Jin Hayes could determine that the young woman in front of him was definitely of a high caliber. From the moment she offered to order a drink for him, the short‑haired woman, Irene, rested her chin on her hand, her gaze occasionally drifting towards him.
Jin Hayes stated that he was just a fan in Madrid to watch a match and would only stay in the bar for a short while before leaving. Yet, she spoke as if they were close friends, casually bringing up this year's Champions League.
"This match was indeed quite exciting, wasn't it? Especially Jin's scorpion kick—it's truly the most beautiful goal I've ever seen."
"You were there too?"
"No, unfortunately, I couldn't get tickets, so I could only watch the game at a bar next to the Bernabéu—boohoohoo." The woman made a playful gesture of wiping away tears with her small fist at the corner of her eye.
No. Jin Hayes quickly composed himself. Under the dazzling lights of the nightclub, with such an attractive woman actively striking up a conversation and offering to buy drinks, it was inevitable for a normal man to feel disoriented, but Jin Hayes's self‑control was relatively strong.
Irene seemed to notice Jin Hayes's gaze and inadvertently stretched, pushing out her chest. Jin Hayes kept his eyes level.
"Are you here with friends?"
"No, I'm here by myself. Ah, it would be nice if someone were with me." Irene lightly sipped from the stemmed glass, then subtly licked her lips. Noticing that the handsome man in front of her looked a bit dazed, Irene covered her mouth and chuckled, casting a coquettish glance at Jin Hayes.
Jin Hayes felt he was already struggling to resist his hormones and instinctively prepared to say goodbye and leave. Unexpectedly, the young woman Irene suddenly spoke again:
"Why are you drinking here by yourself? Are you also alone?"
"No, I came with friends. I think I see my friends calling me, so, I'm very sorry—" Jin Hayes pulled out his wallet and placed a €50 note on the bar, enough for both their drinks.
"The drinks tonight are on me."
"Wait!" Just as Jin Hayes was about to get up and leave, the young woman suddenly grabbed his arm. "Could you stay with me a little longer tonight? If it's too noisy here, we can go somewhere quieter, you know…"
Her eyes were inviting. If it had been Nuri Şahin or Mats Hummels, they would have undoubtedly been led away by the woman without hesitation. But an angelic face suddenly appeared in Jin Hayes's mind. He reached out and gently took the young woman's hand, then released it.
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid not tonight. I wish you a pleasant evening."
Jin Hayes left resolutely, without looking back. Only Irene remained sitting alone at the bar, gazing thoughtfully at Jin Hayes's retreating back.
...
"Holy shit, Jin! Such a gorgeous girl, why did you just leave?"
When he joined his teammates, he found them all sitting in the booth, looking utterly dejected. They had searched the dance floor for a long time, but unfortunately, they hadn't encountered any particularly striking women. They were either not their type or already taken.
After a fruitless hunt, the guys could only sit there and drink in silence. They were all surprised to see Jin Hayes. Everyone had seen the short‑haired woman striking up a conversation earlier. They had thought this guy was finally having a romantic encounter. Who knew he would walk away by himself?
"Jin, you're not what I think you are, are you?" Şahin made a frightened expression.
"Get lost! I'm straight."
"You won't even take what's offered?"
"I'm not in the mood today."
"Oh, I get it." Hummels and Şahin exchanged a knowing smile. After all, with someone so beautiful waiting at home, who would care about the wild flowers in a nightclub?
"Since you don't want her, I'll make my move." Şahin downed the beer in his hand and stepped forward.
"Suit yourself."
With Jin Hayes's permission, Şahin squeezed out a confident smile and went to strike up a conversation. However, he returned dejectedly after sitting down and speaking only a few words. His heartless teammates couldn't help but laugh, openly gloating.
"Rejected, weren't you?"
"I told you long ago, you're no good."
"Fuck off! Asshole!" Şahin glared angrily at his teammates. He couldn't understand why the woman who was so charming towards Jin Hayes was as cold as ice towards him, despite him being quite handsome.
…
After a day of relaxation in Madrid, it was back to intense training and preparation in Germany. During this period, while Borussia Dortmund was dominating both the league and the Champions League, a competitor was also rapidly catching up. Felix Magath's Wolfsburg had surged to third place with a four‑game winning streak, just five points behind Borussia Dortmund.
While Jin Hayes was far ahead in the top scorer list, Edin Džeko and Grafite were also close behind. After 12 rounds, Jin Hayes temporarily held first place in the Bundesliga scoring chart with nine goals. Grafite was second with eight goals. Džeko was third with seven.
Only then came Mario Götze and Vedad Ibišević, tied for fourth with six goals each. Džeko and Grafite, the twin stars, were in full force, helping Wolfsburg score 29 goals in 12 rounds. They were the second‑best attacking team in the Bundesliga and also the team with the fewest goals conceded so far.
This month, Borussia Dortmund would encounter one of their biggest title contenders this season. Bundesliga Round 13: Borussia Dortmund vs. Frankfurt. Round 14: Borussia Dortmund away against Karlsruhe. Their opponent in Round 15 was precisely Wolfsburg. With at least two weeks until the match, Wolfsburg's coach Magath had already started making bold statements to the media.
"Yes, they are very strong, and their double victory over Real Madrid is impressive—but they are just a bunch of rough young lads who only know how to charge. Borussia Dortmund is not a truly strong team. In the face of truly rigorous and meticulous tactics, they will immediately fall apart and run out of steam."
Facing Magath's verbal provocations, Borussia Dortmund's coach and players did not retaliate through the media. They simply thrashed Frankfurt 4‑0 in the subsequent Bundesliga Round 13.
It was still full‑court pressing and high‑line interception, which prevented Frankfurt from even crossing the halfway line.
Even without Marco Reus stretching the play on the left, Mario Götze's substitute appearance made Borussia Dortmund's attack even more versatile. Jin Hayes's continuous breakthroughs created threats.
In the first half, he was fouled by an opponent, earning a free kick. Nuri Şahin's delivery was lobbed into the box, and Neven Subotić scored with a header. Borussia Dortmund led 1‑0.
Next, Jin Hayes and Götze made flexible runs. Götze received a pass from Jin Hayes outside the box and scored with a low shot. 2‑0.
In the second half, after dribbling past two players, Jin Hayes broke into the box and suddenly made a cut‑back pass. Şahin unleashed a powerful shot to score. 3‑0.
Finally, Jin Hayes, despite being surrounded by four players, forcefully dribbled into the box. He managed to keep the ball amidst the crowd, even dribbling it out, which stunned all Frankfurt fans.
"Can someone please deal with him! He's too reckless!"
Jin Hayes's fancy moves led to Frankfurt players losing their composure and directly pulling him down in the box. Alexander Frei calmly converted the penalty. 4‑0.
After the match, Jin Hayes attended the press conference with Jürgen Klopp. Usually, the captain and coach attend. Today, it was Jin Hayes, which showed how much Borussia Dortmund trusted him. Facing repeated questions from the media, the 16‑year‑old answered fluently in German, without any stage fright.
At the end of the press conference, Jin Hayes smiled confidently: "Someone said before that we are not a strong team, that we would fall apart and run out of steam. What do they say now? A win is a win. Against the same Frankfurt, we won 4‑0, while some teams struggled and almost lost, sweating profusely!"
The media reporters present brightened, quickly recording Jin Hayes's remarks. He was certainly referring to Wolfsburg's third‑round match, where Wolfsburg had drawn 2‑2 with Frankfurt at home, conceding two goals and only managing to equalise with two penalties. Playing against the same team, the difference in quality was immediately apparent.
...
"Fuck!!" Seeing Jin Hayes's smiling face in the newspaper, along with the German media's scathing commentary, Felix Magath crumpled the paper in his hand, furious. The Wolfsburg players in the dressing room exchanged glances; their coach had wanted to provoke the other side, but he had ended up losing his composure first.
"What are you laughing at?"
"No, nothing."
Magath's anger shifted, and Edin Džeko and Grafite quickly disengaged as if they had drawn the boss's aggro in an online game.
"You two, try to score a few more goals in the upcoming matches to dampen their spirits!"
"No problem!"
The Wolfsburg players were also full of fighting spirit for next week's match against Borussia Dortmund. If they could truly defeat Dortmund, they might have a chance to compete for the championship. Players in the Bundesliga all knew that if Bayern lost their monopolistic power, other teams might have a real shot at the title. Who wouldn't want a championship?
…
Bundesliga Round 14: Karlsruhe 0‑1 Borussia Dortmund.
The disadvantage of losing Marco Reus began to show. Klopp had initially thought that Mario Götze could fulfill Reus's role on the wing, or at least 80% of it, which would be enough.
However, because Karlsruhe had long oscillated between the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, they placed more emphasis on defence. The 16‑year‑old Götze lacked physical strength and experience, and he was completely neutralised by the Karlsruhe defenders. The dual‑wing attack, having lost one 'leg,' temporarily became ineffective.
Although Borussia Dortmund's defence was airtight, their offence had lost its usual sharpness. Ultimately, it was Jin Hayes's world‑class goal that secured the narrow 1‑0 victory.
At that moment, Jin Hayes made continuous breakthroughs outside the box, swapping positions with Götze on the left wing. Just when it seemed he was going to break into the box and attempt a shot, Jin Hayes suddenly struck from near the corner flag. The ball curved in an astonishing arc, bypassing everyone in the box, and hit the far post.
"No!!!" Borussia Dortmund fans clutched their heads in anguish, thinking the goal wouldn't go in. Unexpectedly, the ball bounced off the post, rebounded across the face of goal, confused the goalkeeper, and finally bounced off the keeper's back into the net.
"That works?"
Causality Shot Enhancement was truly terrifying. As long as the ball was struck, it was bound to be a goal. The twists and turns of the process—being touched by someone, hitting the post—none of that mattered. No matter how the ball bounced, it would eventually find its way into the goal in the most unexpected manner.
"Ten goals in a single season! Jin is still giving his all!"
After defeating Frankfurt and Karlsruhe, Borussia Dortmund was about to face their next strong opponent: Wolfsburg, currently ranked third in the league.