Chapter 73
Chapter 73
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Charging Union Berlin
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Charging Union Berlin.
***
The district mayor glanced cautiously to his side.
He could see she had deliberately dressed to look older, but her skin, which looked not just youthful but almost childlike, couldn't be easily hidden.
Her father was the CEO, but he'd heard that this girl was the one steering the company's direction.
*Are both siblings geniuses...?*
This girl had created a messenger app used not just in Europe but around the world.
The mayor had seen his share of people called geniuses, but it was rare for someone so young to lead a company.
The German government wasn't foolish enough to let talent that had fallen into their lap slip away.
Now that they had abandoned secretive family management and accepted the shackles of investment, there was no need to gut the golden goose with excessive scrutiny.
In fact, the company they ran was growing rapidly and was currently preparing for a Nasdaq listing in the US.
It was the company's freedom where to list, and as long as the headquarters stayed in Germany, they had decided not to interfere.
*They act like they've seen the future.*
She moved with absolute certainty about the future.
No fear, no hesitation.
She charged ahead with unwavering confidence in her path.
*Investing in cloud and AI...*
He couldn't quite understand why they'd move their headquarters here specifically, but if it meant development for the region, it was good news for him as mayor.
Yanik Feit's goal went in, and the mayor belted out Union Berlin's chant at the top of his lungs.
He hadn't been a Union Berlin fan since birth. In truth, he was a recent convert.
There was some calculation involved.
*There are 20,000 votes right here...*
Politicians lived on votes.
***
The match followed Union Berlin's typical flow.
It was only natural.
The two teams were leagues apart in class from the start.
*As expected of a 5-star. More aggressive and sharper than usual.*
Yanik Feit's relentless threat on goal was impressive.
He'd seemed ordinary in training, but in a real match, Yanik Feit was like a hunter stalking his prey.
Clank—.
I turned my head at the metallic sound ringing in my ear and looked down at my ankle. A shiny silver anklet caught my eye.
Today, as always, I was sealed to the bench.
*Last time it was my right arm, now it's my left foot.*
I felt like a sealed Exodia.
*...I, Park Chan-hyuk, will always remember this.*
While I rattled away silently protesting my discomfort, Yanik Feit's shot ripped through the net.
Union Berlin's first goal.
I spotted Yanik Feit doing a pregnancy celebration by the corner flag, and once Daniel Teixeiro finished celebrating with him, they finally unlocked my handcuffs.
Apparently, Yanik Feit had prepared a celebration for his girlfriend, and the team had promised to help out.
"...Couldn't I have joined in?"
"It's to prevent that."
Ger... Not even German, but he loves prevention so much.
***
The DFB-Pokal second-round match between Union Berlin and Paderborn continued.
"Immer wieder Eisern Union! (Always Iron Union!)"
Union Berlin's fans began chanting loudly.
Objectively speaking, Union Berlin's setup had plenty of shortcomings for a second-division side.
They were improving quickly since promotion, but catching up to systems built over decades by other teams in a short time was no easy feat.
But matches weren't won on systems alone.
The quality of the squad handpicked by Park Chan-hyuk and the fans' passion were on another level entirely.
Put it all together, and Union Berlin was just strong.
Their current league standing proved it.
League form didn't matter in the DFB-Pokal, sure—but by that logic, Union Berlin had already taken down Bayer Leverkusen, the first-division mainstay.
"Hart sind die Zeiten und hart ist das Team. (Tough times and a tough team.)"
The fans took pride in having saved the club with their blood and sweat.
"Darum siegen wir mit Eisern Union. (That's why we triumph with Iron Union.)"
They believed that as long as they formed their iron phalanx, they could weather any crisis.
Of course, there were plenty of hurdles ahead, but after enduring countless hardships together, they feared nothing.
"Yannnniiiik—!"
Yanik Feit burst into the space behind the defense once more.
Roberto Lewandowski's pass headed his way.
*Crazy. His movement is on a whole other level now.*
A smile played on Lewandowski's lips as he delivered the pass.
It was that feeling of realizing the opponent had leveled up again just when you thought you'd learned it all.
*Plenty to watch and learn from for a while.*
Yanik Feit, with the ball at his feet, suddenly faced a one-on-one with the keeper.
[Yanik Feit! A one-on-one chance with the keeper! Yanik Feit, Yanik!]
Yanik Feit swung his right foot without hesitation.
He'd already decided the shot direction in his mind.
Thwack—.
The ball left Yanik Feit's foot and
swish.
shook the net.
"Scheiße—!"
Ignoring the keeper's curse, Yanik Feit raced to the corner flag again.
***
Yanik Feit tried to commit the sensations from the match to memory.
His current movements were in the realm of uncalculated instinct.
*Feels different from usual.*
He couldn't pinpoint it exactly, but something had changed.
Yanik Feit focused to remember his current sensations as he kept moving.
*Gotta max out those goal bonuses...*
Now a father, he kept pounding Paderborn to earn formula money.
[Hat-trick! Yanik Feit completes his hat-trick!]
[Taking Son Heung-min's pass, Yanik Feit finishes it off!]
Right before the end, he finally nailed the hat-trick.
***
The DFB-Pokal match against Paderborn ended in a resounding Union Berlin victory.
[Union Berlin crushes Paderborn 4-0.]
Score: 4-0.
Possession: 76-24.
Union Berlin had completely dominated a fellow second-division side.
"Immer wieder Eisern Union! (Always Iron Union!)"
Union Berlin fans were thrilled with the result.
"You're the best!"
Satisfied with the performance, the fans lingered after the whistle, savoring the victory with the players.
"Manuel Schmidt! Fußball Gott!!"
Union Berlin fans called out each player's name, hailing them as the greatest.
The players shared the joy of victory with their fans.
"Chan~~~hyuk!!!"
But the most popular figure in Union Berlin was Park Chan-hyuk. As he approached the stands after his interview, the cheers doubled in volume.
"Best manager!"
The fans' support for Park Chan-hyuk was only natural.
Back in the days of despair, Park Chan-hyuk's contract with Thomas Tuchel had been the turning point when Union Berlin began to change.
Thomas Tuchel, who had led them to second-division promotion, had left for Bayern Munich, but Park Chan-hyuk remained.
Park Chan-hyuk had perfectly filled the void left by Tuchel, and the team was cruising with strong results.
It was only natural that fan support for Park Chan-hyuk was surging.
***
[Union Berlin's scorching fan support...]
└ Whoa, check out that atmosphere.
└ For real, live it's insane.
└ Must-visit spot for Koreans traveling Europe.
└ Union Berlin fans treat you great if you're Korean.
[Union Berlin, 13-match unbeaten home streak...]
['Hat-trick' Yanik Feit dismisses feud rumors: "My girlfriend's recently pregnant. The manager gave me time off for it."]
└ So the feud was all BS?
└ German press same as Korean.
[Park Chan-hyuk on staying silent amid Yanik Feit feud rumors: "That's the team. And I'm the captain of this ship. A manager has a duty to protect his crew."]
***
Even after the Paderborn match, Union Berlin kept racking up points.
[Union Berlin edges Freiburg 1-0. 'Yanik Feit winner.']
[Yanik Feit bags a multi-goal haul vs. Alemannia Aachen. Team settles for draw.]
[Yanik Feit erupts again! Powered by Yanik Feit's hat-trick, Union Berlin thumps Munich 1860 4-0.]
While fans cheered the club's firepower show every match,
the staff handling the club's finances were starting to pale.
I'd set Yanik Feit's goal bonus way too high.
*...I didn't know. Back then, I had no idea he'd do this well!*
Since returning from vacation, Yanik Feit was scoring in every game like a madman.
Including the Paderborn hat-trick, he'd netted 9 goals in 4 matches.
I didn't know the details, but finance had said the goal bonuses alone equaled two months of his salary.
I started rehearsal practice with a doll to convince Yanik Feit.
"...Looks like we might have to renegotiate the contract."