Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 19

Agent Kang Hyun-woo (3)

I already expected that I would make him uncomfortable.

Choi Jeong-hwan must feel uneasy since I retired at an age when I should have been in my prime.

‘But, he’s suffering from temptation?’

The phrase that popped up with the new update caught my eye.

Guilt is understandable, but temptation?

What temptation is he suffering from?

Originally, special characters weren’t visible for Choi Jeong-hwan.

Doesn’t that mean there’s something he wants to hide from me?

I don’t know the exact situation, but the fact that he’s wavering from temptation didn’t seem positive.

I smiled brightly, pretending to be okay to hide my complicated feelings.

“Jeong-hwan, what brings you here?”

“Ah… I was in the neighborhood on other business and thought you might be here, *sunbae* [senior/mentor].”

“Really? Thanks for coming by. Are you doing okay these days?”

“M-Me? Yes. Nothing special.”

He only stuttered a little, and I couldn’t sense anything particularly different.

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“Yes…”

“Is your next start tomorrow?”

I knew that Choi Jeong-hwan was pitching as a starting pitcher these days.

Because he can throw fastballs and has such good stuff, he’s the type of pitcher who can get a lot of opportunities even if his control is inconsistent.

If he could completely trust his pitches and throw them into the strike zone, he would definitely be good enough to become the league’s ace.

“Yes, it’s tomorrow.”

“It’s a home game, right? I’ll come watch.”

“Aren’t you busy these days? It’s not even against Seok-hoon’s team.”

“No, a day off is fine.”

I almost blurted out that it was because I was worried about you.

“Hoo… Then I’ll have to show you my best performance no matter what on that day.”

I couldn’t feel any confidence from Choi Jeong-hwan, who was answering in a dejected manner.

“Don’t feel pressured. You’ll do well.”

I patted him on the shoulder.

“Thank you. I know you’re busy, so I’ll be going now.”

“Okay, take care of your condition. See you tomorrow. I’ll contact you after the game.”

Choi Jeong-hwan bowed his head and turned to walk away.

Seeing his listless back, I didn’t feel comfortable either.

So I stared at him for a while until his back completely disappeared from my sight.

* * *

“Good morning…”

“Oh? It’s Super Agent Kang Hyun-woo!”

As I entered the office, one of the employees who met my eyes widened and shouted.

No, it wasn’t just that employee.

“Wow! Super Agent is here?”

Other employees also greeted me with delight.

The problem was that they were all striking a pose with their arms crossed, imitating my picture from the interview.

Ha…

My face turned red without me realizing it.

Without knowing how I felt, a team leader from another department came over and patted me on the shoulder, saying I had done a great job.

“Thank you. I’m still lacking in many ways, but I’ll work harder.”

I awkwardly bowed my head to the employees who were cheering me on.

And just as I was about to hurry away from this spot,

“Hyun-woo. Let’s talk for a moment.”

Kim Min-hwan called out to me from the end of the hallway.

“Yes, shall we talk in the conference room?”

As I welcomed him as if I had seen a savior, Kim Min-hwan looked puzzled and nodded.

“Then I’ll go in first. Everyone, please keep up the good work.”

I gave the employees a light nod and quickly headed to the conference room.

“Hmm. Hyun-woo, you’ve worked hard. You’ve achieved this much in such a short time.”

As I entered the conference room, Kim Min-hwan, who was already sitting down, offered words that were not from the heart.

“It’s nothing. It’s all thanks to the team leader’s help.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, but as I was about to say something that wasn’t from the heart, I felt my voice catch in my throat.

“Really? Don’t forget to remember that I arranged the meeting with Director Lee Jin-won.”

I didn’t know how to respond to this, so I just smiled.

“Anyway, Kang Hyun-woo.”

Suddenly, Kim Min-hwan took out a piece of paper and a pen from the file he had brought.

“If you need any support, let me know.”

“Yes…?”

“There must have been something you needed while working, besides arranging meetings with people.”

“Um… I don’t know.”

“Don’t you need anything?”

How am I supposed to answer when you ask me this so suddenly?

“Can I think about it for a few days and tell you?”

“Um, really? Tell me as quickly as possible, though.”

Kim Min-hwan frowned deeply, as if he wasn’t satisfied.

“But is there something going on suddenly?”

“Huh? What’s going on… I’m asking if there’s anything the company can help with. If there’s anything you need while working, the company should naturally support you.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

Then suddenly, one thing I needed came to mind.

“But if it’s something I need for work, is anything okay?”

“Of course. Anything the company can do.”

Is it okay to talk about this?

“Then… could you get me a place to stay?”

“A place to stay?”

“Yes, I don’t have time to look for a house, and I don’t know the geography of Seoul very well yet.”

It was too expensive to find a house near the company, even for a monthly rent.

“Where are you staying now?”

“I was in a hurry, so I found a *goshiwon* [small, inexpensive room] nearby.”

“A *goshiwon*? That’s not good. Okay, I’ll talk to the CEO.”

Kim Min-hwan began to scribble on the paper he was holding.

“It’s not like I need a fancy house. I just want to sleep comfortably.”

“Is it okay to go a little further out of the city?”

“Of course. Anywhere is fine.”

“Anything else?”

“Um… I’ll think about other things.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded and pondered for a moment before cautiously opening his mouth again.

“And… Hyun-woo, you’re quite close to other players, right?”

“I do have several close players.”

“Then can you recommend some players?”

“What kind of recommendation…?”

“I’m trying to recruit some good players.”

“That’s not a difficult task, but shouldn’t players come to our company first?”

“That’s true… We’re on the same team, so I’ll speak comfortably.”

Kim Min-hwan swallowed hard and lowered his voice as much as possible.

“Our work is also a company life, so we need achievements. Hyun-woo’s success this time is a great achievement, but what if we had one more big hit?”

In the end, it seemed like he wanted to say that he wanted to build up his own achievements.

“Then I’ll ask around for opinions.”

“Will you? Please do. And if possible, it would be nice to have a player who has good results or many fans.”

Kim Min-hwan’s expression brightened as I nodded.

* * *

“Good job today.”

I sat back in my chair and leaned back comfortably.

It hasn’t been many days since I started working as an agent, but it felt like it had been months.

That’s because so many things have happened in the past few days.

Even when I played my comeback game at the beginning of the season, I couldn’t have imagined what I would be like now.

“Hoo-”

I closed my eyes for a moment.

I suddenly realized that I hadn’t contacted my parents in too long, so I picked up the phone I had thrown aside.

Beep- Beep-

The phone rang a few times and then connected.

-Oh, my son! What’s going on? All the relatives have seen the article and have been calling all day. It’s a complete mess.

“I know. I’m still dazed.”

The sound of commotion filled the other side of the phone.

“But what’s that noise around you? Are you outside right now?”

-Of course, I’m outside right now. Do you think your father would stay still on a day like today? He’s gathered all the people in the neighborhood and is throwing a party.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine what kind of expression and actions my father would be making right now.

“It’s just the beginning, why are you already throwing a party?”

-Your father is happier than when you became a professional player.

I was barely noticed by the media or fans because I was nominated in the last round of the second draft, the lowest rank.

But it was different in our neighborhood.

Even then, a huge party was held as if a huge superstar had been born.

-He went to make a banner earlier. It’ll be out tomorrow.

“A banner? What banner?”

-There’s no greater celebration, so of course, we have to hang it in the neighborhood.

No way…

A cold feeling swept down my back.

“What picture did you use?”

-Picture? There was a picture in the article where you were crossing your arms and looking neat.

Ah… Is it really that picture?

I never thought it would be used as a banner.

It seemed difficult to go home for the time being.

-Wait a minute, your father’s coming. Hyun-woo’s father. Please take the call.

-I’ll take it later if it’s not urgent.

-Take it quickly. It’s Hyun-woo.

-What? Hyun-woo!

My father’s voice, which had been heard from afar, suddenly became closer.

-Hyun-woo!

“Yes, Father.”

-Our son is so proud. Well done, well done.

“Father, how many banners did you print?”

-Did you already hear the news? I only printed 10 this time.

Oh no.

“A-Are you going to hang them all in the living room?”

-Of course. I even contacted your school and got permission from the principal. Everyone was very happy to give permission. All I have to do is go and hang them up as soon as they come out tomorrow.

“I don’t think you have to go that far…”

-The people in the neighborhood are all going crazy. They’re still looking for you. Hyun-woo, you’ve worked hard. Let’s talk again tomorrow.

Did he not hear anything I said?

“Yes…”

-Hyun-woo’s mother. Please take this call.

My father quickly handed the phone to my mother.

-Oh, Hyun-woo. Are you off work now?”

“Yes, I just got in.”

-Oh, you’ve been through a lot. Wash up and get some rest. Eat well.

“Yes, don’t worry.”

I hung up the phone and moved away from it for a moment.

I closed my eyes for a moment and enjoyed the silence.

It wasn’t a well-soundproofed place, so there was some noise that I couldn’t tell where it was coming from, but it wasn’t enough to disturb the peace I was feeling now.

I felt like I could fall asleep right away if I closed my eyes and lay down.

Hoo-

“Ah, that’s right!”

Suddenly, my eyes opened.

The last sentence I saw when I met Choi Jeong-hwan flashed through my mind.

-!@x$ is wavering from temptation.

This was not a situation to enjoy leisure.