Chapter 50
***
[Union Berlin cruise to another home win.]
[Union Berlin are on a three-game league winning streak since the second half began.]
After the match against Borussia Dortmund II, Union Berlin kept steadily piling up points.
Since they were only competing in the league, the lighter schedule helped quite a bit. The players could always take the field in peak condition.
We managed to steamroll our opponents with our physical edge.
[St. Pauli keep pressing Union Berlin…. ‘We won’t give up on the league title.’]
The gap to second-place St. Pauli hadn’t widened and stayed the same.
[VfL Osnabrück, after losses in Rounds 24 and 25, effectively out of the promotion race….]
The gap to third-place Osnabrück widened even further.
Union Berlin could clinch automatic promotion regardless of third place’s results if they earned 14 points from their remaining 12 matches.
Just two years after back-to-back relegations from the second division and a tumble all the way down to the amateur fourth division.
Union Berlin, which had looked like it might collapse and vanish at any moment, was now just one step away from returning to the second division after only two years.
…The bean god’s power is flowing into Union Berlin!
***
Around the time Union Berlin was steadily racking up points in the league.
The Korean exchange students who had been drifting on the fringes of Union Berlin were finally beginning to earn their teammates’ recognition.
They proved themselves through diligence and rapid growth.
Naturally, the club’s view of the Korean exchange students changed.
In particular, Son Hongmin received the highest praise.
Aside from the scout who had been blacklisted over a racism issue, the coaches’ evaluations of Son Hongmin were consistent.
The gist was this:
[He lacks far too much match experience. But aside from that, he’s excellent.]
Son Hongmin had only done basic training without playing matches until 2007, so lacking match experience was only natural. And the areas he had been criticized for were improving quickly, too.
While everyone was talking about Son Hongmin’s growth,
what caught Park Chanhyeok’s eye was Kim Hyeonseong.
…What’s with that guy?
Kim Hyeonseong was the player who had improved the most, apart from Son Hongmin.
***
Kim Hyeonseong was an ordinary boy from an ordinary family and went through his school years just as ordinarily.
His dream was ordinary, too: go to college, get a job, and build an ordinary family.
Kim Hyeonseong ended up joining the soccer club by pure coincidence.
The club coach spotted him playing soccer during lunch and recruited him.
Kim Hyeonseong joined as if spellbound by the coach’s claim that good tournament results would make college admissions easier.
…Is this really right?
By the time he came to his senses, he was the team’s youngest member, hauling the water jug around.
And after a series of twists and turns, he caught someone’s eye and came to Germany to study abroad.
Before he knew it, he was living a life far removed from the ordinary one he had dreamed of.
…Is this really the right thing for me to do?
He had worries too. His fundamentals were lacking even compared to the other kids, and that was the problem.
He even felt intimidated during training in Germany.
If it hadn’t been for the friends studying abroad with him in Germany, Kim Hyeonseong might have given up and gone home midway.
But thanks to his teammates, Kim Hyeonseong endured the difficult period,
and the boy discovered what he was good at.
Unlike in Korea, in Germany he could quickly encounter a wide range of tactical philosophies,
and what struck him most was the tactical philosophy of Dutch legend Johan Cruyff.
‘Football is played with your head, not your body.’
The idea was that you could still do your part just by standing in the right place.
Though that wasn’t actually the point he meant.
Anyway.
“Doesn’t it feel easier to follow the flow of the game when you play with Kim?”
“Yeah. Right? It feels like he’s always where he needs to be. He doesn’t seem to run all that much, though. Weird.”
After practice matches ended, his teammates always said something similar.
Kim Hyeonseong was pleased with his teammates’ reactions.
Praise could make even a whale dance, after all.
Kim Hyeonseong began honing his own abilities a little more.
‘Should I… build up my stamina a little more.’
It was the birth of Union Berlin’s version of an unsung hero.
***
Time flew by once again.
In their last six matches, Union Berlin had gone 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss.
Union Berlin had earned 11 points.
If Osnabrück had slipped up in even one match, they could have secured promotion to the second division long ago.
In the same span, Osnabrück burned through its last spark and put on a crazy run, rattling off six straight league wins.
Well. That wasn’t bad either.
From our position, though, it would be better to clinch it ourselves at home.
The Round 32 match against Holstein Kiel, where Union Berlin could secure promotion to the second division.
Their home ground, Stadion An der Alten Försterei, was packed with Union Berlin fans.
“Eisern Union!!!(Iron Union!)”
Fans who couldn’t get into the full stadium were even singing chants around the ground.
“Immer wieder Eisern Union!(Again and again, Iron Union!)”
The atmosphere around Union Berlin ahead of the Holstein Kiel match was slowly heating up.
***
Kang Juseong, a man in his mid-20s who had finished military service and come backpacking across Europe.
He let out a sigh in front of Union Berlin’s home stadium.
Since he was already in Europe, he’d come to Berlin to watch a Union Berlin match, but he couldn’t get a ticket.
And there were plenty of others here like him who had also failed to get tickets.
Rather than go home, those ticketless fans were circling the stadium and singing together.
“…Wow. Union Berlin really is amazing.”
He couldn’t help but blurt out his admiration at Union Berlin’s passionate support.
While Kang Juseong was watching, a Union Berlin fan brought a radio from home,
and people quickly swarmed around it.
For a brief moment, the fans listened intently to the live broadcast.
[Marcus Matschke, showing light footwork, has the ball. He shoots right away!]
[ein Tor─!! A beautiful goal by Marcus Matschke!]
The moment the radio broadcast announced Union Berlin’s goal.
“Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
“Eisern Union!!”
A thunderous cheer erupted.
Since Kang Juseong was Korean-born, he naturally couldn’t understand German, but
“Fuck! This is it! Eisern Union!!”
At that moment, it felt as if even the language barrier between them had crumbled.
“Fuck! Let’s go! Union!”
“…Huh? You actually speak Korean?”
“I used to work for a Korean conglomerate that made cars.”
“Then why are you in Germany now?”
“The IMF crisis wiped the company out.”
“Ah….”
“Chairman, you’re awful.”
Kang Juseong quietly patted the German man on the shoulder to comfort him.
***
After Marcus Matschke’s opener, Union Berlin kept battering Holstein Kiel, but they couldn’t score again.
In the 70th minute.
Thomas Tuchel brought on an extra defender and went into shut-it-down mode.
With Union Berlin still unable to add another goal despite the continued pressure,
the momentum was slowly shifting toward Holstein Kiel.
Union Berlin’s players threw themselves into defense and held off Holstein Kiel’s attacks.
Their uniforms were covered in dirt and dust, looking no different from rags.
Holstein Kiel’s final attack.
Holstein Kiel’s left back delivered a cross from the wing,
and at the same time Union Berlin’s goalkeeper punched the ball away.
Tweet—! Tweet! Tweeeet—!
The referee’s final whistle echoed through the stadium.
And at that moment.
Union Berlin’s fans began pouring onto the pitch.
“Nein! Don’t grab me!”
The fans grabbed Thomas Tuchel first and started tossing him in the air.
“There’s Chanhyeok over there!”
Park Chanhyeok tried to slip away quietly, but he was caught before long.
Unfortunately, Park Chanhyeok was too easy to spot in the crowd at Union Berlin.
“Ah, no! Don’t do it!”
Park Chanhyeok tried to resist fiercely, but it was useless.
That day, Union Berlin won the match and finally secured a return to the second division.
Union Berlin’s finances were still precarious, but people’s faces were full of smiles and hope.
***
[Union Berlin secure promotion to the second division on their own.]
[Thomas Tuchel reflects on promotion. “It’s a beautiful night. I’m proud of the players who stayed focused until the very end.”]
[Assistant coach Park Chanhyeok, “That ain’t our manager.”]
***
A few days after Union Berlin had secured promotion.
A shocking piece of news from the DFB reached Union Berlin.
“…What the hell are you talking about? Why is our promotion on hold!”
President Dirk Zingler spoke with a grief-stricken expression.
“During the fans’ pitch invasion last time, one section of a terrace collapsed. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but it seems the association pointed that out.”
Union Berlin.
Promotion to the second division 'suspended' because of safety issues caused by the aging stadium.