Chapter 115
***
[Union Berlin Thrash Frankfurt 4–0.]
[Frankfurt Manager: “It Seems a New Powerhouse Has Emerged in the Bundesliga.”]
[Luka Modrić, Pleased with His Move to Union Berlin: “There’s a Lot to Learn Here….”]
[Park Chan-hyuk Gives an Interview with a Dark Expression…. “We Achieved a Perfect Victory Today. I Thank the Players.”]
[‘Am I Still Hungry?’ Park Chan-hyuk Doesn’t Smile Even After a 4–0 Thrashing!]
└ Wow lol, he still isn't satisfied even after winning 4–0?
└ Krr lol, this is what a true master manager looks like.
└ No wonder Union Berlin became a powerhouse ㄷㄷ
***
After the match against Eintracht Frankfurt ended, I made a declaration in front of the players.
“From now on, I won’t steal your celebrations.”
The moment I finished speaking, the players snorted.
Unfortunately, not a single one of them believed me.
“Instead, from now on, I’ll celebrate every time we concede!”
I told the players about the incredibly good idea I had come up with today.
“……What does that mean?”
A look of confusion spread across the players’ faces at my great declaration.
“Hmm. Did I learn German wrong?”
Cafu began to doubt his German skills.
“Boss! That’s too much of a joke!”
“I’m not joking.”
“…….”
Several players tried to dismiss it as a joke.
But when they saw my serious expression, their faces began to stiffen.
They realized that I was being completely serious.
The team’s forwards were confused, but they didn’t look all that troubled.
Apparently, the burden of maintaining a clean sheet fell more heavily on the defenders and goalkeeper.
“Anyway, good work today. Don’t forget to get massages, and make sure you all rest well. That’s all!”
I immediately dismissed the players and headed straight home.
I had a feeling that if I stayed in my office today, the players would keep coming to ask for counseling.
***
“……Am I dreaming right now?”
The ones whose expressions darkened the most after Park Chan-hyuk’s sudden declaration were Union Berlin’s defenders and goalkeeper.
‘Damn it, now we can’t concede even a single goal.’
‘What is this? Is he pressuring us to keep a clean sheet?’
‘We have been conceding more goals from small mistakes lately.’
They were the players who would suffer the most direct consequences if Park Chan-hyuk celebrated our conceded goals.
“Why do you think the boss made that choice? It must be because we’ve been conceding more goals recently, right?”
The defenders and goalkeeper immediately gathered to come up with a countermeasure.
Cafu looked around at the other players as he asked, but no one could answer.
They couldn’t read Park Chan-hyuk’s thoughts. That was the difference between an ordinary person and a regressor.
“……I think it’s just because he hasn’t been able to celebrate.”
Manuel Schmidt, who had known Park Chan-hyuk the longest among them, was the first to arrive at the correct answer.
Cafu and the rest of Union Berlin’s defensive line nodded as well.
“……So it’s just a meaningless remark, right?”
The Brazilian players didn’t ignore Manuel Schmidt’s words.
Even though Manuel Schmidt was younger than them, he was one of the players who had known Park Chan-hyuk the longest.
And above all, based on Park Chan-hyuk’s actions so far, that really did seem likely.
“Well… there might also be a slight reprimand hidden in there about our recent defensive problems.”
They quietly nodded at Manuel Schmidt’s follow-up.
It was not entirely impossible that he had meant to scold the defenders for their recent string of mistakes.
In fact, they had nearly failed to keep a clean sheet in today’s match after losing concentration near the end.
“Then what we need to do is simple. From now on, let’s finish matches without conceding as much as possible.”
The Union Berlin players made a quiet vow.
Park Chan-hyuk’s declaration that he would celebrate conceded goals had succeeded in awakening the defense.
“We have to stop the boss from celebrating!”
“Jaaaaaa!”
***
After the match against Frankfurt ended, time passed quickly.
Union Berlin began another unbeaten run in the second half of the league season.
[Union Berlin Defeat Werder Bremen 2–0.]
[‘Three Consecutive Clean Sheets!’ Thiago Silva’s Focused Defending Helps Union Berlin Secure a 1–0 Win Over Schalke.]
[M.O.M. Manuel Schmidt, 1–0 Victory After Repelling Leverkusen’s Attacks. ‘A Full Seven Saves from Shots on Target!’]
Four matches had been played since the game against Frankfurt, but unfortunately, I hadn’t performed a single celebration.
That was because the defenders had stopped conceding, as if they had awakened.
[Cafu’s Self-Sacrificing Defense! He Blocks Hannover 96’s Attack with His Face.]
I was genuinely shocked when veteran Cafu blocked an opponent’s shot with his face.
‘……No, why is he going that far when we’re winning 4–0?’
I had half-risen from my seat to run toward the corner flag, but I had no choice but to sit back down and grumble.
Anyway.
Compared to the defenders, who were desperately preventing us from conceding, the forwards looked much more relaxed.
In fact, the forwards hadn’t believed me at first either, and they had celebrated with all their strength.
But the moment they realized that I really wasn’t stealing their goal celebrations,
the tension among the forwards disappeared, and they began to loosen up a little.
‘……They’re letting their guard down like that. It makes me want to celebrate.’
In an instant,
I felt an urge to steal a celebration.
But I desperately suppressed the cry of the little child inside me.
After all, a manager had to keep his word.
‘I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run. I want to run.’
Could it have been because I hadn’t celebrated recently?
Cold sweat ran down my body, and my hands and feet trembled.
In addition to these physical symptoms, I was also experiencing psychological symptoms such as anxiety, restlessness, depression, and irritability.
‘I’ve experienced these symptoms before…!’
Unfortunately, I knew exactly what these symptoms were.
“……Damn it, withdrawal symptoms.”
Celebration withdrawal symptoms had come for me.
***
Park Chan-hyuk continued to field mostly prospects and rotation players in the DFB-Pokal.
Even though a title run had become possible, taking that opportunity away from them would obviously have a negative effect on the players’ morale.
‘……The prospects are playing, so it would be a little much to run out there just because they conceded, right?’
Although the prospects did concede in the DFB-Pokal,
Park Chan-hyuk did not run toward the corner flag to celebrate.
The players who took part in today’s match were simply too young.
Park Chan-hyuk did possess a conscience, at least to some extent.
‘Oh dear, look at them. They’ve gone completely white after conceding.’
And if my conceded-goal celebrations gave the young players severe trauma, I would be the one who had the biggest headache.
“It’s okay! The match isn’t over yet! Stay calm and play!”
The Union Berlin prospects relaxed a little as they played on, reassured by their manager’s warm voice coming from the touchline.
The flow of the match gradually began to shift toward Union Berlin.
[Lee Seong-jae receives the ball and shoots right away…! Gooooooooooal! Lee Seong-jae! Lee Seong-jae scores the equalizer!!]
And Union Berlin managed to secure a victory thanks to Lee Seong-jae’s outstanding performance, which raised the team’s morale after he scored his debut goal in the final match of the first half of the league season.
[Union Berlin Defeat a Third-Division Club 2–1.]
[Lee Seong-jae Scores Twice! Serious Competition for a Starting Spot Begins?]
[Park Chan-hyuk: It Is Important Not to Give Up Until the End.]
***
After winning in the DFB-Pokal, Union Berlin also defeated Borussia Mönchengladbach in its next match.
Just before the end of the match, Yannick Voigt’s long-range shot was sucked straight into the corner of the goal.
‘……Ah. I should have stolen that one.’
The stands erupted in cheers at Yannick Voigt’s fantastic goal, while I watched him perform a boring celebration with a look full of regret.
After scoring, Yannick ran toward the corner flag and performed a simple celebration by punching the air.
‘……Yannick is good at everything, but his celebrations never improve.’
Honestly, I was a little—no, very—disappointed that I couldn’t steal Yannick’s celebration after his wonder goal, but it was all right.
The league schedule was only going to grow more intense from here on out.
Although we had maintained our clean sheets so far, we were bound to concede eventually.
And finally.
The match in which Union Berlin could concede was approaching.
Union Berlin’s next match was
against Dortmund, led by Jürgen Klopp, my rival.
I thought a Dortmund side led by Jürgen Klopp could at least break through Union Berlin’s ironclad defense and score a goal.
‘Ahh…. After such a long period of humiliation and persecution… I was getting sick of it. It’s time for Celebration Grand Master Park Chan-hyuk to return.’