Chapter 113
Chapter 113
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: Winter Break and the Start of the Second Half
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[Union Berlin defeats Hamburg 2-0.]
With Yannick Foite's dagger goal sealing the deal, the match against Hamburg came to an end.
[Lee Sung-jae scores debut goal against Hamburg.]
The Man of the Match in this game was Lee Sung-jae, who notched his debut goal.
Following Son Hong-min, another young Korean prospect winning Man of the Match drew the attention of people in South Korea back to Union Berlin.
[Union Berlin manager Park Chan-hyuk unearths Lee Sung-jae after Son Hong-min...!]
‘...Isn't this the same reporter who called me a traitor before?’
It seemed that the key virtue for a sports journalist was a thick skin.
In any case.
As soon as the Union Berlin vs. Hamburg match ended, the first half of the season wrapped up, and the winter break began.
[2008/2009 Bundesliga standings.]
1. Union Berlin.
2. Hoffenheim.
3. Bayern Munich.
4. Hamburg.
5. Wolfsburg.
6. Leverkusen.
7. Dortmund.
At the end of the first half, right at this moment.
Union Berlin was leading the Bundesliga.
[Massive upset in the Bundesliga! Union Berlin surges to the top of the league!]
[Can Union Berlin achieve the club's first-ever Bundesliga title?]
[No promoted team has ever done this! Union Berlin tops the league in their promotion season!]
Soccer fans' eyes were naturally drawn to the whirlwind stirred up by last season's promoted team.
└ Park Chan-hyuk is a madman, is he really going for the league title?
└ Holy shit lol. Thought he was crazy talking league title at the start of the season, but he's actually doing it.
└ The overpay controversy from preseason seems gone now.
└ Those players' values have at least doubled now;;
└ League title and it'll double again;;
└ At this point, Park Chan-hyuk is seriously the god of investment?
Up until the early season, sports fans had mocked them with the mindset that relegation-bound teams would drop.
But now, with Union Berlin at the top of the league at the end of the first half.
People were starting to think, ‘Wait, for real? Is the promoted team actually winning it?’
└ But it'd be fun if Union Berlin collapsed in the second half.
Soccer fans hoped for Union Berlin's fairy-tale championship.
Yet they were also betting on when Union Berlin would fall.
After all, people cheered just as loudly for a hero's downfall as for their triumphs.
‘It was similar with Leicester City... Some hoped for the fairy tale, while others felt uneasy about the upstart shaking the established order.’
Well. This debate wasn't bad for Union Berlin.
The ongoing buzz was drawing even more casual fans to the club.
You could tell just by walking the streets of Berlin—the proportion of people wearing Union Berlin jerseys had noticeably increased.
Union Berlin was gradually pulling Berlin residents into the stadiums, one by one.
For reference, this was exactly why Hertha Berlin had been aggressively checking Union Berlin lately.
Union Berlin was stealing away the Berlin citizens they saw as their potential customers.
‘If Hertha Berlin had performed better, it wouldn't have been so easy for Union Berlin fans to multiply like this.’
It's often said that attacking soccer draws crowds, but the surest way to bring in new fans is results and trophies.
Lately, Berlin residents hearing about Union Berlin's success thought, ‘Maybe I'll check out a soccer match this time,’ and visited the home ground. Naturally, they started becoming Union Berlin fans.
‘...Gotta make next season's kit look good.’
Recalling the growing number of Union Berlin jerseys on the streets, I decided to ask my sister about next season's uniform design.
If I mentioned it to her, she'd find a good designer or handle it herself.
Anyway. As Union Berlin spread its wings and soared through the skies.
There were teams quietly sinking.
[Bayern Munich finishes first half in 3rd place.]
[Bayern Munich fans erupt in fury.]
└ 3rd place? Are you kidding?
└ Fuck this shit team, just disband!
That team was none other than Bayern Munich, under new manager Jürgen Klinsmann.
Bayern Munich fans were outraged at finishing not even 2nd, but 3rd.
For Munich, the absolute dominator of the Bundesliga, battling for Champions League spots instead of the title was humiliating.
[Bayern Munich board decides to give Jürgen Klinsmann more time.]
‘Kuuh—! Have the Munich board grown some balls?’
Watching that, I quietly cheered for Jürgen Klinsmann.
For stable dominance, it was crucial that Klinsmann held on as manager as long as possible.
***
With the first half over, I decided to take leave until the Christmas event. I headed straight home and spent a long-overdue vacation with no thoughts.
It felt like ages since I'd had this kind of leisure.
Since quitting (forced) unemployment, my life had been excessively busy.
I slept the whole day to shake off the accumulated fatigue.
The next day.
Waking up early in the morning.
I fired up StarCraft, Korea's folk game, and massacred some Germans. If League of Legends existed, I'd have played that, but unfortunately, it hadn't launched yet.
Anyway. The game was a breeze.
Even the Germanic warriors called war machines couldn't beat me—a Korean with Germanic aggression and average Korean temperament—against these soft 21st-century Germans.
- KoreaNo.1: Food lol
- KoreaNo.1: GTFO lol
- KoreaNo.1: GTFO lol
- KoreaNo.1: GTFO lol
- RRR: Scheiße! Shut your mouth, you can't even play?
- KoreaNo.1: Yeah~ I'm shutting up and playing? Typing with my hands lol
- KoreaNo.1: Dropping main base~~~
- KoreaNo.1: Fake, idiot! Natural expansion?
- RRR: Fucking Koreans!
I set up a photon cannon at his natural entrance and teabagged, and the opponent left after spewing curses.
While I was manufacturing German haters.
“Bro, busy?”
My sister came into the room.
She had the answer to the favor I'd asked a few days ago.
“So, you're doing next season's Union Berlin uniform design?”
“Yeah.”
“Why...?”
“'Cause I want to?”
“...Can't we just hire a pro?”
“Why? I think I can do well.”
Against my sister who wanted to do it herself, I set one condition.
Collaborating with Adidas, the German company.
‘At least Adidas will keep things in check properly?’
***
After wrapping up the sweet few days of vacation, I returned to the club.
Union Berlin wouldn't run without me.
“...Can't you just rest at home?”
“My parents hate me just gaming all day.”
In any case.
Casemiro's signing was pushed to the summer window.
There were various reasons for the delay, but the biggest issue was.
‘We spent too much money this time.’
Union Berlin's cash flow problems.
During this summer market, we'd shelled out big to completely overhaul the defense.
As a result, Union Berlin's funds had dried up.
And even if Casemiro came now, he lacked the readiness to claim a starting spot.
He was talented enough to later be called Kakamora, but still just a prospect.
‘And priority goes to Kroos over Casemiro anyway.’
Toni Kroos was currently on loan at Leverkusen.
Since last season, I'd probed him multiple times with transfer offers, but Kroos showed no interest in joining Union Berlin.
‘...Is this the pull of Bayern Munich?’
Whatever. Didn't matter.
Toni Kroos would be ousted by the board after the 2014 Brazil World Cup.
Back then, the Munich board crushed the pride of their loyal Kroos.
‘That's why he transferred for a measly 25 million euros.’
25 million wasn't chump change.
But for a world-class midfielder, it was ridiculously low.
No wonder Perez called it ‘the transfer of the century.’
After joining Real Madrid, Kroos built the legend of three straight Champions League titles.
‘This time... let's snag him. Tempt him with revenge?’
Anyway, a few days later.
Union Berlin's home ground hosted a grander-than-usual Christmas event.
Christmas carols echoed through the temporary Union Berlin home stadium.
Listening to the carols, I pictured the skeleton of the new stadium taking shape.
‘At this construction pace, we might play the last match of the season at home.’
The shortened timeline was entirely thanks to Union Berlin fans.
They provided nonstop labor to build the stadium they'd cheer in, day and night.
With stadium funds raised, Union Berlin fans—free from financial worries—worked voluntary overtime that was hard to believe was in Germany.
“...If these folks worked like this normally, every Korean construction company would go bankrupt.”
A Korean construction worker let out a hollow laugh at the Germans toiling without regard for day or night.
In fact, the Köpenick area was a construction zone everywhere.
Because Guten's headquarters relocation was confirmed.
Guten was building its HQ in Köpenick, along with data centers and other facilities.
And housing for the incoming employees.
Thus, most of Treptow-Köpenick district was under construction.
But the hottest worksite was Union Berlin's new stadium.
Some fans said they'd even take a pay cut to work there.
‘With that level of passion, no wonder it's going up so fast.’
Anyway.
The Christmas event wrapped up successfully.
Time flew by after that.
The Bundesliga second half began.
Union Berlin's first second-half opponent was.
[Union Berlin manager Park Chan-hyuk unusually praises—not provokes—ahead of match: "Eintracht Frankfurt is a great club."]
Eintracht Frankfurt.