In front of Paul stood a two-story house that looked warm and inviting. Colorful flowers bloomed in the pots on the windowsills, and the garden was meticulously maintained. Although the house was completely unfamiliar to him, something inside him made him feel a sense of closeness to this place. He let his eyes wander over every corner of the house, as if trying to capture a memory. "Is this our house?" he asked.
His sister, Grace, who was standing right next to him, smiled as she watched their mother walk toward the front door of the house. "Yes, big brother, it's our house." Her face held a glimmer of hope that Paul's memory would return. Grace turned her eyes to Paul and asked with a little more eagerness: "Did you miss it?"
Paul didn't hesitate to be honest in the face of this innocent question. He answered with a sad expression on his face: "You know I don't remember anything. If I said yes, I would be lying."
Grace wasn't discouraged by this answer. On the contrary, it was as if this honesty made her even closer to him. Unexpectedly, she took Paul's hand. Paul was surprised. The warmth of Grace's hand had added a little warmth to his cold and unfamiliar world.
Grace started running toward the house, pulling Paul along. Her steps were joyful and fast. "Then let's go inside right now!" she exclaimed. "Maybe you'll remember something."
Paul looked at Grace in astonishment at this sudden burst of energy. He laughed to himself. "I have a sister who can't sit still..."
As they ran toward the house, their mother called out from the doorway: "Don't tire your brother out, Grace! He was just discharged from the hospital."
As Grace and Paul entered the house, Grace replied to her mother: "I knowwww!"
When they entered the house, Grace immediately dragged Paul into the living room. The living room was simply but tastefully decorated. There was a white sofa, a glass coffee table, and paintings hanging on the walls. Grace spoke excitedly: "Look, this is the living room. Did you remember anything?"
Paul looked around carefully. No matter how hard he tried, no memories came to his mind. The answer was the same: "Unfortunately, no."
Grace was not deterred. This time, she dragged Paul into the kitchen. The kitchen, unlike the living room, was more colorful. There were fresh fruits on the counter and flowers in a vase on the table. Grace asked hopefully: "What about now?"
Paul replied with the same expression: "No..."
Without losing her energy, Grace dragged him to another room. As she opened the door, she spoke excitedly: "I'm sure you'll remember something now."
When the door opened, the room looked like a typical high school boy's room. There were football posters on the walls, a computer desk in the corner, and a bookshelf. Grace said with a smile: "It's your room, big brother."
Paul stepped into the room. This room reminded him of the football posters in his old life. But the players in these posters were very different from the players he knew. Paul took a deep breath and said: "I'm sorry. My answer is still the same, Grace."
Grace's spirits weren't dampened. "It's okay, big brother," she said. "You'll remember a lot of things with time."
Paul turned to Grace and asked a question that was on his mind: "Now that I think about it. Did I have any friends?"
Grace looked thoughtful at this question. "Hmm," she said. "I guess not. You were always a lonely kid, big brother."
Grace looked at the bookshelf in the room and added: "Whenever I came to your room, you were always reading a book."
Paul was not surprised by this information. "So, books..." he thought. As Steven, he also loved to read books between matches. Was this new body carrying his old habits?
This time, Grace looked at the computer in the room and said: "Oh, you also used to spend a lot of time on the computer."
Paul took this information normally as well. "I see," he said.
Grace smiled and said: "You should rest a little more, big brother. I'll call you when dinner is ready."
Grace left the room. When Paul was alone, his eyes were fixed on the computer. "Computers existed in my time too," he thought. "But of course, this one is very different."
The computer was an opportunity for him. "A chance for me to see what today's football is like," he thought.
Paul touched the computer tower. The computer slowly began to boot up. Paul sat down in the chair in front of the computer. When the computer opened, he clicked on the internet tab. Like an old man, he used the mouse slowly and carefully.
He was on the internet and immediately typed 'Football videos' in the search bar. A site named Voutube came up. "Voutube?" he thought. "Let's click on it."
Before the video opened, an ad came up. Paul looked at the screen with a blank expression. When the ad finished, the video opened.
An hour later, Paul was in shock. "Football has turned into a completely different thing now," he thought. The players were faster, stronger, and smarter than the players from his time.
Paul looked at the value of the young talents who were shining in football. "The value of young talents starts at 15 or 20 million," he said. "There's no need to even look at the players in good teams."
Paul spoke thoughtfully: "I guess my only lucky part is that I came at the end of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo's careers." Being on the same field as these two legendary players during that time was a terrifying thought for him.
Paul shivered and said: "It would have been terrifying to play against them."
Just then, Grace's voice was heard: "Dinner is ready, big brother!"
Paul smiled and said: "I'm comingggg."
Paul got up and said with a smile: "But it will still be fun to play football. And against those young talents who think they're hot stuff."