Chapter 3: Reboot (2)

I was abducted by a satellite, and for a moment, I was visited by a bout of anger management issues.

But after stepping out of the school gate, my heart settled like a calm sea.

This, too, is a result of the wisdom gained from my 15th life.

And.

"Father, I have realized that there is no longer any meaning in school life. I wish to take a new path."

As soon as I returned home, I opened my mouth with a determined expression.

"Wha- What? What are you saying right now?"

Sitting in a corner of the cramped living room, my father, who was enjoying a daytime drink on his rare day off, spat out the soju he had been drinking halfway and shouted.

A deep frown creased his forehead.

"I have decided that I cannot waste my abilities like this, and I have no talent for studying. After much deliberation, I have decided to drop out of school. I feel it would be a waste of the food you and Mother provide for me! Instead, I have a new dream."

Father, Ho Byung-jae, didn't know that I had quit school.

Mother, Kwon Mi-ya, must have run to the school as soon as she received a call from the homeroom teacher without even telling him.

But it doesn't matter.

Since I've already decided to drop out voluntarily.

What's the point of hitting a kid on the head with a stick?

One of them must have had their jaw dislocated.

"A new dream? Ha! Well, dreams are good, but I never thought my son would bark like a dog."

Father's eyes, which had been gleaming with joy just a moment ago as he celebrated Park Ji-sung's goal against Chelsea, had long turned into a glare.

I can understand.

If my child suddenly came and said he was dropping out of high school, I would have looked for a hammer first.

I subtly moved the soju bottle from beside Father's knee to beside my own.

Not out of fear of pain.

Surely, he wouldn't hit his son with a bottle, but who knows?

There's a saying that it's better to be prepared.

In fact, I had already been hit with a soju bottle during the 5th life.

"Alright, recite it. I'm really curious to hear what dream could make you want to trade your school years, which everyone goes through."

He asked calmly, unlike a moment ago.

This is why I love Father.

He treats his son as an equal.

However, Father's face was as red as an active volcano, ready to erupt.

Is it because of the soju?

He didn't seem to have drunk more than half a bottle...

I believe this life, he is more sensitive to alcohol.

"I want to become a soccer player and win the Ballon d'Or."

Whoosh!

In an instant, Father's hand moved faster than my eyes could follow.

But my hand was even faster.

"Wh- What is this...?"

Father, who was about to grab the soju bottle, looked bewildered when he found it missing.

I had hidden the soju bottle behind my buttocks again.

Instead.

Thud.

I gently placed my hands over Father's hand, which had only managed to touch the floor, and gave him a look that was more trustworthy than usual.

A look of enlightenment after enduring harsh storms!

Then.

"Father, please wait a moment. I will make you a landlord."

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Mother returned.

She was exhausted, having cried so much at the school.

She burst into tears as soon as she sat down in the living room.

I cautiously approached and embraced her frail body, patting her back.

Mother is not to blame.

But it was a necessary choice.

'I need to move quickly to debut in the professional league and conquer the European stage.'

Since I would inevitably drop out of high school once I go to Europe, I just solved the problem a bit earlier.

It was absolutely not because of a temporary fit of anger.

"Why did you do that! Why?!"

Mother, with her swollen eyes filled with resentment, kept hitting my chest.

I'll let her hit my solid chest for the rest of the day.

It doesn't hurt anyway.

"Ugh, you brat! Why did you do that! I can't live, really!"

Crack!

Her hair... Well, I'll give it to her.

She would have grabbed it anyway, no matter how I tried to avoid it.

During the 10th life, I tried to dodge like a whack-a-mole game, which only made her angrier and pulled more hair out.

* * *

After a long time of pulling and tugging, dozens of strands of hair were pulled out, and the three of us sat in a circle in the cramped living room.

Father sat cross-legged with his arms crossed, silent.

Mother, too, held her forehead with one hand and repeatedly sighed, "Oh! Oh!"

Only I looked at my parents with a fresh smile.

"Are you laughing?"

Mother said with a look of disbelief at my expression.

I shook my head slightly.

"No, Mother. How could I laugh when my child has been disobedient?"

"You are laughing, you brat!"

Crack!

Hmm, this 15th life's Mother has a bit more fiery charm.

"Dear, that's enough."

Our family's breadwinner, Father, intervened, and although Mother was breathing heavily, she released the hair she had been pulling like weeds.

If I fail the mission and die in this life... I'll have to get a buzz cut in advance and face Mother.

"So, you want to become a soccer player?"

"Yes, Father. I want to become a soccer player to repay my parents who gave me life and raised me well. I already feel my blood boiling."

"Hmm, you're talking strangely today."

"Are you crazy?"

"Not at all, Mother. I'm perfectly fine. I'm just a bit excited because the new chapter of my life began with the ringing of the Bosingak Bell."

Father is a hardcore soccer fan.

You can tell just by my name, Ho Mariu.

Moreover, he seemed to be in a good mood, his lips twitching.

The fact that I can have a somewhat normal conversation now is largely thanks to the two of them.

How many students end their lives due to bullying or school violence?

So I put all my chips on the excuse of quitting school because of those two.

As a doting father, he must feel proud that I took down two delinquents with one hit.

He just doesn't show it because of Mother.

However, the frown on his forehead didn't seem to be going away.

"Being a soccer player isn't something just anyone can do, you know?"

Mother glanced at Father and said.

"And, do you even know how to play soccer? Look at Ho Chang from the next neighborhood. His mother spent so much money trying to make him a soccer player from a young age, but look at him now."

Kim Ho Chang, who lived in the next neighborhood, had been learning soccer since he was five.

Due to his family's fanatical obsession with soccer, Ho Chang started kicking the ball as soon as he could walk and run.

But after 13 years, Ho Chang gave up soccer after playing in the junior league and became a regular high school student, focusing on his studies.

"Even after investing so much money, he gave up because it was too hard. That's how difficult it is to become a soccer player. Studying is easier than soccer!"

In response to Mother's words, I threw a fact.

"That's because Ho Chang had no talent, Mother. I'm different."

"You keep saying 'I' and 'I'! Is this a Confucian school? Are you trying to play word games with me?"

At that moment, Father pressed Mother's knee with his hand and asked.

"Alright, let's hear him out. Mariu, have you ever played soccer?"

I nodded, trying to look as mature as possible.

"Not just a little, but I have the skills to debut in the professional league right now, Father."

"Where did you get such lies...!"

"Quiet!"

Mother, who was about to pull my hair again, was stopped by Father, who raised his hand.

The frown on his forehead deepened, but this time it felt different.

It seemed more like a firm resolve than worry.

Of course, I already knew what Father would say.

"Then... Ho Mariu, do what you want."

"Dear?!"

Mother's eyes widened in surprise at Father's unexpected response.

"What are you saying? Don't you know that to become a player these days, you have to start at six or seven? We have to consider Mariu's age. It's too late to become a soccer player!"

"So what?"

"Excuse me?"

"Since he's already dropped out of school, what other options do we have? Try it out, and if it doesn't work, he can take the high school equivalency test and go to college."

"Really, you make it sound so easy... Sigh!"

"And if he goes back to school and those who were beaten by Mariu gang up on him? I can't stand to see that!"

At Father's words, Mother opened her mouth but then sighed.

"Sigh..."

Right.

With school already out of the question, the only option left for me was the high school equivalency test.

But to calm Mother down, I had to play along.

"Mother, I'll try for exactly one year. If it doesn't work out, I'll give up soccer and prepare for the high school equivalency test. I promise... I'll live for you from then on."

At my earnest expression, Mother turned away, saying, "Sigh, I don't know, I don't know."

On the other hand, Father seemed intrigued by my firm stance.

"So, you have a plan?"

At his question, I smiled, revealing my white teeth.

"Father, I have a plan."

"Plan? Ha!"

Mother's hand, like a missile, hit my head.

Yeah, that's right.

This was the peak of her menopause.

* * *

Jeonnam FC, founded in 2006, participated in the K League 1 and had recorded mid-table or better results for two consecutive seasons.

And on March 7, 2008.

This season, after Park Hang-seok left and Coach Jo Gang-rae took over, people began to call Jeonnam FC "Kindergarten."

This was because they were replacing the old, declining veterans with a team composed mainly of rookies.

Anyway.

"Do you want to take a tryout?"

Chief Coach Kim Gwang-soo, who was assisting Coach Jo Gang-rae, looked at me with a disapproving gaze from the opposite sofa.

I nodded, spearing the apple Mi-jung had beautifully cut with a fork and bringing it to my mouth.

"Yes, sir."

"Sir?"

"Mi-jung's father, right?"

"Ahem. Yes, but what can we do? We don't hold tryouts. Other clubs don't either."

Of course, I expected him to say that.

In fact, my request must sound absurd from Kim Gwang-soo's perspective.

Jeonnam FC had only held an open tryout once, in 2006, to secure founding members.

In the past, the K League preferred to scout and recruit college players or National League players directly.

However, the revolting draft system had been revived, making it virtually impossible for ordinary people to join professional clubs.

Moreover, Kim Gwang-soo must have had no expectations of my skills.

'The gap between amateurs and professional players is like the difference between heaven and earth. And I didn't even play soccer from a young age.'

In South Korea, only about 2% of promising players from elementary to high school make it to the K League.

In other words, if I had the talent, I would have been recruited through the draft system without making such a request.

But now, Kim Gwang-soo was misunderstanding my request.

"To become a professional player in Korea, you first need to register with the association. It's not an easy path. While the National League or Division 3 clubs may sign players through free agency... the competition is still fierce."

Despite my absurd request, Kim Gwang-soo explained kindly, probably because I was a friend of Mi-jung.

I needed to steer the conversation back on track.

"So, rather..."

"I want to take a tryout in the Primeira Liga. Mi-jung said that you have a connection with a scout from Sporting CP."