Chapter 50
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Impudent Park Si-hyun?
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“So... why did you fight?”
Coach Park Hang-seo looked at me.
His eyes held more worry and sympathy than anger.
In truth, whether it was the Korean national team or any other country's, a clash between the youngest player and the captain was never something to brush off lightly.
From Coach Park Hang-seo's perspective, he was probably concerned about whether the youngest could endure life on the national team going forward.
Of course, that was a worry born from not truly knowing Park Si-hyun.
But I didn't mind that concern.
Before my regression, there had been zero connection between Coach Park Hang-seo and me.
Unlike me, who played in Korea, he was always on a different stage. Strangely, whenever I reached a position where I could meet him, he wasn't there—and vice versa.
Still, the reason I thought positively of Coach Park Hang-seo was simple.
People remembered him not as a brilliant tactician, but as a coach with outstanding character.
If my mentor back then had been someone like Coach Park Hang-seo, my pre-regression life might have turned out differently.
'This time around, I really want to get close to him.'
That didn't mean I planned to suppress my personality even a little.
Coach Hiddink wouldn't penalize me over something like this.
No, in fact, he was the type to use this incident as a tool to excise the lingering bad habits.
So my job was straightforward.
Act with the same confidence as always in Germany—more than anyone else.
And honestly... I hadn't even fought alongside him.
Hong Myung-bo was the one who'd gotten angry alone, grabbed my jersey alone, and thrown a fit by himself.
A guy whose build would send him tumbling across the grass with a light tap—what nerve made him pick a fight?
He must have hoped I couldn't hold back and threw a punch.
And if I had, Hong Myung-bo would've clutched the spot in front of the press, playing the victim.
I would've been buried in Korea for good.
“We didn't fight. He just got mad by himself... and vented alone.”
Coach Park Hang-seo tilted his head.
“What's 'venting'?”
I grinned and brushed it off vaguely.
At that moment—
Screeech.
The door to the coach's office opened, and Hong Myung-bo stepped out.
His face was rock-hard, his eyes sharp as a blade.
The moment he emerged, he glared at me like a beast, eyes bulging.
Any ordinary national team rookie would've bowed their head at that look from the captain.
But I didn't avoid it.
What're you gonna do about it?
Slowly, oh so leisurely, I met his gaze.
A slight smirk tugged at my lips as a bonus.
That brief exchange twisted Hong Myung-bo's expression further.
His eyes twitched like a spasm, his breathing grew ragged.
I chuckled inwardly.
'Yeah, get even madder. That's how everyone sees how outdated and old-school you are.'
“Hyung, what... still mad?”
My deliberate mutter made Hong Myung-bo's shoulders flinch.
He looked ready to charge again, but Coach Park Hang-seo beside him slowly shook his head and raised a hand to stop him.
Under that silent restraint, Hong Myung-bo ground his teeth and turned away without a word.
Thud, thud—the heavy footsteps echoed down the hall.
The farther he went, the more hunched his back seemed.
I didn't know his punishment, but that expression told me enough.
For Hong Myung-bo, this was no light blow.
Soon—
A low but firm voice came from beyond the closed door.
“Si-hyun. Come in.”
It was Coach Hiddink.
I wondered how he'd handle it.
Conflicts within a team were inevitable when men gathered.
The issue was how to deal with them.
Some coaches hauled both in, yelled at them together to enforce discipline.
Others sided with the better player, coldly reestablishing the hierarchy.
Still others listened to the end and judged by their own sense of justice.
Different methods.
Each revealed the coach's philosophy and personality.
What choice would Coach Hiddink, whom I respected, make?
I entered the office and sat in the chair.
Hiddink stared at me with deep eyes, brows never relaxing.
“I've already heard everything from Myung-bo. So I'll ask just two things.”
I nodded and straightened up.
“First.”
Hiddink's gaze bored into my face.
“Did you mock him with your mouth shape?”
I didn't hide it.
“Yes. I did.”
The short answer made the room's air heavy.
Silence flowed briefly, Hiddink's eyes narrowing sharper.
“Then second. When I brought you from Germany, I said clearly: under me, no such thing as seniors and juniors. Yet this happened. Are you disappointed in me?”
I didn't need excuses; Coach Hiddink already grasped the truth.
I slowly shook my head.
“No. Even reforming the team's culture, changing what's in people's hearts is impossible unless you're a god.”
I met his gaze head-on.
Our eyes clashed, tension filling the room.
“So I'm not disappointed in you, Coach. It's just what naturally happened.”
“This... can't be happening.”
After leaving the coach's office, Hong Myung-bo headed straight to his hotel room, not the training ground.
The door shut, and his fists trembled.
“Me... dare to drag me from captain?”
He had to be captain.
The symbol of the national team, pillar of Korean defense, eldest brother revered by juniors.
Above all, no matter the World Cup result, 'Captain Hong Myung-bo' had to remain a hero of Korean soccer.
But—
A foreign coach, and one newbie kid, had shaken that position.
“Right... I've never liked that coach from the start.”
Hong Myung-bo ground his teeth, muttering low.
“Korean soccer's gone wrong? No need for senior-junior bonds? Don't make me laugh... That's the root that's held Korean soccer together. What does a foreigner ignorant of our history know?”
His breathing grew rough.
This wasn't just wounded pride.
It shook his entire soccer career.
“Hiddink, you should've respected me. I'm the hope of Korean soccer, the eternal symbol.”
Of course, Hiddink did respect Hong Myung-bo.
All players shared double rooms, but only Hong Myung-bo got a single—that said it all.
But to Hong Myung-bo, it wasn't respect.
It was a 'privilege,' 'natural treatment.'
So he couldn't accept it as respect.
Hong Myung-bo slumped onto the bed's edge, reaching under to rummage.
He pulled out a black-cased cell phone.
National team rules strictly banned phones during training camp.
But he'd smuggled it in secretly, undetected.
“...Knew this might happen, so I hid it.”
Screen lit, he hit a shortcut.
Short ringtone, then a familiar reporter's voice.
“Hyung? You can't call now, right?”
“Cut the crap. Got a scoop. That new guy Park Si-hyun? He was rude to me, we clashed. That's why I stepped down as captain.”
“What? You? For real?”
“Yeah. Run the story. Blame him for ruining team morale. Public needs to know.”
Hong Myung-bo's eyes flashed.
In that moment, not 'Korea’s Captain,' but the ugly face of a man sparing no means to protect his authority and position.
“...This World Cup, the hero has to be me.”
That night, breaking news exploded.
Shock! National Team Feud Rumors... Rookie Park Si-hyun Clashes with Captain Hong Myung-bo, Leading to Captain Change
National Team Discipline Shaken by Newbie? Hiddink's Reforms Under Fire
Hiddink's Arbitrary Decision Strips Icon of Korean Soccer, Hong Myung-bo, of Captaincy
Hong Myung-bo's junior reporter struck first, others piling on.
Every article ended with the line:
'Per team insider, newbie Park Si-hyun publicly mocked Hong Myung-bo.'
The articles lit the fire; public opinion poured oil.
Comments boiled over instantly.
What the hell? Even so, the rookie mocks the captain?
Who does Park Si-hyun think he is lol? Strutting just cuz he did something in Germany
Hiddink too much. Stripping captaincy right before World Cup?
Who's Park Si-hyun that one guy shakes the whole team?
Just show your face, you damn foreigner bastard
Daring to touch Hyung Hong Myung-bo? Wanna die?
Don't strut just cuz you're good in Germany! This is Korea
Hong Myung-bo smirked at his phone screen.
"This is Korea."
Gazing at the flood of articles and furious comments, he was convinced.
"In the end, the team can't run without me. Captaincy will come back soon."
Next day, training ground.
Players murmured in groups as Hong Myung-bo strode in far more boldly than yesterday.
Shoulders back, gaze high.
'Now Hiddink knows. This is Korea, and I'm indispensable.'
At that moment—
Hiddink and the coaches approached slowly from afar.
Hiddink's face was stern, eyes icy.
"Hong Myung-bo."
The curt call made Hong Myung-bo smile inwardly.
'Now he'll apologize and return the armband.'
But the next words shattered his calculations.
"You're out."
Hiddink's voice rang across the training ground.
"No more place for you on the Korean national team under my command. Pack your bags and go home now."