Chapter 134

To think a mess like this would happen before the Season was even over.

Dami, Yunseul, and I were all so busy during the Season that it was hard to even see each other’s faces properly.

Since we were all professional players, our only contact was through video calls or in-game messages.

The reason it got out anyway was that the reporters were far more persistent than we had anticipated.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul.

These two were the treasured players who had lifted Korea, once called the weakest in Asia, to the very top of the UA League.

Naturally, reporters clung to them, trying to cover every little detail of their daily lives, and that trend continued right into the summer Break Period.

The reporters couldn’t get anything when the players were at the Team House, but Dami had come to my house to see my parents for the first time in a while.

The reporters, thinking they’d hit the jackpot, started snapping pictures.

This was how the entire nation came to know about Seo Dami’s dating scandal.

“But why does it look to me like you’re enjoying this situation, Dami?”

“I-I’m not!”

On the way to see Dami’s parents.

The look on Dami’s face when we met was much brighter than when she had called me with a worried voice.

I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination, but she even seemed to think it was better that things had turned out this way.

“By the way, Oppa…. If my parents ask about marriage, what are you going to say?”

“Hmm.”

I had also thought about how I should answer if they asked me that question.

The most standard answer would probably be something like, “Please give me your daughter’s hand!”

The problem was that I was dating someone else besides Dami.

-My parents were actually happy when I told them I was dating you, Oppa. So you don’t have to worry about my family.

When I first said I was going to Dami’s house to ask for their permission.

Yunseul had told me not to worry, saying her family already had the highest possible opinion of me.

-So don’t worry, and after you’re done, let’s go to my house too. Okay? What if Unni’s parents don’t approve? Then you can just live with me, right~?

Hearing this, Dami got angry and told her to be quiet because that wouldn’t happen, and Yunseul ended the call with a peal of laughter.

And so, on the way to Dami’s house.

Surprisingly, there were already a few people near the house who I guessed were reporters.

It was unlikely for ordinary people to be walking around a residential area with cameras.

It was a situation where another newsworthy photo could be taken at any moment, but we drove the car straight into the garage and managed to avoid their eyes.

‘Her parents must be in a very bad mood.’

Not only was their daughter’s name all over the news, but there were even reporters snooping around their house.

I thought her parents must be feeling very uncomfortable.

And that premonition was spot on.

I already knew her mother was someone who didn’t show her emotions on her face, so that was one thing, but….

Her father’s gaze, as he looked at me, was sharp and glinting.

“Hello, Father, Mother. It’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time. My name is Han Youngin.”

I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I’d be as I greeted them.

Perhaps it was because I had spent a not-so-short amount of time with them, giving them massages and eating with them, when I had to pretend to be Dami.

Of course, Dami’s parents had no idea about that.

I gave the gift I had prepared to her father, whose expression didn’t soften even after I greeted him.

Dami’s father usually enjoyed wine, so I had prepared a gift specifically tailored to his taste.

“Hmph. What is this.”

“I couldn’t come empty-handed for our first meeting. I heard you like wine….”

“Wine?”

Her father, who showed a flicker of interest at the word “wine,” immediately tore off the wrapping paper, checked the brand, and expressed an unconcealable satisfaction.

“Pingus. A fine choice. But isn’t this a bit too expensive for a first-meeting gift?”

“You don’t need to worry, Father. I earn enough to afford it.”

“Is that so…? Then I’ll accept it without reservation.”

The reaction was good, so I let out a sigh of relief.

“Ah, and this is a gift for you, Mother.”

“…One for me too?”

The gift I gave her mother was a heavy whale sculpture carved from high-quality wood, which I had prepared with Dami’s advice.

I had heard that whenever her mother traveled abroad, she enjoyed buying unique items from the region.

Things like pencils or models.

“Oh my. I love it.”

Satisfaction was written all over her mother’s face as she took the sculpture and examined it from all angles.

It was a cool sculpture even to my eyes, so it seemed to have done its job well enough.

Besides, according to Dami, her mother’s reaction to the news article hadn’t been all that bad.

As they say, a son-in-law is loved by his mother-in-law.

It seemed I had scored more points with her mother than with her father for now.

“Ahem. Seeing your taste in gifts, Dami must have told you a thing or two.”

‘I chose your gift, Father…’

“Still, since you’ve come all this way, I have to ask.”

“Please, feel free to ask me anything.”

“Is the article true? I’m asking if you really are dating someone besides our daughter.”

Dami had said that when she told her parents she was dating me, she also told them about Yunseul.

Which meant her father knew about it too.

The fact that he was still asking seemed to mean he wanted to confirm the truth directly from my mouth.

I couldn’t lie, so I confessed the truth honestly.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hah…”

At my answer, her father sighed, and her mother covered her mouth with her hand.

And soon, her father’s declaration of opposition followed.

“I cannot approve of this relationship.”

“Dad!”

“No matter how the law has changed, there are still social norms. As a parent, I cannot allow it. I trust you understand.”

“No matter what you say, Dad, I’m going to marry Oppa!”

Then Dami, in a rare display, raised her voice.

“I can’t live without Oppa! So you’d better know that!”

“What is this girl saying?”

Whether he was shocked by Dami’s attitude or angry at me for making his daughter this way.

Her father’s eyebrows shot up.

“I don’t want to see any more of this, so you should leave now!”

“Hmph. Oppa, let’s go.”

“Where do you think you’re going! You’re not moving an inch from this house!”

“No! I’m going with Oppa!”

The atmosphere had turned hostile.

Thinking that our relationship would be beyond repair if I left the house like this, I dropped to my knees.

“Father, Mother. Please reconsider just once! Bigamy in this day and age? It’s not that much of a flaw!”

No.

Even though it had been over ten years since the law changed, it was true that society still looked down on it.

This was basically me just being stubborn.

“And Dami and I are destined for each other! We’re so close that we’d die if we couldn’t see each other for even a day. So breaking up is impossible!”

“Then why are you two-timing her!”

“That’s because the other person is also my destiny…”

“I’ve never seen such a scoundrel!”

Her father, unconsciously raising his hand at my pathetic answer.

It was then.

Keok! With a cry, her father grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed back into his chair.

“Dad!”

“Honey!”

While Dami and her mother were startled, I rushed to her father faster than anyone and attempted first aid.

An Earth Vein emergency treatment that no one else in the world could perform.

Dami’s father had a dream for the first time in a long while.

A memory of when his daughter had overcome her slump and first started to be loved by UA fans.

The memory of a time when she came home and changed her stiff way of addressing them to Mom and Dad.

The memory of his daughter, the prettiest in the world, giving him shoulder massages.

Dreaming of that time, the father opened his eyes.

When he opened his eyes, he was sitting in a chair, and he could feel a pleasantly firm massage on his shoulders.

It was his daughter’s old shoulder rub, the one whose feel had changed at some point, much to his disappointment.

“Is that you, Dami?”

The father’s face, which had been smiling fondly as he asked, quickly hardened.

The reply that came back was, “I’m sorry, Father. It’s Youngin.”

“What, you’re still here?”

“Well… you collapsed, Father…”

Only then did the father remember collapsing with a thud.

It seemed the shock from his momentary anger had gotten to him.

The cause, of course, was Han Youngin.

And yet, here he was, shamelessly giving him a massage.

The father thought that this young man certainly had some thick skin.

But strangely enough.

The touch of the young man, who should have been detestable, was oddly familiar and something he had missed, so the father cleared his throat without realizing it.

“You’re good at massages.”

“I used to give them to my parents often whenever I had time.”

“……”

At a loss for words, the father remained silent for a moment.

Logically, he should tell him to get out of the house right now, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like going that far.

After a long moment of contemplation, it was the father who spoke again.

“Can you really not just date Dami?”

“I’m sorry, Father. That is truly a problem I cannot do anything about.”

He said that he himself could have a normal married life with just one person, but the currents surrounding him would not allow it.

The father thought it was utter nonsense, but there was a part of him that understood a little.

Strangely enough, in Han Youngin’s voice as he calmly explained his situation, the father felt his sincerity.

It seemed there was no lie in his words about being fated to take responsibility for several women, beyond his own will.

“So the women you’re dating now… there are two of them? Our daughter and Yunseuli?”

“…That’s correct.”

Han Youngin answered with difficulty.

He couldn’t bring himself to mention Kato’s involvement, not even if it killed him.

Besides, things with Kato Mikane hadn’t even been sorted out with the girls yet.

He had vaguely told them what happened on Christmas, and all he remembered was their extreme anger.

“I thought bigamy was something you only see on TV… I never dreamed my daughter would be at the center of it.”

“I’m sorry, Father. But I will definitely make Dami happy!”

Han Youngin promised that if he was given permission to date her, he would make Seo Dami the happiest person in the world.

He also boasted that no matter what other man she met, living with him would make Dami the happiest.

“How can you guarantee that.”

“I will show you as we live our lives from now on!”

“You’re a man with no real plan.”

The father smiled bitterly, now almost resigned.

But he didn’t seem as displeased as one might think.

Perhaps it was because he had always thought that a man should have at least this much confidence.

From the perspective of the father, who had overcome many crises while running his business, he thought that at least this man, Han Youngin, was not the type to avoid problems.

“For now, I’ll permit the relationship.”

“Father! Thank you!”

“I’m permitting the relationship. It’s common for young people these days to date and break up. As for what comes after… let’s take more time to think about it.”

Seo Dami sang about how she would definitely marry Oppa, but the father’s thought was that you never know what will happen with a marriage until you’re at the altar.

“And I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes. Please tell me anything.”

“Come by and give me a massage sometimes.”

It was an unexpected request, but Han Youngin answered without flinching.

He said that if it was a massage, he would come running every weekend, even during the Season.

“Thank you for your permission! Father!”

“I haven’t fully permitted it yet!”

Even though he said that, it meant one of the biggest hurdles had been crossed.

Feeling much lighter now that a huge worry was resolved, Han Youngin focused his mind on rubbing the shoulders more diligently.

The father’s expression relaxed languidly as he received the Earth Vein massage.

“It’s a miracle, plain and simple!”

“The man who made a miraculous comeback! Han Youngin! Leads Magnus, his team, to victory!”

-You crazy bastard! You did it!

-The Great Youngin!

-A bastard whose skills you can’t fault…

-A bastard whose only problem is his private life…

-Wow. I’ve lived long enough to see the day Youngin escapes his titleless streak;;

-FR I thought he’d just retire without a single title.

October.

Although there were still more League matches on the schedule, Magnus had already secured their championship early.

Even if they lost all their remaining games, their first-place finish was already confirmed.

Perhaps it was thanks to this Momentum and performance.

Since the day the scandal first broke, there weren’t that many articles from the outside trying to shake Dami, Yunseul, and me.

I had personally gathered reporters and told them that this was a crucial time.

That I had met the girls as a fan and a player before the accident and naturally developed feelings for them, and that my heart couldn’t help but go out to them because they had continuously looked after me and my family even when I was unconscious.

Super Sylph is aiming for a second consecutive World Championship victory, and Magnus is also running hard with the goal of winning.

That’s why I had asked them to refrain from publishing articles that would shake the players as much as possible.

Well, reporters aren’t people who listen to every request.

Of course, there were still people who continued to post articles about our relationship, but whenever that happened, fans from both teams would unite and harass the reporter and the media outlet, telling them to stop writing such trashy articles, so the atmosphere quickly calmed down.

And Super Sylph had secured their championship even faster than Magnus.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul, who had become a completely different Level after the World Championship.

There wasn’t a single team in the country that could withstand the Attack Power of Super Sylph with those two as their Attackers.

Some said it was no fun because one team was dominating.

There were even rumors that the women’s League was ruined, but contrary to such talk, the number of domestic UA League Viewers showed a sharp increase.

It was an era where you could easily watch foreign leagues from home.

This was thanks to an increase in the percentage of overseas fans, who had flowed in through the World Championship, paying to watch the UKL.

That wasn’t all.

Dami and Yunseul were the Superstars leading the League, plain and simple.

Their faces could be easily seen in daily life through advertisements and photos.

Their popularity was such that they had pushed aside the Gaia players, who had consistently held the spot for sports star of the year, and taken that place for themselves.

There was a side effect where the resentment towards me grew a little as their popularity rose, but I sincerely cheered for Super Sylph’s consecutive world titles.

The time for the World Championship was fast approaching.

Just as all UA fans’ attention was turning to the world stage and interest in Super Sylph was soaring.

A Bomb of an article dropped from across the sea in Japan.

“I will get my definitive revenge at this World Championship.”

The Leader of Team Kamui.

An interview from Kato Mikane.

If it had simply been an article about paying Super Sylph back for their defeat and getting redemption, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but this article contained something a little special.

“After I win, I plan to go see the person I love. I might even take a break from my career for a while.”

Along with the declaration of victory, a completely unexpected love confession had popped out.

-What is this about?

-Kato is dating someone?

-Who is it!

-There was no sign of it at all?

-This is a really unexpected article…

-It must be someone from Japan, right?

-Is it someone who works in the same sports field?

-Who on earth stole Kato’s heart?

A star who was watched not only by Japan but by the whole world.

UA fans showed immense interest in Kato Mikane’s bold declaration, but no one had any idea who the other person was.

However, in Korea, the star players of Super Sylph, who were in the midst of preparing for the World Championship.

Seo Dami and Jung Yunseul only ramped up their fighting spirit after seeing the article.

‘Who is she going to see after winning?’

‘Not a chance. I’ll never give up Oppa or the championship.’

And so, the war over the World Championship and one man was quietly about to begin.