Chapter 162: Return
Ryu Ha-neul's return! "Goal? My goal is always to win!"
...This season, Ryu Ha-neul recorded 29 games, 30 goals, and 19 assists. In the league, he recorded 16 goals and 11 assists, signaling the birth of a new star in the football world.
...In the interview, Ryu Ha-neul left behind ambitious aspirations, saying, "Goal? My goal is always to win. It's because the spear thrown towards the sun flies the farthest."
[Photo] Ryu Ha-neul blowing a kiss to the fans~
(Ryu Ha-neul is posing towards the camera.)
[Photo] "I'll sign for everyone!"
(Ryu Ha-neul is signing autographs for fans.)
[Photo] "Don't touch my head!"
(A male fan's hand reaches out to pet Ryu Ha-neul's head, and he looks flustered.)
Meanwhile, the South Korean national football team will play a friendly match against Honduras on the 28th!
...On the other hand, after two friendly matches in Korea, the South Korean national team will select 23 players to participate in the World Cup and fly to Europe to prepare for the World Cup.
The following is the preliminary list of players selected for the World Cup against Honduras and Bosnia.
GK – Kim Eun-hye (Gamba Osaka, 27), Lee Seung-yeon (Seoul, 33), Ha Jae-hee (Ulsan, 24)
DF – Park Hye-ri (Mainz, 30), Choi Su-ah (Kashima, 28), Choi Min-ha (Tianjin, 33), Choi Da-yoon (Jeonbuk, 29), Kang Yeon-ji (Seoul, 21), Seo Hye-won (Seoul, 28), Park Ye-rim (Ulsan, 22), Lee Ji-su (Jeonbuk, 30), Kim Min-seo (Suwon, 27), Kim Yu-jin (Pohang, 26)
MF – Yoon Seo-hee (Liverpool, 34), Lee Joo-hyun (Al Sadd, 30), Jo Seo-won (Lille, 24), Han Ye-jin (Crystal Palace, 23), Gang Hae-young (Seattle, 25), Kim Eun-chae (Suwon, 35), Kim Chae-ri (Seoul, 20), Hong Ye-eun (Jeju, 28), Lee Eun (Busan, 30), Son Ju-hee (Jeonbuk, 24)
FW – Kim Seul-gi (West Ham, 27), Ryu Ha-neul (Barcelona, 16), Yang Hyun-hee (Sunhwa, 37), Kang Sae-young (Seoul, 28).
Wow, I went to work today and saw Ryu Ha-neul and Yoon Seo-hee lol
Legendary event lol lol lol lol Our restaurant Ryu Ji-hye, Ryu Ha-neul, Yoon Seo-hee came lol lol lol After it's over, I have to get autographs lol lol lol
"Yes, senior. Don't worry about Ha-neul. I've been helping a lot."
"Haha, I'm glad Senior Seo-hee is here."
Mother and Yoon Seo-hee face each other and smile. Honestly, the relationship between Yoon Seo-hee and me wasn't close, so it was an awkward spot, but since we had to film an ad together for the World Cup season, there was no choice.
Moreover, since I had some time left, I came to the filming location with my mother, but seeing that I couldn't speak to my mother and instead said those words to her made me feel sorry, so I couldn't refuse even out of pity.
'Sigh... Even though it took a lot of courage to suggest eating, I have to endure it.'
In her mid-thirties, Yoon Seo-hee had childlike eyes in front of my mother, and the same eyes she had when talking about football tactics with me made me smile a little.
'...But I'm not glad Yoon Seo-hee is here.'
If Yoon Seo-hee had been a super star secretly inciting factions, I could have suppressed the players during the World Cup period by riding her charisma, but the problem was that she was just a pushover.
"By the way, Ha-neul, what are you going to do about the Asian Games?"
When I was worrying about the team's future, my mother threw a dart at me. Even though I had already guessed, seeing her ask like that made me think my mother couldn't continue the long conversation with Yoon Seo-hee.
"The Asian Games? I don't think I'll be able to go. Probably the club won't send me."
I knew there was an Asian Games in August or September this year, but honestly, it was impossible for me to participate in that tournament.
First, the Asian Games wasn't that important, and I couldn't miss the early part of the season because of Angela's tactics. Moreover, thinking about the Asian Cup in January made it even more so.
Moreover, honestly, it would be a nuisance for a man like me to go to the Asian Games. The Asian Games was honestly a tournament to avoid military service.
If this world was one where men also had to go to the military, I would have somehow targeted the Asian Games, but I didn't want to take a spot and later hear voices of resentment from my teammates when we were together in the national team.
"Hmm... I see. Then the U-20 World Cup too..."
"That one probably won't be easy either, right? If it's the Champions League final, the timing might be awkward."
"Yeah, I also wanted Ha-neul to focus more on other places than those youth tournaments."
When I said I probably wouldn't go to the U-20 World Cup, my mother's expression hardened a little before returning to normal.
Well, thinking about my mother, I wanted to go too, but since the U-20 World Cup schedule might overlap with the Champions League final, there was no choice. No matter how much it was a national team match, it couldn't compare to the Champions League final.
While talking about tournaments with my mother, the atmosphere of finishing the meal flowed.
"Then shall we go? I'm a bit sleepy..."
Honestly, none of the three gathered here were particularly talkative, so I started the conversation. Well, I was tired from the ad filming.
"Shall we? Ha-neul, I was glad to see you today."
Yoon Seo-hee seemed like she wanted to stay a bit more, but when I yawned, she gave up with a disappointed expression. But that expression looked quite cold, and if I hadn't known Yoon Seo-hee's personality, I would have nearly gotten a chill.
"Um... Could I perhaps get an autograph?"
"Which kind of autograph?"
"Could all three of us do it?"
As I was calculating, a woman who looked like the restaurant owner or staff came in with a paper. Still, since the meal was over and they were requesting autographs, they were top 1%. Among the severe ones, there were even people who dared to pet my head.
Even though my height is about 178cm!
And seeing those over-the-line guys, most were male guys. In this world, since male guys were raised not to fit in, they do a lot of unreasonable actions,
I wanted to kick them with my foot, but if I openly got angry there, my reputation would definitely suffer, so I had no choice but to give an awkward smile.
'Sigh... I need to become an adult soon.'
"Player Ha-neul?"
"Ah, sorry. I was tired. What's your name?"
"Ah... Choi Ji-young."
"Yes, Ms. Choi Ji-young..."
"Huh, could I get a photo too?"
"Yes, of course. Will you hang it up?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then after getting autographs from my mother and Senior Seo-hee, take a picture together."
"Thank you!"
"What? I thank you for eating deliciously."
Well, I still have to do fan service.
Thanks to this reputation management, more advertising offers were coming in than in my previous life, so I could endure this much.
Well, if I sold all the coins I had saved, I wouldn't have to do ads, but since I wanted to buy the club after retirement, I wanted to keep that money.
Of course, I couldn't not spend money now, so ads were essential.
Especially for my few hobbies, collecting sports cars, I had no choice, right?
'When my birthday next year comes, I have to buy a car right away. First, about 5 for commuting.... Since riding in the dorm would be noticeable, when I become an adult, I have to get a house right away.'
"Ha-neul?"
"...Yes?"
"Why are you suddenly laughing. Is there something good?"
"...No, it's not particularly that."
"Then let's greet Senior Seo-hee now."
The word "noona" that my mother spat out made Yoon Seo-hee's expression slightly twitch. It looked like she was plotting something, but probably she was happy about it. I thought about calling her noona once, but if I did, it felt like Yoon Seo-hee would have a heart attack, so I quickly erased that thought.
...Honestly, although she looked in her mid-20s outwardly, it suited her more as an aunt rather than noona.
"Senior, thank you for your hard work. See you next time."
"Uh..."
The disappointed expression somehow looked like a black-bellied, but I tried to ignore that Yoon Seo-hee.
"Seo-hee, today was fun."
"...Yes, Senior. Thank you for your hard work. Ah, Ha-neul, you worked hard today too. Let's see you at training."
With this, the short two-day vacation ends.
Now what's left is the World Cup.
Thinking about the guys who can't do their own thing, or rather the years who are divided into domestic and European factions fighting factions, a sigh comes out a bit, but still, compared to when I met them in March, my current self has a much different status, so I think I can somehow soothe them.
'...It will somehow work out. Well, it's a World Cup, so no way...'