Ho-young had already sensed he would win the Golden Ball the day before.
That was because Coach Carlos had told him so with complete confidence.
There had been some concern that he might receive lower scores due to being a foreigner rather than a Brazilian, but Ho-young had undeniably been the key player in securing the championship.
There was no room for disagreement.
Because of that, he had already decided what talent he would choose the night before.
Football Genius (A-).
More than anything, it was a period where growth was the priority. A talent that would aid in his development was without a doubt the top choice.
Unless, of course, he could obtain an L-rank talent.
However, there was one thing he was concerned about.
If his existing talent, [Football Prodigy (B+2)], was absorbed into [Football Genius], all the effort he had put in so far would be meaningless.
But what was this?
[Football Prodigy (B+3)↑]
[Football Genius (A-)↑]
As expected, the level of his talents had increased.
[Football Genius (A)↑]
An unexpected result had occurred.
Instead of the total combining into A-, it became a straight A!
"Oh..."
Clutching the Golden Ball trophy he received from the federation president, Ho-young let out a silent cheer.
'This is huge.'
He had hoped for this outcome, but he didn't think it would actually happen.
Still, even in his joy, a question lingered.
'Something feels off.'
(A-) + (A-) equals A, but (B+2) + (A-) also results in A?
Doesn't that defy logic?
Ho-young wasn't the type to overlook something like that.
'That means...'
Thinking back on the progression of his talents, he could roughly deduce how the calculation worked.
'Hmm. There are too many variables.'
While he couldn't be completely certain, there was one thing he could confidently say.
Pato's talent had been on the higher end of the A- grade.
That's why, when combined with Ho-young's B+2, it resulted in a full A.
At any rate, what mattered most was that his hard work hadn't been in vain.
And now he had confirmed that.
[It will take 30 days to fully acquire this talent. You cannot select another talent during this period.]
'This one's going to take a while.'
Only 30 days remained until he would become the greatest prospect in Asian football history.
And...
'It's not far off now.'
Professional football.
He could feel it—he was only a few steps away from his debut.
He was just eleven years old, but it didn't feel distant at all.
'The world's youngest debut record is thirteen, right?'
He remembered clearly.
In 2016, in Messi's homeland of Argentina, a football prodigy had emerged.
A boy named Roa made his debut in the Argentine league at just 13 years old.
And beyond that, countless world records existed.
Records Ho-young was more than capable of breaking.
But there was a condition.
'I need at least a basic physical foundation.'
No manager would put a 150cm tall boy on a professional pitch.
He might grow past 160cm next year, but height alone wouldn't be enough.
He had to build the stamina and skills to withstand physical battles against adults.
In that sense, this pre-season was incredibly important.
A turning point.
Whether he would remain in youth football for several more years or step up to the pro level even a year earlier.
A quick debut wasn't necessarily always better, but being ready and qualified was a crucial factor.
'It's going to be busy.'
It felt like this pre-season would be even more hectic than the regular season.
---
Saturday, November 8th, 2003.
As the second semester ended in Brazil,
Ho-young set foot in Korea, where a cool autumn breeze occasionally swept through.
Thanks to a plane ticket provided by local foreign support coordinator Lucas Kim, he was able to return home for free.
It was a kind of special privilege given to Ho-young, who had led the team to victory. From what he heard, it had been arranged directly by the club's top executives.
Thump, thump!
Everything began to feel real.
Just how outstanding his performances had been this year.
And then.
"Let's see~."
Carrying a heavy backpack, Ho-young walked out of the arrival gate and looked around quickly.
That was when it happened.
A bright smile spread across his face.
"Ho-young!"
Seeing his family for the first time in nine months made him smile without realizing.
"Eww, Dad, your beard!"
"Hahaha. When did my son grow up so much?"
After Woo Hwang-sun rubbed cheeks with him, it was time for a hug from Kim Hee-sun.
"My baby. It must've been tough, right? You worked so hard."
Their reunion ended with Kim Hee-sun's eyes tearing up.
And just as they were about to head out for a delicious meal.
"Excuse me!"
What now?
A man in his mid-twenties, with a camera on his shoulder and a notebook in hand.
It was obvious.
"You're a reporter?"
"Oh, haha. Yes. Hello, sir and ma'am. I'm Hwang Tae-seok from Ilgan Sports."
Somehow, word had reached the media and an interview request came up.
He politely asked if it would be okay to do a quick interview, and since Ho-young couldn't say no, he agreed.
But since he wanted to spend time with his family, he kept the interview short—just three minutes.
It was the best day ever.
What made it even better was getting to eat all the food he'd been craving.
And after the meal, he spent a relaxing time at home.
Since it was his only vacation of the year, he planned to recharge fully before returning.
The home he hadn't seen in so long still felt so familiar.
What had changed was his three-year-old younger brother, who had grown so much he was almost unrecognizable.
"Hyung."
"Ho-il, let's sleep together tonight."
"Okay."
"Someday, you'll be proud of your big brother."
"Huh?"
"By the time you're in elementary school, I'll be playing for a famous club. Heh. If you tell people your brother is friends with Messi, they'll be shocked."
There was one more change.
The fan cafe that once had 1,000 members had now surpassed 20,000.
While he had barely touched the internet in Brazil due to focusing on football, it seemed there was a key figure behind the fan cafe's boom.
[User: PowerType]
- Hello, this is Power-hyung, the source of all news in the Hoo-Hoo-Young fan cafe. I've got great news again today. According to insider info, it seems Ho-young will be skipping a grade soon.
└ Is that true?!
└ Golden Ball and now grade skipping?!
└ So he's moving to U14?
└ There's no U14, though?
└ Wow! He's totally awesome~!
"What the... is this guy a club official?"
Skipping a grade? Ho-young hadn't heard a thing about it.
"Pfft, haha!"
An anti-fan turned hardcore supporter—it was hilarious.
"Ho-young?"
The one who stopped Ho-young's laughter was Kim Hee-sun.
She and Woo Hwang-sun entered his room, holding his backpack.
"What's all this?"
"Oh, right. That's money."
Just as he said, inside the backpack was money.
Not just a few bills—stacks of it.
Bundles of 10,000 won notes in their crisp, cabbage-colored glory.
Kim Hee-sun spoke in a gently scolding tone.
"Ho-young. Of course I know that. I'm asking where you got this money."
"Why are you asking like that? Our precious son probably brought it as a gift for us. Haha!"
Kim Hee-sun looked concerned, while Woo Hwang-sun joked around.
And Ho-young gave his answer.
"That's right."
"Huh?"
"Yeah. It's a homecoming gift."
Money really is the best.
And the best kind of money is cold, hard cash.
The 5 million won that Ho-young had prepared as a gift was worth its weight in gold to his parents.
To their surprise, Ho-young clearly explained the source of the money.
It was the sum of various allowances, performance bonuses, and incentive payments.
In particular, the championship bonus had been divided into five tiers based on contribution. Ho-young had received the top tier, earning him a 4 million won reward.
"How can a kid be so thoughtful?"
"Of course, because he's our son. He's a blessing."
Lying in bed that night, the couple couldn't fall asleep.
The amount itself was surprising, but even more touching was the fact that their young son had thought to do something like this.
"Still, how did he even think of that... I think I'll open a savings account for him, honey."
"Heh. You're smarter than me, so I'll leave that to you. Are the kids asleep?"
It was a night filled with smiling faces.
And the next morning.
"Ho-young, Ho-young?"
Kim Hee-sun's voice gently woke him.
"Mm... yeah... five more minutes..."
"There's a call from the coach."
"What?!"
Ho-young's eyes flew open.
"Coach Carlos? But the season's over, why...?"
"No, it's Coach Cha. He said if you're free today, he'd like to meet."
"Oh!"
'Right. He told me to contact him when I got back.'
Noon on Sunday.
The morning suddenly became busy.
Ho-young headed to Suwon with Woo Hwang-sun.
There, he met Cha Bum-kun, who was set to take over as the new Suwon Samsung Bluewings manager next year.
They arrived at a quiet traditional Korean restaurant near Suwon, taking just 30 minutes by car.
It was a place chosen by Cha to treat his guest.
"Ho-young, you've worked hard."
"Thank you!"
"Heh. Eat plenty. Nothing added to your schedule yet?"
"No."
Since they had kept in regular contact while he was in Brazil, Cha was well aware of Ho-young's upcoming plans.
That was also why he had called him out today.
"Mr. Woo, as I mentioned before, this overseas trip will be a great experience for Ho-young. It's pre-season too, so there's time. What do you think, Ho-young? Are you interested in joining the Dream Youth Expedition?"
"Dream... Youth Expedition?"
It was news to him.
Woo Hwang-sun already knew, but had purposely not mentioned it during the season, worried it might distract Ho-young from performing.
Cha Bum-kun gave him a brief explanation.
"From December 18th?"
"Yes."
The Dream Youth Expedition.
A project backed by the Shinseong Group and organized by Cha Bum-kun and the Korea Football Association. It was a team called FC Dream, composed of young players expected to lead the future of Korean football.
The elite squad would participate in a small-scale international youth tournament.
All players would be under the age of 13.
The schedule ran from December 18 to January 17 of the following year.
It was a golden opportunity for Ho-young, who currently had no conflicting schedule.
He just needed to inform his club in advance.
"But is it open to anyone? Even me?"
"You think Coach Cha wouldn't reserve a spot for you?"
"Haha, thank you."
The expedition team would consist of 11 winners of the Cha Bum-kun Football Award, plus 3 players recommended by the Korea Football Association.
Cha Bum-kun was planning to recommend Ho-young for one of those spots.
Though his relationship with the KFA higher-ups wasn't exactly warm, he had enough influence to make it happen.
"Then, shall we go ahead with it?"
"Yes. I really want to go!"
There was absolutely no reason to turn it down when he was being offered so much support.
"But are we just going to play matches there?"
"There will be matches, but also joint training with local prospects. And we'll be watching football games too."
"Oh...!"
Thump, thump!
His heart began to pound again. Just hearing about promising talents made it race.
"Who are we playing against?"
"Heh. You're already curious?"
Of course.
He couldn't help but be curious.
The destination was a country closely tied to Cha Bum-kun.
A paradise for young footballers.
Germany.
(To be continued.)