LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 278
*
[England, thrilling 2-1 comeback victory.]
[France held out for ‘6 weeks’ against Germany, but couldn’t last ‘6 minutes’ against Son Jinho.]
[The Maginot Line ultimately crumbled, as Son Jinho nets a ‘multi-goal’ and leads England to the finals.]
[UK netizens declare Son Jinho’s captaincy appointment as the best choice.]
[Didier Deschamps: “Son Jinho’s play reminds me of Zidane…”]
[French football fans infuriated by Deschamps’ statement…. “Don’t compare the landlord to a smelly Asian!”]
[Manager Southgate displays humility: “I’m just a lucky manager.”]
[Son Jinho shows determination in M.O.M interview: “There’s just one match left. We’ll pour everything we have into winning.”]
[Raheem Sterling, with a dazed expression…. “I’m happy that Jinho is captain….”]
[The first Asian World Cup top scorer’s birth?]
└ Wow. Damn, the GOAT of Asian football players;;
└ At this point, do we even need to mention ‘Asian’ in front?
└ If he keeps this performance up for the next 10 years, he’ll definitely be the GOAT.
└ You know? My bro will still be 33 in 10 years.
└ Crazy, LOL
└ Hmm. Did my bro just become the first to achieve both UCL top scorer and World Cup top scorer?
└ No, no.
└ Huh? Who else is there?
└ Gerd Müller…?
└ This guy has no shortage of scoring records.
└ German striker GOAT;;
└ How about Ronaldo?
└ He never got to be UCL top scorer.
[Son Jinho, challenging the scoring records held only by Gerd Müller, Zidane, and Lionel Messi in both UCL final and World Cup final.]
└ ??? When did Messi achieve that title?
└ Scored from a free kick in the 2014 World Cup final.
└ Wow damn; Let’s hope my bro scores just one goal.
[People parading through London streets holding photos of the Taegukgi and Son Jinho?]
└ What the heck, what’s with that mustache, LOL
└ Mein… Führer….
*
After the semifinal match against France, England was in complete chaos.
For the first time in 52 years since the 1966 World Cup, they reached the finals.
True to a football-crazed nation, a variety of reactions were pouring out in the UK.
– Gyeouri: Son Jinho, did you see this?
– Gyeouri: (English people marching with Son Jinho’s photo .gif)
– Gyeouri: LOLLLLLLLLL
The most impressive were the people marching down the street, singing chants while holding up my picture.
“Wait, why are they holding my photo?”
Some even photoshopped a mustache onto my upper lip.
It was supposed to be a joke, but somehow the mustache really suited me, so they brought it out?
Hmm. But yeah, it does look pretty good.
[England successfully reaches the finals! Football finally returns home!]
Anyway, although the World Cup final match was still to come, the British media was reacting as if they had already won the final.
[England has a strong record in finals? 100% winning rate in all finals they’ve reached so far.]
According to their claims, they have a 100% win rate so far in finals?
Well, it’s not incorrect. England has won every tournament they reached the finals in until now.
However, the problem is….
“You guys have only made it to the finals twice till now.”
England had only reached the finals in the 1966 World Cup on home soil and the 2016 Euros.
Isn’t it too weak data to brag about a 100% win rate? In half a century, making it to the finals only twice is quite embarrassing for the so-called footballing nation.
Well. The British probably see it as a joke anyway.
[UK football fans, getting mocked by French fans mentioning facts, react with violence.]
Oh… or not?
*
The day after the match.
“Everyone, you’ve all worked hard until now. I’m giving you a day off, so go meet your families and relax. And just to mention, if I find out you’re not managing your condition at all, you’ll be left off the roster for the finals, so keep your condition in check.”
Manager Southgate granted the players a day off.
Though Southgate expressed his concerns, he knew the players wouldn’t go overboard with drinking or partying before the finals.
After all, they wouldn’t want to miss the moment when England finally wins after 52 years in the stands.
And the players knew very well that if news broke about them losing the finals due to fitness issues, they’d have to immigrate to the other side of the Earth.
“Reverse Son Jinho, is it?”
Anyway, I spent a short time with my family.
“Haeun, aren’t you going to play with Daddy?”
“Just watch this!”
“What about Haseong?”
“….”
“Not even going to answer, huh?”
Haeun wanted to play with Haseong, but the kids were lost in YouTube.
Recently, Haeun started kindergarten and even wrote down YouTuber as her dream on her paper.
Watching Haeun trying to mimic the dances from YouTube videos, I secretly pondered.
“Wouldn’t it be okay to give Haeun a league championship trophy stored at Man U for a 1 million subscribers event?”
I could already hear Gyeouri grabbing her neck in annoyance.
“A neck-grabbing Gyeouri, huh.”
That sounded like it’d be fun in its own right.
“Daddy, look at this!”
Gyeouri showed me various reactions from around the world about England’s first World Cup final appearance in 52 years. Despite the slight change in title because of the surrounding eyes, the bond between Gyeouri and me was unchanged and still warm.
[Title: Real-time UK community reactions.]
– We extend our gratitude to our brothers in South Korea.
– From now on, we declare the British Empire is one with South Korea.
– So, does that mean we’re going to war with North Korea?
└ Damn, we’re not brothers with a hostile country.
└ Colonizer GOAT calls the colonized brother, nonsense.
└ You guys are really going to war, huh? LOL
└ Ugh. Your brother is Japan. Take Japan’s football players and return Son Jinho to us.
In any case, the first thing the Brits did was thank South Korea for sending me, the key player in their reaching the finals, through social media.
[Title: (Real-time) UK pub.]
Proving you’re Korean at the pub now gets you unlimited free beer ㄷㄷ;
└ Wow. How do I prove that? Show my passport?
└ No, no. Just go and say, “Yo, give me Son Jinho, you bastards!” and you’ll get beer.
└ For real?
└ Is that really true, you idiot?
└ (Yo, bastards! Where’s Son Jinho? English pub ver. Gif)
└ What the heck is this?
Korean football fans enjoyed the reactions of the Brits, while easing their bittersweet feelings.
[Germany reassessing football? “We are not weak; our opponents were strong.”]
German football fans began turning on their happy circuits with England’s entry into the finals, claiming they were not weak, but rather that the group they were in was strong.
Naturally, England, who was in Group D, reached the finals, and South Korea, who was second in that group, made it to the quarterfinals and gave Portugal a hard time.
Argentina expressed mixed feelings about Son Jinho, who is dubbed as Messi’s successor, while Portugal hoped I would take down Messi.
[France denies World Cup defeat. “England stole our victory!”]
On the other hand, France could not accept their loss right after the match.
[Angry ‘300,000’ French football fans petition for a World Cup rematch.]
They protested against the time-wasting at the corner flag as unsportsmanlike behavior and the enraged French fans were petitioning for a rematch of the semifinals.
“Wow. These people are really ridiculous.”
Already having seen the article, Gyeouri expressed her anger once more.
That evening, I found myself having to soothe the upset Gyeouri.
*
[Responding to criticism from French media, Son Jinho says, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I just responded to unsportsmanlike behavior with unsportsmanlike behavior.”]
[Son Jinho: “While I only returned the unsportsmanlike behavior they showed, if it made them uncomfortable, I apologize.”]
[England strikes back: “France, quit whining.”]
[Germany: “France is a bit shabby.”]
[French media: “I don’t understand why everyone dislikes our beloved France, which loves liberty, equality, and fraternity.”]
[Upcoming Russia World Cup final.]
[The Falklands War unfolding at the World Cup final.]
[Will it be the maintenance of the established order? Or the birth of a new god? July 15, the showdown between Lionel Messi and Son Jinho.]
*
As the World Cup final approached, the world began to focus on the showdown between me and Lionel Messi.
The poster depicting both me and Messi reaching out for the World Cup trophy placed atop a throne received the most likes from netizens.
In this war of succession recognized worldwide, only one person expressed dissatisfaction.
[Cristiano Ronaldo: “No matter whether I have the World Cup trophy or not, I’m still the best.”]
No one paid him any attention.
– Misukdoo: The world is still too immature to embrace me.
– Misukdoo: History will determine who the best player is.
Anyway, the vulnerabilities of the England team have started to show through the recent matches against Russia and France.
England quickly moved to respond.
The biggest problem with the England team currently was that as they advanced further in the tournament, Harry Kane’s performance was declining.
“Hey, Kane.”
“Jinho?”
I approached Harry Kane to address this issue.
“You’re just a tool. So, relax. If you’re not scoring, it’s the user’s fault, not the tool’s fault, right?”
Thanks to my words, it seemed as though the pressure on Harry Kane eased.
Hmm.
Is this what leadership is?
“Yeah, that’s right! My slump is due to the midfielders not passing properly!”
“This guy’s conscience is on vacation.”
Just as I was wrapping up successful mental care for Harry Kane, I received an article delivered by Gyeouri that made me burst out in disbelief.
[Chris Smalling provokes Lionel Messi: “I know Messi’s weaknesses.”]
[Chris Smalling: “Playing against Lionel Messi is a joy. Bring it on.”]
Wow. Crazy guy.
I dashed over to where Chris Smalling was without delay.
Of course, I didn’t forget to leave a comment on the same post that echoed my thoughts before rushing over to scold him.
[Chris Smalling comments on the Ballon d’Or: “Ronaldo is outstanding, but I think Jinho should win it. Jinho elevates the team to a whole new level.”]
– Jinho10: Factos (thumbs up) (Two eyeballs.)