up.
{Man City was definitely strong. Especially...}
A video she'd normally watch with laser focus went in one eye and out the other.
Tap-tap...
Yoo Ji-na - Where should we meet?
...
Yoo Ji-na - What should we do? This is gonna be fun...
Yoo Ji-na - What're you doing...?
Yoo Ji-na - You asleep..?
...
In less than an hour, the chat was overflowing with Yoo Ji-na's message bubbles.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After dozing on and off, he soon found himself landing at the airport in Korea.
"Ugh... ouch~"
Sleeping in an awkward position had definitely left him sore.
"First class from now on, no exceptions."
Of course, the flight back in three days was unavoidable.
Phones were useless on the plane anyway, so he turned his on now that he was off.
Bzzz... bzzz...
Notifications from all sorts of apps and messages flooded in.
Just in case something important had come up, he checked KakaoTalk and texts first.
"Well, same as last life."
The news of his signing with Espanyol had already leaked, but it looked like the club had dropped the official announcement while he was in the air.
The trickle of messages from elementary school classmates and distant relatives had turned into a torrent.
"Whew..."
He'd probably have to set aside a full day to plow through them all.
This wasn't messaging; it felt like processing paperwork.
Among all those, he found Ji-na's chat.
His frequent contacts were limited anyway, so he should pin them all.
First on the favorites list: Yoo Ji-na, of course.
Fan service had to be on point.
At his level, he was treating his #1 fan right.
"Hm?"
He paused while trying to pin the second and third.
A red number glowing on Ji-na's chat.
Usually single digits, but this one was off.
14
At least not 99+.
Imagining the worst made 14 seem almost cute.
She probably hadn't thought he'd message and hop straight on a plane.
He tapped into the chat to reply hastily for the waiting Ji-na.
She'd started excited, asking what to do for fun, but later worried if something had happened to him.
Lee Si-eon - Sorry for the late reply. Couldn't check on the plane.
Lee Si-eon - Thanks for worrying.
...
He waited 1-2 minutes in case of an instant reply, but nothing.
"Asleep?"
It was about that time.
The thought sparked some mischief.
Lee Si-eon - You asleep..?
Satisfied with his witty message, he closed the phone.
He headed straight home, showered, and crashed.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ KakaoTalk!
...KakaoTalk!
"Mm..."
He checked the time upon waking: nearly 9 a.m.
Jet lag from frequent flights had messed up his sleep cycle; even after solid rest, fatigue lingered.
But now that he was awake, drifting off again seemed tough.
Still in bed, he grabbed his phone.
The official announcement hype had spiked messages, but they'd tapered off after the initial wave.
"Ah."
The half-asleep KakaoTalk culprit was probably Ji-na.
Yoo Ji-na - ...Yeah... Gotta take a plane to come to Korea...
Yoo Ji-na - Yup, I was sleeping...
- (Bear rubbing its eyes emoticon)
She hadn't caught on that he was teasing her.
No need to point it out; he brushed it off casually.
Lee Si-eon - Let's meet at 1 at that cafe we went to recently. Cool?
Yoo Ji-na - Yeah! See you later
- (Bear waving hand emoticon)
They set 1 p.m. at the cafe. Prep and travel would take an hour, leaving three hours free.
Plenty for backlog messages.
More urgent: with the official news out, attention on him had skyrocketed.
Perfect time to make an Instagram account.
He set one up and immediately liked and commented on the club's post.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Eeeeeek!!"
After wrapping up KakaoTalk with Si-eon, Ji-na kicked wildly at her blanket.
If she could punch a hole in it, maybe her frustration and embarrassment would ease.
Lee Si-eon - You asleep..?
This was clearly her mimicking her own messages from yesterday.
Looking back, it was obvious he'd been on a plane and couldn't reply, but why hadn't she thought of that then?
"Ugh... heehee..."
Annoyance from the embarrassment faded as excitement for hanging with Si-eon bubbled up.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Appointment at 1 p.m.
He arrived early to wait.
Now 12:30.
Thirty minutes ahead, he entered the cafe.
"Americano..."
"Sorry, sir, please use the kiosk."
"Oh, right..."
Surprisingly, Ji-na was already there.
"Ji-na, you're early."
"Huh?!... Hi..."
She turned at his voice.
Pink hoodie peeking from a white puffer jacket.
Light makeup accentuated her sharp features.
He'd only seen her in school uniform since childhood, so this felt fresh.
They ordered, sat, and conversation flowed easily.
Mostly Ji-na quizzing him about Espanyol, him answering on repeat.
"Really? They even assigned you a staff member?"
"Kinda... Not intentional, but she ended up like a full manager."
"Insane... Even let you stay at her place. Must love the club..."
"Right? She's a great cook too. Perfect for me."
...
"Really...?"
A weird silence hung, then a slightly downcast voice.
"Wait, is she a woman??"
"Didn't I mention? I was pretty thrown at first too."
"Aha..."
...
"Gonna hit the bathroom..."
Ji-na abruptly stood to go.
"Hm..."
Could she like him?
Her KakaoTalk yesterday, this reaction—it was hard not to think so.
Ji-na was plenty cute, and childhood friends had that unbreakable bond.
Plus, she was gorgeous...
Her signature melancholy vibe suited her face uniquely.
Nothing had happened yet, so he'd just be mindful not to hurt her.
"Si-eon! Soccer players have to watch out for scandals... Especially a hot prospect just starting pro life. Mess up early, and it haunts you forever... So yeah..."
Back from the bathroom, seemingly sorted her thoughts, she unleashed a machine-gun lecture.
"Ji-na, nothing to worry about, so relax."
"Huh..?"
"R-right... Si-eon'll handle it fine.."
Beautiful face, model-like figure nearing 170cm.
Her cute side shining through was charming.
'Oh...'
Didn't rumors of someone liking you usually make your heart flutter?
She hadn't done anything direct, but he felt himself opening up.
Time flew as he smiled warmly, nodding along to her rambling.
"So... I'll watch every game you're in!"
"Thanks. Oh, right."
He placed his prepared gift on the table.
"Here, a present."
"What?!?!"
He'd gotten a few of his Espanyol jerseys from the club.
"Whoa... Number 18..."
"Yeah. Might change though."
He didn't obsess over jersey numbers.
Early on, he'd clung to his first assigned one even after transfers, but overlaps made him let go.
Sentiment lingered, but no special number popped up, so he went with 18 again—his debut from last life.
"Thank you so much... Oh! Sign it too.."
"Sure."
He'd held off signing this life's first one, hoping it'd be for her.
Her request as the first felt right.
"Really, thank you... I'll treasure it forever..."
Her big eyes sparkling confirmed bringing it was spot on.
"Time to head out?"
"Yeah..."
They parted with promises of next time, and he went straight home, not straying an inch until departure.