Romantic on the Field

3.

[ The blue-eyed Korean boarded a plane to England. ]

Jamie’s agent, John, has had the busiest 24 hours of his life.

I prepared the documents by conducting a three-way video call with Augsburg and Stoke City, and after receiving the contract by fax, I went to Jamie, who suddenly went to buy a ring, got his signature, and faxed the contract again.

And now, the result has been uploaded to the main screen of Kicker’s online homepage.

[ John. Is it true that Jamie Lee went to England? ]

[ Not Dortmund? This is really surprising. ]

[I’m sorry, John. It might have been better if we had chosen the same Bundesliga team. To think that you chose a championship club rather than Dortmund. I just don’t understand. ]

Soon after, I received calls from several club officials, including the Dortmund football director.

‘It’s not a championship…’

John, who couldn’t bear to tell the truth, laughed bitterly instead of answering.

Jamie skipped Cologne, Dortmund and Norwich before signing a contract with Stoke City.

Skip the teams that could qualify for the Champions League, skip the championship team, and go to the League One team.

Who can accept this fact?

[ John. What time was the medical test tomorrow? ]

In the midst of this, I received a phone call from Jamie, who had moved to England first.

“10:20.”

After finishing the work here, John decided to join us early tomorrow morning.

“Jay, have you arrived?”

[ uh. Just. ]

“I’m not in a position to say that as a single person, but don’t be too nervous…”

[Yes, see you tomorrow morning. ]

Jamie just said what he had to say and hung up the phone right away.

“… so busy, busy.”

John let out a laugh to himself.

Jamie was just as busy today as John.

No, in a sense it was more.

I bought a ring at the ‘Acredo’ store in downtown Augsburg, and immediately took the earliest flight to Birmingham Airport. Then I drove another hour to Stoke-on-Trent. It could be said that it was a busier schedule than the Queen of England. Because Elizabeth II turned 111 this year.

‘Did I say childhood friend?’

John, who had stuck together like family for the past few years, was aware of Hannah’s existence. No, beyond simply knowing its existence, I also knew the approximate story between the two.

‘I hope it goes well.’

That’s why John supported them both.

For some reason, I was embarrassed to speak openly, so I was quiet to myself.

**

Stoke-on-Trent is a city famous for pottery, but it is not as crowded with tourists as London.

That’s why there were not many restaurants where people waited in line to eat, or restaurants that were difficult to visit without a reservation.

Conversely, there are quite a few local restaurants that you can go to without any special restaurants.

The Rifleman, ‘The Rifleman’ was one of them.

‘The Rifleman’ was a restaurant that Jamie and I went to since senior school.

The two of them would meet at the restaurant and eat together as if it were natural, even if they didn’t make any promises.

However, since the price was a bit high for students, Hanna paid the bill almost every time.

“Let’s not come here anymore.”

Then one day, Jamie said with a gloomy expression.

“yes? why? Tired of it now?”

“No, because you buy it every time.”

“Ha ha ha. what.”

Naturally, Hannah laughed it off. She was the daughter of the owner of an English professional football team. This level was not burdensome at all.

“I can buy you ten meals a day. Do not worry about it.”

“I will definitely pay you back if I succeed.”

“Ah, don’t worry about it.”

However, Jamie kept making a downcast face as if he was worried.

“If you really care that much…”

Hannah pointed her finger toward the entrance to the restaurant.

“Put on me such a pretty wedding dress.”

“···wedding dress?”

“yes.”

At the place she pointed to, there was a bridal mannequin, the signature of this restaurant.

It was a signature that did not match the name Rifleman (rifleman) at all, but the signature was a signature because it had been in place for a long time anyway.

“what. Are you proposing to me now?”

“You’re asking me to propose! shocking. ”

yes. I also had this conversation. Coming to ‘The Rifleman’ with Jamie after a long time, she naturally recalled the memory of this time.

The bridal mannequin was still there.

“Long time no see, both of you.”

“Iknow, right. long time no see.”

The owner of the house, who was friendly and friendly, and the slightly dim lighting were all the same.

“But why are we the only guests?”

“do not know. Is it because it’s a weekday?”

Since it is a non-alcoholic restaurant, there were not many customers on weekday evenings. So, Hannah thought nothing of it and sat down in her usual seat.

“Jay. But why did you come here all of a sudden?”

After a while, Hannah, who was watching Jamie’s eyes, asked cautiously.

“Aren’t you crazy right now? There is a lot of uproar here and there because of the transfer.”

“It has been decided.”

“yes?”

“The transfer team has been decided. I signed and came right here.”

Hannah’s eyes widened at Jamie’s words, then narrowed.

“Dortmund?”

“no.”

Jamie then took out a piece of paper from his bag.

“It’s a contract. Of course it’s not original.”

Hanna checked the contract with a confused feeling.

“Stoke… City?”

And this time his eyes narrowed and widened.

“Stoke City?”

Hannah was dumbfounded when she saw the team name written on the contract.

“yes. Stoke City.”

“…”

I couldn’t believe it even though I saw it with my own eyes and heard it from the person concerned.

The Jamie Hannah knew was an ambitious man.

‘Augsburg is a club like a springboard. If I play here, I can go to Leipzig or Dortmund, maybe even above.’

In fact, I even said that to her when I transferred to Augsburg.

It was his dream and plan to start with Augsburg, move to a top club in the Bundesliga, and then to a so-called ‘big club’ to play an active role on the world stage.

“Is there something wrong with the contract?”

Therefore, Hannah’s thoughts naturally flowed in that direction.

It was because there was no way that Jamie would skip Dortmund and come to Stoke City without going crazy.

“hahahaha. It is not.”

“If that’s not the case…. Jay, are you kidding me?”

Or, he was making fun of her with great effort.

“My image is like this.”

“···uh?”

“Nope.”

Hannah couldn’t understand what Jamie was saying.

In fact, it was full of things I didn’t understand.

If the contract was wrong, there was no need to come to Stoke City. I heard that Stoke City suggested good conditions by overdoing it, but no matter how good the conditions are, the fact that it is in the 3rd division does not change.

‘Could it be because of me?’

In the end, Hannah’s thoughts reached this point.

Did you find out I was pregnant? If so, how on earth? Did your dad tell you? No, it can’t be…

“Check it out.”

I was still thinking, confused, but Jamie said that out of the blue.

“What?”

“The article should have been posted by now.”

Hannah looked at the article on her cell phone, thinking about it.

[ The blue-eyed Korean boarded a plane to England. ]

[Jamie Lee, the likely destination is Stoke City in the 3rd division? ]

“…So, you said you turned down Dortmund and came to Stoke City, where your father is the owner?”

“yes.”

“Crazy?”

Hannah’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

“Could it be because of me?”

“yes.”

Jamie replied plainly.

“Think again. You can’t ruin your career because of me.”

Hanna shook her head vigorously at that plain reply.

Hannah, of course, liked Jamie’s coming to Stoke-on-Trent.

He could come to England after playing for Dortmund, but there was no guarantee that that would happen. Of course, she never doubted Jamie’s abilities. Maybe less than a year after the transfer, he can prove himself and move to the Premier League. But even if it ended up being like that, right now she had to endure a lot on her own.

“No, no second thoughts, go to Dortmund unconditionally. At least he transfers to another Bundesliga club. Not Stoke City.”

Nonetheless, Hannah came out strong.

I didn’t want to stand in the way of Jamie. I didn’t want to hold onto his ankles.

“You already signed.”

“Well?”

“This is a copy. The original has already been shared between the two clubs, and we decided to undergo a medical test tomorrow.”

Hannah’s eyes fluttered at Jamie’s words.

“Is it official?”

“uh. Official.”

“But why didn’t you say anything to me… no. Why didn’t my dad tell me anything?”

“Because I asked you to keep it a secret.”

I didn’t say it directly, but it was true that I strongly demanded it from the club anyway.

“really?”

“really.”

The shaking eyes stopped. However, it still seemed out of focus.

“I don’t understand now.”

“uh. no.”

Then Jamie’s words brought him to his senses and brought him back into focus.

“I realized that no matter how successful I am, it means nothing without the person I love by my side.”

lover.

Has Jamie ever expressed this directly?

‘I don’t think there was.’

Starting as childhood friends, they have naturally maintained a romantic relationship until now. So the so-called ‘strange words’ were rarely spoken to each other.

“And you don’t have to distinguish between love and success, right? I just need to stay by your side for the rest of my life and succeed.”

“···forever?”

Hannah tilted her head.

widely.

The restaurant lights went out.

“uh?”

Hanna, wondering if it was a blackout, looked around the restaurant.

widely.

Fortunately, the light was quickly turned back on.

However, only the lights above the table where they were sitting turned on, not the whole restaurant.

At the same time, music began to play in the quiet restaurant.

‘Greetings of Love’ by the great English composer Edward Elgar.

“Hannah.”

it’s Hannah Hannah, who was looking around at the Korean-style title, turned her head to Jamie.

“…”

And I was at a loss for words at the moment I was confronted with.

He had a ring on his hand.

“Will you marry me?”

widely.

Then all the lights in the restaurant were turned on.

At that moment, Hannah thought of the bride’s mannequin at the entrance of the restaurant.

Was the mannequin wearing a pure white dress smiling? Perhaps it was.

But Hannah couldn’t help but smile.

For some reason, I thought something like foam was bubbling from the top of my chest, but the foam soon went up my throat and stayed around my lips, philtrum, bridge of my nose, and between my eyebrows before coming out as tears.

“Did you wait long?”

“yes. I waited a long time.”

“sorry. Everything will be better from now on.”

Hanna nodded at Jamie’s words.

**

Afterwards, Hannah cried and announced she was pregnant, and Jamie quietly hugged her.

Jamie felt a surge of happiness. It went the way he wanted. everything was fine

However, there was just one thing that Hannah was unwilling to do.

“Stoke City, though, shouldn’t we think more about coming? Even if you cancel the contract and pay the penalty…”

It was a move to Stoke City.

To this, Jamie came up with a simple solution.

“You will succeed here. With you. with my child.”

“yes?”

“Wouldn’t it sound too vague to say this? Let’s set specific goals. Here, in five years, by winning the Premier League trophy.”

“Well? wait for a sec. did i hear wrong? It’s not a promotion in 5 years, but a championship?”

‘Direct promotion this season, direct promotion next season too. If you can’t do that, I’ll consider transferring,’ was not Jamie’s suggestion.

Having said that, Hannah couldn’t insist any more. I took a step back, saying, “I only have one season to watch and decide.”

And time passed…

[ Jamie Lee joins Stoke City ]

[Stoke City, bring back the local boy. ]

[Stoke City embraces the ‘dark-haired fantasy star’. ]

News of Jamie’s official signing spread across England beyond Stoke-on-Trent.

[Sky Football – Jamie Lee “The purpose of remaining in the 3rd division? My goal is promotion.” ]

An unconventional joining interview of a freshman, too.

[Jamie Lee plays the derby against Port Vale]

[Director Charlie Adam said, “Jamie Lee, expect good results in the derby game.” ]

Coincidentally, the day after the official signing was the day Stoke City’s local rivals derby ‘Potterless Derby’ was in progress.