Chapter 21 — The Finish Line of Years Gone By

The next morning, domestic sports news sites simultaneously published articles with sensational headlines surrounding Uông Đắc Thành's statement. Although he never specifically named the relationship between Khue and Son, the vague use of the phrase "personal relationship in the decision to choose a partner" was enough for the online community to infer and weave into all kinds of stories, including malicious comments claiming that the Bạt Phong Club was chosen only because its head coach was acquainted with the project leader.

Khue spent the entire morning working with the company's legal and communications departments, drafting an official press release, announcing all the transparent bidding criteria used to select the partner clubs, accompanied by a detailed comparison table between Bạt Phong and the three other clubs considered, clearly demonstrating that Bạt Phong was superior in terms of coaching achievements and professional reputation, completely unrelated to any personal factors.

But even though the press release somewhat appeased public opinion, the image damage was still done. At Bạt Phong Club, the atmosphere became much heavier. Some parents of young athletes called to express concern, fearing their children would be caught up in an unnecessary media scandal. The sponsor who once called to warn about the risk of commercialization now has even more reason to be skeptical.

"Mr. Son, I have to say frankly, I'm really worried." The sponsor's representative called that morning, his voice filled with insecurity. "If this story continues to spread, the club's image will be seriously affected, and I fear we will have to reconsider continuing our sponsorship."

Son sat in the office, his mind reeling amid a series of problems rushing in at the same time. He convened an emergency meeting with Huan and the club's leadership to discuss a solution.

"I think we should withdraw from the contract with Khang Vinh," Son said, his voice heavy, after a moment of silent consideration. "It's not because I don't trust Khue, but because I don't want the club, and especially kids like Nhật Tiến, to suffer the consequences of a scandal that has nothing to do with their expertise."

Huan looked at his friend, unable to hide his surprise. "Are you sure about this decision? What about Khue? Are you going to let her face this alone?"

"It's because I care about Khue that I think so," Son replied, his voice somewhat confused, trying to justify his decision. "If the club withdraws, at least the "personal relationship" story will no longer have a basis for attack, and her project will more easily survive the storm."

"Did you ask her opinion before deciding?" Huan asked directly, his eyes serious.

Son paused, realizing that he was repeating the same old mistake - making important decisions on his own without consulting insiders, exactly like how his father had refused the support each year without really discussing the long-term consequences with his family.

"Not yet," he admitted, his voice quiet.

***

Khue heard about Bạt Phong Club's intention to withdraw not from Son himself, but from an official notification call from the club secretary, requesting to schedule a meeting to discuss the termination of the cooperation contract. She stood frozen in the office, feeling as if someone had given her a sudden blow right in the middle of her trying to fend off the media storm.

She immediately called Son, her voice full of anger and hurt. "Are you going to withdraw from the contract without saying a word to me first?"

"I'm sorry, I should have told you first," Son replied, his voice somewhat confused. "But I think this is the best way to protect both you and the club from this scandal."

"Protect me?" Khue shouted, unable to contain her rising anger. "Do you think that withdrawing right when I'm in the most difficult situation will protect me? It will make everyone believe that something is really shady, that you yourself admitted there was a problem so you withdrew! This is not protection, this is running away, Son!"

The word "run away" was like a knife cutting into Son's heart, recalling exactly the most secret fear he had never dared to face in the past thirteen years - the fear that, even if he didn't mean it, he would always be the one to leave before things could become too complicated to handle.

"I didn't run away," he argued, his voice also starting to get tense. "I'm just trying to make the best decision for everyone involved, not just you or me."

"Then why don't you consult me before deciding something that directly affects me?" Khue asked, her voice choked with both anger and pain. "You're still the same, Son. You always decide everything yourself and then inform others, as if their opinions are not as important as your self-esteem."

That sentence made Son silent, realizing the bitter truth in Khue's reproach - despite many years of growing up, despite having learned many lessons from injuries and from his coaching career, he still maintains an inherent habit from his youth: shouldering everything alone, making his own decisions instead of sharing, for fear of becoming a burden or being seen as weak.

"I need time to think again," he spoke, his voice low, feeling confused by the swirling emotions.

"Okay," Khue replied, her voice much colder, trying to hide the pain rising in her heart. "Think about it. But I hope you remember that, thirteen years ago, we lost each other due to circumstances no one could control. And this time, if we are separated again, it will be entirely due to your own choice."

She hung up, leaving Son standing there with the phone in his hand, feeling like he had just lost something precious for the second time in his life, but this time, not because of an accident, not because of poverty, but because of the stubbornness and fear that he had not yet learned to let go of completely, even though he had gone through a long journey to maturity.

***

Huan walked into the office just as Son had just hung up the phone. His face was pale and his hands were shaking slightly as he placed them on the desk.

"What's wrong?" Huan asked, even though he had already guessed it somewhat from your friend's expression.

"She said you were running away," Son said, his voice hoarse. "And I thought, maybe she's right."

"Then why are you still sitting here?" Huan asked directly, his voice somewhat harsh and rare. "Son, I know you're afraid of the kids on the team being affected, afraid of the sponsor withdrawing, afraid of everything. But have you ever thought that the right way to handle it is not to withdraw in silence, but to stand up with Khue to face public opinion, proving that this cooperation is completely transparent, there is nothing to be ashamed of?"

Son sat quietly, Huan's words like a ray of light piercing through the fog of panic that was covering his thoughts all morning.

"Do you remember what Teacher Khuong taught us in the past?" Huan continued, his voice softening. "When the leading opponent starts to slow down, it's not the time for you to slow down, but the time to get ahead. Now, instead of retreating in panic, why don't you think about holding a joint press conference with Khue, publicizing the entire cooperation process, to quell all doubts once and for all?"

That idea made Son awaken, realizing that he had let fear dominate his reason, choosing the easiest path - retreat - instead of the right but more difficult path - facing and overcoming together.

"I was wrong," he said, standing up from his chair. "I need to apologize to her, and suggest another direction."

***

Meanwhile, at Khang Vinh's office, Ky went to Khue right after that stormy call and saw her friend sitting silently at the desk, her eyes red but trying to hold back the tears.

"Are you okay?" Ky asked, pulling out a chair to sit next to her.

"I don't know," Khue replied, her voice tired. "I thought we had gotten over the hardest part, but overnight, everything fell apart in a completely different way."

"Do you think maybe he's just as panicked as you?" Ky asked, her voice gentle but full of thought. "He spent his whole life protecting the kids in the club, protecting the clean image of sports. Perhaps his first reaction was not because he didn't believe you, but because he was not used to having to face a crisis with someone, instead of shouldering it himself."

Khue was silent, pondering her friend's comment, feeling her anger gradually subside, giving way to another worry - whether she reacted too harshly, too hastily, without giving Son enough time to think clearly.