Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 294

294. Aiming for the Stage of Dreams (5)

I couldn’t just sit around waiting for a call from the States.

Even though I didn’t particularly want it, I had to prepare for the possibility of negotiations with the Major League clubs falling through.

I immediately started contacting the general managers of domestic clubs again.

I first called Choi Min-sung, the general manager of the Buffaloes, and Jo Kwang-hoon, the general manager of the Jaguars.

First up, the Buffaloes.

This time, the call connected almost instantly.

“General Manager, if Seok-hoon were to agree to sign with the Buffaloes, would you be ready?”

“What? Is there a real chance Seok-hoon might sign?”

It was the first time I’d ever heard Choi Min-sung’s voice sound so high-pitched.

“I can’t say it’s confirmed yet, but we need to keep all our options open.”

“I see. You’d be looking for another long-term contract this time, right?”

“Well, if you give us favorable terms [options that benefit the player], we’re more likely to make a positive decision.”

Because I’d urged him to decide within 24 hours previously, I was able to get Choi Min-sung’s answer right away.

It was an offer that made me nod in satisfaction.

Now, I immediately called General Manager Jo Kwang-hoon.

As expected, it didn’t take long to get through to Jo Kwang-hoon either.

“Oh, Representative Kang.”

“General Manager, if Seok-hoon said he’d sign, would you be willing to recruit him?”

“What! Oh, Seok-hoon said he’d sign?”

I thought my eardrums were going to burst from how loud Jo Kwang-hoon was being.

“We’re still negotiating with the American clubs. But if things fall through, he’s considering staying in the country.”

“Of course, we’d do it. The amount we offered back then should still be sufficient, right?”

“Since we’re signing him anyway, how about locking him in with a long-term contract?”

“You want to do it like Park Sung-joo’s contract? Just a moment.”

Jo Kwang-hoon busily calculated something without saying anything, then immediately made an offer.

Again, it was a satisfactory offer that made me nod.

I spoke with all the clubs that had expressed even a slight interest in Oh Seok-hoon.

Since the salary offered by the American clubs was higher than Park Sung-joo’s, the domestic clubs also offered more overall.

If Oh Seok-hoon chose to stay in the country, he was in a position to sign a huge contract that would break the domestic FA [Free Agent] record that Park Sung-joo had set just a few days prior.

I immediately met with Oh Seok-hoon to give him time to think and told him about the contract details.

Perhaps because of the enormous figures involved, Oh Seok-hoon’s head seemed even more muddled.

* * *

Since the last online meeting, Kim Sang-wook of Sky Corporation had been sending me updated information in real-time.

I was worried that they might give up on negotiations after we notified them of the 24-hour limit, but thankfully, two of the three clubs were still continuing negotiations.

Afterward, I received updates on the general atmosphere by talking with Kim Sang-wook online.

But the American clubs’ stance remained unchanged.

Of course, the answers from me and Oh Seok-hoon were the same as well.

I stayed up almost all night with my smartphone right next to me, just in case they might change their minds.

But unfortunately, I still hadn’t heard the answer I wanted by the time morning arrived.

We weren’t the only ones waiting for the American clubs’ answers.

The domestic clubs were also keenly watching whether Oh Seok-hoon would sign with the Major Leagues.

General managers, including Choi Min-sung and Jo Kwang-hoon, periodically called to check on the progress of the contract.

Before I knew it, the 24 hours we had given them was now just one hour away.

I sat facing Oh Seok-hoon in the office.

Since there wasn’t much time left, we planned to keep the video call connected with Kim Sang-wook and talk.

As soon as Kim Sang-wook’s face appeared on the screen, I immediately spoke.

“Is the situation with the clubs still the same?”

“There’s no club that has given a definite answer yet. But it seems like the atmosphere has shifted slightly with two of the clubs. But not to the point where I can give you a definite answer right now.”

“Really?”

“Representative, are you really going to finalize this at the time you promised?”

“Yes, we’ve already coordinated with the club we’ll sign with if we stay in the country. If there’s no answer in an hour, we’ll sign the contract immediately.”

“I understand.”

“And we plan to sign with the club that agrees first among the clubs that are currently negotiating. That’s more important than the other conditions.”

“Yes, I’ll pass that on.”

With that last answer, Kim Sang-wook’s screen went dark.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the empty screen, fidgeting with my fingers.

“Sunbae [term used to address senior colleagues or mentors], do you think we’ll really get the answer we want?”

Oh Seok-hoon asked me, unable to hide his nervousness.

“Seok-hoon, you don’t want to go unless you’re guaranteed those conditions, right?”

“Of course.”

“Let’s wait and see. It seems like the atmosphere has changed a bit with two of the clubs, so it’s not impossible.”

To be honest, I couldn’t be sure that the clubs would accept the conditions.

But I didn’t want our player to sign a contract that he would regret.

Now, there were 20 minutes left.

If they didn’t offer the conditions we wanted in 20 minutes, we would have no choice but to sign with a domestic club right away.

Before I knew it, my hands were also sweating.

Kim Sang-wook’s screen lit up again.

“Is there a club that has accepted the conditions?”

“Unfortunately, no. But they say they’ll raise the salary even more. Up to a total of $45 million.”

“Does that mean the 25-man roster [active roster of 25 players] guarantee is still out of the question?”

“Instead of that, they’ve offered to raise the salary.”

Oh Seok-hoon, hearing Kim Sang-wook’s words, gestured to me as if he had something to say.

I turned off the audio and made eye contact with Oh Seok-hoon.

“Seok-hoon, what do you want to say?”

“Hoo. Sunbae, should we consider it now? It seems like a big gain just to get an extra $5 million at the end.”

“But it’s not like the conditions you want are included yet.”

“That’s true, but…”

“Let’s push further. We can’t end it like this when we’ve come this far.”

I said, grabbing Oh Seok-hoon’s hand.

And I turned the audio back on and said to Kim Sang-wook.

“Our thoughts remain the same. The 25-man roster and the minor league veto, both must be included.”

“Representative, in the United States, a higher salary also implies a higher likelihood of playing in the Major Leagues. It’s a much better condition compared to the beginning.”

“Of course, I know that well. But if there’s no guarantee of playing in the Major Leagues, there’s no point in signing.”

“Hoo. I understand, I’ll talk more.”

Kim Sang-wook moved aside for a moment and spoke in English.

Before long, Korean was heard again.

“This is the final offer, they say. They want you to make a decision here.”

“Even if time passes, our answer won’t change. If the club doesn’t give us an answer within the remaining 20 minutes, we plan to proceed with signing with a domestic club right away. We’ve already matched all the contract conditions.”

“Ha… Yes.”

Hearing my answer, Kim Sang-wook sighed and busily talked to two clubs at the same time.

Now, there were 10 minutes left.

The faster the remaining time decreased, the faster time seemed to pass.

Kim Sang-wook, after finishing the conversation in English, looked back at our screen and opened his mouth.

“Representative, would $50 million be acceptable?”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh, then can we finalize the contract with this amount?”

“The salary is excellent. But has the 25-man roster and the minor league veto been resolved?”

“Ha… Representative.”

“Our Seok-hoon is a player who is worth signing that kind of contract. You will never regret it.”

I said, putting strength into my voice.

“Sunbae, there are 8 minutes left now.”

Oh Seok-hoon glanced at his watch and said.

I nodded to Oh Seok-hoon and then looked back at Kim Sang-wook, shaking my head firmly and continuing to speak.

“Salary is an important part, but we can never sign without those conditions.”

Now, there was 1 minute left.

The thought that there was really not much time left made the speed at which my fingers moved back and forth much faster than before.

Now, it felt like my mouth was dry and parched.

But still, I couldn’t hear any new information from Kim Sang-wook’s screen.

Oh Seok-hoon sighed deeply, hanging his head.

“Sunbae, I guess this really wasn’t going to work out.”

“Hoo… Seok-hoon, I’m sorry. I wanted to include those conditions no matter what.”

“Sunbae, you did your best. If it’s not working out even after doing this much, then I guess it’s not meant to be.”

“Then I guess we’ll have to wrap it up here.”

I was about to end the call, but,

At that moment, I could hear Kim Sang-wook’s urgent voice.

“Representative, just a moment!”

“…?”

My head and Oh Seok-hoon’s head moved at the same time.

“There’s a club that has confirmed it now! They say they’ll send the contract right away!”

“Really?”

My eyes and Oh Seok-hoon’s eyes widened almost simultaneously.

And after a while,

We were able to hear the answer we wanted from a Major League club.

And we exchanged contracts.

It was definitely a contract that included a guarantee of a 25-man roster spot and a minor league veto.

It was the moment when another Major Leaguer was born.

* * *

└Finally, the official announcement is out.

└Wow! They really got a contract that includes a 25-man roster and a minor league veto?

└Major League is definitely on a different level. Even if Park Sung-joo signed a huge contract, it’s completely different from the money you can get from signing a Major League contract.

└The domestic clubs must be very disappointed. They might have had some hope since Park Sung-joo stayed.

└I heard that almost all the clubs sent offers.

└It would be crazy not to even make an offer when the batting king is out in FA [Free Agency].

└Now, go to America and be successful.

└Yeah. Show them that Korean hitters can also be successful in the Major Leagues.

└Plus, Donald Watson, Michael Scott, and Oh Seok-hoon all went to the same division team ㅋㅋ [Korean slang for ‘lol’ or ‘so funny’]. Just watching the three players face off will be 꿀잼 [Korean slang for ‘very fun’ or ‘꿀 is honey and 잼 is jam, so honey jam means very fun].

└From now on, I’ll have to watch baseball in the morning too. Thanks to the three of them, there won’t be a dull moment in the day.

The negotiations with Donald Watson, Michael Scott, Oh Seok-hoon, and Park Sung-joo, as well as the salary negotiations with other affiliated players, were finally concluded.

It also meant that all the headaches were over.

It was a busier and more intense stove league [off-season period] than any other year.