Chapter 276 – Side Story 110: Victory, at the End.
***
The moment the referee blows the whistle and the game ends. Praise poured in for the Lord Jesus and Korea from all over the world.
[Owarimashita!! Korea and Jeju Island! We raise the World Cup championship trophy!! Hey─. A proud moment as a fellow Asian. We, Nippon, will be able to do it someday!! -Japan-]
[We are now witnessing a new era. Soccer is no longer exclusive to Europe and South America!! Asia becomes the first continent outside of Europe and South America to win the World Cup trophy!! -United States-]
[I have no choice but to admit it. The team that was slightly better in this game was South Korea. And… I would like to express my gratitude to the Korean national team who did not shy away until the end and showed a great game by fighting with all their might. You fully deserve the honor of winning the World Cup. -Germany.-]
[Corea! Correa wins! Jejus lifts the trophy after 4 World Cups! The great football god finally brings his myth to a climax! -Spain-]
[We are looking at another piece of history. It may be the most beautiful moment in soccer history. One soccer hero brought South Korea from the periphery of soccer to the top! It’s a pity that I can’t think of a better word with my poor vocabulary. Still, I have to say this. I have endless respect for you. Oh, great god of football. -United Kingdom-]
***
After the game ended, I stood on the ground blankly for a long time.
Something welled up in my heart, but I held back the tears.
If I shed tears, my family will probably start crying along with me. I didn’t want to see my family’s tears on a happy day.
“Nooooo-!!”
“We are the champions!!”
The Korean national team players ran towards me and hugged me as I held back tears.
The players grabbed me and talked to me, but I couldn’t understand what they were saying because they were so excited.
“Leave it alone, you bastards.”
I left my happy colleagues behind and moved towards my family. Maybe it’s because I’ve been running with all my might for the first time in a long time. My legs started to lose strength from time to time.
Unlike this heavy body, my mind was infinitely light. The smile never left my mouth.
Perhaps, even though I cleared the mission, there was still some anxiety that remained in my heart.
“Dad—!!”
As I walked diligently, I could see the joy of the family in the VIP section.
I smiled, taking in the faces of my family members one by one.
The most valuable treasures of this life, or of my entire 250 years of life, are here now.
I would like to hug my family right now and share the joy of this moment, but unfortunately, that was not possible because the awards ceremony had not been held yet.
After the awards ceremony ended, I tried to soothe my disappointment by thinking of my family who would be happy together at the ground.
While I was kissing my family.
My teammates from the national team ran to where I was, and we began to share the joy of victory with the crowd.
“Great~~Korea!!”
At this rate, the spectators could not control their joy to the extent that it was feared that the stadium would collapse.
But once the awards ceremony began in earnest.
There was such silence in Salt Lake Stadium that not even the sound of breathing could be heard.
***
The lights at Salt Lake Stadium turned off and the awards ceremony began.
[The awards ceremony will be held! Starting with the president of FIFA, the president of the host country, leader, and Germany will be seated on the podium.]
The bald head of FIFA, the Prime Minister of leader, the Chancellor of Germany, and the President of the Republic of Korea stood on the platform created on the ground.
[Prior to the World Cup trophy being awarded, individual awards will be awarded first. The Young Player winner is Korea’s new guardian, goalkeeper Juma Tae-oh!]
Mateo Joo, who was selected as the Young Player winner, moves up to the podium with a nervous expression following the host’s guidance.
[The Golden Glove goes to Matthias Bühüner. German Chancellor Scholz is comforting Matthias Bühüner.]
[Yes, this is Chancellor Scholz, who visited the stadium and cheered on the German national team throughout this tournament. Are you famous for your extreme love for soccer?]
Matthias Bühüner received the Golden Glove following Jumateo, who won the Young Player award.
[Now, this player finally appears! South Korea’s Captain Joo Jesus becomes the first player in exactly 60 years to win the Golden Ball and Golden Shoes at the same time!!]
The Golden Ball and Golden Shoes belong to the Lord Jesus.
The individual awards ended and the awards ceremony began in earnest. The runner-up team, Germany, went up to the podium first.
[The runner-up team, Germany, will be awarded a silver medal.]
The German national team left the podium with an expression full of regret.
[The proud Taegeuk warriors are climbing the podium!]
And the award ceremony for the winning team, Republic of Korea, continued. Starting with Yoo Young-beom, all players and coaches except Captain Joo Jesus ascended to the podium with gold medals around their necks.
[At las! Captain of Korea! The Lord Jesus, the god of soccer, is climbing the podium!]
Finally, South Korea’s captain Joo Jesus started to climb the podium.
[Joo Jesus, who holds the gold medal for winning the World Cup. It really brings tears to my eyes! Awesome! How could a player like this come out of Korea? I am still grateful!]
The Lord Jesus, holding a gold medal, is standing in front of the World Cup trophy.
[Ah─. The moment I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. FIFA President Mark Bullingham will hand over the World Cup trophy to Joo Jesus.]
“It is an honor to hand you the World Cup trophy.”
The FIFA president handed the trophy to the Lord Jesus.
“I’m dizzy! Listen quickly! “I want to touch the trophy too!!”
“Haha! It’s a win! “We are the winner!!”
The Korean team members on the podium are smiling and shaking their bodies up and down.
The Lord Jesus walked slowly among his companions with a playful expression.
[Leader is the World Cup champion!! This is Korea!!!]
The moment the Lord Jesus lifted the trophy,
As soon as the awards ceremony began, the Korean audience, who had saved up his stamina, shouted the name of the Lord Jesus with all their might.
***
[Korea will win the 2050 leader World Cup!]
[A great goal made by persistence. Jejus. Leading Korea to its first-ever World Cup victory.]
[The most entertaining World Cup final in history.]
[Director James Cook reveals the story behind the World Cup. ‘I wanted to create the best stage suitable for the best player. That’s why I didn’t lock it.’]
└ I’m glad I won. If I lost, I’d just go back and attack it. LOL
└ ㄹㅇㅋㅋ I watched it while being scared.
[German national team coach Thomas Müller comments on Jesus Christ. ‘There may be a better player than him, but he cannot be greater than I. He is a giant of his time.’]
[Matthias Bühüner, ‘I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel regretful, but I have no regrets. We did our best to fight against the unreasonable being called God.’]
[‘Real Madrid, a collector of Joo Jesus, asks FIFA for the yellow card Joo Jesus received during the final.]
[Luis Garcia claims that the growth of the Lord Jesus is thanks to him. ‘I raised Jejus.’]
[Luka Savic, posting a photo of the Lord Jesus lifting the World Cup trophy on social media. ‘The miracle would have already occurred the moment he encountered soccer.’]
[Real Madrid coach Valverde sends his congratulations. ‘I don’t expect much. I only hope for the club team to be as patient as the World Cup finals.’]
[Jorginho, former colleague of Jesus Christ and general manager of Colchester United. Congratulations to the Korean national team on their victory. ‘I’m happy that the players’ prices have risen a lot.’]
[Joo Jesus’ former colleague, Colchester United coach Pedro, laughs at Jorginho’s interview. ‘You bald bastard who is crazy about money. The 21st century slave trader is here.’]
***
The moment you receive the World Cup trophy from a bald head.
In order to hold this small trophy, the past life I had to go through quickly passed before my eyes.
It was definitely a tiring, difficult, and painful life, but…
What… Still.
When I think about it now, I didn’t hate those lives that much.
Because of that life, I am who I am today, and I have my children and my wife, Yuna, who is like a friend.
While I was thinking about my children, the victory celebration was already over.
And then VIPs began to enter the ground.
“Dad-!!”
Yuna and the kids also entered the ground.
“Is this expensive? “How many chickens can I buy?”
“You idiot. “It’s embarrassing, so please be quiet.”
“Hayuni, you’re not stupid! “Oppa, if you keep doing that, I’ll hit you!?”
The children touched the World Cup trophy, gold medal, golden shoes, and golden ball with curious expressions.
“Kids, you have to return the World Cup trophy. “Let’s gather together to take a commemorative photo.”
While taking commemorative photos of children kissing the World Cup trophy.
“Jesus, you’ve had a hard time.”
I felt Yuna’s warm body from behind. Feeling her body temperature, I filled her heart with the love of her wife and children, as anxiety and fear disappeared.
I looked into Yuna’s lovely eyes and smiled at her. Yuna was embarrassed by the look in my eyes at first, but soon put her shyness aside and whispered in my ear.
“Heh, honey. Should I have the fifth today?”
Among countless episodes, it was my first time living as a father and husband, so many aspects were lacking and clumsy.
“Dad-!! Let’s take a family photo!”
Sometimes, such clumsiness may hurt the family.
But I wasn’t afraid of the future.
“Dad, come here too! Take a picture together!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes!”
I am currently enjoying the best moments of my football life with the people I love the most.
“Take a picture! One, two, three!”
And we will continue to live happily, cherishing the memories of this moment.
