Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 165

165. Winter League (7)

“W-Who did you say?”

Jo Gwang-hoon’s eyes widened as he stuttered, clearly caught off guard.

“Donald Watson.”

“That guy… wasn’t he playing in the Major League?”

Jo Gwang-hoon tilted his head, looking confused.

“Yes, that’s right. That Donald Watson.”

“That Donald Watson said he’d come to Korea? Really?”

“It’s up to the club to decide.”

“But… that guy, didn’t he have a lot of issues? There’s a problem, right?”

Jo Gwang-hoon looked at me, tilting his head.

“He has been involved in several incidents.”

I talked about the incidents Watson had been involved in, emphasizing that the last assault case was a situation where he could have been unfairly accused.

When I finished my story,

“Hehehe…”

Jo Gwang-hoon let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“You know Donald Watson’s skills are undeniable. If we bring him in, the starting center fielder problem will be solved immediately.”

“I’m not doubting his skills, but… ha… what if that guy causes another accident in Korea? Things will get complicated.”

Jo Gwang-hoon couldn’t easily hide his worries.

“That will never happen, but if it does, I’ll pay the penalty.”

“But is what Watson said true? I’ve never heard of it before.”

Jo Gwang-hoon didn’t seem completely relieved.

“I heard it directly from him. He’s never given an interview to the media. That’s why you probably didn’t know.”

“Hmm… can I trust it? If we sign him based on his words and it turns out to be a lie, we’ll all be in trouble.”

I didn’t have solid evidence to prove his words, but

“I’ll vouch for him.”

Having seen Watson’s trembling body and eyes, I didn’t want to doubt his sincerity.

“Then when would be a good time to make that announcement?”

“There will be a lot of talk as soon as we sign him. I think the manager and I should go to Korea immediately and hold a press conference.”

“I guess so.”

Jo Gwang-hoon nodded, organizing his thoughts.

“So, can you sign him?”

“Anyway, Director Kang thinks it’s okay, right?”

“Of course. Absolutely.”

“Hmm… okay, let’s go for it. I have nothing to lose anyway.”

Jo Gwang-hoon clenched his fist after much deliberation.

Now it was time to solve the last remaining issue.

“Manager, I have another suggestion.”

“What else is there?”

Jo Gwang-hoon looked at me with a mixture of anticipation and worry.

“I’d like to recommend a player who can play multiple positions.”

“Who is it?”

Jo Gwang-hoon’s expression brightened slightly at the mention of multiple positions.

“Seo Seong-min, who was released from the Doubles last season.”

“Ah… Seong-min?”

Jo Gwang-hoon’s face showed disappointment at the name Seo Seong-min.

“I heard he was trying to become a switch hitter [a batter who can hit from both sides of the plate], but was it effective?”

“Of course. Thanks to that, he’s made up for a lot of weaknesses in his hitting.”

“Hmm… but is it possible to solve the weakness against breaking balls [pitches that curve or change direction] so quickly?”

Jo Gwang-hoon tilted his head repeatedly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

“From now on, he can stand in the right-handed batter’s box when facing left-handed pitchers. Wouldn’t the weakness against breaking balls naturally be compensated for?”

“It’s theoretically correct, but it’s not as easy as it sounds on the field.”

Jo Gwang-hoon still looked unconvinced.

I needed to approach this differently than when I suggested Watson.

“Manager, how many times have you regretted rejecting my suggestions? Or rather, has there ever been a time when you didn’t?”

“Uh… that’s true.”

Jo Gwang-hoon was speechless at my blunt fact bomb.

“It’ll be the same this time. If you still refuse, I’ll have to meet with other clubs. But how sad would you be if Seo Seong-min goes to another team and performs well?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll sign him.”

Jo Gwang-hoon waved his hand vigorously, blocking my words.

“You’ve made a good decision. A very excellent decision.”

“But what should we consider Seong-min’s main position to be?”

“From training with him, I think he’s competitive enough at second base, first base, and left field. The Jaguars don’t have a clear starting second baseman right now. If you sign Seo Seong-min, he’ll probably play an important role.”

“Eh, even so, is Seo Seong-min good enough to be a starter right away?”

“Of course.”

“Hmm… that seems a bit too much?”

“The competition for the starting position will be decided during spring camp.”

I raised the corners of my mouth towards Jo Gwang-hoon.

As soon as I got approval from Manager Jo Gwang-hoon, the contract proceeded smoothly.

First, Watson signed a contract with our agency, and then Jo Gwang-hoon and Watson met locally to sign the Jaguars’ contract.

Seo Seong-min also couldn’t hide his excitement at being able to step back on the field and completed his contract with the Jaguars.

Soon after, a press release was distributed.

└Donald Watson, lol. Even if they’re desperate, they’re signing an assailant. He’s a player that even the Major League couldn’t cover and gave up on. Are the Jaguars crazy?

└Besides, Donald Watson didn’t even play a proper game last year. I wonder if his performance will be okay?

└Still, there hasn’t been a player with this much name value among the foreign players who have come to Korea so far, right?

└That’s a fact. You have to say there’s no player to compare him to at all.

└If they signed that kind of career for $1 million, it’s cheap.

└If they wanted to be the center of attention, they definitely succeeded.

└But what’s up with Seo Seong-min out of nowhere? It’s not like they’re collecting released players as a set with Donald Watson.

└Just looking at it, Dream Agency forced Watson and him together. The Jaguars bit like a sucker.

└Seo Seong-min’s salary probably isn’t that high anyway. They probably just thought they’d make the second-string depth solid.

└Instead of increasing the second-string depth, give that salary to me. I’ll go and clean the locker room neatly.

* * *

As soon as the contract with Donald Watson was completed, I boarded a plane to Korea with Manager Jo Gwang-hoon.

As soon as I set foot on Korean soil, I took a car provided by the Jaguars and headed to the press conference prepared at the Jaguars stadium.

During the journey, I organized the questions that reporters were expected to ask and wrote down the answers.

After a few hours, I was able to reach my destination.

As Jo Gwang-hoon and I entered the press conference hall, several reporters were waiting for us, looking at their laptops.

The moment Jo Gwang-hoon and I sat down at the prepared table, the host picked up the microphone.

“First of all, I sincerely thank the reporters who came from afar. Now, we will begin the press conference regarding the signing of Donald Watson.”

As soon as the host finished speaking, several reporters raised their hands in a hurry.

“What was the background behind signing Donald Watson?”

Jo Gwang-hoon picked up the microphone first in response to the reporter’s question.

“Last season, we had difficulties because the outfield positions were not clearly defined. We focused on signing a player who could be a center in the outfield.”

After listening to Jo Gwang-hoon’s answer, another reporter raised his hand.

“Watson has caused several bench-clearing incidents [fights where both teams rush onto the field] on the field and has had many incidents off the field as well. Recently, he was accused of inflicting serious injuries on the other party in an assault case, resulting in 12 weeks of treatment, and I know that he has not been on the Major League stage for the past year. Is it okay to let such a player step on the Korean stage?”

This time, I took over the conversation.

“First of all, not only Watson himself but also our agency feels a deep sense of responsibility for that part. But the incident that day had an unfair aspect for Watson as well.”

“What kind of unfair situation is it?”

“Watson directly heard derogatory remarks about his mother’s work and women in front of him, which she had done to raise her children. It was such harsh language that I can’t even say it here. I don’t even want to say it.”

“Huh…”

A low sigh was heard in the press conference hall.

“That doesn’t mean that the assault Watson committed was justified. But I would like to say that no media outlet has listened to his words so far, and that is why the misunderstanding has continued to grow.”

“As an agency, this signing must have been quite burdensome. What is the reason for promoting it?”

“As a baseball fan, I wanted to see a player with such outstanding capabilities as Watson playing on the field again. He’s too attractive a player to end his career like this.”

Another question was immediately thrown.

“Dream Agency said that its goal is to help players who are experiencing economic difficulties. Can we say that signing a former major leaguer is a slight departure from the existing route?”

“We didn’t just say that we would only help players in economic difficulty. Watson still has outstanding skills, but he was unfairly held back because of his past record. Helping such a player achieve his goal of returning to the Major League is also in line with the values that our Dream Agency is pursuing.”

“Then, do you think Donald Watson can step back on the Major League stage?”

“Of course. If I thought his goal was absurd, I wouldn’t have tried to bring him to Korea.”

“If Donald Watson causes a moral controversy in Korea, what will the agency do?”

The press conference hall was silent for a moment at a reporter’s question.

“I promise you here. If Watson causes another controversy, we will not avoid responsibility from the agency, as well as the player’s expulsion.”

I answered in a firm voice.

└This is the first time I’ve heard of this?

└Humanly speaking, if some random bastard insulted our parents, wouldn’t it be weirder if you didn’t assault them like that?

└But there’s no proof that that’s true or not.

└Kang Hyun-woo is responsible if he causes another accident.

└Even so, Watson’s record of incidents alone is over a page long. Do we have to see him in our stadium?

└Whatever the reason, it’s amazing that you can see a full-time starting-class major leaguer in Korea.

└Watson’s strength and weakness is that his defense is very aggressive. This year, the Jaguars will either block with Watson’s good defense without conceding a run, or they will slide recklessly and concede a lot of runs.

└Will Watson cause a bench-clearing next season?

└Is the opposing team deliberately provoking him?

└If you touch him wrong, he’ll wipe them all out.

└I wish he would do it at least once. Our bench-clearing is too weak. We have to accept what we can accept from the American version.

└What’s so good about fighting that we have to accept it?

└Honestly, watching other people fight is the most fun.

The controversy over Watson continued even after the press conference.