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***

[Premier League Round 3: Manchester United defeats Liverpool 2-1.]

[Manchester United secures a victory at Anfield.]

[Brendan Rodgers’s disappointing tactical decisions decide the match.]

[Cristiano Ronaldo scores a penalty, achieving his 4th goal in Premier League.]

[Northwest Derby: Controversy over PK decision?]

└ How is this a PK when there was no contact???

└ Ugh. Such a Hollywood action, tsk tsk, can’t believe this.

└ No contact, huh? LOL, it was clearly a foul.

[Brendan Rodgers protests the referee’s decision after the match. “Ronaldo’s action was a blatant dive.”]

[Cristiano Ronaldo responds to dive controversy. ‘I’m not a diver.’]

└ His explanation is “I’m not a diver” LMFAO.

└ Honestly makes him even more trustworthy, right?

└ That’s our Shin-doo-hyung! Always keeping it fresh! Always thrilling!

[Son Jinho with no attacking points, but still rocking a perfect 10 performance.]

[Son Jinho supports Ronaldo. “Jurgen Klopp used to say when I played at Dortmund: bad calls are part of the game.”]

[Jurgen Klopp, Dortmund’s manager, vehemently criticizes the referee for not blowing the whistle after Son Heung-min fell in the penalty box. “The last moment was clearly a PK. We were robbed of points today.”]

└? So you say bad calls are part of the game? LOL.

└ Hahahahahaha.

└ It’s only ‘part of the game’ when it doesn’t happen to me, right?

└ Ah, gotcha.

[Entertainment is Premier League] Son Jinho and Ronaldo changing the free-kick spot.

└ Hahahahaha.

└ Doubting my own eyes! LOL.

└ Why are they looking at each other with so much pride? LOL.

└ Seriously, these guys are crazy! LOL.

[Liverpool fans venting about the free-kick incident: “Should have given Son Jinho a card.”]

[FA imposes a one-match ban on Son Jinho and Ronaldo for undermining the referee’s authority.]

[Alex Ferguson expresses unusual anger towards the punished Ronaldo and Son Jinho. “That was a stupid act.”]

└ Wondering why Fergie is so mad, checked the Man Utd squad and it’s pretty serious.

└ Wow. Lost two players and the squad is in shambles, no joke?

└ Ronaldo -> Danny Welbeck. Son Jinho -> Cleverley, LOL WTF.

└ For real LOL, is this a big club?

***

I finished the League Round 3 match against Liverpool and opened my smartphone to check messages.

– Gyeouri: That’s three wins in a row!!

– Gyeouri: (Hamster meme with a thumbs-up.)

– Gyeouri: Son Jinho did so well!

– Gyeouri: That’s my husband!

– Ho-woo: LOL, you call him husband now?

– Gyeouri: No, boyfriend! I misspoke, haha.

– Ho-woo: But I’m banned, so I can’t play next game. Is that okay?

– Gyeouri: It’s fine! Grandpa Ferguson will take care of it!

Feeling high from the victory, Han Gyeouri was buzzing.

– Gyeouri: (Penguin meme urging me to come home.)

Not only was she buzzing about my return, but started sending provocative pics on KakaoTalk.

– Gyeouri: (Sending sexy photo.)

– Ho-woo: Whoa, Han Gyeouri.

I panicked seeing the picture she sent and hurriedly replied.

– Gyeouri: Hahahahahaha.

– Ho-woo: Not something you share with family.

– Gyeouri: (Shocked frog meme.)

– Gyeouri: Boohoo.

– Ho-woo: LOL, just kidding, I’m almost home.

While chatting with Gyeouri, I finally arrived home.

“See you tomorrow.”

“Siu.”

I thanked Cristiano Ronaldo for the ride from Old Trafford before heading inside.

And that evening was unusually long.

***

[Manchester Brothers, cruising through three wins since the opening match.]

[Pep Guardiola mentions Son Jinho. “A player I’d want to coach if I were a manager.”]

As the Manchester brothers enjoyed their three straight wins in the Premier League, other leagues were buzzing along too.

[Bayern Munich dominates the Bundesliga!]

In the Bundesliga, Bayern Munich, led by Jupp Heynckes again this season, was roaring.

In the original history, Guardiola’s arrival had weakened Bayern compared to the Heynckes era, but thanks to Heynckes reversing his retirement, they remained strong this season.

With a perfectly built team, Heynckes showcased his tactical prowess, successfully defeating the recently risen rivals Dortmund 3-1.

[Heynckes sets his sights on the Champions League victory. “My goal this season is to win the Champions League.”]

Seems like the team they want to avoid the most in the Champions League.

[Dortmund, despite Son Heung-min’s debut goal, loses 3-1 to Bayern Munich.]

Last season’s Champions League winners Dortmund looked lost at the start of this season due to the loss of key players.

[Dortmund’s Son Jinho void? Fans are pleading on his social media to come back.]

I might sound self-centered saying this, but my absence was significant.

[UEFA Supercup victory for Dortmund.]

Still, Dortmund managed to lift the UEFA Supercup.

After winning the Community Shield, I received a message from Hong-min bragging about having lifted a trophy himself.

But when I asked, “Is winning the Community Shield really winning?” his bragging rights disappeared.

Motivated by anger, Hong-min went hard in training.

He showcased his skills in the match against Bayern Munich, scoring brilliantly.

[After scoring against Bayern, Son Heung-min performed the Ho-woo celebration. “Jinho always inspires me.”]

Anyway, Dortmund’s existing players and new signings were gradually getting in sync, quickly elevating their performance.

[Messi, Suárez, Neymar wreaking havoc in La Liga.]

In La Liga, FC Barcelona with the MSN trio surged ahead, closely followed by Real Madrid.

Real Madrid hadn’t filled the gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo.

A clear scoring void emerged.

To tackle this situation, Coach Carlo Ancelotti activated a diamond 4-4-2 formation.

He deployed Wayne Rooney as the attacking midfielder and teamed Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale as the two strikers.

With Ángel Di María on the left winger role, they succeeded to some extent in filling the scoring gap left by Ronaldo.

They were ranking second behind FC Barcelona by goal difference, proving that even without Ronaldo, they weren’t a team to take lightly in the Champions League.

***

[“Son Jinho and Ronaldo sidelined due to bans.” Manchester United barely squeaks a win 2-1 against Crystal Palace.]

[The absence of Son Jinho and Ronaldo is distinctly felt.]

[Manchester United prepares for the winter transfer window.]

[Zlatan Ibrahimovic comments on recent transfer rumors connecting him to Man Utd. “Many managers want Zlatan, but the managers Zlatan wants can be counted on one hand.”]

***

Manchester United claimed victory against Crystal Palace in the Premier League Round 4 match hosted at Old Trafford. It was a valuable game won even without Ronaldo and me on the pitch.

– Chairman Hwang Geum-soon: Is it good to live in the UK?

– Gyeouri: Apart from the gloomy weather, it’s nice!

It feels like just yesterday that I played piano for my Man Utd intro video, yet two months have already passed.

Our family was gradually adapting well to life in the UK.

“Pedro is doing well.”

“Is he a football player for Barcelona?”

“No, a tennis player.”

My father-in-law, not interested in football apart from the national team, had recently become engrossed in tennis.

“Isn’t it Federer for tennis?”

“Ah, I got confused.”

It seems like an excuse to avoid being coaxed into cheering for Chelsea with my mother-in-law.

“I’m saying let’s cheer for Chelsea together!”

“Fine, I can go soon!”

Still, whether she could ignore her mother-in-law’s request was questionable, and soon they promised to go see a Chelsea home game together.

‘They still get along well.’

Though it seems like a trivial goal to others, I wanted a life like that. A life where we respect, understand, and grow old together happily.

Having lost Gyeouri at a young age in my previous life made me realize that this moment is precious.

“Ugh, waaah─!”

“Oh dear, our princess, Daddy’s here!”

My little Haeun, who woke up, burst into tears, and I dashed over to soothe her.

My daughter Haeun spent more time asleep than awake, but that was just how it is.

When you’re little, eating and sleeping are your main jobs.

Well, thanks to that, Haeun was cuter by the day.

It wasn’t just because I was her dad; it was an objective fact.

Her plump cheeks made me smile just with a touch.

While I was pinching her cheek and grinning, I got a KakaoTalk from Han Gyeouri.

– Gyeouri: Son Jinho….

– Gyeouri: You’re only focused on Haeun lately.

– Gyeouri: (Bear meme sulking.)

When Han Gyeouri felt left out, she would express her feelings through KakaoTalk instead of verbally mentioning them. She said she struggled to articulate her feelings in person.

At first, it felt awkward, but I soon came to think it was a decent way.

It’s said that once words are out, you can’t take them back. By typing, I had a chance to think it over once more, allowing us to discuss our feelings without argument and work on improving ourselves.

“Is the next game at home against AC Milan?”

Having seemingly mended her sulk, Han Gyeouri cautiously approached me so as not to wake Haeun and whispered in my ear.

“Yep.”

“Don’t get hurt! No injuries!”

“Thanks for worrying.”

Looking into her eyes while expressing my gratitude, Han Gyeouri seemed embarrassed and playfully pouted.

“If you’re not around, Man Utd is doomed, you know!”

I smiled without saying anything, and Han Gyeouri, serious, said.

“Seriously, you can’t get hurt, okay?”

“Got it. I’ll be careful.”

“Promise! And with a seal!”

Her innocent demeanor suddenly reminded me of my childhood, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

***

Four days after completing the League Round 4 against Crystal Palace, on September 18th.

The Champions League match against AC Milan was held at Old Trafford.

It was crucial to manage points since they would determine which teams moved on to the knockout stage. Alex Ferguson activated the diamond 4-4-2 formation to beat AC Milan’s catenaccio at home.

Right from the start, AC Milan resorted to rough play.

“You damn bastards, no more fouls!”

The rough play from AC Milan prompted boos from the home crowd, aware of Manchester United’s thin squad.

Then, in the 30th minute of the first half.

“AAAH─!”

Robin van Persie went down with a painful scream after a brutal tackle from Nigel de Jong.

***

[(Live) Champions League Group Stage Match 1: Manchester United 0 : 0 AC Milan.]

– Nigel de Jong receives a warning.

└ Why’s that a warning?

└ Did the ref lose his marbles?

└ Anyone can see that’s a red card, right?

└ So dangerously reckless, tho;;

└ Wow, listen to those boos at Old Trafford.

└ I hope it’s not a serious injury, ㅠㅠ.

-Continuing Manchester United’s free kick.

– Ronaldo strikes Nigel de Jong’s head from behind.

– Direct red for Ronaldo due to the incident.

└ Huh?

└ What just happened?

└ LOL.

└ What the hell is this? LOL.

└ Please clarify. It’s Ronaldo.

└ Wow, LOL, that’s justice served! LOL.

└ How dare you touch my teammate, I won’t forgive you!

└ What’s with our brother’s look as if he lost his country? LOL.

└ Hahahahahahahaha.

└ Damn LOL.

└ Oh my, my brother’s look is cracking me up! LOL.

└ ???: Yo, seriously, what do you think will happen if we all get kicked out?

└ Our starting attackers just went out in an instant, LOL.

└ Hard mode ON!

 

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