Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 50

50. The Butterfly Effect Caused by a Small Flap (2)

Wee-ing— Wee-ing—

The ceaseless vibration of my smartphone woke me up.

I didn’t want to be disturbed during my peaceful nap, which I hadn’t had in a while, but I couldn’t resist the constant buzzing.

“Hello?”

– Hyun-woo, where are you right now?

It was Kim Min-hwan.

But why is he speaking so softly?

I could barely hear his voice.

“I’m at home.”

– I need you to come up here quickly.

What is he suddenly talking about?

“Right now?”

– Things have become more complicated than I thought…

“What’s complicated?”

– Haven’t you seen it yet? I’ll send it to you now, so take a look quickly.

As soon as he hung up, a message arrived.

A sense of foreboding washed over me, and my hands trembled.

I gripped my smartphone and clicked the link.

It was an article that had just been uploaded.

As always, my ominous premonitions were never wrong.

I read through the title, content, and comments.

└Isn’t it over if a word from an agent he’s only known for a short time is more helpful than a hitting coach he’s been with for years?

└There was a reason why his hitting was terrible except for the end of last season.

└Seriously, the club needs to get rid of the stagnant water. I’m so tired of it.

└If you don’t have the skills, leave, or at least study.

└They’d be much better off if they just ran things according to the advice posted in the community.

└I don’t expect you guys to develop players. Instead, spend money and bring in someone who’s already good.

└If you want a secure job in professional baseball, become a Buffaloes coach~

└Please stop giving jobs to people just because they’re from the club.

Not only were there articles, but the community was also filled with posts criticizing the Buffaloes club.

I felt cold sweat running down my back.

Park Seong-ju’s casual remark during the live broadcast was blowing up in an unexpected direction.

“He probably didn’t mean it that way, did he?”

Park Seong-ju probably didn’t intend to disparage the coaches of his affiliated club.

However, if you only read the article, it was easy to misunderstand the situation.

I went to the portal site and clicked on the sports page.

Even though it had only been a few hours since the live broadcast, there were many similar articles.

“Sigh…”

Especially these days, with the FA [Free Agent] contracts over and no player activity, there were hardly any issues to report on.

As a result, Park Seong-ju’s comment was filling the domestic baseball pages of sports news.

At this opportune moment, an easy target appeared, so it was natural for the attention of reporters and fans to focus on one place.

I still had more than a day left of my golden vacation, but this was not the time to worry about that.

I hurriedly packed my bags and booked the fastest train I could get on.

I sent Kim Min-hwan my estimated time of arrival via text message and left the house.

* * *

In the Buffaloes club’s conference room, General Manager Choi Min-seong and first-team Manager Kim Tae-soo were the first to arrive.

Both were sitting quietly with dark expressions, not talking to each other.

After a while, second-team hitting coach Kim Yong-min, along with the operations team leader and club coaching staff, arrived one by one.

The other coaches also saw the serious expressions of the general manager and first-team manager and sat down quietly without saying a word.

Finally, second-team Manager Lee Jin-won opened the door and entered with second-team defense coach Park Ji-ho.

“Ugh. What a fuss when I’m resting.”

Lee Jin-won pulled out an empty chair and sat down with an annoyed expression.

“Okay. Now that everyone seems to be here, let’s get started.”

The general manager looked around at those sitting at the conference table and opened his mouth.

“You all know why we gathered so urgently today.”

“Why are you making us come and go because of something like that? Everyone was resting during the off-season.”

Lee Jin-won said with his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Manager, this is an official meeting. Please show some respect.”

The general manager clenched his fist tightly, clearly annoyed by the informal tone directed at him.

“You suddenly tell us to come and go on our days off and then tell us to show respect? Is there anyone here who’s more senior than me? I’ve spent 32 years with the Buffaloes. Who am I supposed to show respect to!”

“Sigh… I don’t think you should be saying that today, Manager Lee.”

“Why? Did I commit some kind of mortal sin?”

At Lee Jin-won’s words, the general manager’s eyes turned cold.

“I didn’t want to say this, but shouldn’t you feel a greater sense of responsibility for this situation than anyone else here, Manager Lee?”

“What responsibility?”

“Didn’t this happen in the second team? And you’re the one in charge of the second team!”

As the general manager’s voice suddenly rose, the other coaches looked visibly flustered.

Kim Yong-min, the second-team hitting coach, who was sitting in the corner of the conference table, squeezed his eyes shut.

“That guy was sent to the first team at the end of the season! And now you’re not even letting us train during the off-season, so how am I supposed to take responsibility for what one of the players is blabbing about on the internet?”

Hearing Lee Jin-won’s answer, the general manager turned his gaze and took a deep breath, as if trying to calm his bursting anger. Then, barely suppressing his anger, he made eye contact with the other coaches.

“Today, we’re going to discuss how to handle this issue.”

The operations team leader next to him took over the conversation.

“The club is still receiving a constant stream of complaints… and, more than anything, the parent company’s PR team is also watching the situation closely.”

“The parent company?”

A coach with wide eyes asked.

“Yes. And the president has also said that he wants to understand why this incident occurred and receive a report on the solutions.”

“But is it really necessary to go this far over such a small issue?”

Another coach sighed deeply.

“Everyone knew that the parent company had been sharpening its knives over the recent poor performance, right?”

Park Ji-ho, the second-team defense coach, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth, feeling frustrated.

For a moment, silence filled the conference room, and only the sound of breathing could be heard.

“Seriously. They should at least provide proper support before saying things like that. Every time the season ends, they just talk about how the performance was this or that, but what do they actually do? They can’t even do their own jobs properly.”

Lee Jin-won muttered sarcastically in a lower voice than before.

The general manager didn’t even look at Lee Jin-won and didn’t respond to his words at all.

“Manager, what do you think?”

The general manager looked at Kim Tae-soo, the first-team manager, who was sitting quietly, and asked.

“Let’s take this opportunity to reorganize properly.”

Kim Tae-soo, who had been carefully choosing his words, opened his mouth in a low voice.

“I think we need to reconsider whether our team is moving in the right direction.”

“When and how are you going to do that reorganization? Are you going to take responsibility for not making it to the postseason last season and resign?”

Lee Jin-won chuckled mockingly once again.

The general manager, clenching his fist, struggled to maintain his composure and trembled his lips.

Kim Tae-soo stared intently at Lee Jin-won with a stern look and said.

“If there’s someone who needs to quit, they should do it. Of course, I’m no exception. If we want to prevent the rotten parts from spreading any further, we have to cut them out decisively, even if it’s difficult.”

Lee Jin-won cleared his throat and turned his head when he met Kim Tae-soo’s eyes.

“Then, Manager Lee, what kind of support do you need in the current situation?”

The general manager turned his head and looked at Lee Jin-won and asked.

“What support?”

“You said earlier that the club wasn’t providing proper support. If you tell us what you need, we’ll make sure to demand it properly from the parent company this time.”

“Well… but why are you asking me? You should be asking what the reasons are for the first team’s poor performance.”

“So, it’s safe to say that there are no particular difficulties in the second team?”

Lee Jin-won blinked his eyes rapidly and racked his brain.

“Our second team has been in first place in the Futures League [Minor League] for two years in a row. Isn’t that what it means to be doing well? What other explanation do you need?”

“Does being in first place in the Futures League mean much?”

“What kind of tone is that! Does the Futures League look easy to you? If it looks so easy, why don’t you come and do it yourself?”

Lee Jin-won’s face turned red at Kim Tae-soo’s sarcastic remark, and he slammed his palm hard on the desk.

As the atmosphere seemed to be overheating, the general manager intervened and changed the subject.

“Any other opinions?”

“Whatever the case, since he caused a controversy, shouldn’t we discipline the player?”

Some people nodded in agreement with the opinion of one of the coaches.

Kim Yong-min’s expression, who had been listening quietly to the conversation, became even darker than before.

* * *

I pressed the elevator button several times, but it didn’t seem to be coming down anytime soon.

I had no choice but to rush up the stairs.

“Huff. Huff-”

I caught my breath for a moment and carefully opened the conference room door.

When I entered, a heavy silence was flowing.

Im Ye-ji was standing with her arms crossed, and Kim Min-hwan was on the phone with his back turned.

In the middle of them, Park Seong-ju was holding his head in his hands and bowing his head deeply.

I assessed the atmosphere and slowly walked in.

“I… I’m here.”

Im Ye-ji looked at me without saying a word and just nodded.

Hearing my voice, Park Seong-ju raised his head.

His eyes were swollen and red.

I patted Park Seong-ju on the shoulder and sat next to him.

Meanwhile, Kim Min-hwan finished his call and turned around.

“I’ve asked the reporters I know to block any additional articles.”

Im Ye-ji nodded, seemingly lost in thought.

Kim Min-hwan lowered his heavy body into the seat across from me.

“So, what should we do now?”

Just as the conversation was about to begin, the conference room door opened, and an employee rushed in.

“CEO, there’s a call from the Buffaloes club.”

“What’s it about?”

At Im Ye-ji’s question, the employee hesitated for a moment.

“Well… they’re planning to hold a disciplinary committee for Park Seong-ju. They said they’ll give us a chance to explain our side if we have anything to say…”

Even a disciplinary committee?

As soon as the employee finished speaking, Park Seong-ju lowered his head again, powerless.
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