Beep-! BEEEEEP-!
As soon as the final whistle blew, the River Plate U-20 players collapsed onto the field, panting heavily.
Eduardo Guarín lay on the ground, covering his face with his right arm, gasping for air.
"Sniff."
He was crying.
I had nothing to say to him.
Anything I said now would sound more like empty platitudes than genuine comfort.
Step.
Step.
As I walked towards the stands, the golden wave of Boca Juniors fans had grown large enough to engulf River Plate's white wave entirely.
"Ji-woo!"
Diego Rossi ran up to me as I stood still, staring at the crowd, throwing an arm over my shoulder. On my other side, Guillermo Darín joined in, draping his arm around me too.
"Well done."
Straight to the point, as always.
"Guillermo! This is the time to shower him with compliments! Ruffle his hair with the hand wearing the captain's armband too!"
"Yu doesn't like that sort of thing."
"But I do!"
"…You're the weird one. Most people hate it."
If Diego Rossi was cheerful and mischievous, Guillermo Darín was blunt but kindhearted.
"Thanks."
"..."
"...?"
At my words, both of them froze mid-conversation, their eyes wide with surprise as they stared at me blankly.
"...!"
I was just as startled. I hadn't realized I'd said that out loud.
"What did you just say?"
"Oh, nothing!"
"You said thanks. I can't believe it; Yu actually said thank you! My ears must be broken."
"I need to record that and make it my notification sound. Say it again!"
"Get lost!"
"Ahh! Don't be like that, just one more time!"
I tried to escape from them, but Rodolfo Pinti, the coach, approached me with long strides and pulled me into a firm embrace.
His massive wrestler-like frame almost suffocated me, but the joy radiating from him kept me from pushing him away.
"It took five years."
"..."
"Thank you for restoring our pride."
"I just repaid the trust you showed in me. That's all."
When I responded calmly, the coach burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahaha! Repayment? With a hat trick?"
"Pretty much."
"Then enjoy it more! Scoring a hat trick in the Christmas Derby means you've etched your name into the fans' minds whether you like it or not, kid!"
Coach Pinti was more excited than I was about my hat trick.
"You smiled earlier, didn't you?"
"I just felt good."
"Of course! Scoring a hat trick and not smiling—what kind of person does that? You'd have to be a robot. Right, Guillermo?"
"Exactly. Yu's terrible at showing emotions."
"I'm pretty sure you're not one to talk. The 'statue' nickname you earned when you first joined the U-20 team must've been given to someone else, huh?"
"Ahem."
"Anyway, how does it feel? Not burning down a big chicken coop, but at least a small one?"
Diego Rossi, his face darkening, glanced at the River Plate fans trickling out of the stands.
They offered no encouragement to their exhausted players, only criticism.
That's the curse of a derby match.
Lose, and you're a villain.
Win, and you're a hero.
"It feels great."
Boca Juniors versus River Plate.
These two clubs not only shared the same hometown but also carried the burden of societal class conflict.
Boca Juniors represented the working class.
River Plate symbolized the wealthy elite.
That's why it was natural for Boca Juniors fans to lose their minds over today's victory, even if it was just a youth match.
After all, they had won El Superclásico.
"Hey! Number 30, kid! I've got my eye on you!"
"You've got to sign with Boca for life! Get promoted to the first team immediately!"
As I made my way around, greeting the crowd, the Boca fans kept shouting for me to sign a lifetime contract with the club.
Clap clap clap clap clap!
I applauded them back as I walked by. That's when I saw my father, who had somehow made his way to the front of the stands.
"Son!"
The coach gave me the okay, so I walked closer to the stands. Instantly, Boca fans swarmed around.
"What's with that jersey?"
"It's for my son, who's destined to become Boca Juniors' ace!"
My father spun around to proudly show off the back, where my name was printed.
"Did you buy that yourself?"
"Of course! When you make your professional debut, I'll have matching jerseys for the whole Alicia family to wear!"
Standing next to him was the Alicia family.
"Did you enjoy the match?"
"We'd heard your son was good at soccer, but we didn't expect him to be this good."
"These past five years… they were tough. With the top team losing repeatedly and the U-20 team following suit, the fans' dissatisfaction only grew."
Uncle Marcio's eyes glistened as he recalled the difficult years.
"There was so much mockery too."
"Exactly! Those jerks made life so stressful!"
His son and daughter chimed in passionately.
As the crowd grew around us, I said my goodbyes and turned to leave. That's when Maria Perón, the Alicia family's granddaughter, who had been silent the whole time, reached out her hand.
"Can I have your jersey?"
"Huh? You want my jersey?"
She nodded.
"It's sweaty and dirty, though. I'll ask about getting you a fresh one instead."
She shook her head.
"No?"
"I don't want a new one; I want the jersey you wore and won in today's game."
At the 6-year-old granddaughter's words, the people around us laughed warmly.
I took off my jersey and handed it to her.
"This is a first."
"What is?"
"It's the first time someone asked me for my jersey."
"It's the first time I've asked someone for a jersey too."
"Why? Are you going to sell it?"
"How did you know? If you become successful, I can sell this first-game jersey for a lot of money!"
Her words made me laugh, and my father looked shocked to see me smiling.
"M-my son… smiled…"
"Dad, I always smile when I'm with family."
"Even so… it's been over a year since you smiled on the field."
My father wiped his tears with his sleeve as he watched me smile while playing soccer.
He must have gone through a lot of heartache during this time. The association's unjust disciplinary action, the failed appeal, and public criticism had probably hurt him more than they had hurt me.
"Dad."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for coming to Argentina with me."
"With how well you're doing, I'm the one who's grateful. I love you, son!"
From now on, let's play soccer with joy so that my family doesn't have to worry anymore.
---
The president and coach of River Plate left the stadium with sour expressions even before the final whistle, but the Boca Juniors officials remained seated.
"His talent is real. Scoring a hat-trick against a squad with an average age over 20 is impressive."
First-team coach Sebastián Lancelotta looked at Yoo Ji-woo greeting the fans with a satisfied smile.
"Coach, it seems you like Yoo."
"It's only been one game, but if he can maintain this level of performance consistently, he's definitely promising."
With a debut performance like that, the next game was something to look forward to. If he continued developing well, he had the potential to become a leading player for the first team.
"I'm looking forward to the day he joins the first team."
"If we can keep him."
"…Ah."
At Enrique Boto's whispered comment, Sebastián Lancelotta's expression turned grim.
Currently, Boca Juniors' attack line was aging. The exodus of talented young players to Europe had left the team severely depleted.
"Tch."
Sebastián glanced at club president Ramón Cáceres, who looked at Yoo Ji-woo like he'd discovered a treasure.
"A greedy devil."
Ramón Cáceres had made a fortune by selling Boca Juniors' talented players. However, he failed to use that money effectively to strengthen the team, creating a significant issue.
"At the very least, we must protect this kid—for the future of the club."
---
The annual mini El Superclásico held every Christmas ended with Boca Juniors' victory for the first time in five years, flooding local newspapers with articles.
"Boca Juniors U-20 Finally Redeems Itself!"
"Boca Juniors Triumphs 3–1; MVP Is a 16-Year-Old From Korea!"
"Rodolfo Finti: 'A player of outstanding talent, he will one day represent Boca Juniors.'"
The news spread across Argentina.
Meanwhile, Boca Juniors' fan YouTube channel, We Are Boca!, uploaded a highlight video of the game, racking up views.
"The Kid Who Burned Down the Chicken Coop"
The video drew comments from viewers:
"Who's that? The smallest kid really burned down the chicken coop as the title says."
"I heard he's from Asia. His talent is insane."
"I envy those who watched this live."
"Look at the River Plate fans' faces at 10:52. This is stress relief!"
"Next season, we must finish above those chicken heads!"
---
The day after the derby.
After a grueling match, a recovery training session was scheduled, but the coach called the players together for an announcement.
"Yesterday's game, good job, everyone. There's still much to improve, but you've shown significant progress."
The forwards who performed well looked pleased, while the defenders who made mistakes looked sullen.
"Most importantly, you all probably know what you did wrong. If you don't, you're just idiots."
The coach gave a straightforward critique, hoping the players would learn from the experience.
"And I've gathered you here to announce an important decision."
There was only one important decision this time of year.
"As I mentioned earlier, the players promoted to the second team on January 5 are Nizareño and Diego Rossi."
The two players named for promotion received genuine congratulations from everyone.
"Yoo, are you disappointed?"
The coach approached me, standing apart from the others.
"No."
"After yesterday's derby, there was talk about promoting you to the second team. But since you haven't shown much yet, some are hesitant."
It was expected. I'd only been with the club for just over a month.
"So, if you achieve good results during the Clausura period, you'll be promoted in July."
"…"
"Do well. If you succeed, you might get to feel the heat of La Bombonera at 17."
Boca Juniors' home ground, Estadio Alberto J. Armando, fondly nicknamed La Bombonera, is the holy ground of Argentine soccer.
I wanted to experience that passion firsthand someday.
"I'll give it my best."
"What are your plans for tomorrow? It's New Year's Eve—spending it with family?"
"Yes, we're having a barbecue party with Mrs. Alicia's family from across the street."
"That sounds great!"
"Want to join us?"
"Huh? Can I?"
"A few extra people won't matter. My dad's a chef, so he cooks well."
"That sounds exciting. Can I bring my family too?"
"Of course. My dad will love it."
Our loud conversation caught Diego Rossi and Guillermo Darin's attention.
"Oh! Me too!"
"Can I come as well?"
…The guest list just kept growing.