Chapter 105
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 105
Chapter Title Talented Trash
He could be seen as the greatest creation of the Ji Youngsu faction.
Of course, the Ji Youngsu faction hadnt scouted this guy and brought him to Bayern Munich.
Friedel Mayer, the man who scouted me, had essentially discovered him kicking a ball around in some rural village and molded him into a star.
But his overwhelming status back in Korea? That was all thanks to the Ji Youngsu faction.
It was Ji Youngsu who, against all odds, shoved him into an Amatch callup while he was playing for Arminia Bielefelda seconddivision Bundesliga side that no Korean had even heard of.
Anyway, in the end, Park Mingyu delivered performances so unbelievable for a seconddivision player that he became a national hero. And because of that, the Ji Youngsu faction had become a line that even the Korea Football Association president couldnt afford to discard.
On top of that, Park Mingyu himself stayed completely out of the backlash the faction took.
Sure, people knew about it, but no one could bring themselves to criticize him.
Nobody dares trashtalk a national hero.
In his previous life, that guy rose to become a key figure in the association as Ji Youngsus successor. When our national team, myself included, reached the World Cup Round of 16, he did jack shit but claimed all the credit, leaving us without proper recognitionreduced to nothing more than window dressing in front of him.
And that wasnt all.
What can you call it? Anyway, he was different from normal people.
He didnt give a damn about other peoples misfortune or sacrifices unless it affected him.
The kind of guy whod smile at a junior on the verge of dropping out of the national team due to injury and say, Hey, lets go grab some food.
On the flip side, if something threatened him, hed throw an absolute fit.
Looking back now, I wonder if this bastards a psychopath.
Well, none of the arrogant oldtimers in the Ji Youngsu faction were any different.
Anyway, he was twentyseven this year, right?
Since he retired earlier than expected, the next World Cup would probably be his last at best.
Talented trash...
Even if only to protect his own rice bowl, hed grind hard for the World Cup, so Id just have to smile nicely to his face.
While keeping a proper distance, of course.
Did you see Yoon Taeyang say on his SNS that Park Mingyu is his role model and idol?
Park Mingyu smiled as he answered the reporters question.
Yes, Im personally thrilled that a player of his caliber considers me an idol.
What do you think of Yoon Taeyang?
Yoon Taeyang is seventeen, right? By our countrys education system, hes barely a high school sophomore. Every time I watch him play, Im just in awe. Personally, even though hes young, I think hes already a better player than me.
Thank you for the great answer.
Satisfied with his fluent German response, the reporter stepped back. Park Mingyu, who had been flashing that friendly smile, erased it in an instant, as if it had been a lie.
Whew.
Forcing a smile wasnt easy.
Park Mingyu thought that as he rubbed his dry face. Passing by a mirror, he practiced smiling again.
Park Mingyu was a cold man.
To be precise, he was suspected of having antisocial personality disorder.
Nohe knew it himself. He knew he was a sociopath.
There was nothing wrong with his brain somewhere.
He could sense others emotions. He just couldnt empathize with them.
Unless they involved him.
He didnt have movielike urges to commit murder. He knew murder would lead to punishmenta loss for him.
If it benefited him and he could get away with it completely, maybe. But he knew that wasnt easy, so hed never even considered it.
So why did he play soccer?
Because it benefited him, of course.
He knew his athleticism was far superior to others.
He tried all sorts of sports and chose soccerthe one that paid the most.
Soccer satisfied him.
He loved the socially respected life it gave him, the hundreds of millions rolling in for just ninety minutes of play, and the flood of adsand massive incomeevery time he acted morally upright.
But this season, something had started bothering him.
Yoon Taeyang.
Hed brushed off the news of some kid playing in the Premier League at first. But the problem was how Koreas attention began shifting from him to Yoon Taeyang.
Social status and attention translated directly to money for Park Mingyu.
With all that cash flow heading to Yoon Taeyang, how could it not get under his skin?
Even he had to admit the kid had superior talent and potential. And unlike his own average looks, the boy was handsome.
Objectively, Yoon Taeyang had higher value.
At twentyseventwentyeight in Korean agewhile he was aging, this kid was young and already dominating. Hed snatch all of Park Mingyus fame and position soon enough.
In fact, a recent ad deal worth hundreds of millions had gone to the boy instead.
What to do about him?
No, there was nothing he could do right now.
And it was inevitable that this kid would take his place as he got older.
So maybe ride the synergy for a while?
That was why Park Mingyu had suddenly posted a birthday wish to Yoon Taeyang on SNS.
Get friendly, shoot ads together, do variety showseasy money.
Teamwork depended on rapport, so big synergy in national team games was possible.
Good national team results meant more money anyway.
And he had Plan B.
Separate from getting chummy, figure out how to delay the kid taking everything.
First, hold onto the captains armband and number seven in the national team.
Then, outshine Taeyang in every Champions League game.
Implant the idea that Park Mingyu was still better.
Or at least deliver strong performances to remind everyone that Park Mingyu was still around, even if Yoon Taeyang was killing it.
Or the final option.
Play against Yoon Taeyang and foul him hard enough for a serious injury.
One he could never recover from.
Feel no pang of conscience?
Conscience doesnt pay.
As I said earlier, Park Mingyu was the type who could commit murder anytime if it profited him and he didnt get caught.
A foul?
If it happened unavoidably in the heat of the moment, it wasnt a crime, right?
Worst punishment? A red card.
No reason to refuse.
After running through scenarios, Park Mingyu glanced at his reflection in a glass window as he passed and habitually flashed a smile.
A dry, emotionless one.
Fueled by massive funds, the Premier League had grown day by day, attracting most of the worlds top players.
Proof? Over the last decade, an average of six Premier League players made the World Best XI, and eight Ballon dOrs went to Premier League stars.
It was undeniably the worlds top league.
But ask about the worlds best club, and the answer changes.
Most people name Real Madrid, PSG, or Bayern Munich.
They dominated the Champions League, Europes premier club competition.
Sure, the Premier Leagues grueling schedule played a role, but even Man Citywith their double and triple squads that laughed at tight fixturesmysteriously bombed in the Champions League. You couldnt blame it all on the schedule.
Above all, those three clubs had monstrous squads.
Take Bayern Munich, Newcastles upcoming opponents. Even in the Premier League, theyd be title contenders.
Mike Steven Huxle, Park Mingyu, Sebastian Oliveira, Hemerson, Vicente, Guido Salvatore, Shane Power, Tiziano Wouters, Didier Pierre, and more.
Far more than one or two worldrenowned names.
And lately, a monster rookie had emerged.
Sebastian Weißtiger.
The young emperor.
Munichs white tiger.
Hed burst onto the scene last season, seizing the starting centerback spot and turning Munich into an iron wall.
And this player...
TIGER16
Yoon Taeyang, Ill stop you.
Had declared war on Yoon Taeyang.
He was the same Weißtiger whod gotten shredded by Yoon Taeyang in a GermanyKorea youth exchange when Taeyang was in the U15 national team.
It wouldnt be an exaggeration to say hed been waiting for this match.
Just thinking of Yoon Taeyang made his teeth grind.
CHOOKTAEYANG
TIGER16 ...who?
But his rival didnt even seem to remember him.
Which only made his teeth grind harder.
He had no clue Taeyang was waging psychological warfarenot quite full provocation, but closeto rile him up.
In Munich, with their similar ages and Weißtigers grudge, people were buzzing about the duo.
He says he lost to Taeyang before
Our Bayern couldnt stop young Yoon Taeyang?
Precisely, young Bayern couldnt stop young Yoon Taeyang
Yoon Taeyangs still young
Adult teams are different
Munichs the strongest
To win that, gotta watch out cuz YOONs too good
Champions League top scorer
Might even win the golden boot holding 1st till the end, even if they drop out of R16...
Bayern Munich fans watched the rivalry with interest.
But they werent underestimating Taeyang.
No, at this point, which team would dare?
Leagueonly? Maybe. But Taeyang was proving himself in the Champions League too.
In Korea, focus was less on Weißtiger vs. Yoon Taeyang and more on the Korean Derby.
It pitted Park Mingyulong beloved by Koreansagainst the rising sun named Taeyang.
Some were ecstatic.
When would Koreans from big clubs face off like this again?
Both wearing their teams ace number sevens, no less.
A onetime thing, before or after.
Korean Derby! Who will win?
Clash of Koreas two representatives!
Park Mingyu Yoon Taeyangs a great junior, but were strong in the Champions League.
Yoon Taeyang Just giving my all.
Honestly, team BayernNewcastle, player Yoon TaeyangPark Mingyu, right?
Yoon TaeyangPark Mingyu
I disagree, Park Mingyus still a level above. Look longterm, dont compare a flashinthepan kid to him after one season
That one season 37 goals all comps combined. Flash in the pan? Lol
Fr real, 20 goals in 13 league games. Monster
No doubting Yoon Taeyang
Even if Yoon Taeyang scores 4 aggregate, I see Munich crushing the scoreline to win
Yoon Taeyang VS Park Mingyu who knows, but Newcastle VS Munich is Bayern easy win