Chapter 97
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Park Si-hyun Calls the Legend
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Club office.
After a long time facing each other, Coach Frank and I sat quietly sipping tea.
"So... that's why you skipped Korea and flew straight to Germany?"
"Yes."
I'd come straight to Germany because I didn't want to meet the Korean bigwigs, but I was curious about the players Essen had signed too.
Coach Frank had called me personally and even said, "Look forward to it." The media was buzzing that this rebuild was the best in the 2. Bundesliga this year.
That meant Essen had pulled off some insane signings.
'Bringing in a few prospects wouldn't earn it the title of best rebuild.'
Of course, I wasn't planning to be easily impressed.
My agent had already brought me Luka Modrić.
Unless it was beyond that, it was hard to be surprised, honestly.
Messi or Ronaldo levels? Yeah, I'd admit that.
If they'd landed those two, I would've dropped my cup and shouted.
They were the ones battling for supremacy in soccer's 'divine realm' before the name Park Si-hyun appeared.
And in this world, that divine realm would have three now.
'Exciting. There were rumors Barcelona was after me... Would that mean overlapping with Messi?'
My original plan was simple.
Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Messi to Barcelona, and me becoming the absolute symbol of another team.
Then, right when those two hit their primes, I'd enter La Liga and flip the board.
But according to Do-yoon hyung, Barcelona was going crazy trying to build around me.
'Pushing Messi out of Barcelona... that could be fun too.'
I had no doubts about getting pushed aside.
'Messi barely got one World Cup right before retirement. Me? I won it in Korea, which is tougher than Argentina.'
No need to say who was superior.
Everyone already knew.
Coach Frank looked at me with an exasperated expression.
"But it all comes out in the news anyway, right? It's already all over the place."
Yeah, a quick news search would reveal who came.
But...
"That'd ruin the fun. Our great coach called me personally to brag about it."
"Ha... geniuses really are missing a screw somewhere..."
Coach Frank let out a long sigh before continuing.
"I said it'd surprise you, but you might not know the names yet. They're still prospects, so see for yourself at training tomorrow. You know best that soccer speaks through skill, not names... Si-hyun."
I swallowed a laugh.
Yeah, I knew it better than anyone.
That soccer was all about skill, not names.
And how quickly a prospect's name turns into real skill.
'Really curious now. Who could it be? We need to reinforce defense and midfield...'
At that moment, Coach Frank held up one finger.
"...Well, I can tell you one."
"Oh? So not a prospect then? A veteran coming to a 2. Bundesliga team... Who?"
The so-called 'successful rebuild' everyone was talking about.
That core would be the player about to come up now.
The coach's lips slowly, surely curled up.
"Fernando Couto."
For a moment, my thoughts froze.
Lazio's defensive leader.
A true world-class center back with Champions League and World Cup experience.
'Fernando Couto coming to our 2. Bundesliga team?'
Coach Frank smiled leisurely.
"So, surprised this time?"
I left the club office and got into Do-yoon hyung's car.
Even as the scenery flowed by outside the window, my mind was filled with one person.
Fernando Couto.
Not a mainstream star. Especially not in Korea.
He'd been suspended for nine months due to doping, which didn't help his image with Korean fans, and his conduct wasn't exactly spotless.
But purely in terms of skill, he was the perfect puzzle piece for what Essen needed most right now.
A player who returned to Lazio's starting lineup right after his suspension was lifted four months early and performed.
Perfect at orchestrating Essen's weakest defensive line, with the judgment to push it up and the leadership to build organized defense.
Plus, he had promotion experience.
A player like that wasn't just a defender—he was the team's spine and mental pillar.
'Lazio in financial trouble lately? Nah, even then, they wouldn't sell Couto.'
He was a national team staple, once called Portugal's best center back.
No normal club lets a player like that go easily, no matter how tight money was.
Yet Couto came.
Serie A starter to German 2. Bundesliga.
Career-wise, it was absurd downgrade.
Form check? League adjustment? No, this wasn't that level. He came to change teams.
Moves like this always need reasons and plausible excuses.
But Couto had none.
Not injured, not discarded by the club.
'...No way.'
My lips slowly curled up.
Soccer's god.
The World Cup monster.
The freak who made Korea's victory real.
Park Si-hyun.
'You came to see me, huh.'
Arrogant?
Sure, maybe.
But objectively, it fit.
Why would Portugal's legendary defender choose a German 2. Bundesliga out of nowhere?
Not for money, not for fame.
Only one answer.
Legends attract legends.
I smiled quietly.
'No doping here, friend.'
Doping was the weak's escape.
The tool those admitting their limits cling to last.
But the moment he joined my team, that choice was off the table.
Even if not a powerhouse, standing beside one meant no weakness allowed.
Fernando Couto had one path in Essen.
Push to human limits and aid the god.
Promotion.
Victory.
And beside the god, write a new legend.
I murmured gazing out the window.
"Welcome, defensive legend. But if you get arrogant just 'cause you're a legend..."
My lips slowly rose.
"I'll put you in your place."
Just before deciding to sign with Essen, Fernando Couto's home.
In the middle of the living room, two men faced off sharply.
"Couto, even if... Rot-Weiss Essen? Come on!"
His agent shook the papers like a madman.
"That's not even Bundesliga, it's 2. Bundesliga! You're a Lazio starter! A center back who played Champions League—why go down?!"
Couto listened for a while, then smiled calmly.
"I've made up my mind. I'm going to Essen."
"Why? What's missing? Who told you to retire? Who dissed you? Just say it. I'll wreck 'em."
Couto chuckled at the extreme words.
The man before him wasn't just some contract-pusher. He was his closest friend, who'd stuck by him through suspension and wandering.
He understood the anger.
'Sorry. But... I'm curious.'
Couto turned his gaze to the window.
Park Si-hyun.
When he first saw that kid at the World Cup, he felt a long-extinguished fire reignite deep in his chest.
He'd believed it once too.
That he'd be the one to rule the world.
But after decades with the ball, he learned.
He wasn't a genius—just talented effort.
Once he admitted that, the dream died.
Comparisons started, then envy and jealousy took root.
And that led to doping, the worst choice.
After the ban lifted, he let it all go.
'Eh, life's not much. Just play till retirement.'
That's when he saw Park Si-hyun at the World Cup.
Like his lost childhood self walking into reality.
The fearless days, believing his talent was the best, when soccer was the world's most fun.
His agent suppressed his rage and asked.
"...You're dead set on this?"
Couto nodded firmly.
"Yeah. Buddy, I need a favor. That might be my last stop. We're setting terms first, so block if they lowball."
The agent sighed deeply, then nodded.
"...Fine. I'm your agent. I'll respect your decision."
Couto smiled.
"Hey, buddy. Don't be like that. I got here thanks to you... and now I have passion to go the end. You're not just an agent—you're my eternal friend."
Silence fell briefly, then the agent asked quietly.
"...Okay, one thing. What's the reason? What did you see in Essen to go this far?!"
Couto said it slowly, surely.
"I want to play with my childhood self."
"...Your childhood self?"
Couto's lips curled up.
"Yeah. The kid who reminds me of when I believed everything was beneath me, shouting I was the world's best. I want to play with Park Si-hyun, make history by his side. That's my dream now. Help me, friend."