Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Stadium Built with Blood and Sweat -1
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***
[Union Berlin cruises to another easy home win.]
[Union Berlin on a roll with three straight league wins since the second half began.]
After the match against Borussia Dortmund Reserves, Union Berlin steadily began piling up points.
Participating only in the league certainly helped, giving them a more relaxed schedule. The players could always take the field in peak condition.
We overwhelmed our opponents based on our superior stamina.
[St. Pauli hot on Union Berlin's heels... 'We're not giving up on the league title.']
The points gap with second-place St. Pauli remained unchanged.
[VfL Osnabrück suffers defeats in rounds 24 and 25, promotion hopes all but dashed...]
But the gap with third-place Osnabrück widened even further.
Union Berlin could secure automatic promotion regardless of third place's results by earning 14 points from their remaining 12 league games.
Just two years after suffering back-to-back relegations from the 2. Bundesliga and tumbling down to the amateur fourth division.
Union Berlin, which had seemed on the verge of collapse and disappearance, now stood on the cusp of a return to the 2. Bundesliga after merely two years.
'...The energy of the bean god is flowing into Union Berlin!'
***
Around the time Union Berlin was steadily racking up league points.
The overseas students who had been outsiders at Union Berlin finally began earning recognition from their fellow players.
The students proved their worth through diligence and rapid growth.
Naturally, the club's view of the Korean overseas students shifted.
Son Hong-min, in particular, received the highest praise.
Excluding the scout who had blacklisted him over racial bias issues, the coaches' evaluations of Son Hong-min were consistent.
Boiling it down, it was this:
[Lacks match experience. But excellent in every other aspect.]
Son Hong-min hadn't played any games until 2007, focusing solely on fundamentals, so his lack of experience was to be expected. And the weaknesses pointed out were quickly being addressed.
While everyone was talking about Son Hong-min's growth.
What caught Park Chan-hyuk's eye was Kim Hyun-seong.
'...What the hell is this kid?'
Excluding Son Hong-min, Kim Hyun-seong was the player who had improved the most.
***
Kim Hyun-seong was a boy born into an ordinary family, living an ordinary school life.
His dreams were equally ordinary. Go to a decent university, land a job, and build an ordinary family—that was it.
The twist that led Kim Hyun-seong to join the soccer team was pure coincidence.
The soccer coach spotted him playing during lunch break at school and recruited him.
Kim Hyun-seong was lured in by the coach's promise that good tournament results would ease his college admissions.
'...Is this for real?'
Before he knew it, he was the rookie hauling gear for the starters.
After twists and turns, he caught someone's eye and ended up studying abroad in Germany.
Somehow, he was now living a life far removed from the ordinary one he'd dreamed of.
'Is this really the path for me?'
He had his worries too. Compared to the other kids, his fundamentals were lacking.
He even felt intimidated during training sessions in Germany.
Without his fellow overseas students from Korea, Kim Hyun-seong might have given up and gone home midway.
But thanks to his teammates, he endured the tough times.
And the boy discovered what he was good at.
Unlike in Korea, Germany exposed him to a wide array of tactical philosophies at a rapid pace.
What resonated most deeply with him were stories about the legendary Dutchman Johan Cruyff's tactical philosophy.
'Soccer is played with the brain, not the body.'
Just stand in the right position, and you can contribute your share.
Though that wasn't exactly what he meant.
Anyway.
"Doesn't the game flow feel easier when you're playing with Kim?"
"Yeah. He's always right where you need him. Doesn't run much, but it's weirdly effective."
After practice matches, his teammates always said something similar.
Kim Hyun-seong was pleased with their reactions.
Praise can make even a whale dance, after all.
So Kim Hyun-seong began honing his skill even further.
'Might as well... build up a bit more stamina.'
The birth of Union Berlin's version of an unsung hero.
***
Time flew by once more.
Union Berlin recorded 3 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss in their last six games.
That's 11 points for Union Berlin.
If Osnabrück had slipped up even once, we could have locked in promotion to the 2. Bundesliga ages ago.
But in the same span, Osnabrück went on a mad six-game winning streak, burning their final flames.
'Well. Not so bad.'
From our position, clinching the title on home soil would be even more satisfying.
The league round 32 match against Holstein Kiel, where Union Berlin could secure promotion to the 2. Bundesliga on their own.
The home stadium, Stadion An der Alten Försterei, was packed with Union Berlin fans.
"Eisern Union!!! (Iron Union!)"
Even fans who couldn't get in because the stadium was at capacity were singing chants around the grounds.
"Immer wieder Eisern Union! (Ever onward, Iron Union!)"
The mood around Union Berlin ahead of the Holstein Kiel match was heating up.
***
Kang Ju-seong, a man in his mid-20s fresh out of the military, on a backpacking trip through Europe.
He let out a sigh in front of Union Berlin's home stadium.
He'd come to Berlin to catch a Union Berlin game while in Europe, but couldn't snag a ticket.
And there were plenty of others in the same boat.
Rather than heading home, the ticketless fans encircled the stadium, singing together.
"...Whoa. Union Berlin fans are insane."
He couldn't help but marvel at their passionate support.
As Kang Ju-seong watched, a Union Berlin fan brought out a radio from home.
People flocked around it in an instant.
The fans listened intently to the match broadcast for a moment.
[Marcus Matchke shows nimble footwork, picks up the ball. He shoots right away!]
[ein Tor─!! A beauty from Marcus Matchke!]
The moment the radio announced Union Berlin's goal.
"Jaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"Eisern Union!!"
A massive roar erupted.
Kang Ju-seong, a pure-blooded Korean, naturally didn't understand German.
"Fuck yeah! That's it! Eisern Union!!"
But in this moment, it felt like language barriers had crumbled.
"Fuck yeah! Let's go! Union!"
"...Huh? You speak Korean?"
"Yeah, I used to work at a big Korean car company."
"But why are you in Germany now?"
"Company went bust because of the IMF crisis."
"Ah...."
"Boss man, that's rough."
Kang Ju-seong quietly patted the German man's shoulder in sympathy.
***
After Marcus Matchke's opener, Union Berlin kept hammering Holstein Kiel but couldn't find a second goal.
70th minute of the second half.
Thomas Tuchel brought on an extra defender and shifted to lockdown mode.
Because despite the relentless pressure, Union Berlin hadn't scored again.
The momentum was slowly tilting toward Holstein Kiel.
Union Berlin's players repelled Holstein Kiel's attacks with no-holds-barred defending.
Their uniforms were caked in dirt and mud, indistinguishable from rags.
Holstein Kiel's final attack.
Their left back whipped in a cross from the flank.
Union Berlin's goalkeeper punched it clear—and at that moment.
Beep─! Beep! Beeeeeeep─!
The referee's full-time whistle echoed through the stadium.
And in that instant.
Union Berlin fans began pouring onto the pitch.
"Nein! Don't grab him!"
They latched onto Thomas Tuhel first, hoisting him for a celebratory lift.
"Chan-hyuk's over there!"
Park Chan-hyuk tried to slip away quietly, but he was caught soon enough.
Unfortunately, an Asian stood out too much at Union Berlin.
"Ah, no! Don't do it!"
Park Chan-hyuk resisted fiercely, but to no avail.
That day, Union Berlin won the match and finally, definitively, secured their return to the 2. Bundesliga.
Union Berlin's finances were still precarious, but people's faces were filled with smiles and hope.
***
[Union Berlin locks in 2. Bundesliga promotion on their own merits.]
[Thomas Tuchel shares thoughts on promotion. "A beautiful night. Proud of the players who stayed focused to the end."]
[Assistant Coach Park Chan-hyuk, watching Tuchel's interview: "That's not our manager."]
***
A few days after Union Berlin confirmed promotion.
Shocking news arrived at Union Berlin from the DFB, Germany's football association.
"...What the hell is this bullshit? Why is our promotion on hold!"
Club president Dirk Zingler spoke with a devastated expression.
"During the fans' pitch invasion last time, one terrace collapsed. No injuries, fortunately, but the association is citing it."
Union Berlin.
Promotion to the 2. Bundesliga 'on hold' due to safety issues from stadium deterioration.