Chapter 14
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun is the Pinnacle of Men
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Park Si-hyun is the pinnacle of men.
Even as class began and the teacher stepped out for a moment, Lisa's gaze kept subtly drifting toward Park Si-hyun.
'Is he... someone who struggles with people like me?'
She pondered it briefly before shaking her head.
'No, it's just... I choose not to fit in.'
Even while the other kids chatted in little groups, Park Si-hyun kept his head buried on his desk without saying a word.
Pretending to flip through her book, her eyes drifted back to him.
'Why does my gaze keep going to him?'
After a moment of thought, Lisa made an excuse to herself.
'It's just... curiosity. He's a type I've never seen before.'
It was like when she was a kid, imagining stories she'd heard from adults for the first time and turning them into songs.
As a singer, it was inevitable—she couldn't help wondering if she could turn this new kind of person into a song.
Right then, Park Si-hyun suddenly turned his head, and their eyes met.
'...Huh?!'
Lisa jolted in surprise and buried her head.
Her fingers hurriedly rustled the pages, but she couldn't hide the heat rising in her cheeks.
'What... why'd he look over all of a sudden...'
Feeling her heart race faster than usual, Lisa buried her face in her book.
"That was exhausting..."
Thankfully, the special class was mostly full of athletes or kids with clear goals in their fields, so classes were short and ended quickly.
But the problem was all those moments in between—having to mingle with the others.
They were all touted as promising talents in their sports among their peers, brimming with confidence, and there was this subtle vibe of looking down on me.
'Well, it wasn't all bad. Who would've thought I'd get to see the girl who becomes the Pop Empress in her youth.'
Lisa Schmidt.
In 2023, the world called her the Pop Empress.
Most female singers were dubbed 'queens,' but Lisa's overwhelming presence and charisma made 'Empress' fit her better.
She was a legendary figure who dominated the Billboard charts.
Her fame wasn't just in music, either.
She even held the flashy title of 'Justin Bieber's mentor.'
The story of spotting a then-unknown Justin Bieber's YouTube video and flying straight to America to coach him personally was industry legend.
To see a woman like that blushing while looking at me...
As a fan of Lisa myself, the sight was fresh and intriguing.
'Of course Lisa would blush seeing me. Park Si-hyun is the pinnacle of men.'
A natural smile crept onto my lips.
"Eek... that guy's not a soccer player, he's mafia, right?"
"Shh, let's sneak past. Who knows what'll happen if we make eye contact. Look at that creepy smile—he's definitely plotting something."
The murmurs made me start to turn, when a black van slowly pulled up and stopped beside me.
The window rolled down, revealing Jang Do-yoon's face.
"Si-hyun, how was it? Not as bad as you thought, right?"
Dad's car wasn't bad, but it felt too small for me.
So while handling the visa, Jang Do-yoon bought this van—and as someone who'd been an agent mainly in Germany, he already had a German driver's license.
"Yeah, whatever..."
I gave a vague reply and hopped into the passenger seat.
"So, any cute girls? Someone to make our Park Si-hyun's heart flutter."
"What, with a bunch of kids..."
Even as a Lisa fan, I had no reason to see 16-year-old Lisa that way.
I'm no criminal.
"Kids? They're all your age."
Jang Do-yoon grinned and gripped the wheel.
"Don't forget you've got the medical test today. Rot-Weiss Essen is hyped about it."
"They should be. It's Park Si-hyun's test keeping the team fed."
I shrugged with confidence.
Normally, you'd do the medical right after signing, but the visa delayed it—now that it was approved, today was the day.
"Alright, hospital it is."
The van smoothly pulled onto the road toward central Essen.
In 2001's third division, a 'medical test' didn't mean some high-tech setup with the club med team on standby.
Just a few docs at a designated hospital checking heartbeats with stethoscopes and basic fitness tests, right?
But it turned out way more thorough than expected.
"Any past illnesses or surgeries? Any areas with current pain?"
The doctor asked calmly, chart in hand.
"None. Never been injured. Park Si-hyun doesn't get hurt."
"Hm, doing pro sports without injuries is impressive. You must take good care of yourself."
The doctor adjusted his glasses and scanned me up and down.
"We'll start with basic physicals: height, weight, then cardiopulmonary function. After that, joint range and strength tests."
We quickly did height and weight, then moved to the fitness test.
"Put on the oxygen mask and run."
The doctor glanced around and smiled faintly.
"Must be a big prospect. Didn't expect the coach to show up for this."
Sure enough, the coach and several staff were there watching.
"Say when you're ready."
"Starting now."
I hopped on the treadmill and began running.
The speed ramped up gradually, the incline steepening.
"How long is this guy gonna keep going?"
"That 193cm frame with endurance like that..."
The coaches started murmuring.
"Did we really strike gold?"
Even the doctor couldn't hide his surprise.
"You can stop now. That's plenty."
I took one deep breath and stepped off.
"Incredible. I figured with that muscle mass, your stamina or agility would suffer—but I was way off."
The doctor jotted notes and continued.
"Usually, heavier players with dense muscle have weaker endurance, but you're the exception. We'll need to check muscle density too, but..."
He paused to review the data.
"If you keep this pace, you're hands-down the best player I've tested."
'Obviously.'
Honestly, my physique took after Dad's—overpowered since childhood.
170cm in elementary school, over 190cm by middle school.
Plus, muscles packed on easy, no fat gain—a born athlete's body.
The doctor shook his head in awe through muscle density, strength, and flexibility tests.
"Your flexibility especially. Rare for a 193cm player with that muscle to move like this. Heavy muscle usually limits range, but you're a total outlier."
He flipped the chart, explaining more.
"This flexibility means low injury risk even in rough physical battles. You can absorb impacts naturally on collisions or falls. In third division? Honestly, overkill."
Rot-Weiss Essen's training ground.
Mid-May now, just three games left in the season.
Safe from relegation, the mood was relaxed.
But lately, a strange rumor buzzed around Essen.
'Heard the coach signed a monster striker from the East.'
'Even the club owner is charmed?'
'Medical results are insane, they say...'
An East Asian player was rare in German leagues back then.
But some weren't thrilled by the gossip.
Werner Klein and Michael Waltz, Essen's attack leaders for three years.
They stood off to the side, unease plain on their faces.
"Bringing in a new guy when we've been carrying the attack."
Klein muttered, slamming down his water bottle.
"Coach lost it after tanking this season? An East Asian? Name one good East Asian soccer player."
Waltz sneered, arms crossed.
A new rival wasn't welcome.
But it wasn't just about losing spots.
They brought in another forward—not a support player—from soccer backwater Asia.
"Tch, coach'll get fired soon. That East Asian too."
Klein scoffed.
Then starter midfielder Andreas Hermann rushed over.
"Hey, guys! Check this out. Club's gone nuts."
Rot-Weiss Essen signs 16-year-old East Asian striker... expected weekly wage 2,000 euros
"Fuck..."