The Premier League opening match has concluded. All the traditional Big 4—Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal—celebrated victories.

[Premier League Round 1 Complete, ‘Big 4 Manchester City All Secure Wins…’]

[Premier League Kickoff! Who’s the Summer Transfer Market Winner So Far?]

└ Ha, isn’t it Manchester United as the winner?

└ Agreed, Son Jinho’s recruitment of Ronaldo is seriously insane.

└ Arsenal’s signings are also impressive. Özil’s passing was incredible.

└ LOL

└ Just laughing.

└ Are you guys ignoring Özil right now?

└ No, Özil plays well, but to say he’s the summer transfer market winner with just him… isn’t that a bit lacking in conscience?

└ I think Man City is the winner. Coach Pep Guardiola <<< Just insane. They crushed Newcastle 6-0, haha.
└ How much did they spend? Of course, they have to perform well.
└ They didn’t spend as much this season as expected, right?
└ Seriously, is that not much?
└ Haha, by Arsenal standards, that’s astronomical, I agree.

Fans of each team, observing the performances of the new signings, proclaimed that they would win the league this season while engaging in a keyboard battle.

- ManUtdDoctor: LOL, the winner of this summer transfer market is obviously Hwang Yu, right?
- ManUtdDoctor: Seeing the indestructible Hwang Yu, who brought in my boyfriend, makes me laugh, haha.
- ManUtdDoctor: The mere fact of recruiting my boyfriend <<< makes Man Utd the winner of this summer transfer market! Bam! Bam! Bam!

Among them was an account presumed to be Gyeouri.

Well.

Isn’t it true that the keyboard battles unfolding online are the most enjoyable way to experience football?

I decided to just roll with it.

Sometimes the posts Gyeouri sends are satisfying. Moreover, Gyeouri is now an adult.

Unlike the old days when she would be glued to the community all day on her days off, I believed she would exercise self-restraint on her own.

[(Sky Sports) ManUtd Legend Gary Neville, “Son Jinho's Recruitment? Fantastic. The signing of the year is already confirmed.”]

Nonetheless, without a doubt, the team that drew the most attention in the Premier League opening match was Manchester United.

Due to the return of Cristiano Ronaldo and my joining, Manchester United's buzz was through the roof.

The penalty conflict between Van Persie and Ronaldo stirred quite a commotion, and my appearance mediating between the two generated many memes that spread everywhere.

- Gyeouri: Did you see this, Son Jinho?
- Gyeouri: (Image of Son Jinho instigating a fight between Van Persie and Ronaldo.gif)
- Gyeouri: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
- Ho-woo: ???
- Ho-woo: Ah. Is it reverse playback?
- Gyeouri: Yup, it’s reverse playback.
- Gyeouri: Doesn’t it seem like she’s fully instigating a fight? HAHAHAHA

Hmm. What’s so funny about this?

I couldn’t comprehend Gyeouri’s sentiment and quickly changed the subject.

- Ho-woo: By the way, Gyeouri.
- Gyeouri: Yes?
- Ho-woo: I scored multiple goals for Man Utd, but where’s my gift?
- Gyeouri: It’s not a hat-trick! So none!
- Ho-woo: Then I guess I should take the next penalty, haha.
- Cheolmo: Jinho.
- Ho-woo: Yes?
- Cheolmo: Did Ronaldo and Van Persie really fight?
- Ho-woo: They both claimed they wanted to take it.
- Ho-woo: But it wasn’t a serious fight like the news reports made it seem.

Despite the active clarifications from Ronaldo and Van Persie, the media continued to focus on the discord between them.

[UK Media Aggressively Reports on Ronaldo and Van Persie's Discord, Manchester United in Turmoil!]
[Alex Ferguson, firmly dismissing the discord rumors, “Player conflicts? Such a thing doesn’t exist in my dictionary.”]

Regarding this issue, Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to be largely unfazed.

- Little Trickster: The UK media is relentless, but you adapt when you live through it.
- Mental Duo: The media always loves to exaggerate. To become the best player, Son Jinho must not be swayed by the media.

As I admired the mentality of Van Persie and Cristiano Ronaldo.

- Gyeouri: Mom, haha.
- Cheolmo: Yes?
- Gyeouri: Even if Ronaldo and Van Persie fought, I feel like we will win the next match, hehe.
- Cheolmo: We’ll have to wait and see, right?^^

In the group chat, there was an intense rivalry between my mother-in-law and Gyeouri.

Well. It was an unavoidable situation since Manchester United was set to face Chelsea in the next match.

- Gyeouri: Dad! Who do you think will win?
- Cheolmo: Jinho Dad^^ Think before you answer.
- Gyeouri: Huh? Why do you call him Jinho dad?
- Cheolmo: Han Gyeouri, you’re not my daughter.
- Gyeouri: (Hamster in shock mode.)
- Cheolmo: Until the match ends.
- Gyeouri: (Hamster in relief mode.)
- Gyeouri: So Dad, who do you think will win?

During that process, there was an unexpected casualty, but all I could do was cheer.

‘Please hang in there.’

I silently supported my father-in-law and stealthily exited the group chat.

That evening.

I received a private message from my father-in-law, who had become a mediator between my wife and daughter’s quarrel.

- Father-in-law: Jinho.
- Ho-woo: Yes.
- Father-in-law: I’m saying this sincerely because you feel like a son to me, but marriage is crazy, so don’t do it.
- Ho-woo: What? Why?
- Father-in-law: If I say don’t do it, don’t do it, you brat!

Hmm.

It must have been tough for him.

I could somewhat understand my father-in-law's feelings.

Wow─!

There was someone I couldn't block messages from either.

- Pouting Girl: Is it really because you supported Van Persie more than me that you didn’t support Son Jinho taking the penalty, like told in The Sun? Not supporting me is equivalent to not respecting me. Not respecting me is the same as betraying our friendship… [Read More More.]

Ronaldo, who prided himself on not being swayed by the media, was being swayed by the media more than anyone else.

The overwhelming firepower of Manchester United buried it all, but they revealed defensive anxiety by conceding 3 goals to Swansea City.

Alex Ferguson made efforts to bolster the defense before the summer transfer window closed.

However, the recruitment did not unfold as Alex Ferguson had wished.

Luke Shaw, whom Ferguson hoped to sign, declared a re-contract with Southampton despite Ferguson’s active wooing, choosing to stay one more season.

[‘Staying Declaration.’ Luke Shaw Pushes for Recontract with Southampton.]
└ Wow. Didn't say he wouldn’t come when Hwang Yu called?
└ I heard Luke Shaw is a Chelsea fan.
└ So is he going to Chelsea?
└ Ha, seriously I had high expectations for him as Evra’s replacement. This is disappointing.
└ What disappointment? Does Luke Shaw even belong to Man Utd? LOL

With the failed transfer news, Manchester United fans expressed their regrets, and the mood of the great Alex Ferguson, who had invested effort into signing Luke Shaw, became uncomfortable.

Naturally, the atmosphere at Manchester United’s Carrington Training Ground grew cold.

However, there were three people who seemed unconcerned by this training ground atmosphere.

Ho-woo, Van Half-Ass, and I.

Even after the penalty dispute, we continued to hang out together, earning the nickname “The Three Misfits Version 2.”

‘Normal guy, Half-Turned Guy, Fully Turned Guy, right?’

As expected, being the normal guy, I gazed at the Fully Turned Guy and Half-Turned Guy.

"Son Jinho. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Chris."
"Yeah?"
"Do you really think you’re the normal guy?"
"Why are you saying such obvious things?"
"Robin, what about you?"
"I think I'm the normal guy too, though?"

The truly shocking fact was that these guys also considered themselves as the normal guys.

Well. Isn’t it said that a madman doesn’t realize he’s mad?

I guess I have to understand and endure this as the only sane one among the group.

Anyway, just before training started, we were given a short warm-up time, and the three of us stretched while talking.

"Son Jinho, Manchester United should respect me more."
Ronaldo tried to establish dominance, but it was a futile endeavor.

"Why aren’t you passing, Son Jinho!!"

I successfully countered Ronaldo's attempt to establish dominance by feeding all passes to Van Persie during the ensuing mini-game.

[The amiable atmosphere of the Manchester United training ground.]

[Son Jinho, smiling and joking with Ronaldo.]

[Son Jinho, amiably with Van Persie….]

[Team's mood-maker Son Jinho? Caught messing around with Park Ji-sung and getting scolded... Man Utd players in fits of laughter....]

[Manchester United, confident of victory before facing Chelsea.]

[Son Jinho, passing the debut test, will he continue to shine in the Chelsea match?]

[BBC columnist predicts Man Utd's victory. “Manchester United will win 2-0.”]

[Manchester United legend Gary Neville chooses Son Jinho as the key player against Chelsea. “A player shining as brightly as Ronaldo and Van Persie.”]

['Happy One' Mourinho dissing Manchester United? “It's not easy to face Man Utd at Old Trafford. There, new football rules apply.”]

[Alex Ferguson, when asked by reporters if he watched Mourinho's interview, says, “I like Mourinho. He has an excellent sense of humor.”]

Time quickly passed to August 27th.

It was time for my debut match at Old Trafford, the home ground of Manchester United.

Old Trafford, known as the Theatre of Dreams.

"Glory, glory, Man United!"

Although it's disappointing that there were no flares in the stadium, Manchester United’s crowd provided heated support.

As we exchanged light greetings with Chelsea players in the entrance tunnel.

The entrance sign for the match dropped, and we passed through the entrance tunnel onto the pitch.

I slowly saw the crowd starting to fill the stadium.

A strange emotion that is hard to express in words flooded over me.

The thrill of playing in a place I had only seen on TV as a child.

As the cheers of the Man Utd fans echoed in my ears, I became emotional.

With the referee's whistle, the match kicked off with Manchester United's kickoff.

"Jinho! Pass!"
"Son Jinho, pass to me!"

And just like that, the emotion shattered in an instant.