"Between 182 and 189 cm?!"
"That's right, Ho-young."
"Yes!"
Having completed the test, Ho-young clenched his fists in triumph.
[Fully Open Growth Plates].
This was a natural gift, something that no amount of effort alone could attain.
Even if someone were to raise doubts about his parentage, Ho-young and Woo Hwang-sun looked exactly alike, so there was no risk of misunderstanding.
Plus, his mother, Kim Hee-sun, was on the taller side.
He owed Suk Hyun-jun a big meal someday if they met again on the national team.
"Is that it for the medical test?"
All Ho-young had done was a basic health check—blood test, X-ray, ECG.
"Yes. For now, it's just a simple physical exam. The full medical test will be done before you officially join."
The InBody test to measure muscle mass and body balance, along with a strength test, would come later.
Afterward, Lucas explained the upcoming schedule in detail.
First, about the youth team and academy.
Second, about FIFA's Article 19 on player registration.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes. Basically, I just need to focus on football, right?"
"Exactly."
It meant that there was no need to worry, since many foreign players under 18 from countries like Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, and Korea were already part of the team.
"And even if it becomes an issue later, it won't matter much by then. You're not going to stay in São Paulo forever, are you?"
That was true.
He wasn't going to live in São Paulo for the rest of his life.
Brazil was just part of his growth journey, not the league he would spend his whole career in.
Besides, Ho-young's personality was far from the type to stay in one place forever.
'There are so many clubs I want to play for!'
More of a journeyman than a one-club man.
He'd probably feel too confined staying in one place for long.
Of course, only time would tell.
"So when do I sign a contract?"
"Around April. That's when the player registration period begins. You'll officially join the youth team then. Until then, you'll be in the academy focusing on fundamentals. After completing the basic training and individual evaluation, we'll calculate your GPA based on your medical results and other factors."
"GPA?"
"Think of it as your evaluation score for the contract."
"Oh, to decide whether I get signed or not?"
"Right. It's scored out of 10, and 6.5 is the passing line. The contract terms will vary based on your score."
"Hmm..."
"Haha. You look confused. Should I explain it again?"
"No, I got it."
Instead, Ho-young asked another question.
"What happens if my score is below 6.5?"
"Then you'll continue training at the academy and aim for the next window. You've come all this way, so you can't just go back, right?"
"Ah, of course!"
He now had a good understanding of how the academy and the youth team were connected.
"Then what's the individual evaluation?"
"It's to assess whether you can keep up with the youth team training. It also tests your mental strength. You'll have to study Portuguese diligently too."
"Why Portuguese?"
"Because the evaluation includes a Portuguese test."
"Sigh..."
Nothing came easy.
Four days later, the time for farewells arrived.
"Ho-young, do your best. And call us regularly."
"Yes. Don't worry. I'm a grown-up now~."
"This kid... Talks smooth as silk."
Whether he was twenty or forty, a son was always a son.
No matter how old he got, in the eyes of his parents, he was still their child, and Woo Hwang-sun felt uneasy.
"Ho-young, you can handle this, right?"
"Of course!"
"That's my boy."
Kim Hee-sun, on the other hand, couldn't bring herself to let go and held Ho-young in her arms for a long time.
"If it gets hard, don't hesitate to speak up, okay?"
"Yes."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
After that day.
It would've been understandable to slack off for a few days under the excuse of adjusting, but Ho-young never wasted time.
Since he was still receiving living expenses from his parents back in Korea, he didn't dare to be careless.
Moreover, since he would be starting 5th grade next month at a private elementary school, learning the language was essential. He had no time to breathe.
Thankfully, thanks to his mother, he already knew some Spanish.
Portuguese and Spanish were so similar that it helped immensely.
Additionally, Choi Maria's tutoring sessions for foreign kids allowed him to improve rapidly.
He intentionally avoided using Korean.
From morning to afternoon, he trained at the U9 (under 9) academy.
Truthfully, the academy level wasn't that high.
It was more of a place to build fundamentals before officially joining.
Even though he was in the top class, anyone with money could join the academy, so the talent level was nothing special.
There were more foreign students from Asia than Brazilian kids.
Talented players were rarely seen.
It was more like a warm-up phase for joining the youth team.
The real deal would start upon entering São Paulo FC's official youth teams, like U11 or U13.
Since the roster registration period was in April, he had to wait while refining his basics.
Though language barriers were tough, football was a physical activity, so it was manageable.
Once the sun set, he had to hurry home.
Though he wanted to practice shooting late into the night, Brazil's safety wasn't on par with Korea.
And that's when the real problem began.
He didn't have a phone or a roommate. Alone in a stuffy room, he began to feel lonely and restless.
"I could really go for a beer right now..."
Now that he was living on his own, all the desires he had suppressed started bubbling up.
'Sigh. If only I had a friend, I'd pick up the language faster too.'
Ho-young had great social skills.
Even with language barriers, he hoped he could make friends through gestures and effort.
'Let's just give it a shot.'
That was his way.
Creak.
"Ah!"
As soon as he flung open the door, he happened to run into her.
Monica, the girl from the next room.
She smiled faintly and waved first.
"Hi?"
"Oh, hi. Are you...?"
Ho-young stopped mid-sentence.
Though his mind had already spoken a hundred words, his lips wouldn't move.
'Dang it. I forgot again.'
Language was the problem.
Ho-young scratched the back of his head and tried anyway.
"Do you speak Korean?"
"Huh?"
"Ah, stupid me for even asking."
It's not like she was a K-pop fan or even knew where Korea was. No way she'd speak Korean.
But then.
"Wait a minute."
Monica stopped him and asked in a familiar tongue.
"Do you speak English?"
"Uh... just a little."
"Then... Russian?"
Shake.
"Spanish?"
"What?!"
At that, Ho-young's eyes lit up.
"Hey! My mom used to live in Spain!"
That day, he made his first friend.
Her room smelled amazing.
That was Ho-young's first impression as he entered Monica's room, invited in by her.
"So your dad is Brazilian, your mom is Russian-American, and your paternal grandma is Spanish...?"
"Yep. My grandma gave me my name."
"Wow, that's awesome."
"Really?!"
"Yeah!"
'How many ethnicities does she have mixed in...?'
It really hit Ho-young that he was now in a multicultural country.
"How many languages can you speak?"
"Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, English. Though I'm not fluent in all of them."
"Wow... So you're one of those."
"One of those?"
"A prodigy."
Ho-young's eyes sparkled as he looked at Monica.
[Monica Stocki]
[Possessed Talents: Gymnastics Prodigy (B), Natural Language Sense (B), Balanced Body Coordination (B-), Rhythmic Flexibility (C)]
(You can obtain one talent by meeting the required conditions.)
(Condition 1: Hold a 6,000-minute conversation in a foreign language)
(Condition 2: Pass the CELPE-Bras Portuguese language exam at advanced level)
(Condition 3: Stretch together for over 300 minutes)
[Language Sense]... He wanted that.
Not everyone fluent in many languages had the talent, but he had seen [Decent Language Aptitude (C)] in Choi Maria before.
However, since that required foreign language conversations, it had been hard to obtain.
With Monica, though, as his housemate, he could realistically aim to fulfill the conditions over time.
Even if it took a while, speaking slowly in Spanish would do.
"By the way... are you training in a sport?"
"Yeah."
"Ah..."
Most kids staying in the homestay area were elite athletes.
"What are you training in?"
"Rhythmic gymnastics!"
Must be the Russian blood...
"But isn't rhythmic gymnastics more famous in Russia or Spain?"
"I used to live with my family in Rio and started it as a hobby, but my coach said I had talent. So now I get to train for free here. If I do well, I might even study in Spain."
As expected of 'Vitória Regife,' Brazil's elite sports hub.
"Yeah. You definitely have gymnastics talent."
"Hahaha. You're a funny one."
"Really? Then let's be good friends from now on, Monica."
"Okay!"
Unlike the mischievous boys her age, Ho-young's first impression left a refreshing mark on Monica.
Time flew by.
He studied hard, trained relentlessly, and devoted himself to developing his talents. Before he knew it, a month had passed.
In February, he enrolled at an elementary school just 10 minutes away by bus, and thanks to his lively personality, he got along well with the local kids.
There were some occasional racial pranks, but every conflict was resolved through football.
After all, in Brazil, nothing topped football.
During PE class, they'd go outside to kick the ball, and Ho-young quickly gained attention with his standout skills.
Most importantly, unlike in Korea, he had far more time to play outside.
It was a big help in improving his game.
Still, the 7 million won annual tuition fee weighed on his mind.
So Ho-young kept his focus on his future.
Eat, football, eat, football.
And private tutoring from Monica in the evenings.
It was the busiest and most passionate time of his life.
Each day was tough, but he endured, thinking of his family and future.
Thanks to great friends like Monica, the loneliness didn't weigh too heavily.
Before he knew it, it was April.
Only two and a half months had passed, but so much had changed for Ho-young.
Despite not being fully fluent, he worked hard and obtained two new talents:
[Rhythmic Flexibility (C)] and [Fairly Flashy Footwork (C+)].
He also made steady progress with his existing talents.
He even passed the CELPE-Bras language test with a beginner-level score, which was needed for his individual evaluation.
Meanwhile, the world remained unchanged.
The Iraq War and natural disasters continued to dominate headlines.
But Ho-young couldn't change any of that.
All he could do was quietly walk his path, endure the hardship, and keep moving forward.
Then, on Thursday, April 3, 2003, the long-awaited day arrived.
Having completed the entire admission process, São Paulo FC's Youth TSN Manager (Recruitment Officer), Bianca, said to him,
"Ho-young, you've worked hard."
"So... does that mean...?"
"Congratulations. Your GPA is 9.13. Now, would you like to take a look at the contract?"
Sitting at the negotiation table at age eleven, Ho-young felt as if the tears he had held back for months were about to burst forth.
(To be continued.)
Monica Stocki (Img)