The scorching sun of the high summer of 2002 blazed like fire.
The sweltering heat, combined with the global football spectacle, seemed to make the summer even hotter.
In Mostar Town, Suk woke up with a yawn at 3:00 PM.
Ever since the FIFA World Cup started, so had Suk's life of night shifts.
Since this year's tournament was the Japan and South Korea FIFA World Cup, European fans had to deal with a time difference to watch the matches.
Many people had to stay up late to watch the games, but that did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm. Nearly every night, the tavern was bustling with activity.
After half a month, the group stage of the FIFA World Cup had come to an end.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup group stage could only be described as a roller coaster of emotions.
It was a mix of brilliance, upsets, darkness, and bizarre events.
The Brazil Team had entered a golden era; their "3R" trio swept the group stage.
There was Alien Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and the Midfield Magician, Ronaldinho, who had just made his debut in the Five Major Leagues and was on the rise.
The attacking trio became a nightmare for every defensive line. Their exquisite coordination and formidable individual skills struck fear into the heart of every defender.
And so, with a brilliant overall performance, the Brazil Team easily advanced to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.
So far, it was safe to say the Brazil Team was the one team that had lived up to their pre-tournament expectations.
As for the other favorite to win, the France Team, after Zidane's injury, Henry and the others seemed to have lost their backbone, as if they'd forgotten how to play football.
Three matches, one draw, two losses. They went from being title favorites to being eliminated in a group stage upset and sent home.
The world felt sorry for the France Team, concluding that they had an overly strong dependence on Zidane. Without their core midfielder, the France Team had seemingly forgotten how to play football overnight.
The England-Argentina showdown was the most explosive match of the group stage.
But the match itself wasn't as fiery as expected. Argentina suffered a bitter defeat, losing their chance to advance to the knockout stage.
The South Korea Team had become a hot topic of discussion worldwide.
They had advanced to the knockout stage as the top of their group with a record of two wins and one draw in three matches.
But more than amazement, most fans felt anger.
What they saw were blatant bad calls from the referee and all sorts of incomprehensible dirty tactics.
As a result, several European media outlets were furiously denouncing the South Korea Team.
The Portuguese media, whose team had been eliminated in the group stage, went so far as to say that South Korea had stolen their victory through dirty means and didn't deserve to be in the knockout stage.
But the result was the result, and that couldn't be changed.
During this time, Suk had seen the moods of too many fans shift.
From initial excitement to current numbness and indifference.
For the gamblers, this FIFA World Cup had been lethal; the matches weren't going according to script at all.
Around 4:00 PM, Suk arrived at Buckqi Tavern.
Buckqi, the bald-headed goalkeeper, had already arrived an hour earlier and was unloading food and drinks from a truck parked at the entrance.
Their previous stock had been completely depleted.
Drink sales during the FIFA World Cup were explosive, and they had to restock their supply almost every day.
Barrel after barrel of liquor was moved into the tavern. Besides beer, the tavern also served specially-made cocktails for the female fans.
"The TV seems to be acting up. Go take a look!"
Busy with his tasks, Buckqi said to Suk.
Suk nodded and walked into the tavern.
The air inside was thick with the smell of alcohol, and parts of the floor had become sticky. For the past half-month, drink sales had been so good that the whole tavern felt like an alcohol vat.
He opened the front and back windows to air the place out, diluting the pungent smell of alcohol a little.
At the same time, Suk skillfully climbed up a support pillar and started to fix the TV!
In European countries, repair fees are extremely expensive. You could say anything involving manual labor is expensive.
And these expensive labor costs forced Europeans to become incredibly handy.
Electrician, bricklayer, carpenter, cement worker, and so on...
It's safe to say that few European men lack hands-on skills.
Suk had no experience repairing electronics and didn't know how to fix a TV, but he knew the old-fashioned way.
After turning on the TV, the picture appeared normally, but there was no sound.
This was where a low-tech method came in very handy.
Suk straddled a beam, rolled up his sleeves, and—WHACK! WHACK!—gave the side of the TV a few heavy thumps.
The TV let out a bit of crackling static, and then the sound came through.
"Done!"
Suk nodded in satisfaction and climbed back down.
Suk glanced at the movers bustling around and saw there was nothing else for him to do. The tavern would open at six, and the first match was at eight-thirty that night, so things were still relatively quiet for now.
He went around the bar and into the back kitchen, planning to find something to eat.
Milk was a must; it was his most frequent source of nutrition these days.
He took a carton of milk from the fridge, poured a glass, and chugged a large mouthful, feeling instantly satisfied.
Ever since his last growth spurt, Suk seemed to have hit puberty, and his height had started to shoot up.
He had already grown about 5 centimeters, going from a shorty to a not-so-short shorty.
Of course, at a height of 155 centimeters, he was still at a significant physical disadvantage.
But Suk was confident. After all, he was finally growing. As long as he was getting taller, there was hope.
The thought immediately lifted his spirits.
Suk began to forage in the kitchen. Most of it was leftover fried food from the day before, which he didn't mind. He arranged it all on a plate with some rice and began to wolf it down.
Just as Suk was happily eating, Buckqi suddenly walked in.
"The drinks have been restocked. Tonight..."
Suk stood in the kitchen with his mouth stuffed full of rice. On his plate were a few cold, fried onion rings, chicken nuggets, and other such things.
Buckqi frowned slightly, sighing to himself.
He took an apron from a nearby hook, gave it a vigorous shake, and put it on. Then, he walked straight over to Suk and snatched the plate from his hands.
"Kids won't grow if they eat this stuff!"
With that, Buckqi dumped the food directly into the trash can. He then took a steak out of the refrigerator, put some butter in a pan to melt, and started cooking.
Suk stood to the side, staring eagerly at the steak sizzling in the butter, and couldn't help but swallow hard.
"You're actually a pretty nice guy!"
Without turning his head, Buckqi replied, "I'm docking it from your pay!"
Suk wasn't bothered. That was practically the man's catchphrase.
Buckqi had a sharp tongue but a kind heart.
Suk didn't know about other things, but Buckqi was genuinely good to him.
Take this job, for example. He clearly could have hired an adult, but he still hired the underage Suk and paid him a normal wage.
As for docking his pay, it almost never actually happened.
After the steak was cooked, he added some rice to the plate and handed it over.
"Finish eating, then come out and work!"
Suk nodded quickly and immediately started shoveling food into his mouth with his spoon again.
Once Suk had eaten his fill, he walked out of the kitchen.
The sky was gradually growing dark.
Lights began to flicker on around the Neretva River, and the crowds along its banks grew denser.
People in groups of threes and fives were choosing their preferred taverns, and Buckqi Tavern was a popular choice for many.
Mainly because the drinks there were relatively cheap.
Before long, the tavern gradually filled with noise and people.
People sat around tables, all looking up at the TV, waiting for the FIFA World Cup match to begin.
In the meantime, they constantly discussed and predicted the outcome of the game.
And in this atmosphere, drinks were consumed one glass at a time.
"Table three, three dark beers! One order of onion rings!"
"Your drinks, enjoy!"
"Coming! Coming!"
Suk weaved through the crowd, starting his busy day's work.
Suk wasn't anyone famous, so none of the customers knew him. They just assumed he was one of Buckqi's relatives helping out.
Suk, carrying a tray, placed the three dark beers on the table.
"Your beers and onion rings!"
After setting down the beers, Suk didn't leave. Instead, with a sweet smile, he added, "I hope you have a wonderful evening!"
The customers were very pleased by this.
"Here you go!"
One of them, a white man in a vest, took a 5 Marks bill from his pocket and handed it to him.
Suk happily accepted the tip and wished them well again with another sweet smile.
Suk bustled about his work, but he was also busy putting on a good show, trying to earn more tips.
Of course, not everyone was as generous as the man in the vest. Most tips were between one and three Marks, and some people didn't tip at all. There was nothing Suk could do about that.
But, sticking to the philosophy of service with a smile, he remained dedicated to his work.
He also earned a commission on drink sales; if he sold an expensive cocktail, he'd get a cut.
Amidst the lively atmosphere, in a corner of the tavern, a young man and a boy sat together.
The young man was talking nonstop, while the boy listened silently with his head down.
"Luka, your talent is unparalleled. You just haven't adapted to the Bosnia and Herzegovina League yet. Next season, I'll give you more opportunities, a greater tactical role. I believe that with our cooperation, we can create a glorious chapter for HSK that's never been seen before!"