Episode 206: We Were Bound to Meet Someday - 1
The 2022/23 season.
Manchester City achieved the Treble.
Premier League champions.
FA Cup champions.
And the long-awaited Champions League title.
The players rejoiced, and the fans wept.
They were overjoyed to erase every lingering regret and carve the glory of the Treble onto a page in the history of Manchester City.
But time does not stop; it flows, and the pages of the book called history continue to turn.
Today’s history soon becomes yesterday’s history, and the moment today becomes yesterday, history starts again from a blank page.
Everything begins anew from the start.
“···.”
Inside a quiet office, a man in casual clothes stared at a monitor, clicking his mouse.
He was a Spanish football executive and the CEO of Manchester City, Ferran Soriano.
“One hundred and three million euros... Hmm...”
On the screen Soriano was looking at, a football article was displayed.
It was an article reporting that Real Madrid had signed Jude Bellingham for €103 million (approximately ₩144 billion).
“···Interesting.”
Soriano let out a snicker.
Fiorentina, and Real Madrid too.
They had acted like they would never give up no matter what, but behind the scenes, had they already taken one foot out?
Well, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.
If only he had known a little sooner, he could have continued negotiations a while longer.
A slight regret lingered.
“···.”
Two days ago.
Manchester City had completed an agreement between clubs with Fiorentina.
It meant they had received permission to proceed with personal terms with a player named I Jian.
“···Phew.”
Even now, as he thought back on it, his teeth chattered—or perhaps it was just the memory—and Soriano let out a sigh.
He had never seen people so stubborn in all his life.
Regarding the transfer fee, they had been so resolute, not a single concession was made.
The Fiorentina board members, that is.
Their manner had been somewhat unsightly, but it couldn’t be helped. He had to approach the negotiations with a humble posture.
Partly because the value of the asset they wanted was worth more than a fortune, and partly because a competitor who had seized both wealth and honor was negotiating on the opposite side.
In truth, it wouldn’t have been wrong to say there was no team that could win a signing competition against Real Madrid.
If Real ‘seriously’ wanted someone, that is.
Just hearing that Real was interested in a signing was enough to make countless teams back away.
Even Manchester City was no great exception.
Their financial power was one thing, but Real was a club that had built such a great history that it was called the dream club of players.
But this time, it had been difficult to give up.
He had intended to see it through from beginning to end.
It was the first time that the board members, the manager, and the coaching staff had all been unanimously in agreement.
The Treble had become yesterday’s history, and tomorrow, that yesterday’s history would become a wall to overcome.
Because I Jian was the ace in the hole for that tomorrow.
Well, it was the same in any field, but...
The world of professional football, where wins and losses were decided every week, was especially so.
Even if you achieved the Treble last season, if you didn’t win the title the next season, you couldn’t avoid criticism.
No, actually, you didn’t even need to go that far.
In this business, crisis talks emerged the moment you lost a single match even while chasing the Treble.
It was the nature of this place that a player who played well in the first half got cursed if he underperformed in the second half.
Thus, last season’s feat of the Treble was a grand achievement, but from the standpoint of preparing for a new season, it was inevitably a wall to overcome and a burden.
Simply put, even if they won the Treble again next season, it would only be breaking even.
Of course, with the word ‘back-to-back’ attached, it would be somewhat different, but that was the gist.
Let’s say they only won the league and the FA Cup, a Double.
A Double was impressive too.
But would that mean no criticism?
Surely there would be.
Why?
Because this was the team that had won the Treble last season.
Therefore, they had no choice but to pour their heart and soul into preparing for the new season.
They had to maintain their current strength as much as possible and find ways to become even stronger.
It was far harder for a champion to remain champion than for a challenger to become one.
Because a champion had to overcome everyone’s checks and balances, and even then, it was merely breaking even.
That was why they absolutely needed I Jian.
He was the pick of all the board members and Manager Guardiola’s pick.
A young player who would soon turn 18, capable of becoming Kevin De Bruyne’s long-term successor and the team’s central axis.
And yet, a player more than sufficient to become an immediate first-team asset.
They were willing to spend every penny.
Because Manchester City’s direction was to invest decidedly in a certain player rather than make several mediocre signings anyway.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk...”
In that sense, it was a bit of a shame that he hadn’t known Real had withdrawn first.
But it wasn’t bad that they had shouldered the inflated sum born from the competition.
He was confident that if the signing succeeded, they could easily make up for a mere overpay.
“Huuu...”
Now, he simply hoped the personal negotiations that would soon commence would conclude smoothly.
...
“···Hey.”
“Huh? What?”
While doing a big house cleaning for the first time in a while.
I asked Jiu, who had said she would help and was organizing things.
“Didn’t you say you liked it here?”
“Me? I think I did? So?”
“···No. You just seem to be in a good mood.”
“Is there any reason I shouldn’t be in a good mood?”
“···No. You can put that over there.”
“There? Okay. Roger that.”
Pitter-patter.
Watching Jiu’s back as she hummed a tune and carried things away, I shook my head.
For the past few days, I had found it a bit difficult to understand Jiu’s mood, which seemed quite cheerful.
No, clearly she had said she liked it so much here, that it felt like home, that she didn’t want to leave.
It was strange that she seemed happy even though she might actually be leaving.
So I wondered if she had misheard me that day. Or perhaps she had heard but misunderstood.
But seeing that she too was packing her things, it didn’t seem to be the case.
Whatever the case, it was impossible to know.
A woman’s heart.
“Sigh. I’ve grown so attached to this house. I think I’ll miss it more than the boarding house later.”
“···Haven’t you actually spent more time here?”
“Hahaha. Probably?”
Jiu, having put things down, looked at the somewhat emptier living room and spoke with a sigh.
At this, I too nodded and looked around.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t lived in this house for that long.
Yet I had grown quite attached to it.
Perhaps because far too many things had happened here for just two or three years.
Looking back, it truly seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye.
The day I first came here, and kicking the ball alone at the training ground, felt like the distant past.
Subjectively, it almost felt like five years.
Well, that just showed how much had happened and how much had changed.
The one who changed the most was me.
And the one who made that change possible was Jiu, standing right in front of me now.
...Hmm.
But Jiu didn’t seem to have changed much.
Was it because I saw her every day?
“Kids. Let’s stop here and go eat.”
“Yeees! Food!”
When Dad, who had been organizing the room, came out to the living room and spoke, Jiu threw her hands up in cheers.
It seemed Jiu really was just the same as ever, not that I couldn’t tell because I saw her daily.
Seeing how “let’s eat” was still the happiest words for her, now as ever.
“···”
Well... that was why I liked it.
I had changed because I had to change.
But Jiu was best just the way she was...
*
“Hey. Can’t you do something? I’m I Jian! One word from me solves everything.”
“···No. I don’t like that.”
“Tch. Can’t be helped.”
A meal in Florence, one of few remaining.
Given the situation, even for me, who didn’t place great meaning in meals, each remaining bite was precious.
So I had wanted to go to a nice restaurant, but what do you know.
I realized I hadn’t made a reservation.
I must have been out of it these past few days, only staring at the contract.
“Let’s just go to the neighborhood. It’s too hectic here. Right? Jiu.”
“Yes. I want to eat somewhere quiet.”
“Good. Good.”
With no other choice, I turned my steps.
Then suddenly, I had a sense of déjà vu that I had seen this scene somewhere before.
When was it?
Had I seen it in a dream?
“···Ah.”
While walking down the street looking for a quiet restaurant like that.
I spotted a sign that gave me déjà vu again and stopped in my tracks.
...Ah, I remembered.
Was it a few days after signing the professional contract?
The day I got my own card and said I’d buy Dad and Jiu a meal.
Then too, I had tried to go to a fancy restaurant, couldn’t get in without a reservation, and wandered around before ending up here.
...It felt like such a long time ago.
“Shall we go there?”
As I stood still staring at the restaurant, Jiu asked.
At my nod, Jiu and Dad led the way.
And I fell into memories for a moment.
I thought of the elderly staff member with neatly combed white hair.
Back then, the staff member who had suddenly shown me a jersey full of players’ signatures, calling it his number one treasure.
I think it was the first time since coming to Italy that I had signed someone’s jersey.
It happened to be a jersey already full of famous players’ signatures, and I remember trembling, wondering if someone like me was allowed to sign there.
Even I, who had been like that, had grown accustomed to signing autographs before I knew it.
Once again, I felt keenly that time had passed and I had changed.
“···”
With a smile spreading across my lips for some reason, I headed toward the restaurant.
*
“Ah, that was good.”
“I’m full.”
As Dad leaned back and patted his belly, Jiu followed suit, leaning back and patting her belly too.
Why does she copy things like that?
“Phew—”
It was a good meal.
I had ordered this and that thinking I’d pack up leftovers, but it was so delicious I couldn’t leave any behind.
If only I weren’t managing my diet, I would have come often.
“Shall we rest a bit? I can’t get up.”
“Me too. Let’s sit a little longer.”
Dad and Jiu became one with their chairs, lounging.
I looked around the restaurant.
It was a satisfying meal in every way, but if there was one regret, it was that I couldn’t see the staff member from that time.
Was it his day off?
Given his age, perhaps he had quit working.
I deeply regretted not coming earlier.
It might have been nothing to that staff member, but it was quite a precious memory to me, so I had wanted to see him again.
Of course, it was a bit funny to say that when I had forgotten about it for a while.
“···”
Anyway, with these thoughts, I too leaned back in my chair.
While I was looking around the shop.
“Oh...!”
At the voice heard from somewhere, I turned my head.
There stood an old man with white hair.
In his hand was an old purple jersey.
“You’ve come!”
“···Ah.”
Unlike back then, his hair wasn’t neatly arranged, and he was in comfortable clothes—perhaps he had gone home after work and come back.
He hurriedly fixed his hair, composed his voice, and came to me.
And the staff member spread the signature-filled jersey and spoke to me.
“Do you perhaps remember?”
At this, I nodded and answered.
“Of course I remember.”
Perhaps because I answered with a smile, a bright smile also formed on the staff member’s lips.
“Then do you remember what I said then? When I showed you this jersey, I boasted that there was Giancarlo Antognoni’s signature here, and Gabriel Batistuta’s signature too.”
I remembered.
And I also remembered what he had said next.
He had asked if there might come a day when he would boast of my signature first.
When I nodded, the staff member put on a bright smile and spread the jersey again.
Then, after composing his voice, he said:
“Sir, this is my treasure. I’ve had it since the ’80s. It contains traces of stars who passed through this city. If you look here, there is also Ri’s signature...”
Seeing that figure, my nose began to tingle... I had to bite my molars tight.