Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 105

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Dream Agency (5)

The exciting party ended, and the agency’s full-fledged operations began.

I looked back and forth between Jung In-gyu and Lee Ju-hyuk and began to speak.

“I’d like to discuss how we should run the agency in the future.”

I felt a different kind of pressure than when I attended meetings as an employee.

“Are we proceeding in the direction you mentioned a while ago?”

Jung In-gyu seemed to consider it a formal meeting, as his tone was different from usual.

“Of course. We’re here to help desperate players achieve their goals, and that goal will never change.”

“Then, shouldn’t we start by thinking about how we can help as many players as possible?”

Lee Ju-hyuk flipped through a notebook filled with notes and said.

“Are there any good ways we can do that with our current resources?”

Right now, we lacked coaches and had limited space.

Jung In-gyu was the first to speak up.

“The most difficult part of coaching students was the time constraint. Inevitably, players often train alone, and there’s no reference material for them to use.”

Lee Ju-hyuk, hearing Jung In-gyu’s words, threw out an idea.

“How about making videos of training methods? If we upload them to social media, anyone can watch and use them as a reference.”

“That’s a good idea.”

I nodded and wrote down what Lee Ju-hyuk said.

“Our players are popular, so we’ll get a lot of views. I’d want to watch it myself.”

Jung In-gyu seemed even more excited than I was.

“Content about the daily lives of the players would also be good. It’ll help them get closer to their fans and promote our agency.”

In many ways, it seemed like an effective method in the current situation.

“To do that, we’ll need a team to make the videos, right?”

“If we have a professional team to handle the filming and editing, we can create much better content.”

“Let’s get right on it. Ju-hyuk, please take charge of this. Once you find a suitable video team, sign a contract and get started.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lee Ju-hyuk nodded and replied to my words.

“Can we proceed with things like this so quickly?”

Jung In-gyu looked at me with wide eyes, as if he was unfamiliar with the current situation.

“Of course, we should proceed with good ideas right away.”

“Oh, it’s definitely different from what we do at school.”

“Coach Jung, please feel free to tell me anything you need. I’m willing to support any good ideas.”

“I understand. I’ll have to speak up often then.”

Jung In-gyu smiled broadly and replied.

“But, CEO…”

Lee Ju-hyuk carefully opened his mouth.

“Yes, go ahead.”

“I don’t know if I’m overstepping my bounds by saying this, but I’m worried.”

Lee Ju-hyuk’s tone was very different from before.

“About what?”

“The direction our agency is pursuing is good and desirable, but to be honest, it doesn’t seem like we’ll be making much money. Can the company really operate like this?”

This was something I had been thinking about a lot since the meeting with the investment company a while ago.

Of course, I had been working hard to find a solution.

“A sports agency doesn’t necessarily have to make money only from its affiliated players.”

“Then where can the agency make money?”

Lee Ju-hyuk didn’t seem to understand what I said.

“There are professional teams, and there are many companies interested in baseball.”

“Ah…?”

Lee Ju-hyuk still seemed unsure.

“If there are teams and companies that agree with the values we pursue, it won’t be difficult to find a good solution for everyone.”

I planned to implement things that were immediately feasible one by one.

* * *

After thinking about what to do first, I realized that I needed to make our agency known to many people.

My purpose was to let people know that I had started a new agency, but the key was to introduce what our company was going to do in the future to many people.

To this end, the first person I contacted was Lee Soo-min.

Lee Soo-min’s company was an influential media outlet, and I was confident that Lee Soo-min would not refuse my request.

She agreed to my request without hesitation.

I was able to meet Lee Soo-min when I entered the studio.

“Hyun-woo, it feels different meeting you like this.”

“Soo-min, it seems like your position within the company has definitely changed.”

Lee Soo-min smiled shyly.

It wasn’t just empty words. Unlike the last time when we had an interview at a cafe, this time we were using a famous studio.

Today, we were planning to take photos here and upload a video as well.

“Hyun-woo, please sit comfortably.”

“Thank you for taking the time despite my sudden request.”

“Don’t mention it. If it’s a request from you, Hyun-woo, I’d make time even if I didn’t have it. And this is another scoop.”

Lee Soo-min looked at me and said with a bright smile.

While Lee Soo-min and I were talking, the camera setup was being completed.

One of the staff members came to me and put on a microphone, and all the preparations were finished.

It was my first time doing a video interview.

My hands were sweating even though it wasn’t a live broadcast.

“Okay, let’s start!”

Filming began with the staff’s applause as a signal.

“Today, we’re going to meet someone we’re happy to see. He’s someone I interviewed before. And he has some new news. He’s now the CEO of an agency, Dream Agency’s CEO Kang Hyun-woo. Hello.”

“Hello, nice to meet you. I’m Kang Hyun-woo.”

When I greeted the camera, the staff applauded and responded.

“It’s been a while.”

“It has. A lot of time has passed.”

The last time I met Lee Soo-min was at Na Jun-ho’s re-signing press conference.

It’s already been several months.

“As much time has passed, there are more than one or two things to tell you. First of all, there was some surprising news, right? I heard you started a new agency. How did that happen?”

“It was something that happened to me suddenly. I happened to get a good opportunity, so I decided to start doing the things I had in mind when I first became an agent.”

“Can you introduce what you had in mind when you first became a CEO?”

“Existing agencies support star players or players who are about to become star players. Managing popular players to help them perform better, of course, that’s meaningful work.”

I paused for a moment and continued.

“But the vast majority of players who aren’t are inevitably neglected. Backup players who have joined the pros, as well as players who haven’t been drafted but are still working to join the pros, and countless middle and high school players. It’s really difficult for those players to work towards their dreams, both economically and systematically.”

“I guess so.”

Lee Soo-min nodded, making eye contact with me.

“If you have the financial means, you can find a private educational institution and receive training that suits you. But there are far more players who can’t even do that. As a result, they just train hard without knowing what they need, fail, get frustrated, and eventually give up on their dreams. They never get to blossom their talents. We’re going to create an agency that helps players in that situation.”

“Like the name Dream Agency, it’s really an agency that loves the dreams of baseball players.”

Lee Soo-min smiled and responded.

“Everyone deserves to work hard for their dreams and be loved.”

“What made you think this way?”

“I was one of those players. When I didn’t get drafted after graduating from high school, I thought the world was collapsing. It was the same when I got injured in the pros and couldn’t continue my career as a player. But now that I think about it, you don’t have to be number one to be happy.”

I didn’t achieve my dream of becoming a player who shows great games to fans in the stadium, but I have never regretted choosing the path of an agent.

“Of course.”

“I want to let them know that they can play baseball more happily than anyone else, even if they don’t become number one. Baseball is a really fun sport.”

“Then how can players find Dream Agency?”

“We’re working hard to help as many players as possible as soon as possible. First, we’re going to reach out through YouTube and social media. And in the future, we plan to meet many players in person and help them.”

“Oh, I’m curious to see what you’ll do.”

The interview continued with a few more questions and answers.

I seemed to have conveyed all the content I wanted to convey.

“Kang Hyun-woo, thank you for today’s interview.”

“Thank you.”

Filming ended with my last greeting.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

After hearing the staff’s words, I felt all the strength I had been holding in drain away.

“Hyun-woo, thank you for your hard work.”

Lee Soo-min took off the microphone she was wearing on her waist and approached me.

“I don’t know if I spoke well.”

“You did a great job.”

Lee Soo-min said, raising her thumb.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“Congratulations on becoming the CEO of the agency. I think you can make it a good company.”

“Thank you.”

While Lee Soo-min and I were talking, a staff member approached.

“Kang Hyun-woo, we’ll take some photos next to you.”

I nodded and moved to the place where the staff guided me.

Soon, the photo shoot continued.

Unlike the last time when I was stiff, I was now quite relaxed.

I didn’t forget to check the photos directly on the spot.

I can now distinguish between what looks good at first glance and what is really good.

Unlike my worries, there were several satisfactory photos.

I can finally push out the dark history photos that were close to being a robot.

The interview ended successfully.

As soon as the video was uploaded, the response to our agency increased explosively.

Even though it had only been a few hours since the channel was opened, the number of subscribers exceeded 10,000, and in just a few days, it was heading towards 100,000.