00014 Studying Abroad ------------------------------------------------------------------------=
When Minjun returned home, he heard something truly astonishing from the adults in the household.
It was the news that he had received an offer to play in a league one level higher, and that news felt as though his efforts were being recognized, leaving him with a deep, lingering sense of pride.
Since he would be going somewhere to learn and experience more complete and stable play than where he was currently playing, Minjun nodded his head at once.
However, his mother Yeonhui had spoken negatively about it…
"It's only been six months since he came here, and he made friends there too. If he goes straight up to a higher league like that… Minjun will have to make new friends again, and I think it will be hard for him to adjust. If it's not urgent, don't you think he could do it after at least a year?"
To Yeonhui's words, even the adults who had been expressing positive opinions empathized so much that they couldn't easily assert their position, and Minjun felt the same.
Schmidt, Nielsen, Manuel… He had many friends in the E-League, and he was attending a school recognized by the club while enjoying his life in Germany.
That aspect of his life would crumble a bit, so Minjun hesitated for a moment, but he soon shook off this feeling and spoke boldly.
"In Sangbok-ri… In Sangbok-ri, I got along well with many hyungs, including San-hyung… And I left them behind to come to Germany too. It's fine. I can do well. Now my German is pretty good, and I can speak English too, so there's no problem communicating."
When Minjun brought up Sangbok-ri and spoke about what the adults couldn't bring themselves to say, everyone's attention was drawn to him.
And Minjun looked back at these gazes as if he felt no particular burden, shrugged his shoulders, and said,
"It's impossible to achieve your dream while having everything. There will be ongoing connections, but there will also be partings. My situation is much better than a teammate transferring to another team. Even if I can't see them at soccer school… I'll still be able to see them at regular school."
When Minjun presented such a clearly mature opinion about meetings and partings, unbecoming of a child, Daniel felt both admiration and pity.
Admiration at realizing that because Minjun possessed such mature thoughts, he had been able to devote himself to soccer without a single lapse since coming here… and pity, because a child being so mature meant the adults around him had provided an environment where he couldn't help but become that way.
He had thought Minjun was simply a clever boy because of his mischievous demeanor… but realizing that wasn't the case, he felt a sense of pity.
"Hmm… Minjun is right. To become a soccer player in the future, that kind of attitude is absolutely necessary. And since he's learning soccer for about three days a week rather than all week long… the conclusion is that not much will really change."
"And… all the kids including Schmidt live in this neighborhood. It's just a five-minute bike ride from here to meet them. Our hideout is here too."
Most of the children he was close with were located five to ten minutes from Daniel's house where Minjun lived, and the place where the children gathered was always here.
As such, one corner of Minjun's room was always piled high with other children's clothes and toys. Watching Minjun clean these up every time, Daniel renovated an unused storage room to create a hideout just for the kids.
There, he told them to play freely regardless of how things were placed.
"Heh heh, that's right. The hideout is here too. Those rascals have no choice but to come over."
"That's right. *Chuckle*, Manuel hides snacks here and eats them. His mom won't let him eat them at home. So you can relax a little."
Laughing slightly along with Daniel, Minjun looked at Yeonhui, smiled, and spoke. Yeonhui truly felt that Minjun was a strong child.
She felt a bit of heartache, thinking he might have become this way because of her, but since Minjun spoke up spiritedly for his dream, listing his reasons point by point with substantive logic rather than impulsive and simple reasoning, she relaxed a little, just as Minjun had said.
"Alright. If my son says that, Mom won't object either."
With Yeonhui's consent, the conversation turned back to Minjun's promotion to the higher league, and they discussed what aspects they had overlooked, blinded by Minjun's growth, as the conversation progressed.
Thanks to Yeonhui, things proceeded smoothly without MinJun having to think too hard, and once a conclusion was reached later, they would explain it to him. With that, Minjun went up to his room.
Click—
Minjun went to his room, locked the door, lay on his bed, and smiled.
Along with the fact that his mother had reminded him once again of something he himself had forgotten, his heart felt warm, thinking that she was worrying and thinking about him all the way from Korea.
"So I have to… go even higher."
He couldn't disappoint her.
If he was going to move up anyway, he wanted to do it quickly, and he wanted to have it decided and advance while his parents were in their current situation.
After all, he had come to study in Germany with that very mindset.
"I've grown a lot in six months… though there are still lacking parts. I just need to grow more there and fill them in."
To check the stats he had raised over six months, Minjun ran Football Edit, and his stats looked even more splendid than during his Sangbok-ri days.
Name: Gang Minjun
Date of Birth: November 24, 1987
Nationality · Age: Republic of Korea, 12 years old (11 years old)
Height · Weight: 147.2cm · 40.2kg
Preferred Foot · Weak Foot: Right foot · Left foot
Position: None
Stats
●Offense — 22
Shooting 23
Finishing 22
Long Shots 21
●Passing — 21
Short Passing 24
Long Passing 20
Crossing 19
●Technique — 16
Heading 15
Positioning 23
Individual Skill 15
Penalties 12
Free Kicks 15
●Defense — 18
Sliding Tackle 18
Standing Tackle 16
Marking 20
Defensive Organization 18
●Speed — 25
Sprint Speed 25
Acceleration 26
Agility 25
Dribbling Speed 24
●Physical — 26
Stamina 27
Strength 25
Balance 26
Over six months, six sections had achieved definite growth, but the standout among them was the offensive points.
The offensive average, which had been merely 15, had risen to 21, an increase of 6, and was the most notable rise.
Aside from that, the other averages had risen mostly evenly: Passing increased by 3, Technique by 3, Defense by 4, Speed by 4, and Physical by 2.
The physical section had definitely grown slower because he had been trying this and that with other things first, yet recently it was showing the highest average despite that.
Since his total stat values had increased by 484, Minjun resolved to push himself even harder, knowing his efforts were by no means in vain.
It was true that he was showing good form in the E-League where he played, but there were others showing similar form, and the manager, coaches, and staff had said that there were too many geniuses who collapsed from arrogance without even debuting as professionals. Bearing this in mind, he heightened his sense of urgency.
"By the way… do I still not have a position?"
It seemed even his preferred and weak foot had been recorded after comparative analysis, but seeing that he had no position, Minjun couldn't help but purse his lips inwardly.
After all, he had played as a forward roughly 30% more than other positions.
"Tch, I wish I'd turn 16 already… I want to learn professionally. If possible, learning from player Ralph Weber would be amazing. Hehe."
Ralph Weber was not in the forward position that Minjun wanted, but a player in midfield. Yet he was currently a starting player leading Frankfurt and the team captain, making a very large contribution to the 2nd division league championship by scoring crucial goals in every important match.
Moreover, he distributed the ball to the forwards very smoothly, and when things got bogged down, he resolved them himself—that problem-solver instinct was truly incredible.
"Keu… The comeback goal against Fortuna Köln in the last match of December almost brought me to tears. I want to meet him and get his autograph. Hihihi."
There were surely great and outstanding players on other teams too, but currently, the player Minjun admired most was Ralph Weber, and he somehow felt like he had taken one step closer to him.
"I hope that someday I can play a match with him, crying and laughing together."
---------------------------= Afterword ---------------------------=
Nod, nod