Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 292

Toward the Stage of Dreams (3)

Another celebration party was held at our agency when Michael Scott finalized his contract.

Oh Seok-hoon, Park Seong-joo, So Young-joon, as well as Han Gyo-jin, Seo Seong-min, and Jung Min-woo enjoyed the party together.

“Scott, congratulations on the contract.”

“Thank you. My friend.”

Scott greeted the players one by one with a bright smile.

Han Gyo-jin, who was the last to greet him, spoke with a look full of regret.

“It’s a shame that there won’t be any more chances to work with Scott.”

“I’m worried about the future too. I can pitch better when Han is around. I don’t know if I can meet a catcher who understands me so well when I go to another team.”

Scott bumped fists with Han Gyo-jin and said.

“Sigh. Now that Scott’s gone, who am I going to play with?”

So Young-joon, who was listening to the conversation next to him, sighed with a gloomy expression.

“Since you’re a free agent next year, why not come to America and play with me?”

Scott put his hand on So Young-joon’s shoulder and said.

“Me going to the Major League?”

“There’s no reason why you can’t go, Young-joon. A shortstop of your caliber is bound to attract attention in the Major League.”

I chimed in.

“Wow. I’ve never even thought about it.”

So Young-joon raised both hands and widened his eyes.

“You’re good enough to give it a shot, Young-joon. You’re the best shortstop in our country, what’s there to be afraid of?”

“Hey, CEO. Don’t get my hopes up too much all of a sudden. I’m getting excited for no reason.”

“Your batting average was great in this tournament. It’s hard *not* to get recognized as an infielder who’s good at both defense and batting.”

At my words, So Young-joon tilted his head and asked me.

“CEO, should I try to challenge next year then?”

“You’re going to be a free agent anyway, so isn’t there any reason *not* to try?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. It looked doable during the tournament. If it doesn’t work out, oh well.”

So Young-joon clapped his hands once and said.

“Wow. It would be really fun to play on the same team as So, wouldn’t it?”

Scott grinned, showing his white teeth, and clapped along.

“By the way, how are Seok-hoon and Seong-joo’s contracts going?”

So Young-joon looked back and forth between Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo and asked.

“Haa… I feel like my head is about to explode right now.”

Park Seong-joo took a deep breath and said.

“What’s the problem?”

“What would you do if you were a senior?”

Park Seong-joo walked over to So Young-joon and explained the situation as it was unfolding.

So Young-joon listened to the explanation quietly, then patted Park Seong-joo on the shoulder and replied.

“Going to the Major League is really exciting, but baseball has to be fun. You don’t want to eat tear-soaked bread anymore, do you, Seong-joo?” [referring to enduring hardship and disappointment].

“That’s true.”

“Unless the Major League gives you a satisfactory offer, just play in Korea. Looking at how things are going, you’ll easily achieve the highest FA [Free Agent] amount if you stay in Korea this time.”

“Haa… Should I really do that? To be honest, I don’t know either.”

Park Seong-joo ruffled his hair with both hands, revealing his distress.

“Why are you worrying so much? Just do whatever’s more fun, even if it’s just a little bit. What’s life, but living each day to the fullest.”

So Young-joon patted Park Seong-joo on the shoulder once again and said.

“Yes…”

However, worry was still deeply etched on Park Seong-joo’s face.

So Young-joon turned his head and looked at Oh Seok-hoon this time, asking.

“How’s it going for Seok-hoon?”

“I’m still going to wait and see. Honestly, if I don’t go to the Major League this time, there won’t be another chance.”

“That’s true. Now is the peak of your career as a player. You have to do everything you want to do so you don’t have any regrets later.”

“But I’m not going unless they guarantee that I can play in the Major League.”

“Oh, they’re giving you that kind of condition?”

So Young-joon widened his eyes and asked.

“There’s no place that’s offered that yet. That’s why I can’t sign a contract.”

“Wow. If you can get guaranteed playtime in the Major League, it’s worth a try. It’s literally the stage of dreams.”

So Young-joon exclaimed, unable to close his mouth.

“You’ll both be able to sign contracts with the results you want.”

I put my hands on Oh Seok-hoon and Park Seong-joo’s shoulders and said.

But suddenly, Park Seong-joo jumped up and grabbed my arm, saying.

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

“Now?”

“Yes, right now.”

Park Seong-joo nodded vigorously.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you when we go into the office.”

“O-okay.”

As soon as I nodded, Park Seong-joo stood me up and took me away.

* * *

I came into the office with Park Seong-joo.

Before I could even sit down properly, Park Seong-joo started talking.

“CEO, you’ve received a lot of offers from Korean clubs, right?”

“It’s no exaggeration to say that every club in Korea has sent an offer.”

“Are there many new updates too?”

“Since going to the Major League is the priority, we haven’t had any serious negotiations.”

“Is that so? Haa…”

Park Seong-joo sighed deeply, as if the ground was sinking, and hung his head.

I waited for a moment and then cautiously asked Park Seong-joo.

“Why? Are you considering staying in Korea too?”

“With the way things are going now, I’m starting to think that it might be better to play on the Korean stage.”

Park Seong-joo shook his head and replied.

“Hmm…”

“What do you think, CEO? What’s the best thing to do?”

Park Seong-joo raised his head, looked into my eyes, and asked.

I took a moment to organize my thoughts and then looked at Park Seong-joo and replied.

“Seong-joo, I think you already have the answer yourself.”

“…”

“If it’s not something you want to do no matter what, then there’s no need to go and suffer, right? Retiring after breaking new records and becoming the best player on the Korean stage is a happy thing too.”

“That’s true, but…”

Park Seong-joo sighed deeply once again.

“…?”

“If I finish my career without ever going to the Major League, won’t they not recognize me? They’ll say I’m only good domestically.”

“Seong-joo, what’s your reason for playing baseball?”

I put my hands together and continued the conversation.

“My reason for playing baseball…?”

Park Seong-joo tilted his head and asked.

“You’re not playing baseball to be recognized by someone, are you?”

“That’s true, but… isn’t getting recognized important too?”

“Of course, it’s important to have your life as a baseball player recognized by someone. But that doesn’t mean you have to strive to live a life that’s recognized by everyone. People who want to put you down will find fault and put you down no matter what you do.”

“…”

“Isn’t it enough to be remembered as a good player by the fans who support you? Just because you haven’t been to the Major League doesn’t mean you’re a failed baseball player.”

“That’s right.”

Park Seong-joo nodded slowly.

“Don’t think too complicatedly, and think about which way you can play baseball the happiest.”

Park Seong-joo listened to my words and was lost in thought for a moment.

Then he carefully opened his mouth.

“Then is it okay to stay on the Korean stage?”

“If that’s the way you can be the happiest, there’s no reason to worry about it.”

Park Seong-joo listened to my words, took a deep breath, nodded, and continued the conversation.

“Then can I talk to the domestic clubs properly?”

“Of course. It’s what our player wants.”

I replied with a deep smile on my face.

“But I want to be treated fairly. Considering the current FA market situation, I think I’ve shown enough that I’m a competitive player on the Korean stage.”

“Of course, you should. Then can I assume that you want to go to a club that can give you the best treatment, even if it’s not the Buffaloes?”

“I’d like to stay with the Buffaloes if possible. But if it’s not the best treatment, then I can’t help it.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to all the clubs that have made offers, but I’ll try to coordinate with the Buffaloes as much as possible.”

I recorded the details in my notepad and continued.

“And how long of a contract period would you like?”

“Period?”

“There’s the option of signing a 4-year contract and then becoming a free agent again to sign another contract, or you can secure a long enough contract period this time to essentially contract until the end of your playing career.”

“Hmm…”

“Even after 4 years, a home run hitter like you will still be competitive and valuable in the FA market. I think there will be competition to sign you again at that time. That means you can sign another good contract. On the other hand, if you sign a long-term contract this time, you can take the pressure off and focus on baseball.”

“I can decide the period, right?”

“Of course. Most of the Korean clubs have already said they want to sign you. You can do whatever you want.”

“Then, if the conditions are good, it might be good to have a long contract period.”

“Okay. I’ll talk about it right now.”

I nodded and finished my conversation with Park Seong-joo.

* * *

I immediately started the process.

I called Choi Min-sung, the general manager of the Buffaloes, first.

Even though it was late, he answered the phone almost immediately.

“General Manager, I’m sorry for calling you so late. It’s urgent.”

-No, it’s okay. There’s no such thing as quitting time in our line of work.

“How did the internal discussions go regarding the contract period issue that I mentioned last time?”

-After calculating, we were able to reach a sufficiently positive conclusion. But I’d like to add one condition.

“What condition is that?”

-Since it’s a fairly long-term contract, there are risks involved. The club should have a safety net.

“Can you tell me what it is?”

I coordinated several details with Choi Min-sung over the phone.

I had already thought about the clauses I was going to propose if I signed a contract with a domestic club, so I was able to talk about it right away.

And I called the general managers of all the clubs that had made offers to Park Seong-joo, including the Buffaloes and the Jaguars.

This time, I planned to proceed quickly rather than taking my time and listening to the clubs’ opinions.

By emphasizing that the deadline was approaching, I was able to induce more aggressive bidding than originally expected.

Among them, I started to further discuss and coordinate with the clubs that could give Park Seong-joo the best treatment.

I included our proposal along with several conditions presented by the club and completed the details one by one.

Since I had already talked to the clubs that had made offers to some extent, the coordination process did not take long.

After a few hours, I was able to confirm the final proposals from three clubs.

I immediately conveyed the negotiation details to Park Seong-joo.

Because they were proposals that gave him enough treatment befitting the best hitter, Park Seong-joo made a decision without much hesitation.

I called the general manager of the team Park Seong-joo had chosen and expressed my intention to sign a contract.

It was already dawn.

But there was no reason to wait until tomorrow.

Park Seong-joo and I immediately moved to sign the contract.