Chapter 98
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Mad Dogs are Ruled by the Mad Park Si-hyun
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Mad dogs are ruled by the mad Park Si-hyun.
Right before opening the training ground door, a familiar voice rang out.
"Si-hyun!!"
I turned my head, and Christoph Bauer was running toward me, panting for breath.
"Cong... congratulations on the win. I was cheering for you the whole time."
He still had a bit of that timid vibe, but compared to when we first met, both his eyes and voice were far more confident.
With his solid talent, he'd definitely be a huge help on the road to winning the top-flight league.
"Christoph, the winner is always Park Si-hyun anyway."
"Haha, Si-hyun. Long time no see, and you're still the same, really."
I entered the training ground with him.
And I immediately froze in place.
The whole scene had completely changed.
The first thing that caught my eye was the training ground floor.
What had been artificial turf had been replaced—sometime when?—with perfect natural grass, from the feel to the color.
Between the blades of grass, ring sprinklers spun around, spraying fine streams of water.
'Whoa... they really poured a ton of money into this.'
It wasn't just the training ground—the surrounding facilities had all been overhauled.
The restaurant next to the training ground looked remodeled, spacious and pristine. The players' lounge was decked out like a luxury lounge, and there was even a brand-new professional massage and care room that hadn't existed before.
It felt like they hadn't just tried to mimic big-club facilities—they'd straight-up copy-pasted them.
'At this level, facility-wise, it's top-tier for the 2nd division.'
And the faces had changed a lot too. It looked like they'd done a major purge during the World Cup break.
'Michael ended up leaving after all.'
Michael Waltz, who'd been openly hostile toward me from the moment I arrived in Essen.
Werner Klein, my positional rival, had acknowledged my skills and become a solid teammate instead, but Michael never budged till the end. Guess he finally left.
At that moment, the players already out on the training ground all turned their heads at once.
"Hey, it's Si-hyun!"
The prankster vice-captain Andreas Hermann shot his arm up high and yelled.
"Our Golden Ball man! Park! Si! Hyun! Nim! Has! Re! Tur! Ned~~~!"
The instant he said it—
Rumble.
All eyes locked on me at once, and the players surged forward like a wave.
"Hey hey hey! How's it feel to win? Be honest!"
"You weren't nervous at the awards, right? Figured you wouldn't be."
"Golden Ball... is it really solid gold? Heard it's insanely heavy."
"That last goal against Brazil still gives me chills. Si-hyun, you even human?"
"Heard you came straight here without stopping in Korea? To see us, right?"
"Say yes. I almost teared up thinking that!"
Questions exploded from all sides, laughter and shouts tangled together, turning the training ground into chaos.
Even an idol comeback scene probably wouldn't be this wild.
Until last year, these guys were 3rd-division players.
World Cup? No connection whatsoever.
But now?
On their team: a World Cup winner, Golden Ball recipient, and a teammate they heard called "world's best" every day. How could they not be amazed, thrilled, bursting with pride?
"If Park Si-hyun doesn't win the World Cup and Golden Ball, who would? This season, with the world's best on the team, keep up. I'll make sure your names go down in history."
The moment those words dropped.
The noise filling the training ground—vanished.
And the immediate reactions were...
"...Hasn't changed a bit. C'mon, let's go."
"The maknae... needs to show a cute, excited face sometimes..."
"Wonder if we'll ever get a proper maknae."
Twitch.
For a split second, my temple throbbed.
The urge to flip every one of them over and restart "Park Si-hyun Education" rose right up to my throat.
I was about to charge in and start class right then—
"Everyone. Quiet."
A heavy voice boomed from afar.
Coach Frank was walking over.
And behind him, four men slowly came into view.
First: Fernando Couto, the current world-class player the coach had mentioned.
Then the rest, following naturally.
The moment I saw them, I chuckled inwardly.
'They really brought a real mix.'
Future world-class stars had arrived at Rot-Weiss Essen in Germany's 2nd division.
"These are the new signings. The players who'll write history with us this season. First up, the guy everyone knows. Couto, introduce yourself."
Fernando Couto stepped forward at Coach Frank's call.
Curly hair long for a guy, rock-solid build, and a face etched with the word "experience."
Just looking at him screamed, yeah, this guy's the real deal.
That was the vibe.
Above all, aside from Park Si-hyun, he was the most famous name in Essen.
Lazio starter. Portugal national team core. Champions League and World Cup veteran.
From the moment he stepped onto a 2nd-division training ground, all eyes were on him naturally.
And among those gazes, there was subtle tension and wariness.
Oldest, most experienced, oozing charisma.
In other words, top candidate for captain.
Some players were thinking stuff like:
'We dragged the team this far... and now a new guy waltzes in for captain? Kinda off.'
'But... if it's Couto... tricky.'
'With his career, if he doesn't get it in 2nd division, it'd bruise his ego, right?'
Eyes full of tangled emotions.
But—
One action shattered all expectations.
Fernando Couto bowed slowly—and deeply.
That posture alone shifted the atmosphere before he even spoke.
"I'm Fernando Couto."
Low, firm voice. No tremor, no air of dominance. Just plain sincerity.
"I'm the oldest here, with the most experience. But I won't demand a spot or act arrogant because of it."
With those words, Couto bowed once more.
"I came here for one reason: to write real history with all of you. Please take care of me."
In that instant, the wary air filling the training ground evaporated.
A few who'd been eyeing him shifted their gazes guiltily; others nodded in admiration.
Inward thoughts echoed:
'Whoa... so cool.'
'A legend bowing first.'
A wave of welcoming vibes spread out.
Honestly, a veteran like this is an asset just by existing.
Skills aside, what mattered more was how he anchored the team's atmosphere.
This short intro alone made it clear: Essen's core was now solid.
The next three intros weren't as shocking as Couto's.
They were all prospects, but after seeing the monster Park Si-hyun, the squad wasn't blown away.
"I'm Kaká, from São Paulo FC. I got called up for Brazil in this World Cup but didn't start. But I watched Si-hyun's games live and wanted to play with him, so here I am."
"You might not remember, but... we faced off once in 3rd division against Munich youth. You said then, 'Don't regret it later—if you're joining, come now.' So I did. Philipp Lahm, on a one-year loan from Bayern Munich. Please take care of me."
"Charlie Adam here. Heard the world's best striker's on the attack line, so the future world's top midfielder showed up! Feel the honor, hahaha!"
First official training after promotion to the 2nd division.
Not a single new signing or holdover looked out of shape—astonishingly.
Usually, players slack off post-season, and first training's a disaster.
But here, they were handling even higher intensity than before.
That meant Essen's players had insane hunger for the top flight.
Running laps per Coach Frank's orders, I glanced sideways.
There: Kaká, Philipp Lahm, Charlie Adam.
'This'll be fun.'
First, Kaká.
Brazilian good looks, upright personality, explosive cheetah dribbles that made him huge in Korea.
But people got dazzled by the flash and missed the real scary part.
His "ball sense."
Ball stuck to his foot like a magnet even on bursts. Full-speed dribbles with zero control loss. Freakish touch.
At this point, Europe's big clubs were queuing up for this super-prospect of super-prospects.
And he came to Essen? Essen's status just skyrocketed.
Next, Philipp Lahm.
Felt it back in 3rd division against Munich youth.
'This kid's brain plays soccer.'
Small frame. Average physicals. But "intelligence" crushed every weakness.
Vision reading passes steps ahead. Tackles predicting half-beat early. Positioning like designing space.
And above all, rare perfectionist in soccer.
In the future, Lahm would shatter concepts of attacker, defender, midfielder, fullback.
Honestly, the foundation was already there. He just didn't know it.
And finally, Charlie Adam.
A legend in a whole other way from Kaká or Lahm.
'Zlatan made memes with words; Charlie Adam makes them with actions.'
On a whole other level from dirty players so far—Adam built fame on near-religious dirty play.
The man who pioneered "Soccer 3."
Funny part? For his style, he gets few cards.
EPL career: just 4 red cards. FM 2018 dirty play stat? A measly 10.
Looks? Total opposite of Kaká—prematurely aged.
Perfect fit for my tastes.
'Train him as my guard dog—bites on command.'
But dirty didn't mean unskilled.
Insane left-foot power. Wide vision. Gritty style pairs perfectly with Christoph Bauer's beautiful soccer.
'...Can't wait.'
2nd-division debut season.
Just thinking of the shock Rot-Weiss Essen would send through Germany—no, the world—got my blood pumping.
Of course...
"Arrrgh!! Outta the way!! I'm number one!!!"
Before shocking the world, I had one untrained mutt to educate first.
'Charlie Adam. I'll tame you real pretty.'