After the announcement of Ho-young's transfer, Manchester went into chaos.
The streets were filled day and night with waves of people welcoming him, and Manchester City supporters, the Citizens, gathered in pubs near the stadium and held parties all night long.
With the Christmas holidays overlapping, many shops had originally planned to close, but with hundreds of thousands pouring into the streets every day, they had no choice but to stay open.
Just the news of Ho-young's arrival was revitalizing the local economy.
That was the level of influence he now held in the football world.
Various hastily organized events continued until the new year arrived.
For them, football was life itself.
There was even a saying that if you grew up in Manchester, your only dreams were to become a footballer or a rock star.
So when Ho-young was coming, it was only natural that the city erupted.
On Manchester City's largest fan site, Citizens, the administrator personally posted an announcement to rally everyone.
[January 1, 2011, Manchester Airport. 880,000 Citizens, it's time to show your passion. Welcome the legend!]
└We are City!
└Super City!
└Mansour!
└Ho-young!
And on the morning of January 1.
Manchester City's leadership had already arrived at the airport before Ho-young to prepare for his reception.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of Manchester City and a key figure from the UAE, along with other top executives, came to the airport, creating an unusually grand welcome ceremony.
On top of that, hundreds of thousands of people flooded Manchester Airport, turning it into a sea of people.
Many had stayed up all night after the New Year's countdown at City Hall Square and came straight to the airport.
An unprecedented situation.
The entire airport was nearly paralyzed.
This was Manchester Airport, the largest in the northern region.
Fortunately, the mayor had deployed around a thousand security personnel, allowing the welcome event to proceed without major issues.
The city also provided full support for the event.
Some Manchester United fans expressed dissatisfaction, but the mayor had no choice.
He had received a request from Mansour, a VIP who could influence the local economy.
And Ho-young was Mansour's VIP.
At the city level, it was an event that had to be supported as much as possible.
So at 8 a.m.
The moment Ho-young stepped out of the arrival gate, his eyes widened.
As soon as the automatic doors opened, the celebration began.
Flash!
Click!
"Waaaaaaaaaa!"
"Young! Young! Young! Young!"
Everywhere he looked, there were people.
The flashes and deafening cheers were overwhelming.
"Wow…"
This was not even a permanent transfer.
Officially, he was only staying for six months.
Yet they welcomed him as if he were family.
But it was still too early to be surprised.
As he regained his senses, he noticed countless banners waving everywhere.
One stood out in particular.
[Messiah, Welcome To MAN CITY!]
Messiah.
They truly seemed to see him as a savior.
Goosebumps rose on his arms.
It was not because of the cold 3-degree weather.
Then he saw the people walking toward him through the long corridor.
'Mansour.'
The owner of Manchester City, Mansour, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak approached him personally.
"Ho-young."
"Just call me Al Mubarak."
Ho-young shook hands with them one by one.
At the end, Mansour smiled warmly.
"Welcome to Manchester."
He thought he would feel less nervous since this was their second meeting.
But seeing him here was completely different.
Manchester.
This was practically his city.
The authority he carried here was overwhelming.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Ho-young moved forward under thunderous cheers, guided by security.
Then he noticed something else.
A red carpet had been laid out on the ground.
'…I should have worn a suit.'
Even Lucci beside him looked surprised, so it was clearly a surprise prepared by Manchester City.
A truly grand welcome.
There was no time to feel happy.
He was simply overwhelmed.
Still, he could not keep a stiff expression.
Ho-young smiled brightly and waved.
Then, as he stepped out of the airport.
Dum dum dum.
Tap.
'What now?'
He heard instruments nearby.
"…!"
He had not expected this.
Looking ahead, he saw a rock band performing in front of the shopping center across from the airport.
With microphones and amps fully set up, they were playing on a proper stage.
A soft mix of bass, drums, guitar, and whistling filled the air, followed by a smooth voice.
Blue moon
You saw me standing alone
Without a dream in my heart
Blue moon
You knew just what I was there for
Manchester City's official anthem, Blue Moon.
And the ones singing were none other than Oasis, the iconic Britpop band of the 90s.
"…."
He was speechless.
Magnificent.
There was no better word.
The Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, who had disbanded the previous year after their feud, were now standing together, holding microphones and welcoming Ho-young.
It was unbelievable.
As the song echoed, people waved Manchester City flags and sang along.
Tens of thousands raised their scarves above their heads in unison.
Above them, several helicopters filmed the scene live.
Seeing all this, Ho-young let out a small laugh in disbelief.
People he had never met were welcoming him like this.
Was this really okay?
Mansour smiled.
"Enjoy this moment. Today, you are the star of Manchester."
Right then.
"One, two, one, two, three, four!"
Hundreds of thousands of voices blended together as drums and guitars roared.
The soft melody turned into powerful rock.
Blue moon!
Now I'm no longer alone
Without a dream in my heart
Without a love of my own
And when I looked, the moon had turned to gold
In the distance, the two brothers pointed toward him as they sang.
It felt like a massive concert.
The crowd sang along.
Their passion was incredible.
The cold no longer mattered.
Ho-young smiled brightly and raised both arms, waving.
An unforgettable morning had begun.
After the successful welcome ceremony.
Ho-young rode in a Jaguar, Manchester City's official sponsor, and headed to the Etihad Stadium.
Even then, there were more surprises.
The car was gold, and other vehicles escorted it.
It felt like he was a head of state.
Only then did everything truly sink in.
How grateful he felt.
But earlier, he had been too overwhelmed to properly thank them.
Fortunately, he got the chance soon after.
At the Media Zone, where the official press conference would be held before his unveiling.
Ho-young sat beside Mansour at a sky-blue desk.
The atmosphere was still heated from the morning.
"Today's welcome was unprecedented. Even as a Manchester local, I'm amazed. How do you feel, Ho-young?"
"I have no words. It was incredible. One of the best experiences of my life. I want to thank everyone who came to welcome me."
He continued the interview calmly.
Since it was a joyful day, most avoided tricky questions, but one came.
"There has been a lot of discussion about your move to Manchester City. Some say you came to secure a professional contract. Do you have anything to say about that?"
"I understand those opinions. But regardless of the process, what matters most is the situation I'm in now. I will focus on the present."
"Next question from Daniel Taylor of The Guardian. Manchester City is currently fourth in the Premier League with 9 wins, 6 draws, and 5 losses. They are 13 points behind Manchester United. What do you think of the situation?"
"I'm optimistic. Manchester City has developed a lot in just two years. They've reached fourth place and advanced to the Europa League Round of 16. At this rate, they can qualify for the Champions League next year. I want to contribute to that."
"Thank you."
Finally, Ho-young gave his closing remarks.
"From the first day, I have received more love than I deserve."
It was sincere.
Manchester City had around two million fans worldwide, with about 880,000 in the UK.
Compared to Real Madrid's estimated 200 million fans, it was a huge difference.
But their passion was just as strong.
Ho-young wanted to give something back.
"I just want to repay the fans who welcomed me so warmly."
"How?"
"Winning. That's all."
With that, the grand welcome, the confident interview, and the official unveiling all came to an end.
At that moment, Ho-young officially became a member of Manchester City.
(To be continued.)