Chapter 15
***
[Title: (Live) Union Berlin declares it will continue its donation campaign before every match.]
As news of Union Berlin fans’ spontaneous donations spread around the world, people who didn’t understand German football culture well showered them with praise.
It was mostly the reaction in Korea and other parts of Asia.
But in Europe, which shares a football culture similar to Germany’s.
[Union Berlin Breathes Romance Back into Football.]
└ Those guys are trying to set off flares.
└ Come to think of it, they couldn’t set off flares last match, right?
└ Oh, you watched a football match without flares? Horrifying.
They quickly grasped the real meaning hidden in the article.
Meanwhile, Union Berlin was giving a warm, touching feeling to a world growing harsher as romance faded.
“Chanhyuk, gifts have come from Korea.”
“…From Korea?”
“Yes.”
“All of those are gifts?”
“Yes. So, Chanhyuk, could you translate our website into Korean for our Korean fans?”
New work was piling up for Park Chanhyuk.
***
Although the term “global village” was already being used, information exchange was still slow compared to the future, when you could communicate in real time with people all over the world with just a flick of a finger.
So, I thought it would take a long time for reactions to come from Korea, too.
But what I hadn’t accounted for was that Korea at this time was desperate for the world’s attention.
‘Would it calm down if food prices like samgyeopsal or gim skyrocketed?’
In the future, people would joke that if samgyeopsal prices shot up, you shouldn’t go around promoting Korean food overseas.
Well.
Just think of it as a light joke among Koreans.
Most Koreans felt genuinely proud when they saw foreigners enjoying samgyeopsal.
Anyway.
This was the period when Winter Sonata became a smash hit in Japan and the term “Hallyu” began to enter the public consciousness.
News that a young player(?) just 18 years old had scored his debut goal in Germany’s fourth division reached Koreans through the 9 p.m. news.
[Park Chanhyuk, chief coach, continues his challenge in the fourth division.]
And what was even more surprising was that this 18-year-old player was not an ordinary player, but the chief coach of a team.
[Who is Park Chanhyuk, the youngest chief coach at 18?]
└ Holy crap, the youngest chief coach? That definitely wouldn’t happen in Korea.
└ On top of that, being a chief coach at 18 makes no sense. Must be just a name on there for publicity.
Even though it was only the fourth division, the news that he was serving as chief coach at such a young age shocked Korean society.
Along with articles comparing European and Korean education cultures and criticizing Korean education for lacking creativity(?).
The negative chatter about a lottery first-prize winner going abroad to study football on “tax money” vanished in an instant.
I instantly became a young, promising coach working hard for the development of Korean football.
Caught up in public curiosity, interview requests from media outlets came pouring in.
It was a good chance to promote the club called Union Berlin in Korea, but I had no choice but to firmly decline the interview requests.
- Oh~ son, what’s up?
“Dad, a reporter….”
Click─.
Our family still hadn’t shaken off the trauma from that day of being hounded by reporters.
Anyway.
As interest in Union Berlin and me exploded in Korea.
‘Wasn’t my main job supposed to be chief coach?’
I ended up with a new task: translating Union Berlin’s website.
Of course, I was too busy to take on new work.
“Then will you handle the manager’s mental care for me instead?”
I naturally tried to dump the precious job of Thomas Tuchel’s mental care onto the chairman, but Chairman Dirk Zingler firmly rejected my proposal. He said he would rather learn Korean and do the translating himself.
By now, it would be inefficient for Chairman Dirk Zingler to learn Korean, so we decided to look for a volunteer who could speak Korean.
Well. In fact, aside from being busy, I also felt the limits of my German when it came to translating Union Berlin’s website.
Even though my German had improved quickly through hands-on experience, I still knew far more words I didn’t know than words I did.
So, centered around the Korean community, we recruited volunteers who would work for “free” at Union Berlin.
Since it was unpaid volunteer work, I expected there wouldn’t be many applicants.
But thanks to the publicity Union Berlin had recently gotten in the Korean media.
“…Are these all résumés?”
“Yes.”
“They know there’s no pay, right?”
“There were definitely people who applied without knowing.”
“Scheiße (shit).”
Applications poured in from Koreans living in the Berlin area, and Chairman Dirk Zingler and I had no choice but to conduct interviews to choose one.
“Next person, please…. Let’s see, your name is….”
“Kim, Kim Seonmyeong!”
And that was my first meeting with Kim Seonmyeong, a computer engineering student studying in Berlin.
***
As a result of the interview for Union Berlin’s unpaid volunteer position, Kim Seonmyeong was selected.
He seemed to be worse at German than I was, but he got chosen because his genuine affection for Union Berlin was obvious.
‘And above all….’
The other applicants were more interested in the perks than in the actual work.
Seeing someone snag the club’s chief coach position at just 18, they must have thought they could land an even higher position at the club.
‘What kind of person comes to an interview and speaks informally?’
While I was grinding my teeth at the attitude of a few rude interviewees.
“…But is this also part of the chief coach’s job?”
The now rather friendly Kim Seonmyeong asked about Union Berlin’s weak points.
“This one too, please. Finish it before you clock out.”
“Ack.”
I quietly handed Kim Seonmyeong some additional work.
Though it was volunteer work, I thought today’s experience would help Kim Seonmyeong someday.
‘…It will help, right?’
***
Football fever in Korea increased rapidly starting with the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, when Korea achieved its miraculous run to the semifinals.
In Korea, the sport’s popularity often rose and fell depending on international tournament results.
And based on the strong showing at the World Cup, Korea’s professional football league was also rapidly gaining popularity.
On top of that, with the 2006 Germany World Cup approaching, football fever in Korea was heating up once again.
‘I wonder if there’s any interesting news.’
And by chance, the sports reporter came across Union Berlin while looking for a story.
[Title: (Live) Why is Korean profanity written on Union Berlin’s website?]
└ There’s a shit ton of work, you bald bastard Thomas Tuchel. < Did Park Chanhyuk write this? lolㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└ Wow, I was a little put off when they said he was an 18-year-old chief coach, but seeing this makes him seem like he’s my age lol.
Union Berlin’s story was enough to pique a Korean’s curiosity.
‘This is going to work.’
It had only been a little while since Korea had escaped the IMF crisis through the gold-collecting movement, and the wound was still fresh in people’s hearts. The reporter quickly immersed himself in Union Berlin’s story.
And the next day.
“Heh, you’re not going to cover the German World Cup; you’re going to cover the fourth division? Wow, what a serious reporter, huh?”
The reporter from the sports newspaper applied for an overseas assignment to cover Union Berlin, only to be torn apart by his senior.
***
Meanwhile, at the same time.
Union Berlin began training for their next match.
Although Union Berlin had dominated their opponents in the match against FC Anker Wismar, several fatal mistakes still occurred because they hadn’t had much time to build chemistry.
Seeing Thomas Tuchel explain tactics to the players as if he were teaching children, Park Chanhyuk nodded.
‘Sure enough, since he started his career as a youth coach. Unlike when he talks to me, he explains it in a way the players can understand easily.’
Unlike the opening match, this time Chanhyuk, as chief coach, had decided to actively support Thomas Tuchel in this game.
‘I’m a little nervous.’
Because unlike the previous match, where he had made his debut as a player, this time he would be making his debut in his main role.
‘Hoo. So this is what working my real job feels like.’
***
Union Berlin’s home ground.
Stadion An der Alten Försterei.
The stadium was so old and worn down it was practically falling apart, but Union Berlin’s fans loved it.
It was a place that held Union Berlin’s history and tradition in every corner.
“Our chief coach is going to score!”
“Park! Park! Park!”
Union Berlin’s home fans, before the match against Tennis Borussia Berlin, streamed into the stadium singing chants.
“Boooooooo─!”
“Chief coach, get out there and play!”
And when they saw Park Chanhyuk sitting on the bench with the manager, wearing a solemn expression, they showered him with boos.