Chapter 96
Translator 8uhl
Chapter 96
Chapter Title SNS Uproar and Dirty Reds
CHOOKTAEYANG
Photo A selfie of Taeyang lying prone on the bed, propping up his chin
I never said that?
Is this really Yoon Taeyangs account?
Oh my prince
Is this legit?
Ive never seen that photo before. Impossible unless its him.
Chook Taeyang lololol wtf, our Taeyang is on the community boards?
lolol the account name Chook Taeyang was unimaginable
Prince Your Highness
WOOOOOOOOW TAEYANG!!
really?
Looks real?
But he says he never said that?
This seems like a direct shot at the FA?
Yeah, and suddenly creating an account like this.
He made it just to say this outright?
Taeyang, getting verified and properly active on SNS now?
Yeah, since I made it, I figured Id do it right.
I see.
Youre not stopping him?
No, were not an entertainment management company. But you know about misconduct, right...?
At Annas words, I grinned.
I hadnt gone off the rails, but Id tossed out one piece of bait that could stir up controversy.
Was it controversy?
No, it was just setting the record straight.
They hadnt even talked to me once and went ahead and posted an article claiming wed reached an agreement. How could I just sit back?
The Ji Youngsu faction in the FA really needed to be acknowledged.
Did they think Id shut my mouth if they posted whatever they wanted?
Did they think they were all that?
Most of them were nobodies without any real pull.
College soccer lines or pro team lines, etc.
A bunch of riffraff whod gathered under Ji Youngsu from shady places, using his name as cover.
Honestly, I didnt want to get tangled up with them, but with people like that in the FA, I had zero desire to play for them.
They wouldnt provide proper support anyway.
It might look glorious on the surface, but all that was left behind were wounded players.
That was the fate of our team that made it to the round of 16 for the FA line in my past life.
If Coach Lee Junghoo hadnt contacted me this time, I almost went along with what the kids were saying.
Honestly speaking, national team? Whatever, I could just naturalize somewhere else.
Yeah, if England really offered naturalization, I could don the Three Lions kit and play for England, where the odds of winning were higher than for Korea.
But I didnt want that.
In my past life, I cherished those days of fiercely playing for the Republic of Korea national team.
Part of it was the good teammates, but what I loved most was that as an orphan, I no longer felt alone.
The people embraced methe late bloomer orphan whod failed repeatedlyas a symbol of human triumph, the spirit of the Korean national team.
That gratitude, that sense of achievement, the thrill of national prideI could never forget it.
Guess Im just another Korean after all.
Thats why I couldnt turn my back on the taegeuk symbol.
Some might criticize me for being steeped in nationalistic fervor, but hey, among those who claim to hate it while whining about it, there were no normal ones.
I was just going to bask in it.
No, they needed to make me drunk on it.
Anyway, SNS was more fun than I thought.
Watching followers pile up was fun, and so was reading comments on my posts.
Should I post some soccer stuff this time?
CHOOKTAEYANG
Video Taeyang trapping with a tangerine
Keep tapping the tangerine like this and it gets sweeter lol
CHOOKTAEYANG
Photo Taeyang holding a Tbone in front of Jacks butcher shop
Eating meat is important.
JacksButcher
CHOOKTAEYANG
Photo Taeyang having lunch at Peters shop with Grandfather and Maternal Grandfather
Lunch out with Grandfather and Maternal Grandfather who love brown ale lol
LongLife ILoveYou
Taeyangs posts started popping up frequently, drawing plenty of attention.
Especially from Newcastle folks and Koreans.
His SNS followers began skyrocketing.
Just two days after starting Instagram, he already had 100,000 followers.
Considering he was devastating the EPL right now, it might seem low, but followers were climbing in realtime.
The more they did, the more talk poured in about his first post.
FA, who exactly did you talk to?
Notificationstyle consultation?
Whats the FAs real intention in trying so hard not to bring Yoon Taeyang to the national team?
FA blocking other players from national team selection besides Yoon Taeyang.
The corrupt forces that had been pushed out for a while only to barely infiltrate the FA around the 2034 World Cup were now in crisis after just half a year.
Back when Ji Youngsu was around, they played the media slyly and avoided touching Europebased players, but now their end was approaching as they even targeted them with the national team project.
It meant Yoon Taeyangwho hadnt played a single Amatchhad terrifying influence in Korea.
And that Yoon Taeyang was finally facing Boxing Day.
December 26th.
The kind of day where you play no matter if the sky falls.
Why did the Premier League keep this notoriously hated Boxing Day?
Tradition?
That too, but mainly for the Christmas commercial boom.
Soccercrazed Brits flock to stadiums like Pavlovs dogs come Christmas.
Crowds pour in like clouds, buying club jerseys and merch as kids gifts.
In short, it made money.
And in that moneymaking fixture, Newcastle welcomed Liverpool at home.
Liverpool was rated as the Premier League team with the most perfect balance of attack and defense.
If there was one flaw, maybe the lack of even a single overwhelmingly star player?
Players from Big 7 clubs were never ordinary, but it was odd they had no one called worldclass or Ballon dOr contender.
Part of it was the clubs finances, but also the managers philosophy.
Liverpools manager was someone who stuck more rigorously than anyone to the belief that soccer is a sport played by 11, not one.
He didnt want flashy stars.
He valued tactics and teamwork, preferring to buy multiple Premier League startercaliber players with the money for one star to build a solid squad.
Thanks to that, Liverpool didnt worry about Boxing Day, lateseason fatigue, or major injuries.
Did you have a good Christmas?
Silva asked his teammates as he entered the stadium, then spotted Taeyang and approached.
Oh, Your Highness. Did Your Highness get gifts from Santa?
Santa doesnt exist, man.
Taeyang replied with a deadpan face, and Silva turned serious.
No, Santa does exist.
Tell that to Silva Junior.
Silva Junior doesnt believe in Santa either...
How old was Silva Junior? Nine?
Richella chuckled as she watched the dejected Silva.
He tried giving his son gifts dressed as Santa last night and got an earful.
Whatd he say?
What? Dad, everyone knows Santas fake. Stop wearing the Santa suit, it doesnt suit you!
At Richellas reveal, Silva gritted his teeth and glared.
Shut up, Richella, you damn gorilla bastard.
Your wife told my wife everything. Said you went to your room and cried alone?
The doting dad mustve been hit hard.
Silva slumped into the locker room as is.
Yeah, I cried. My boys grown too fast.
If nine years old was enough to make him cry, our dad must be sobbing with me as his kid.
Youre not starting today? Get ready for the match.
Despite the big match, Taeyang was out of the starting lineup, with Silva in.
Ugh, fine. Gotta do some proper bandying. Damn, Liverpool on Boxing Day of all days.
Taeyang looked at Silva.
Why Liverpool?
You dont know? Oh, right, you havent faced them yet.
Why? I watch all the games. Dad likes Liverpool.
Dont you feel it when you watch?
Oh, right.
Yeah... Dirty Reds.
Exactly, Dirty Reds, kid.
Liverpools manager seemed cool with his soccer is 11 players philosophy, but he wasnt that cool.
Because he didnt care about means or methods to win.
When games didnt go well, he unfailingly turned soccer into soccer 2, then soccer 3.
So rough that Dirty was originally Leeds Uniteds nickname, but it fit Liverpool too.
Thats why he wasnt loved by his own fans or fans worldwide.
They desperately wanted him sacked.
But the club had no plans to.
Why sack him when he delivered decent results without expensive signings, keeping revenue steady?
Incidentally, the corporate owner was catching heat alongside him.
Anyway, not a welcome opponent for Newcastle.
Especially on playershredding Boxing Day.
And away games made Dirty Reds even rougher.
No wonder Im not starting.
The manager wanted to protect Taeyang.
Exactly. Sending out this old fossil instead. Even if I get injured tomorrow, its fine.
Artelli smacked the back of Silvas head as he whined.
Enough with the nonsense.
Ow, Coach! Its not wrong, is it?
I value your experience handling rough soccer.
Oh, thats what you meant.
Silva grinned slyly.
Preparations done, players headed out.
Taeyang sat on the bench.
Leaning back on the plush, heated bench in the chilly weather, he watched the game.
Wow, is this soccer or UFC?
Taeyang marveled.
Liverpool went for deep tackles and body clashes without hesitation.
Fouls when the ref wasnt looking seemed mandatory.
Of course, since debuting in the Premier League, Taeyang had realized it was rougher than Primera.
But this level was new even for him.
No.
It was like that against China.
Liverpool wasnt China.
No wonder the manager got hate.
Taeyang thought, clicking his tongue.
Amid that, Liverpool got a corner kick set piece.
Even in set pieces, Liverpool was brutally rough.
Dodging the refs eyes, poking waists, tugging jerseys, then freely using elbows on jumps.
Overpowering Newcastle players like that, Liverpools centerback headed in for a goal.
Liverpools opener.
Wow... what the hell is the ref doing.
Taeyang stared incredulously at the Liverpool players, then at the ref.
Oh, its that guy.
Joel Steiner, the Premier League ref most lenient on fouls.
Whatever.
It was truly the worst match.