Immediately after the match, Ho-young stood in front of the designated photo zone on the side of the pitch.
He was the number one priority for post-match interviews.
A smiling female reporter brushed her hair back as she greeted him.
The official interview began right after.
"Congratulations on your debut!"
"Thank you."
"The stadium was absolutely electric today. Personally, I felt you were the one leading that atmosphere. Could you share your thoughts on such a successful A-match debut?"
"As with any footballer, representing one's country is a tremendous honor. I felt a deep sense of responsibility, and I think the enthusiastic support from the crowd played a big role in helping me perform."
"Then can we look forward to seeing you in the next match as well?"
"Well, we'll have to wait and see. But if I do get the opportunity, I'll make sure I'm prepared to deliver my best performance."
In fact, Ho-young had already informed the Korea Football Association that he wouldn't be participating in the upcoming A-match friendlies.
There had been some disagreements on the matter, but his performance today proved there was no need for concern.
He had demonstrated that he could deliver at full capacity regardless of when he joined the team.
As it stood, the plan was for him to rejoin the national team in June of the following year.
Before any follow-up questions could be asked, Ho-young spoke again.
"My ultimate goal is the World Cup, and I'll do everything I can to contribute to the team and meet everyone's expectations."
"I hope you maintain that same mindset all the way to South Africa next year. Thank you for the interview."
By the time Ho-young returned to the locker room, a cheerful mood had already taken over.
"Great work out there, senior."
"Hey, you too! Well done."
Ho-young greeted goalkeeper Lee Yoon-jae, one of the key figures from the 2002 World Cup semifinals, before heading back to his seat.
Other senior players came over and gave him high-fives.
"Real Madrid lives up to the name."
"Man, two goals on your debut."
While there could have been some jealousy, everyone warmly welcomed Ho-young with sincere praise.
The atmosphere within the national team had changed significantly from the past.
Previously, players strictly used honorifics like "senior," but now most just used "hyung."
The culture of hazing had all but disappeared.
Most of the squad, aside from Lee Yoon-jae, were in their 20s.
There were also several open-minded overseas-based players like Park Chu-young, Ki Sung-yueng, and Park Ji-sung.
And since Ho-young had already played with Lee Geun-ho, Kim Jong-kook, and Ki Dong-jin at the Beijing Olympics, he had no trouble adjusting.
This shift in team culture was largely thanks to captain Park Ji-sung.
He had a presence that naturally fostered a comfortable and positive atmosphere within the squad.
Now that Ho-young had joined, no one dared to assert outdated seniority.
Especially since Park Ji-sung himself genuinely looked after Ho-young, there was simply no room for any nonsense.
For some reason, he had taken a special interest in Ho-young.
A few days later, the two had a chance to talk one-on-one.
At a commercial shoot for Bacchus, an energy drink by Sang-A Pharmaceutical.
The featured models for today's commercial were Ho-young and Park Ji-sung.
"We'll begin with Ho-young."
"Got it."
Following the director's cue, Ho-young entered the set.
The moment he appeared, the director holding the megaphone let out a gasp.
"Wow, dazzling. The camera can't even capture it properly. If you debuted as a celebrity right now, you'd overshadow most of them. Tall frame, great physique."
The set was already filled with whispers from the female staff.
At that moment, Ho-young spoke his line.
"When I was younger, I looked up to Park Ji-sung."
That was the only line he had.
But the moment he delivered it, the atmosphere on set turned a little awkward.
"Ah, haha. Let's go again! That was good, but let's make the delivery a bit more natural. And relax your facial expression a bit!"
The director scratched his head while muttering to himself.
"That was like reading out of a textbook…"
Turns out the gods were fair.
Even someone blessed with everything couldn't possibly be good at something he'd never done before.
And it made sense. Ho-young couldn't even maintain a poker face on the pitch.
After several takes, the shoot finally wrapped up.
"Great work, Ho-young. You can rest in the waiting room now."
"Thanks, everyone."
As Ho-young exited to the waiting room, the set burst into laughter.
People could no longer hold back their giggles.
"Haha. No way Ho-young could ever do Hollywood acting. He's too cute."
"Seeing him like this makes him more relatable."
Then it was Park Ji-sung's turn to shoot his scene.
His line was also just one sentence.
"I'm so proud and happy to see Ho-young becoming a true professional."
"Ah, very good. Let's do one more take!"
Déjà vu.
Two football stars, great at the game but not so much at acting.
The shoot finally ended about an hour later.
There hadn't been much to film anyway.
Most of the ad would consist of interview shots, with the rest replaced by footage from the
The closing scene would show the slogan, "We are each other's Bacchus!"
That was it.
Lucci had selected this ad among many offers for a reason.
It required a short filming time and came with excellent terms.
"For a six-month campaign in Korea, 10 million euros is more than fair."
Currently, top-tier Korean celebrities like Jang Dong-won, Lee Young-ae, Jun Ji-hyun, Ko Yeon-jung, Park Tae-hwan, and Kim Yuna each earned over 10 million euros per year in endorsement deals.
And above them were the top of the top—Park Ji-sung and Ho-young.
In particular, Ho-young's estimated endorsement value in Korea alone ranged from 15 to 20 million euros annually.
A clear indication of just how massive his popularity was.
"At this rate, he might hit 100 million euros in total earnings this year."
He already had six solo commercials lined up in the coming month.
There were also joint campaigns in the works with global sports and Hollywood stars.
Lucci, now sitting atop a mountain of money, wanted to pat his past self on the back.
Following and trusting in Ho-young had been the right call.
As filming wrapped up, Ho-young and Park Ji-sung crossed paths in the waiting room and shared an awkward exchange.
Park Ji-sung spoke first.
"Hey, want to grab a cup of tea?"
After filming ended, the two found a quiet spot in the hotel to talk.
"Thanks for your hard work today."
"Oh… yeah, you too. But you don't have to be so formal. I've felt this for a while… I think you're a bit too stiff around me."
"You're right, hyung. I'll try to relax a bit more."
"Good."
Park Ji-sung was ruthless on the pitch, but off it, he was completely different.
Ever since the Champions League final, he had felt a bit guilty toward Ho-young.
He knew the heartbreak of losing a title and, as a fellow footballer, couldn't help but feel sympathetic.
Still, he kept it to himself, not wanting to undermine Ho-young's confidence.
So instead, he quietly looked after him.
This would be Park Ji-sung's last World Cup, and he wanted to achieve something great alongside Ho-young.
And there was another reason.
'I want to show him only the good side of football.'
He had grown up in an era where getting beaten was part of learning the game.
He took the captaincy in order to put an end to that toxic culture.
That shift in the national team's atmosphere was largely thanks to him.
And he didn't want Ho-young to see the uglier side of Korean football.
'If he can grow up without being hit, he'll become an even better player.'
So Park Ji-sung promised himself again and again.
He would never resort to violence. He would care for his juniors properly.
And he would offer whatever advice he could.
At that moment, Ho-young brought up a question.
"Oh right, I've been meaning to ask. What's Cristiano Ronaldo like?"
"Cristiano… hmm. Well, he's definitely more reserved and focused on training than his public image might suggest. It's actually pretty hard to get close to him. One thing's for sure though, whether on the pitch or in training, he's an absolute professional. But yeah, because he's so obsessed with football, getting close to him at first might be tough."
"I see."
Just as he'd heard.
Cristiano was reportedly quite quiet and reserved in person, contrary to his image.
A player who lived for football.
A kindred spirit to Ho-young.
After his talk with Park Ji-sung, Ho-young met with Cha Bum-kun to discuss his career path.
He didn't plan to change clubs anytime soon, so there wasn't much to consult about.
Still, he was able to pick up some good advice for his career.
The next day, he spent time traveling with his family.
One thing that surprised him was that his father Woo Hwang-sun's car had gotten bigger.
It was a luxury SUV from brand L, known for high-end models that typically went for 100,000 to 200,000 euros.
He didn't feel like the money was wasted at all.
In fact, seeing his family drive a car he paid for made him proud.
After spending some quality time with his family, he returned to Madrid.
The busy schedule didn't end there.
He swept up endorsements for skincare, ice cream, MP3 players, and more.
Despite that, he never missed a day of training.
Now, with a clear roadmap ahead, he focused solely on his goals without distraction.
His next goal: reaching Triple S rank.
With Ball Trapping already completed, his next priorities were upgrading Terrifying Top Speed (S+) and Genius Individual Skills (S), aiming to eventually consolidate everything into one unified talent.
But there was no need to rush.
Time was on his side, and the world was full of talents to covet.
Time passed quickly.
The scorching sun was burning even brighter than before.
And once the promised 40 days had passed, change came.
It was Friday, July 6.
['Perfect Ball Control (SSS-)', 'Unrivaled Ball Trapping (SS-)', 'Extraordinary Ball Keeping (S+)', and 'Delicate and Precise First Touch (A+3)' will be consolidated into one talent.]
[With the combined average and bonus, the absolute value of the talent is calculated at 16.843.]
[Based on the absolute value, the new unified talent is 'Perfect Ball Sense (SSS-)'.]
[To surpass the limits of human ability, 'Perfect Ball Sense (SSS-)' must be transcended.]
[To transcend 'Perfect Ball Sense (SSS-)', the talent must first be upgraded.]
[Only talents rated A+ or higher related to ball sense can be coveted.]
It was more complex than expected.
Terms like average value, bonus, absolute value, and integration bonus were enough to make his head spin.
But it didn't really matter.
There was no need to stress over those figures.
What mattered was that the newly integrated talent had become Perfect Ball Sense (SSS-).
He had been worried it might drop to a lower grade, but fortunately, that didn't happen.
And one thing was clear.
'I'm getting closer to human limits.'
It wasn't just a vague feeling anymore.
Ho-young decided to take a closer look at the state of his talents.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
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