I rejected the school bully’s confession because of soccer.

A few days after the tournament ended.

Kang Tan was invited to Lucas’s house.

When he arrived at Lucas’s house a little later.

Kang Tan hesitated for a moment at the cozy atmosphere emanating from the front door.

Although he had built enough rapport with his teammates, it was the first time he was invited to such a personal space.

“Our house is a bit small, don’t expect much.”

Lucas said as he opened the door, but rather the coziness was fresh to Kang Tan.

Walls with warm colors, organized sofas, and even family photos placed on the fireplace.

The interior of the house was both familiar and unfamiliar, as if he had come to the world of The Simpsons.

“Mom, I’m home!”

When Lucas shouted inside, his mother, who was cooking in the kitchen, came out with a bright smile.

She smiled even more brightly when she saw Kang Tan.

“Oh! Kang! Nice to meet you. Lucas talked about you a lot. You have amazing skills as much as Lucas’s exaggeration. You were incredible in the Mediterranean Cup, right?”

Kang Tan smiled awkwardly and bowed his head.

“It just went well thanks to the team.”

At that moment, clear footsteps coming from upstairs.

“Kang Tan?”

Along with a soft but curious voice, the footsteps became faster and more intense.

She looked at Kang Tan with big eyes full of smiles and came down the stairs cheerfully.

And then a small child rushing straight to Kang Tan.

Kang Tan staggered at the unexpected attack.

“Ray! Be careful! Kang is the most important player on our team.”

Lucas pulled the hand of the child clinging to Kang Tan and looked at Kang Tan with an embarrassed face.

“Sorry. She’s my younger sister, and she’s careless.”

Kang Tan smirked.

“It’s okay. Your sister is better at physical confrontation than soccer players? She even made me stagger.”
“Don’t say such things to Ray. She’ll think it’s true.”

Whether they were talking or not, Ray grabbed Kang Tan’s hand with her small body and pulled.

“Ray, go in. Don’t bother your brother’s friend.”
“What did I do?”

She lightly ignored her brother and smiled brightly at Kang Tan.

“Hello! I’ve heard a lot about you from my brother! No, actually I’ve seen more than I’ve heard!”

Kang Tan looked at her bewilderedly, but soon understood the reason from Ray’s additional words.

“I went to watch the Mediterranean Cup! You were like a hero! I really thought I was watching a movie, you know?”
“Uh… thank you.”

Kang Tan smiled awkwardly.

Then, Lucas patted his shoulder.

“What’s with the formal speech. She’s a year younger than you.”
Ray smiled broadly with a welcoming expression.

“So you’re a year older brother. Brother, can’t you switch lives with Lucas?”
“Ray, what are you saying?”

Lucas added with a face that just found his sister cute.

“Kang is not a talent you can dare to covet.”
“What do you mean covet!”

Ray glared at Lucas and retorted.

“I just want to talk a bit!”
“Just talk, don’t go hugging strange men recklessly, that would be a big problem.”
“Then I should marry Kang Tan brother?”

Kang Tan inwardly smirked seeing this.

Seeing this, he thought they were really true siblings.

But it was a bit embarrassing that Ray kept looking at him with sparkling eyes.

On the surface, there was only a year difference, but to Kang Tan who was a high school student in his previous life, Ray was just a kid.

He felt a bit tired from the whimsicalness, boldness, and brazenness that could only be seen in immature children.

‘She’s cute… but Lucas must have a hard time.’

Kang Tan carefully distanced himself.

“Transferring is a bit difficult… Isn’t having a brother like Lucas enough?”
“Brother? Ha! There’s no comparison between brother and this guy.”

Ray waved her hand, instantly denying Kang Tan’s words.

“Lucas is just noisy.”
“Hey, what did you say?”

As Lucas approached pretending to be boiling with anger, Ray giggled and hid behind the sofa.

Their mother was preparing the meal with a kind smile, as if this was a familiar scene.

Camp Nou, FC Barcelona headquarters meeting room.

The ripples of the Mediterranean Cup shaking the European soccer world reached the heart of Barcelona.

FC Barcelona President Joan Laporta convened a meeting with the club’s key senior officials early in the morning.

On the screen in the center of the meeting room, the image of a boy was playing.

The name Kang Tan filled the air of the meeting room.

The video showed consecutive highlights of Kang Tan’s performance in the Mediterranean Cup.

Dribbling, sensational assists, individual skills mocking the opponent’s defense, and overwhelming scoring ability.

The president’s expression did not waver even once until the video ended.

As soon as the video turned off, Sports Director Patrick Alemany opened the meeting.

“Mr. President, the situation is serious now. Transfer offers for Kang Tan are already pouring in from all over Europe. Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester United, even Real Madrid. Borussia Dortmund has even made an official inquiry first.”
“Dortmund?”

Laporta asked back in a cold voice.

“I have not the slightest intention of selling a player we’ve raised at a bargain price. How much did they offer?”

The answer came immediately.

“Yes, Dortmund and Ajax have offered youth contract fees of over 500,000 euros…”

Someone burst out laughing and said.

“500,000? They must be joking. Did they see Kang Tan as an ordinary promising player? Just the name value of being from La Masia should fetch at least twice that.”

But Alemany shook his head.

“What’s more important are the other clubs. Paris Saint-Germain has attached a training compensation fee of 1 million euros with bonus conditions of 500,000 euros. Real offered 2 million euros. Others have also promised guaranteed starting opportunities.”

Laporta’s face hardened.

His voice was low but firm.

“Barcelona doesn’t give away players raised in La Masia so easily. Kang Tan is not simply an outstanding prospect. That child is the future our club has been looking for since Messi. Transfer is absolutely not possible. However, what we need to do is clear. We need to hold onto him more firmly.”

The youth team director who attended the meeting broke the silence.

“Um, there have been attempts by some teams to approach Kang Tan and his family directly.”

Laporta’s eyebrows furrowed.

“Approached the family directly? Isn’t it a rule that transfer offers should go through the club? Wouldn’t that be tampering?”

Alemany hesitated and said.

“Legally that’s true, but for youth players, families often act like agents, so this happens frequently. Especially since Kang Tan is 7 years old and not subject to formal contracts, other clubs are approaching more boldly.”

Another person added.

“It’s not just about rejecting all offers now. When the contract period ends, he might be playing for another team during his prime.”

Laporta leaned back in his chair, lost in thought.

Then he straightened up again and reviewed Kang Tan’s game data.

He was not simply an outstanding player.

Total goals: 15 goals in 6 Mediterranean Cup games
Assists: 8
Average dribble success rate: 91%
Activity: Average 11.8km per game

Just looking at the numbers, this boy was rewriting the rules of European soccer.

And he was still only 7 years old.

Laporta blankly stared at Kang Tan’s image on the screen one last time and muttered.

“We have a treasure in our hands. The moment we lose this child, Barcelona might lose another golden age.”

“The terms we’re offering to player Kang Tan are not just a simple contract extension.”

The head of Barcelona’s scouting team had a very serious face in front of Kang Tan’s parents.

“The contract extension amount we’re offering is a 5-year contract, 3 million euros.”

Kang Tan’s father tried hard to hide his surprised demeanor, but it was impossible to conceal.

Coming to Spain at age 5 with a 5-year contract.

Extending for another 5 years would mean being on the same boat with Barcelona until age 15.

“This amount is unprecedented among youth players of Kang Tan’s age group worldwide.”

He added, as if it wasn’t a joke.

“Also, although Kang Tan hasn’t been assigned a weekly wage or official salary yet, separate incentives will be provided once he starts playing games in earnest.”

Kang Tan’s parents looked at each other with wide eyes for a moment.

“And, this contract does not include a buyout clause. We will thoroughly protect Kang Tan so that no team, under any conditions, can take him away.”

At these words, Kang Tan’s father couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.

No buyout meant firmly stating that they would completely block the opportunity for other clubs to offer better conditions.

“The reason I said it’s not a simple contract extension is separate. Through this offer, Kang Tan will be raised as Barcelona’s core resource.”

Kang Tan’s parents still had faces that didn’t understand what this meant.

“We are also considering the possibility of Kang Tan joining the first team.”