Chapter 38
***
Union Berlin and St. Pauli's Regionalliga Round 5 match.
At Union Berlin's home ground, where the match was being played, the stands were covered with banners from fans hoping for a reconciliation between Park Chan-hyeok and Thomas Tuchel.
‘...This blew up more than I expected.’
Upon arriving at the home stadium, Park Chan-hyeok started breaking out in a cold sweat at the sight of banners covering every direction.
He turned to look over his shoulder at the gaze he felt behind him. Thomas Tuchel was looking at him, and the two quickly exchanged glances.
‘What are you going to do about this atmosphere?’
‘...Who are you?’
After staring at each other for a long while, Park Chan-hyeok was the first to look away. He decided to simply ignore the situation.
“Boooooo─!”
“Make up! Make up!”
“Make up! Make up!”
Watching that, the fans jeered and urged them to reconcile. Seeing the two of them turn away the moment their eyes met, they felt the tension between them still hadn't fully cooled down.
Meanwhile.
‘Judging by the atmosphere among the squad and the fans, I guess they really did fight.’
A smile deepened at the corner of St. Pauli's manager's mouth. The desperation he felt from both the fans and the players was too real to dismiss as mere acting.
***
Union Berlin's players came into the locker room after warming up with grave expressions. The conflict between Park Chan-hyeok and Thomas Tuchel had lowered the squad's morale.
Thankfully, the squad had not split into factions, thanks to Daniel Teixeira, the oldest player, and ace Yannick Voigt.
“Isn't Chan-hyeok still not planning to apologize?”
“I don't know. He looked so serious I couldn't even talk to him.”
“Ugh, what a mess this suddenly turned into.”
“What if Chan-hyeok never apologizes?”
“Then one of them, either Thomas or Chan-hyeok, will leave the team.”
Silence fell over the locker room at Thomas Meyer's cynical remark.
Because the players couldn't accept the fact that one of the two men who had revived Union Berlin would disappear.
“No, seriously, is this really right? Those two were really close just a few days ago.”
“Well... that's how relationships are. From an outsider's point of view, even something trivial can drive people apart.”
“...Maybe Chan-hyeok will be the one to leave the team.”
“Who knows... Thomas might leave instead. Thomas and the chairman aren't exactly on good terms, are they?”
In general, when a manager and an assistant coach fall out, it's usually the assistant coach who gets pushed out. An assistant coach is easier to replace than a manager.
But Union Berlin was a bit of a special case.
More players followed assistant coach Park Chan-hyeok than manager Thomas Tuchel. Union Berlin's irreplaceable ace, Yannick Voigt, had been Park Chan-hyeok's choice.
If he were a normal manager, he would have been wary of the assistant coach's growing influence, but Thomas Tuchel, obsessed with tactics, didn't care about Park Chan-hyeok's growing influence.
“What would you do if Chan-hyeok left the team?”
“Well, I think I'd request a transfer. Thomas is definitely a great manager, but our personalities just don't fit.”
As a result, if assistant coach Park Chan-hyeok were sent packing, the chances of problems breaking out were far too high.
“If one of them has to go, I think it'd be better if Thomas left.”
“I disagree. Thomas is good at his job.”
Of course, that didn't mean it was right to get rid of Thomas Tuchel. Every player at Union Berlin acknowledged Thomas Tuchel's abilities.
“What good is that if he's a problem in other areas?”
Still, the point was that Thomas Tuchel wasn't the kind of boss you wanted to work under.
Just as the players were about to argue over their differing opinions,
Yannick Voigt and Daniel Teixeira quickly stepped in to mediate the dispute.
‘At this point, even keeping the squad's complaints in check seems to have its limits.’
‘Haaah, what kind of hellish slog is this at the tail end of my career?’
But their worries vanished the moment Thomas Tuchel and Park Chan-hyeok walked into the locker room smiling. Replacing those worries was a massive surge of outrage at having been fooled.
“Ta-da, it's a hidden-camera prank~!”
To the flustered players, Park Chan-hyeok answered with a bright smile.
The moment Yannick Voigt heard Park Chan-hyeok's cheerful tone,
“…Guys.”
he declared, taking the lead as the squad's central figure.
“Get that bastard.”
Before Yannick Voigt could even point at Park Chan-hyeok, the players quickly grabbed him as he tried to turn and run.
“Chan-hyeok, where do you think you're going?”
“You need a beating.”
“You bastard, do you know how worried we were?”
“This bastard really knows how to provoke a beating.”
For a while, only Park Chan-hyeok's desperate voice echoed through Union Berlin's locker room.
“Agh! I just got my cast off not long ago! You bastards!”
***
Once I declared that all of this had been a hidden-camera prank to fool the opponents, the squad welcomed me with a barrage of fiery kicks.
What surprised me personally in this incident was that there were more players on my side than I'd expected.
Until now, I'd thought that if I ever stepped into the spotlight, plenty of players would oppose me. I was young to the point of being almost a kid, and above all, an Asian outsider in European football.
‘Was that just a victim complex?’
Maybe it really had been a victim complex.
The truth was, I'd gotten along with the players, but I hadn't been able to open up to them sincerely.
Because of the discrimination I had received, knowingly and unknowingly, while living in Germany, I hadn't been able to approach the players with genuine sincerity.
But the players were accepting me as an indispensable part of Union Berlin.
At that realization, I found myself smiling.
“Daniel, this bastard is smiling.”
“Looks like he hasn't been hit enough yet. Hit him some more.”
***
[Hello to viewers who love overseas football. This is caster Bae Moon-seong, bringing you the Union Berlin vs. St. Pauli match.]
[I'm analyst Jang Seong-jae. Nice to meet you.]
The Union Berlin and St. Pauli match was also being broadcast in Korea.
That was because they had gained recognition among Korean fans through their preseason match against Oseong Red Wings, and because Park Chan-hyeok was the only Korean assistant coach active in Europe.
[Yes, that's right. This is a matchup between league leaders St. Pauli and second-place Union Berlin. According to the news delivered before kickoff, Union Berlin is expected to have a difficult match.]
└ Why the hell are they broadcasting a third-division team when they don't even broadcast Premier League matches?
└ I heard the Premier League rights are still being negotiated.
└ When the hell is that negotiation supposed to end?
└ They're probably doing it on purpose to pay less for the rights. It's like, 'If you won't lower the rights fee, then fine, we don't have to broadcast it either.'
└ Then why do they broadcast Union Berlin right away?
└ Because third-division rights are cheap.
But above all, the biggest advantage was that the broadcasting rights were cheap compared to the buzz it generated.
Compared with the Premier League, the absurdly cheap broadcasting rights for Germany's third division were enough to make the higher-ups' eyes pop.
And in fact, far more viewers were watching the Union Berlin and St. Pauli match than the amount of money spent to buy the rights would suggest.
[Yes. That's right. News of the conflict between Union Berlin manager Thomas Tuchel and assistant coach Park Chan-hyeok was reported in Korea a few days ago, drawing huge attention from football fans. The key issue is whether Union Berlin can smooth over the conflict and get through this crisis safely.]
The conflict between Thomas Tuchel and Park Chan-hyeok had been reported in Korea as well.
[Ah, and just as I was saying that, the players are starting to come onto the pitch. Even though this is a third-division match, the cheers of the fans filling the stadium are ringing out. The passion for football in Europe really is something else.]
└ Wow. Union Berlin's cheering atmosphere is insane;;
└ But damn, this stadium is way too old. Can't someone build them a new one?
***
Meanwhile, at that very moment.
‘So it was acting after all!’
The moment Union Berlin's players came onto the pitch, St. Pauli's manager realized he'd been fooled.
Compared to when they were warming up, the players' expressions looked far too relaxed. There was no way a team in conflict could ever have faces like that.
‘Where did the acting start, exactly?’
Naturally, not every player can act well. Which meant even the squad had been fooled.
‘Those crazy bastards, did they even fool the players?’
The St. Pauli manager clicked his tongue at Park Chan-hyeok and Thomas Tuchel, who had even fooled their own squad, without realizing it.
People often say life is high risk, high return, but what Park Chan-hyeok had done carried way too much risk for the return it offered.
‘If this goes wrong, the team could split in half...’
It was something a manager with a normal mind simply couldn't do.
The St. Pauli manager burst out laughing without realizing it.
Because he was up against two lunatics unlike any others in the world.
‘Damn, now isn't the time to be admiring them.’
Shaking his head to clear it, he was about to give the players new instructions.
But before his voice could reach them.
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the match, and
the Union Berlin players ran harder than usual.
They were taking out on St. Pauli the frustration of having spent the last few days anxious and miserable.
Having vented their anger by trampling Park Chan-hyeok, who had fooled everyone with flawless acting, there were still embers smoldering in their chests.
[Wow! What in the world is going on here? Contrary to expectations of a close match, Union Berlin is overwhelming them one-sidedly!]
The Union Berlin players pressed St. Pauli relentlessly, as if they had resolved to throw everything into the first half.
[Markus's pass finds Yannick Voigt, and Voigt shoots right away!]
[Goooooal─! Yannick Voigt's long-range shot rips through the net!]
[Wow. Yannick Voigt is known as a player who doesn't often attempt long-range shots. Could there be some special change of heart?]
[Well, I think it's less a change of heart and more that Yannick Voigt has armed himself with a new weapon.]
In the 5th minute of the first half, Yannick Voigt managed to score, buoyed by the home crowd's support.
“Park Chan-hyeok!!! You bastard!!!”
After scoring, Yannick Voigt immediately sprinted to the corner flag and let out a roar.
[Ah. It's a moving scene of support for the assistant coach who made him who he is today.]