Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 8

8. YJ Sports Agency (3)

I stared at Kim Min-hwan without a word.

“Sorry if I offended you. I was just worried about any aftereffects.”

Kim Min-hwan cautiously spoke, seemingly embarrassed.

“Yes.”

My short reply was followed by an awkward silence.

A while later, our food arrived.

It wasn’t an extravagant dish that would make your jaw drop, but considering it was a restaurant in the middle of Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul], it was a good value meal.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Even though I felt unpleasant because of Kim Min-hwan’s sarcastic remark, I thought it wasn’t polite to eat in silence with someone I was meeting for the first time, so I said something.

I could feel Kim Min-hwan’s expression brighten slightly, as if he had been waiting for me to speak first.

“Isn’t there anything you’re curious about, Hyun-woo?”

“What kind of tasks will I be doing while supporting Oh Seok-hoon?”

“If you focus solely on managing Seok-hoon while learning the ropes, it’s relatively simple. Basically, you’ll need to send a report every morning after his games. It should include the game results, his current physical condition, any injuries or discomfort, how the training went that day, and anything he said he needed.”

“That doesn’t sound too complicated.”

As soon as the explanation ended, I replied as if it was nothing, and Kim Min-hwan paused slightly.

“Well, yes, it is. You’re just writing down what he did each day and passing it on.”

“I see.”

“Instead, the most important thing for you over the next three months is whether Seok-hoon’s performance improves. Nothing is more important than him achieving the results the company expects.”

“Then what is the company providing to Oh Seok-hoon?”

“We do a lot for him. Annual salary negotiations are basic, and after the season ends, we arrange training locations, manage his schedule, and even manage his diet so he can train without any problems. During the season, we create and send him data analyzing his recent performance and data on opposing teams.”

“I see.”

I took a spoonful of rice and replied.

“By the way, are you really confident?”

“About what?”

“About being able to make a change in Seok-hoon’s performance in three months. There’s definitely a limit to what an agent can do.”

“I have to make it happen somehow.”

“Your ambition is good.”

Kim Min-hwan chuckled.

“Then do you have a way to make it happen, or is it just wishful thinking?”

“I’m going to solve problems that the player himself has difficulty solving.”

“You can do better than what we’re doing now?”

I could feel that Kim Min-hwan was genuinely curious.

“Of course. But from what I’ve heard so far, there’s nothing special at all. Isn’t this the same thing you do for other players?”

“Well… in some ways, it is.”

“If that’s really all there is, I don’t think it will help Oh Seok-hoon solve the problems he can’t solve on his own.”

I deliberately emphasized the word ‘at all.’

Then I could feel Kim Min-hwan’s eyebrows twitching.

“What do you think is the problem with what we’ve been doing so far?”

“Most of the players affiliated with YJ are star players, right?”

“That’s right. Most of them are key players in domestic clubs.”

“But Oh Seok-hoon isn’t at the level to be called a star player yet. He may be mistaken for a star player because he’s popular, but he’s still a promising player on the second-tier team. Recently, he’s been struggling even in the second-tier team, so there may still be people who think of him as a promising player.”

Kim Min-hwan’s expression became serious, as if he didn’t like me putting down his affiliated player.

“But the bigger problem is that the agency is managing Oh Seok-hoon like a star player.”

“…….”

“Players who have already reached the top of their game in Korea know everything from training methods to conditioning know-how that suits them, so there’s no problem as long as you keep them performing as they are now, but the situation is completely different for promising players who need to continue to grow. They need help with everything until they find their own way, but if you ignore this difference and approach them in the same way, I wonder if that’s why they’re not improving.”

“Then what kind of help do you think is needed?”

“You need to tell Oh Seok-hoon why he’s in a slump and exactly how he can solve the problem. Not just vague, obvious advice. If the club’s cooperation is needed, the agency needs to propose the requirements on their behalf.”

“But doesn’t it take a lot of time to do that much for one player?”

“It will take time investment until they reach a certain level.”

“Hmm… It’s an ideal thing to say, but it seems difficult to implement in reality.”

“Idealistic?”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head, as I thought this approach was obvious.

“Think about it. According to the Players Association regulations, the maximum commission an agent can receive is 5% of the player’s salary. This means that the higher the salary of the affiliated player, the more money we receive. And the reality is that an agent has to manage several players at the same time. So who should we invest more time in?”

“Are you saying we should invest more time in players with higher salaries?”

“That’s the only way. If we focus on helping a player who is having difficulties and lose a client who is paying a lot of money, it would be a big loss for the company.”

It was different from my thinking, but it wasn’t wrong.

“Can’t we just think of it as raising their performance so they can receive a higher salary, even if their salary is low right now?”

“That’s why we’ve been supporting Oh Seok-hoon even while taking a loss. Moreover, we’re even assigning a dedicated employee for the next three months, so what more can we do here?”

“…….”

“I don’t know what the CEO is thinking, but assigning a dedicated employee to one player is a groundbreaking treatment. If other players hear about this, they’ll go crazy.”

I couldn’t think of a rebuttal, so I remained silent.

Kim Min-hwan smiled when he saw my expression.

“Why? Are you disappointed that you won’t be able to do what you want?”

“It’s not that. I can’t ignore the realistic issues either.”

“Okay. Well, just do what you can. Three months isn’t a long time, but it’s not a short time either. Something will change.”

“Yes. I’ll give it a try.”

* * *

Kim Min-hwan and I drove for about an hour and arrived at the Buffaloes’ second-tier stadium in Gyeonggi Province.

The Buffaloes and the Jaguars were scheduled to play here today.

Second-tier stadiums are often located far from the city center, so public transportation infrastructure is inconvenient, and it takes a considerable amount of time to drive there.

However, the stadium is small, and the stands are close to the field, so you can see the players well.

I parked the car in the parking lot, and Kim Min-hwan and I entered the stadium together.

“It feels new…”

I had been here just a few weeks ago to play an away game, so there were no major changes in appearance.

But now that I was an agent, not a player, even familiar places felt new.

In fact, when I was a player, I didn’t enjoy coming here.

It was clearly a professional stage, but it only gave me a sense of inferiority that I couldn’t go to the first-tier stage because I lacked skills.

Kim Min-hwan and I arrived at the home team’s locker room and waited in front of the entrance for Oh Seok-hoon to come out.

“Is it okay to ask him to come out at this time? There’s less than 30 minutes left before the game starts.”

“We’re just seeing him for a moment. It’s okay.”

“Ah… yes.”

I didn’t feel good because it seemed like he wasn’t considering the player’s situation, who should be focusing on the game.

However, I didn’t want to cause a conflict of opinion from the first day, so I held back this time.

After a while, Oh Seok-hoon was seen walking towards us.

“He’s coming.”

“Team Leader.”

“Seok-hoon, welcome.”

Oh Seok-hoon made eye contact with me and bowed, and I awkwardly waved my hand.

“You already know each other well, so there won’t be a problem if I skip the detailed explanation, right?”

Kim Min-hwan pointed to me and said to Oh Seok-hoon.

“Hyun-woo will be with you for the next few months, helping you instead of me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He started working at our company today. He’ll be dedicated to helping you while he learns the job.”

“Senior, no… then what should I call you now?”

“Just call me ‘hyung’ [older brother or male friend] comfortably.”

“Hyung? Can I really do that?”

“Of course. It’s good to be comfortable with each other.”

“Okay, Hyun-woo hyung. I look forward to working with you.”

“Yeah. I look forward to it too.”

I naturally reached out my hand to Oh Seok-hoon.

I needed definite information because I had only inferred it from the surrounding circumstances until now.

As I shook hands with him, I saw the information window above Oh Seok-hoon’s head.

-He doubts whether he can survive in the pros.

-He’s afraid of playing games every day.

At that time, a staff member was heard calling Oh Seok-hoon from afar.

“I think I have to go now.”

“Okay. Go ahead. Good luck today too.”

“Yes. See you later.”

Oh Seok-hoon greeted me and Kim Min-hwan and ran towards the staff.

As he disappeared from view, Kim Min-hwan said as if he had been waiting.

“I’m going back to Seoul now. Contact me immediately if there’s a problem.”

“Aren’t you watching the game together?”

“You said it’s not that complicated. Then it’s enough to do it alone, right? I don’t think you need to be next to him and help him with everything.”

Yeah, it might be more comfortable to be alone.

“I guess so. I’ll try it alone.”

“Okay, then. I’ll send you the report form by email, so check it out.”

“Yes.”

I waved goodbye to Kim Min-hwan, who was quickly leaving the stadium.

He seemed to want to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Left alone, I slowly walked towards the stadium.

It was the first step I was taking as an agent.