Chapter 29
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: La Decimoquinta -3
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83rd minute of the second half: Charlie Stone is finally shown a yellow card for that rough tackle on Jesus.
It's hard to believe a card has come out now—this has been such a brutal match.
You can tell just by looking at Jesus's jersey. It shows exactly how rough this game has been.
Exactly. Jesus's pristine white jersey, famous for staying so clean, is absolutely filthy.
Partly due to that rough defending, his opening goal only came late in the second half, right?
The difference between La Liga sides and Liverpool is plain to see. La Liga clubs have dropped in level overall.
The fact that no La Liga team has reached the Champions League final in the last five years proves it.
Oh, really?
Barcelona's chronic financial issues are holding them back, and now racism has spread like a plague through La Masia, forcing cleanup. Real Madrid has been reeling since the Galácticos policy's big failure. Atlético Madrid has become a point-stealing ground in the Champions League.
Yeah. The La Liga big three have all had their problems. Thankfully, while we were chatting, Jesus shakes it off safely, gets up, and signals to the bench that he's okay.
Jesus looks set to take the free kick himself.
Charlie Stone is missing from this defensive wall.
The impact from Jesus's first-half free kick must have been intense. Issues involving the brain or heart always require caution.
Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Unbelievable!
The referee's whistle blows. Jesus takes a slow run-up to the ball. A fantastic free kick on a dream trajectory kisses the keeper's fingertips goodbye and rattles the net!
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The Santiago Bernabéu turns into a festival in an instant! The Roji Blancos' roars echo through the stadium!!!
Oh! What a beautiful, perfect goal!
Jesus dashes to the corner flag to perform his signature celebration.
A hymn for him sweetly fills the Santiago Bernabéu. Dios de Madrid, Jesus! Having transferred from Barcelona to Real Madrid, he's etching new history at the Chamartín!
Even watching it again, it's a monstrous kick. Perfectly curled into the top far corner. The keeper stretches desperately, but it doesn't touch. Oh my gosh—it's unbelievable that this player just turned adult.
But we have to believe it. Jesus is from South Korea, after all.
If he were from the North, I'd suspect his age.
Haha. The saint from South Korea who became a god at Real Madrid is astonishing the world. Is this the shot that ignites Real Madrid's revival? The Champions League just got one more thing to watch: Can Madrid, led by Jesus, claim their fifteenth Big Ear?
90th minute of the second half.
The physical battle master Charlie Stone, who taught me about body clashes in the last match, got hit by my body check and collapsed on the pitch, bursting into mad laughter.
"Hahahahahahaha—Fuck!! That's it! That's real football!!"
The referee, looking at Charlie Stone, sighed and gave me a verbal warning.
"Ha... Jesus, this is really the last time. And I hope the game doesn't get delayed any more."
"Sí. My mistake."
I nodded at the referee's warning and helped the fallen Charlie Stone to his feet.
"Heh... Kid, you're a real man."
What? Did this guy hit his head wrong when he fell?
"Are you crazy?"
"Of course. I'm crazy for football. Hey, kid, ever thought about coming to the EPL? A real man like you doesn't belong in La Liga's playground for delicate girls!!"
Me, go to the EPL where lunatics like you spin around?
"Get lost. I'm happy playing football at Real."
"Heh, too bad. Guess you're still a kid."
My chat with Charlie Stone wrapped up roughly.
Some football fan who saw us laughing and talking snapped a screenshot and captioned it like this.
The madman and the god of football might be just a paper's width apart.
It's not a paper's width. It's a difference of species.
Real Madrid 2 : 0 Liverpool
Scorers: Jesus (68', FK 85')
Yellow Cards: Charlie Stone (83')
Liverpool's Klopp: "Our loss wasn't because we failed—Real Madrid were just a bit better than us."
"He's a smart player. He perfectly understands where and when to be positioned. People gasp at his dribbling, but I'm in awe of his movement."
"The secret to victory? I just trusted my players. And they delivered it for us."
On Jesus's fantastic free kick: "It's an amazing goal, but it's routine for Jesus. I've spent too much time with him to be surprised. He hasn't shown his full power yet."
On Klopp's comments: "Jesus is perfect in every way. Like Shevchenko said, a Perfect player. Thanks to Barcelona for sending him to Madrid."
Smiling at reporters asking about the loss: "The match might be lost, but I won. Next up is Anfield, our home. I don't lose there."
Charlie Stone, suspended for the Champions League quarterfinal second leg due to accumulated yellows, leaves only questions behind as he exits the mixed zone.
Straight-faced at reporters asking if he's friends with Charlie Stone: "I'm not a psycho."
"Who touches my head the longest? Hmm. Probably Manager Valverde." Laughter erupts in the mixed zone at Jesus's interview.
Real Madrid's bald manager Valverde, with a deadpan expression at Jesus's interview: "He does have a point—I do touch his head the most."
Will Real Madrid, after beating Liverpool, keep their league momentum going?
Having won the Champions League quarterfinal first leg, the players all headed home with joyful expressions.
♩♪♬
When I got home, I heard Yu-na strumming her guitar and singing. I quietly approached and hugged her from behind.
"What're you up to?"
Her slightly swelling belly caught my eye.
"Hehe. Recording a song video for NewTube."
"Aren't NewTube shoots supposed to be in the afternoon?"
"Forgot while watching the match. Good work today. That Charlie Stone bast—"
She started to curse but glanced at her belly in surprise and quickly backpedaled. I smiled faintly at her like that and changed the subject.
"Morning sickness any better?"
"Yeah, it's fine. Sis has been a big help."
The "sis" Yu-na mentioned was Doo-sik hyung's wife—my sister-in-law. Yu-na and I both essentially had no parents. Since this was our first pregnancy, we were clueless and fumbling when she stepped up to help.
"I should thank sister-in-law properly. Did Grandmother make it back to her hometown okay?"
Yu-na's grandmother, seeing Yu-na adapt well to Spain, returned home with Doo-sik hyung when he went back to Korea.
[Son-in-law, take good care of our Yu-na—she's a good girl. And this is Yu-na's growth diary, so read it when you have time. She was so quiet and cute as a kid, but once she grew up, she wouldn't listen at all.]
The growth diary Yu-na's grandmother handed me at the airport farewell is something I'm reading steadily now.
I've realized some sad truths from it. Yu-na's chest was exceptionally small compared to her peers...
"Honey?"
"Yeah?"
As I massaged her chest to help it grow, lost in thought, she must have thought I was overcome with lust. She pointed to her mouth.
"Want me to use my mouth at least?"
At Yu-na's words, I nodded carefully, kissed her cheek, then princess-carried her to the bedroom.
Villarreal CF manager: "We're thoroughly prepared. We'll take points from Real Madrid at our home."
Real Madrid's Valverde: "Nothing is impossible in this world. Even the chance of my hair growing back exists. Their chance of getting points would take a miracle like that."
Villarreal 0 : 1 Real Madrid
75th minute of the second half.
With no goals yet, Manager Valverde signaled for me to warm up.
Thanks to the manager's bonus promise, after about ten minutes of warming up, I subbed in for Pedro Rodríguez, who was starting as striker for the first time in a while, and stepped onto the pitch.
The moment I entered, Luka passed me the ball.
"Boooooooooooo!!!!"
Villarreal fans jeered as I started dribbling.
As I dismantled their defense with flashy individual skill,
"Hala!! Jesus!!"
I could hear the cheers from Madrid fans who had made the away trip to Estadio El Madrigal.
"Iker!"
Dodging tackles from swarming defenders, I slipped a pass through to the penetrating Iker Bravo.
Iker Bravo faked a shot,
cut it back to my run, and I smashed it low into the bottom left corner. The ball flew straight into the net without resistance.
I caught the sight of the despairing keeper and defenders. Hyped up by their sense of defeat and frustration, I sprinted to the corner flag and shouted,
"Ahn~ Kimoi!!!"
VAMOS!
Ah. I ended up saying the opposite of what I meant.