Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 7

7. YJ Sports Agency (2)

‘Got it!’

Seeing the look in Yim Ye-ji’s eyes, I was sure Oh Seok-hoon was the right choice.

I drove the point home with one more remark.

“If you entrust him to me, he will be a completely different player next season.”

“Hmm… Is it really possible for him to become a completely different player?”

Yim Ye-ji leaned back in her chair, clasping her hands together.

“Yes. Oh Seok-hoon knows what he needs. I can provide him with the exact methods.”

“What does Oh Seok-hoon need right now?”

“Madam CEO, do you happen to know Oh Seok-hoon’s position?”

Instead of answering, I posed a question.

“Position…?”

“Yes. His defensive position.”

“He’s been playing a lot as a third baseman lately.”

“That’s right. He’s been playing a lot of games as a third baseman these days.”

Yim Ye-ji tilted her head, looking puzzled as I repeated her words.

I asked her another question.

“But don’t you find it strange? Do we talk about other players’ positions like that too?”

“……!”

“This is Oh Seok-hoon’s biggest problem right now. He doesn’t have a definite defensive position of his own.”

Yim Ye-ji exclaimed, but I continued without stopping.

“Defense plays a very important role for a batter. You can be called a good hitter if you get a hit 3 out of 10 times, but you’re considered defensively unstable if you make a mistake even once out of 10 times. And if you make an error, you become timid in that game, and if that error completely changes the outcome of the game, your mentality is shaken.”

Yim Ye-ji gradually began to focus on my story.

“Of course, no matter how much you train, players are human, so errors are inevitable. It’s difficult even if you focus on one position in the professional league. But what happens if you play a different position every day, and even switch positions in the middle of a game?”

“…The probability of making a mistake will increase, right?”

“That’s right. Because his position isn’t fixed, he makes more errors. Because he makes more errors, he can’t provide stability in defense. As a result, the manager can’t trust him, creating a vicious cycle.”

“So, you’re saying he needs defensive training the most?”

“More precisely, he needs to have a definite position of his own. Just like how we naturally think of a player’s position when we talk about them.”

“Hmm… But isn’t Oh Seok-hoon struggling these days because of his poor hitting? How can that be resolved?”

I answered Yim Ye-ji’s question immediately.

“Oh Seok-hoon’s hitting ability has already been proven. He was an incredible hitter in high school, batting over .400, and he won the batting title several times in tournaments. He showed potential even after turning pro. He knows what hitting form suits him best, and he even has the hitting mechanics to become an attractive power hitter. So, if we reduce the burden on his defense and help him find his high school hitting form, that problem will naturally be solved.”

I was surprised at myself for how smoothly I was talking.

“And Oh Seok-hoon already has the qualities that fans can’t help but like. He has a great appearance, is tall, and has good proportions. If we improve his performance and get him up to the first team, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t be loved by fans.”

This is why YJ Sports Agency can’t give up on Oh Seok-hoon.

If they improve his performance, sponsorships and advertisements will pour in, and money will roll in. What company would easily give up on that?

“But…”

Yim Ye-ji’s brow furrowed slightly, even though she had been nodding until just now.

“Our goal shouldn’t just be to get into the first team.”

As expected, she doesn’t just let a single word pass.

“Of course, the goal is to develop him into an ace who represents the league. And he can definitely do that.”

“Can you be sure?”

Yim Ye-ji looked straight into my eyes as she spoke.

“Yes, of course.”

In fact, this was close to a gamble.

If improving performance was as easy as I thought, I would have become a star player myself.

But because I was confident that Oh Seok-hoon already had enough ability, and I believed that he would also see the information window, it wasn’t a completely absurd gamble.

“But isn’t it too long until next season?”

“Pardon?”

“It would be better if it were a little faster.”

As expected, there’s a reason why successful businesspeople are successful.

I felt like I had been hit hard.

“In six months. No, you’ll see a change in as little as three months.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I’m confident. But…”

“Go ahead.”

Yim Ye-ji gestured for me to speak comfortably as I hesitated.

“Can you give me the authority to be in charge of Oh Seok-hoon exclusively?”

“Oh Seok-hoon exclusively…”

Yim Ye-ji was silent for a long time.

Just as I was starting to regret saying something unnecessary,

“Okay. Let’s work together.”

Whew.

It seemed to have worked out.

“How about signing the contract right away while we’re at it?”

“Great.”

“When can you start working?”

“I can start as early as today.”

“Today? You don’t have to push yourself. It might be very difficult once you start working.”

“I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”

“Okay. Then let’s write the contract right away and go meet Oh Seok-hoon.”

I smiled and nodded.

Yim Ye-ji, with a pleased expression, smiled back at me, left the conference room, and called someone.

And after a while, she returned with a huge man.

He was slightly taller than me and had a good build.

He was a bit chubby, but even though he was wearing a T-shirt, I could feel that his body was solid.

“Nice to meet you. My name is Kim Min-hwan.”

“I’m Kang Hyun-woo.”

As expected of someone with a large build, the grip I felt when shaking hands was considerable.

Looking at Kim Min-hwan again after the handshake, I could see the information window above his head.

-He is struggling because he has been working late into the night due to recent workload.

-He is stressed because Yim Ye-ji’s pressure has increased due to @x$!’s slow growth.

Now I was sure that the information window appeared not only for players but also for people related to baseball.

And for the first time, I saw two lines.

This time, I saw special characters, but it wasn’t difficult to guess that it meant Oh Seok-hoon.

“Starting today, Hyun-woo will be in charge of Oh Seok-hoon’s exclusive management.”

“Seok-hoon?”

Kim Min-hwan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes.”

“That’s my job?”

“Haven’t you been having a hard time lately because you have a lot of work, Team Leader Kim?”

“That’s true, but it’s better for me to take care of Seok-hoon in many ways…”

Yim Ye-ji cut off Kim Min-hwan’s rambling explanation.

“Please hand over the work related to Oh Seok-hoon and convey the immediately necessary information. It would be good to go with him for the first few days and let him know the atmosphere.”

“Madam CEO. Wouldn’t it be confusing if the person in charge suddenly changes in such an important situation like this? There are things that I’ve been doing so far…”

“Team Leader Kim.”

Yim Ye-ji’s expression changed coldly in an instant, and even I, who was watching from the side, became nervous.

“What kind of changes have there been so far with that method you’ve been doing?”

Kim Min-hwan couldn’t hide his embarrassment at Yim Ye-ji’s question and opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Uh, well… It’s still lacking, but…”

“Hyun-woo will be in charge for the next three months. Don’t hesitate to support him if there’s anything the company can do. Just report the important things to me.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Yim Ye-ji, who had been looking at Kim Min-hwan with a cold expression without a smile, turned her head and raised the corners of her mouth again as if nothing had happened, towards me.

“Hyun-woo, let’s work hard.”

“Yes!”

“You two can talk more here. I have the next meeting, so I’ll go first.”

As Yim Ye-ji greeted and tried to leave the conference room, Kim Min-hwan hurriedly followed her.

Kim Min-hwan closed the door as he left and seemed to be talking to Yim Ye-ji in front of the conference room.

The conversation wasn’t clearly audible because the door was closed and the distance was far.

Thanks to this, I was able to relieve the tension that had been pressing down on me during the interview and take a short break.

Not long after, Kim Min-hwan returned to the conference room.

As before, his expression wasn’t very bright.

It seemed that the conversation with Yim Ye-ji hadn’t gone as well as he had hoped.

After Kim Min-hwan came in, there was no conversation, and an awkward silence flowed for a few seconds.

It was a short time, but it seemed like he was organizing his thoughts.

“Hyun-woo, have you eaten?”

“No, I haven’t eaten yet.”

“Then, it’s a bit early, but shall we eat first?”

As soon as I nodded, Kim Min-hwan turned around and left the conference room.

* * *

The place Kim Min-hwan took me to was a shabby restaurant.

“This is the place. How is it? Doesn’t it feel like a *matjip* [delicious restaurant] from the entrance?”

Come to think of it, Kim Min-hwan was talking casually.

He looked older than me, but considering it was our first meeting, it wasn’t very pleasant.

“Yes… It does.”

“I’m hungry. Let’s go in quickly.”

When I entered the restaurant, I saw several people already eating.

“Auntie, two *baekban* [set meal], please!”

Kim Min-hwan ordered food without asking for my opinion.

“Hyun-woo, is there any food you don’t eat?”

“No. I eat everything well after retiring.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded at my answer and pointed to his head with his hand, asking.

“Oh, right. Is your head okay?”

“It’s better now. There are no inconveniences in my daily life.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I was so surprised when I watched the live broadcast back then.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

“But if you couldn’t wake up for a few days, isn’t the aftereffect serious? It’s because you hurt your head. It may appear later, even if it’s not now…”

Looking at Kim Min-hwan’s expression, it seemed like it wasn’t just my imagination that I felt a sarcastic feeling in the words he had just thrown.

Why is he saying that to me now?