Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Normal Person Park Chan-hyuk -3
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***
Union Berlin fans quickly adapted to the new system.
[Union Berlin, Mixed Reviews and Criticism for New System….]
[Union Berlin Expresses Fans’ Pure Hearts with Capital. “Has the Romance Disappeared?”]
└ But didn’t the romance disappear the moment fans chanted Park Chan-hyuk OUT?
└ And those guys were all just infiltrator trolls anyway.
└ I think rewarding the dedicated fans with the Meisterschale trophy after this patch was way more romantic.
└ They even gave out badges and special site titles with it.
└ Ah. That’s why people are buying accounts.
└ Why would anyone pay for that…?
└ But the titles and badges are legit cool.
└ You guys see that one? The title for someone who did both blood donations and volunteer work—Legend.
└ ?? Which one?
└ Red background with a hammer and shovel lololololol
└ Wait, isn’t that straight-up Soviet…?
└ Holy shit lol, is it okay to give Germans a badge symbolizing the Soviets?
└ But they love it—says it captures their identity perfectly.
└ What? Am I dreaming?
└ Anyway, isn’t this patch screwing new users over too hard?
└ Honestly, prioritizing old fans over new inflows makes sense. We saw those newbies trolling.
└ Game directors, you listening? Stop with the new user events and take care of your loyal players for once!
The new badge system ignited Union Berlin fans’ competitive spirits, and as a result, player jerseys started selling like crazy once again.
[Union Berlin, Club Revenue Surges After Homepage Patch]
Now, fans could prove just how much they loved the club with cold, hard cash.
Of course, this left poorer old-school fans feeling a bit alienated.
But they had something the new fans didn’t: time.
When fans showed up with season tickets, Union Berlin acknowledged their time and dedication accordingly.
Sure, there was the issue that season tickets alone couldn’t verify if they were true old-school supporters.
‘From the start…. If they’re real old fans, they’re basically all faces I know anyway?’
Since I’d clawed my way up from the lower leagues covered in blood and shit, most of the old fans were familiar faces to me.
If I didn’t recognize someone, I could just ask another old fan.
If that didn’t work, Union Berlin president Dirk Zingler could verify—they were a longtime fan too.
Anyway, thanks to the new patch, it became common to see grandpas holding hands with their grandkids heading to Union Berlin games.
Fans who’d supported the club for 10+ years got visits from the manager or available players for commemorative photos.
Not a bad policy, all things considered. Players might find it a hassle sometimes.
But there was no upside to widening the gap between soccer players and fans.
Sure, it felt a bit patchwork and chaotic right now.
But it would settle into place over time.
And so, Union Berlin began rolling out more specific rewards for 20-year, 30-year supporters, and beyond.
Around then, one elderly fan who’d just posed for photos with the squad approached me.
“Excuse me, if I pass away, could I leave my account to my grandson?”
We upper echelons of Union Berlin, myself included, took that question seriously and deliberated.
After sharing opinions, we decided account inheritance would be allowed.
European soccer fans often passed down their fandom generation after generation.
Word spread quickly—even to the other side of the globe.
[Union Berlin Allows Passing Accounts to Heirs!]
└ Deceased fan’s epic legacy: 60 years supporting Union Berlin.
└ Wow, now families can prove generations of Union Berlin fandom.
└ Damn, better sign up just in case.
└ Isn’t there a signup fee?
└ No real fee, but there is a membership.
└ Ooh, any perks?
└ Priority ticket access, but pretty much every Union Berlin fan has one, so not much edge. Problem is, without it, good luck getting tickets lolololol
Union Berlin soccer communities lit up with activity.
***
“I still hate Park Chan-hyuk’s celebrations.”
“Agreed, but what color’s your Union Berlin badge?”
“Bronze….”
“Then shut it, Gold boy!”
Thanks to the recent homepage patch and the badge-less crew’s Park Chan-hyuk condemnation fiasco, online disdain for new infiltrator users was rampant—but that was a trivial issue time would sort out.
‘……It’ll sort itself, right? If not, oh well.’
Post-patch, people naturally started trying to buy accounts.
For a split second, I wondered, ‘Why buy one?’ But the world didn’t run on logic and reason.
[Union Berlin Introduces One Account Per Person Policy….]
Hearing this, we posted an announcement cracking down on it.
Since accounts linked to memberships, enforcement was straightforward.
We warned that selling accounts would result in permanent bans with no recovery.
There hadn’t been many sellers to begin with, but now they’d think twice.
Anyway, post-patch, Union Berlin’s revenue skyrocketed—enough to cover Messi’s buyout clause next summer transfer window and then some.
“Oppa, want to research business models at Guten?”
Even Park Jung-ah, checking Guten’s revenue, cautiously floated that idea to me.
“Let’s add short-form videos to GutenTalk and sell ads.”
I’d joked about turning GutenTalk into something like Insta, only to get an earful from Park Jung-ah.
Anyway, the system of buying lots of jerseys to hang national flags had grown a bit stale.
Every nationality represented in Union Berlin’s squad had gotten their flags hung already.
Yet we kept it simple: it united fans from diverse nations.
‘They pooled money on national holidays to buy in bulk.’
For instance, on Croatia’s Independence Day, Asian soccer fans bought Modrić jerseys to help hang the Croatian flag on the site.
Korean fans debated commemorating the Korean War or celebrating Croatia’s independence.
Remembering how Union Berlin fans had bought Son Heung-min and Lee Sung-jae jerseys for Korea’s Liberation Day, they went for Modrić’s.
- Argh! Watch your manners, you bastards!
- It’s Takeshima Day today—why’s no one helping?
- You want us to celebrate your atomic bombing anniversary too?
Of course, not everything went positively.
Union Berlin players shared messy histories with neighboring countries too.
Still, it was a unique experience only Union Berlin could offer.
‘Think positive.’
Post-title system rollout, the pressure for me to step down vanished overnight. The trolls deleted their accounts and bailed.
Trolls could just nuke and leave, but the reporters who’d posted as them and turned it into news faced real risks.
Hiding behind troll chaos had been perfect for reporters before.
Now their shields were gone.
Reporters who’d preached “Whoa, articles are getting duplicated? You try it too!” got dragged out by furious Union Berlin fans and beaten.
Enraged fans filed complaints against media outlets for opinion manipulation.
Personally, I thought the cases against press were shaky.
But I overlooked one key fact.
My fiancée hailed from a political dynasty.
‘……Though maybe it’s not just because I’m Charlotte’s fiancé?’
I later heard from Charlotte that Germany’s political circles treated reporters manipulating public opinion anonymously online as a grave offense.
‘……Is it that serious?’
It seemed odd to me, but it lit a fire under the hacks’ asses.
***
While Union Berlin updated its homepage, the second leg against Real Madrid loomed.
Pérez had heard about Union Berlin’s revenue surge and pondered implementing it at Real—but anticipated massive fan backlash, so he held off.
Post-Champs three-peat failure, when he’d fully seized the club, he’d have rammed it through.
Unfortunately, Pérez hadn’t yet fully dominated Real Madrid.
He hadn’t posted impressive results as president yet.
Anyway, Pérez approached Park Chan-hyuk.
“Care to discuss club management with me sometime?”
Park Chan-hyuk found it baffling.
His only club management know-how was telling Park Jung-ah “money,” and getting money.