Chapter 114
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Never Cries
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"As big and strong as Jan Koller, as fast as an Everton player, and with shooting as good as Márcio Amoroso? ...No matter how you look at it, this guy's an alien. Haha."
The commander of the Bumblebee Legion, Matthias Sammer—the manager who had shattered Bayern Munich's dominance in the previous Bundesliga season and earned acclaim across Germany—shook his head as he analyzed the Essen match footage.
Matthias Sammer was a thorough tactician above all else.
A manager who suppressed individual improvisation as much as possible, wanting every player to move precisely within the structure he had designed.
Discipline, order, predetermined movements.
That was the essence of 'Sammer soccer'.
But he was also a man who loved the game.
And for anyone who loved soccer, encountering a talent overwhelming enough to shatter their own framework wasn't frightening—it was pure excitement.
The type who could shake an entire tactical system and flip a match single-handedly.
Park Si-hyun, dashing across the monitor right now, was exactly that.
'That guy... he could smash my system in an instant. And push me to a higher level.'
A team that only wins stops growing.
Without challenges or failures, there's nowhere left to go.
For a manager, hearing 'your team is complete' wasn't praise—it was deadly poison.
It meant the end. Teams had to clash, and sometimes break.
New strength sprouts from the ruins of failure.
So Sammer made a quiet but firm decision.
"...We'll go all out in this Pokal Cup."
"Pardon?"
The coach watching the footage beside him whipped his head around in disbelief.
The Pokal was a stage where big teams rotated squads to conserve energy.
Especially now, with Dortmund just one point behind Bayern Munich in the title race.
There was no reason to overwork the starters.
Full strength against a second-division side? In the round of 32?
It defied common sense.
But Sammer ignored the coach's reaction, pointing at the Essen match on the monitor.
"Who'd think that guy's a second-division player? And Philipp Lahm, Fernando Couto... You really believe that's second-division quality, Coach?"
"...Well..."
The coach couldn't argue back.
Honestly, pigeonholing Essen as second-division level was forced.
Talents like Kaká, Charlie Adam, and Christoph Bauer—whom Sammer hadn't even mentioned—were already too good for the second division.
Sammer let out a quiet, dry chuckle.
"That's why I wanted Si-hyun from his third-division days. I saw back then he'd thrive in the top flight. But the suits were too stingy... and we lost him."
Regret still lingered in Sammer's voice.
If they'd signed him then, Park Si-hyun might be flying around in the Yellow Wall by now.
Of course—
Even if they had, Sammer would've crammed him into his tactical framework, which might not have suited Si-hyun's wild instincts.
He knew that himself.
"Even stars have to move within my system. But a type like that... shove him in a mold, and his talent dies."
Sammer drew a slow breath, staring at the monitor.
Then, revealing the true feelings and ambitions hidden behind his managerial role, he said,
"We're Dortmund. This team... has to aim for the treble. Because we're the powerhouse."
Those weren't empty hopes or bravado.
It was a tactician's pride. The instinct to itch for rivals. The arrogance and quiet confidence only a champion could claim.
This match was at Dortmund's home ground, the Westfalenstadion, so we boarded a flight to Dortmund in North Rhine-Westphalia.
The moment we exited arrivals, women holding placards spotted us and charged forward all at once, slamming into us like body checks.
My breath caught.
...What the hell?
Some kind of ambush?
'Ahem, but I've got a girl who owns my future.'
Honestly, hot women throwing themselves at me didn't feel bad as a guy.
But one thought flashed through my mind.
...Is this Dortmund's scheme?
Try to mess with Park Si-hyun using this... pleasant—no, cowardly temptation(?)?
I have Lisa Schmidt, you know.
She's the only one for me!
Then came the screams.
"Kyaa!! Kaká!!"
"Over here! Kaká! Look this way—!!"
...Kaká?
I blankly looked up ahead.
And in that instant, everything clicked.
The scantily clad fangirls charging weren't after me, Park Si-hyun.
One reason for the head-on collision.
Kaká-fangirls shoving and jostling, bouncing off each other into me.
Every hand clutched Kaká jerseys, Kaká photos, Kaká banners.
I froze on the spot.
...Ah.
A deep, bottomless sigh welled up from within.
I'm the striker shaking up the soccer world right now.
Not just Essen fans—any German soccer fan, any soccer lover knows the name Park Si-hyun.
I'm that famous, that popular.
...But Kaká's different.
Personality, looks, vibe, image.
Perfection for girl fans.
Especially that photo from round 12: Kaká wiping sweat after stripping off his jersey post-match.
One article with that shot, and girl fans across Germany melted.
That single image landed Kaká in 'Germany's Top 3 Hottest Foreign Players' and turned him into an explosive star backed by women's absolute support.
Me, on the other hand...
'Fine. I don't need girl fans. I've got Lisa anyway.'
...Right then.
A thick, resounding voice from behind.
"Si-hyun, I love you!!!"
...
I closed my eyes for a moment.
For some reason, my eyes burned hot.
I casually wiped them with the back of my hand.
A thin, warm streak brushed my fingertips.
Today, Park Si-hyun shed tears for the second time in his life.
"Today's guest is... the girl who's shaken the hearts of countless stars and moved the world—Lisa Schmidt!"
Waaaaah!!!
The audience erupted.
Lisa Schmidt emerged slowly under the lights.
Charisma too mature for an eighteen-year-old, but with a touch of tension as she sat carefully in the unfamiliar studio chair.
And opposite her sat a woman who moved the world.
Oprah Winfrey.
"Hello, Lisa. I'm Oprah Winfrey."
Lisa steadied her breath and bowed her head.
"Hello. I'm singer Lisa Schmidt."
Oprah Winfrey.
From poor Black girl to local reporter, national talk show host, and one of America's richest women—a symbol of the American Dream.
When she praised something on air—books, products, brands—it sold out nationwide, shaking the economy. A queen of influence.
A woman whose touch spanned politics, culture, society—the embodiment of America itself.
The show even global stars longed for an invite to.
The Oprah Winfrey Show.
"Lisa, first time on the show, right...?"
Oprah gazed at her with her signature warm smile.
"Actually, your father, Andreas Schmidt, was our guest three weeks ago. What a great man."
She paused, then winked playfully.
"But today... we have an even more special guest. Because I prefer your singing over Andreas's."
"Really?"
Lisa's eyes widened slightly.
"Of course. Your My Other Story hit Billboard No. 3 already. And it's climbing right now. The world is hooked on your voice and story. I teared up listening."
Cheers and applause exploded from the audience.
Lisa blushed, head down, fidgeting with her hands.
"Thank you..."
"Feeling a bit more relaxed now?"
Oprah smiled gently.
"Let's get into the real questions. My Other Story differs from your past work. At such a young age, you captured adult love and breakup so stunningly... This new song calmly unpacks a star girl's worries at your age. Fans are dying to know—what sparked it?"
Lisa inhaled slowly, speaking carefully.
"Honestly... I sang adult love stories thinking that's what people would like."
Oprah nodded slightly, eyes lighting with deeper interest.
"So, what changed that thinking decisively?"
Lisa clasped her hands, then lifted her head with a small smile.
"I debuted praised for a 'kid singing adult tales' novelty. But soon, it wasn't novel anymore... That's when the slump hit. I didn't know what to sing."
She breathed quietly.
"Then... Si-hyun caught my eye first."
Oprah's eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Oh, Si-hyun—the soccer player and your boyfriend? Did he approach and comfort you in your slump?"
Lisa shook her head with a soft laugh.
"Not quite... I approached him first, begging for his story. His life was way more dramatic and intriguing than mine—people would find it fresh."
"Did he share?"
Oprah teased, drawing laughs from the audience.
Lisa shrugged.
"Nope. Acted annoyed, wouldn't tell. Instead, he said share my story. Not just adult love... freshness, worries, growth at our age—surely fans for that too."
'Oohs' rippled through the crowd.
Oprah beamed.
"Hearing that made you sing your own story for the first time. Not proxy emotions, but Lisa's heart raw... That's how My Other Story was born."
Applause rang out; Lisa nodded shyly.
"Yes... My first real story."
"Si-hyun's not just a soccer whiz—deep thinker too. Mind if I add one thing?"
"An honor."
Oprah looked earnestly at Lisa.
"Don't obsess over others' gazes. Don't chase their approval. You shine just existing, Lisa."
Lisa, moved by the sincerity, smiled brightly.
"Now, shall we watch a quick video related to Lisa?"
Lisa's heart raced.
'No way... a fan cheer video for me? Did Si-hyun prepare that?'
She gazed at the screen, eyes full of anticipation.
The footage: Park Si-hyun shoved by girl fans, face flushing red.
Oprah couldn't hold back her laugh.
"Oh my, Si-hyun... quite the heartthrob?"
The audience burst into laughter.
But Lisa didn't laugh. Her smile stiffened; her eyes cooled slightly.
"... "
Oprah caught the shift, flashing her playful grin.
"...Lisa? What's on your mind?"
"How I'll kill Si-hyun when I get back to Germany."