1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 138



Only Krnovel

Episode 138

The match against Ireland ended in a comeback win with a score of 3:1.

Following a 1:1 first half, Lee Chang-seop’s goal and the original 2002 World Cup star, The Lord of the Rings, scored in the second half, leading South Korea to win the first match 3:1.

The whole world was shocked and said it was an anomaly.

Korea, ranked 37th in the FIFA rankings, caused an upset by defeating Ireland, ranked 13th, and in a comeback win.

Experts said that a dark horse has appeared in this World Cup and that everyone should be careful of Korea.

And the opponent for the second group match was China.

Throughout history, China was the country that won overwhelmingly in most games.

There was no way they could be a match.

“Ah, Republic of Korea!!! Lee Chang-seop!! Goal!!! A hat trick. It’s really scary.”

“No matter how much China is considered the weakest team in this World Cup, a hat-trick in the World Cup is truly amazing! Lee Chang-seop!”

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“The match is over. The second match of the group stage between South Korea and China ends with a score of 9:0! South Korea wins by a whopping 9 goals!”

The commentator talks about the materials provided by the author.

“Oh, the nine-goal difference in today’s match is said to be the second since the Hungary-El Salvador match in the Spain World Cup 20 years ago.”

“That’s really amazing. A 9-goal lead is an unbelievable record. The Korean players are truly making great history!”

The first match against Ireland surprised everyone, but the match against China left everyone’s mouths open.

The score was a whopping 9:0.

It was a score that could only come out of a baseball game.

The goal difference was so large that when they scored 7 goals, some people said it was pitiful and told them not to score any more goals.

Korea, which won both matches, has secured its spot in the round of 16 and will face Nigeria, its final group match opponent.

And the last match against Nigeria was also won 2:0.

With 3 wins, they advanced to the round of 16 with a better record than the original 2 wins and 1 draw.

And the opponent they faced in the round of 16 was none other than Japan.

As expected, the match between Korea and Japan heated up.

And ahead of the Korea-Japan match, people have one question.

The question was whether the president would watch the game in person.

Usually, when the World Cup is held in their home country, the head of the host country usually watches their country’s first group match in person.

However, I have not yet had any intention of watching the games in person, including the round of 16 match against Japan.

As the president continued to avoid attending his country’s World Cup in person, one of the reporters even shouted at me from far away at the venue to ask me about it.

“Mr. President! Is there any reason why you don’t attend the World Cup games?”

I paused at his loud voice and answered the reporters.

“I think South Korea will advance to the semifinals or higher in this World Cup, so I’m not going yet. If I’m going to do it, wouldn’t it be better to go to the semifinals or the finals?”

The reporters laugh.

No matter how well they did in the group stage, they thought that making it to the semifinals was impossible.

And when this story appeared in the newspapers, people burst out laughing just as the reporters did.

But some people began to have hopes because the president said something like that.

‘The president has never said anything nonsense······.’

A few days later, the so-called guillotine match between Korea and Japan began in sports.

However, Korea put to shame the title of soul rival by crushing Japan with an overwhelming score of 3:0.

“Political shot!! Goal!!! Korea’s third goal!!! Following the first goal, Jeongchi-seong scores the third goal to end the game. Ah, Jeongchi-seong. He runs to the coach and hugs him!”

The caster keeps shouting out the name of politics.

The commentary also continues to praise the political players.

“Player Jeong-seong Jeong also played in the Japanese league, so he knows the weaknesses of Japanese players very well! And now that the game is almost over, he doesn’t show any signs of fatigue. I really think this player has two hearts!”

‘It’s the quarterfinals now······.’

*

Teams from England and the United States are arriving one after another near the Cheongjin Stadium where the England-USA round of 16 match will be held.

Both the US and England teams were left speechless by the sight of Cheongjin City.

Team USA captain Tom refuses to accept the improved appearance of Cheongjin City.

“Hey, is this really the part of North Korea that was there just 20 years ago?”

Mike, who was standing next to him, also responded in surprise.

“Wow, that’s right… It’s developed to this extent? The stadium here is really big. And the fitness facilities are also so nice….”

Since the start of the Megacity Project, Cheongjin City has changed 180 degrees from the Cheongjin City of the past.

“They say Korea is really catching up with the US, but at this level, it looks better than the US? Sigh······.”

Tom sighs deeply as he looks at the city of Cheongjin, which is a city in itself, unlike the rural town where his team is located.

The development of the provincial megacity was beyond imagination.

Nowadays, people who don’t know much about the place would wonder if this is Cheongjin or Seoul if they were shown just a photo or video.

And this image was also broadcast to the whole world.

*

The next day after the Round of 16, it was time for the State Council meeting.

More than ten minutes had passed since the meeting started, but no one was paying attention.

Most people were so excited that they couldn’t even sleep properly after making it to the quarterfinals, beyond the round of 16 that they had hoped for.

In some ways, this may seem natural.

I speak to the members of the State Council.

“Everyone, I guess you couldn’t sleep because you were so excited about the game yesterday.”

Prime Minister Park Dae-chun, whose mind was full of thoughts about soccer, comes to his senses and apologizes.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. President.”

I stopped him from apologizing, saying it was okay.

“Haha. It can’t be helped. The whole world is full of talk about games, so how could we think of anything else?”

I laughed for a moment and then asked Prime Minister Park.

“Prime Minister Park, by the way, your opponent in the quarterfinals is England. Do you think you can beat them?”

It was a strong opponent, a soccer powerhouse and ranked 12th in the FIFA rankings.

Prime Minister Park thinks for a moment and then answers.

“I think I can win.”

I asked him back with a surprised look.

“Really? Why is that?”

“England is definitely a strong team. They are a strong team, but England, which is not worthy of the title of the soccer powerhouse, has only won the World Cup once and has never been to the final. I think our national team, which is on a roll, is definitely capable of doing it.”

I nodded in response to Prime Minister Park’s story.

“I see. If Prime Minister Park says so, isn’t it virtually certain that we will beat England?”

Prime Minister Park is in trouble.

“Ah, no, that doesn’t mean that you’ll definitely win······.”

“Hahaha. Just kidding. Just kidding. Then let’s continue with the State Council meeting.”

In fact, we couldn’t talk about the World Cup at the current State Council meeting.

All eyes of the nation were on the World Cup.

But it made no sense to discuss state affairs without considering the World Cup.

If you really think about it, a lot of the stories told at the State Council were directly or indirectly related to the World Cup.

“Next… Ah, how is the response to terrorism going?”

I looked at Minister of Public Administration and Security Yang Hyun-woo and asked.

“Yes. The terrorism response team is always on standby, ready to be deployed. If a suspected terrorist incident occurs anywhere in the country, we will be deployed within three minutes.”

“Was the official document also sent to the provincial police department, aside from the counter-terrorism team?”

Minister Yang answers my question right away.

“Yes, of course. We have also sent out an official letter to the provincial police departments across the country, asking them to do their utmost to prevent suspected terrorist incidents and maintain public order during the World Cup.”

I nodded and said to him.

“Okay. Al Qaeda has virtually disappeared, so the probability of an extreme terrorist attack like an airplane bombing is low, but terrorism isn’t just an airplane bombing.

“There is always a risk of train bombings, vehicle bombings, and terrorist attacks on crowded places. International sporting events like this are always a good target for terrorists.”

“Yes. I will do my best.”

And then we proceed with the State Council meeting.

As the State Council was coming to a close, I asked the State Council members a question that had been on their minds.

“Um, this is a problem I’ve been thinking about, so I’d like to hear what the members of the State Council think.”

Prime Minister Park Dae-chun asks.

“What is the problem that is bothering you, Mr. President?”

“In fact, I wonder if we could declare a temporary national holiday based on the results of this World Cup. If we make it to the semifinals, we could declare a one-day temporary holiday, if we make it to the finals, we could declare a two-day temporary holiday, and if we win, we could declare a three-day temporary holiday.”

The State Council is in turmoil.

‘Is a three-day temporary holiday too long?’

But the reason for the uproar was completely different from what I thought.

Prime Minister Park steps forward and speaks on behalf of the group.

“Mr. President, of course, if we just win, what’s the big deal even if we have a temporary holiday for a week instead of three days? But winning? That’s just ridiculous. Honestly, I think our national team is really great just for coming this far.”

Minister Yang, who we spoke about earlier, also added a word.

“That’s right. If we talk about winning or the finals, it will only give the people more expectations and cause disappointment. How about designating a temporary public holiday only if we advance to the semifinals?”

It seemed like everyone thought the current quarterfinals were the end.

It seemed like they thought that if they were really lucky, making it to the quarterfinals would be the limit.

‘It was originally a quarterfinal in history, so it’s a bit disappointing that it ended up the same.’

“Is that so? But what if we talk like this? Wouldn’t the people be able to cheer with more passion?”

*

“This is the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, ahead of the quarterfinal match against England.”

“Yes. The South Korean national team has worked really hard so far. I sincerely hope that they win today and advance to the semifinals in Pyongyang.”

The team slowly enters the stadium and warms up.

And in the meantime, the commentary talks about the government announcement made today.

“By the way, have you heard? The government said that if the national team advances to the semifinals, they will designate one temporary holiday, if they advance to the finals, they will designate two days, and if they win, they will designate three temporary holidays.”

“Yes, I heard that too. It was quite unconventional, and I also felt that the president really hoped that the Korean national team would win.”

The caster is momentarily lost in thought.

And then he opens his mouth.

“Winning, just saying it makes my heart flutter. What do you think?”

The caster passes the ball to commentary this time.

The commentary is a bit bewildered, but it speaks honestly of the feelings.

“To be honest, this match against England was not easy. But there were no easy matches in the group stage or the round of 16. Our national team has always walked a difficult path. So now everyone feels that it is not impossible for us to win.”

The caster is a little surprised by the commentary’s story.

And before we knew it, the game was about to start.

“I see. I hope that a miracle like winning happens just like the commentator said. Oh, the referee blows the whistle and the game begins!”