Chapter 69
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Says So, What Can You Do About It?
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Park Si-hyun says so, what can you do about it?
[Park Si-hyun completes his ice rink revenge against Ono on the grass.]
[Football and short track—different sports, but as fellow Koreans, the moment honor was reclaimed.]
Once the U.S. match ended, front pages of newspapers were plastered with photos of Park Si-hyun's celebration, and broadcasters kept cracking up day after day, saying, "There's no sweeter revenge than this."
Everyone applauded the witty satire, the sharp sense of humor, the bold message at his age.
But across the Atlantic, reactions in America were the polar opposite.
ESPN, AP, CNN—all the major outlets.
Every one of them reported Park Si-hyun's celebration the instant the match ended.
[Korea's Park Si-hyun shatters sportsmanship.]
[Dragging up a 4-month-old incident onto the soccer pitch—shameful behavior.]
Overseas news forums and sports communities were flooded with posts.
Why drag up something from 4 months ago onto the soccer field?
Sports should stay sports. That wasn't revenge—it was mockery.
In truth, if it had ended there, Park Si-hyun's reputation in America might have just taken a temporary hit, and that would have been that.
But some conservative outlets kept framing his celebration as a "political message" with inflammatory headlines, and gradually, people started buying into that narrative.
"That's not just a simple celebration."
"Park Si-hyun has become a symbol of anti-American sentiment in Korea."
Now the controversy was spilling beyond mere fandom or public opinion into the political sphere.
Even officials from the U.S. Soccer Association didn't hide their displeasure.
"His celebration was a clear violation of the spirit of sport. FIFA needs to establish clear standards for this kind of behavior."
Less than a day after those remarks spread, a formal protest letter from the U.S. side arrived at FIFA headquarters.
American media pounced on it, splashing the story everywhere.
[U.S. Files Official Protest with FIFA: Korea's Park Si-hyun Politicizes Sports.]
Only then did FIFA turn its eyes toward Korea.
Three straight World Cup wins, a 17-year-old prodigy, dribbles and a celebration that shook the world.
"What should we do, Chairman?"
"Hm... This is complicated."
FIFA Chairman Richard Klein let out a deep sigh.
He hadn't thought this incident would blow up this big.
Normally, they wouldn't even name a specific player, and it wasn't violent, so it would have been brushed off as satire or humor.
No grounds for disciplinary action, in other words.
But this time was different.
The crux was who was protesting.
It wasn't the U.S. Soccer Association—it was the U.S. government.
"Tch... Why is the government getting directly involved in a sports matter?"
Richard Klein rubbed his temples slowly.
Deep fatigue and frustration etched his face.
No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.
Of course, the scene had been pretty intense.
On a stage watched by the whole world, a player bending at the waist and swinging his arms like in short track while dribbling.
It wasn't just soccer—it was a performance loaded with symbolism and message.
The shock of that scene exploding across America? Inevitable, really.
"If he'd just scored and done a regular celebration, it wouldn't have escalated like this."
Richard Klein sighed briefly.
If it had been a plain celebration, the government wouldn't have stepped in.
But this was different.
The play itself was the message, witnessed by the world, and now it was a full-blown issue.
"Still..."
Richard Klein paused, choosing his words carefully before speaking lowly.
"We can't issue a punishment. That would be tantamount to bowing to political pressure."
Richard rose slowly from his seat, quietly placing the documents in his hand on the desk.
"Besides, disciplining Korea's ace from the World Cup—one the whole world is watching, a 17-year-old boy?"
There'd be a backlash far bigger than they imagined.
"That would be pouring oil on the fire. Not just Korea—the whole of Asia would turn against FIFA."
His voice was calm but firm.
The conference room fell silent.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for Richard's final decision.
Richard closed his eyes briefly, exhaled slowly, then looked up and spoke quietly.
"...Alright, here's what we'll do."
'Things blew up this much?'
I let out a deep breath.
It was way bigger than I'd expected—way too big.
Even with Brother Jeong-hwan's celebration back then, it hadn't reached this level.
Korea and the U.S. had buzzed a bit, sure.
But it was just "celebration controversy."
No reason for governments or FIFA to get involved.
It ended with a warning, and everyone laughed it off.
This time was different.
My play wasn't a simple celebration.
It was a brand-new scene "witnessed simultaneously by the whole world."
A short-track dribble slicing through the grass.
Something no one had ever seen, something no one could have imagined.
And that clip spread worldwide in just 10 seconds.
That was the problem.
'Too good for its own good—world's hilarious.'
I let out a hollow chuckle.
This wasn't just hurt feelings between Korea and the U.S.
European media hailed it as "the moment we witnessed soccer as art," South American broadcasts called it "a play that was a message in itself."
The world was raving about my play.
The issue was that America saw it all too.
My dribble reminded the whole world of the Ono incident, and now everyone was replaying the footage nonstop.
Worst nightmare for the U.S. side.
One play, and their "embarrassing past" bobbed right back to the surface.
'Still, no way they go as far as punishment...'
Honestly, even if FIFA punished me, Korea wouldn't crumble.
Sure, we'd miss my firepower, but Korea was already united in spirit and far from a weak team.
But if this escalated beyond "punishment" into politics, it'd be a whole different beast.
At worst, my World Cup participation could be in jeopardy.
That's when—
Click.
The door opened.
I looked up.
I knew who it was just from the key sound.
The one person who could open every door in this dorm.
"Si-hyun."
It was Coach Hiddink.
He stood in the doorway, gazing at me for a moment before slowly opening the door wider.
"Come out for a bit."
"Yes."
I got up and stepped into the hallway.
Coach Hiddink's face held not tension, but an odd calm.
The expression of someone who already knew everything.
"A FIFA official came to Korea."
"...FIFA?"
"Yeah. And he requested a meeting with you."
'An official came all the way to Korea?'
"Probably about this incident."
Coach Hiddink nodded lightly and added,
"Don't worry. It's not to punish you—more likely the opposite."
Coach Hiddink led me toward the hotel lobby.
A foreigner in a black suit stood there.
Graying hair, impeccably pressed suit, name tag with the FIFA badge.
He extended his hand to me.
"Hello. I'm Richard Klein."
FIFA Chairman.
The pinnacle of world soccer.
The man known even in the future for handling things cleanly stood before me now.
"Park Si-hyun."
As we shook hands, Richard met my eyes.
His gaze wasn't cold.
It held curiosity—and a strange respect.
The moment he sat, he got straight to it.
"Time's short, so let's cut to the chase."
Placing his hands on the table, he continued quietly.
"I don't agree that this incident warrants discipline. If that's the case, what plays or celebrations are players even allowed to do going forward?"
He tapped the table slowly with his finger, watching my expression.
"Every player has the freedom to express their own message. As long as it doesn't incite violence."
FIFA's top guy saying this outright? No wonder he's reputed to be on another level—no wonder his mindset's different from the start.
'If a guy like this ran the Korea Football Association, how solid would that be? I'd seriously consider naturalizing—no, if he were KFA chairman, I wouldn't even think of naturalizing.'
"So why come in person? Not just to tell me there's no punishment, I hope."
"This protest went beyond the soccer association—it's 'national' level now. So for FIFA, just saying 'no discipline' feels a bit ambiguous to close out. On behalf of FIFA, I apologize for not fully protecting one player's honor."
He bowed his head slightly as he continued.
"Hold a press conference, please."
"A press conference?"
"Yes. Just say it wasn't done with any specific intent. We'll handle the rest."
I looked at Richard for a moment, then nodded.
"We'll take care of it right away. And thank you for coming in person."
No matter how cocky I am, I'm not so stone-hearted as to stay poker-faced when FIFA's chairman flies to Korea just for me and apologizes directly.
Courtesy calls for courtesy—that's the Park Si-hyun style.
"Seriously, Park Si-hyun says so—what can you do about it?"
...This wasn't the plan, so why am I arguing with reporters?