After a brief welcome ceremony at Incheon International Airport, Real Madrid headed straight to the Shilla Hotel in Seoul, guided by officials from the Korea Football Association.
"Damn, the popularity is insane. I only get that kind of reaction when I go back to my hometown."
Marcelo looked genuinely envious of Ho-young.
"Haha. I didn't expect it to be this much either."
"Lucky bastard. And you're even good-looking."
Meanwhile, the senior players were deep in conversation about Korea.
Most of it was about the nightlife. Some players even tried to dig up information on Korean nightclubs from the event organizers.
Although the hosts refrained from sharing details for the players' safety, some of them already had a solid grasp of Korea's hotspots.
Visiting hotel bars or nightclubs during a world tour had become somewhat of a tradition.
According to the Associated Press, Chelsea FC had once secretly enjoyed a night out in Gangnam during their visit to Korea three years ago.
Of course, nightlife wasn't inherently bad.
Some players enjoyed a few quiet drinks to soak in the local atmosphere, while others sought more excitement. It all came down to personal preference.
Among them, Portuguese center-back Pepe couldn't hide his excitement.
He looked eager to wrap up the match against FC Seoul the next day and hit the clubs.
While all this was happening, Ho-young was led to a separate room by the head of security.
There, manager Park Sung-ho and KFA Executive Director Jo Jun-hyung were waiting for him.
"Oh, you must be Ho-young. Hello."
"Nice to meet you."
Ho-young already knew who Jo Jun-hyung was.
He was widely known for his contributions to the 2002 World Cup military exemption policies, youth development, and infrastructure expansion.
Among his accomplishments, the push to incorporate the KFA as a legal entity to enhance transparency had left a lasting impression.
He kept praising Ho-young, intermittently mentioning how high the expectations were for him within the association.
At the same time, he subtly hinted at the desire to keep Ho-young from naturalizing elsewhere, implying that Korea's future depended on him.
However, Ho-young was solely focused on whether he'd make the Olympic squad.
Park Sung-ho gave him an answer.
"I'll contact you right after tomorrow's match."
"Understood."
It meant he would finalize the roster after watching Ho-young's performance in the match against FC Seoul.
Everything was proceeding without a hitch.
As for naturalization, it wasn't something he needed to decide right away.
There wasn't any compelling reason to do it yet, and it wasn't an urgent issue at this point.
Besides, the regulations around naturalization were becoming more relaxed.
Ho-young was well aware.
Back in 2016, issues regarding naturalization had flooded the media.
Times were changing, and so were immigration trends.
FIFA was no exception.
After Sepp Blatter, criticized as the epicenter of corruption, stepped down, Gianni Infantino took over and began pushing for regulatory reforms.
As a side note, Prince Ali bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, who ran in the 2016 FIFA presidential election, had proposed an active relaxation or even partial abolition of naturalization restrictions.
He lost the election because he failed to form an alliance with Sheikh Salman of the Bahraini royal family.
Anyway, naturalization could be put on hold for the next few years.
What really mattered was growth.
Through this preseason, establishing his place at Real Madrid was the top priority.
And that journey would begin in Seoul.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
"Alright. Take care of yourself. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's match."
Afterward, Ho-young was given time to meet with his family, thanks to manager Schuster's consideration.
The match began the next day.
Inside the away locker room at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
While the atmosphere was relaxed, Ho-young stood beside Marcelo with a slightly tense look.
It was understandable. He had recently clashed with Robinho.
Moreover, being a new addition to the first team, Ho-young wasn't close with anyone except Zidane.
Though he had a friendly personality, he couldn't just approach them casually.
These weren't youth players who became friends within ten minutes.
Each one was a legend, a superstar.
Raúl had been with the club for over 15 years, and Guti, the legendary midfielder, was now in his 23rd year.
To Ho-young, who had just begun wearing the Real Madrid kit, they were towering figures.
Building relationships would take time.
Still, his talent and grit seemed to have earned him their favor.
Roberto Carlos, in particular, had taken good care of him since the match in Chicago, while Guti and Raúl quietly encouraged him.
Every moment with them was emotional for Ho-young.
Even Pepe or Ramos, who constantly spewed curses, touched him in their own way.
He was still in the adjustment phase, so perhaps he hadn't noticed any cliques yet.
As long as things with Robinho didn't escalate, it seemed manageable.
Most of all, he was especially grateful to Marcelo, who had been a big help in adapting.
They were closest in age, too.
"Woo. What's the name of the team we're playing against again?"
"FC Seoul, I told you."
"What kind of team is Seoul? Are they good?"
"Hmm."
Marcelo had been curious about that since earlier.
Ho-young readily explained.
"They're not on our level, but in Korea, they're a top-tier club."
"Better than the U.S. teams?"
"Probably better than Chicago."
"Who's their key player? That guy the coach mentioned, Park Ju-young?"
"Yeah. He's the ace of FC Seoul."
"Sounds interesting."
"It will be."
At least for Ho-young, it was sure to be an exciting match.
Two hours before kickoff, the Seoul World Cup Stadium was already packed with nearly 66,000 fans.
The home team's locker room was just as fired up.
"Did you see Zidane earlier?"
"Shit, my hands and feet were shaking. Haha."
Everyone was going wild.
But the real buzz was elsewhere.
Olympic team manager Park Sung-ho was in attendance.
With the final roster still unconfirmed, there was a chance some could make the Olympic team today.
Even though it was a friendly, a military exemption was on the line, so it was only natural to be ambitious.
One of them was center-back Kim Sung-kyu.
'This is my shot.'
A golden opportunity to get in as a wild card for the Olympic squad.
His name had already been floated for the team, so if he made a strong impression today, his chances were high.
But something had been bothering him since earlier, and his face was twisted with displeasure.
'Why hasn't that punk Ho-young come over and greeted his seniors?'
Although he had no direct ties to Ho-young in terms of hometown, school, club, or national team experience, Kim treated him as a junior simply because of their shared nationality.
At 26, Kim had a rough and hot-tempered reputation but was still respected by seniors for keeping younger players in line.
So he viewed Ho-young a bit differently from others.
'This punk's got no manners. Does he think he's above his seniors?'
That was Kim's gripe.
Still, since even veterans like Lee Eul-ryong had said nothing, he wasn't in a position to say anything either.
Besides, Ho-young felt more like a foreign import than a junior teammate.
'Well, that's that. He may have grown up overseas, but he's still Korean. How big does his head have to be to ignore his seniors like that?'
It was 2008.
The strict senior-junior culture had relaxed a bit, but old-school attitudes still lingered.
Kim, who stood at the center of that culture, had a glint of hostility in his eyes.
'Let's be honest. The K League is a step above Spain's second division, isn't it?'
With that thought, Kim took the field as the starting center-back.
Even if he couldn't dominate Ho-young, he figured he could at least stop him.
At 12:30 p.m., both teams took the field to roaring applause.
Red-clad fans cheered on FC Seoul, while those in white chanted Real's anthem from the other side.
"Madrid! Madrid! Hala Madrid!"
They might not know Korea's national anthem, but they sang every word of Real Madrid's anthem with passion.
Thanks to them, Ho-young felt even more energized.
None of this would've happened if it weren't for him.
It felt surreal, like he was becoming what Park Ji-sung had been to Manchester United fans.
He was overcome with emotion.
It felt like something inside him was about to explode.
He wanted to unleash it right away, and the match was about to begin.
After the captains, Lee Eul-ryong and Raúl, exchanged handshakes and picked sides, Real Madrid kicked off.
[The match has begun. FC Seoul lines up in a 4-4-2, while Real Madrid goes with a 4-2-3-1. Ho-young is deployed as the attacking midfielder and will lead the offense. Meanwhile, Park Ju-young starts on the bench. A disappointment for fans, who were looking forward to their showdown.]
[It's likely a move to preserve his fitness for the league.]
The biggest storyline coming into this match was the clash between Park Ju-young and Ho-young.
While most believed Ho-young had the edge in talent, there were still those who rated Park higher.
But the real battle happened elsewhere.
In the 14th minute of the first half.
[Ho-young! He's on the move! Receiving the ball from Zinedine Zidane, he immediately drives through the middle!]
[It's Real Madrid's classic tactic: build with a stable pass and follow it up with a surprise central breakthrough. FC Seoul needs to be cautious. Ho-young's drive can explode in the blink of an eye...]
[And just like that! He's through!]
[Told you, it happens in the blink of an eye! Kim Sung-kyu has to stop him!]
Kim, the heart of FC Seoul's defense, stepped in to block Ho-young's path and tried to play mind games.
'Right? Left?'
But Ho-young didn't play along.
Kim was the kind of defender you'd see on a solid second-division team.
No need to overthink it.
Ho-young nullified Kim's attempt at a mental battle with dazzling footwork.
"Ugh...!"
Kim's mind went completely blank at Ho-young's mesmerizing dribbling.
That was the end of it.
[Ho-young gets past! A body feint that even fooled himself leaves Kim looking like a statue!]
Kim tried to react, but he was completely helpless.
Ho-young slipped past him diagonally to the left and found his preferred shooting angle.
Then came a powerful long-range strike from about 30 meters out.
Boom!
Thump!
Whoa!
The crowd roared in three explosive waves.
No one was happier than Ho-young.
'That makes 29 long-range goals from 30 meters.'
Just one more to go before unlocking Cha Bum-kun's talent.
It was close.
Four people had the biggest reactions to the goal.
First was Kim Sung-kyu, who had just committed an irrecoverable mistake.
Second was Robinho, nervously watching from the bench.
Third was Park Ju-young, sitting with his hands clasped on FC Seoul's bench.
"He's at least ten times better than me."
Park was a top-tier prospect, widely considered one of Korea's best alongside Ho-young.
But from his perspective, Ho-young was clearly on another level.
It wasn't even close.
He felt it more than anyone.
So he turned to the coach next to him and said,
"We need to get him on the Olympic team ASAP."
"That's true, but..."
"No matter what. If I can play alongside someone like him…"
He felt like they could achieve something great.
He meant it.
Ho-young's style wasn't just about attacking.
His movement was unique, and he energized the entire pitch with his presence.
If he joined the national team, he would be a massive asset.
'He'll be a huge help to me too.'
However, the final call rested with the manager and the KFA, so Park planned to make a formal request to Park Sung-ho.
Too young? No ties to the domestic football scene?
Leaving Ho-young off the squad for those reasons would be ridiculous.
He had already proven himself by finishing second in the top scorer race in a senior league.
He was an elite talent. He had to be picked.
Besides, he'd already shown willingness to join.
It was a done deal.
'Let's go to Beijing together, lucky charm.'
Park Sung-ho mentally locked in Ho-young's name for the final Olympic roster.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)