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"...."
Was I still dreaming?
A futuristic-looking hologram occupied one corner of the room.
"What the hell is this?"
I rubbed my eyes in disbelief, but the hologram remained. Did my parents or older brother buy a beam projector without telling me? I searched every corner of the room but found nothing.
—Wait… Where am I? Who are you? I was definitely on a helicopter… Ah!
Han Myung-shin, the grayish ghost, suddenly made an expression as if he remembered something. But then his face twisted in even greater confusion.
—Why am I in Korea, not a hospital?
Kang Hyun sighed and picked up his phone, snapping a picture of Han Myung-shin. Click! He also took a shot of the hologram screen.
When he checked the gallery, neither photo had captured anything.
As expected.
Han Myung-shin was a ghost, and this hologram was an illusion.
Guess working at that grueling factory is finally making me see things. Maybe I should cut back on drinking.
"Did some divine miracle just happen? Han Myung-shin appearing before me as a ghost?"
—…Ghost?
Han Myung-shin belatedly checked his own body. Upon seeing his grayish form, he screamed, but Kang Hyun ignored him.
If I'm supposed to be possessed by a deity… Since shamans serve gods… Does that mean I'm now serving Han Myung-'shin'?
"Heh heh."
If I told anyone this, they'd think I'm crazy.
Han Myung-shin was still panicking in front of Kang Hyun.
"First, calm down, Mr. Han Myung-shin."
—I'm dead?
"Yeah, yeah. You're dead, so relax."
—How am I supposed to relax when I'm dead?!
Han Myung-shin muttered something incomprehensible (seriously, like a real ghost) before trying to push past Kang Hyun to open the door.
But of course, it didn't work.
His gray hands couldn't turn the doorknob.
—Ughhh…
Han Myung-shin covered his face with both hands.
Feeling pity, Kang Hyun offered some comfort.
"You're a ghost, so you could probably just phase through the door, right?"
—…Is that really what you're saying right now?
Kang Hyun awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Han Myung-shin sighed and slowly examined Kang Hyun.
—You look young. Mind if I drop the formalities?
"Well, being this casual right after meeting is a bit…"
—Shut up. You look like you're in your early 20s. I'm in my 30s. That's a whole zodiac cycle difference, so what's the big deal?
"Sure, whatever you say."
—Good. Now, I've got some questions for you. First, what's your name?
"Kim Kang Hyun, formerly your biggest fan."
—Formerly? Not anymore?
"Well, you're dead."
—You…
Speechless, Han Myung-shin made a baffled expression.
—Ugh. Fine. How long have I been dead?
"Five years. It's already December, so it'll soon be six. If you were alive, you'd be forty and probably retired."
They say humans are adaptable creatures.
After exchanging a few words, Kang Hyun was already getting used to communicating directly with a ghost.
Too lazy to keep standing, he lay down on the bed.
—What? Five years? Almost six?!
Han Myung-shin let out another deep sigh.
Maybe because it was a ghost's breath, the air in the room felt slightly colder.
From then on, Kang Hyun had to keep answering Han Myung-shin's endless questions—from trivial details to major events.
After nearly two hours of talking, Han Myung-shin finally seemed resigned and sat by the bedside, casually chatting.
—Huh. The president got impeached?
"Yeah. After that, Lee Jae-yoon became president, and thanks to that, my military service got shortened. Lucky me!"
—Are you messing with me because I'm dead? Korea beat Germany 2-0? In the World Cup? And Germany got eliminated last in their group?! You expect me to believe that?
"It's true."
—Now that I think about it, something's off. The president getting impeached out of nowhere? Controlled by someone? And Germany losing 2-0 to Korea and crashing out in the group stage? Do you know how astronomically low the odds of both those things happening are?
"You're really skeptical. Want me to show you? The internet doesn't lie."
Kang Hyun clicked his tongue and pulled up Wikipedia on his phone.
But thinking about it, Han Myung-shin's skepticism made sense.
He died around April 2016.
The impeachment was in December 2016.
And Germany's 2-0 humiliation by Korea happened in June 2018.
Two unbelievable events within two years—no wonder he doubted.
Tap tap.
Kang Hyun searched for the impeachment first and showed him.
Han Myung-shin's expression shifted rapidly as he scanned the phone.
—No way… Seriously?
Before the shock could fade, Kang Hyun pulled up the "Miracle of Kazan"—Korea's World Cup victory over Germany.
—....
The shock was so great that Han Myung-shin fell silent, mouth shut.
"Ah, if you'd lived until the 2018 World Cup, we'd have at least made the Round of 16. Really a shame."
—Is this some parallel universe crap… Insane.
Then, the door creaked open.
It was Kang Hyun's mother.
She stared at him in confusion before scanning the room.
"Who were you talking to just now?"
"Ah, I was on a call. With a guy from work."
"Oh… Really?"
She nodded and gestured for him to hurry up.
—Quick thinking… Not bad.
"Yeah, I've got some skills."
Han Myung-shin sighed deeply and stood up.
—Alright. I'm starting to believe this is really Korea. Unpredictable as ever.
Mumbling to himself, Han Myung-shin turned and looked at Kang Hyun.
—Hey, you gonna do something about this?
"Huh? About what?"
—This.
He pointed at the hologram, still hovering in place.
Persistent little thing…
—Judging by your mom's reaction, only you and I can see it, right?
"Hmm. Since it didn't show up on camera earlier, probably. How do we get rid of it?"
Lying down for so long had made him stiff.
Kang Hyun got up and stood beside Myung-shin, carefully examining the hologram.
[Football Manager / Start]
He waved his hand over it.
Then…
[Starting Football Manager.]
"Whoa. The text changed."
—You touched the 'Start' part.
"Guess so. Well, no point in refusing now."
[Current Points: 0]
[Currently owns: 1 Stone Roulette Ticket.]
[Roulette tickets can be purchased with points.]
[Available tickets and required points:]
[Stone Roulette – 100 points]
[Iron Roulette – 500 points]
[Silver Roulette – 1000 points]
[Higher-tier roulettes unlock as abilities improve, but current permissions are insufficient.]
Kang Hyun sat in his gaming chair, staring blankly.
What the… This sounds like a real game.
—This reminds me of FIFA.
"I thought the same. Feels like a game."
—You've got one roulette ticket. Spin it. I'm curious what you'll get.
"Hmm… Okay."
Now that he thought about it, this didn't seem entirely fake.
It wasn't costing him money, so why not try?
"But how? 'Use roulette'?"
As if reciting a command, a small holographic window popped up.
[You currently own: 1 Stone Roulette Ticket. Use it?]
"Yessir!"
[Generating Stone Roulette.]
A roulette wheel appeared—the kind you'd see in a casino.
A round wheel with numbers 1 to 100, and beside it, a rectangular board with the same numbers and densely packed text.
"Too detailed for an illusion…"
Kang Hyun carefully read the options:
- Stamina Increase (+1)
- Agility Increase (+1)
- Strength Increase (+1)
- Item (Stamina Potion)
- Item (Muscle Man)
- Skill (Silk Road)
Out of 100 slots, these six stood out because their colors were different.
Three blue, two yellow, one red.
The rest were all brown.
—The brown ones are trash. You want blue, yellow, or red. The rest barely matter anyway. No wonder it's called 'Stone Roulette.'
"So, I need to land on one of these six. 6% chance."
—Earlier you called this an illusion, but now you're into it?
"I take gacha seriously."
—What's 'gacha'?
"It's a thing."
—Are you ignoring me?
"Yeah. You'd be turning forty next month if you were alive."
—You little—!
Han Myung-shin reached to grab Kang Hyun's head but phased right through.
—Agh.
"Just spin this, right?"
The roulette had a handle.
—You're spinning it now?
"Yeah. Aren't you curious?"
No point delaying.
He'd quit soccer long ago, so even if this somehow affected his real life, it wouldn't change much.
Kang Hyun spun the roulette as hard as he could.
[Whirrrrrrr….]
*
The weather was unseasonably bright.
Cold, but sunny.
Familiar faces in Real Madrid jerseys stood around.
They handed Kang Hyun a jersey, and he smiled as he examined it.
"This is Han Myung-shin's, right?"
"Yep. Only one we had left."
Number 9 – Han Myung-shin.
As the number suggested, he was a striker.
A forward who could play any position at a high level, like Messi.
Han Myung-shin, standing gloomily nearby, grinned and nodded.
—You know your stuff.
Kang Hyun ignored him to avoid looking crazy.
Sniff sniff.
He smelled the jersey.
"Uh… Did you wash this? It reeks of sweat."
"Huh? Weird. We did. Must've messed up. Sorry! Just wear it, you'll live."
"...."
Disgusting, but no choice.
Should've brought my own jersey. Still got my high school one.
Luckily, it fit.
"Wait, you're really a former pro? Not doubting, just asking."
The look in their eyes said otherwise.
Kang Hyun nodded.
"If I weren't, I'd have made up an excuse not to come. Would've been obvious anyway."
"Fair point."
"But I haven't played in years, and even back then, I wasn't great."
"Hey, you were a pro! We're counting on you, Kang Hyun!"
Laughing, one of them pulled him into a headlock.
Well… This camaraderie isn't bad.
And honestly, he was curious.
A few hours earlier, he'd beaten 1-in-100 odds and landed on the red slot.
Silk Road, was it?
[Silk Road]
- Skill Rank: F
- Effect: Temporarily consume some stats to perform slightly more accurate passes.
- Usage Limit: 3 times/day
- Cost: 3 Stamina or Strength points (regenerates over time).
Even now, this seems broken.
His own stats were… underwhelming.
[Kim Kang Hyun]
- Stamina: 45/45
- Strength: 41/41
- Total: 29
- Skills: Silk Road (F)
- Items: None
This is worse than a 15-year-old academy player.
At least his stamina and strength were decent.
—Hey, Kang Hyun.
"Yeah?"
—I just realized… Your stats are too trash to restart a soccer career.
"Wasn't planning to."
—What?! A cheat skill like this, and you won't play? That's a sin! Plus, I'm stuck with you. Know what that means?
"That I should become a shaman?"
—No! It means you're destined to be the world's greatest footballer—better than Messi or Ronaldo. Got it?
"Nope."
Just then, one of the guys cut in.
"Who you talking to?"
"Ah, nothing. Hey, can I get a ball? Need to warm up."
"Sure! Hey, toss us a ball!"
Someone kicked a ball over.
Kang Hyun caught it, smiling.
This feeling…
Haaa…
After being discharged, I swore I'd never feel this again.
The cleats felt awkward, but the ball felt even stranger.
—Alright! Let's warm up!
Han Myung-shin clapped excitedly.
Kang Hyun nodded and started dribbling.