Chapter 110
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: If You Want Park Si-hyun's Attention, Improve Your Skills First
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Rot-Weiss Essen forums were practically a "Park Si-hyun Gallery" at this point.
A place where posts popped up about what Park Si-hyun ate for breakfast, how many times he wiped sweat during training, who he chatted with, and even claims that his breathing sounded more solemn than usual today.
And today was no different.
I pray to Si-hyun every day. I know my prayers will return as even greater miracles later.
They say if you believe in God, miracles will come... I didn't buy it before, but now I do. The miracles God Si-hyun has shown us are countless.
...When did this place get taken over by the Red God Cult? Even so, calling a player "god" is a bit much... This is the Rot-Weiss Essen forum, not the Park Si-hyun forum.
Heretic! Defiler of the sanctuary!
Purify him now! Start with the eyes using a photo of Park Si-hyun!
Amid the usual peaceful posts, a new one quietly rose to the top.
Si-hyun bought a house for Charlie?
At first, it seemed like just another lightweight rumor buried under the daily "Park Si-hyun praise posts."
But soon, it started racking up recommendations at an absurd rate, shooting straight to the top pinned spot.
The reason? A sensational headline from the local paper that dropped right after.
Rot-Weiss Essen's Prodigy Striker Gifts House to Teammate Prospect... "I Hoped His Family Could Live Together Too"
The article featured photos of Park Si-hyun and Charlie Adam touring the property, plus an interview with the real estate agent who handled the deal.
"That day, I was shocked twice. First, just seeing Park Si-hyun, my favorite player, right in front of me. Second, it was his actions. Even for a high earner, it's rare to buy such an expensive house for a teammate without hesitation. And he even smiled casually to keep Charlie from feeling bad. Seeing that, I was convinced—this guy's heart is as big as his talent... Guess I'm destined to be a lifelong Park Si-hyun fan from today."
The story spread across Germany in an instant, and Park Si-hyun's name was back on everyone's lips.
For soccer fans used to trash talk about team fights, transfer disputes, and betrayals, this was a genuine feel-good story after a long drought—buying a house for a promising teammate who couldn't afford it yet.
Plus, while Park Si-hyun was already treated like a top-flight star in terms of reputation, he wasn't actually earning a top-flight wage yet.
That contrast hit fans even harder, sparking shock and admiration.
Even those who still saw him as "arrogant and rude" had to admit,
"His personality's a bit quirky, but he's a good guy at heart."
Just like that, Park Si-hyun's reputation grew not just for his skills, but his character too—a image that would later lead to unexpected benefits.
But the man himself had no clue about any of that. He was just a bit flustered by the sudden attention.
"What the...?"
He was genuinely flustered.
Sure, he bought it.
But it was just a temporary advance—Charlie was supposed to pay him back later. That's why he'd told his parents it was Charlie who bought it himself...
Now the news was blaring that he'd gifted the whole house like some big-shot philanthropist.
'That real estate guy's eyes were a bit too intense... Didn't think he'd go straight to an interview.'
Whatever, couldn't be helped.
For Charlie, the house was way out of his price range anyway.
His parents would spot it wasn't his purchase the second they saw it, so this was just for show—making it look like Charlie bought it to save face.
What really pissed him off was the article painting him, Park Si-hyun, as some broke prospect like Charlie.
'It wasn't even 30% of my assets.'
Okay, 30% was still a chunk of change, but the place was a modest two-story detached house in one of Essen's upscale neighborhoods—not a full mansion, but nice.
Price tag: 450,000 to 550,000 euros, or about 600 to 700 million won.
Not cheap, but truly less than 30% of his net worth.
How? Simple.
He was already on one of the highest salaries in the 2. Bundesliga—rare for the league. Goal bonuses alone often topped his weekly pay, putting his real income on par with mid-tier top-flight strikers.
No bitcoin or stocks from his early regression days. Just pure Park Si-hyun style: talent turning into wealth.
'And I've already bought Mom a building, Dad a mansion.'
No way he'd splurge big on a subordinate before his parents.
Parents first.
2002 Gangnam prices were steep, but knowing Korea's real estate boom better than anyone, he'd gotten Mom a 1 billion-won mini-building in Gangnam.
By the 2020s? Easily 15 to 20 billion.
For Dad, a 400,000-euro (about 500 million won) detached house near Essen's civic cultural center in a premium area.
Not Gangnam-level by Korean standards, but close to a billion in local value.
Bottom line: whether he was rich or not, asking Charlie for the money back now would look bad.
With public opinion locked in like this, it'd kill his vibe.
Even if people forgot over time, it'd still bug him.
'Tch... Guess I won't take it back.'
A man who eats a loss of hundreds of millions for the sake of face.
Living for face, dying for face—that's Park Si-hyun style.
Rot-Weiss Essen's 11th round opponent was Eintracht Frankfurt.
A team solidly in the title race.
But for Essen fans, this match meant more than just league standings.
One name explained it all.
'Marco Ditelman.'
A player who'd left Rot-Weiss Essen for Frankfurt.
When Essen was scraping the bottom of the 3. Liga, his move to 2. Bundesliga Frankfurt made career sense.
The problem was how he left—and what he said.
Right up to departure, he'd sworn,
"Essen is everything to me. I'll be buried here."
Days later, penning his Frankfurt contract, he said,
"It's an honor to join a club that actually feels like a real soccer team."
How do you think Essen fans took that?
Straight translation: Essen wasn't even a real soccer club.
Fans raged, despaired, and the mockery never stopped.
Betrayal, bravado, shamelessness—all in one.
From that day, Ditelman became the ultimate traitor icon for Essen fans.
And now, the traitor was back at Essen's home ground, Potsipalais Stadium, in Frankfurt colors.
No need to spell out the fans' mood.
Essen fans unleashed on Marco Ditelman.
You'll get brutally crushed by our Park Si-hyun in round 11!
Filthy traitor! You left like that, and now you're beneath us?
Potsipalais Stadium will be your grave.
In response, Marco Ditelman fired back in an interview.
"Rot-Weiss Essen? Credit to their early form. But the Essen I know always crumbles—it's what they're used to. By season's end, they'll be flailing in the relegation zone. That's Essen's true place."
This only fueled the Essen fans more, flooding the official site like wildfire.
What? Us flailing in the bottom? We've got Si-hyun.
Take a few hits from Si-hyun and you'd shut up with that nonsense.
Just grabbed a hammer from home—who wants to smash Marco Ditelman's head?
The mood grew feverish.
Ahead of round 11, as the Rot-Weiss Essen players emerged from training, reporters swarmed them.
Park Si-hyun paused mid-stride with his water bottle, eyeing the charging press pack.
When Charlie tried to block for him, Park Si-hyun gently shoved his head aside and asked calmly,
"What's going on?"
"Park Si-hyun, Marco Ditelman said 'Essen flailing in the bottom is their natural spot.' Your thoughts?"
Park Si-hyun tilted his head slightly.
"Who?"
"Marco Ditelman."
"Who's that?"
"Pardon...?"
The reporters froze.
Park Si-hyun turned to Charlie Adam like he was asking about a total stranger.
"You know him?"
"Nah... Who even is he?"
Their expressions were so natural, the press was speechless.