CCBS Interview and Nebula Nexus
A Black female reporter from America's CCBS gripped her microphone.
"The first-ever World Cup with forty-eight participating nations, hosted across North and Central America! The greatest festival on Earth is already racing toward its final stretch."
She locked eyes with the camera marked number two.
"I've flown out to Tyne and Wear in the northeast of England, because I'm told the man who has set the world buzzing is right here."
A staffer waved Han Shin in.
"Everyone! Please welcome the winner of OTT's hit series Manager War, and the first Asian manager of a Championship club — Han Shin!"
He stepped into frame with a Taegeukgi badge pinned to his chest.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Han Shin, head coach of Sunderland. Thank you for giving me the chance to greet you like this."
"Before we get to the questions I've prepared, we simply have to talk about that special outfit in this photo."
The reporter lifted a panel from the floor.
"Ah — this is a hanbok, Korea's traditional dress. The hat is called a gat. Sharp, isn't it?"
"It suits you incredibly well. And the name 'gat' is especially fun. On social media people are calling you 'the most handsome manager in England.' Does that feel real to you?"
"Well, handsomeness is pretty subjective, so I wouldn't know. But among managers, simply not having a gut probably puts me in the top ten percent."
"And the popularity? People are reposting you everywhere as the 'hot and sexy manager.'"
"I opened a social media account yesterday, and the followers have been climbing so fast that I'm starting to feel it there."
"When it came time for the official photos, was there a particular reason or story behind choosing a hanbok over a suit or something more casual?"
"Before I even took the job, the marketing lead reached out to me first. She said we should take a historic, special photo for the club website."
"Oh my, what a sharp person."
"So the two of us brainstormed what kind of impact we could make, and we decided on the hanbok. My sincere thanks as well to the hanbok shop in London that sponsored it."
"Looking at this, you could pass for a fashion model. Do you think it might become this year's it-item across Britain — and the whole world?"
"Haha. If it becomes more widely known because of me, I'd be grateful for that alone. But going forward, I'd rather draw attention with excellent performances on the pitch than with fashion."
"What a great answer. Then let's get to the first prepared question! You've become the first Asian manager in the Championship. How does it feel to take the Sunderland job?"
"I couldn't be happier. Sunderland is an outstanding club. It's an enormous honor to manage this team. I'm looking forward to meeting the fans tomorrow."
"What about the facilities? Do you like them?"
"Looking at the scale of our training rooms and the grounds, I can confidently say they stand up to anything in the world."
"You've repeatedly guaranteed a Championship title. Has your feeling on that changed at all?"
"No. We have a formidable squad that can compete with any team in the league, an owner who always makes brilliant decisions, a sporting director who supports those decisions, and coaches and staff who look after the players' condition in ways you never see."
Han Shin pointed with his index finger at the sponsors on his kit.
"A great many sponsors have chosen to back Sunderland this season. I also want to praise the marketing department for all the hard work they put into those negotiations."
"Hahaha — you can really feel how much you love this team."
Should I send her a signal only the two of us would know?
Emily, as the marketing lead, was of course standing beside camera three, jotting notes on her tablet.
Good! Good!
Han Shin angled his head slightly toward her as she gave him a thumbs-up, making a quiet show of it.
"Yes — it's excellent."
I told him not to do this. It was only supposed to be metaphorical.
Wink—!
She answered him with a wink of her own.
After that, he and the reporter worked through the formal questions and answers about the club, the team, and the league.
"Shall we take a moment to hear from the fans? I've just gone live on YouTube. Look at that camera over there and give us a wave!"
"This is awkward! Hello, everyone in the chat!"
Chat messages flooded a vertically mounted screen — half in English, half in Korean.
It's chaos in here.
Dizzying, in a completely different way.
"To our Korean fans — this is a live chat. We're watching, so please keep it civil."
Somehow the news had spread, and more and more Koreans poured in until the American reporter simply could not keep up with the translations.
"The chat firepower from Korean fans on the other side of the planet is incredible. I can't read any of it, so Manager, please pick a question yourself and answer however you like."
"Someone asked if I'm signing Korean players. We'll see. But if the quality is there, the door is open to anyone."
Then a fanfare blasted from the speakers, and a TTS voice read the message aloud in Korean.
Third-generation Sunderland fan here. Looking forward to Sunderland's performances in the league. Use this for a team dinner with the players!
"Uh… hang on, someone just sent a Super Chat — how much is this? I've never done this before…"
A staffer dragged the distant chat window closer so he could read it.
"Wow! Qwaiek28, thank you for the ₩1,000,000! I never expected donations on a surprise live broadcast — thank you so much for the first one. We'll put your generous gift toward a team dinner!"
Caught off guard by the donation, Han Shin made a request to the staff in English.
"I think we should turn the donation function off."
A staffer scribbled on a sketchpad that they would disable Super Chats — but another one landed in the meantime.
I'm a fan! Please make sure you beat Zenit in the friendly too! Always supporting you.
"Ah — NolanHamzzi, thank you for the ₩500,000. We'll give everything we've got against Zenit."
As the Q&A continued only in Korean, English-speaking viewers grew horns.
Having read the chat window, Han Shin answered reluctantly.
"I can read those comments. Please, let's keep a respectful atmosphere. The language I'm speaking is Korean. Just now I was answering a Super Chat from a Korean viewer."
The viewer who had blown up asking if it was Chinese sent a donation.
When's your first transfer?
"I can't go into detail about transfers, but we're preparing a gift that will surprise all of you."
The scroll speed climbed so fast it became hard even to read the usernames.
For about twenty minutes he sweated through a spicy chat window shielded by anonymity, then finally finished answering.
Among them, the comment that stung was…
Ballard's transferring soon…
He couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Well done~ Man.a.ger?"
Emily handed him an ice-cold drink.
"Thanks."
"See you later!"
She casually, sneakily gave his well-toned backside a firm squeeze — then bolted.
"Hahaha… well then."
With the American CCBS interview behind him, Han Shin sat down with Isaac for his last morning appointment before afternoon training: a video meeting with the Nebula Nexus team.
When the scheduled time arrived, the screen lit up.
About forty Nebula Nexus employees appeared on camera, holding up a banner that read:
Korea's God · The God of Tactics · Welcome, Manager Han Shin!