Chapter 35
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Surprised
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Park Si-hyun.
When he first transferred in, he was just a kid dismissed for playing in the third division.
On his first day, he shook up the classroom with a provocative remark and became a brief topic of conversation.
But soon enough, he was treated like he was invisible.
No one paid him any attention, and no one approached him.
But things were different now.
He had proudly claimed the top scorer title in the third division, and even without playing soccer, any German would know the big clubs like Bayern Munich and Dortmund showering him with offers.
His name had become more famous than any student in the special class, and his classmates were dying to chat with him.
Yet Park Si-hyun ignored all those gazes without so much as a glance.
The kids in the special class, unused to being ignored, quickly gave up.
All except one.
Lisa Schmidt, the next most famous name in the special class after Park Si-hyun.
She kept clinging to him relentlessly.
"Tell me."
"Tell you what, exactly?"
The moment Lisa saw Park Si-hyun's eyes finally turn toward her, she felt her heart thump hard.
He had been different from day one.
His unyielding confidence even when ignored, unshaken by the mockery of playing in the third division.
And now, even as he became a name the whole of Germany was watching, his attitude hadn't changed.
Watching him, Lisa was convinced.
'The inspiration for this song... it's him.'
"Tell me about your life."
"Why are you curious?"
"I want to hear your story and turn it into a song."
"...Get lost."
Park Si-hyun stood up from his seat with an incredulous look.
But Lisa couldn't back down.
'No way. I have nothing left to write about.'
The new song she was sure would be a hit had crashed and burned.
-It was fresh at first, but now it just feels like a kid imitating adult sorrow. It's kinda weird.
-It's clichéd now. Lisa Schmidt's pretend-adult songs about love and sadness aren't fresh anymore.
The critics' sharp words echoed in her ears.
All the songs she'd sung so far were based on adult life stories she'd heard as a child, painted with her own emotions.
Drawing from her father's experiences, managers' advice, composers' tales.
But those songs no longer stirred the public's hearts.
Park Si-hyun was different.
Not some adult's trite lament, but a boy his age shaking the world with his own voice.
From an Eastern kid in the third division everyone ignored, to a name captivating all of Germany.
For the first time, Lisa yearned for a peer's life story.
She craved it.
Park Si-hyun's life. The source of his boldness. All of it.
As Park Si-hyun left the classroom, Lisa hurriedly followed.
Down the hallway, up the stairs, and finally to the rooftop.
"Hey! Park Si-hyun!"
Lisa burst through the rooftop door, shouting.
Park Si-hyun was leaning on the railing, gazing out over the city of Essen.
"What, you following me?"
"I can't afford to fail!"
Desperation laced Lisa's voice.
"I promised my dad I'd always be a shining star. But I can't shine anymore. I don't have any fresh stories."
Park Si-hyun tilted his head back lightly, looking down at her.
"And if I give you a fresh story, what changes?"
"Everything. That's why I made the Billboard charts—a kid like me singing about adult love and sorrow. But now they say it's clichéd. What am I supposed to do?"
Park Si-hyun let out a smirk.
"So you think my story's fresh?"
"It is! Your story is special. An Eastern guy called the 'God of Essen' in Germany. People go wild over your every word!"
A breeze swept across the rooftop then, bringing a moment of silence.
"You're scared."
Lisa's eyes wavered.
"What?"
"You're scared before you even step on stage. Afraid your next song will flop."
"Of course! The more successful you are, the scarier failure gets! People love success stories, but they love watching the successful fall even more. You know what the kids say behind my back? 'Heh, she's done for now.' They're mocking me!"
Lisa's voice trembled, her fingertips shaking too.
Park Si-hyun slowly stepped forward and placed a hand on her head.
"Kiddo."
His voice was unexpectedly gentle.
"You can borrow someone else's story for a song. But if that's your crutch, you're finished. You have to be the protagonist yourself—always."
Park Si-hyun's intense gaze pierced deep into Lisa's eyes.
"Your anxiety, that jittery feeling—hilariously, tons of people feel the exact same way. Pour that into your song, and that's what makes it fresh. Because no one else can tell your story."
Lisa stared up at Park Si-hyun in a daze.
His fingertips were warm, and his eyes held a nonchalant warmth that oddly put her at ease.
Park Si-hyun smiled.
"So don't be scared. Stop chasing shadows. Carve your own shadow on the stage. That's what'll make a song that truly shines."
With those words, Park Si-hyun headed for the rooftop door.
Lisa watched his back, feeling the lingering warmth on her head.
"I'm... not a kid..."
Her soft murmur scattered in the winter wind.
Suddenly, Lisa realized she was crying.
But strangely, her heart felt lighter.
'Stop chasing shadows. Carve your own shadow on the stage.'
Park Si-hyun's words echoed in her mind.
She leaned on the railing, gazing at Essen's winter landscape.
'Yeah... my story.'
Lisa pulled out her phone from her pocket and opened her notes app.
With trembling fingers, she slowly began typing.
Fear
Emptiness After Success
Others' Gazes
Who Am I Really?
"Hmm, Si-hyun, did something good happen? You look happier today."
"Just had a fun encounter."
I couldn't hide my smile as I got into Do-yoon hyung's car.
Seeing Lisa Schmidt—the always perfect, charismatic pop star—show that side to me.
'Come to think of it, she mentioned in an interview once that she hit a slump as a kid.'
This must be that time, right?
Her desperate eyes said it all.
Would my words actually help her through the slump?
Well, I'd tossed them out there anyway—how she takes them is up to her.
'She overcame it in the end, even without me.'
Of course, I could relate to Lisa's worries.
'People love success stories less than they love watching the successful crumble.'
It's a dilemma anyone famous faces.
Just like how fans praising a celebrity one day swarm like hyenas at the slightest slip.
The moment I falter even a bit, those mouths calling me a 'genius' yesterday will be spitting 'downfall' today.
Not that I'll give them the chance.
'Park Si-hyun doesn't get slumps.'
I won't give them even a hint of an opening. I'll always shine, and the protagonist will always be Park Si-hyun.
I glanced at Do-yoon hyung driving and asked,
"We heading to renegotiate now?"
"Yeah. Club owner Johannes is pouring big money into Essen right now. Even building a new stadium and upgrading the training facilities."
This never happened in my past life.
I don't know much about Essen, but the fact I never heard of them despite watching tons of overseas soccer from K League days proves they achieved nothing.
'No way there'd be zero buzz if they invested like this, success or failure.'
Probably no such massive investment back then.
A change brought by Park Si-hyun joining Essen.
"A new stadium, huh..."
"Yep. Not remodeling Potsipalais Stadium—they're building a brand-new one."
"That's gotta cost a fortune."
"Tell me about it. But Johannes seems dead certain. He's convinced the shareholders and pushing this hard."
The car pulled into the club office parking lot.
It was a gray concrete building, but there was construction visible near the entrance.
Probably office expansion work.
"Remodeling here too?"
"Yeah. It's massive."
We got out and headed to the club office.
As we entered the lobby, the familiar receptionist greeted us.
The lobby interior looked fresher than before.
"Hello, Player Park Si-hyun. Agent Jang Do-yoon. The club owner is waiting."
"Thanks."
We took the elevator to the third floor.
Walking the hallway, I glanced at the photos of Essen's history on the walls. More pictures than before, including a few of me scoring.
By the time I leave this club, these walls will probably be covered in Park Si-hyun shots.
We knocked on the club owner's office door, and Johannes's voice came from inside.
"Come in."
We opened the door, and Club Owner Johannes stood from his desk to greet us.
"Player Park Si-hyun, Agent Jang Do-yoon. Welcome. I've been looking forward to this."
Johannes shook hands with me and Do-yoon hyung, then guided us to our seats. We sat as directed.
"First off, I'm here instead of Coach Frank because I wanted to thank our Park Si-hyun personally."
"Thank me?"
"Yes. As I mentioned before, I truly love Essen. But no matter how much I wanted to invest, the shareholders held me back. Thanks to you, Player Park Si-hyun, I finally convinced them."
'So that's how it went.'
From the shareholders' view, there was no reason to invest in Essen, stuck languishing in the lower third division.
But now? With promotion to the second division in sight and a star player, the justification overflowed.
Do-yoon hyung, having heard it all, dove straight into the renegotiation.
"So, about the new contract?"
"Take a look at the terms first."
Johannes handed over the contract, and Do-yoon hyung gasped when he saw the weekly wage.
What could make Do-yoon hyung react like that?
Curious, I peeked at the contract and ended up with the same expression.
'Is this for real?'