Chapter 135
Chapter 135
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 135
Chapter Title: North-South Derby -1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even after our blind date, I kept meeting with the woman.
That is, I continued seeing Charlotte Albrecht several more times.
Lotte—no, Charlotte and I got along surprisingly well in conversation.
'Whew. We almost finished dead last in the league, of all things.'
Truth be told, I'd flinched when I first heard her name.
It just reeked of the energy of a league-bottom dweller.
The kind of vibe that makes you want to shout that this year will be different.
Anyway.
Charlotte was more down-to-earth than I'd expected.
Which made sense, since she earned and spent her own living expenses.
As a politician in public service, she said her family believed it was important not to seem distant from the people.
'Charlotte would never say something like "bus fare is 50 cents."'
I'd asked if working like that wasn't tough, but her answer was always the same.
"I'm satisfied with it. Personally, I think labor is sacred. As humans, we must work."
For the record, that day I asked if she'd been a commie in a past life and got smacked.
Then I joked that she looked a bit like Lenin, and I got to see Charlotte get genuinely serious.
'Maybe because Lenin's bald.'
Anyway.
We were building some good feelings toward each other as we kept meeting.
"So, when are you getting married and having kids?"
Mom and Dad were already trying to set a wedding date.
And Charlotte's parents were much the same.
"Ah! Stop nagging us! We'll handle it ourselves!"
That day,
I saw Charlotte get irritated for the first time.
'......Why do the parents all give off the same vibe?'
It didn't feel like a political marriage... but honestly, I had to admit it was.
My meetings with Charlotte were meetings between families.
Ours was a rising new family making waves in Germany lately, while hers had some history in Europe.
Her family needed money to wield in politics, and we needed a shield to protect ourselves from political blades.
We'd come together out of mutual necessity.
But hey... if we were both okay with it, what was wrong with a political marriage?
"How about I don't go home tonight and stay with you?"
"......Then your furious father-in-law might come charging in on horseback swinging a cavalry sword."
"Pfft, what're you talking about."
Even at my rotten jokes, Charlotte laughed.
Our senses of humor seemed to match up pretty well.
'Come to think of it, Charlotte's a Junker too... Is that why we click?'
Her family had been major nobility for generations, apparently.
In fact, her grandfather's name had "von" in the middle.
It was fading from modern Germany due to its classist connotations these days.
And a political family couldn't flaunt that, so it was no surprise Charlotte's name lacked the "von" her grandfather had.
"If you'd had 'von' in your name, kids must've teased you growing up. Said you were like Grandpa."
Whatever. Charlotte didn't seem to regret not having "von" in her name at all.
'......I kinda want one. Chan-hyuk von Park.'
Sigh. Doesn't quite have the cool factor.
As I pondered changing my surname for a while,
"Ah.... My eyes hurt."
My little sister started voicing her complaints after seeing Charlotte and me flirting in the living room.
"Hey, you could date someone too."
I patted her shoulder lightly to comfort her.
"I'm not single forever."
"You're solo this lifetime."
"......"
***
[Bayern Munich vs. Union Berlin showdown.]
[Louis van Gaal provokes Park Chan-hyuk ahead of the match? "Union Berlin's manager is creative. But not seasoned."]
While I was going on dates with Charlotte and good feelings were budding, our league match against Bayern Munich was right around the corner.
[Bayern Munich showing a level of play worlds apart from last season....]
Since Louis van Gaal took over as manager, Bayern had started strong with two wins and a draw in three games.
Korean soccer fans might dismiss him thinking of his Manchester United stint.
But at this time, Van Gaal was a world-renowned master tactician.
His name even carried more weight than Jupp Heynckes right now.
Unlike Heynkes, who'd declared retirement after a 14-game winless slump, Van Gaal was enjoying a stellar career.
Heynkes' fame surpassing Van Gaal's would come later, after Van Gaal's Manchester United failure.
'While Van Gaal was sinking in the Man United swamp, Heynkes led Munich to a treble.'
And Heynkes' tactics just seemed to fit Bayern Munich perfectly.
'Some managers excel with weak teams, others with strong ones.'
Anyway.
Despite opposition from Bayern's board, Louis van Gaal pushed through and signed Arjen Robben.
Bayern legends, stuck in the past, still voiced concerns about the signing through the media, but Van Gaal stuck to his guns.
'The guy who claims the Qatar World Cup was rigged to push Lionel Messi, so yeah... stubborn as hell.'
And the result?
Bayern's squad started filling with players familiar to me.
The legendary duo commonly called Robbery made their appearance.
And Thomas Müller, who'd impressed under interim manager Jupp Heynkes last season, joined Holger Badstuber in the first team.
'Damn, if Klinsmann had held on a bit longer, we could've signed Müller!'
For reference, Thomas Müller had been preparing a transfer or loan to play first-team soccer.
Jürgen Klinsmann hadn't planned to keep him either, so Union Berlin had been eyeing a chance to snag him.
Unfortunately, Klinsmann got sacked, Heynkes came in, and the situation flipped.
Heynkes convinced Müller to stay.
After that, under Van Gaal, Müller was third choice but got occasional games.
Which was basically the same as the transfer window closing on him.
'......No, thinking about our squad now, he wouldn't have had a spot anyway.'
I tried to soothe my bitter feelings by sour-graping Thomas Müller.
***
The Bayern Munich vs. Union Berlin match took place at the Allianz Arena.
"Boooooo─!"
"Get out, you East German beggar scum!"
As soon as Union Berlin's players appeared on the pitch, Bayern Munich fans unleashed a barrage of boos.
- North vs. South showdown? Bullshit!
- A team that just crawled up from the second division acting like rivals to us?
- So, who won the league last season? You losers.
- From now on, the Bundesliga belongs to our Union Berlin!
Munich fans hadn't felt any rivalry before, but Park Chan-hyuk's constant mentions and
the transfer battles with Union Berlin had started building resentment toward us.
Gulp.
The players' faces stiffened under the jeers from over 70,000 fans.
This wasn't the everyday boos they were used to.
Bayern Munich's jeers right now were on the level of those aimed at true rivals.
Like Arsenal fans cursing Tottenham fans.
As Union Berlin players froze under the resentful glares from Bayern fans,
"Kkhkhkhk."
Park Chan-hyuk suddenly burst out laughing at the crowd's boos.
'Sigh. Has the boss lost his mind?'
Daniel Teixeiras eyed him, ready to knock him out if needed.
But Park Chan-hyuk's laughter calmed the players down.
"Men."
"......?"
"I like the boos."
Seeing their manager laugh eased the players' tension without them realizing.
"Think about why they're booing us."
With his distinctive Austrian accent captivating them, Park Chan-hyuk began his speech.
"It's because they fear us! They boo because they fear us! If we were just any team, they wouldn't be booing like this!"
The players charged up on Park Chan-hyuk's words.
And in the match against Bayern Munich that followed.
"GOOOAAAL! It's in! Gareth Bale! Gareth Bale's opener!!"
Union Berlin successfully scored first.
The broadcast camera panned to Union Berlin's bench.
To catch Park Chan-hyuk jumping in celebration.
But Park Chan-hyuk didn't celebrate.
"Boss, why no celebration?"
Daniel Teixeiras was puzzled by the unusually subdued Park Chan-hyuk.
"Provoke the Munich fans today, and I might get shot. I value my life."
Park Chan-hyuk gave a simple answer to Daniel Teixeiras.