Chapter 28
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Makes the Club Great
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Prussia Münster0 - 4Rot-Weiss Essen
Coach Thomas kicked over the water cooler next to the bench the moment the match ended and stormed off toward the locker room.
His face was flushed red, and he marched with fists clenched tight.
"Damn it all!"
The coaching staff trailing behind him didn't dare speak up amid the foul mood radiating off him.
As Coach Thomas headed for the locker room, he spotted a cluster of reporters in one corner.
They swarmed toward him like they'd been lying in wait.
The reporters, microphones and recorders in hand, wore expressions brimming with eager anticipation.
A brutal 0-4 scoreline was prime headline material, after all.
Coach Thomas honestly wanted to blow them off.
But ignoring them outright risked some mocking article the next day, so he forced himself to stop.
"Sorry, but let's keep this short."
Irritation dripped from his voice.
"Yes, no worries. First question: You said before the derby that you'd win for sure, but you lost by a massive margin. What's the reason for the defeat?"
Coach Thomas shot the asking reporter a sharp glare.
'You asking 'cause you don't know, you hack?'
No, he had to know.
Anyone who'd watched even a bit of the game would know exactly why Münster got crushed.
Park Si-hyun.
The guy who'd mocked him had utterly demolished Münster.
He bagged two goals in the first half alone, and then in the second, not just him but the entire Essen squad went berserk like they'd chugged energy drinks, conceding two more.
But none of that would've happened without Park Si-hyun in the first place.
The reporter was just poking at him to twist the knife.
"The reason for defeat?"
Coach Thomas sneered.
"Well, you saw it yourself, didn't you, reporter?"
"Still, from the coach's perspective..."
"Fine. You seem to want to hear it, so here: Park Si-hyun ruined everything."
Poison laced Coach Thomas's voice.
"It's not that our players were bad. Honestly, Park Si-hyun's beyond Third Division level. I wish he'd just vanish already."
The reporters' eyes lit up.
"So you're saying the loss is down to Park Si-hyun's individual talent?"
Coach Thomas let out a deep sigh.
"When did I say that? Soccer's a team sport. But..."
He paused for a moment.
He hated the idea of hyping up the punk who'd ridiculed him.
But he was a soccer coach and a pro, after all.
And pros had to acknowledge what was real.
"Sir Alex Ferguson, a coach everyone respects, said it best: 'There is no such thing as a great player without a great team.' I agree. But while there may be no great players above the team, there are players who make the team great."
A hush fell over the crowd at Coach Thomas's words.
"That's Park Si-hyun."
With that, Coach Thomas strode off like he was done with questions.
Reporters followed, firing more, but he waved them off and vanished into the locker room.
'I really never want to face that guy as an opponent again.'
After the match, once the players finished fan service for the away supporters and were boarding the bus, a horde of reporters forced them to halt.
"Si-hyun, just a bit more interview!"
"A few quick questions!"
They'd already done the MOM interview, but apparently that wasn't enough.
I had no choice but to agree to a quick one right in front of the bus.
"You scored two goals and put on a stellar performance today. Coach Thomas, who downplayed you before the match, now says you're beyond Third Division level and wishes you'd disappear. Your thoughts?"
The moment I heard the question, I felt my lips twitch upward.
'Finally saw the real me, huh.'
"Spot on. He's finally seeing me for what I am."
Leisure oozed from my voice.
Like confirming something that was obvious.
"And Coach Thomas also said about you—"
I cut the reporter off with a raised hand.
"Hold on."
"Uh... yes?"
"I did great today, sure. But the whole team did amazing too."
I took a breath and looked at my teammates.
Surprise flickered on their faces—they hadn't expected that from me.
"Werner nailed a beauty of a goal, Christoph dished out magic passes. Everyone else stepped up big too. So instead of focusing just on me, it'd be better to talk about how the team pulled off this result."
The reporters exchanged glances.
This wasn't the reaction they'd anticipated.
"But you were the star of the match."
"True. But I didn't score all four goals alone."
I shrugged and went on.
"Essen's play today was so perfect even I was shocked."
'I can do these interviews anytime anyway.'
It was the confidence of the strong.
The assurance that hogging the spotlight right now didn't matter.
"This glory belongs to the team, not just me."
I turned toward the bus, gazing at my teammates.
Werner and Christoph's eyes shone with emotion, same for the others.
"Today, we're all MOM."
Only then did I head for the bus.
Reporters trailed with more questions, but I waved politely and declined.
'That was badass as hell.'
Rot-Weiss Essen's club owner, Johannes Brückner, had called his company's major shareholders to the club offices.
His office sat in a high-rise with a panoramic view of downtown Essen.
Through the massive glass windows, Potsipalais Stadium was visible in the distance.
Truth be told, with Johannes's wealth, he could pour massive investment into the club on a whim.
His construction firm, Brückner Bau, was Essen's biggest, raking in huge profits from real estate development lately.
But big companies meant kowtowing to shareholders.
Especially for something as iffy as a soccer club with murky profitability.
Now, with Park Si-hyun in the mix, he finally had the leverage to sway them.
"Everyone, the reason I called you here is to discuss Rot-Weiss Essen's future."
Johannes slowly scanned the seven major shareholders in the conference room before speaking.
"The future of a Third Division club... You're not planning more investment, are you?"
One shareholder, Heinz, scowled as he asked.
"It's been three years of operating losses with no profits."
"Correct."
Johannes nodded.
"It was in the red. But things have changed completely now."
He fired up the projector and displayed the current Third Division standings.
At the top, in bold red: Rot-Weiss Essen.
The shareholders' eyes wavered slightly.
Most weren't big soccer fans, so they hadn't even known about Essen's success.
"First place?"
Heinz adjusted his glasses in surprise.
"You might call it luck. But it's no fluke."
Johannes's voice grew weighty.
"Since signing Park Si-hyun, we've dominated the top spot. At this rate, promotion to Second Division is a lock."
The next slides showed Park Si-hyun's stats, articles, and interviews in sequence.
"Park Si-hyun has star power, overwhelming skill, and the talent to unite the team."
"He's only sixteen, right? Just a flash-in-the-pan prospect for Third Division?"
Another shareholder scoffed.
Johannes smiled briefly.
It carried the savvy of decades in business.
"Let me share a lesson from my years in construction: When you spot good land, don't hesitate. Claim it before anyone else notices."
He pointed at the screen and continued.
"Park Si-hyun isn't just some prospect. Right now, his name's all over German papers, and scouts are eyeing Essen's games. If he were a one-hit wonder, do you think I'd drag you all here?"
"I'll grant you that. But purely financially, shouldn't growing the company come first over club investment?"
At that, Johannes's eyes sharpened.
He jabbed at the headline blaring Park Si-hyun's name.
"I guarantee it: With Park Si-hyun, Rot-Weiss Essen will prove its worth in Second Division—no, even the top flight. This investment won't seem wasteful soon. And it'll bring massive benefits to our company."
He concluded firmly.
"This is Johannes Brückner speaking. Trust me."