Chapter 12
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: vs Napoli (2) & Hala Madrid!
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After scoring the goal and wrapping up my conversation with Luis García, I headed to the corner flag for my celebration. That's when I spotted Usman Griezmann, the manager, standing on the touchline.
Seeing him thrilled over my opening goal brought back all the humiliating insults he'd hurled at me over time. Before I knew it, I was snapping out of it mid-stride, unleashing a full-on Bundesliga kick right at the manager.
"Puta!!!"
The manager flew back cursing from my kick, while his assistant coach, José Sierra, stared at me in horror right beside him.
"Oh! Jesus, what on earth have you done?!"
My flashy ceremony left Napoli's home stadium, Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, gripped in shock and terror, a chilling silence blanketing the place.
"Get off the pitch right now!"
The referee approached, flashing a red card and sending me for an early exit. I nodded obediently and made my way to the away team locker room.
"What the hell is wrong with that guy?"
Sergio Fabregas muttered under his breath as he watched me go, but having vented my stress with that Bundesliga kick on the manager, I strolled to the locker room feeling great.
The stadium was wrapped in dead silence.
What a rare treat.
I spread my arms wide,
like Jesus on the cross,
gazing at the cameras snapping my picture.
Worship me, you plebs.
The god of soccer has returned.
[Jesus Joo leaves the pitch with a fantastic kick following his fantastic goal.]
[That kick was perfect. Look closely here—he drove the studs inward and struck with the instep. Could this be the secret to his overhead kicks?]
[Haha. Yes, and Manager Griezmann dusted himself off right away, so no major injury.]
[I don't know their history, but Jesus shouldn't resort to violence on the pitch.]
[Hmm. I think the issues with Griezmann and Barcelona are significant too.]
[Why? Isn't the problem clear—Jesus player kicked at Griezmann?]
[Didn't the touchline incident blow up into a racism scandal for Griezmann? Maybe this was pent-up rage from that.]
[Comparing early Jesus footage to now, the difference is stark.]
[Yes. I can't understand why Barcelona doesn't protect their young boy.]
[Hmm. Huh? Jesus is doing a celebration on camera now?]
[Oh my God. Like Jesus wearing the crown of thorns, bearing our sins on the cross— is he declaring himself the proxy for all the discriminated, taking on the sin of violence?! He's insane. It shouldn't have led to violence, but he's saying he'll accept any punishment! Oh, I want to give him the nickname 'Little Jesus'!]
He's mad! That celebration is philosophical and artistic!
Oh! The Little Jesus from the East!
So that kick was a holy kick?
Holy and righteous kick.
The other commentator sensed it wasn't quite that deep but saw the chat exploding and decided to zip it.
[The prophet from the East and Little Jesus, Jesus Joo, exits the pitch!!]
The Champions League group stage match against Napoli ended in Barcelona's victory, but things took a bizarre turn.
Interviews from my respected bad boy seniors started pouring in.
[Italian bad boy Balotelli posts Jesus's cross celebration on his SNS with #LiveTogether anti-racism hashtag, sparking buzz.]
['Devil's Talent' Cassano: 'Racism must end. I can't understand how a racist manager still holds a position at Barcelona.']
['Bad Boy' Rooney: 'There's an 18-year-old Lionel Messi—why doesn't Barcelona protect that boy?']
['Man U's King' Cantona: 'Racism must end. And Jesus's kick was a fine one to eradicate it.']
Hmm. Misunderstandings are wonderful.
[Barcelona sacks Manager Usman Griezmann for poor results. Successor: Senior Coach José Sierra. No comment on racism issues.]
[Real Madrid: Our club joins the anti-racism movement. #LiveTogether]
[Madridistas: We're waiting for our Little Jesus to come to Madrid.]
[Jesus sidelined for Barcelona's remaining games due to suspension. UEFA, FIFA, RFEF joint statement: Violence on the pitch is unacceptable, no matter the reason.]
[RFEF launches Barcelona audit, plans widespread checks on other clubs for racism issues.]
[La Liga clubs scramble to bury their own racism problems as heat turns up.]
(Photo of Jesus Joo doing the Jesus ceremony)
(･ิ‿･ิ) My husband is so cool.
(Comment wanting to watch Jesus play live)
I want to see Jesus play in person too. (｡•́︿•̀｡)
Come after you graduate school this time!
Really? Can I go?
Of course lol
Then unnie's getting her passport for real? ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ
Lol yeah. I'll pick you up when you arrive.
( ˘ ³˘)♥
Me too ( ˘ ³˘)♥
What are these two doing? And what if Jesus has training when you go pick him up? Total bullshit.
You're the bullshit.
No I'm not? I'm a Madridista?
Lol switch your Barca stuff to private first lol
Lol Barca flag on profile and pretending Madridista lol
Calls himself Madridista lol
Don't fight on my profile!
ᕙ(๏ ๏)ᕗ
Sorry ;;
With the Spanish Royal Football Federation's suspension, I couldn't play for Barcelona anymore anyway. And Barcelona didn't want me showing up at the club and causing more trouble.
"What? You think you'll get suspended in the meantime?"
"Shut up."
I'd arrived in Madrid with hyung Kim Doo-sik to scout houses in the area of my potential winter transfer team.
"Hyung, these are pricier than I thought?"
"Give up on that damn pool already!"
"How can I? A pool in the garden!"
As we fretted over the steep price of the mansion, the Spanish real estate agent approached cautiously.
"Excuse me, are you Jesus by any chance?"
"Oh? Yeah, nice to meet you. Jesus Joo, the soccer player."
"Oh! Huge fan. Are you transferring to Real Madrid?"
Hyung Kim Doo-sik stepped forward at his words.
"Uh, details aren't set yet."
"Oh, not prying. The owner here is a die-hard Madridista. If you're buying for a Real Madrid move, he'd be open to a discount."
Hyung turned to me.
"What do you think?"
"What do you mean? Discount offered. Tell him I'm transferring to Real. Contact the owner."
The agent called the owner, and soon a dignified middle-aged man stepped out of a luxury car.
"Oh, Mr. Kim, long time no see. In Madrid and you don't hit me up first?"
"Haha, trying to buy a house quietly without rumors."
"Ah, I see. Sorry to intrude... Oh! Madrid's prophet, Jesus! Nice to meet you."
"Yes, nice to meet you too, President. How do you know about this place?"
"Haha, the seller's a buddy of mine— he tipped me off. Call me Nuñez casually."
"Too formal for names— tío works."
Nuñez beamed at my cheekiness, his energy skyrocketing as hyung and I got swept along in the conversation.
"Haha, a famous soccer star nephew now. Hmm, El sobrino? Can I speak casually?"
"Sí, go ahead."
"Great! My nephew can't live in some cheap mansion. Follow me."
Following Nuñez led to a massive estate.
"Nephew, free rental while you play in Madrid. Retire here, and it's yours."
I let out an involuntary sigh at his words.
Retire, and he hands over this mega-mansion with 8 bathrooms, 7 bedrooms, and a trophy museum?
"¡Hala Madrid!"
From this moment, my heart belongs to Madrid.
World Cup win or regress? Who cares.
This treatment matters.
And last round we made Round of 16, so who knows this time.