Romantic on the Field

93.

Whoops, whoops.

On my way to the interview, I got a message from Hannah.

[Don’t be too nervous because it’s your first solo interview. got it? I’m always on honey’s side ]

Jamie couldn’t help but burst into laughter. How many interviews have I conducted in my past life?

Of course, he couldn’t reveal this fact, so Jamie just replied ‘I’ll do well’ and continued walking.

The interview was held in the parlor of the club. As soon as I finished training, I was able to arrive right away.

‘I wish I had taken a shower.’

Team training this afternoon is at 3:00 PM. Interview time is 5:00 PM.

Training usually takes between an hour and an hour and a half, so I figured I could afford it.

However, according to today, the training progressed slowly, and it was delayed by 2 to 30 minutes than originally. Because of that, I was on my way to the interview without even taking a shower, let alone changing into the interview outfit I had prepared in the car.

Anyway, the place of the interview was inside the club, and since it was a soccer player interview, I thought the interviewer would understand the smell of sweat.

“hello. This is Gwendoline Park from Skysport. nice to meet you.”

“hello. This is Jamie Lee.”

However, the moment he met the interviewer, Jamie had no choice but to regret it slightly.

The other person was a middle-aged woman of Korean descent – it was not difficult to guess from the face and the surname ‘Park’.

However, regardless of race and gender, when I actually met the interviewer, I thought that my behavior could be rude.

“sorry. Training just ended, so I haven’t even changed my clothes.”

“No. It’s natural for a soccer player to wear a uniform.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Fortunately, the interviewer seemed to understand and move on. When I heard it, it seemed like the right thing to say.

“I really wanted to meet you once. My husband and son are big fans of Lee.”

“Ah, it is an honor.”

“I am more honored. hahahaha.”

As I listened, I was curious about something. But it seemed too reckless to ask about it, so I didn’t ask.

“You’re not asking.”

“Yes?”

“Why am I not a fan of Lee?”

Ironically, Gwendoline pointed it out herself.

“The team you root for is probably not Stoke City.”

“Oh, that’s right. My husband is from Stoke-on-Trent, but I live in London.”

“If it’s London…”

“It’s Stoke City’s next opponent, Chelsea.”

“this.”

Jamie smiled slightly, and she laughed along with Jamie.

“So even if we go to the stadium together, we plan to sit separately. Your wife is a Stoke City fan, right?”

“Yes.”

“You are blessed. You have no idea how good it is to have a family rooting for the same team.”

Ice breaking should be enough. Jamie thought that to himself even as he smiled.

“I think this is enough for ice breaking, shall we get to the main topic now?”

Again, Gwendoline got it right.

“Yes.”

“Let’s talk about the next game. Right after the league game this time, we will play Chelsea again in the FA Cup Round of 32. What do you expect the result to be?”

next game

This time, Stoke City will play the FA Cup again three days after the league match. Both matches were against Chelsea FC.

Due to the unfortunate schedule and the fact that they had already met before the opening, they were already receiving a lot of attention from the media.

“Of course, Stoke City will win.”

“ha ha ha. As a Stoke City player, it would be natural for him to say that. Did I ask a very obvious question?”

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Look at this. At the interviewer’s words that followed, Jamie smiled slightly again.

“Isn’t that an objectively reasonable expectation? The same is true when looking at the results of the last match, and the same when looking at the current league standings.”

“ha ha ha.”

Gwendoline smiled as if it were a joke and raised her hands.

“All right. Are there any Chelsea FC players you are particularly wary of?”

“Rather than being particularly wary, there are players who stand out.”

“Oh, who is that?”

“This is Roger Barrett.”

Roger Barrett has been the defensive backbone of England’s national team.

“Oh, I thought Lee would say Barrett. ha ha ha.”

“Yes. He has a particularly tall shoulder compared to other Chelsea players.”

I didn’t mean that he was simply taller than the other players. The expression that shoulders are high was an idiomatic expression close to ‘Gungye Ilhak’ in terms of a Korean proverb.

This could have sounded like a story about no other player besides Roger Barrett.

“Are there any other players?”

“Yes.”

Gwendoline couldn’t have noticed this nuance, but Jamie answered firmly.

“hahahaha.”

Unexpectedly, she burst into laughter again.

“He is a key player in the current England national team. It deserves it. Speaking of which, shall we talk about the England national team?”

Instead, it was revenge, not revenge, by throwing a sensitive subject.

“Before that, I think we should talk about renunciation of Korean citizenship.”

Coincidentally, there was a lot of criticism in Korea for this issue. Jamie couldn’t help but be a little nervous.

**

[ (Official) Jamie Lee, abandoned Korea. Choose your English nationality. ]

[ In the end, Jamie Lee chose ‘dark-haired foreigner’. Korean soccer fans expressing their regrets]

[wor*** – Choose English nationality… Personally, I’m very sorry. I know you speak Korean well. ]

[ kim*** – I don’t quite understand that individuals can choose their nationality… It’s not like shopping ]

When the news of Jamie’s departure was first reported, many Korean soccer fans expressed regret.

[ ohs*** – I was born in Korea, but I chose British nationality? Hey~~~ A traitor,,, If you deny your roots, your team will be disgraced~~,,, ]

[ tap*** – Exactly, it is not ‘selection’ of nationality, but ‘departure’ of nationality. It may be a bit exaggerated, but I don’t know what is different from Stibung Yu. I hope you will never come back to Korea…]

Beyond expressing regret, there were people who almost cursed.

[ Sky Sports ] [ Gwendoline Park ] [ Meet Jamie Lee, Stoke City’s fantasy star ]

[ (strategy) ]

[Hereinafter, interviewer Gwendoline Parkeun Q, answerer Jamie Lee marked A]

[ Q: I gave up my Korean nationality and chose English nationality. Many Korean soccer fans expressed their disappointment at this. Can I hear some more details about this? ]

[ A : It can be a bit complicated (laughs). I was born in Korea. I was born in Korea, so of course I lived in Korea. But things got complicated after my mother died. Until then, I lived alone with my mother, but I was left alone at a young age. My mother had no brothers or sisters. In short, I had no relatives to turn to. In the end, I had no choice but to come to England, where my father was. ]

[ Q ; I’m sorry. You must have had a lot of trouble. ]

[ A : I didn’t know that being so young was difficult. However, since I was very young, I don’t have many memories of Korea. Still, I always try not to forget my roots. I still haven’t forgotten Korean. ]

[ Q : Oh, would you like to try Korean? ]

[ A : hahahaha. Like this? It’s a bit awkward when you suddenly ask me to do it. ]

[Q: Wow. Do you think you are better than me? I’m even a first-generation immigrant. ]

[ A : I read an article on the Internet that nothing is as important as the roots for a soccer player, and I agree to a certain extent. I think it’s important not to forget one’s roots, not just as a soccer player, but whatever field you’re in. However, there are also practical issues to consider. ]

[Q: When you say realistic issues, do you mean work permit or visa issues? ]

[ A : No. For me, reality is family. My beloved wife and son live in Stoke-on-Trent. ]

[Q: I see. I work in Stoke City. ]

[ A : That’s right. Besides, Stoke City is more than just a place to work. It’s like home to me. People cannot live long away from home. Korea is a country that does not allow multiple nationalities. You must choose one or the other. Korea is the place where I was born and I love it, but if I choose Korean nationality, there will inevitably be many restrictions on my stay at home. ]

[Q: You had exactly the same concerns as me. I had no choice but to give up my Korean citizenship after getting married in England and moving to my current job in London. It may be a bit sensitive, but England is actually not a country that is very friendly to immigrants. ]

[ A : I’m not sure (laughs). ]

[ Q: Wow, you say you draw a line here? Anyway, if I hadn’t gotten married and had kids, I might have made a different choice. Even if it’s a little uncomfortable. However, you cannot give up on your family. ]

[ A : Family is the most important. ]

[ Q: Is that the context in which you donated to children from single-parent families in Korea? ]

[ A : Oh, how did you know that? ]

[ Q: Don’t ignore Skysport’s intelligence (laughs) ]

[ (shortcut) ]

However, after the interview article with Skysport was published, public opinion began to change.

[ccs*** – Wow… You were left alone in Korea without any relatives? It’s pitiful

[ kjs*** – I have no relatives in Korea, and my family is all in England. Then why choose Korean nationality…? ]

[ tuy*** – I moved to England when I was young, so I guess I’m actually English. However, he still knows how to speak Korean and it is impressive to see him give such a lengthy interview about Korea.]

[ lum*** – ㅋ ㅋ If you’re like me, you’ve forgotten all about Korean ]

[ pyw*** – It’s cool to say that you don’t forget your roots. I just cursed at him as a black-haired foreigner, but he looks different]

[ kim*** – Donating to a Korean single-parent family is also cool ]

[ fun*** – In the meantime, I’ve been playing around with Korean cranes. I will support Jamie from now on ]

[ far*** – Yes, can I support Jamie now without feeling guilty? ]

[ yon*** – Even when I was cursed at, I cheered steadfastly. League match against Chelsea tonight! A lot of money! ]

Furthermore, as the translated version of the article spread throughout the community and social media, and the Korean media treated it with weight again, public opinion was completely reversed in one day.

[ peu*** – 2 consecutive FA Cup matches with Chelsea? Who made Daejin? should be awarded ]

[ fac*** – What is the prize? Isn’t this a matchup to fuck Chelsea? ]

b [ smi*** – It’s a friend. The FA Cup draw is a lottery. ]

People’s attention naturally moved to the match between Stoke City and Chelsea.

“Jay, I’m only playing the first half today. Note please.”

Before the match, Bet 777 Stadium home locker room. Jamie heard that from manager Milo Conrad.

Jamie agreed. There was a game right after 3 days, so in a way, it could be said that it was a natural decision.

“I don’t want to lose my energy in advance, but there are many cases where I continue to rise and then get twisted once and continue to fall in the rankings. I hope everyone will not relax and participate in today’s game.”

The next words that followed Jamie nodded. It was surprisingly common for a team that had a force like a final boss at the beginning of the season to finish the season with mediocre results.

Although this was not the beginning of the season, it was clear that Stoke City were currently performing well enough to be undeserved compared to the overall club size and squad depth. It wouldn’t be strange if the momentum slowed down or the rankings went down at any time.

‘Well?’

Early in the match, however, Jamie thought his concerns might be groundless.

‘I’m in good shape today?’

It was because one of the Stoke City players was in remarkably good form.

Ben is in good condition.

In the 10th minute of the first half, it was the right time to break through, so Jamie ordered Ben to break through.

However, Ben quickly passed two defenders in an instant and then connected the shot.

Although the shot hit Roger Barrett’s body at the end, judging from the movement, it seemed like he could order a few more breakthroughs.

no. With Roger Barrett, you can’t just break through. After thinking, Jamie approached Ben, aiming for the gap where the ball went outside.

“Beng.”

Beng, who was moving to the corner kick attack position, turned his head.

“What is 1 plus 1?”

“2. I am not stupid.”

“What is 1 plus 2?”

“…3.”

“yes. It’s similar to what I’m telling you now. Compared to just breaking through, it’s about 1 plus 1 and 1 plus 2. can you do it?”

Whether he understood it or not, Ben didn’t answer, staring blankly into Jamie’s face.

It was unreliable, but Jamie gave Ben a brief explanation of what to do after breaking through.

“I understand?”

“yes.”

Do you really understand Jamie had no way of knowing.