The Little Prince of the Field - Chapter 12

“I was confused until the last minute. I couldn’t be sure.”

“No way!”

“Yeah, he didn’t teach him how to make Mojo sauce!”

Leaving behind the horde of laughing savages, I concentrated on recovery training. 

Those mentally crippled kids aren’t worth talking to.

Among them, Dani Casteyano was the most vicious person.

Pedri, who giggles and slaps Dani Casteyano’s back, is also the worst and disappointing in many ways. 

Next to the stretching mat, Castro talked to me with a smile.

“Kim, would you like to have lunch together tomorrow?”

“No, Tomorrow I am going to Teide park with my dad.”

“Are you going to play?”

“NO, I am going to Teide National Park for school work.”

As the recovery training proceeded sequentially following the coach’s instruction, Castro continued to speak.

“Teide National Park? That’s a good place, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“There is a place that cooks mejillón well, do you want me to tell you?”

“What is that? I don’t know what mejillon is.”

“Um… you don’t even know mejillon? It’s like a clam. Clam that has red flesh and the black skin.”

Castro’s explanation itself was like a puzzle. 

Maybe I should go home and refer to a Korean dictionary. 

Even in Korean, I don’t think I could understand the types of clams.

“Tell me first. Where is that place?”

The next day. 

We woke up early in the morning and took a boat from the port of Las Palmas to the port of Santa Cruz. 

We had to drive for an hour and a half to reach the Teide National Park.

I handed a slice of banana as breakfast to my dad who was in the driver’s seat.

“I wish we could see the sea of ​​clouds today. Do you remember the clouds covering the bottom of the mountain last time?

“Yeah. I don’t know if that kind of weather will be there today.”

“We’ll have to go and see it. It’s a high area, so it must be visible from there.”

Talking with my father while driving out of the city in a rented car, the island’s unique palm trees seem to be disappearing little by little.

The higher you go, there will be more small trees and stones that reach up to your knees.

We could have taken the cable car to reach the top, but my dad and I have decided to go up on foot. 

There is no separate parking lot, so we parked our car on the roadside and we prepared to climb the mountain. 

When the morning sunrises, the roadside of Teide National Park, where the morning sun raised, was filled with people who came to ride the cable.

“Shall we start walking up?”

“Yeah.”

Unlike me, my dad really liked mountains. 

I followed my dad with a light smile on my lips and started climbing the mountain.

It’s a place where I’ve been once eight months ago, but it looked entirely new now.

The closer you get to the top, the more red soil and rocks are filled. 

I can also see strange red plants that I have never seen in Korea, and sparse bushes between gravel are also seen.

“¡Qué sorpresa encontrarte aquí!”

The guide in Teide National Park recognized me, and he left the bewildered tourists behind to get my autograph.

Pretending not to see the happy father next to me, I moved my feet again and started to climb up. 

By evening we had to get down in time to return the ferry back to Gran Canaria.

After finishing the hike faster than expected, I had an early dinner with my dad near the Santa Cruz Port. 

What Castro recommended as ‘a clam-like thing’ was a mussel that tasted very good. 

“Do you like it, Dad?”

“yes. What about you, Yuhan?”

“I think it’s good.”

“Mussel dishes are delicious. Eat more. Did Castro recommend this one to you?”

“Yeah. It’s a restaurant that he often stops by whenever he comes to Teide.”

Dad liked Castro’s recommended menu, but more than the served food he was more pleased with the restaurant owner’s request for my autograph.

After eating in the city, I got a lot of requests for autographs and photos from local residents.

It wasn’t this bad before, but now, I couldn’t tell if the mussel was going through my nose or my mouth. 

Cell phone cameras clicked from all sides.

“I just want to eat and go.”

“Yeah. They’re taking a lot of pictures. Yuhan, you are now a celebrity too.”

“I still have to work harder in the future.”

We arrived at the port of Las Palmas only at dusk.

When I reached the front door, I thought that it would be good to get a good night’s sleep because I was moderately tired. 

I went to the bathroom and took a hot shower when I heard my dad answering a phone call.

It was Uncle Bari.

“Hey Yuhan, Uncle Bari wants to see you for a moment. Shall I tell him to come home?”

“Sure. I don’t mind.”

I was a little tired, but experience has shown me that I’d better make time for my uncle if he’s going to come home.

Uncle Bari was a close friend of my dad and also the agent who signed me for Las Palmas. 

“Hey, Yuhan!”

“Hello, uncle.”

Uncle Bari can speak well in Korean and has been a big help to my father and me.

He was the first person to rush in every time whenever there was a difficulty or injustice in the local area. 

I can’t be friendly with him because of my personality, but he’s a person I’m really grateful for.

“Amigo! I’m here because I have some things to tell you.”

“Yeah. Speak slowly. Can I get you a cup of tea?”

“Give me a mix of coffee.”

Uncle Bari loved the mixed coffee.

I only recommended tea out of courtesy, but Uncle Bari was a person who complained quite often, saying that his stomach began to protrude from the moment he encountered mixed coffee in Korea.

“I’m tired of saying this again, but something came up because Yuhan had played so well.” 

“What’s going on?”

“I Have talked about the renewal of your contract with Las Palmas. The conditions they gave are very good, but I’ll put this matter aside for now, because a transfer offer came in for the second time. It wasn’t through the club, but they wanted to know Yuhan’s intention, whether he would like to transfer or not.”

The sudden transfer story was confusing. 

I still lack the stamina to be a starting member, but I can’t believe there is an offer for transfer.

“We’ve been getting offers behind the scenes even before you got injured, but since you’ve been doing well since you came back, a few teams have made serious suggestions. Don’t take this seriously, since I’m an agent, it is my duty to report the places from where you got the offers.” 

“Where?”

“Three teams in the first division of La Liga. Celta Vigo, Valladolid and AT Madrid.”

It was nice to hear that the proposal came in from the first division, but it wasn’t an easy decision. 

I also have to consider the changes in my father’s life and my environment, which I have just managed to settle down.

If I go there, Will I be able to get a steady chance to play there?

“Can I play properly?”

“Celta Vigo is tough. Their team is in the relegation zone, so they are not going to wait patiently. Valladolid is 12th, I don’t know anything about them. It’s not even half the league, so it’s not good to say anything about Celta Vigo or Valladolid.”

“AT Madrid would be more difficult, right?”

“It’s not a contract that guarantees the first team. If you go, you will start playing in the Segunda B league. You have to start with Team B at Madrid. If you don’t like it, you can go back to Las Palmas on loan and play like Pedri did. If you look at the name value of the team, it is right to go, and I don’t think you can’t do it, but it will be a big challenge.”

Dad doesn’t say anything, he just listens quietly.

“What do you think, Dad?”

“This is not my business. You have to choose.”

“Si is right. Yuhan, it’s you who has to make a choice.”

It’s too difficult for me to make a decision. 

Uncle Bari burst into laughter, saying I don’t have to decide right away. 

I’m doing well in Las Palmas, so there won’t be much trouble. 

“Are the terms for the renewal contract good?”

“Just. It’s not too bad… It’s a bit higher than last year’s Pedri standards. However, the contract period is an additional one year, so it’s not a good condition.”

“I have to choose between the two.”

“Yes, haha. It doesn’t matter if you don’t renew your contract. I just gave you a choice and it’s not my business to make a decision. That’s all. Don’t make it too complicated.” 

As if he had been here to play for a while, Uncle Bari no longer talked about the contract, and just had a conversation with my dad about the Teide National Park.

“I’ll be on my way. I have to go home.”

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, oh my. Grande Kim, look at this.”

Grande Kim is a nickname for my dad, coined by Uncle Bari. 

Uncle Bari took his magazine out of his arms and handed it to my dad.

“It came out this morning. Yuhan was in a special article, it’s a nationwide magazine, haha. Your son is Spain’s next superstar!”

Uncle Bari, who spoke in an excited tone even though he didn’t have any alcohol in his coffee mix, disappeared from the front door in an instant without even receiving my dad’s greetings.

The magazine handed by Uncle Barrie was folded in the middle. My dad gave me the magazine half-heartedly, asking me to look at it first.

I forcefully grabbed the magazine. 

I was frankly curious. 

What kind of player would I look like in other people’s eyes?

An island 1,400 kilometers from southern Seville.  

The Estadio Gran Canaria is located closer to the Sahara Desert than the mainland. 

Anyone who watched the playoffs of La Liga in the 14-15 season would applaud the dramatic promotion to the first division, and anyone who has experienced two seasons of Las Palmas away games since 2015 will shudder at the horror. 

Here is a player who appeared like a comet on this faraway island.

Last year, if Pedri captured Barcelona’s heart by showing off his splendor, Kim Yuhan from South Korea is amazing at the substance of the play. 

Seven goals in just four games with one assist and one PK induction seemed like a bonus.

It is even greater if you check the playing time and detailed indicators

In all four games, he played as a substitute, and the time on the field was only 90 minutes. 

It should be taken into account that the time was insufficient, but Kim recorded eight offensive points in one game. 

There are zero turnovers for four games, eight out of nine shots were effective shots which makes the shooting efficiency approximately 89%.

Of course, this astonishing figure will gradually drop over the course of the game. 

But Kim was born in 2002. 

He is 16 years old! This amazing newcomer, who was at the same age as Pedri, burns La Liga dos on a field in Estadio Gran Canaria.

Futbol Deporte prepared an interview with Las Palmas Manager Pepe Mel for this episode to satisfy the people. 

Let’s predict whether Las Palmas will be able to maintain the sensation that’s caused by Kim Yuhan.

Q. First of all, congratulations on your victory over Fuenlabrada, although it is late.

A. Thank you.

Q. You have won, but there are a lot of things I want to ask. Many things happened in the last match apart from Kim, like yellow cards, red cards, and even the Manager was asked to leave the stadium. It was fun to watch, but wasn’t it a bloody game for Las Palmas? 

A. Yes (laughs). First of all, it seems I got excited because I was trying to make up for a tactical mistake. I am satisfied with the results, but the process has a lot to reflect on. We need to make up for it through training.

Q. Las Palmas was the first to reach the 30-goal range with Cadiz in La Liga. While Las Palmas played until the 13th round, Kim won four games and scored 12 goals. From the start to the details of the game, Kim’s performance is amazing. Did you expect this as a Manager?

A. To begin with, yes. Kim came to Gran Canaria a year ago. We tried to give him some time to adjust because he was so talented, but Kim also consistently produced results in Las Palmas B. He wasn’t flashy, but he scores goals when the team needs. How can I, as a manager, leave such a player like that alone?

Q. Although it was great to score a goal, the experts praised Kim for his dribbling skill against Fuenlabrada. Did you know he was good at dribbling?

A. Kim has a great number of abilities. His ability to score goals alone is great, but what I value the most is his ability to deal with situations. Based on his understanding of team tactics, he also knows how to switch to individual tactics through his judgment instantly.

Q. I heard that there were a lot of fans worried about Kim’s injury. How is he now?

A. Las Palmas was lucky. Kim has recovered quickly and is now playing more comfortably than before.

Q. What about within the team? Is Kim adjusting well to Gran Canaria?

A. At least in my opinion, Yes. Kim is trying, though he doesn’t speak Spanish well yet. I know he is a player with a warm heart. Team veterans like Castro, Aitami, and Dani also like Kim.

Q. In an interview after the match, Kim said that he had dinner with you, which became a topic of discussion. Do you often eat with the players or spend special time with Kim?

A. We do not set up meals for specific players. After Kim joined the first team… There was a time when he ate alone before team training. I was wondering if there was a problem with the first team, so we had dinner together that day, and now it seems like Kim liked the meal I recommended.

Q. Is it mojo sauce?

A. Yes (laughs).