Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 194

194. A Series of Commotions (3)

As soon as the game ended, I sat down facing So Young-joon.

So Young-joon’s expression was stiff, unlike his usual self.

“Young-joon, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

So Young-joon tried to sound nonchalant, but a deep darkness had settled on his face.

“Were you serious about what you said in the interview?”

“…….”

So Young-joon paused, lost in thought.

I quietly waited for him to sort out his thoughts.

“I’ve felt it since the salary negotiations, but I don’t think I fit in here.”

“Hmm… I can understand that well enough.”

Even though he succeeded in increasing his salary by winning the salary arbitration [a process where an independent arbitrator determines a player’s salary], he must have been emotionally hurt in the process.

“And I want to experience winning a championship. Shouldn’t I win at least once during my career as a player?”

Even among players who were considered legends in the league based on their individual performance, there were quite a few who had never won a championship.

That’s not to say their individual capabilities weren’t recognized, but not experiencing the moment of winning a championship during their career was something they would regret for the rest of their lives.

“If that’s what you truly want, you should try.”

“But is there any chance my trade will actually happen?”

“To be honest, trades often fall through, so I can’t guarantee 100% that it will happen. But I’ll try to find the best possible way.”

Until recently, So Young-joon was a player for the Pelicans, the team with the worst record, so he was able to be a starting player.

However, with the performance he showed from the second half of last year, he has grown into a player who can be a starting shortstop even if he goes to a top-tier team right now.

Therefore, in the current situation, the scale of the trade is bound to increase.

That meant matching the trade cards would not be easy.

Moreover, the fact that his desire to leave the team has clearly leaked to the outside will not be advantageous in the trade negotiations.

“Our CEO must be having a hard time because of me since the last salary negotiation, right?”

“Don’t worry about that. That’s what I’m here for.”

“Thanks.”

So Young-joon smiled at me.

“So, you want to go to a team with a chance of winning a championship, right?”

“Well… now that things have come to this, it would be good to do that, right? Oh, but excluding teams with a definite starting shortstop. They wouldn’t have signed me if that were the case, but I don’t want to have to compete for the starting position as soon as I get there.”

Hmm…

But are there any teams with a chance of winning a championship that don’t have a definite starting shortstop?

I tilted my head, but I wrote down So Young-joon’s words for now.

“Is there anything else you want?”

“Well… if I had to pick one more thing, I’d like it to be a team with players from our agency. It would be fun to hang out together.”

“Then should I look into the Jaguars?”

Michael Scott came to mind, and I blurted out without thinking,

“Wow, that’s a really good idea. I was so sad that I couldn’t see Scott often during the season. It would be really great if we were on the same team.”

So Young-joon clapped his hands, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

Seeing this, I shook my head involuntarily.

“On second thought, the Jaguars wouldn’t work.”

“Whyyy?”

“If you two are together, you’ll be too busy going to clubs every night.”

“Hey, Representative. That’s all in the past now. I do everything I need to do and rest. Scott is the same. It’s okay to rest once in a while while playing baseball well, right? It’s not like Scott and I have ever caused any trouble.”

So Young-joon quickly shook his head and replied.

“Is that so? Well, you’re different from before, so it might be okay… but I still feel uneasy.”

“Don’t think of me as I was last year. I’m completely different now. The difference is too big if you compare the two.”

So Young-joon shrugged his shoulders and said.

“Okay. You’re right. I’ll ask the Jaguars too.”

“It would be fun to go to the Jaguars. When I was young, it was my dream to wear a Jaguars uniform.”

“Well, if the timing had been right, you would have been a Jaguars player.”

Back then, So Young-joon was so good at baseball that he was drafted by the Pelicans, who had the first pick.

If the first draft system, which prioritized drafting local players in our third year of high school, hadn’t been temporarily abolished, he would have been drafted by the Jaguars.

Perhaps thanks to the pleasant imagination, the corners of So Young-joon’s mouth turned up, but suddenly his expression darkened.

“I want to play winning baseball now… but I’m a little worried about our Pelicans fans.”

So Young-joon spoke with a serious expression, unlike the smile he had on his face just a moment ago.

“The Pelicans fans’ support is no joke, right?”

“Of course. To be honest, we lost almost every game, and we were almost always in last place, but it’s not easy to support a team like that without changing. I wouldn’t support it if I were them… It’s not easy to leave those fans behind.”

Before long, the Pelicans fans were sending enthusiastic cheers even if the Pelicans batters scored just one point, regardless of the team’s wins.

“So, do you also want to stay?”

“Hoo…”

At my words, So Young-joon lowered his head and took a deep breath.

“Don’t think too complicatedly. Which player would feel comfortable leaving a team they’ve played for for several years? Everyone must have felt the same way.”

“Is that so?”

So Young-joon barely raised his head and looked at me.

“And as I said earlier, to be honest, it’s hard to guarantee that I can make it happen 100%. It would have to be a huge deal to sign you right now.”

“Okay… Let’s do it. It seems clear that I need a change right now.”

“So, are you really going to push for a trade from now on?”

“…Yes.”

After much deliberation, So Young-joon slowly nodded his head.

“Okay. Then I’ll start right away.”

I finished the conversation and immediately got up and headed to the office.

* * *

As soon as I returned to the agency office, I began pushing for the trade.

It was a much more difficult task than the trade for Jang Soo-young.

The final approval of the trade card had to be decided by the general manager.

That meant I had to persuade Kim Seok-won, the Pelicans’ general manager, as well.

I thought I would meet him at the next salary negotiation, but I ended up meeting him sooner than expected.

Will I be able to get trade approval from General Manager Kim Seok-won?

If this trade really goes through, our agency will no longer have any players belonging to the Pelicans, so there will be no direct conflict with General Manager Kim Seok-won.

That would be a good thing for me.

Lee Joo-hyuk and I stayed up all night focusing on creating data about So Young-joon.

Simple data was not very important because other general managers would already know it, so we focused on the positive factors that could be gained by signing So Young-joon.

Then, we sent emails and messages related to the trade to the general managers of the nine clubs at the same time.

Less than a minute after sending the messages,

Wee-ing-

A call came to me right away.

The caller was Jo Gwang-hoon, the general manager of the Jaguars.

I cleared my throat once and answered the phone.

“Yes, General Manager.”

-Representative Kang. Is this real?

“I’m trying to push it forward for now.”

-Hehe. This is going to be fun again.

“Young-joon really wants to transfer.”

-We’re also interested in So Young-joon.

“Jae-hyung is doing well for the Jaguars, so what are you worried about?”

-Even if it’s not defense, Young-joon’s offensive power is good. If we put him in as a designated hitter right away, our lineup would be much stronger.”

“That’s true. He’s such a good offensive player.”

-Then, how many players do you think the Pelicans will want?

“They’re losing their starting shortstop and cleanup hitter [the batter who typically bats fourth in the lineup and is expected to drive in runs] right away. Wouldn’t they try to make up for that part?”

-Heo… I expected it to some extent, but this is too expensive, isn’t it?

“That’s right. He’s a key player for the Pelicans, so it can’t be helped.”

-Hmm…

“But the Pelicans are a rebuilding team. Wouldn’t it be worth trying to put together a team of promising players?”

-That’s true. By the way, what does Young-joon think about coming to the Jaguars? He’d like it because it’s his hometown team, right?

“To be honest, he’s very positive about it.”

-Oh, really? Then I should seriously consider it.

“I’ll be waiting for a good offer.”

-Okay. Let’s talk again.”

Not long after finishing the call with General Manager Jo Gwang-hoon, several general managers contacted me without a break.

Not only the top-ranked teams but also the mid-ranked teams, which were fiercely competing to advance to the postseason, showed interest.

They may have called simply to gauge the atmosphere, but some teams approached me seriously.

After that, I met with several club general managers, including General Manager Jo Gwang-hoon, to talk.

Rumors spread that I was traveling around to meet several club general managers, as if my every move was being watched, and related articles with photos attached were pouring out.

Even in situations where we met for other reasons, they often connected it to a trade.

Of course, it was not a bad article for us at all.

Since the fact that So Young-joon wanted a trade had already been revealed, it seemed better to make every move loudly revealed.

└Wow, it looks like the trade is really in progress.

└So Young-joon is also popular. Are they trying to match cards here and there?

└Just looking at his batting, he’s worth taking. If he weren’t on the Pelicans, he’d be a player who could easily get 100 RBIs [Runs Batted In] in a season.

└Looking at it that way, the regular season games are not even halfway over yet, so if the postseason is precarious right now, it’s worth scratching.

└Signing So Young-joon is not just scratching. He’s already proven himself on the domestic stage. The moment you sign him, it’s definitely a plus.

└Instead, the problem is that the player you have to send is not easy. You’ll have to give up a starting player or a key prospect right away.

└The bleeding is great as much as you get. It’s not easy to guess how many players you have to give.

└Since it’s the Pelicans, wouldn’t it be better to offer several prospects instead? Anyway, they’re practically eliminated from the postseason this year.

└It’s a pity that it’s a graveyard for prospects, but still, it might be good because there’s a high possibility of debuting in the first team right away at the Pelicans.

I was looking at the atmosphere through numerous articles and community reactions.

It was clear that So Young-joon’s value was by no means low enough to be ignored.

And

Wee-ing-

Another important call came to me.

It was Kim Seok-won, the general manager of the Pelicans.