Chapter 68
Chapter 68
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: vs FSV Mainz 05 - 2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
***
Jürgen Klopp let out a hollow chuckle at Park Chan-hyuk's knee slide celebration.
Park Chan-hyuk's knee slide could be seen as taunting and provoking the Mainz fans, but for some reason, Jürgen Klopp didn't mind it at all.
"That was a fine knee slide."
Jürgen Klopp smiled and offered Park Chan-hyuk a handshake.
"Want me to teach you?"
"Oh. If I get the chance, I'd love to learn."
Jürgen Klopp took a liking to this cheerful young man.
***
As he chatted away with Jürgen Klopp, the rundown old stadium came into view.
'Their stadium's pretty old too.'
Mainz was currently building a new stadium, just like Union Berlin.
'The new one's Coface Arena, right?'
Mainz's decision to build a new stadium was for expansion.
Once they made it to the Bundesliga, even fans who hadn't cared about soccer before started showing up, making the stadium feel too small.
“You'll never walk alone!!”
And naturally, they became Mainz fans.
'They even made it to Europa last season, so they probably never saw relegation coming.'
Anyway, the new stadium Mainz was building would hold about 34,000 seats.
'We won.'
I looked at Klopp and flashed a triumphant smile.
Union Berlin's stadium exceeded 40,000 seats.
This was where the population of the city the club called home really mattered.
Mainz had a population of 220,000.
But Berlin, Union Berlin's home, had 3 million, and nearly 7 million including the metro area.
'Come to think of it, filling a 30,000-seat stadium with just 220,000 people makes Mainz pretty crazy too.'
Anyway.
Union Berlin had more than enough potential to grow into a big club.
Even now in the second division, fans were pouring in at a rapid pace.
'Once we hit the Bundesliga, it'll balloon overnight.'
It wouldn't be long before the 40,000 seats were packed.
'...Good thing we planned for expansion up to 55,000.'
Maybe it was seeing Mainz fill 30,000 seats with 220,000 people.
Union Berlin's stadium suddenly felt a bit small.
"So, when are you going to teach me that celebration?"
"After the game ends today, if we win."
"Oh, in that case, I'll have to learn it next time."
I'd promised Jürgen Klopp I'd teach him how to do the post-goal ceremony after the match.
'What if he tears his hamstring—or worse, his ACL?'
I was a little worried about his enthusiastic attitude.
'...But it's not my legs, anyway.'
On second thought, it wasn't my problem.
Anyway.
While I was bonding with Jürgen Klopp.
The first half between Union Berlin and Mainz ended 0-0 after a fierce back-and-forth.
***
In the halftime locker room, I gave the players a brief rundown of what to expect in the second half, sticking to the essentials.
They were all still catching their breath, so they probably weren't absorbing much.
I had no choice but to repeat myself.
"The opponents will definitely come out aggressive in the second half."
If survival was our top priority this season, then promotion was obviously Mainz's goal after getting relegated.
It was unavoidable.
The fans and board already had their expectations set on the Bundesliga.
'The manager's probably the same.'
A team that had tasted the top flight once never wanted to drop down.
The difference in attention between the first and second divisions was huge.
'And the revenue too.'
Even the second-division crowds in Germany that Korea envied were a drop in the bucket compared to the Bundesliga.
As mentioned earlier, that's why Mainz was rushing to build a new home stadium.
And it was the reason we were building ours to prepare for promotion to the first division.
"Yannick!"
Yannick Peitz had sulked a bit over the celebration theft, but he'd gotten over it quickly.
Our friendship wouldn't crack over something that small.
We had memories of growing up together through the club's tough times.
"...."
Yannick Peitz turned to me. With trust shining in his eyes, I nodded confidently and made my demand.
"Score us one."
I was the straightforward type.
***
It went without saying, but the Union Berlin vs. Mainz match was being broadcast in Korea too. Even at this early morning hour, it guaranteed steady ratings.
Playing a soccer match was better for a public broadcaster's image in terms of variety than just airing the national anthem.
[Union Berlin vs. Mainz, or Mainz vs. Union Berlin—the second half is about to kick off.]
As the second half began, the commentators started the broadcast without a hint of fatigue.
[The two teams battled fiercely in the first half but couldn't find the net. Hopefully we'll see more goals in the second.]
[Yes, and it'd be great to see Son Hong-min make his league debut too.]
[That's right. Son Hong-min showed some great form in preseason and the Pokal, but he hasn't gotten a chance in league play yet.]
└ Damn, Chan-hyuk hyung! I trusted you and bought a Son Hong-min jersey! Put him in already! I'm gonna pass out for real at this rate?
└ Park Chan-hyuk's only 22, and you're calling him hyung? Shouldn't you be studying instead of watching soccer at this hour?
└ Money talks, hyung.
└ Fair, but does Park Chan-hyuk make bank?
└ He's a famous manager, so probably.
└ Famous manager = famous only in Korea lol
└ Ugh, Park Chan-hyuk antis are back.
└ Anyway, Park Chan-hyuk comes from a rich family. They won the lottery jackpot, right?
└ Oh yeah, was that his family?
└ Not Park Jung-ah: Yeah, it was when Chan-hyuk's little sister was a kid. She got so hurt by all the media attention that she never shows her face anymore.
└ Korea's sorry ㅠㅠ
***
If the first half had been Union Berlin's rhythm, the second half belonged to Mainz.
Mainz came out swinging right from kickoff, hammering Union Berlin.
Mainz's center forward Felix Borghardt laid the ball off with his back to goal.
Thwack—!
Midfielder Miroslav Karhan's long-range shot whistled just over the crossbar.
"Ah!"
The Mainz home fans clutched their heads in regret, while the Union Berlin away supporters breathed a sigh of relief.
The score was still 0-0.
Mainz and we were both one step away from breaking the deadlock.
I looked out at the pitch.
Timo Breitner (LW) was showing signs of fatigue.
'He ran a lot in the last game too, and this one.'
Time for a sub, it seemed.
I turned to the bench, and there were Son Hong-min's eyes, burning with the desire to play.
"Wanna go?"
I approached Son Hong-min and spoke in German.
Using Korean in a setting like this could make the other players feel uneasy.
"Yes!"
Son Hong-min replied in German too.
There was some public opinion back home about why I wasn't playing him.
But it was unavoidable.
Hong-min had higher potential, but Timo's current stats were better.
'Son Hong-min's still a prospect.'
And we had to be careful about overworking him too early.
Even if Son Hong-min was the iron man who rarely got injured.
Injuries in youth could be devastating in all sorts of ways, trauma included.
'He used to go hard for headers, but after that injury, he stopped trying much.'
Still, looking at Son Hong-min's burning desire to play made me reconsider.
'...Maybe I'm being too overprotective.'
I tossed him a little carrot.
"Alright then, go out there and show me what you've got. Do well, and I'll think about starting you next game."
***
Son Hong-min, subbing in for Timo Breitner, slowly began to blend into the game's tempo.
'No need to push too hard. We've got time.'
His mind flashed back to that goal against Leverkusen.
That match was an unforgettable thrill in Son Hong-min's life.
Right now, Son Hong-min wanted to play even more.
He craved that feeling again.
'Do well here, and it's a start next game.'
Park Chan-hyuk had said he'd think about it, but in Son Hong-min's head, it was already a starting spot. A bit of wishful thinking on his part.
Son Hong-min eased into the rhythm.
And soon, opportunity knocked.
"Damn!"
Thomas Mayer won the ball and fed it to Marcus Mättche.
"Here—!"
Son Hong-min signaled for the pass and sprinted forward.
Marcus's pass went to Son Hong-min.
He accelerated, shaking off the defender.
The Union Berlin fans roared as Son Hong-min burst forward.
"Ooh—!"
"Go!!!"
As he reached the penalty area, Neven Subotić stepped up to block him.
Son Hong-min dipped inside slightly, then curled a shot with the instep of his right foot.
The shot Son Hong-min unleashed from what would later be called the 'Hong-min Zone.'
Ripple.
It ripped straight into the net past Dimo Wache, Mainz's keeper.
****
The moment Son Hong-min's shot hit the net, I started to sprint out.
'Can't let Yannick steal his celebration too, or Hong-min might get upset.'
But my plan fell apart.
"Hold it. It's his league debut goal—boss, stealing that would be heartless."
It was assistant coach (real) Daniel Teixeira grabbing me from the bench.
"Nooo, not my celebration!!"
"Why's it yours?"
While I was sealed off by the Union Berlin players.
In my sightline, Son Hong-min was doing his celebration at the corner flag.
'...That was supposed to be MY celebration!'
In that moment, I felt an immense sense of loss.