Birthday Gift
Bayern Munich defeated Arsenal with an aggregate score of 4–3.
After the fierce clash between the two sides, the spotlight fell not only on Valiet for his hat-trick but also on Baek Yujin.
Against a powerhouse like Bayern he never flinched, producing individual brilliance that called the legends of old to mind. Fans in their forties and fifties—people who had last seen such skill only in the late nineties and early two-thousands—found it impossible not to fall for Baek Yujin. Perhaps there was hope as well. With him, maybe next season they could reclaim that former glory and lift Arsenal’s first Big Ear. His contract still had years left, so the affection felt natural; in the face of the talent he had already shown, age was nothing but a number.
If Valiet started in place of Simon, whose form had dipped lately, Arsenal would go absolutely wild. Simon was solid enough, but he let too many chances slip. You know that saying in European football—that every midfielder eventually meets the destined striker who turns every pass into a goal? That was Valiet. For Hong Seoin, that striker was Yujin.
While articles about Baek Yujin were still burning hot, a new post appeared on the community boards.
After swapping shirts with Valiet, I hobbled out of the Allianz Arena and learned something rather shocking.
“…She streamed?”
Jia noona’s broadcast. The moment I opened the internet, the first post I saw was about her stream, so there was no way I could miss it.
Reactions are good.
Over a thousand viewers on her very first stream, and the comments were pure praise—beautiful voice, great commentary, feels like radio. But seeing everyone pretend not to know, I figured I should play along and tease her a little too. Sharp as she was, there was no chance Jia noona hadn’t noticed.
I rode the club bus back to the airport, chatted with Jia noona until we boarded the flight to London, then slept comfortably the whole way. The moment we landed I headed straight home.
“Yujin, tomorrow’s your birthday, right?”
“Yeah. It is.”
Tomorrow—April 22nd—was my birthday. Since I’d given her a ring on her last birthday, she would surely try to do something for me, but honestly just spending time together was more than enough.
“Heh. You can really look forward to it.”
A little nervous, yet wearing that beautiful smile of hers, she saw me into the next day.
April 22nd. My birthday.
Early that morning Jia noona and I stepped out onto the streets of London. It was quite warm, so I wore my favorite shirt under a cardigan and began our date.
“A lot of eyes on us.”
“Yeah.”
More gazes than usual were drawn our way. Perhaps because people knew we were on a date, they only watched from a distance; no one approached. Still, it made me a little self-conscious.
“Noona, mind if I step out for a bit?”
“Sure. I’ll wait.”
I felt a twinge of guilt for leaving on our date day, but she understood, which was a relief. I left the café, took photos with fans, and signed a few autographs. It wasn’t a huge crowd, so I didn’t plan to stay long.
“Yujin. Thank you.”
“Pardon?”
A middle-aged man approached and offered his thanks. I hadn’t done anything special, so I was puzzled.
“For letting me feel the glory of the past again. It was like watching Bergkamp.”
“Ah.”
Being told I reminded him of Bergkamp was high praise.
What does that even mean to them?
I had never lived through that era myself—the Invincible Season, the days of Wengerball. I had only watched Bergkamp’s highlights and dreamed; I didn’t truly know much. So I couldn’t fully grasp how I must feel to these people.
Thirty years ago… it must feel completely new.
Even that was only a rough guess.
“Yujin. Keep playing football for a long time. In my later years, my heart’s burning again.”
“I’ll stay healthy and keep running hard. See you next time.”
“See you, Young Lord.”
“…Young Lord?”
“Well, you’re a bit young to be called a full noble, aren’t you?”
“…Haha.”
Young Lord—it was a rather embarrassing title.
Still feels good, though.
Knowing people like him were watching and cheering made it impossible not to want to show them something special.
I have to do even better.
I wanted my play to leave them with even more memories.
After saying goodbye to everyone I stepped back into the café. Barely ten minutes had passed, yet I felt completely drained.
“You look happy.”
“Yeah. Being with you makes it even better, noona.”
“Heh.”
I threw in a little sweet talk for the noona who had been so considerate, and we simply enjoyed the date. It was simple, yet I was happy. We ate, took photos, visited a few local spots I hadn’t seen before—and it felt like we were savoring the entire world.
Then night came.
Back home I showered first and sat on the edge of the bed.
Look forward to it… what did she mean?
The words Jia noona had said before she went to wash. Look forward to it. It was just an ordinary day, yet my heart was pounding harder, fluttering for reasons I couldn’t name.
Don’t tell me…
Creak.
I couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from rising at the ridiculous fantasy when noona stepped out in a bathrobe.
“You’re beautiful, noona.”
“Heh. Thank you.”
She walked over slowly and stood in front of me, looking down.
“…”
“…”
We simply met each other’s eyes for a moment. Then Jia noona spoke.
“Yujin.”
“Yeah, noona.”
“Would it be okay if I got a little greedy?”
“Greedy? What kind of greedy?”
“Just… really my own greed.”
The slightly bashful way she answered made it look like she was holding something back.
“Whatever you want, noona, I’m fine with all of it.”
If it was something Jia noona desired, there was nothing I wouldn’t give her. Even if it took time, I could get her a ring set with dozens of diamonds.
“Really?”
She grinned at my sincerity, then gave me a light shove. The next moment she had me trapped between her legs and settled onto her knees, straddling me. I could only stare blankly, not understanding the situation.
“I prepared a birthday present. One is a necklace. I’ll give you that later.”
“…”
“And the other is…”
“…The other?”
Those alluring eyes. The same gaze I had seen so many times in my previous life, paired with a tone full of anticipation. She leaned her upper body closer.
“It’s me.”
“…”
Because I was still a minor, because I had worried she might not want it, I had been holding back. Even when I got excited I had tried not to show it. But if this was something she wanted… then there was nothing I could do about it.
My second birthday after regressing.
I received the best birthday present of all.