Chapter 9: Jang Damin (2)

As the front door of the house opened, Tae-woo seemed to hesitate for a moment.

But I took Tae-woo’s hand and led him inside.

“Here, this is our house. Tae-woo, come over here! How do you like our house?”

As if showing off her own treasure vault.

“Sit here on the sofa. It’s comfortable, right? It’s the best seat in our house.”

As Tae-woo sat on the sofa, I snuggled up close beside him.

“Tae-woo, do you want to see Da-min’s room too? Da-min’s room has soccer posters and stickers too!”

“Ahem, Da-min. What did I tell you to do first when you come home from outside?”

“Uh~”

Tae-woo quietly stood up and said.

“I’ll wash my hands.”

As Tae-woo got up from the sofa first and walked to the bathroom, Da-min followed.

“Let’s go together!”

Watching this, Da-min’s mother, Jeong So-ra, smiled and mumbled.

“Oh my, they like each other that much.”

Coming out after washing our hands, I took Tae-woo’s hand again. Tae-woo’s hand was still cool with lingering moisture, but it was warm nonetheless.

“Hurry up, Tae-woo! I’ll show you my room!”

Excited, I took Tae-woo’s hand and headed to my room.

“Alright… Let’s go slowly.”

When I opened the door to my room, Tae-woo’s eyes widened slightly.

“Heeheehee.”

Even his small reaction made my shoulders puff up with pride.

“It’s super cool, right? Look over there, there are stickers too!”

My room wasn’t like a typical girl’s room.

A Manchester City logo blanket covered the bed, and the walls were plastered with posters of players.

Tae-woo slowly looked around my room.

His expression was calm, but it was obvious at a glance that his eyes were darting around, marveling at everything.

“Hmm… It’s pretty nice.”

“Now let’s draw soccer players and play!”

“Whatever.”

We sat on the floor and took out paper and coloured pencils.

I started drawing a player in a Man City uniform, and Tae-woo began drawing the player on the poster in my room.

“Ehehe, Tae-woo can’t draw well.”

Tae-woo’s drawing was so crooked that it was impossible to tell who he had drawn.

“What did you say?”

Just as Tae-woo was about to flare up, the sound of the front door’s keypad being pressed was heard.

“It’s Dad!”

We hurriedly put away our drawings and went out to the living room.

“Da-min, Dad’s home~ Oh? You have a friend over?”

“Yes! Dad, this is my friend, Tae-woo!”

“So you’re the prince Da-min was talking so much about. You really are handsome.”

“Eek, Dad, what are you talking about.”

Dad smiled and said to Tae-woo.

“Hi, Tae-woo. Did you have fun playing with our Da-min?”

Tae-woo nodded, looking a little shy.

“Yes…”

“Still, Tae-woo, you absolutely cannot date Da-min.”

“Pardon?”

“Honey, what are you saying to the children?”

Da-min’s mother, Jeong So-ra, said in disbelief.

“But…”

Da-min’s father, Jang In-cheol, used to soothe his daily fatigue by looking at the drawings Da-min made of him in a Man City uniform whenever he came home from work.

However, when the sketchbook, which once only contained Man City players and his family, became filled with drawings of a handsome boy, his heart grew complicated.

“Da-min, wouldn’t Dad look cooler playing soccer in a Man City uniform?”

“Hmm… I think the prince would look cooler.”

He felt a complex emotion, as if his still-young daughter had lost her heart to another boy.

“Sigh, you imbecile. You have nothing better to be jealous of than a kid much younger than you?”

Jeong So-ra said with a sigh.

“Still…”

Jang In-cheol tried to make an excuse, but he stopped talking at his wife’s sharp gaze.

At Jeong So-ra’s firm expression, Jang In-cheol’s shoulders slumped.

“Alright… Sob.”

Watching this whole situation, Da-min and Tae-woo looked at each other with bewildered expressions. The world of adults was still too complicated and difficult for them to understand.

***

“Alright, let’s have dinner~”

Everyone sat at the dining table.

The table was laden with various side dishes, and the steaming kimchi jjigae whetted their appetites.

“Wow, the kimchi jjigae looks delicious.”

As Jang In-cheol picked up his spoon to eat the kimchi jjigae, Jeong So-ra stopped him.

“Ahem, let Tae-woo eat first.”

“But I worked hard all day.”

“Tae-woo, eat a lot.”

Jeong So-ra ignored her husband, who was complaining about being slighted, and spoke kindly to Tae-woo.

“Yes, I’ll eat well.”

Tae-woo’s mother had called saying she would be later than expected, so Tae-woo was also having dinner with them.

“Wait a minute, come to think of it!”

“Honey, why are you like this in the middle of eating?”

“It’s finally the Manchester Derby I’ve been waiting for! Surely they haven’t conceded a goal already, right?”

Jang In-cheol hurriedly turned on the TV.

The screen showed Man City and Man Utd at 0-0, about 20 minutes into the first half.

“Phew~ Thank goodness, it’s still 0-0.”

Just then, Man Utd’s legendary player and captain, Alexander Wright, got the ball.

[Ah, Alexander makes two Man City defenders look like scarecrows and creates a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper!]

“Wow.”

At Jeong Tae-woo’s exclamation of awe, Jang In-cheol’s brow furrowed.

“No, what is this, as soon as I turn it on, please let it be a replay…”

Da-min covered her eyes halfway with her hands but still peeked at the screen through the gaps.

[Aaaargh, Man City’s lion, Leo, saves Man City!]

[Wow, saving a shot going into the corner in a one-on-one situation like that is really difficult, you know.]

“Ahaha! I knew Leo would save it. A girlish shot like that can never break through Man City’s goal.”

Jang In-cheol said boastfully.

“Oh my, honey. For someone who thought Leo would definitely save it, you were worried too much, weren’t you?”

“Me? I believed in our Man City’s guardian, Leo. Even if it’s you, honey, to doubt my faith, I forgive-“

[Ah, another chance for Man Utd!]

At the sound from the TV, Jeong So-ra, who had been cutely watching her husband anxiously stare at the TV again, also looked at the TV with concern.

She was no less a Man City fan than her husband.

“Hwaiting!!”

Da-min, even with her mouth full of rice, cheered energetically.

The sight of her shouting with her cheeks puffed out was comical.

Tae-woo smiled slightly, looking at Da-min.

However, contrary to their cheers, the game didn’t unfold as they wished.

“Phew, thank goodness.”

Jang In-cheol said with a sigh.

“Honey, no, why are we losing so badly this game?”

[It’s an unbelievable moment. A one-sided game unbecoming of the name Manchester Derby is continuing.]

[Yes, if it weren’t for Man City’s Leo, it wouldn’t be strange if it were already 5-0.]

The tension of the stadium was transmitted to the living room through the TV.

At Leo’s successive super saves, the family let out sighs of relief and cheers.

“Leo, please!”

Jeong So-ra watched the TV, her hands sweating.

“Please, just once.”

With 1 minute left in the game, Leo unexpectedly kicked a long ball.

The ball, like a guided missile, landed precisely at the feet of a Man City attacker, and the result was.

[An unbelievable scene has emerged! Jorginho, who received Leo’s missile-like pass, pushes it in as is, leading to a winning goal with 1 minute left!!!!!]

As soon as the goal was scored, the final whistle blew.

“W-we won! F-finally, Man Utd!”

Jang In-cheol jumped up and shouted.

“Kyaak! We won!”

Leo’s cheer song blared from the TV.

Oh~ Leo, our guardian, Etihad’s last line of defense.

Under the blue moonlight, all dreams live at your fingertips.

Leo! Leo!

Victory dances at your fingertips.

Leo! Leo! Protect the heart of the Blue Moon.

An iron wall keeper that no one can pass.

In front of you, all attackers fall silent.

For 90 minutes, defend our fortress, Man City’s hero, Leo!

Jang In-cheol passionately sang along to the cheer song on TV.

His voice echoed in the living room, and Jeong So-ra also smiled and hummed along.

Da-min giggled at her father’s passionate display and said.

“Wow, Uncle Leo is my favorite now!”

Jang In-cheol replied with a laugh.

“Really? If it’s someone like Leo, this dad approves too, ahahahaha~.”

“Ehehe, then I’ll marry a goalkeeper who’s tha…that! good later on!”

Hearing those words, Tae-woo suddenly lifted his head.

“Huh?”

At Tae-woo’s surprised reaction, Da-min nodded and smiled brightly.

Jang In-cheol and Jeong So-ra looked at each other and smiled, seemingly flustered.

“Really?”

Tae-woo asked once more.

There was a slight tremor in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m going to marry a good goalkeeper.”

Tae-woo was silent for a moment.

His eyes wavered, then, as if suddenly making up his mind, he said.

“Th-then, me too…”

Tae-woo’s voice grew smaller and smaller.

“Huh? Tae-woo, what did you say?”

Da-min tilted her head and looked at Tae-woo.

Tae-woo took a deep breath and mustered his courage to say.

“I-I’m going to be a goalkeeper too…”

“Ehehe, Tae-woo would look so cool if he became a goalkeeper!”

Tae-woo’s face turned slightly red at Da-min’s innocent reaction.

But he mustered even more courage and said once more.

“So… don’t marry another goalkeeper. I… I’ll become an even greater goalkeeper than that Uncle Leo.”

Da-min seemed lost in thought for a moment, tilting her head, then smiled brightly and replied.

“Hmm… Okay! I won’t get married until Tae-woo becomes a goalkeeper like Uncle Leo. It’s a promise!”

Suddenly, Jang In-cheol exclaimed in an exaggerated voice.

“Kids, I think it’s still too early for marriage promises, rethink-“

Jeong So-ra quickly pinched her husband’s arm and said in a small voice.

“Honey, shut your mouth.”

“Sob.. Only I dislike it.”