Chapter 13
***
The match between Union Berlin and FC Anker Wismar had begun.
Despite being an away game, a considerable number of Union Berlin fans had come to Anker Wismar's home stadium to watch.
That was because the team's crisis had made the fans even more loyal.
In truth, German clubs are community-based to begin with, and were already famous for that kind of loyalty.
Union Berlin was especially unusual among them.
The sudden financial crisis had greatly strengthened the sense of community between the club and its fans.
Later on, just as Borussia Dortmund's fans would grow closer to the club during a financial crisis, Union Berlin was going through that process a little earlier.
Anyway.
The red jerseys filling the away section swayed back and forth like waves.
“Toward the dawn, we march against the wind. (We will march toward the dawn, against the wind.)”
Union Berlin's chant rang out.
“We will tear everything apart until we become German champions. (We will tear everything apart until we become German champions.)”
After the chairman's heartfelt persuasion, most of the fans decided to watch and see for now.
Of course, that didn't mean he had convinced everyone with just one speech.
There were still many fans who couldn't accept a rookie manager in his thirties and an eighteen-year-old Asian as the assistant coach.
‘If I concede the thirtysomething rookie manager, fine. But what? You're going to use an eighteen-year-old Asian as the assistant coach? Did the chairman get a bullet put through his brain or something?’
That was the same for Meyer, who had come to the stadium.
‘Hmph. Still, I hate seeing the team lose, so I'll cheer for them hard.’
But once the game started, they were singing their lungs out and sincerely hoping the team would win.
Union Berlin was a team with history, one they'd loved since their fathers—or maybe even their grandfathers—had followed it.
And a moment later.
Soon after, when the opening probing battle between Union Berlin and FC Anker Wismar ended, the match began to turn truly fierce.
Meyer couldn't hide his confusion.
‘...Wasn't the only Asian on our team the assistant coach?’
Because the playing assistant coach was dominating the match between the two teams.
“Yannick! Don't ease up on the press!”
***
The league opener between Union Berlin and FC Anker Wismar was televised even though it was a fourth-division match.
That was thanks to the attention Union Berlin had recently been drawing in Germany.
When life gets harsh, people naturally start looking for romance. Germany, whose economy was in bad shape, was going wild over Union Berlin's romantic story.
In fact, politicians also deliberately pushed Union Berlin's story.
In any country, when the economy goes bad, far-right parties can rise by channeling ordinary people's anger.
Since Germany had already seen a far-right party rise once and drag the whole world into war, it was unavoidable that they would be extremely wary of a far-right surge brought on by an economic crisis.
Anyway, through various overlapping interests, the match between Union Berlin and FC Anker Wismar was broadcast nationwide.
- Oh.... Damn, look at how awful these facilities are.
- There's nothing you can do about that in the fourth division.
- Guys, compared to the fourth-division standard, those facilities are actually pretty well maintained.
Though it was a shabby football environment compared to first-division facilities,
the broadcast quality wasn't very good either.
[The match between Union Berlin and FC Anker Wismar. Union Berlin kicks off to start the match.]
Even so, the raw atmosphere of the stadium caught some viewers' attention.
[Oh. The camera has caught the recently much-talked-about manager Thomas Tuchel and assistant coach Park Chan-hyuk.]
└ Asian? No, setting aside the fact that he's Asian, isn't he too young?
└ Surprisingly, that Asian guy is apparently a player, assistant coach, and general manager all at once.
[That's right. The two of them had a connection from Stuttgart. They were briefly separated when Park was appointed as Augsburg's youth director, but they reunited at Union Berlin.]
[Yes. It seems manager Tuchel agreed to take the Union Berlin job on the condition that Park Chan-hyuk be appointed as assistant coach.]
[Their story is dramatic and romantic as well.]
[Ah. And assistant coach Park Chan-hyuk is wearing a player uniform in this match. Surprisingly, Union Berlin's assistant coach has been named in the starting lineup as an outfield player.]
[A playing assistant coach, truly a rare sight.]
[Haha. This is the first time I've seen this while broadcasting! Ah! Just as I was saying that, David's shot! Union Berlin creates a dangerous chance right from the start of the match.]
[The assistant coach, Park Chan-hyuk, is encouraging the player who took the shot. He was worried that his young age would make people look down on him, but assistant coach Park seems to be quite respected by the Union Berlin players.]
***
“Nice shot!”
Even though the shot missed, I clapped and gave him a thumbs-up.
A small gesture like that could lift the team's morale.
David, who had taken the shot, also looked back at me and gave a thumbs-up.
Of course, the Union Berlin players hadn't recognized me as the assistant coach from the very beginning.
It took quite a while for them to acknowledge me.
Truthfully, if I had even the official qualifications to carry out assistant coach duties, I could have used authority to press down on the players.
Unfortunately, the DFB C-license I had obtained wasn't enough to make me an assistant coach, even in the amateur fourth division.
So I was very cautious with the players at first.
Who would recognize an eighteen-year-old Asian who didn't even have the DFB B-license required to serve as assistant coach?
By the way, the reason I could serve as assistant coach was that the DFB had granted an exceptional allowance.
It was a system that let a club unable to find an assistant coach with a B-license appoint a coach holding a C-license on the condition that he take the B-license course.
Well... in the first place, they could have simply signed me as a coach and used me as the assistant coach. But maybe the club had at least some conscience, since they pushed ahead with an assistant-coach contract.
The DFB was also aware of Union Berlin's situation, and my appointment as assistant coach was approved more easily and quickly than expected.
Anyway, aside from the fact that my appointment as assistant coach was not a problem,
what really mattered was that I was finally being recognized by the players as their assistant coach....
- You may complain all you like, but Chan-hyuk is a coach with such outstanding talent that even I, the manager, recognize him.
It was all thanks to Thomas Tuchel smoothing things over and my 'sincerity' toward the players and the club.
-Big brother, what kind of team is Union Berlin?
“A club that will eventually make it to the Bundesliga?”
-A club that's destined to skyrocket if you invest in it?
“Right? But don't even think about investing. It'll take more than ten years.”
- Still, if ‘we’ invest, couldn't we make it skyrocket a little faster?
“...That might be true?”
- Then let's invest.
- And, big brother.
“Yeah?”
- Next time you have something hard going on, don't drown yourself in booze—tell me. I'll take care of it for you.
My little sister's blessing was stronger than I had expected.
After becoming the club's biggest investor, right behind Chairman Dirk Zingler,
my authority as assistant coach naturally grew.
Maybe every problem in human relationships is really just a matter of not having enough money.
“You've got money, don't you? Could you support us with a little more transfer budget?”
Of course, Thomas Tuchel treated me no differently than before.
It was because he had the mindset that if the board ever acted like crap, he'd just quit as manager and leave.
To keep Thomas Tuchel from blowing up, I had to handle him carefully.
That was also why I stepped in as Thomas Tuchel's dedicated mental therapist.
Anyway.
‘Ah. I see. Your level.’
After figuring out the opponent's strength through the opening probing phase, I...
‘I was so bored I wanted to die.’
signaled to the players,
and at that moment, we pressed aggressively from the front.
Union Berlin's advantage was that, for a fourth-division club, it had a very roomy 21-man roster, assistant coach included.
Thomas Tuchel and I prepared a high-pressing game built on strong stamina.
While Thomas Tuchel prepared the tactics,
I improved the players' stamina through intensive training.
For the record, the training plan was put together by me, the assistant coach. Thanks to that, I could use my future knowledge without holding back.
Well, the downside was that it was brutally hard, almost enough to kill you.... but stamina could improve quickly.
‘Assistant coach. I think I can stop this training now.’
‘Why is that? Can't you see yourself growing?’
Come to think of it, it seems people started respecting me as assistant coach from around then on.
‘Is it just my imagination?’
Anyway.
The opposing team couldn't make sense of Union Berlin's suddenly intensified press.
“Run!”
Before long, Yannick Voigt, whose one-star stat had been fully maxed out, succeeded in stealing the ball.
We immediately launched a counterattack.
Yannick passed the ball to the winger out wide,
and David, who had the ball on the wing, attempted a cross. I threw myself at David's cross without sparing my body.
Swish─!
“Jaaaaaaaaaaa─!”
The ball shook the net as it went in.
We managed to score as early as the 5th minute of the first half.
***
[Oh, my goodness! The assistant coach who doesn't spare his body! Park!]
[Park rattles the net! Who could possibly see this player as an assistant coach? Union Berlin takes the lead just five minutes into the first half!]
[The away fans are going wild, welcoming the assistant coach who ran into the stands.]
[Haha. If an assistant coach puts on a performance like that, the fans' complaints can only naturally subside!]
***
Meanwhile.
[Title: Latest update on the fourth-division Korean assistant coach who made headlines.]
(Park Chan-hyuk goal scene. gif)
He just scored in the opening match.
└ ?
└ ?
└ ?
└ ?
└ He's an assistant coach...?
In Korea too, the names Union Berlin and Park Chan-hyuk began to slowly spread through online communities.