Soccer Genius Wants to Get Noticed - Chapter 189
Only Krnovel
Episode 189 All or Nothing
The day after the match, at Gaisbockheim (FC Köln’s training ground).
“So, that’s what happened.”
“Hmm.”
I have my final interview in the office on the third floor of the main building. I have nothing more to talk about with the staff, but I have to be polite to Captain Bear.
What was it like to have dinner with the club president, what did I think, how did I make decisions, etc.
The process was shortened, but the result was simple.
That he will leave the team during the winter transfer market.
So he-
“Have you decided on a team?”
“yet.”
“I see. There’s no need to rush. There’s still the league schedule left, and we have to play the World Cup before the transfer market opens. When that happens, I’ll probably get much higher-level offers than I have now. In order to do that… … I have to keep doing well in the future, right?”
“… … .”
ha ha ha.
Is the laughter bursting out from between the thick beards on the other side of the desk real or fake?
Although I don’t know what he’s thinking, I can’t help but laugh at the sight of him frowning and smiling mischievously.
The situation doesn’t change after that.
“I’m saying this half-jokingly, half-seriously. When we leave, we should do so with meaningful results. That would be a desirable outcome for all of us.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“No. Actually, I have a favor to ask of you, Hanul. I want you to advance to the Champions League round of 16 and maintain the league table, haha.”
Contrary to what I had expected before entering the room, no information related to transfer had seeped through the gaps in the bookshelf, computer, and glass door.
Just focus on the performance in the first half.
The current Bundesliga leader is FC Köln. Union Berlin, which has shown excellent results in the beginning, is in second place, Bayern Munich is in third place, and Borussia Dortmund, which dropped two places due to a loss in the previous match, is in fourth place.
In reality, the Champions League was more of a problem.
“The away game against Porto is in three days. It’s a third-round matchup, so it’s a perfect turning point. If we win there, the following games will be easier.”
“AT Madrid is… … .”
“Let’s not worry about that. I wish Brugge would play as well as they did to us, but for now, we just have to look forward to the next game.”
And just like that, the interview time with the director passes by in a flash.
I was worried that my voice would get raised, or that I would curse the club president, or that I would comfort him. I had prepared for everything, but it was all in vain.
Suddenly.
“Oh, from tomorrow onwards, I will strictly follow the training schedule. The finish is always important. No matter how great the beginning and middle are, if you mess up at the end, people will only remember that moment.”
“huh.”
“One more thing. Don’t have any accidents.”
“… … .”
Knock, knock.
He stroked my shoulders and back with his thick hands, while giving me advice in a soft tone at the same time… … but it felt a little late.
The accident happened just yesterday.
“Hanul?”
“……okay.”
Does this mean I should do well from now on?
That’s probably it.
* * *
Instead of going down to the ground, I went down one floor and looked out over the training grounds. I didn’t mean to feel regretful.
If I go down right away, the players won’t leave me alone.
Thud thud.
“Where did he go… … He’s over there.”
Look at this.
Mark Ut, with wrinkles around his eyes and an unkempt beard, approaches from behind, with the words ‘I will not leave the Holy Sky alone’ written all over his face.
At times like this, I can only sit back and watch the youth team train.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m reflecting on how strong a person I am.”
“What is that… … .”
“Look over there. The one on the far right is the youth team, to its left is the under-19s, and next to that is the B team.”
“however?”
“If I refuse to transfer, half of them will lose their jobs. Are you kidding me?”
“… … .”
“Ouch!”
I was just saying the right thing, so why do I have to be so sleepy?
I can’t understand.
“Oh, what’s the fuss!!”
“Why the fuss? It’s because of you that I can’t even get out of the training grounds!”
“Just take the car and go!”
Chwieeeek, bang!
But in the midst of the fierce struggle, a red light and smoke rise up outside the window.
“Did you see? If you just tried to go out, you’d probably die from the flames. Or you’d get trampled by people.”
“… … They’re getting trampled. Are our fans some kind of thugs?”
In quick succession, before the words could be spoken, one side of the fence began to tilt.
“It seems almost the same now.”
“… … .”
What on earth are you doing?
But on the other hand, there’s nothing I can do about the stinging feeling in a corner of my heart.
“Are you coming to your senses now? Are you aware of what you’ve done?”
“What about me? I don’t have any hesitation at all.”
“Oh, really?”
The moment I stubbornly responded.
The evil meerkat strides over to the sofa table and picks up the remote control. Then he presses a button on the TV hanging on the wall in the break room.
The unmuted electronic device, which had been uselessly ignored until now, suddenly spewed out the voice of a news anchor.
[… … The controversy surrounding Null is growing. Just yesterday, in a post-match interview, he revealed that he was pressured by the club’s upper management to transfer. Let’s first look at the content of the interview.]
This is fucking shit.
A hesitant expression as if there was something obvious, a gaze that only looked down, and even a shrug that gave off a slightly hazy atmosphere.
The acting itself was amazing, but the failure to think about the consequences was a failure.
What would it be like to drop a bomb on a stadium filled with 50,000 people?
okay.
Now I know that feeling.
stop.
A confident voice flows out of the speaker as if it had been waiting for this moment, but since I know what happened after that, I can’t listen to the end.
Because I even tried to sell my emotions.
And I didn’t know.
How will others perceive my remarks?
No, maybe I knew but I didn’t care.
My priority was to get revenge on Werner Wolf, and then I wanted to settle the transfer issue.
[… … In this way, the German professional football players’ union VDV expressed serious concern about the interview in which 1. FC Köln president Werner Wolf forced a transfer. They immediately released an official statement stating that the Köln board had clearly violated the freedom of movement and the player’s right to transfer at the end of the contract. They also added that ‘there is no future for German professional football if a fair balance between players, clubs and associations is not maintained.’]
Little did I know that the fire would spread throughout Germany.
Whoosh whoosh.
Let’s think about the sight of one side of the training ground that was actually on fire later.
With fire trucks and police cars lined up on the main road, it would be a headache if I thought about it any further.
“Are you serious?”
“… … .”
“No, really. How can you do an interview like that? Should I call it boldness, or is it right to see it as a brain problem? I was just amazed. You can feel proud. It’s not usually a big deal to make a person like me so surprised.”
“… … But at the end of the interview, I added that the choice is mine. The decision is solely my responsibility. But that’s not on the news.”
“Oh my, is that so? Why don’t you go out in front of angry fans and say it?”
I try hard not to hear the sarcastic remarks.
Rather, another curiosity took precedence.
Why was I on the second floor?
The reason is simple.
“Is Jonas very angry?”
“I don’t understand what you mean. When you say you were ‘angry,’ do you mean the time you went into the locker room and glared at your agent and then called him to swear at him? Or did you mean the time you just sat there for ten minutes with your fists clenched and not saying a word?”
“… … .”
You must be very angry.
It was a bit of a slap in the face. At least that’s how it felt to a guy who had decided to retire this year.
“Anyway, you damn brat. Jonas asked me to bring you here. Let’s go down quickly.”
Then, Ut also grabs my earlobe and heads towards the stairs.
“Ah, ah! It hurts!”
“No, it can’t hurt. There’s something wrong with your brain, so you can’t feel pain.”
I didn’t want to go, but it was an encounter I couldn’t refuse.
* * *
That evening.
I listen to Jonas’s countless complaints, go out to the fans together to calm them down, and only after the messy road is cleared up do I return to the corner of the house.
It’s getting late for work and darkness has settled in beyond the window.
And of course, there was no sign of life next door. It wasn’t strange for Uncle Gunther to suddenly disappear, but I felt a sense of regret because of the timing.
Ugh, ugh, ugh.
At the bedside, my brother lets out a voice that seems to be enduring the pain several times as if the new medication isn’t working for him.
The sight of her chin trembling and shaking makes me feel uncomfortable just watching, so I speed up the pace of folding the dry laundry.
‘Hanul. The agreement with the club is over. Cologne will not keep you.’
‘… … What about Jonas?’
‘Jonas?’
‘I heard you got cursed at. I heard it from Uth.’
‘Oh, that’s… Don’t worry about it. I’ve explained it well. For now, let’s focus on talking to the club that made the offer.’
In my head, I replay the conversation with Alex Pasek.
At the same time, I turn the top inside out and fold it starting from the sleeves, fold the towel in half and finish it simply, and match the socks, and if I find a missing part… … I roughly put it on my right ear.
Where did the other one disappear to?
Annoyingly.
That was when.
“Heaven, when you’re done with the laundry, talk to Mom for a bit… … .”
“… … .”
“……what are you doing?”
“… … .”
My decision to transfer has been widely reported, so it seems like Mom and Dad can no longer delay the conversation.
That fact is important now.
Swish.
With a calm expression, he took off the sock stuck in his ear and nodded with an indifferent expression (he tried to make it look that way somehow).
It was a close call.
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