Comeback Clash: Vs Borussia Mönchengladbach U19
October 31, 2010. Sunday. Son Jinho's return match was fast approaching. The SBK film crew, who had been leisurely capturing his daily life up until now, suddenly sprang into action.
"Phew... Good work, everyone!"
"Whew... We barely finished setting up in time."
With help from the Dortmund staff, the SBK team managed to set up their cameras before the fans started entering the stadium.
"Heja BVB, Heja BVB, Heja, Heja, Heja BVB."
Yellow-clad Dortmund fans began filing into Hohenbuschei Football Park (Fußballpark BVB Hohenbuschei), the home stadium of the Dortmund U19 team.
"Whoa... Even for a youth match, there are a ton of people."
"Yeah, do youth games usually draw this big a crowd?"
"...!! Camera director! Film that grandpa!"
"Huh? Oh!"
The old man in the yellow Dortmund uniform had Son Jinho emblazoned across the back.
"Jino! Why'd you take so long to come back? I thought you'd only show up after I kicked the bucket!"
"Sorry about that! It was the international break!"
The Dortmund fan chatted amiably with Son Jinho. It was less like a fan and player interaction and more like a grandfather and grandson, warming the hearts of PD Kim Hyun-deok and the rest of the crew.
"When you score, I'll come rushing down, so let's do the celebration together."
"You got it! Time to show off that Hoo you've been practicing!"
Son Jinho exchanged final words with him before heading onto the pitch to warm up.
"Hello, sir. If it's not too much trouble, could we get a quick interview?"
"An interview? Anyway, where are you folks from?"
"Ah! We're from Korea, here to film Son Jinho."
PD Kim Hyun-deok cautiously approached the white-haired Dortmund fan and proposed an interview.
"Oh! Cha Bum-keun and Jino's homeland?"
The other Dortmund fans nearby jumped in eagerly for interviews too.
"Jino? He's the future of Dortmund!"
"Who would've thought a 15-year-old would be playing for the Dortmund U19 team?"
Son Jinho was already a major topic among Dortmund fans. These long-time supporters had built rapport with club staff over the years, and they'd heard how the club was doting on him.
Most of the skeptics who'd come out of curiosity—"Why's the club babying some young Eastern kid?"—had naturally become his fans after watching him play.
Beep—!
"Oh! Damn, the match is starting! Sorry, but can we wrap the interview here?"
"Ah? Sure. Thanks for the interview."
As they interviewed the fans, the referee's whistle blew, and the game kicked off.
Before kickoff.
"As you all know, we're going with a 4-2-3-1 formation."
I listened to the coach with one ear while discreetly scanning the stands.
Not quite Dortmund vs. Schalke levels, but there was a solid crowd in the seats. Rüdiger had told me most of them were there to see me.
"Jino!!"
Whatever. Their cheers didn't feel like a burden. I just had to give my all to live up to their expectations.
In my previous life, I'd earned the quirky nickname "spectator midfielder." The more fans in the stands, the bigger the spotlight, the better I played.
It made sense. After losing Gyeowol, I spent the first few months like a wreck. Then I threw myself into soccer.
Back then, soccer was all I had. I was dead set on getting famous enough to publicize what happened to Gyeowol.
So yeah, I ran like a madman in big, high-stakes games with crowds watching.
Gyeowol's running a bit late. Everything okay?
The sudden traffic accident that had taken her away still haunted me, stirring anxiety from the depths of my chest.
"Jinho! Noona's here!"
Gyeowol's voice calling my name from the stands melted it all away in an instant. A smile crept across my face.
Sorry to the other fans, but her cheers meant more to me than all of theirs combined.
Beep—!
The referee's whistle blew, and Borussia Mönchengladbach kicked off.
Were the Dortmund fans making them nervous? Gladbach made a mistake early on.
Well... even without nerves, soccer's a sport of errors. Stamina and focus have limits, and holding it together for 90 minutes is no easy feat.
"Jino!"
Anyway, Pascal Nümph, my assist shuttle No. 2, pounced on the turnover and passed to me before surging forward.
The Gladbach defenders' eyes flicked toward Pascal for a split second.
I decided to use him as bait.
"Fick!"
Faking a pass to Pascal, I shoved the defender aside, opening space for a mid-range shot.
I could've passed for a clearer chance, but I didn't hesitate.
I unleashed the mid-range strike.
Call it red-hot scoring instincts? The confidence surged through me.
Thwack—!
The ball, perfectly struck with my instep, rocketed past the keeper into the net before he could react.
"Olé, jetzt kommt Der BVB!"
As the net rippled, the crowd's cheers erupted.
I ignored the roar and sprinted to the elderly fan who'd come to every home game, ready to keep my promise.
"Hoooo—!"
And the old man proved his practice wasn't just talk.
"Hooooooo—!"
His voice boomed even louder than mine.
After the celebration, I blew a light heart toward Gyeowol.
"Kyaa! Jin...!"
"Hooo—! Damn, this game's lit!"
Right then, I spotted the PD next to Gyeowol cheering even louder than she was.
...He doesn't look like he's here on license fee tourism at all.
Something told me if I checked his smartphone history, there'd be a whole Hoo gallery.
PD Kim Hyun-deok of SBK, cheering Son Jinho's goal, sat back down and reflected on the past.
"Do we really have to go to Germany? Can't we just film him when he comes back to Korea?"
"Aigoo, Hyun-deok. You think that'll be fun?"
The voices of those opposing his pitch still echoed in his ears. How hard had he worked to convince them?
"Hyung, look at that. Even the Chinese fans are going wild for Son Jinho!"
"SBK's gonna create a sports star!"
"Times are tough right now, economy's rough. This is our healing variety shot!"
From invoking the IMF crisis and how Park Chan-ho and Park Se-ri had lifted the nation, to every flowery argument imaginable—he'd overcome countless hurdles.
"It's a pilot, and you're the only one going to Germany. You have to deliver results, got it?"
"What if it gets picked up as a regular show?"
"Well... we'd probably switch to filming celebrities' lives. I'd love to stay in Germany, but the budget..."
Even then, without help from a close hyung, it might've fallen through.
After all that effort, arriving in Dortmund, Germany, the scent of a massive hit tickled his nose.
"Jino!! Long time no see!"
Every moment of Son Jinho's life in Dortmund was pure gold.
But today's highlight? They said soccer players shine brightest on the pitch.
From the heartwarming exchange with the elderly fan to the spine-tingling goal that hit deep in the soul.
This is gonna be huge!
A grin spread across PD Kim Hyun-deok's face as he sensed the jackpot.
Time flew, and soon it was time for the SBK crew to head back home. For the program's final shoot, PD Kim Hyun-deok conducted an interview in Son Jinho's room.
Bzzz—! Just as he was about to ask a question, the computer blared an unexpectedly loud noise, distracting him. He cautiously asked Son Jinho,
"Uh, Son Jinho. That noise from the computer... Mind if I ask what you're doing?"
He meant to politely ask him to turn it off for the interview, but Son Jinho—whose social skills had been wrecked from nonstop soccer in his past life—didn't catch the hint. He flashed a bright smile and answered kindly.
"Ah. I'm mining this 21st-century gold called Bitcoin."
It was the moment that would later earn him the moniker "God of Investing."