Beep, beeeep!
"Waaaaaa!"
The moment the match ended, a thunderous roar erupted across the field.
[The semifinals. Korea has reached the semifinals. This is the second time in history since the 2002 Korea–Japan World Cup.]
[I am so proud of our players. Honestly, did anyone really believe this was possible?]
[That is right. A miracle has happened.]
[No. It is not a miracle. Our players made it happen. If there is a miracle, it is that incredible players were born in a country once called a football backwater.]
The players embraced each other with tears in their eyes.
Amid them, Ho-young stood before the stands, his face flushed.
His chest burned as if his heart would stop.
A tingling sensation ran from head to toe.
It felt as if the entire stadium might explode.
"Ah…"
He could not speak.
This feeling.
This moment.
There was no way to describe the electrifying thrill coursing through his body.
"Ho-young. Ho-young."
Countless voices shouting his name.
It was a strange sight.
He had experienced this many times before, but this feeling was new.
Ho-young spread both arms toward the tens of thousands cheering for him.
Then he raised both index fingers toward the sky.
It resembled Kaká's celebration of spreading his arms and praying to God.
But the meaning was completely different.
His eleventh World Cup goal.
He was dedicating it to the crowd.
To the countless people who had supported him.
The scene moved the stands to tears.
Then the stadium screen displayed his face.
[MAN OF THE MATCH]
[Ho-young WOO: KOREA]
The MOM vote, which started during the match and closed immediately after it ended.
The honor once again went to Ho-young.
Five consecutive Man of the Match awards in a single tournament.
A record no one had ever reached.
And then it happened.
Something appeared before Ho-young's eyes.
[You are attempting to acquire Midfield Domination of the Buffalo (U).]
[Time required to fully acquire the talent: 40 days → 3 days.]
[During these 3 days, you cannot acquire other talents.]
[Potential (S+)]
Ho-young had expanded his domain from the forward line to the attacking midfield line, and now even deeper into midfield.
He was becoming football itself.
Almost there.
The semifinals.
An electrifying stage.
This was why he endured exhausting training every single day.
He had achieved a realistic goal, and an overwhelming shout escaped his lips.
"Gah."
It felt as if all the fatigue accumulated in his body had vanished.
Then he noticed something.
An opposing player lying on the ground with his face covered.
Michael Essien was gasping for breath.
It was no surprise.
Across both halves, he had run nearly 14 kilometers.
He had given everything.
The disappointment was so deep that he could not even open his eyes.
Step.
Ho-young walked toward him.
"Michael."
He approached and extended his hand.
A strange silence hung between them.
After a moment, Essien grabbed his hand and stood up.
Then he removed his white jersey and handed it to Ho-young.
"Congratulations. Good luck."
But then he added.
"Next time we meet, you should be prepared."
The long ninety minutes.
For Essien, it had been a dreadful experience, but it was not meaningless.
If anything, it felt like something that would push him to grow even further.
Soon after the match, interviews began in the press conference room.
Korea reaching the semifinals caused huge reactions not only domestically but also from foreign media.
However, the number of reporters allowed inside the conference room was limited.
Many international reporters who could not enter held their positions in the mixed zone.
Other players who had passed through earlier had already finished their interviews.
Only Ho-young remained.
And right then.
Flash.
As Ho-young exited the official interview and walked through the corridor, flashes erupted.
"Ho-young, could you say a few words?"
"Just one comment please."
"Over here."
As everyone hoped, Ho-young stopped.
He wanted to enjoy this moment.
Perhaps because of his excitement, he did not even feel the exhaustion.
Surrounded by reporters, he stood quietly as one asked.
"The Ghana players who passed earlier all praised you regardless of the result. Michael Essien, who just passed through, said it was unfortunate to lose but that he had played the best match with the best player today."
"I agree. Not only us, they fought well and showed a great performance. I want to applaud everyone who played."
"I would like to applaud you, Ho-young."
"Thank you. But we still have an important task ahead. A tremendous challenge stands before us."
"What is your ultimate goal?"
"Our goal?"
Ho-young continued in a serious tone without a trace of a smile.
"The championship."
Those words set the entire world on fire.
[Ho-young: "Our goal is to win the World Cup."]
[The birth of a historic superstar. Many believe the Golden Boot, Golden Ball, and Ballon d'Or are already decided unless something extraordinary happens.]
[FIFA vice president Chung Mong-joon also gaining attention. Strong candidate to challenge for the FIFA presidency in 2011.]
[Korea's next opponent will be either the Netherlands or Spain. Experts believe the Netherlands would be the more manageable opponent.]
Korea's semifinal opponent would be decided the next day, July 3.
July 3, 4 PM.
Hunters Rest Hotel, basement dining lounge.
The national team players gathered together, including Ho-young, as the quarterfinal between the Netherlands and Spain began.
They were analyzing their potential opponent through video.
Ahn Jung-hwan sat beside Ho-young.
"Bang-ho, who do you think will win?"
"Spain. What about you?"
"The Netherlands are in incredible form. It feels like they might do something big this time. Sneijder and van Persie are playing unbelievably well."
The Netherlands.
Led by the outstanding form of Sneijder and van Persie, they had delivered strong performances every match.
Their disciplined defense followed by counter-attacks was almost impossible to stop.
But.
"I still think Spain will win."
Spanish football was currently in its golden era.
Although they stumbled with a loss to Switzerland earlier, they had regained their form and lived up to their reputation.
Either way, it is practically a final-level match.
No one could take their eyes off it.
Spain kicked off and began circulating the ball in midfield, increasing possession.
From there they sent threatening passes toward the attacking line.
The Netherlands tried to disrupt them with intense pressing, but Iniesta and Xavi escaped pressure at an extraordinary level.
No matter the pressure, they continued playing their game.
The rhythm gradually became faster and smoother.
Tiki-taka.
Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernández, and Iniesta exchanged endless passes, completely disorienting the Dutch defense.
Before anyone realized it, the ball had reached the Dutch penalty area.
The first goal came from David Villa.
Spain took the lead.
"Wow…"
"They are good…"
The lounge fell into a quiet mood.
Spain's passing was precise and sharp enough to draw admiration.
Their link-up play and finishing were astonishing.
Watching the Netherlands' powerful defensive strategy collapse was intimidating.
This is not because the Netherlands are bad.
Spain are just that good.
Sneijder scored the equalizer in the second half.
But almost immediately, Iniesta scored again and Spain secured the victory.
Korea's semifinal opponent was decided.
Spain.
Soon after, Iniesta, who was named Man of the Match with one goal and one assist, gave an interview.
On television, he spoke in a serious tone.
"Fortunately or unfortunately, our next opponent is Korea. The fortunate part is that their FIFA ranking is lower than ours. The unfortunate part is that they have several excellent players, including Ho-young. I have faced him several times and tasted defeat each time. That is why I know how terrifying he is. It is not just me. Among the 23 players in our squad, 22 have faced him except Fàbregas. So none of us will underestimate them. We will play with the awareness that we could lose."
Iniesta's message was clear.
Spain would not take the match lightly.
For Korea, it sounded like a daunting declaration.
[7/6 Tue Korea vs Spain]
[7/7 Wed Germany vs Switzerland]
With the semifinals set, most predictions favored a Spain vs Germany final.
Many believed Korea's remarkable run would end here.
The reason was simple.
Spain.
They were that strong.
Yet no one on the Korean national team felt intimidated.
After coming this far, they could not afford to lose.
This morning, two days before the match.
They gathered at the training ground with only one purpose.
Victory.
Their goal was not third place or fourth place.
Only the final.
Then coach Huh Sung-soo spoke.
"We have good news and bad news. The good news is that we have faced Spain before."
Last month Korea had played against Spain's 1.5 squad.
They had experienced Spain's passing patterns, movement, and style.
But.
The bad news was the same.
Spain had experienced Korea as well.
In fact, the situation favored Spain.
They had faced Korea's first team, but Korea had not faced Spain's full squad.
"So we cannot rely only on that experience."
Several key players had not played in that match.
Casillas, Puyol, Iniesta, and others.
Players who needed no explanation.
World class.
Their level was far beyond Mexico or Ghana, even stronger than Argentina.
There was a reason they were ranked number one in the FIFA rankings.
If Spain fielded their full squad, experts estimated Korea's chance of losing exceeded 95 percent.
And that morning, another article appeared.
[Spain National Team Injury-Free, Best Condition of the World Cup Ahead of Korea Match]
More bad news.
Spain had conserved energy against the Netherlands and were now in peak condition.
For Korea, even their last hope seemed crushed.
But.
"There is no royal road in football. If we prepare thoroughly and fight with determination, even the impossible can become possible. Run as if your lives depend on it. Then even if we lose, there will be no regret."
There was no reason to be discouraged.
They might lack many things compared to Spain, but in passion, fighting spirit, and desperation, they were second to none.
From that day, the national team began brutal training.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)