By Zephyria 
“Honestly, if a friend is visiting, you should just say so. Why hide it, hide it?”
Je-rim swallowed hard at the first words he heard as soon as they sat around the dining table and picked up their utensils. What excuse should he make? What on earth could possibly justify the act of desperately trying to hide the presence of a male teammate from his family?
Je-rim regretted belatedly, realizing it would have been a much better choice to just have Aaron dressed properly and pretend a friend had visited for lunch. Hadn’t things become stranger because he tried to hide it out of guilt?
As Je-rim swallowed hard with a parched throat, Je-hee’s voice pierced through. The brat, who couldn’t even speak English well, was gesturing wildly and talking enthusiastically, trying his best to converse with Aaron.
Je-hee seemed to have not a shred of interest in what his brother and mother were discussing. Seeing him focus all his attention on Aaron with admiring eyes, speaking Konglish in an excited, high-pitched voice, Je-rim shamelessly used his brother as an excuse.
“…Because that brat Je-hee was bound to be noisy…”
“Ah…”
Fortunately, his mother seemed to understand immediately upon seeing Je-hee making a scene by himself. She shook her head at Je-hee with a stern face, but the decibel of Je-hee’s voice did not decrease. Since the brat wasn’t even glancing in the direction where his mother and brother were sitting, that quiet scolding had no effect.
Left with no choice, his mother spoke to Aaron in halting Spanish.
“Um, excuse me… I’m sorry. We came by too suddenly. And this one is quite immature…”
Je-hee finally looked over, perhaps finding the Spanish flowing from his mother’s mouth fascinating. Aaron let out a small laugh at Je-hee’s funny, open-mouthed expression, then quickly composed himself and replied.
“It’s alright. An autograph or a hug is no trouble at all. More importantly, please speak comfortably. I used to see you occasionally with Je-rim when I was young.”
Since Je-rim had occasionally taken Aaron to his mother’s restaurant to eat and hang out, the two were indeed acquaintances. The only problem was that it had been well over ten years since they last met. Because of that, his mother, who couldn’t hide her awkwardness, finally relaxed her expression after hearing Aaron’s suggestion.
“Shall we? Sigh, it’s been so long that I couldn’t adjust. More importantly, why are you at Je-rim’s house…?”
“I stopped by briefly to give him something, and we were planning to have lunch together before I left.”
“Something to give?”
“The ball I received after scoring a hat-trick yesterday. Since I got it thanks to Je-rim, I thought it was right to give it to him.”
“Oh my, I thought… How can he still be so kind-hearted?”
Kind-hearted…? Je-rim glared at him at the description he had never heard in his life, but Aaron brushed it off nonchalantly as if it were a compliment he heard often. While Je-rim was appalled by that brazenness, Je-hee had crept up and grabbed the hem of Je-rim’s clothes. He seemed bewildered since he was the only one who couldn’t understand the Spanish.
“Hyung, what is everyone talking about?”
“…Aaron came to give me the ball he got yesterday.”
Je-rim omitted the ridiculous compliment and briefly translated only the reason Aaron was there. At that, the brat’s eyes sparkled again, and he shouted with his hand over his mouth.
“…The Champions League match ball?”
“Want to see it?”
Hearing Je-hee’s shout, which consisted entirely of English words, Aaron winked and stood up. Je-hee stood up abruptly and followed Aaron, nodding his head so vigorously it looked like it might fall off. Seeing him be more attentive to Aaron than to his own biological brother, Je-rim muttered weakly.
“He’s playing along so well…”
“Your mother was right, he really is a pure and kind boy.”
“……”
Was the rose-tinted glasses for Aaron hereditary? Me for his face, Mother for his personality… Feeling complicated, Je-rim changed the subject entirely instead of responding to his mother. He asked why Aaron had come here with Je-hee in tow, how he had been doing, and so on.
While her chopsticks moved busily, his mother answered that Aaron had decided to accompany Je-hee as far as England since Je-hee wanted to travel Europe alone, and that he would be returning to Korea soon. After tasting a bite of the food Aaron had made, she was busy eating this and that, surprisingly finding it appetizing. The compliments that popped up in between—saying it tasted like it was made by a chef rather than a dietitian—were a bonus.
Unable to tell her that it was actually made by an active football player, not a dietitian or a chef, Je-rim quietly emptied his plate with his mother. He had intended to wait until Aaron returned to eat, but since the brat who went to the next room hadn’t returned for a long time, he ended up finishing his meal first.
“Hyung, Hyung!”
Aaron appeared leisurely behind Je-hee, who came running out. For some reason, Aaron was holding car keys, and Je-hee had a strangely excited look on his face. Before Je-rim could feel suspicious of the odd sight, Je-hee shouted loudly.
“Aaron-hyung said he’ll buy me football boots and something delicious! Let’s go!”
✲✲✲
Aaron, who had earned the title of ‘Hyung’ within thirty minutes of meeting him, truly bought football boots for Je-hee. Not only that, he forced clothes and a scarf upon his mother, who had repeatedly refused. When he praised her, saying she looked like a goddess of bright spring in those clothes, his mother seemed inwardly pleased.
Well, those were the kinds of compliments her two sons would never give her… For one, Je-rim was not the type of person who could ever utter such embarrassing metaphors, even if he died and came back to life.
Even after shopping, Aaron didn’t return to his own home but spent time with Je-rim’s family. Je-rim even gave up when he saw Aaron taking Je-hee to the training center on a holiday to play futsal.
Je-hee seemed to want his brother to play too, but Je-rim, who had consumed more stamina than expected last night, ignored his younger brother’s pleading eyes. It certainly wasn’t because he was sulking that Je-hee seemed to respect and follow Aaron more than his own brother.
Leaving the ones preoccupied with futsal alone, Je-rim sat on a bench with his mother, blankly soaking up the sunlight while looking at the pitch. Since it was a rare clear day without rain, he had to photosynthesize diligently. Then, hearing a sudden call, Je-rim turned his head toward the source of the sound.
“…Je-rim.”
“Yeah?”
“Nothing’s wrong, right?”
At that abrupt question, the fact that he had immediately terminated his contract with Ju-han’s agency came to mind, but the ‘nothing’ his mother was referring to probably wasn’t that. To his mother, that wouldn’t be ‘nothing,’ but a ‘big deal.’ Seeing as it had been quiet so far, it was certain that Ju-han hadn’t told her either.
“Nothing? What could possibly be wrong with me… Ah, I told you, I’m really fine about getting hit.”
Thinking she was bringing up the assault incident from yesterday’s match again, Je-rim quickly grabbed his bridge of the nose and shook it side to side. He hadn’t suffered a nasal fracture or an orbital fracture, and the bruising had barely started, so he had actually fared quite well considering he’d been hit in the face with an elbow.
When he shook it exaggeratedly to show the bone was intact, a barrage of nagging followed, asking why he was irritating a nose that had bled yesterday. Since he was used to being nagged, he also knew how to stop it quickly.
As he let out a few mindless words and massaged his mother’s shoulders, the nagging stopped quickly. However, Je-rim’s hands, which were diligently massaging, stopped abruptly at the worry that sounded like a monologue.
“If you say nothing’s wrong, then I suppose it is… But I just, a child who never cried in his life suddenly rushing off to England with bloodshot eyes…”
Recalling what state he had been in when he last parted with his mother last March, Je-rim touched his forehead.
“…Mother, don’t tell me you came because you were worried about that?”
“Honestly! What parent wouldn’t worry when their child leaves like that?”
After finally getting smacked on the back, Je-rim shrugged and resumed the massage.
“Ah, well… I have to admit our lady’s worries are quite intense.”
“Again, you’re dodging the question. Aren’t you going to tell me why you were like that that day?”
It wasn’t that he wouldn’t tell her, but that he couldn’t. That he had shed a few tears after hearing the voice message Aaron had sent him eleven years later… Moreover, this was an incident his mother didn’t even need to worry about. Because he hadn’t cried out of sadness or anger.
But his mother seemed determined not to back down until she got an answer. While he was troubled, unable to think of an excuse, Aaron, who had finished futsal, approached like a savior. Je-rim quickly pulled Aaron into the conversation.
“Finished already?”
“Yeah. Your brother is wiped out.”
As he said, Je-hee was sprawled out like a corpse in the corner of the pitch. His chest was heaving heavily as he panted, and despite the warm spring weather, his top had darkened, soaked through with sweat. Anyone watching would think he’d finished a marathon rather than a game of futsal.
In contrast, Aaron was fresh. Despite playing for twenty minutes, he barely broke a sweat and looked as if he didn’t even need hydration. Je-rim sighed, looking back and forth between the near-death Je-hee and the perfectly fine Aaron.
This guy doesn’t stop at Reman; he’s now half-killing my own brother. Is it that hard to play with him moderately? …Then again, when it comes to physical activity, he never holds back. Just as Je-rim, who had been half-killed by Aaron until dawn today, frowned, it happened.
Aaron, sitting next to Je-rim, naturally wrapped an arm around his shoulder, then suddenly stiffened his expression. His worried gaze was directed toward his mother sitting opposite them.
“Are you perhaps tired? Ah, I heard your heart is weak, I didn’t realize I should have been more considerate…”
“No, I’m not tired, so it’s fine. My, how thoughtful. You must be very popular with women, dear.”
The expression that had been troubled because of her silent son brightened instantly. As she added unnecessary praise, Je-rim grumbled softly.
“…Lady, why the sudden, silly praise…”
“Silly to your mother? You really have no filter. It’s not like I said something that isn’t true… Aaron, you’re popular, aren’t you?”
“More or less.”
Seeing him assert it while confidently puffing out his chest, Je-rim’s mood immediately plummeted to the floor. His mother slapped her son lightly, fanning the flames.
“See, he’s even humble. Son, you should watch and learn.”
“…I didn’t realize you were ‘more or less’ popular, either.”
Even though he knew that while he had been excitedly meeting other people during their time apart, Aaron had lived almost like an ascetic in celibacy, a petty jealousy flared up.
Even though he knew it made no sense for someone like Aaron to be unpopular… Even though he knew that this man, overflowing with popularity, hadn’t met anyone because he couldn’t find anyone like him…
Is this what they mean by ‘romance when I do it, adultery when others do’? He had always scolded Aaron to stop being so jealous, but Je-rim himself was in no position to talk. Seeing Je-rim pouting and being sarcastic, Aaron cleared his throat a few times as if holding back a laugh, then added an explanation to what he had said.
“But even if I’m more or less popular, it doesn’t seem very useful. Because I’m not interested.”
“Is Aaron also the type who isn’t interested in dating or marriage? No wonder you two get along so well.”
“No. I’m very interested in both dating and marriage… but it seems the other person doesn’t have those thoughts yet.”
“Oh my.”
His mother softly covered her lips with her hand, a reddish blush appearing on her pale face. Similarly, Je-rim’s cheeks and earlobes burned hot.
Is this bastard crazy… He says anything right in front of someone’s mother. Does he think it’s okay just because he didn’t say that ‘other person’ is her son?
Besides, we haven’t even started dating, so what marriage? He hadn’t expected Aaron to be thinking about marriage already, making his heart race. No matter how natural same-sex marriage is in Spain, isn’t this way of thinking too extremely free-spirited? How are two active football players supposed to get married?
Leaving Je-rim to fret alone, Aaron and his mother continued their friendly conversation.
“The person he likes must be very indifferent in that regard. Is he like our Je-rim?”
“Yes. He’s exactly like Je-rim. Especially the way he makes me anxious and worries me in everything…”
“He made you worry too?”
“I can’t even begin to tell you. But does Je-rim make you worry too, Mother?”
“Always, always. Look at him now, he rushed off to England with a face that looked like he’d suddenly cried, and when I ask what happened, he shuts his mouth tight…”
“Ah, Mom!”
In his desperation, a term of address he hadn’t used since becoming an adult slipped out.
He resented the heavens for everything: why he had maintained the habit of exchanging Spanish jokes with his mother, why his mother, who hadn’t forgotten her Spanish because of it, happened to have the chance to talk with Aaron, why this had to happen on the day he’d finally had sex after a long time, and why she had to tell Aaron specifically.
But no one in the room paid any attention to Je-rim, who was desperately trying to cover his mouth. Aaron asked, his eyes widening in a rare display of surprise.
“He cried? Je-rim-ssi?”
“I’m telling you, he did. Aaron, do you happen to know if something happened? After the A Match back in March.”
“…Ah. March, after the A Match….”
The moment Je-rim saw Aaron chewing over the timing his mother had mentioned, he had an intuition. Aaron already grasped the full reality of why he had stormed out looking like he’d been crying. He became certain after seeing Aaron cover his mouth and speak in a solemn tone.
“I’m not entirely sure what happened….”
“Well, he is the type to never mention those things to others….”
Should he be glad that Aaron didn’t reveal the truth to his mother? At Aaron’s feigned ignorance, his mother sighed openly at Je-rim again, then suddenly took Aaron’s hand.
“Aaron, Je-rim might cause you a lot of heartache, but I’m counting on you to take care of him. I was always grateful that you two were close when you were young… I’m so thankful and happy to see you still hanging out now that you’re all grown up.”
“Don’t mention it. There has never been and will never be anyone like Je-rim in my life, so you don’t need to worry about that.”
Now it was Je-rim’s turn to sigh. It was a long, hot, and cloying breath that made his entire throat feel flushed.
Even when he suggested she stay at his house until she returned home, his mother waved him off, saying it would be a waste of the hotel she had already booked. In the past, he would have just said, ‘Shall we?’ and canceled the reservation immediately, but seeing this changed side of her, Je-rim couldn’t easily leave the front of the hotel. His mother hugged him, repeatedly patting his back.
In the strangely silent embrace, Je-rim hugged her back even tighter and added a joke.
“Mrs. Hwang, why are you being so quiet? It’s embarrassing. This is too sentimental.”
“…I just didn’t want to give you unnecessary pressure before the final.”
His mother was strange today. Normally, by this timing, she would have already poured out dozens of comments—saying her son is great so he’ll obviously win, telling him not to be nervous and to get plenty of sleep, or saying she’d cheer him on with all her might.
Je-rim pulled back slightly from the petite body in his arms to look her in the face. Then, his mother, whose wrinkles had increased more than he had noticed, smiled benevolently while stroking his hair. As if she were treating her son when he was a small child.
“Actually, I heard from CEO Kang. That you decided to leave the agency.”
This, too, was enough to surprise Je-rim. If it were his original mother, she would have called him the very day she heard the news from Ju-han to demand the full story. She would have added that CEO Kang had worked so hard for him and that he should just settle things amicably if possible.
Why is she like this? Je-rim’s complexion turned pale, worried that his mother had changed after not seeing her for just a month. Aside from being bewildered by her change, he was also worried about how Ju-han had delivered the news. He forced his lips, which refused to move, to open.
“…Yes. But what did the CEO say?”
“He said it seemed difficult for him that you pushed so hard when you transferred to Newum…. Was it hard for you?”
“…….”
“…It must have been, of course. You weren’t keen on going to Tavarona in the first place.”
Since he had barely settled in at Tavarona and was told to go somewhere else again, of course he hated it and found it hard… As if she knew the answer without needing to hear it, his mother answered her own question and looked up at Je-rim with deep eyes.
“After hearing CEO Kang’s story, I thought about it a lot. Since the day you stormed out looking like you’d been crying happened to be the day you settled things with CEO Kang… naturally, I was worried.”
Now knowing the real reason his mother had come all the way to England, Je-rim wore a bitter smile and shook his head slightly. It was meant to tell her not to worry, as he hadn’t cried for the reason she thought. Whether she read the hidden meaning correctly or not, his mother continued as if responding.
“Both I and CEO Kang… because you’re so talented, we thought you’d endure it well even if it was hard…. I think we just gave you too much pressure. You were so young back then….”
As Je-rim took a sharp breath as if enduring something, his mother also took a deep breath.
“Son, I won’t be greedy anymore. So….”
The hand that had been affectionately stroking his hair moved back to his back, and as she gently rubbed it, his mother spoke slowly.
“Just play happily—or even if you can’t be happy, play the way you want to… and make a grand exit when you want to. That’s enough for me.”
“…Yeah.”
A surge of emotion hit him, different from when he heard Aaron’s voice message, and Je-rim bent his body low to bury his face in his mother’s embrace. It was the first time a reunion with his mother had felt this refreshing and clear.
Truly for the first time.
On the way back after seeing off his mother and Je-hee, the teasing continued as expected. Aaron, who had been grinning like he’d eaten some hallucinogenic mushrooms throughout the drive, trapped Je-rim in his arms the moment they got out of the car and pressed him for answers.
“Je-rim, did you cry after hearing my voice message?”
Since he had already been exposed by his mother’s testimony, it was better to be confident than to deny it until death. Je-rim replied, spitting the words out while clenching his trembling fists.
“…Yes, I cried.”
“Why?”
“I felt sorry and touched, so I shed a few tears. Happy now? Do you have to pry into everything to be satisfied?”
He was a quick-witted guy, yet it seemed like something would go wrong if he just let it slide. Je-rim punched Aaron’s forearm with his clenched fist to calm the rising sense of shame. Aaron looked radiant, as if he couldn’t stand the happiness of even being hit. The man, who had bowed his head, matched their eye levels without a single inch of error.
Amber eyes, shining softly with happiness, stared at Je-rim as if ready to devour him. In response, Je-rim took in Aaron’s face with unwavering eyes. The face reflected in the black pupils was handsome as always, but the dangerous aura he always exuded was hidden behind a boyish smile. Je-rim had always liked this playful, boyish side of Aaron.
“There’s no need to be touched. I can say things like that hundreds, thousands of times more in the future.”
In the fluid kiss that followed, his lips, which had a scab on them, felt unbearably ticklish. But there was something else even more unbearable. Je-rim, who pulled his lips away with a giggle, held Aaron’s cheeks with both hands and pressed his forehead against the other’s.
“In the future too?”
“In the future too.”
Aaron pronounced the end of the sentence with great emphasis, as if asking why he would ask something so obvious. Je-rim liked that definitive tone and chewed over it several times in his heart.
Because words with a meaning completely opposite to the word ‘last’ that Aaron had once uttered were so pleasing that his heart felt tight….
“I like that.”
It was the moment a long-held worry ended—about what kind of fancy words he should use to conclude his confession of gratitude for letting him start over.
✲✲✲
Despite the past worries caused by Aaron’s absence, Sefton successfully maintained its first-place position in the league. This time, the point difference was such that even if Molden won their final match, they couldn’t overturn it. On the day of the league’s final match held at Sefton’s home, the championship trophy ceremony was held alongside the awards for the top scorer and top assist provider. The winners were, naturally, Aaron and Je-rim.
Even though they had successfully lifted the league trophy, there was no time to rest easy. For the FA Cup final to be held in a few days, the team postponed even the championship celebration party and clocked into the training center every single day. Although Sefton had won the FA Cup once since Je-rim transferred, any tournament match—especially a final—was bound to be nerve-wracking.
“Whew….”
Even for Je-rim, who generally didn’t get nervous, a match labeled as a ‘final’ required proper mind control.
Anxiety is the enemy. Instead of being anxious, strip away the thought itself. Although he still felt automatically restless whenever he thought of Ju-han since that incident, the teachings Ju-han had instilled in him long ago were continuing to shine.
He still hadn’t decided what to do about his relationship with Ju-han. However, it wasn’t bad to remain in this ambiguous state and take time to reflect on his emotions. Even if he hadn’t completely shaken off his resentment toward Ju-han yet, this feeling could change again at any time.
Je-rim decided not to think of trying to hold onto past connections as something pathetic or entirely meaningless. He’d just go with the flow. If the resentment didn’t fade until the end, he’d stay as he was; if he felt like asking how he was doing, he’d contact him then.
For now, the match came first. As he sat on the locker room bench, fiddling with the edge of his tights pulled up to his knees and erasing his thoughts one by one, Aaron slinked over and took William’s spot. The seats on either side of Je-rim in the locker room were almost always fixed as the vice-captain William and the third captain Craig, but whenever Aaron wanted to steal a seat, he always sat in William’s spot.
“Are you nervous?”
“A little? Still, probably less than you. You’ve never won the FA Cup.”
“That’s true. Just as you’ve never won the Champions.”
“Why you little….”
With one trivial joke, the small amount of tension that had accumulated melted away. It seemed the same for Aaron, as he looked pleased despite gently rubbing the shoulder that had been hit.
“If we both win the competitions we’ve never lifted a trophy in… that’s a Treble. It feels surreal.”
“Of course it does. Because two finals haven’t even started yet. Forget the surrealism and let’s just win this match first.”
“You’re the best at ruining the mood by always saying the right thing, Je-rim.”
The guy who openly criticized the captain muttered poutily and sprang up from William’s seat. If there hadn’t been other guys around, he was cute enough that Je-rim wanted to grab him, sit him back down, and kiss him immediately, but Je-rim desperately endured. Just then, William, who had been away for a moment, was returning to his spot, his beard fluttering as he strolled.
Instead, Je-rim lightly grabbed Aaron’s hand behind his back and let go. The strength in the gripped hand lasted only a split second. Je-rim quickly pulled his hand away for fear someone would see and looked away while coughing, and Aaron smiled quietly, messily rumpling Je-rim’s hair before leaving.
The FA Cup final, played with hair that had been carefully set now fluttering like a shaggy dog, ended only after going to a penalty shootout following a fierce battle.
Starting with Aaron as the first kicker, Sefton scored through the third round without a miss, but in the fourth round, they were blocked by the opposing team’s goalkeeper’s save. However, Je-rim, who stepped up as the fifth kicker, successfully scored the final shot with confidence, showing no sign of being intimidated, and Sefton seized the victory.
Despite it being the second FA Cup trophy he lifted, Je-rim deeply felt the surrealism Aaron had mentioned at that moment.
It really felt surreal. Even while winning the match and lifting the trophy. Honestly, he hadn’t even dreamed of a Treble…. But now, if they just won the one remaining match, the Champions League final… he had a feeling he might achieve both the dream with Aaron and the Treble, which is called the dream of dreams for every football player.
This is way more than the goal I originally set for my retirement….
If he achieved the Treble, the scale would become too large to just retire as is. Though these days, he didn’t even think about retiring quickly with just the Big Ear because he was too busy envisioning a future with Aaron.
And regarding the issue of retirement, he had already made up his mind internally. It was somewhat embarrassing to change a wish he had held for over ten years just because of Aaron, but well, there’s a guy who waited for him for over ten years, so a little change of heart is nothing.
He wanted to tell Aaron everything after the Champions League was over. Both his changed future plans and the confession that he would make first this time.
Squeezed between teammates who were trying to crush him along with the trophy, Je-rim wished for the first time in his life that time would pass quickly.
✲✲✲
The venue for this season’s Champions League final was the Allianz Stadium located in Rome, Italy. The opponent in the final was FC Neuberg from the Bundesliga. Naturally, they were an immense powerhouse.
FC Neuberg was one of the dream teams that always won the Bundesliga, similar to Tavarona in La Liga, where Aaron had once belonged. Sefton had hoped that the team facing Neuberg in the semi-finals would miraculously defeat them and come up, but as expected, miracles didn’t happen easily.
Perhaps because of that, Coach Verdi and the coaching staff seemed extremely busy after the final opponent was decided as Neuberg. After all, it’s fair to say that football is ultimately a battle of the manager’s tactics. And the players were also struggling to handle the flood of interviews and official schedules separately from their training.
The interest pouring in for Sefton, who had reached the final for the second season in a row, was intense. The manga-like point—that Aaron, who had lifted the Big Ear last season, and Ban Je-rim, who had tasted bitterness, met in the same team just a year later and were heading toward victory—seemed to captivate the public.
Because of that, Je-rim and Aaron received an exceptionally large number of questions during the group interview held the day before the final. Even in a general question asking for their ambitions for the final, when Aaron took the microphone last, flashes exploded enough to turn the entire room white.
Aaron took the barrage of flashes head-on without blinking an eye.
“Ambitions…. I’ll just quote the interview I did at the beginning of the season.”
Soon, the man with his characteristic confident smile stared into the camera and continued.
“What more words are needed when I’m playing with the best midfielder in the world? Didn’t I guarantee that it would get more interesting? I’m the type to keep my promises strictly, so please trust me and enjoy watching.”
As Aaron finished his answer, the cuff links studded with diamonds on the end of his sleeve sparkled in the flashes, revealing the pattern engraved inside the gems.
That day, Je-rim sneaked into the room where Aaron was staying, hiding from the other teammates. Since they weren’t animals enough to have sex in the hotel where they were all staying a day before the final, the purpose was simply to sleep together.
As they lay in the same bed chatting, Je-rim suddenly remembered old times and murmured.
“Being like this feels just like when we lived in the dorms.”
The thrilling life of sneaking out at dawn to hide in each other’s rooms, hugging and falling asleep, and then absolutely waking up first to return to their own rooms before the wake-up call rang was exactly like now. Aaron seemed to have similar thoughts and calmly agreed.
“Ah, trying to sleep together somehow in that narrow bed.”
“That’s why you used to roll off the bed sometimes while sleeping.”
“Let’s be accurate. I didn’t roll off; you pushed me in your sleep.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone says my sleeping habits are quite gentle-.”
“Everyone?”
“…….”
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Je-rim quickly shut his mouth. But Aaron didn’t hide the fact that he was already thoroughly annoyed. It was evident just from his sharpened tone.
“Right, who else besides me. Tell me clearly how many people are included in ‘everyone.’ Who is this Spanish person you met other than me?”
“…Do I need to screw up tomorrow’s match? Shut up and let’s just sleep.”
Since there were really only a few people even including Aaron, Je-rim felt somewhat wronged, but knowing his sin was great this time, he took the first step toward reconciliation. He slid his hand under the top of Aaron, who was lying with his back turned, and stroked the firm chest and thick ribcage, soothing the sulking adult man in the softest tone possible.
“Aaron, don’t be grumpy…. Sleep facing me.”
“Why don’t you just declare that you’re going to live by sucking on my face.”
“There you go again, talking so fucking cute.”
After chatting about trivial things, his eyelids eventually closed. Even though he spoke harshly, the man had turned toward him as if defeated when he showed signs of falling asleep. Je-rim hugged him breathlessly, and when he opened his eyes, the morning sun had risen.
It was the long-awaited day of the Champions League final.
The atmosphere in the locker room was different from usual. There was no one chatting noisily, nor anyone making a fuss about going crazy from nervousness.
They simply remained quiet; those with a religion prayed to their gods, some stared silently at photos of their families to steel their resolve, and others closed their eyes in meditation. A war-like tension lingered within the silence.
As the captain, Je-rim felt no need for words to incite their fighting spirit. In a situation like this, starting conversations would only loosen the atmosphere and produce the opposite effect. Je-rim kept his mouth firmly shut, merely pressing a point between the palm of his left hand and his wrist with his right thumb. It was a motion he had picked up somewhere, told it was an acupressure point to relieve tension.
Normally, he wouldn’t have needed to relieve tension in this way. Je-rim wasn’t the type to get nervous. To be precise, he knew how to manage it. Consciously stripping away thoughts to control his emotions was something he had learned alongside football since he was a child.
But right now…
‘I shouldn’t be like this.’
His heart was pounding as if it might burst. His feet fidgeted unconsciously, and cold sweat seeped from his palms. His breathing was uneven, with inhalations and exhalations following an odd rhythm, and his mouth felt bone-dry.
Had he been this nervous during last year’s Champions League final? Back then, he had been so consumed by the resentment and irritation of losing to Aaron that he couldn’t clearly recall his state just before entering the pitch. But he could say with certainty that it hadn’t been this bad.
As Je-rim pondered what caused this change, he groaned, realizing there was exactly one thing different from before.
The difference between having anticipation and not. The obligation to win, the responsibility as captain, and his innate Competitive Spirit were all still there, but he hadn’t expected that adding a single layer of anticipation for the future would trigger such a change.
It wasn’t because of obligation or responsibility; rather, the desperate desire to win in order to achieve his dream had instead summoned tension and anxiety. The desire to do well dragged up memories of the past, when he had ruined a game by making a fatal mistake.
He was worried that he might make a similar mistake again and lose… He feared that the dream he once shared with Aaron would remain nothing more than a dream.
The tension continued even as they stood in a line in the tunnel waiting to enter. It was so evident that an escort kid subtly reached out and patted the back of Je-rim’s hand. He didn’t know if the child felt the trembling in his hand or if the sweat was unpleasant.
While gratefully accepting the child’s kindness, Je-rim rubbed his palms against his trousers out of embarrassment. Seeing this, Aaron, who was behind him, couldn’t stand by and intervened, gently stroking Je-rim’s back.
“Je-rim, straighten your back and take a deep breath. You’re way too nervous; it’s unlike you.”
“I am nervous, but… ah, this is driving me crazy. Why am I like this?”
“Like what?”
“…I’m worried we might not win. I keep thinking about the World Cup. Seriously, fuck, I’ve never been like this before…”
At the mention of the World Cup, Aaron also couldn’t answer immediately and bit his lip. He seemed to guess which World Cup Je-rim was recalling. However, soon curling his lip upward, Aaron quietly grasped the hand that the escort kid had released.
“What is there to worry about? I’ve got a firm hold on it this time.”
It felt as if he were finally accepting the handshake he had ignored and walked past eleven years ago at the World Cup. Not just in appearance, but judging by the phrase ‘this time,’ that was likely his intention. The setting, too, was the same—inside the tunnel just before entering the pitch…
The moment he heard the word ‘hold,’ the memories of the World Cup that had been playing on an endless loop in Je-rim’s head were slowly replaced by another memory. It was similar to the dream he had the day he rushed back to England to meet Aaron. On a night with a crescent moon, standing face-to-face with Aaron near the dormitory wall where the streetlamps glowed…
‘Even if we part ways someday… please hold my hand just once. …I guess I must like you enough to make such an absurd request.’
Himself, making a selfish request.
‘…What kind of absurd request is that?’
Aaron’s response, spoken with a bewildered expression as if he found it ridiculous. And then, after their faces drew close as if they were about to kiss…
‘Je-rim, it’s too easy. I’ll make as many promises like that as you want… so please, don’t bring up the assumption of us parting ways so easily.’
With a face that looked as if he might cry, Aaron slowly lowered his head. Between their touching lips, a warmth seeped through that was incomparable to the cool night breeze. A tingling pain spread through his chest, which held that warmth. His heart tightened and throbbed.
Because he knew… that a future where they had no choice but to part was waiting for them. Despite that, he had made a selfish request, unable to overcome the surging lingering affection and greed. Aaron, knowing nothing, had promised to grant that selfish request.
And he had actually kept that promise. Even after ten long years.
Why only now… why had I forgotten this? Before he could even indulge in the pleasure of the final puzzle piece falling into place, Je-rim stared at Aaron with trembling eyes. At the face of the boy who had matured far more than in his memories.
“The promise…”
“Hmm?”
“You, the promise… not the Big Ear…”
He wanted to ask if Aaron had come to fulfill that request to hold his hand even if they parted—if Aaron had remembered and kept the promise that the requester himself had completely forgotten. Just as he was about to ask, the thunderous sound of drums and trumpets shook the earth. The shouts of the staff, screaming as if possessed, pushed the players forward.
“Entry begins!”
Je-rim’s lips parted, feeling regret for the unfinished question, but he simply shook his head and smiled. Even without asking, the answer was obvious.
Re-grasping the hand of the child who had thoughtfully patted him with his now-dry palm, Je-rim resolutely turned toward the front. Then, through the narrow oval gap of the tunnel exit, the sight of the fervently cheering crowd filled his vision.
The fans who had come all the way to Italy were all wearing the same uniforms as the players. Thanks to that, a wave of deep navy surged through the Sefton cheering section. They stood up, waving uniforms marked with players’ names and placards. In the seats performing a card section, they were using gold colored paper—the symbol of Sefton—to form the word ‘LEGEND.’
If they won… those gold papers would likely scatter across the ground and fireworks would explode. And he and Aaron would be cheering, holding the Big Ear, just like the crowd now.
So, no matter what.
“…Let’s talk later. After we win.”
“As you wish.”
At the low response from behind him, Je-rim finally shook off his worry and tension and stepped one by one onto the vast pitch. His body, which had felt as if weights were tied to his soles until just now, felt light enough to fly.
The first half was a game of exploration.
Both Sefton and Noiverg operated the game cautiously, like predators silencing their presence for the hunt. They didn’t try to attack recklessly, hiding their claws and simply waiting for the opponent to make a mistake. In a match between teams of equal strength, especially in a single-elimination tournament, it was unthinkable to waste stamina prematurely.
Both teams focused on defense, circulating the ball under a meticulously planned build-up, yet the moment an unexpected mistake occurred from the opponent, they swiftly seized the opportunity. This was because both teams knew painfully well that even in an exploration phase, establishing a favorable flow early on was crucial. Nothing is better than a first goal for seizing the momentum.
However, perhaps because everyone was inwardly anxious, the long-awaited first goal did not come easily.
Around the 32nd minute of the first half, Aaron fired a shot so perfect it would have been strange if it hadn’t gone in, but Richter—the captain and goalkeeper of Noiverg, famous for the best save rate among active players—deflected it as if possessed. Furthermore, it was immediately ruled offside. The offside trap employed by Noiverg was sophisticated and experienced enough to catch even Aaron.
The moment Aaron attempted to kick the ball near the box, Noiverg’s defensive line, aligned perfectly, raised their line with ruler-like precision in sync with Aaron’s movement. It was enough to give even Je-rim, the opponent, a shiver.
They seemed to have the uncanny ability to distinguish whether it was the timing to trigger the trap or the timing to block directly. Moreover, there was a visible confidence that even if the offside trap were broken, their captain, a Golden Glove winner, was reliably guarding the goal.
“Haa…”
“It was just one shot. The shot was good, so keep an eye on your positioning. I’ll try to adjust the passing timing too.”
Je-rim let out a sigh mixed with irritation and gave a light word of encouragement to Aaron, who was pressing his lips. No matter how good a striker is, they are bound to get caught offside if they’re unlucky, so there was no need for Aaron to be discouraged. No need to blame himself. The opposing attackers were also being blocked repeatedly by Sefton’s defense.
Under the solid build-up of William and Robin, the teammates guarding Sefton’s rear poured in their stamina without reserve. They fiercely deterred attackers penetrating the box, followed them tenaciously, and did not hesitate to throw their bodies onto the grass in emergencies. Even then, when a ball broke through the defensive line, Craig threw himself to block it.
As the first goal failed to appear quickly, the game gradually became sluggish. The momentum didn’t shift toward Sefton or Noiverg, remaining in a state of perfect neutrality. Possession was split half-and-half, and the number of effective shots was identical.
The crack in that tedious atmosphere happened in an instant.
≪Richter kicks the ball long past the halfway line!≫
≪Wow, that’s unbelievable power for a goalkeeper. Ah, is Sefton a bit slow to return!≫
≪Noiverg is sprinting with all their might! Sefton is chasing with everything they’ve got!≫
The fast-footed Robin sprinted, panting heavily, and stepped in to block. However, Noiverg’s star attacker avoided Robin and curled the ball beautifully with the inside of his foot. The ball, flying in a banana-like curve, evaded even Craig’s fingertips.
≪A truly perfect curling shot! In the 44th minute of the first half, Noiverg records the first goal.≫
Everyone at Sefton was devastated by the hollow first goal. It would have been better if the first half had ended with no one scoring. Of all times, a situation optimal for crushing morale unfolded just before the end of the first half.
To the players returning to the locker room with miserable faces, Coach Verdi gave a short but powerful word: if they collapsed here, the chance to write a legend would also collapse. Then, regardless of whether the players corrected their slumped postures or composed their expressions, he began explaining the tactics. Feeling a sense of crisis at that cold attitude, the players naturally straightened their heads one by one and listened intently to the coach.
There wasn’t even time to go to the bathroom. It was Je-rim’s habit to wash his face with cold water to clear his mind on days when the game wasn’t going well, but today, he remained in the locker room, staring carefully at the faces of his teammates and Coach Verdi to steel his resolve. Especially, he gazed at Aaron’s face for a long time.
Thanks to Coach Verdi’s ingenuity, the discouraged atmosphere softened somewhat. However, the second half began in an atmosphere where they couldn’t simply relax. And the first goal that everyone at Sefton craved came from Edson, who shook off the opposing defenders with an explosive sprint.
The ball from Edson’s first kick hit the post and missed. But he didn’t give up and quickly kicked the rebounding ball back in. Richter, who hadn’t yet recovered from the posture he took to block the first goal, had no choice but to let the goal in hollowly.
“Fuck!”
Even after scoring, he had been looking at the scoreboard with an anxious face, and as soon as Sefton’s score went up, he shouted a loud curse and dropped to his knees.
At the curse filled with joy, everyone rushed over and piled on top of Edson to celebrate. The signature Ceremony that Edson had wanted to show off so much was hidden by the layers of teammates and couldn’t even be caught on camera.
In a way, it was a relief it wasn’t caught. If a loud dance Ceremony had been broadcast and they were immediately overtaken again, it would have certainly become a laughingstock.
Not long after Edson’s goal, Noiverg also scored, and the score widened to a one-goal difference again. And as if the worst was yet to come, Noiverg recorded another goal in a flurry immediately after their own goal Ceremony ended.
Booing. The stands were covered in jeers, though it was unclear who they were directed at. It could have been the jeers of Noiverg fans mocking Sefton for conceding two goals in an instant, or the jeers of Sefton fans criticizing their powerless team.
“…”
As the score gap widened to two goals in the blink of an eye during the second half, there were a few people among the Sefton crowd who stood up and left. The text of the card section, which had maintained a perfect form, became riddled with holes where people had vanished.
It would be a lie to say he didn’t feel a sense of regret, wishing they would just endure a bit longer. There is nothing that shakes one’s mental state more than witnessing spectators leaving during a game. Since they leave because they believe there is no hope, that sense of despair was transmitted directly to the players.
However, the departing spectators were still a tiny minority, and the game was not over. Therefore, it was unthinkable to flounder in despair.
Immediately after the score widened, Coach Verdi made substitutions. He brought in Reman instead of Liam, who showed clear signs of exhaustion, and replaced everyone in the midfield except for Je-rim and Jesus. As the substituted players entered and stamina was replenished, the slumped atmosphere revived somewhat.
“Whew…”
Je-rim, who had been helping with ball transport by dropping quite low since the first half, was starting to run out of stamina at this point, but he was able to regain his energy thanks to the refreshed atmosphere. He also firmly gripped his wavering mental state.
Je-rim dribbled forward with a ball the opponent had failed to steal, lifting his head to look widely around. Looking up to check the positions and status of his teammates before passing was essential.
In this situation… it’s Reman. As soon as he made the instinctive judgment, the Noiverg defender marking Je-rim exclusively engaged him in a rough physical struggle. The defender had likely judged that he couldn’t let Je-rim keep the ball for long. Even as he was pushed over, Je-rim poked the ball with the outside of his left foot to pass it to Reman.
The young striker, who usually flustered, calmly received the ball and connected it into a wonderful goal. It wasn’t the timing for a goal Ceremony, but Je-rim couldn’t help but run over and praise him. Although they had refreshed the atmosphere through substitutions, nothing boosts a player’s spirit like a goal.
Of course, he did it only with words, excluding physical contact. Because Reman shivered and ran in another direction when Aaron roughly ruffled his hair, the praise couldn’t last long anyway.
However, the one-goal difference showed no sign of narrowing further, and time flowed relentlessly. It was the exact same situation as last year’s final. To get to extra time at the very least, they needed to score one more goal.
“Stay calm!”
As a human, it was normal to become anxious. But he couldn’t afford to. Je-rim shouted loudly to encourage his teammates and ran all over the pitch to seize an opportunity. Even if the regular second-half time ended, there was still added time left, so it was too early to give up.
Because… Sefton had Aaron.
The world’s best attacker, who had bragged that his specialty was catching up in the second half of games where they were at a disadvantage.
≪Aaaaah! What is this!≫
≪Aaron! Aaron Reyes!≫
With about 20 seconds remaining until the end of the added time in the second half, a refreshing thwack, as if the net were tearing, shook the stadium.
Aaron, who stole the ball near the halfway line, showcased his fluid ball control and individual skills without reserve, just as he had in last year’s final against Tavarona. He drove the ball forward as if it were glued to his foot, and then snapped his ankle with all his might to a degree that it couldn’t be blocked even if the direction of the ball was read.
Through the fluttering fabric of his uniform shorts, the clearly defined thigh muscles were briefly revealed. Je-rim learned for the first time then that a ball receiving extreme force does not make a clear hitting sound like a ‘pop’ or ‘bang,’ but rather a heavy, bursting sound.
The ball, which miraculously didn’t burst, flew with a terrifying amount of spin. To the naked eye, it looked like nothing more than a black blur. Richter threw himself forward with a determined air, as if he were willing to take the hit to the face if necessary to stop it, but the ball slipped through Richter’s outstretched arms as if by magic. It was, quite literally, an unstoppable goal.
≪It’s a tie! Sefton has scored a miraculous equalizer with just 20 seconds left on the clock!≫
≪The match now heads into extra time!≫
≪Aaron Reyes, the very man who dealt Sefton the pain of defeat in last year’s final, has now perfectly positioned himself as Sefton’s savior!≫
Having scored a goal that seemed impossible for a human, using strength that felt superhuman, Aaron clenched both fists and roared like a beast the moment the scoreboard changed to 3-3.
In sync with that roar, cheers that sounded like screams shook the ground and the air like an earthquake. The remaining Sefton supporters surged forward as if they would tear down the fences, howling and screaming. The Sefton players were no different. Everyone rushed toward Aaron, shouting at the top of their lungs until the stadium shook.
The opportunity for extra time, which had been denied last year because of Aaron, was now wide open thanks to Aaron. Edson, despite not having won the match yet, was already shedding tears and clinging to Aaron with an almost repulsive intensity, blowing kisses. The kisses stopped at the cheek, however, as Aaron immediately grabbed Edson by the scruff of his neck and slammed him down.
“Gentlemen, go out there and write a legend.”
Those were the only words Coach Verdi left them during the short interval before extra time began.
Extra time was essentially a battle of stamina. Even though everyone was exhausted to their limit, victory was decided by who could summon more mental fortitude and grit their teeth to keep running. And among his many strengths, Je-rim was truly and utterly confident in his mental strength. As was his Tiki-taka with Aaron.
“Aaron!”
As Je-rim signaled and delivered a short pass, Aaron touched the ball concisely and pushed forward. The moment Je-rim and Aaron began their link-up play, the opposing team’s entire defensive line naturally closed in tightly.
However, breaking through a defense that showed clear signs of exhaustion wasn’t that difficult. In truth, Je-rim was also out of breath to the point where it was hard to even run properly, but he didn’t let it show. His soles felt like they were bursting, and his pumped thighs and calves throbbed as if they were about to snap. If his lungs had been balloons, they would have inflated endlessly and torn to shreds.
Still… still.
At this moment, recalling the ‘reason why one must run’ that Coach Louis had shouted about so often, Je-rim swallowed saliva that tasted of blood and ran after Aaron. Aaron rolled a short ground pass back to Je-rim, then curved his run sideways before penetrating into the penalty box.
Je-rim bypassed Aaron and penetrated toward the opposing team’s touchline. A Noiverberg center back, deciding that this had to be stopped even if it meant committing a foul, slid across the grass, extending a leg.
Je-rim had already anticipated this. He lightly flicked the ball up from his feet and shifted his body to the side. The opponent, having lost his target while attempting the tackle, lost his balance and rolled away futilely. Ignoring the fallen opponent, Je-rim used his right foot to strike the ball just as it bounced low off the ground.
The ball, already airborne, received an overwhelming amount of power and soared high. Flying horizontally across the goal, the ball drew an arched parabola and dropped accurately toward Aaron, who was positioned behind.
Instead of bringing the ball down to the ground, Aaron immediately fired a powerful shot. It was a perfect volley, one that could serve as a textbook example. Richter leaped up to match the angle of the incoming ball and tried to punch it away, but the ball merely slowed down slightly after grazing his fingertips, remaining airborne until it wrapped itself into the netting behind the goal.
Watching Aaron charge toward him the moment the goal was scored, Je-rim caught his breath. Mental strength—everything came down to mental strength. Even if this guy, whose eyes had gone wild with excitement and who could see nothing in front of him, decided to tackle him with a body slam, he had to endure it.
“Je-rim, you fucking… you’re just the best. I can’t find any other praise that fits.”
Contrary to his expectations, however, Aaron simply lifted Je-rim up in a hug and whispered intense praise like a murmur. Then, as Aaron performed his signature ceremony while looking up at him, Je-rim smiled back as if he couldn’t help it and followed along with the ceremony.
It was a thrilling and sweet comeback.
From the moment Aaron scored the winning goal, Je-rim ran on pure mental strength alone, his legs creaking as they followed the original inertia of running. He couldn’t even see the time remaining on the scoreboard. He didn’t have the luxury to look.
It wouldn’t have been strange if his muscles tore along the grain and his body melted away. The grass brushing against his feet felt like adhesive binding him, and the ground pulled at his body like a mire. He wanted to just collapse and fall into a comfortable sleep. He couldn’t even think about regulating his breathing. Nevertheless, he didn’t stop running.
His gaze was entirely on the ball, his mind entirely on the pitch. That was enough.
Just as his vision began to spin and his consciousness grew hazy, a long blast of the whistle cleared his blurred sight. That sound, like a piercing scream, announced the end of the match he had so desperately longed for.
It was over. Fortunately, right now, without having to go to a penalty shootout.
In that instant, Je-rim collapsed and lay flat on his back.
≪Whistle! The whistle has blown! Game over! The 30 minutes of extra time are completely over, over!≫
≪Noiverberg ultimately failed to catch up to Sefton, who succeeded in a comeback during extra time.≫
≪The Champions League for this season ends with Sefton seizing victory! My goodness, my own voice right now is a violation of neutrality…≫
≪Haha, I think the same. We are witnessing a historic moment as Sefton, the team Ban Je-rim belongs to, lifts three trophies and proudly achieves the Treble!≫
He looked up at the stands and the sky. The seats were packed again, as if the people who had left during the second half had returned for extra time. Golden confetti, which had been diligently creating all sorts of words throughout the match, bloomed like fireworks against the deep blue night sky.
Strictly speaking, it was an act of littering within the stadium, but no one stopped it. The stadium was going to be a mess of firework debris and confetti anyway during the Big Ear ceremony that would follow shortly.
Je-rim picked up a piece of golden paper that fluttered down beside him and placed it on his forehead. It became damp with sweat. The cheers chanting “Treble, Treble” repeatedly hit his ears. But even as he heard those cheers, it didn’t feel real, so he just stared blankly at the sky.
He wondered if this was how it felt to go skydiving while completely drunk. Even though he was clearly lying with his back against the ground, he felt a sense of buoyancy as if he were in freefall. He wanted to lie there, feeling the touch of the solid ground until he could truly realize he was touching the earth and not the sky, but someone grabbed his hand. It was Aaron.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
“No, it just doesn’t feel real… Hit me or something.”
“What are you talking about after providing the coolest comeback assist in the world? Get up. It’ll be a problem if you collapse already.”
“Right… You’re right… I can’t collapse yet.”
Because there was still one step left before their dream was fully realized. Now, truly just one step. Within arm’s reach was the Big Ear that Aaron had wanted so badly to lift with him. The dream that clumsy, impulsive boys once had had now become reality.
Je-rim gripped his knees and managed to pull himself up. As he staggered due to the lack of strength in his legs, Aaron quickly supported him. Once he stood on the pitch on two legs again, the scene he had longed for finally slowly came into focus. Je-rim opened his eyes slightly and cast his gaze around.
The stands covered in a card section that read ‘Treble’, the sky the color of Sefton’s home kit uniform where neither stars nor the moon were visible, hidden by the dazzling lights; the green grass he was currently standing on; and… Aaron, who was standing firmly by his side.
It was clearly the moment a dream became reality, yet for some reason, it felt as if he were still dreaming.
Wondering if he was the only one in such a daze, he scanned his other teammates scattered across the pitch. Reman, lying face down and sobbing, was the first to enter his sight. And William, who was patting Reman’s back while his own eyes were reddening. Beside them was Edson, roaring while openly pouring out tears and snot.
Craig and Marshall, who seemed to be encouraging each other while embracing in silence. Robin, repeatedly sending kiss ceremonies to his family in the stands. Jesus, lying blankly, panting, and muttering something to himself. Everyone else acted as if they had lost their souls. Even Coach Verdi was kneeling on the ground with his arms resting on the bench, offering a prayer.
Everyone was not much different from Je-rim’s situation. Except for one guy.
“You can cry if you want to, Je-rim.”
As expected of someone from a club that won the Champions League as if it were a daily meal, Aaron looked quite composed. Of course, his voice was strangely high, perhaps intoxicated by the joy that the day of lifting the Big Ear together had finally arrived and the highest honor a football player could have—the Treble—but he was a gentleman compared to the state of the other teammates.
Je-rim gave a smirk toward Aaron, who was generously suggesting tears.
“Don’t make me laugh. I’m not crying.”
“Why? Just like when you heard my voice message—”
“Keep milking that until the day I die.”
Saying so, Je-rim looked around to find a suitable spot. A place where their conversation wouldn’t leak out if they whispered. Since Sefton’s cheering song had been playing through the large speakers since the end of the match, he just needed a spot without people nearby.
Having found a suitable place, he dragged Aaron along. Aaron, though dragged along without knowing why, kept making strange requests.
“Can’t you just shed one single tear? I want to see you cry out of happiness…”
“No. I finally made up my mind to confess; do you think I can do it while blubbering?”
“…What?”
To Aaron, who asked back with a stupid look on his face, Je-rim hugged him to hide his lip movements and whispered. By nature, he was someone who could never utter such embarrassing words even if he died, but thanks to practicing several times, he succeeded in opening the conversation with a fairly natural voice.
“Aaron, thank you for coming to Sefton.”
“Suddenly?”
Aaron tilted his head. Since he felt embarrassed if a reaction came in the middle, Je-rim quickly continued with the remaining words.
“Thank you for making sure the dream didn’t end as just a dream. …Thank you for not forgetting the selfish promise to hold onto me at least once even if we broke up, and for coming back to me.”
“…You remembered?”
There was no need to answer that question with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Je-rim lifted his head slightly to meet his eyes and finally laid out the most important confession.
“So let’s start over. From now on, a concept like ‘the end’ cannot exist between you and me. Forever.”
And he finished with the line he had decided on previously.
“I’ve come to think that if I’m with you, it wouldn’t be so bad to leave the stage a bit later, gradually slowing down my running speed… and exiting together. Both in football, and in life.”
When he heard his mother’s advice to exit beautifully when the time comes, the first person who came to mind was, as expected, Aaron. The image of the boy who had been sullen, saying football would become boring without him. The image of the young man who confessed that only with him did football or life feel interesting.
He didn’t know if it would be beautiful… but he felt that the time he truly wanted was when he could run with Aaron just a little longer and then step down from the stage together.
Je-rim made up his mind. He was afraid of showing others the sight of him gradually falling, but if it was with Aaron, he wouldn’t have to be that afraid. Because Aaron always made the secret fears he harbored seem like nothing.
“You’ll do it all with me, right?”
When he tentatively asked the question, which was also an answer to the confession to run together for a long time, a response came after a moment of silence.
“…I’m honored that you’d give me such an opportunity, my sky.”
Whether the answer was delayed not because of hesitation but because he was holding back overwhelming tears, Aaron’s voice was slightly moist. To prevent the cameras from catching it, Je-rim buried Aaron’s face deep into his shoulder and stroked his hair with flustered hands.
“Hey, why are you crying? Don’t cry. You’re the one who said we can’t collapse already.”
Since it was the first time Je-rim had seen Aaron cry since the day they fought at the beach, he was bewildered. While pondering how to effectively comfort someone who was crying, he hesitated for a moment, recalling how he had been treated as a heartless bastard who wouldn’t even wipe away tears.
…Still, he really couldn’t do this. Because football players engage in all sorts of bizarre skinship without hesitation, the crowd would probably view a hug of this level as passionate camaraderie, but a ticklish and tender skinship like wiping away tears was a bit… it was likely a shortcut to a dating rumor.
Instead, seeing that the podium for the Big Ear ceremony was ready, he took Aaron’s hand.
“Follow me. It’s time to lift the Big Ear together, which you’ve been begging for so much.”
In the moment before the Big Ear ceremony, the surroundings became eerily quiet. The speakers that had been blasting cheering songs and music, and the crowd that had been shouting continuously. Everyone kept their mouths shut and watched the scene as the trophy was delivered to Je-rim.
Representing the teammates, manager, and coaching staff gathered on the podium, Je-rim, as the captain, was the first to receive the Big Ear. The Big Ear, which he was holding for the first time in his life, was heavy and much larger than he had thought. As he held the trophy, which was about the size of an adult man’s upper body, the heavy weight reached down to his toes, making him vividly realize that he was standing on the ground.
He barely moved his trembling legs to carry the Big Ear to the podium. The teammates waited with bated breath for the captain to lift the trophy high. Since this kind of thing tastes better with a bit of suspense, Je-rim repeated the motion of pretending to lift his arms a couple of times.
Then, at the moment William’s gaze became so sharp that it wouldn’t have been strange for him to spit out a ‘fuck’ immediately, Je-rim turned his back to the front, hoisted the trophy high, and let out a roar. The teammates, one after another, reached out to touch the Big Ear and jumped around excitedly. Simultaneously, fireworks exploded with a loud noise, and gold confetti shot out frantically, covering the podium.
The announcer holding the microphone loudly proclaimed that Sefton was the owner of this season’s Big Ear and continued the speech.
≪A miracle… no, I don’t think that expression is appropriate. Just as their cheering song says, at this very moment, Sefton has given birth to a perfect legend.≫
≪It is a golden day where Sefton finally conquers the entire European continent and takes the throne!≫
In response, the cheers of the crowd surged like a wave. Je-rim’s body, which had been steeped in fatigue, was swept up in that wave and moved vigorously as if it had never been tired. The legs that were stomping and the arms holding the trophy all felt light as air.
Then suddenly, while shaking the Big Ear aloft amidst the pouring confetti, he paused as something surged up within him.
Aaron, who had been standing right beside Je-rim, suddenly shared the grip of one of the Big Ear’s handles and pulled the trophy down. To a height that just barely covered their two faces.
Behind the hidden space created for a split second, Aaron lightly pressed his lips against Je-rim’s. A short kiss passed while Je-rim was still stuttering in surprise. Only the faintly remaining soft sensation proved that the kiss just now was not a dream.
With teammates behind and the Big Ear in front, it probably wasn’t visible to the crowd, but still, this was too… To the astonished Je-rim, Aaron whispered, while subtly wrapping his hand around the back of Je-rim’s hand that was gripping the Big Ear.
“It’s fine, this much.”
William, who happened to witness that momentary kiss from the side, poured out finger-pointing and curses on behalf of Je-rim, who had frozen like a stone statue.
“You crazy bastards! You just… on the mouth, on the mouth…!”
“What does it matter? Whether it’s the neck or the mouth. Isn’t it romantic?”
Aaron shrugged and hoisted the Big Ear high again. On the face of the man who had finally achieved all his long-held dreams until the very last moment, there was a playful, boyish smile. That was why Je-rim could remember exactly, without missing a single syllable, the words Aaron had once said.
‘We lift the Big Ear together. And then, kissing with the pouring confetti and fireworks in the background—wouldn’t that be romantic enough to remember for a lifetime?’
Back then, Je-rim loved the boy who spoke words like a dream, with a face that looked as if he were dreaming as well.
And he still does.
Seriously, what a lunatic. He was so happy that his stiff facial muscles relaxed on their own, and a smile—one that someone had once described as being like the sky—leaked out. He looked up at the dark night sky, searching for stars that weren’t even visible. He never did find any, but the golden confetti pouring down like rain served as a perfect substitute.
As he etched that surreal sight into his mind, Je-rim thought.
Yes, definitely. To the point where it would remain vivid until the day he closed his eyes for the last time…
It was damn romantic.