September 10, 2006
Today, the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham—one of the twelve inner-city boroughs—was unusually lively.
The sky over Fulham was particularly beautiful, too. Every time a plane flew by, it left a trail of white streaks across the azure blue.
But for Claire Lee, who had been loaned from Manchester United's youth academy to Queens Park Rangers (QPR), his mood couldn't have been worse.
"So I get reincarnated, fine. But did you have to shove a damn system at me too?"
"And what's this? 'Score a goal to unlock a song'?"
"I'm a footballer! Why the hell would I need songs?"
"Just my luck!"
"Don't you know my uncle used my parents' compensation money to buy me an apartment?"
"Don't you know I'm broke right now?"
"Don't you know the original owner of this body died because he got robbed of all his cash—on the same damn day I took over?"
"Screw this!"
"Absolute garbage!"
"Do you even know what a defensive midfielder does?"
"Even if we counterattack, I'm not the one scoring—I set up the chances for others!"
"Other people's systems give them cash for goals or make them hotter. But mine? A song?"
"How about 1,000 pounds per goal, huh? That'd actually help!"
Claire sat alone on the bench, ranting louder and louder. At one point, he got so worked up that he ignored the stunned look from his coach, brazenly planted his left foot on the seat, right foot on the grass, and flipped off the sky with his middle finger—shouting curses in his past life's native language.
His teammates watched with concern. Even the coach couldn't bear it and quietly approached the team captain, Paul.
"Paul, go talk to Claire."
The assistant coach chimed in, "He saved up for a whole year. If I got robbed and injured, I'd be furious too."
Paul, QPR's captain and star striker, sighed as he looked at Claire—the young player he'd grown fond of over the past year.
Claire Lee had been loaned to QPR right after his 19th birthday.
At first, the League Two team resented having a player from Manchester United's youth system forced on them. But no one expected this kid to be so hardworking. Even when benched for half a year, Claire never complained. He trained relentlessly, pushing himself in every practice match.
"Gold will always shine." And it did.
During a crucial match against another strong League Two team, Walsall, Claire was subbed in near the end. The score was tight—1-0. With QPR's main players exhausted or injured, Claire's relentless midfield runs finally created the chance Paul needed to score.
That was the moment Claire truly became part of the team.
That night, after a few drinks (way fewer than anyone expected), Claire got drunk instantly. One second, he was grinning; the next, he slumped into Paul's arms.
The words Claire slurred out that night still echoed in Paul's mind:
"At Man United's U18, I only played 18 games—all as a sub. But every time I stepped on that pitch, I knew I mattered. My dream's the same as yours—I want to go back one day and make them see me differently."
"And… there's this girl. My childhood friend. We haven't talked in years, but I still remember her. One day, I'll stand in front of her and tell her I love her."
That drunken night, Claire's raw honesty didn't just win over the coach—it touched Paul, a seven-year QPR veteran.
From then on, Claire became a unique presence in the team.
Why unique?
Because when he smiled, he was downright handsome. His sharp buzz cut and mixed-race features gave him a rugged charm. Plus, he was the only East Asian player in League Two—his presence alone drew more minority fans to the stadium.
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Right now, Paul was racked with guilt. He never thought losing money would hit Claire this hard.
While player salaries were confidential, Paul knew Claire's loan deal from Man United only paid him £125 a week. But since QPR was a semi-pro League Two team, many bench players didn't even get wages—so Paul hadn't thought much of it.
With a heavy sigh, Paul nodded at the coach and walked toward Claire, hands raised in a calming gesture.
"Hey, hey, Claire—easy there!"
He gently patted Claire's shoulder. When Claire didn't resist, Paul wrapped an arm around him like an older brother and whispered:
"Losing money sucks, but listen—today's friendly is a huge chance. Your uncle pulled strings to make this happen."
"The Man United manager is here to scout you. Do you know how many players dream of that?"
"Right now, you need to focus. We've got your back. Just show off that through-ball you've been drilling. With your United youth pedigree, that might be enough to convince Sir Alex to take you into the first team."
"This is your shot. Nail it, and you could end up like that kid from Sporting Lisbon—Ronaldo. You know he just signed a 2+1 deal worth £12 million?"
[Simp Diary]
You say I'll find someone better,
but really, you just want someone better than me.