Perfect Agent [EN]: Chapter 83

Reunited Fate (1)

“I asked them to add a shot. How is it, is it okay?”

I took a sip of the coffee Kim Min-hwan handed me and nodded.

“It’s good. Coffee from the coffee shop in front of the company is the best.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that.”

Kim Min-hwan smiled, seeing my satisfied expression.

“But, you know…….”

Kim Min-hwan’s expression, which had been smiling just now, suddenly turned serious.

“Yes……?”

What’s with this sudden ominous feeling?

What is he trying to say?

“Hyun-woo, do you happen to have any superpowers?”

Cough. Cough. Cough.

I almost spit out the coffee I had in my mouth.

“Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“No, how else could these things be possible?”

Kim Min-hwan looked at me with a serious expression and continued.

“I could understand Oh Seok-hoon, but how is it possible to make So Young-joon a completely different player in such a short time? Especially So Young-joon, who even the CEO and I had given up on. And besides that, you’re fulfilling all the players’ wishes.”

“Did I do that?”

“What kind of ability do you have?”

“What ability……? There’s no such thing as superpowers in the world.”

I pretended to be nonchalant and took another sip of coffee.

“Then how did you do it?”

“What did I do? The players did it all.”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing him ask so persistently, he didn’t seem like he would stop until his curiosity was satisfied.

“Oh Seok-hoon, Park Sung-joo, and So Young-joon were all good players to begin with.”

“And?”

“Is there a way to suddenly become good at baseball overnight? I just made small changes that those players needed.”

“Hmm……. Is that really all?”

Kim Min-hwan tilted his head, as if the answer wasn’t up to his standards.

“And if I really had such superpowers, I should have been good at baseball when I was a player.”

“……I guess that’s true.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded as if he finally understood.

I was relieved to escape the barrage of questions, but I didn’t feel very good.

“Then what about Jang Soo-young? You made the trade Jang Soo-young wanted happen too. In such a short time.”

“That’s just luck. A trade requires so many situations to align perfectly.”

“Huh……. That’s just luck?”

“It’s not a big deal that requires superpowers. It’s not like I’m the first person to ever make a trade happen.”

Of course, I was able to do it much faster and more accurately thanks to the information window [a game-like interface showing player stats and potential].

“That makes sense when I hear it.”

Even though some doubts remained, Kim Min-hwan slowly nodded, as if there were no more points to refute.

“By the way, how could So Young-joon be so good and not show it until now?”

“I guess team atmosphere is hard to ignore. A training atmosphere where players take the initiative can’t be created overnight.”

“I guess so. Seeing how the Pelicans can’t escape the bottom ranks even after changing their manager so many times.”

“Yeah.”

I couldn’t even remember when the Pelicans last made it to the postseason [playoffs].

“Where did you say you had to go today?”

I had to take a half-day off and go somewhere.

“A friend from America is coming later.”

“You had a friend in America?”

Kim Min-hwan looked at me suspiciously, as if he couldn’t believe what I said.

“Of course.”

“Is it a guy or a girl?”

Kim Min-hwan narrowed his eyes at me and asked.

“Who do you think it is?”

“It’s obviously a guy.”

“That’s right.”

The moment I nodded, Kim Min-hwan sighed.

“Ugh. Do you even have a girl’s number in your phone?”

“Of course, I do.”

“Who?”

Kim Min-hwan asked with expectant eyes.

“We have CEO Im’s number.”

“Never mind. I’m the one to blame for asking.”

“What about you, Team Leader? Do you have one?”

“Of course.”

“Who?”

“I have my wife.”

“You’re married, Team Leader?”

My eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

“Yeah, I even have a son.”

“What?”

It was surprising that he was married, but he even had a son?

“Yeah.”

Kim Min-hwan nodded nonchalantly. Rather, he seemed surprised by my reaction.

“Why didn’t you tell me until now?”

“You didn’t ask, Hyun-woo?”

“Wow……. This is so shocking.”

It was the most surprising thing I had heard in recent years.

* * *

I drove myself to Incheon Airport.

I looked at my watch after getting out of the car and saw that I had arrived just in time.

The plane was also scheduled to arrive almost on time without any problems.

I stood in front of the arrival gate, waiting for the door to open.

Soon, the door opened, and I could find him among the people walking out.

“Joo-hyuk!”

I waved at Lee Joo-hyuk and approached him.

Lee Joo-hyuk also saw me and waved back happily.

It felt different from when we met in America during spring camp [pre-season training] a few months ago.

“You must be busy, but you came all the way here?”

Lee Joo-hyuk bowed his head and pushed his carrier [wheeled suitcase] towards me.

“Of course, I had to come since you came a long way.”

“Thank you.”

-I’m proud that the time I spent training for the tryout for the past few months was not in vain.

-I’m nervous and excited about the upcoming test.

Lee Joo-hyuk was scheduled to participate in the tryout test soon.

He was a player who had been practicing diligently, so there was no need to doubt that he had worked hard for the past few months as well.

“Give me the carrier. I’ll push it.”

“It’s okay. It’s light.”

“Please give it to me.”

I took the carrier that Lee Joo-hyuk was pulling.

Then we headed to the parking lot where the car was parked together.

Unlike in America, I took the driver’s seat this time.

“So, you’ve completely wrapped things up and come? You’ve graduated too?”

“Yes. I’ve graduated and wrapped up everything I needed to.”

“You’ve worked hard. It’s amazing that you graduated from college in a country where you don’t even speak the language. I wouldn’t have been able to do it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lee Joo-hyuk smiled shyly.

“It’ll be fun for a few days when you get to the dorm. Seok-hoon and Sung-joo are nice, so you’ll be able to live comfortably.”

“But is it okay for me to stay in the agency dorm?”

It was better to live nearby to properly help with the tryout preparation.

“He’s been working with our agency for years, so would he say anything about staying for a few days?”

“If that’s the case, I’d be grateful, but…….”

“Actually, I’ve already gotten permission from the agency. Don’t worry about anything else and let’s prepare hard and get good results.”

I drove non-stop towards the dorm.

* * *

“Wow!”

Lee Joo-hyuk turned his head from side to side as soon as he arrived at the dorm and exclaimed.

“The facilities are good, right?”

“It’s really good. I didn’t know there would be training facilities.”

“There’s one in the basement besides the outdoor one.”

“The basement too?”

Lee Joo-hyuk’s mouth was wide open and wouldn’t close.

“Let’s go in.”

I pushed the carrier and walked to the dorm.

Ding-dong.

Seeing the shoes in the hallway, it seemed like everyone was in the dorm.

“It’s a rest day today, so everyone is probably resting.”

“I’m really nervous. Living with players I’ve only seen on TV.”

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll call them.”

I went around the first and second floors and called the two of them.

Go Ji-hoon was not in his room, as he had left for a while.

“Hello.”

Park Sung-joo, who was coming down from the second floor, greeted me with a bright voice.

“Hello. I’m Lee Joo-hyuk.”

Lee Joo-hyuk bowed his head.

“But haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Park Sung-joo looked at Lee Joo-hyuk from side to side, trying to recall his vague memory.

“You must have seen him at spring camp. He was with me then.”

“Ah, that’s right! I remember now. Nice to meet you.”

Park Sung-joo, who remembered after hearing my words, raised his tone as if he had met a friend after a long time.

“Which of you two is older?”

“As far as I remember, we’re the same age.”

Lee Joo-hyuk answered, looking at me.

“Are we really friends? Then can I speak casually since we’re friends?”

“Of course. Let’s speak casually.”

“Seok-hoon is also the same age as me. All three of us are friends.”

Park Sung-joo put his arm around Lee Joo-hyuk’s shoulder and smiled brightly, happy to have a new friend.

Meanwhile, Oh Seok-hoon opened the door and came out.

“Seok-hoon, come here quickly.”

Park Sung-joo gestured and called Oh Seok-hoon.

“What’s going on?”

“Do you remember who this person is?”

“Huh? I think I’ve met him somewhere?”

Oh Seok-hoon also tilted his head, unsure as he looked at Lee Joo-hyuk.

“When we went to spring camp, he was the one who translated for Hyun-woo hyung [older brother/friend].”

“Ah, I remember now! Hello, I’m Oh Seok-hoon.”

“But he’s the same age as us. We decided to speak casually.”

“Really? Nice to meet you.”

Oh Seok-hoon also shook hands with Lee Joo-hyuk.

“I want him to stay here for a few days while he’s looking for a house. Would that be uncomfortable for you?”

“Of course not. Why would I dislike having another friend?”

Park Sung-joo answered as soon as I finished speaking, not hiding his excitement.

“I like it too.”

Oh Seok-hoon nodded and said.

“Senior Go Ji-hoon is also here, but he seems to have gone somewhere for a while, so I’ll introduce you when he comes in.”

“Yes.”

Lee Joo-hyuk said, looking around the room.

Ding-a-ling.

A smartphone alarm rang from somewhere.

“Ah……. It’s training time.”

As soon as he heard the sound, Park Sung-joo’s expression turned drastically dark.

“There’s no way it’s already that time……. I think the clock is wrong?”

Oh Seok-hoon’s expression was not much different.

“There’s no way the smartphone clock is wrong, right?”

I chuckled and patted them on the shoulders.

“Then we should go down now.”

“Okay. I’ll just help move the luggage and go down.”

I picked up one of Lee Joo-hyuk’s bags.

“We should move it together.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Oh Seok-hoon and Park Sung-joo also picked up one bag each and moved it.

The room was filled with luggage in an instant.

“Joo-hyuk, then get comfortable and let’s meet for dinner.”

“Can I watch you train too?”

Lee Joo-hyuk asked me cautiously.

“You must be tired from the long trip, would you be okay?”

“I slept enough on the plane, so I’m okay.”

“Then let’s go together.”

A smile appeared on Lee Joo-hyuk’s face as I gestured for him to come.

The four of us went down to the training ground together.