Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Future World Class
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***
‘This is fucked.’
There are times like that in life.
Moments when greed blinds you and you lose all reason.
Though I did end up locked in a holding cell as payment for losing that reason.
Well, at least it didn’t turn out to be the absolute worst-case scenario.
“Aigoo. Coach, I’m so sorry. Leon, you apologize too.”
“S-Sorry.”
Thanks to Leon’s dad being a Union Berlin fan, his identity was verified, and we got out of the holding cell.
That’s right.
Leon was half-Korean, half-German.
‘No wonder my eyes kept drifting to him. Is this the pull of shared blood?’
In most mixed families, the dad was German, but in Leon’s case, it was the mom.
Well... that made sense.
Leon’s dad was tall and pretty damn handsome.
For the record, he’d only recently become a Union Berlin fan.
It happened around the time a bunch of Koreans in Berlin flooded in as new members thanks to my exploits.
Anyway, Leon’s dad didn’t find it weird that I knew his son’s name. Among Koreans in Berlin, everyone was just one degree of separation away.
“Aigoo. Looks like someone told our family about our little Leon.”
He seemed to think one of the Koreans had mentioned Leon to my family.
‘My family keeps their distance from the Korean community, so we don’t have much overlap…’
It wasn’t true, but I didn’t bother correcting him.
Anyway.
Maybe it was our shared Korean heritage, but we hit it off right away.
Guess that’s why they say you should be extra careful with your own people abroad.
He felt even more welcoming and familiar for no reason.
Familiar enough that I spilled secrets from the heart without hesitation.
“He’s always been such an introverted kid, so I’ve been worried he doesn’t hang out with the other children. But if there’s a Korean coach there, I can trust him with you.”
Since I’d approached rashly and caused a misunderstanding, I decided to take my time and persuade them slowly.
“If you have time, I’ll invite you to a home game. Come watch with the family.”
I’d crossed about ninety percent of the line toward signing my first 6-star potential player.
***
[Union Berlin Assistant Coach Park Chan-hyuk Mistaken for Kidnapper During Scouting, Ends Up in Holding Cell.]
Since the holding cell stint was just a minor hiccup, it didn’t make big waves in Germany. It was just the lapse of an assistant coach from a third-division club, after all.
‘Would it have been different if I were the manager?’
Whatever.
While Germany just shrugged it off like, “Huh, that happened,” it became a pretty big deal in Korea. That’s because my name recognition there rivaled some Bundesliga managers.
[Title: Latest Park Chan-hyuk Update.]
(Park Chan-hyuk in holding cell article.jpg)
Heard he got nabbed by the cops for mistaken kidnapping while scouting youth players lmao
└ ?? Doesn’t know Park Chan-hyuk’s face?
└ How’s a German supposed to know the face of a third-division assistant coach lmao
└ Word is the kid was half-Korean?
└ But why wouldn’t you know?
└ You might not;
└ So is Park Chan-hyuk still in the slammer?
└ German government, free Park Chan-hyuk!
└ Heard he’s already out?
└ Got out quicker than expected.
└ His identity checked out.
└ Insane that an assistant coach gets nabbed for mistaken kidnapping mid-scouting lol
└ Doesn’t Union Berlin have any actual scouts?
└ Probably don’t need ‘em. Just send in Park Chan-hyuk.
└ ㅠㅠ A legworking assistant coach
Posts were still popping up here and there.
‘Huh. Thought the scouting team would bitch about it, but nothing.’
They could’ve been pissed about me stepping on their toes, but as I’ve mentioned a few times, Union Berlin is a small club.
The scouting team was busy scouring Germany for the players Thomas Tuchel had specified as conditions. And recently, they’d even requested more staff due to shortages, only to get shot down over budget issues.
‘Come to think of it, they even asked me for help back then. Good thing I did.’
And above all, the scouting team was the one place in the club that rated me highest. They thought highly of my eye for talent since I’d unearthed Yannick Poyt.
‘Even though it was all the scout’s doing…’
Of course, I didn’t correct the misunderstanding. This reputation would be valuable capital when I took over as manager down the line.
Once this kind of data piled up—one piece, two pieces—someday I might not even need to argue; I could just yell “gut feeling!” and they’d buy it.
Anyway.
The next day.
Union Berlin played an away game against Bayer 04 Leverkusen Reserves and lost.
[Union Berlin Falls 1-0 to Bayer 04 Leverkusen.]
It was a game where luck just wasn’t on our side. An early lucky goal in the first half held up as the winner.
[Leverkusen’s Lucky Goal Becomes the Decider...]
Union Berlin hammered Leverkusen’s goal relentlessly, but bad luck struck with three shots rattling the woodwork in key chances.
[St. Pauli Loses 2-1 to Hamburger SV II.]
The silver lining: St. Pauli lost too. No change in the league standings.
A few days after Union Berlin returned from the away game.
- Hello. This is Union Berlin Assistant Coach Park Chan-hyuk. Do you know the next match schedule?
We invited Leon’s family to a home game.
Since I’d hyped Leon up as a generational talent, the club showed quite a bit of interest in his family.
Meanwhile, while we were away, Leon—despite his immense talent—had been seriously considering quitting soccer.
It was a race issue.
Leon hadn’t said a word, but that’s exactly why everyone knew.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t yet the era where all clubs obsessed over youth teams. In the future, youth fees would skyrocket, and systematic development programs would roll out, but right now, most clubs let their youngsters run wild.
‘Well, even in the future, most poor clubs won’t change much.’
Their philosophy was simple: Talented players shine on their own.
Not wrong. Real talent finds a way.
But that assumes the same skin color.
For a player like Leon with elite talent, if the youth coach was a racist, there was no path to prove himself to the club brass. The higher-ups judged by numbers in scout reports.
‘That’s what creates opportunities for us.’
Tragic for Leon, lucky for Union Berlin. A chance to sign a 6-star potential player.
‘And his professionalism’s solid for his age?’
Probably matured from the discrimination he’d faced young.
If someone just gave Leon a little push, he’d grow fast.
‘Future world-class producer? Park Chan-hyuk reporting for duty.’
Anyway.
Union Berlin staff who heard Leon’s story blew up with more rage than I did.
“Those fucking bastards!”
Oddly, the biggest outburst came from Dirk Zingler, the club president who’d lived in Berlin the longest.
He even convinced Thomas Tuchel to let Leon meet some players. Not even the mighty Tuchel could stand up to Dirk Zingler’s “Are you fucking Nazi?”
“Tch, wasting time on this bullshit right before a match.”
Tuchel grumbled about the situation, but when he saw the players’ moods lift after meeting Leon, he shut up.
“Thanks for inviting us!”
I grinned and ruffled Leon’s hair.
“Have fun watching the game.”
“Yeah!”
Aww, those bright eyes—smart kid, born footballer.
Any holding cell misery for Leon’s sake? Erased from my mind.
For a shot at a future world-class with six stars, a brief cell stint was nothing.
***
After meeting Park Chan-hyuk, Han Leon looked into Union Berlin. Thanks to his dad being a member, he got all sorts of info on the club.
Union Berlin had an appealing, passionate fan culture.
Still untouched by the world’s cynicism, at that sensitive age.
Full of a child’s unique romanticism.
‘People banding together to overcome hardship? So cool!’
Through a kid’s eyes, Union Berlin was straight out of a fairy tale.
Han Leon headed to Union Berlin with high hopes.
But his first impression brought disappointment.
The facilities were way too rundown.
The disappointment didn’t last, though.
The moment fans filled the stands, the stadium atmosphere flipped.
Union Berlin’s shabby setup got buried under the fans’ fiery passion.
“Yannick Poyt!!”
“Fußballgott (God of Soccer)!!”
As the players entered the pitch, the stadium announcer began calling the lineup. A bit different from the usual intros, but it embodied Union Berlin’s identity—every player a god of soccer.
“Daniel Teixeira!”
“Fußballgott (God of Soccer)!!”
Han Leon blankly watched every name get called.
“...Dad. I wanna play soccer here too.”
The moment a boy’s dream took root.