“The starting axis is Hannover. Hannover starts, and Dortmund follows.”
“The first kicker is substitute Becker. He is the Hannover striker who surprised Dortmund with his amazing dribbling.”
Becker kisses the ball and puts it down. The referee looks back and forth between the kicker and the keeper, then puts the whistle in his mouth and blows it.
Beep-!
Becker runs. He kicks the ball to the right. It goes in.
“The goalkeeper read the ball the wrong way! Good shot!”
“This time it’s Becker who doesn’t allow a goal.”
Becker clenches his fist.
Next is Dortmund’s turn.
“Kim has been frustrating Dortmund’s attacks throughout this game. This time, Ale is ready.”
Substitute striker Ale rushes in as the referee blows his whistle.
Like Becker, it was the right goal.
and······.
“Ahh! It got read!”
“Kim frustrates Dortmund again!”
Kim Min-woo, who hit it perfectly.
The stadium is instantly filled with cheers.
Kim Min-woo nodded slightly, clenching his fists.
Hannover’s second kicker was Keller, an attacking midfielder. Keller put his hands on his hips and prepared.
The referee’s whistle blew and Keller kicked hard. It was a clean shot into the middle.
“You’re brave! The cannon shot flies!”
“Hannover, double success. Dortmund must score here.”
And once again, Kim Min-woo stood in front of the goal. Dortmund’s second kicker was Julian Brandt.
German national team player and regular player for Dortmund.
Julian Brandt moves slowly with the whistle blowing. Brandt stamps his feet and stares intently at the keeper.
“The psychological warfare continues! And···!”
Julian Brandt approaches slowly, concentrates until the end, and lands a grounder.
Until the very end, the gaze was focused on the goalkeeper’s movements, not the ball.
Brandt’s shot was a slow ball.
The goalkeeper chased the ball, but it was headed towards the corner of the goal, so Kim Min-woo’s fingertips were stuck and he ended up conceding a goal.
“Julian Brandt is the one who makes it happen.”
“What a great goalkeeper. He read the ball well. He just didn’t have enough arm length. If he had moved his body a little more to the side, he could have stopped it.”
Hannover’s third kick followed. It was a clean success, needless to say.
And Dortmund’s third kicker, this time also a former international player, Donial Malan.
“Marlon is running!”
A powerful shot towards the center.
Kim Min-woo spread both hands to block the shot. With a swoosh, the ball flew over the goal.
“Kim! He blocks it again! It was a cannonball shot, but he blocks it so effortlessly!”
“It was a shot aimed at the face. It could have been dangerous if I hadn’t blocked it with my hand.”
Marlon steps back with a dejected expression.
Now, Hannover’s fourth kicker.
Hannover wins the game with just this kick. The crowd cheers loudly, but as fate would have it, the fourth kicker misses the penalty kick.
“Ah! You kicked it too hard. It went wide of the goal.”
“Kim is out again. If he can stop this one, Kim will be known throughout Germany!”
The fourth kicker. Emre Can. He was also a national team player. It was a scene that showed how strong Dortmund’s squad is.
Beep-!
The referee’s whistle. And.
Tae-Ang-!
Emre Can’s shot bounces off the bar at the top right post.
“Hanover wins! David takes down Goliath!”
“Hannover will advance to the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal! Hannover will turn into beekeepers for this match only!”
Kim Min-woo ran to the corner kick flag as the commentators called victory. The Hannover players followed closely behind him.
Kim Min-woo went over the billboard and approached the audience directly. The audience also knew who the star of this match was, so they rushed to him.
“Kim hugs his fans after a successful debut!”
“Hannover fans will be dying for Kim. He kept making incredible saves against Dortmund throughout the game and completely frustrated them in the shootout.”
“Kim’s ambition at the press conference may actually come true······.”
*
The game is over.
The debut battle was particularly long.
As I was greeting the spectators who had been watching the game and about to leave with my teammates like a triumphant general, someone called out to me. It was a familiar voice.
“Kim!”
“···Sophie?”
Why is Sophie on the ground?
But that thought didn’t last long.
Wasn’t Sophie waving her hands and telling me to come here?
“Let’s go over there quickly,” Sophie said with a bright smile.
“You’ve been selected as MOM!”
“···Huh? What did you say?”
MOM? Mom?
“Ah! Do you understand what POTM means? Player of the match!”
I thought about it for a moment. Is it roughly given to the best player in the game? Then MOM is Man of the match? Thinking about it that way, it kind of makes sense.
“A POTM before your debut! That’s amazing! It’s incredibly difficult to be selected as a goalkeeper… You did so well.”
Sophie was getting emotional and crying. I stared at her and thought, Sophie really supports Hanover.
As the time spent with Sophie increased, information about her was gradually stored in my head. First of all, Sophie was born in Hanover, grew up in Hanover, completed all of her education in Hanover, and worked at Hanover 96.
How could he not be touched when he was born and raised in his hometown, works for a soccer team representing his hometown, and a player he was in charge of performed well in his debut match and defeated the giant that is Dortmund?
Even Sophie was the one who watched me eagerly await my debut.
“Thank you. The German Sophie taught me really helped me during the game.”
Sophie bursts into tears at those words and turns away. She keeps apologizing and wiping away her tears. She feels the players passing by looking at her strangely.
Dominik Korsic, who had become very close to me, tapped me on the shoulder as he passed by and opened his eyes strangely. He had an expression on his face like, “Look at this guy?”
I’m sorry, but it’s not what you think, so just move on.
“I’m sorry. I suddenly got emotional. It’s like a drama or a movie.”
“Sometimes reality is worse than dramas or movies.”
Sophie, who had wiped away all her tears, looked at me with bloodshot eyes and smiled.
“Kim, no, Kim Min-woo’s drama is just beginning, so there will be many days like today in the player’s future.”
He smiled faintly.
Sophie, your Korean pronunciation is better than I thought. I guess your pronunciation improved a bit after hanging out with me for a few days.
When I was laughing without saying anything, he seemed embarrassed and pointed to the side with his hand.
“An interview with the POTM selected players is taking place over there. The announcer is waiting.”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
The interview location was obvious.
There are temporary panels erected in an area covered in grass, so it’s hard to tell.
I walked there with Sophie.
As I went there, a male announcer and several cameras greeted me.
“Congratulations, Kim.”
Although it was German, I was able to understand the basics, so I nodded and took the hand the announcer extended.
“thank you.”
“Oh, you speak German well.”
“This is all I can do.”
“yes?”
I pointed to Sophie. Sophie said in German that she was my interpreter. Only then did the announcer realize that I was not joking and proceeded with the interview.
The announcer muttered something and then handed the microphone to me.
He looked at Sophie and gave her an interpretation.
“You won your debut match and were even selected for POTM. How do you feel now?”
He answered concisely. He said that he was happy that he had won his debut match, and he was even happier that the team had won.
“Dortmund is a top team in the first division. What were your thoughts when you faced an attack, and how did you concentrate on the game?”
“I just had to stop it, that was all I could think about.”
There were many questions after that. How did you prepare for the game? What was the secret behind the decisive saves that continued throughout the game? Everyone expected Dortmund to win, so do you have anything to say? What effect does the support and encouragement of the fans have? What are your plans for the future, as the competition for the starting position is expected to be tough?
I blurted out what I was saying without even knowing what I was saying. Fortunately, the atmosphere was not bad, and the announcer now asked the last question.
“You showed an outstanding performance in your debut match. After such an impressive debut, I wonder if you have any new goals? Do you have any short-term and long-term goals?”
Sophie, who was translating, also seemed to be having a hard time because there were so many questions.
I scratched my head and answered.
“Let me first talk about my short-term goal. I want to continue to prove myself and become the team’s No. 1 goalkeeper. And my long-term goal is… to lead the team to promotion. And to win the first division. That’s all.”
The announcer opened his eyes wide and smiled at my ambition.
“Both goals seem very difficult. However, Kim has defied everyone’s expectations by beating Dortmund in his debut match, so I expect he will achieve both goals as well.”
“thank you.”
Now it was really over. Phew, I was about to take a deep breath and leave the press conference room when the announcer grabbed me again.
“Oh, wait a minute. This is really the last time.”
“yes?”
“Is there anyone who helped you get here? If you have anything to say to that person, please do so.”
“Um. The interpreter next to me now. Due to circumstances, my parents haven’t been able to come to Germany yet, but they have been helping me a lot both materially and spiritually.”
Sophie covered her mouth in embarrassment after hearing what I said. Still, she managed to translate it, and the announcer in front of her burst into laughter.
···Is this something to laugh about?
***
“Wow! My baby! Honey! What on earth have we got?”
It was my dad. He was jumping for joy when he saw Hannover win the penalty shootout.
What about mom?
He was shedding tears as if he had watched a touching movie.
“Here’s some toilet paper.”
Shin-ah pulled out two tissues and gave them to her mother.
“Thank you, Shin-ah.”
“what.”
So what about me here?
“Wow. This is seriously awesome.”
Kim Shin-ah felt goosebumps all over her body.
The game dragged on thanks to my brother’s saves, and when it went into overtime, it was a literal brawl. The two teams fought each other so much that it was hard to believe that not a single goal was scored during the entire game.
“It was really fun. It was more fun than the World Cup, really.”
Shin-ah’s phone was already on fire. She had insisted that her friends who didn’t like soccer watch it, and they were all excited, saying things like “the game was so fun”, “Why is your older brother so handsome?”, and “Isn’t he going to be on the national team soon?”
Kim Shin-ah hurriedly replied to each and every one.
[I had so much fun too! Was soccer this fun?]
[??That’s handsome?]
‘Hmm. Looking at it on screen, he seems kind of handsome.’
In real life, I saw it every day, so it was just an orc, but I hadn’t seen it in a few months, and maybe because of the screen tearing, the mask came out better than I thought.
‘Well, I’m pretty too, so I guess it’s only natural that I would have some of that since we share the same blood…’
Kim Shin-ah, who had replied to all the other messages, started running around like her father.
“I’ve never seen a goalkeeper block so well in my life! Now, even in the Bundesliga, he’s doing it just like he did at Suyang High School! Wow!”
And the screen changes to an interview. From the explanation, it seems like he received an award for performing best in a game.
Kim Shin-ah nodded vigorously. It would be strange if she didn’t receive such an award after doing so well.
And the interview is ongoing and it’s the end.
[Is there anyone who helped you get here? If you have something to say to that person, feel free to say it.]
Oh. Is this the time to talk about family? My mom is going to shed another bucket of tears.
I also have a tear in my eye. If you tell me your story, I will shed a tear or two.
[The interpreter next to me right now. Due to circumstances······.]
“what?”
Kim Shin-ah said, “Huh?”
Dad also said, “Hey, we have to tell our story here!”
Mom also looked a little disappointed.
Only then did Kim Shin-ah look at the interpreter.
A typical blonde westerner.
Well, um, it looks pretty nice.
Huh? No way?
“What the heck. Isn’t that guy in Germany dating? Look at that! That interpreter! He’s so embarrassed! We made eye contact! Wow! He’s in Germany and having a secret love affair without his family knowing!”
“Hey, my son. When did you seduce such a pretty foreigner?”
“Isn’t it embarrassing that the interpreter is praising himself?”
It was dad and mom.
Shin-ah shook her head and confirmed it.
“No? As a woman myself, I can confirm this, but the fact that you’re being so shy right now is 100% proof that you’re interested in the opposite sex! Wow. Are you already seeing a bitch flirting around? Huh? Our Minwoo is a total timid person, so if a hot-tempered bitch comes along, he’ll just be helpless and suffer.”
“Shina. I told you not to say that.”
“Yep.”
Kim Shin-ah shut her mouth tightly as if she were closing a zip-lock bag.
[Oh, and I also want to talk about my family. Mom and Dad, who were against it at first, but eventually gave in to my stubbornness and allowed me to play soccer. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you and tell you that I love you. Are you watching?]
Hehehe, Kim Min-woo smiling.
Dad was touched and Mom burst into tears again.
No, but wait a minute.
“What? Me? Meeeeeeeee!? Why aren’t you mentioning meeeee!”
Kim Shin-ah screaming “Ppaaek Ppaaek”.
But as if he knew, Kim Min-woo opened his mouth again.
[Oh. And I can’t forget to mention my sister. Hey. Did you show her? Did you see her?]
Kim Min-woo winks with one eye while grinning. If I had seen him in person, I would have been shocked and overdone it, but watching Kim Min-woo on TV, even that appearance was quite charming.
So is this why men have to be capable? Looking at him like that, he seems to be more······than I thought.
‘No, what the hell kind of thinking is this.’
Kim Shin-ah was happy, but she pretended not to be and crossed her arms.
“Can’t you say it a little more touchingly? Why are you ticking at me like that? Hey, tsk.”
And then again my phone lights up. The messages are all like this.
[Wow! Your brother is so cool ㅠㅠㅠ]
[Show it to me too ㅠㅠㅠ]
[Shin-ah. Can I have your contact information please? LOL]
[Princess. Please introduce me to the prince..]
Huh. No way. Things like that.
Still… it wasn’t a bad interview.
Kim Shin-ah turned on her phone and sent a KakaoTalk message to her brother.
[Kim Shin-ah: Haha, you blocked it pretty well]
[Kim Shin-ah: With that level of skill, it seems like it can only be world class]
[Kim Shin-ah: If you go to the national team, will you be able to compete in Korea too? lol]
ⓒ Doctor Am
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