Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Holds the Upper Hand
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Park Si-hyun is the boss.
The next day, early in the morning, Jang Do-yoon and I rode in my dad's car toward the Rot-Weiss Essen club grounds.
"How about it? Still, it's your first club contract. Aren't you nervous?"
"Excited. This is where Park Si-hyun's legend begins."
As we chatted, we soon arrived at the club building, and the stadium where I'd be playing came into view.
'So that's Potsipalais Stadium, the home ground...'
Honestly, since I'd come all the way to Germany, I'd expected a grand stadium, but the sight before me was a bit shabby.
An old sign creaking in the wind, seats with peeling paint exposing rusted steel frames, worn railings that squeaked ominously. Capacity barely around 20,000.
'Well, nothing to be done about it.'
The stadiums I remembered were the modern K League ones from 2023, so they looked comparatively poor. But for a German third-division stadium in 2001, this was actually decent.
'And a small stadium like this isn't all bad.'
The stands were close to the pitch, so the fans' cheers would ring out vividly, and every one of my plays would be etched clearly in their eyes.
'Soon, I'll make everyone here chant my name.'
At that moment, a middle-aged man strode toward us from the main entrance.
Suntanned copper skin, short-cropped brown hair, sharp eyes that softened surprisingly when he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, Si-hyun. I'm Frank Kurt, the coach of this team."
'So this is Frank Kurt.'
The man who'd pushed forward with the contract without a second's hesitation, despite my arrogant demand to skip the tryout.
I didn't know his temperament or his tactics, but someone with the drive to sign me like this had to be a good fit.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Park Si-hyun."
I replied politely in German.
"Oh... you speak German?"
Frank's eyes widened slightly in surprise.
An Asian speaking fluent German must have caught him off guard.
"If I'm going to play in Germany, it's only polite to speak the language. Of course, I'm not perfect yet. Just good enough for basic communication."
Real admiration spread across Frank Kurt's face.
"That's impressive enough. I never imagined you'd speak German."
Then Jang Do-yoon stepped forward.
"We didn't expect the coach to come out personally."
Frank turned to Jang Do-yoon.
"And you are?"
"Park Si-hyun's agent, Jang Do-yoon."
"Ah, Jang. Of course I had to come out. Si-hyun is the future of our club."
Germans had trouble pronouncing "Si-hyun," calling it "Si-heon" instead, but the coach couldn't get the name wrong when it would soon echo through Essen. I corrected him.
"Coach, it's not Si-heon. It's Park Si-hyun. The name that'll soon ring out here—remember it well."
"Ah, sorry. Si-hyun."
"And whatever expectations you're placing on me, I guarantee my performances will exceed them by far."
Frank chuckled warmly.
"Haha, such confidence. Alright, shall we go inside and draw up the contract?"
Frank led the way into the club building.
The building felt as aged as the stadium, but it was neatly kept.
As we entered the lobby, a few club staff eyed me curiously.
At 193 cm with an Asian face, I stood out.
We took the elevator to the third floor, where a door at the end of the hall read "Club Owner's Office."
"Club owner, Park Si-hyun is here."
"Come in."
Inside was a spacious office.
Through the window stretched a full view of Potsipalais Stadium, and a white-haired old gentleman rose from behind the desk to greet us.
"Welcome. I'm Johannes Brückner, owner of Rot-Weiss Essen. Call me Johannes. You must be Si-hyun."
Even on first meeting, hearing him call me Si-hyun right away boosted my impression of him.
"Yes, Park Si-hyun."
"Hahaha, I saw the video. Never seen our coach beg me like that before."
Frank cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ahem."
Johannes smiled innocently.
"Have a seat, everyone."
Once we were all settled, Frank got down to business.
"We'll honor everything we discussed on the phone. And we'll specify starter treatment in the contract."
Jang Do-yoon spoke up.
"Good. But Park Si-hyun has no issues with visas or housing—his father works here in Essen. Considering that, could you bump up the weekly wage a bit?"
Frank looked troubled.
"That's tough, Jang. 2,000 euros weekly plus a 10,000-euro signing bonus is already top-tier for third division."
"But coach, you're signing him without a tryout, right? That shows your confidence."
"Precisely because there's no tryout, we have to be extra cautious, Jang."
"Fine then. Just three simple conditions. These are what Park Si-hyun insists on."
"Three... alright, let's hear them."
As Jang Do-yoon finished, I looked at Coach Frank and spoke.
"Coach, let me handle this."
I had the situation pegged perfectly.
Essen sat at 13th in the league—a middling team, safe from relegation but far from promotion.
Coach Frank was in a precarious spot too; like his predecessor sacked mid-season, he could be out anytime without results.
In this negotiation, they were the desperate ones.
Plus, I'd let slip I had interest from other teams, and they knew it.
Of course, they'd all backed off over the no-tryout demand, but Frank and Johannes wouldn't know that detail.
Bottom line: I held all the cards here.
"First: I'm always a striker. Never any other position."
"No worries there. Using a player like you anywhere but striker would prove the coach incompetent. I'm not that."
Frank's response was straightforward.
But you never knew—better safe than sorry, like with Coach Kim Tae-ho trying to shift me around.
This needed to be ironclad in the contract.
"Second: No disciplining me over interviews. And no trying to stop me."
"Hmm, that's tricky. If Si-hyun says something controversial, it puts the club in a tough spot..."
"I won't say anything like that, so don't worry."
I waved it off lightly.
"Then no issue."
I paused, then flashed a meaningful smile for the final condition.
"Last one... simple. If I promote Essen to second division, or even first, I want rewards to match."
"Promotion bonuses, you mean."
At that, club owner Johannes burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! You're a fun one, Si-hyun. So you really think this team can reach the first division?"
I met Johannes's gaze with a cool, unwavering stare.
"You think it's impossible?"
My calm retort slowly wiped the smile from Johannes's face, drawing stares from Frank and Jang Do-yoon alike.
"You're... serious."
"Of course."
I leaned forward slowly.
"From the moment Park Si-hyun arrives, Essen's history changes."
Johannes stared at me for a long moment before speaking.
"Hmm... Do you know how I became club owner, by chance?"
The sudden question made me tilt my head.
"No idea."
"Heh, fair enough. I've been a shareholder in Essen for over 20 years. Originally, it was a fan-owned club—no single owner. But in 1999... a disaster for the club, but for me... fate, I suppose."
Johannes turned his gaze out the window.
His eyes on distant Potsipalais Stadium held a strange tenderness.
"Essen nearly went bankrupt from financial woes. Couldn't pay players, owed rent on the training ground... dire straits."
"What did you do?"
Jang Do-yoon asked curiously.
"I seized the moment. Or rather... duty. Couldn't watch the club of my hometown vanish. Started buying shares, and last year, finally became owner."
Johannes turned back to me.
"Si-hyun, I did all this for one reason: I truly love this team. If you pull us to second division—no, first—as you say... that'd fulfill my life's dream."
I grinned.
"Then you have to accept my terms. The moment I arrive, that dream becomes reality."
"Hahaha! What confidence! Fine, I'll give you three years."
"Three years?"
Johannes pulled a fancy fountain pen from his drawer and scribbled meticulously on a sheet of paper. Moments later, he slid it toward us.
"If you get Essen to the first division within three years..."
My eyes widened. Jang Do-yoon's too.
"200,000 euros. And 100,000 even for second division. It'll be in the contract, clear as day."
After Jang Do-yoon and Park Si-hyun finished the contract and left the owner's office, only Frank and Johannes remained.
Frank confirmed the door was fully shut before speaking cautiously.
"Owner, even I think that's too much money. Considering our finances..."
Johannes held up a hand to stop him.
"Frank, don't you see? If this kid really takes us up the leagues, it'll be worth far more than pocket change. And his spirit—you saw it."
Frank nodded with a sigh.
"...I was shocked too. I thought all Asians were humble."
Johannes leaned back in his chair, laughing heartily.
"Heh, can't blame you. The only Asian we know is Cha Bum-kun."
Cha Bum-kun had terrorized the Bundesliga with top skill in Germany, yet was famed for his humility—always downplaying himself, prioritizing the team.
That was the image Germans had of Asians.
"Cha Bum-kun was the model player. Always so careful in interviews..."
Frank nodded.
"But that Park Si-hyun kid is completely different."
Johannes murmured, eyeing the contract on his desk.
"Struts like he's already the world's best. No—arrogant, even?"
Johannes smiled faintly.
"With confidence like that, we should make his debut ceremony flashy. Get it ready, coach."
"Yes, owner."
Johannes gazed at the contract again, muttering to himself.
"Hope that confidence matches his skill."