Chapter 52
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: In the End, Park Si-hyun Was Right
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In the end, Park Si-hyun was right.
"Coach Hiddink has ultimately dropped Hong Myung-bo from the national team and made a bold call-up of Lee Sung-min from Seongnam Ilhwa as a new defensive resource. Lee Sung-min was playing for an amateur team as recently as 2001, but he caught the eye of Coach Cha Kyung-bok during the creation of the second division and transferred to Seongnam, where he experienced rapid growth. At twenty-nine years old this year, this marks his first-ever call-up to the national team."
The news anchor's voice remained calm, but the subtitles flashing at the bottom of the screen were provocatively sensational.
[National Team 'Pillar' Hong Myung-bo, Shock Drop!]
[Hiddink's Decision—Acknowledging the Feud Rumors?]
The reporter then grabbed passersby on the street for interviews.
"Hong Myung-bo has been dropped from the national team. What are your thoughts on this?"
A man in his forties standing before the camera shook his head vigorously and raised his voice.
"Ah, does this even make sense? The national team we've trusted and cheered for since 2001 suddenly pulls this crap. Hong Myung-bo is the Korean national team! Without Hong Myung-bo, what the hell kind of national team is that? I ain't cheering for no team without him, not one bit!"
Next, a young fan who looked like a college student took the mic.
"Hong Myung-bo isn't just any player—he's the symbol of the national team. Kicking out a guy like that... it'll tank the team's morale. This is gonna show up big time in the upcoming matches."
The interviews on the news screen continued, and public opinion was steadily tilting one way.
Many people had already sided with Hong Myung-bo and couldn't accept his exclusion.
Most folks figured the players on the national team must be just as pissed off as they were.
But the players themselves had no way of knowing.
Phones were confiscated, and all contact with the outside world was strictly blocked.
They knew only one thing.
Hong Myung-bo was no longer part of the national team.
And contrary to what people expected, the players' morale didn't crumble. There wasn't even any discontent.
If anything, it sparked an awakening.
For the veterans, it hit home like a harsh wake-up call: No matter how big your name is, screw up and you're out.
The young players burned with conviction: I'm not just some benchwarmer. If I've got the skills, my chance will come. They threw themselves into it.
At that moment—
A unfamiliar presence appeared at the training ground entrance.
One player slowly stepping in.
Lee Sung-min, the Seongnam Ilhwa defender who had been shockingly called up to fill Hong Myung-bo's spot.
His face a mix of tension and excitement, he headed straight to Coach Hiddink and the coaching staff, bowing deeply.
"Please take care of me."
A brief handshake and words of encouragement followed, with a light pat on his shoulder.
Soon, Lee Sung-min walked out to the players in the middle of training.
The veterans nodded silently, while the youngsters eyed him with curiosity.
Lee Sung-min met each player's gaze one by one, bowing politely.
"I'm Lee Sung-min from Seongnam. Looking forward to working with you all."
With his short introduction done, he jumped right into training.
He dove into defensive drills, quickly took up positions, and worked hard to prove himself in this unfamiliar environment.
Then—
In the shooting drill area, one player rocketed the ball skyward like lightning.
Park Si-hyun.
The very player who had first recognized his talent—the one he'd always wanted to meet again someday.
The guy who, even before heading to Germany, was already dead certain of his own success.
That confidence wasn't just bravado; it had become reality, and he was racking up insane results on the German stage.
...Does he remember me?
Lee Sung-min's eyes burned hot for a moment.
He didn't hesitate.
He headed straight for Park Si-hyun.
BAM!
CLANG!
"Hey, you punk! Ease up on those shots! I'm not as young as I used to be—my heart's gonna give out!"
Kim Byung-ji dusted off his gloves from inside the goal, grumbling.
Of course, he wasn't really mad. His sweat-drenched face was grinning despite the huffing—you could tell he was holding back a laugh.
I chuckled and reset the ball.
"Got it. This time I'll really go easy."
THWACK—!
BAMMMM!!!!
Despite my words, I put even more power into it this time.
"You bastard! How the hell is that 'easy'? That's a man-killer shot!"
Kim Byung-ji threw both hands up in protest, but I just shrugged shamelessly.
"Just testing if you could react. Looks like you're still a bit slow, hyung."
"Slow my ass! Who the hell could stop that?!"
Before he could finish, Lee Woon-jae slipped in from the side.
"Plenty of guys could. Like me."
"Hey, man! You barely save one out of ten and act all high and mighty..."
Kim Byung-ji huffed, but Lee Woon-jae fired back coolly.
"But I did save it."
That one line set off laughter all around.
"Hahaha!"
"Hey, you young punks quit laughing at me. Only Sun-hong hyung gets to laugh here."
But when most of the players kept cracking up, Kim Byung-ji clutched his forehead, looked to the heavens, and let out an exaggerated sigh.
"Ah, God. Do I really have to put up with this on the national team? Korea's legendary keeper, Kim Byung-ji."
Hwang Sun-hong tossed in casually from the side.
"What, you want a babying? Like the maknae gets?"
Kim Byung-ji's face grew even more pitiful.
"No one's on my side... no one's on my side..."
I fired one last shot and stepped back.
This is more fun than I thought.
I'd joined the 2002 World Cup squad out of a player's burning desire to play under Hiddink, but even setting that aside, the national team's vibe—without Hong Myung-bo—was tight-knit across overseas pros, domestic players, young and old.
If it stayed like this, there'd be no need to even think about retirement or naturalization.
Of course, I knew better than anyone it wouldn't be that easy.
Thinking about it, it's ridiculous. If they'd done well, they should've built on it. Instead, they tear it apart on their whims and wreck it.
Tap.
Someone patted my shoulder. I turned to see a face that was both familiar and not.
"...Who are you?"
"Welcome aboard."
My confusion cleared up with Hwang Sun-hong's words.
"You're Sung-min, the new guy who just joined, right?"
Ah, the player replacing Hong Myung-bo.
"Yes. Lee Sung-min from Seongnam. Please take care of me."
"You too. I'm Hwang Sun-hong, national team captain."
"Yes, sir. I've always admired you."
"Haha, no need to be so formal."
Then Kim Byung-ji yanked off his gloves and rushed over from the goal, bear-hugging Lee Sung-min.
"Buddy!"
"What the—Byung-ji, you two know each other?"
"No, first time meeting today."
"Then why the hell are you hugging him like that? You're freaking him out."
"We're teammates now, right? A hot embrace from a teammate and friend is fine once in a while."
But—
Even as the chatter went on, Lee Sung-min's eyes stayed locked on me.
I first thought it was coincidence, but every time I turned, his gaze followed.
What's his deal? Staring like that... is he a fan or something?
I couldn't hold back my curiosity.
"...You got something to say?"
Lee Sung-min paused a beat, then his lips quirked up slightly.
"You don't remember me?"
"...Pardon?"
It didn't ring any bells.
That's when Ahn Jung-hwan jumped in with a teasing grin.
"Hey, you didn't beat some guy and forget about it, did you? And Sung-min hyung joined the national team for movie-style revenge?"
Lee Sung-min chuckled and gave a short reply.
"Something like that."
"What?!"
Ahn Jung-hwan's eyes went wide as he yelled.
"Yo, Park Si-hyun. You didn't—"
"I never hit anyone..."
But in that instant, a memory flashed through my mind.
After regressing, roundhouse-kicking Choi Jun-ho.
No... that was just shoving with my foot, not hitting.
"...like that."
But I was too late—Ahn Jung-hwan backed away with genuine fear on his face.
"Dude, why'd you hesitate like that? It was a joke, but now I'm actually scared. Stay away from me."
Hwang Sun-hong asked with a slightly serious look.
"So, how do you know Si-hyun?"
Lee Sung-min smiled faintly and nodded.
"Not in a bad way like Jung-hwan said. Truth is, I was on an amateur team back then, twenty-eight years old. Honestly, that's old. I was thinking about quitting soccer."
He caught his breath and continued.
"While I was agonizing over it, the coach suddenly tells me some high school kid's heading to Germany and needs help filming soccer videos."
Hwang Sun-hong's eyebrows rose slightly.
"No way, that was..."
Lee Sung-min nodded with a smile.
"Yeah, it was Si-hyun. Honestly, at first I wasn't thrilled. Even on an amateur team, you've got pride as a player. But real talent? You can't argue with it.
And then at the end, Si-hyun says this to me:
'Hyung, you've got talent. I guarantee it. If you can't believe in yourself, believe in me—the best in the world.'
"Honestly, it cracked me up, but weirdly, it gave me strength. It was the first real recognition I'd ever gotten in life."
As he finished, a brief silence fell—
Followed by an explosion of laughter.
"Puhahaha! 'Believe in me, the best in the world'? Man, even a cult leader wouldn't go that far."
"I'd be pissed if it were me. Looks like this guy's even more out there than Cheon-su!"
"Haha, he's nuts."
I held my head high through the laughs,
"What? I was right in the end, wasn't I? Talented people always spot other talented people."
And brazenly shot back.
After all, an amateur team player making the national team proved I was spot on.
And hey, I'm a soccer player, but also a god of the Red Faithful—bigger than any cult leader, naturally.
Time passed, and May 16th—the day of the friendly against Scotland—arrived.
The Busan Asiad Main Stadium was already packed with crowds.
No matter how negative the buzz, it was still attention in another form.
Not a single empty seat in the stands.
As the match kicked off, I watched the field quietly from the bench.
How good is the national team I've changed, I wonder.
Hong Myung-bo was out, Lee Sung-min was in.
And based on that shift, the tactics had changed from 3-4-3 to 4-4-2.
I was dying to see what results this difference would bring.