Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 142

Our agency’s lodging was bustling once again.

Tomorrow was the Golden Glove Awards ceremony.

Na Jun-ho and Jang Su-young, who were nominated and invited to the ceremony, had arrived in advance.

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju were also there.

Go Ji-hoon had good enough stats to be in contention for an award, but he didn’t make the list because he didn’t complete the required innings.

So Young-jun wasn’t nominated, but he came to the lodging because he wanted to spend time with everyone.

“Senior, did you prepare your acceptance speech?”

Park Seong-ju grabbed Na Jun-ho and bombarded him with questions, just like he did before the All-Star Game.

“I didn’t really prepare anything, just thought about it a little.”

“I was worried I’d go blank on stage if I won, so I wrote it down.”

Park Seong-ju took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

I checked the contents of the paper next to him, and my mouth dropped open.

“You’re going to read all of this on stage?”

“I have so many people to thank.”

“Who are these people you’re so thankful for?”

I tried to grab the paper Park Seong-ju was holding to read what was on it, but

“This is a secret. I’ll say it on stage if I win.”

“The security is no joke?” [Referring to the secrecy around the speech]

I tried to grab the paper again, but I couldn’t overpower him.

Oh Seok-hoon, who was watching this from the side, added a word.

“He was reading that by himself yesterday and almost teared up.”

“Hey, when did I do that?!”

“You did. You didn’t cry, but it looked like you were about to.”

Oh Seok-hoon looked at Park Seong-ju and laughed mockingly.

“I have so much to say if I win an award too.”

So Young-jun, who suddenly jumped in, changed the atmosphere in an instant.

“You’ll be able to receive it next year. If a shortstop with good offensive power plays stably on defense, there’s no reason not to give you an award.”

“Doesn’t the team’s performance have to be good to some extent too?”

Honestly, it’s true that it’s advantageous if the team’s performance is good, but why is he saying it so sadly?

“There have been many cases where people received it from lower-ranked teams.”

“Really?”

“Hey, and is there a guarantee that the Pelicans will be at the bottom next year? You won’t know until the season starts. You can definitely do it.”

I tapped So Young-jun on the shoulder and said.

“Ugh… I want to go with you next year too.”

When the Pelicans were mentioned, So Young-jun sighed again.

“I’m telling you, you can go.”

While we were exchanging funny yet sad stories, Na Jun-ho quietly approached me.

“CEO, can I talk to you separately for a moment?”

“Of course.”

I went into the office with Na Jun-ho.

“Senior, what’s wrong?”

“CEO, do you have any plans to go to spring training with our players this winter?”

“Spring training? I haven’t planned anything yet.”

“I was wondering if it would be good to go to training together with our agency’s players if the players are okay with it. It would also create an opportunity for them to get to know each other.”

“That’s a good idea. I’ll prepare it.”

Even if we have an indoor practice field, training in the cold winter can put a strain on the body.

“I’ll support the costs needed for our players to train.”

“Senior, you did that last time, and now this time too…”

“CEO, please let me do that much. I received a lot of help from my seniors when I was a rookie.”

Na Jun-ho didn’t seem to want to change his mind this time either.

I was grateful that he was thinking about the players and the agency, but I also felt sorry in many ways.

* * *

Finally, the day of the awards ceremony arrived.

After eating lunch at the lodging, everyone put on the suits they had brought.

“Wow, you all look great in those.”

So Young-jun, still wearing his pajamas, looked around at the players.

His eyes were full of envy.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Have fun. I’ll be watching on TV with Loopy.”

So Young-jun hugged Loopy with a gloomy expression.

I and the other players left the lodging, receiving So Young-jun’s send-off.

We got our hair and makeup done at a famous shop and moved to the hotel venue where the Golden Glove Awards ceremony would be held.

The venue was no different from the one I participated in last year.

There was a red carpet leading to the venue.

As I walked along the red carpet, I passed the photo zone.

I first sent the players one by one to the photo zone to take pictures.

Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-ju were probably at such a place for the first time, but unlike me, they adapted well.

Park Seong-ju took big actions according to the orders of the photographers and became an excellent model.

On the other hand, there were not many complicated orders for Oh Seok-hoon.

It was enough to just take a picture of him standing there.

Na Jun-ho and Jang Su-young also finished their respective shoots and entered the venue.

Now it was my turn.

Last year, I was nervous and didn’t know what to do, but this year was definitely different.

I could feel that even my gait was different.

I entered the photo zone, naturally raised my hand, and enjoyed the flashes that burst so brightly.

Feeling that enough photos had been taken, the reporter asked me a question.

“How is Go Ji-hoon’s FA [Free Agent] progressing? I heard you met with the Doubles. What was the atmosphere like?”

I made an unintentional mistake in this place last year.

This time, I was thinking of using this place for negotiations.

“I think we’ll have to meet several times.”

“Is it difficult to find common ground with the Doubles?”

“To be honest, it’s not going very smoothly.”

“Should we take that to mean there is a possibility that Go Ji-hoon will leave the Doubles?”

“The agency’s goal is to give the player the best contract. We’re going to keep all possibilities open and watch the situation to see what the best contract will be for the player.”

“Are there any other clubs that are in talks?”

“There’s no way there wouldn’t be teams trying to recruit a pitcher like Go Ji-hoon, right?”

“Which team has been the most active so far? Are the Jaguars included?”

“I’ll tell you more about the details later.”

I finished the interview and entered the venue.

* * *

As soon as I entered the venue, I heard someone calling me.

“Oh, our CEO Kang!”

The person who called my name more happily than anyone else was Park Young-no, the Wolves’ general manager.

-He is very happy with the championship this season.

-Plans to strengthen the team for next season’s championship.

“General Manager, congratulations on the championship.”

“It’s all thanks to CEO Kang. Thank you.”

Park Young-no grabbed my hand tightly and didn’t let go.

“It’s thanks to me? It was possible because the general manager and the players worked hard.”

“It would have been difficult to win the championship this season without CEO Kang. Please take care of me next year too.”

The trade of Jang Su-young and Ji Young-wook played an important role.

Anyway, it seems like they are planning to strengthen their power, so should I check which position they are trying to strengthen?

“Wouldn’t it be enough for the Wolves to just maintain their power this season?”

“Just maintaining the power of the championship season doesn’t mean you’ll win the next season. Even if only one or two key players are sluggish, the team composition can collapse.”

As expected, the general manager who has won many championships was different.

“Which position are you thinking of adding to?”

“We should consider any player who can thicken the player base. That way, we can deal with any variables right away.”

“Then, of course, you should recruit Go Ji-hoon from our agency first.”

I smiled slyly and probed him.

“I’ve thought about Go Ji-hoon, but it’s a shame that he’s A-rated.”

Park Young-no smacked his lips as if he was disappointed.

“I guess it’s not easy for the Wolves?”

“When you recruit a FA [Free Agent], you have to send one of your first-team players as compensation… You have to be careful because the team composition that won the championship could be broken.”

When recruiting a FA A-rated player, you had to send one of the quasi-starting players to the opposing team as compensation.

It would be a burdensome situation for the Wolves, who have a solid player composition.

“The foreign players all did well, so you’ll renew their contracts, right?”

“I have to. They played their part well in the process of winning the championship, and there’s no guarantee that replacing them will lead to better performances.”

It’s difficult to recruit FAs, and it’s difficult to change foreign players.

Strengthening the team while not shaking the composition of the team that won the championship was not easy.

I had a thought of suggesting Seo Seong-min here for a moment.

It’s definitely a way to thicken the infielders.

However, since the Wolves are already a team with solid starters and backups, it was clear that Seo Seong-min would have a hard time getting a chance to play if he went there.

It wasn’t the right team for Seo Seong-min, who needed a chance to play a lot of games.

“It’s not easy to make a good team better.”

“I always feel that winning a championship doesn’t mean you don’t have any worries.”

Unlike the words that seemed to be complaining, Park Young-no’s expression was relaxed.

“I’ll think about it until the season opens.”

“Okay, let’s have a cup of tea soon.”

I finished greeting General Manager Park Young-no and turned my head, and someone immediately greeted me.

“Mr. Kang Hyun-woo, nice to meet you.”

The person standing in front of me was Moon Jong-min, the head of the MBS broadcasting station’s sports division.

-He was recently promoted to head of the division and is thinking about ways to bring new changes to broadcasting.

-I want to recruit Kang Hyun-woo as a special commentator.

“Hello, Director.”

“I enjoyed the broadcast this time.”

“Broadcast…?”

“It was fun to watch you commentating on the postseason games with the players.”

Well, that’s also a broadcast.

“Hahaha. I’m honored that you enjoyed it, Director.”

“Would you like to appear as a special commentator later if you’re okay with it?”

“Is it really okay for me to do it?”

“I think viewers would also enjoy hearing the behind-the-scenes stories of the agency’s players.”

“I don’t know if I can adjust my schedule. It’s a job with so many sudden things.”

“Of course, we have to adjust to Hyun-woo’s schedule. You’re the CEO of a company that manages the best players in the country.”

“If you do that much for me, I can’t refuse. Please contact me.”

I’m going to make my debut on terrestrial broadcasting soon.

After that, I was able to greet several baseball officials.

Because I had a career as a player, there were many people who recognized me last year, but this year I could feel that the way they treated me was clearly different.

Unlike last year, when they simply greeted me happily, this time there were several officials who made serious offers to me.

I can’t accept all the offers, but there’s no reason to refuse if it’s something that will help me and our players.

I was meeting and talking with baseball officials so frantically.

“Hyun-woo!”

I heard a familiar woman’s voice calling me.

The moment I turned my head to where the voice was coming from.

I couldn’t help but pause for a moment at the appearance of an unexpected person.