Chapter 42
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Do Not Doubt Park Si-hyun
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210km.
A shot speed where a single mistake could literally kill someone—no joke.
If the kicks from players known for their "great mid-range shooting" were like BB guns, then the ball I just struck was closer to a missile.
So, it was no wonder I was under suspicion.
Especially in Germany, one of the world's most sensitive countries when it came to doping issues.
They had a dedicated national committee that would ruthlessly pull players aside for tests at the slightest hint of suspicion.
It was right after the match when Coach Frank gathered the players to hype up the winning streak.
His hand landed on my shoulder, transmitting a strangely heavy pressure.
"Si-hyun."
"Yes?"
The coach's face was as gentle as ever, but his eyes were deadly serious.
"I... I don't think it's possible at all."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not suspecting you, but just..."
"I'll explain it myself."
A woman in a white coat appeared.
Shadows over her glasses, deep dark circles, disheveled hair clinging messily to her face.
She looked exactly like the stereotypical researcher character from any drama.
"Player Park Si-hyun. I'm Marie from the Doping Prevention Committee under the German Football Association."
I took a deep breath and stared her straight in the eye.
"And?"
"As you know, we conduct random doping tests after matches."
Marie’s eyes gleamed coldly like glass.
"Yes, I'm well aware. But I remember getting tested last game too."
"Correct. But that play you just made... it's on a level that can't be explained without doping."
The moment those words dropped, the locker room air turned to stone, heavy and still.
I clenched my teeth.
"So... you're saying Park Si-hyun doped, is that it, Miss Marie?"
Rage boiled up inside me.
It was already public knowledge that I was the player tested for doping more than anyone else.
Across the entire third division, no one got checked as often as me.
And it was rare to test the same player back-to-back, let alone right after the next game.
Yet here she was, coming in person and declaring it "unexplainable without doping." That wasn't just suspicion anymore—it was conviction.
Fine, suspect all you want. Even I could barely believe the 210km figure.
But this attitude? It crossed the line.
"Unexplainable without doping"?
That was denying my very talent.
It was dismissing every drop of sweat and effort I'd poured in up to now in one fell swoop.
Coach Frank stepped between us.
"Hold on, treating a player like this—"
"Coach."
I cut him off.
"It's fine."
Then I locked eyes with Marie head-on.
Our cold, sunken gazes pierced straight through each other.
"You said it's unexplainable without doping? Interesting."
My voice carried an icy chill.
"This incident will make it clear to everyone. That Park Si-hyun is the one who pulls off plays unexplainable without doping."
Marie's expression stiffened subtly.
"I'm clean. And when the results come back... Miss Marie—no, the German Football Association—will have to apologize to me. For treating me like a criminal."
Marie adjusted her glasses for a moment, meeting my eyes squarely.
Then, from her firmly pressed lips came a resolute voice.
"Of course. If the results are negative."
Her tone held unshakable conviction.
As if she already knew they'd be positive and had no doubt.
"Follow me, Player Park Si-hyun."
"Sure."
After Marie and Park Si-hyun left, the locker room sank into heavy silence.
Everyone was still struggling to process what had just happened.
A doping allegation against Park Si-hyun. And not just any—directly from the German Football Association.
Unexpectedly, it was Christoph who broke the silence.
"Si-hyun doped? That's ridiculous!"
His words shocked all his teammates.
Who was Christoph?
The guy who, if the cafe owner asked "Want a cake too?" while buying coffee, couldn't say no and brought one back.
The type who went to the mart for side dishes but ended up buying recommended electronics because he was too timid to refuse.
Andreas's eyes widened round.
"Christoph... you raising your voice?"
Christoph's face flushed red, but he kept going, fists clenched tight.
"I... I believe in Si-hyun. I've seen him train harder than anyone."
Captain Matthias crossed his arms and nodded.
"If he'd really done it, he couldn't act that confident."
Werner let out a sigh.
"But 210km... honestly, even I can barely believe it."
"That's exactly Si-hyun's talent!"
Christoph shouted again.
Something unimaginable in normal times.
"We've trained with him every day—we know how amazing he is!"
Andreas patted Christoph's shoulder.
"You're really cool today, Christoph."
"Seeing Si-hyun... Si-hyun looking wronged like that—I couldn't hold back."
Christoph's voice trembled.
"You can tease me for being a coward normally. But doubting Si-hyun? I can't forgive that! Si-hyun is someone I... I respect."
Andreas crossed his arms.
"Yeah, I agree with Christoph. If Si-hyun really doped... he couldn't be that upright."
Coach Frank looked around at his confused players.
"Si-hyun is our teammate. A team without trust in its teammates has no teamwork. Especially now, we stick by him to the end—that's what makes us a team, comrades."
[Unbelievable Kick Power from 16-Year-Old Asian Boy: 210km/h - Doping Suspicions Surge]
[German FA Conducts Emergency Doping Test on Rot-Weiss Essen’s Park Si-hyun]
[Impossible Without Doping - Controversy Over Youngest Korean in Third Division]
[16-Year-Old Park Si-hyun Scores 210km Shot from 35m... Unprecedented Record, But Doping Doubts]
[German FA Doping Prevention Committee Intervenes Directly... Results in 72 Hours]
"To dare block our god's path with such absurd controversy."
Hans clicked his tongue as he read the materials his secretary brought.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Good work—head home."
"Ah, yes. Thank you."
After the secretary left, Hans, alone in the Essen City Hall deputy mayor's office, scrolled through the doping scandal articles on Park Si-hyun one by one.
'210km/h...'
A subtle smile crept across Hans's lips.
Sometimes the world has people who make you wonder, 'Is this really human?'
Most folks refuse to believe their records.
Because it's beyond what ordinary people can comprehend.
"Doping... ridiculous. Judging a god's power by human standards is the problem from the start."
A fanatical glint filled his eyes.
"But it's fine. Through trials like this, the god will grow even stronger."
That was one thing, but insulting his god was another.
"Daring to insult our god with unconfirmed facts, acting like it's already certain."
The people of Rot-Weiss Essen didn't know, but he had a mole planted in the club.
According to them, the way that woman Marie treated Park Si-hyun wasn't mere suspicion.
She handled him like a guilty convict already convicted.
"Blasphemy against the god."
Hans muttered, clenching his fist tight.
Blasphemy against the god demanded severe punishment.
Hans picked up his phone and dialed.
"Hello?"
The call was answered before two rings, as if from a direct subordinate.
"President, you'll need to brace yourself. In 72 hours."
A panicked voice came from the other end—the German Football Association president, Walter Zimmermann.
"Wh-what does that mean..."
"Nothing more to say. Goodbye."
Hans coldly hung up, leaving silence in the office.
In 72 hours, when the doping results came out, the German FA would pay a price they couldn't bear.
'Time to replace the president anyway.'
Walter Zimmermann was briefly flustered after Hans's call but soon realized why.
'Because of this doping incident.'
He didn't know Hans was with the Red God Cult, but he knew he loved Essen.
He'd pegged him as a politician with strong regional loyalty.
And if he was saying "brace yourself," it meant his position as president was at risk.
Walter sighed.
Anyone who knew his father would never dismiss him as just a local politician.
Hans's father was a heavyweight politician central to postwar German reconstruction, with connections and influence still deeply rooted across German politics.
"Anyone out there!"
Click.
"Yes, President. You called?"
The secretary hurried in.
"Who's leading this Park Si-hyun doping test?"
"Employee Anne Marie."
"Bring her here! Right now!!!"
Anger laced Walter's voice.
'72 hours...'
Walter glared at his watch, grinding his teeth.
The time until doping results.
If Park Si-hyun was cleared, Hans would surely use it to attack him.
And he had ample justification and power to do so.
Cold sweat trickled down Walter's back.
He prayed.
Please, let Anne Marie not have been rude.
'Please, let nothing have happened.'