Chapter 26
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Returns the Provocation 10 Times Over
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League Round 10, 1-1 draw.
Rot-Weiss Essen's seven-game winning streak had come to a halt. But that day, not a single word of complaint escaped the lips of the supporters.
The bold decision to bench Park Si-hyun of all people—and still not lose. That alone was enough to earn the respect of the players and the coach.
And now, all eyes turned to the next stage.
Round 11. The opponent: Prussia Münster.
No one could call this match "just another league game."
Two cities in the Ruhr and Westphalia regions, separated by a mere few dozen kilometers.
Yet that short distance had long bred grudges and pride that divided the two clubs.
The "Rhine-Westphalia Derby."
Always hot, always fierce, always carrying more weight than mere points on the table.
Recent record: a painful three-game losing streak.
For Essen, a derby losing streak like that was tantamount to having their entire pride stolen.
So the fans waited. No, they yearned. For Park Si-hyun to step up in this derby. To restore Essen's trampled pride.
But Münster was already sneering and pouring on the mockery.
Finally breaking their streak. Rot-Weiss Essen is our punching bag.
They say they've been winning thanks to some player named Park Si-hyun lately? Too bad—he'll be marked the moment he steps into our stadium, legs shaking and pissing himself in fear.
Promotion? Don't make me laugh. They always kneel and run from us.
The posts were written like jokes, but in German soccer, jokes were provocations.
Plus, with the cities so close, plenty of colleagues worked together across the divide.
Even close buddies sharing a beer and banter would start growling the moment derby talk came up.
"Hey, you tenth-place scum barking like that at the top team?"
"Yeah. Recent record: three wins, zero losses."
"...You fucking bastard."
"Hans, hold it in!"
To Germans, soccer was part of life itself.
It didn't matter if your team was in the third division or the first—the scale was the same, and insulting a club's name was like insulting their parents.
"Just watch. Tomorrow, our god will smash your Münster to pieces."
"Pfft—fine, I admit Park Si-hyun's good. But a god? We'll see. We're Münster, the hunters of Rot-Weiss Essen. Even your so-called god is just prey in our hands."
This season alone, Rot-Weiss Essen sat first, Münster tenth. The power gap was clear.
Yet what pissed off Essen fans was Münster's attitude—barking without knowing their place from the bottom of the table.
It stung even more because that three-game derby losing streak was brutally true.
Then came the incident that poured oil on their smoldering rage.
Lately, the German third division had drawn unprecedented attention thanks to a star named Park Si-hyun.
Münster coach Thomas decided to slyly capitalize on it.
Press conference. Cameras swiveled to Thomas. Microphones thrust toward his mouth.
"How are preparations for the upcoming derby? The opponents have Park Si-hyun, no less."
Thomas sneered as if he'd been waiting.
"Park Si-hyun? Sure, I admit he's good. But..."
He paused, scanning the reporters.
"We've always won the derby. Know what that means? No matter how good they are, Rot-Weiss Essen kneels before us. Park Si-hyun won't be any different. Derbies aren't decided by individual skill."
Reporters' pens flew. Thomas's smirk widened.
"Park Si-hyun will probably be so intimidated by our supporters' heat that he won't even show up on the pitch."
Just as Essen fans were about to boil over in fury, Park Si-hyun delivered a cool, devastating counter.
"I won't be visible? Then where the hell are you? I can't see you no matter how hard I look down."
For the record, Thomas stood at 163 cm.
As it was a derby, a subtle tension hung in the air on the team bus.
Christoph, sitting beside me, cautiously spoke up.
"Si-hyun, you okay? Provoking the coach like that... and it's not even a home game..."
I shrugged.
"Don't worry. They started the provocation anyway."
"But... what if they retaliate..."
"Christoph, soccer players have to win on the pitch, and they can never lose with words. If we lose the war of words, the fans will feel like they've swallowed a hundred sweet potatoes before kickoff."
Christoph grimaced at the thought of choking down a hundred sweet potatoes.
"Ugh... a hundred sweet potatoes. Your throat would be completely blocked."
"And I just stated the facts. He really was invisible."
Laughter erupted from the players on the bus.
Just as we were loosening up, the bus pulled into Prussia Münster's home ground, Preußenstadion.
Out the window, away fans had gathered at one entrance, their eyes fierce.
Some held placards with Park Si-hyun's name; others unfurled banners mocking the Münster coach.
"As expected with the short distance—tons of away fans. We have to win no matter what."
"Christoph, relax. Strip away the derby hype, and it's tenth place versus first. And with Park Si-hyun playing, what's to worry about?"
"Heh, true."
As we disembarked, the fans looked a bit tense for the derby.
But I refused to catch their nerves, striding out even more boldly.
This was the Park Si-hyun they wanted to see—the one to ease their anxiety.
And that's exactly what I was best at.
"Si-hyun!!!"
Children called my name, and I sauntered over casually.
I high-fived each one, meeting their eyes. A true star never loses composure in moments like these.
"Si-hyun, we're gonna win, right?"
A young fan's sparkling eyes looked up at me.
"Of course. When the game's over, the Münster kids will slink out with heads hung low. Park Si-hyun guarantees it."
My confident tone lit up the fans' faces.
"Essen's god descends to deliver iron-fisted justice to Münster!"
"He spoke in the name of the god. Münster is done for!"
The mood was heating up.
"Si-hyun oppa, marry me!"
...Huh?
A bald middle-aged guy yelling "oppa" and begging for marriage sent chills down my spine.
"Marry me, Si-hyun oppa!!!"
I flashed my signature cocky smile and waved.
"Sorry, but Park Si-hyun has no plans to marry a man. Why? Because women line up without me even trying."
The fans burst into laughter, even the bald guy chuckling as he backed off.
'That was close.'
The most dangerous moment of Park Si-hyun's life.
[Hello, everyone. The hottest match in the third division, the Rhine-Westphalia Derby, is about to kick off at Preußenstadion, Prussia Münster's home ground.]
[Today's game has been buzzing even before kickoff. Prussia Münster coach Thomas provoked at the presser: 'Regardless of current form, Essen always loses to us. Even with Park Si-hyun, it won't change.' He even said Park Si-hyun would be too scared of our supporters to appear on the pitch.]
[Haha, still funny thinking about it. Park Si-hyun fired back in his own style: 'Where's that coming from? I can't see you.' A jab at Thomas's 163 cm height.]
[But it might not be just a joke. The height difference is real. From Park's view, he really has to look down to spot the coach. Otherwise, it's dangerous—like stepping carefully at home in the dark to avoid treading on a small cat.]
[Tom, that was too much! Hahaha.]
Münster coach Thomas trembled with rising humiliation.
'How dare he insult the coach!'
Honestly, he'd provoked first to steal a bit of the spotlight from Park Si-hyun.
But with the clear hierarchy between coach and player, who could've guessed the player would clap back directly?
It showed just how poorly Essen managed their players.
He'd sought fame with provocation, only to earn unwanted infamy thanks to Park Si-hyun.
'The coach too small to see.'
Thomas's first humiliating nickname.
Worse, Essen fans at the stadium waved banners mocking his height.
[Where's Thomas? We can't see him either!] flapped in the wind, stoking his shame further.
What infuriated him most was Park Si-hyun's reaction when they'd met before kickoff.
Thomas had demanded an apology right away.
"Park Si-hyun, no matter how hot you are lately, disrespecting the coach crosses the line. Apologize, and I'll forgive you."
From Thomas's view, he'd held back his anger and spoken politely.
But Park Si-hyun craned his neck around as if Thomas were invisible.
"Huh? The coach wants an apology? But where's it coming from? I can't see even looking down..."
Park Si-hyun even shaded his eyes with his hand, scanning the ground.
It was unbearable humiliation, and Thomas vowed:
Today, he'd pour everything into crushing the arrogant Park Si-hyun completely.
But that resolve began shattering from the opening whistle.