Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 101

Dream Agency (1)

Following Lee Joo-hyuk, I told Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo about my plan.

Before I could even finish my story,

“Of course, I have to follow wherever you go, sunbae [senior]!”

Park Seong-joo, as well as Oh Seok-hoon, nodded vigorously.

“Thanks.”

If they had hesitated after hearing my proposal, I would have had to reflect on whether I was even qualified to start an agency.

“So, are we starting right away from now?”

Oh Seok-hoon asked, looking at me with sparkling eyes.

“We have to. The current agency won’t be waiting for us leisurely.”

They wouldn’t urge us to leave immediately, but we should become independent as quickly as possible.

Lee Joo-hyuk, who had brought it from somewhere, picked up a pen and was getting ready to write in his notepad.

“Representative, what should we start with?”

The unfamiliar word ‘Representative’ felt like it was being hammered into my ears.

“I think the most urgent thing is to find a dorm and training facility. We can’t stay here forever.”

“That’s right.”

Lee Joo-hyuk nodded and recorded my words.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], won’t you have to spend a lot of money to get a dorm and training facility?”

Oh Seok-hoon looked at me with a worried expression.

“I’ll take care of everything you need, so don’t worry and just focus on training.”

Now that I’m the representative of an agency, I can’t let the players worry.

“Then, should I go around and check first?”

“Joo-hyuk, can you do that?”

“It seems like you’ll be busy for a while, Representative, so of course, I have to do it.”

“Thank you. I need to meet the other players and ask if they’re interested in joining. After that’s done, come with me.”

“Yes, I understand.”

As the conversation with Lee Joo-hyuk seemed to be ending, Park Seong-joo asked with an expectant face.

“So, who’s joining our company?”

“I’m going to ask all the players I have a connection with. If they want to join, they can, and if they don’t, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Come on, which player wouldn’t want to go with you, sunbae? There’s no other sunbae like you. Everyone will want to come.”

Park Seong-joo replied, excited.

“I never imagined things would turn out like this. When I asked you to take me to your company before, it was almost a joke. Right?”

Oh Seok-hoon nudged Park Seong-joo’s shoulder as if he was amazed.

“Yeah, I still can’t believe it.”

The playful smile still hadn’t disappeared from Park Seong-joo’s face.

“Then, shouldn’t we decide on a new company name too?”

“Company name?”

Come to think of it, we need a company name.

“Do you have any names in mind?”

“Well… I’ve never thought about it before.”

Park Seong-joo opened his mouth towards me, who was contemplating.

“YJ was Representative Lim Ye-ji’s initials, so shouldn’t we use Hyun-woo sunbae’s initials too? HW Agency.”

“Rather than my name, I’d like it to reflect the direction our agency is going to pursue in the future.”

“What direction?”

“I want it to have the meaning of an agency that helps players achieve their dreams.”

“An agency that makes dreams come true…”

While Lee Joo-hyuk and Oh Seok-hoon were seriously contemplating, Park Seong-joo threw out an idea first.

“If it’s about dreams, it’s easy. Dream Agency!”

“Dream… Agency? Isn’t that too simple of an approach?”

“Isn’t it good to be straightforward? The meaning comes to mind right away when you hear it.”

“Is that so?”

I turned my head to see what other people thought.

“It’s good. Dream Agency. It’s easy and understandable.”

Everyone had a positive reaction.

“Okay. Then let’s make our company Dream Agency.”

“Great. Dream Agency!”

Everyone clapped and responded.

“Then, from now on, I should call you Representative.”

“What’s with Representative? Just call me like you always do.”

“Hey, but now you’re the company’s representative. We can’t keep calling you that way.”

Park Seong-joo bowed and suddenly grabbed my hand.

“Representative, please take good care of us.”

“Yeah. I’ll work hard too. Let’s do well together.”

Even though it was a path I was taking for the first time, I felt confident because I had colleagues who believed in me.

* * *

The next day, from early in the morning, the work of the new company was busy.

Lee Joo-hyuk left to look around the dorm and training facility first, and I left the dorm to meet the players I had been with one by one.

I was planning to go meet the players who were far away first.

Fortunately, Na Joon-ho was there for a Pelicans away game.

A few hours later, I was able to sit facing Na Joon-ho at the Pelicans’ home stadium.

After my story ended, a faint smile appeared on Na Joon-ho’s lips.

“It’s not something I need to think about.”

“I guess so…?”

For a star player like Na Joon-ho, being affiliated with a new agency would be burdensome.

“There’s one thing I’m worried about.”

“What is it?”

“I’ve already completed the FA [Free Agent] contract, so I’m wondering if I can be of help to the agency?”

“Pardon?”

It took me a few seconds to understand what Na Joon-ho had said.

“I’m wondering if my joining would create a burdensome situation.”

“Ah…”

He’s saying he wants to come, right?

“The FA contract fee has already been paid to YJ Agency. You can only receive the commission paid from my salary, so I’m wondering if it would put a strain on the operation.”

“Strain? It would be an honor to have you, sunbae.”

“Are you really okay with it?”

“Of course.”

“If that’s the case, then I have nothing to worry about. I’ll join.”

“Sunbaenim [term of respect], I will make sure you never regret your decision to join me.”

Na Joon-ho smiled brightly and shook hands with me.

The next player I met was So Young-joon from the Pelicans.

After the special training with me a while ago, it was hard to find him making defensive errors.

Whether it had a positive effect on his batting, his RBIs [Runs Batted In] had also increased significantly.

“Are you still training hard these days?”

“Hey, watch the game. See how much my errors have decreased. There are more than one or two highlight reel defensive plays.”

“There was one error yesterday, though.”

“Th-that’s because… the batted ball was too fast. The recorder was too harsh. That should be seen as a hit, not an error.”

He was so upset that his face turned red.

“I watched the game too. You’re doing well these days.”

“Well… I’m originally a player who does that much.”

So Young-joon scratched his head, embarrassed by my sudden praise, but he didn’t miss the words he wanted to say.

“But what brings you here?”

So Young-joon tilted his head and asked me.

“Ah, there’s something I wanted to ask you.”

I told So Young-joon the story so far.

So Young-joon listened to my story seriously.

“So that’s what happened.”

“I wanted to hear what you think, Young-joon.”

So Young-joon moved his fingers back and forth and pondered for a moment.

“Actually, everything is good, but there’s one thing that’s bothering me.”

“What’s the one thing?”

“Can you listen if I tell you?”

So Young-joon said, leaning back in his chair with an interesting expression.

“Anything if it’s necessary.”

I nodded and signaled him to continue.

“Now that my skills seem to have reached a certain level… I was wondering if it would be okay to go to clubs a little more often than now.”

“Hey, I thought something important was coming out.”

“What’s more important than that?”

So Young-joon widened his eyes at me, seeing my reaction as if I didn’t understand.

“That’s…”

“…”

So Young-joon swallowed hard, focusing on the words that would come out of my mouth.

“If your performance is good, there’s no reason to refuse.”

“Really?”

“But you have to complete the training program perfectly without missing anything.”

So Young-joon’s face, which had brightened, darkened for a moment.

“Still, wouldn’t it be okay to rest one more day from now on?”

“Of course not! It’s okay to rest after doing all the training. But if that’s not the case, I can’t agree.”

I answered firmly without hesitating.

“Hey, but I’m just resting one more day. Wouldn’t that be okay?”

“I absolutely can’t. I can’t agree with those conditions.”

As I jumped up from my seat, So Young-joon hurriedly grabbed me.

“Wait, wait. I got it! I’ll do as you say.”

So Young-joon jumped up and blocked me.

“Really?”

“Take me with you too.”

“Young-joon, thank you for trusting me.”

I raised my right hand and offered a handshake.

“Instead, you have to help me play baseball well in the future too.”

So Young-joon took a deep breath and grabbed my hand.

“Of course, don’t worry about that.”

There are plenty of training programs prepared.

I also talked with Jang Soo-young, who transferred from the Wolves to the Angels.

“Of course, I have to go.”

Jang Soo-young expressed his intention to join before I could even properly start the story.

The decision was so quick that it felt like he was answering without any hesitation.

“It’s much smaller than YJ Agency, so there might be some inconveniences?”

“It doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that you’re there, sunbae.”

There was no hesitation in Jang Soo-young’s answer.

* * *

And now it was time to meet Go Ji-hoon.

“Sunbae, have you finished your 고민 [worries/deliberations]?”

“Yeah, I’ve finished talking with my wife too.”

“What did you decide to do?”

“My wife 정리 [sorted] it for me in one go.”

“…?”

I wondered what kind of conversation they had.

I swallowed hard.

“She told me to go with your opinion no matter what.”

“Really?”

“I was talking about being greedy because I’m facing FA, and she got angry, saying 절대 안 된다고 [absolutely not].”

What wife in the world wouldn’t stop her husband from enduring a season with painkillers?

“Then, you’re trusting me and coming, right?”

“Of course.”

Go Ji-hoon nodded at me.

The last person I met was Choi Jung-hwan from the Doubles.

“Can I really join?”

“If a player who will represent our country in the future joins, it would be an honor for me.”

After my words, Choi Jung-hwan was lost in thought for a moment without saying anything.

Then, he suddenly started to cry.

I could somewhat guess what emotions he was feeling.

“Sunbae, I will work hard.”

“I will do my best too. Let’s do well together.”

I patted Choi Jung-hwan, who had barely stopped crying, on the shoulder.

So, a total of seven players, Oh Seok-hoon, Park Seong-joo, Na Joon-ho, Go Ji-hoon, So Young-joon, Jang Soo-young, and Choi Jung-hwan, joined the agency.

It was quite a glamorous lineup for an agency that had just started.

Now, the real journey was about to begin.