Min Seo-eun Side Story: First Love at Fifteen 2 (Complete)
The second half began in the highest of spirits, riding the wave of that miraculous comeback goal from the first half.
But barely two minutes after the whistle blew, an absurd mistake by the Korean defense handed Spain an equalizer.
The score was suddenly 2-2.
The broadcast booth filled with heavy sighs.
The moment they gifted a goal right after kickoff, the netizens exploded.
Seo-eun's face, which had been bright with laughter just moments ago, hardened instantly.
Her eyes locked onto Namgoong Min on the screen.
The sight of him forced to battle frustration again because of his teammates' mistakes filled her with heartache.
Oppa... It's okay. You can score again. Please hang in there...
In the twentieth minute of the second half, Spain scored once more.
This time it wasn't luck or a mistake; it was a precise one-two pass followed by breathtaking teamwork.
The score was now 2-3, Spain had regained the lead.
Deep sighs rose from patbingsu shops and every corner of South Korea.
The camera cut back to Namgoong Min.
He was already drenched in sweat, and between his injured left arm and the massive physical toll, his condition looked terrible.
Yet the fierce determination burning in his eyes filled the nation with both reverence and desperate hope as they watched on.
Soon after, a precious chance arrived that could flip the despairing atmosphere.
Namgoong Min received the ball on the right flank, used his signature explosive movement to beat a defender, and surged toward the edge of the box. In an instant, three Spanish players swarmed him.
It was a desperate situation with no passing lane in sight.
But Namgoong Min displayed extreme concentration, squeezing through the narrow gap between the three players to complete the dribble. Just as he was about to break free, the opposing defender fouled him.
The foul occurred right at the edge of the penalty area on the right side.
It was an angle from which he could realistically aim for a direct shot.
Inside the patbingsu shop, Seo-eun and her friends froze, eyes glued to the TV screen.
The hope that had begun to fade now set their hearts racing again.
Oppa... I'm begging you. Just once. Just one more time...
Extreme tension gripped the entire stadium.
The Spanish players formed a wall, visibly nervous, while Namgoong Min slowly steadied his breathing, enduring the pain.
His eyes remained perfectly steady as they locked onto the goal.
The referee's whistle pierced the air. In the silence that swallowed every sound in the stadium, Namgoong Min's right foot struck the ball.
It was another curling shot.
The ball traced an even sharper arc than the previous winner, bending dramatically as it flew.
The Spanish goalkeeper couldn't even read the direction. The ball slammed precisely into the upper right corner of the net.
Equalizer! The score was 3-3!
Inside the patbingsu shop, Seo-eun had completely lost her senses to excitement. She hugged her friends and cheered at the top of her lungs.
Tears of pure joy streamed from her eyes.
Oppa... Oppa really is... the brightest person in the entire world.
Thirty-fifth minute of the second half.
With the players reaching their physical limits, another aerial duel broke out.
Namgoong Min rose to meet a cross from the right corner with a header, but collided violently in mid-air with a Spanish defender and lost his balance.
His head slammed straight into the goalpost as he attempted the header.
Thud!
With a dull impact, Namgoong Min collapsed to the ground.
This time he clutched his head instead of his left arm.
The medical team rushed in. Moments later, the close-up camera captured red blood flowing between the fingers he had pressed to his head.
The patbingsu shop, which had been roaring with cheers moments earlier, fell into heavy silence.
Soon the broadcast showed a close-up of Namgoong Min bleeding.
"Oppa... Oppa!"
"Kyaaaak— blood. There's blood. What do we do?"
Seo-eun screamed in horror.
"Isn't that... blood coming from his head?"
To fifteen-year-old Seo-eun, the sight of her hero collapsing while bleeding was the most shocking and heartbreaking scene imaginable.
She stared at the screen, her whole body trembling with fear and pity.
Yet even in the midst of pain, Namgoong Min refused to be substituted.
He firmly rejected the coach and his teammates' pleas, wrapped his head in the thick bandage the medical staff applied, and returned to the pitch.
As time passed, red blood began to seep through the bandage.
In front of her friends, Seo-eun silently wiped her tears, but inside she poured out intense emotions.
What are you doing? Oppa! Why are you pushing yourself so hard! What if something really happens to you!
Her monologue had crossed from worry into anger and frustration.
To her, Namgoong Min had to be perfect. He was an absolute being who must never harm himself with reckless actions.
His pain brought her the greatest pity and an overwhelming anxiety over a situation she could not control.
Forty-first minute of the second half.
Under Spain's relentless assault, the entire Korean team had dropped back below the halfway line in a packed defense.
Even Namgoong Min, their top striker, had come all the way back to the penalty area to help defend.
In that moment, as he desperately stretched out his right foot to block a sharp pass from a Spanish attacker, the ball deflected off his foot and flew straight into the Korean goal.
An own goal. The score was now 3-4.
Namgoong Min stood frozen in place, staring at the goal with a devastated expression as if all the fighting spirit had drained from his body.
Seo-eun covered her mouth with both hands and let out a silent scream, unable to believe what she was seeing.
The image of her hero suffering the most tragic despair at the end of extreme pain and fighting spirit.
Young Seo-eun felt overwhelming pity and sorrow.
Even after the own goal, the match continued mercilessly, and the camera once again focused on Namgoong Min.
His expression was filled with complex, twisted emotions that went beyond mere pain and exhaustion.
The intense self-blame and grief over the own goal.
And the desperate effort to hold onto his mentality even as everything crumbled around him.
Soon after, the referee's final whistle echoed across the stadium.
The final score was 4-3.
Spain had won. South Korea finished as World Cup runners-up.
Amid the celebrating Spanish players, Namgoong Min stood motionless in the center of the pitch.
The bandage on his head was soaked with blood, and his left arm still wouldn't move.
He simply stared endlessly at the goal where he had conceded the own goal.
Seo-eun, too, remained unable to rise from her seat as she watched him for a long time.
In her eyes, Namgoong Min was a tragic hero who had given everything yet ultimately stood alone in defeat.
Even though they had lost, no one could dare criticize him.
Seo-eun shed endless tears as she spoke to him earnestly in her heart.
It's okay, oppa. It's all right. You ran harder than anyone and put on an incredible performance. Don't blame yourself, oppa.
The sight of Namgoong Min collapsing while bleeding.
The sight of him roaring as he scored despite his injuries.
And...
The sight of him desperately trying not to crumble after scoring that own goal in the final moment.
All of these images from that day were seared into fifteen-year-old Seo-eun's heart.
The determination to protect this lonely hero for the rest of her life, to comfort him, and to never leave him alone.
It was a small, secret vow and resolution that no one else knew, formed in the heart of a young girl.
Epilogue—
Five years had passed since the World Cup runner-up finish.
Seo-eun was now a twenty-year-old adult, spending her days busily as an idol trainee at Move Entertainment.
Namgoong Min, who had finally won the World Cup the previous year, had announced his retirement earlier this year.
When she first heard the news, Seo-eun had cried alone for days.
The thought that she might never see her first love, her one-sided crush, again had caused her to neglect her training for a while.
But she soon pulled herself together and was now training fiercely to make the debut team.
She would occasionally search the internet for news about him, but after his retirement, there was no information about his current activities anywhere.
Then, on a day when her longing and regret had piled up, the team leader called for her while she was sweating through her usual practice.
True to her timid and shy nature, simply entering the team leader's office made her extremely nervous.
Seo-eun knocked carefully and opened the door.
"Excuse me..."
Inside the office, standing beside the team leader in charge of trainee training and the agency CEO was...
Namgoong Min, dressed in a perfect suit.
Seo-eun was so shocked she couldn't even breathe, let alone speak.
To see him here like this... But a suit? Not a uniform, but a suit!
The CEO's following words only added to her confusion.
"Seo-eun, greet him. You know him, right? It's Mr. Namgoong Min. Or rather, he's CEO now. Of Four Square Entertainment."
Four Square Entertainment? CEO? What are you talking about? Oppa was a soccer player, so why an entertainment company? And he's the CEO?
Whether he knew what she was thinking or not, Namgoong Min spoke with his characteristic gentle smile.
"Min Seo-eun? Nice to meet you. I'm Namgoong Min."
Even toward a twenty-year-old trainee who had just graduated high school, he used perfectly polite honorifics.
Seo-eun felt that this moment of meeting her first love, her one-sided crush, lacked any sense of reality.
"Y-yes... I'm Min Seo-eun...."
After much hesitation, Seo-eun barely managed to answer.
The CEO continued.
"CEO Namgoong Min here started an entertainment company after retiring. The basic framework is already in place, and he's been looking around for a girl group debut team."
"I met him through an acquaintance and we talked about various things. When he saw your profile and evaluation video, he said he absolutely wanted to bring you over. If you follow CEO Min, you'll join the debut team right away and can debut. What do you think?"
Seo-eun's mind grew so dizzy from the CEO's words that she felt faint.
I'm going to debut as an idol in the same company as oppa? He wants to take me without even meeting me in person?
With her face flushed red, Seo-eun stood there unable to speak, only moving her lips wordlessly.
Looking at her, Namgoong Min smiled softly once more and spoke.
"What do you think, Seo-eun? Since this is my first time in the entertainment industry, it might seem unreliable, but I'll have excellent people with prior experience helping with the idol debut, so you don't need to worry."
Then he delivered the decisive line.
"I... really wanted to work with you, Seo-eun. That's why I kept asking the CEO to arrange this meeting. Trust me, just once."
For a moment Seo-eun stood stunned, but then a faint smile slowly began to bloom across her face.
Listening to the sound of her own pounding heart, she smiled brightly and answered.
"Yes... I'll go with you. CEO Namgoong Min."
— Side Story End —
