Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Acting Manager Park Chan-hyuk -5
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***
After Daniel Teixeira's goal, the game clearly tilted in Union Berlin's favor.
“Keep pushing! The match isn't over yet!”
Despite scoring three goals, Union Berlin wasn't satisfied and pressed MSV Neuruppin relentlessly.
“Dem Morgengrauen entgegen, ziehn wir gegen den Wind. (We march toward dawn, against the wind.)”
Just before the end of the first half, they slotted in a fourth goal, effectively sealing the match.
“Wir werden alles zerlegen, bis wir Deutscher Meister sind. (We'll tear everything apart until we're German champions.)”
As Union Berlin fans, convinced of victory, began belting out their chants at the top of their lungs.
Beep—!
The referee's whistle blew, ending the first half.
Then came halftime.
While the MSV Neuruppin players hung their heads amid jeers from the home fans as they trudged to the locker room.
Union Berlin's players entered theirs with bright smiles. That was how much the momentum favored them.
‘Great performance today, right?’
‘Chan-hyuk's gotta be satisfied with this.’
‘What should we eat for dinner tonight?’
But contrary to what the entering players expected.
“I'm still hungry.”
Park Chan-hyuk greeted them with his declaration of hunger.
“…Want one of these?”
Flustered by the sudden announcement, Yannik Foigt offered a banana.
“Huh? Racism?”
Seeing the yellow banana, Park Chan-hyuk reacted instinctively. It was a victim complex he'd developed from two years living in Germany.
“Wow. Ballsy enough to pull racism on the acting manager.”
“Boooooo! Yannik's trash!”
“Manager Park Chan-hyuk, that guy's got a rotten personality—sub me in for the second half?”
Sparked by Park Chan-hyuk's words, Daniel Teixeira started stirring things up playfully, and the Union Berlin players piled on Yannik Foigt with Teixeira at the center.
“Nein!! That's not what I meant!”
The players couldn't hold back their laughter at Yannik Foigt's comical frantic waving of both hands in denial.
Laughter echoed nonstop through Union Berlin's locker room, and once Park Chan-hyuk realized it wasn't intentional, he clapped to shift the mood.
“Alright, listen up! We're going aggressive in the second half.”
The Union Berlin players wiped the smiles off their faces at the sound of Park Chan-hyuk's voice and focused on his words.
***
The moment the second half kicked off, Union Berlin switched tactics.
‘Damn, they got us again.’
MSV Neuruppin's manager sighed at their relentless onslaught.
He'd thought Union Berlin would ease off, content with the scoreline.
But contrary to his expectations, they didn't slow the attacking tempo—in fact, they pressed even harder than in the first half.
Neuruppin's players couldn't hide their confusion at Union Berlin's complete 180 from the first half.
‘Good, the game's completely in our pocket now.’
Park Chan-hyuk nodded with a satisfied smile as things unfolded just as he'd predicted.
***
At the same time.
Kim Sun-myung, filming the match from the stands with a camera, had started commentating in Korean.
It was just too boring watching alone.
“Daniel Teixeira with great pressure. From living together, I know he's a really dedicated player.”
It wasn't smooth like a pro commentator's, of course.
“He took a pay cut to join Union Berlin, from what the coach said. Always diligent in training too—a veteran example for the young guys.”
As an intern at Union Berlin, Kim Sun-myung knew the club's inner workings and players well.
He introduced them one by one with details fans would be curious about.
“Huh? They stole the ball! Who is it? Oh, Jürgen! He's a college student like me.”
As he chatted about the players, Union Berlin launched a quick counter.
Yannik Foigt calmly took possession and scored.
“Huh? It went in, gooooal! Wait, does this make it a hat-trick? No way! Yannik Foigt achieves his first hat-trick!”
***
‘Hat-trick…!’
The instant Yannik Foigt notched his first hat-trick, he turned toward Union Berlin's bench.
‘Chan-hyuk!’
He wanted to rush to the assistant coach who'd brought him to this moment.
‘…Huh? Where'd the assistant coach go?’
But Park Chan-hyuk was nowhere on the Union Berlin bench.
‘What are they all looking at?’
Yannik Foigt followed the gaze of the players on the bench and turned his head.
“I'm the next-gen Mouuuuurinhooo—!”
He spotted Park Chan-hyuk doing a knee-slide celebration in front of the MSV Neuruppin home fans.
“…What. Am I dreaming?”
Cognitive dissonance hit Yannik Foigt, leaving him blankly watching as his assistant coach got sent off.
***
The Union Berlin vs. MSV Neuruppin match ended.
With both the manager and assistant coach gone, Daniel Teixeira had to handle post-match duties.
[Union Berlin crushes league runners-up MSV Neuruppin 5-0.]
Anyway, we smashed the league's second-place MSV Neuruppin 5-0.
[MSV's Wolfgang, who faced assistant coach Park Chan-hyuk, gives his assessment: 'Terrifying in every way. Never want to face him again.']
[Assistant coach Park Chan-hyuk: Yellow card, ejection, and now suspension?]
[Park Chan-hyuk hit with 5-match ban for taunting fans.]
There was the minor issue of getting suspended for showboating before Adebayor even did it, but whatever.
[Acting manager Park Chan-hyuk ejected but delivers successful debut….]
My managerial debut was a success, and the Union Berlin vs. MSV Neuruppin match generated quite the buzz.
Suddenly, unlike before, serious offers came pouring in.
Well, they still weren't tempting enough to sway me. They probably still couldn't believe it.
No rush anyway. I was only 18.
Building my career steadily under Tuchel would surely bring good offers eventually.
Or I could just manage the club my little sister took over.
“Chan-hyuk, congrats.”
“Thanks.”
“Oppa, congratulations.”
“Thanks.”
Anyway, as my family quietly celebrated my debut match.
- Chan-hyuk, come to my hospital quick.
- What's up?
- Emergency! Hurry!
I got a call from Tuchel and rushed to his hospital.
Thinking something serious had happened to his health.
And that evening.
“Hoo. So you created this narrow space to squeeze the opponent in.”
“…Dude. I was eating with family.”
“Too late to go back now.”
I had to spend the whole night dissecting the tactics I'd used with Thomas Tuchel.
Hmm.
‘Germans just don't grasp the terror of revolution, huh.’
***
While Park Chan-hyuk dreamed of revolution.
Kim Sun-myung's edited match highlights went up on the community forums.
[Title: Seen the Union Berlin highlights?]
└ 4th division league match highlights? Where?
└ Check the Union Berlin homepage.
└ Thx
└ Wtf lol Union Berlin smashed them 5-0.
└ But this stole the show more than the score.
└ (Park Chan-hyuk pulling card from pocket .gif)
└ Look at that smug face lmao
└ Why's he pulling out a Yu-Gi-Oh card lol
└ If I were the other coach, I'd run over and deck him.
└ You'd get folded in half before you swung.
└ Guys, you didn't see it live, but Park Chan-hyuk's built like a tank ;;
└ Doesn't look it on video.
└ He's next to pro players.
└ Isn't Park Chan-hyuk shorter than Tuchel?
└ Tuchel's over 190cm ;; crazy bastard.
└ Who's the commentator voice?
└ Not Park Chan-hyuk, so probably the Korean intern.
└ Now they're having interns do commentary lol
└ Peak quality stuff.
***
A few days after the Union Berlin vs. MSV Neuruppin match.
Thomas Tuchel was safely discharged from the hospital.
“What's this?”
“Tofu. In Korea, we give it to people who've been through rough patches.”
“I see.”
Tuchel returned to his role as Union Berlin manager.
And I had to endure something ridiculous.
‘What the?’
Tuchel excluded me from training for the next match.
‘Is he freezing me out?’
Seemed like with all the media praise coming my way, Tuchel had started sidelining me.
Dirty and petty, but to survive the dictator Tuchel, I suppressed my ego and stayed humble.
“Thomas Tuchel, you must respect me.”
“…I respect you plenty.”
“You need to respect me more.”
But despite my efforts.
I got left off the squad for the next match.
Not just as a player—no assistant coach spot either.
‘This is unjust!’
Unable to tolerate Thomas Tuchel's tyranny.
“Thomas, are you afraid of my growth, Park Chan-hyuk's?”
I stormed into the manager's office and confronted him.
Thomas Tuchel replied with a baffled look.
“You're suspended.”
“…Oh. Right.”
I was suspended.