Villain On The Mound [EN]: Chapter 91

Mound Villain – Episode 91

After leaving the airport, Ha-sung took the van prepared by Kim Hye-ryung and headed home.

During the ride, Ha-sung was briefed on his upcoming schedule.

“I haven’t scheduled anything special for tomorrow. You must be tired from the long trip, so you should get plenty of rest.”

“So, I have things scheduled starting the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes. The first event is a meeting with the working-level staff of Oseong Electronics. I heard that the head of the PR team and an executive-level person will be there.”

“Whew, they’re putting in quite the effort. The executive director of Oseong Electronics is coming to see me.”

“That means Ha-sung’s value has increased that much.”

“That’s good. Korea’s best company recognizes my value.”

“There will be many more things to come. Oh, and I’ve been getting a lot of calls from politicians wanting to meet.”

Ha-sung frowned.

“As I said before, please reject them all.”

“Understood. Then I will reject them all. Should I exclude religious events or charity events as well?”

“Yes. I’d rather shoot another commercial than spend time on those.”

“I agree.”

Kim Hye-ryung handed over a piece of paper.

“This is the schedule for the next month. I’ve made sure you can get a check-up at Seoul National University Hospital as you requested.”

“It must have been difficult to get a reservation at the university hospital. You managed to get one.”

“This was also possible because Jung Ha-sung is famous.”

Seoul National University Hospital required even famous people to follow the order.

However, Ha-sung had already become a player beyond the category of ordinary celebrities.

With a little help from Kim Hye-ryung’s connections, he was able to get a check-up early on.

“Very good. Let’s proceed as planned.”

“Yes, I understand. Then rest until we arrive.”

“Yes.”

Before lowering his eye mask.

Ha-sung looked out the window at the splendid sight of the Incheon Bridge and felt that he had come home to Korea.

* * *

Ha-sung’s parents originally planned to go to the airport.

However, at Ha-sung’s request, they were waiting at home. Thanks to this, they first saw their son’s appearance on TV.

“It’s a good thing we didn’t go out as our son said.”

“I know, so many people came.”

“Our son has become really famous in just one year.”

“The company talks about Ha-sung every day. You said everyone recognizes you when you go out, right?”

“Yes. When we were eliminated from the championship series, everyone in the neighborhood was sad.”

“Haha! That’s right.”

The fame of their son could be felt thanks to the reactions of the people around them.

Every day, the changing reactions made them realize that their son was becoming famous.

The fact that their son was arriving made their hearts flutter.

Ding-dong-!

At that time, their son’s face appeared on the intercom along with the bell sound.

The father went out to the front door in his socks and opened the door.

“Son!”

“Father!”

The father and son, who had met after a long time, shared a deep hug, and Ha-sung entered the house.

The mother’s eyes welled up at the changed appearance of her son, whom she had met in half a year.

“Son~”

“Mom, I’m here.”

“You’ve worked hard! You’ve worked hard!!”

After enjoying the reunion with his parents, Ha-sung unpacked his luggage in his room while his mother prepared dinner.

‘Nothing has changed.’

The arrangement of the room was the same as when Ha-sung left.

Not only the supplies but also there was no dust at all.

It was enough to know that his mother came in and cleaned every day.

‘She’s still diligent.’

Even though he had regressed, his mother had not changed at all.

She was still diligent and doing her best for the family.

It was when he was feeling such warmth from his mother.

“Son! Come out and eat!”

“Yes~”

It was time to taste his mother’s cooking skills after a long time.

* * *

Two days later.

Ha-sung went down to the underground parking lot.

There, a black van had arrived, and as soon as Ha-sung was seen, the door opened and Kim Hye-ryung got out.

“Are you the manager yourself, CEO?”

“Of course. You are our company’s VIP. Get in quickly.”

“Yes.”

Originally, the manager was often an employee.

With Kim Hye-ryung’s experience, she didn’t have many opportunities to work in the field directly.

But the fact that she came directly meant that she was taking care of Ha-sung that much.

“You can wear this for today’s outfit. It’s a suit provided by Armani.”

“Am I standing in front of the camera again today?”

“Not really, but if you walk around the streets, you’re bound to be seen by the public. The smartphone penetration rate has also been increasing recently.”

The penetration rate of smartphones was increasing day by day.

Various smartphones were coming out on the market, including Apple’s iPhone and Oseong Electronics’ Space.

‘In the end, only two things survive: the iPhone and the Space Phone.’

Now it was the Warring States Period [a period of Chinese history marked by constant warfare], but in the future, two smartphones would dominate the market.

It was China’s Huawei that broke such a Warring States period, but it was a story of the more distant future.

‘If I buy Oseong Electronics’ stock at this time, it’ll be a jackpot.’

Of course, it was impossible, so I had no choice but to lick my lips [a gesture of disappointment].

If investment was possible, I would have liked to buy about 100 Bitcoins and hoard them.

‘Haa… Even if there is a way to make money, I can’t invest…’

I had no choice but to work hard and earn money instead of unearned income.

It was a tearful thing for Ha-sung.

“We’ve arrived.”

The place we arrived after driving for 30 minutes was a Korean restaurant in Gangnam.

It was a place where you could have a private meal, and the meeting place was set up in a separate building to prevent interference from outsiders.

“The guests are waiting.”

The door of the private room, which we reached with the guidance of the staff, opened, and there were Oseong Electronics employees inside.

One of them was a face that Ha-sung knew well.

“Nice to meet you, Jung Ha-sung. I’m Executive Director Lee Yong-jin.”

Executive Director Lee Yong-jin.

He was the eldest son of Lee Hee-gun, the current chairman of Oseong Group, and the person who would become the future chairman of Oseong Group.

Kim Hye-ryung was also surprised by the appearance of an unexpected big shot.

‘The fact that this person didn’t know means that Lee Yong-jin came out on his own. Has such a big shot become so interested that he’s coming out to meet me?’

That was possible.

If you were to pick the most famous person in Korea right now, it would be Ha-sung.

‘Anyway, it’s not a bad thing.’

Ha-sung shook hands with Lee Yong-jin and greeted him.

“I’m Jung Ha-sung.”

* * *

After sitting down.

It was Lee Yong-jin who started to lead the conversation.

“I enjoyed watching Jung Ha-sung’s performance this season.”

“Thank you.”

“I can only express it as amazing. While watching Jung Ha-sung’s game, I thought, ‘I definitely want to use this player as a model.'”

“Did you watch my game in person?”

“I couldn’t watch it every day, but I watched most of it. Of course, highlight videos as well.”

Ha-sung’s memories from before regression came to mind at Lee Yong-jin’s words.

‘Come to think of it, this guy came to the baseball stadium a few times. He often came to the Korean Series or playoff games.’

In fact, Oseong Group owned a baseball team called Oseong Lions.

Lee Yong-jin was a person who was deeply fond of the club to the extent that he came to watch the game in person.

“Then, did the executive director come up with the idea of using me as a model?”

“Yes. I strongly pushed for it. Considering Jung Ha-sung’s recognition in Korea and the United States, I judged that there was no alternative in Korea.”

“You’re aiming for the global market in earnest.”

“You’re sharp. That’s right. There are limitations to being only in the domestic market. In order for the company to grow in the future, we must aim for the global market. The beginning is the largest United States in the world.”

At this time, Korean companies were not yet fully globalized.

The domestic market has been prioritized, which has limited the growth of companies.

However, as time went by, the globalization of domestic companies accelerated.

In particular, Oseong Group grows to the point where it becomes a giant group competing for the top 1-2 in the world.

At the center of it was Oseong Electronics.

“Jung Ha-sung is suitable as a model to promote the company in line with our global strategy. That’s why we want to bring Jung Ha-sung under the best conditions.”

Lee Yong-jin gestured to an employee, who handed over a file.

“This is our proposal.”

Ha-sung accepted it and began to examine the contents.

The contract period was 10 years, and the total amount was a large contract worth 10 billion won [approximately $7.5 million USD].

Ha-sung, who checked the main contents, handed the proposal to Kim Hye-ryung.

Kim Hye-ryung’s eyes widened as she opened the proposal; it was such a large-scale contract.

‘No matter how big Oseong Electronics is, are they giving a 10 billion won contract to a player who has only played for a year?’

I’ve never heard of such a contract.

In particular, the period of 10 years showed how highly Oseong Electronics valued Ha-sung.

‘Sports stars can decline at any time. They can collapse due to injuries. That’s why we don’t sign long-term contracts.’

It’s a 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD] contract every year.

This was the highest level of treatment as a domestic endorsement model.

‘Even stars classified as S-class don’t receive this amount…’

It was impossible to receive this amount in the first contract.

There were other conditions attached, but they were conditions that could be understood sufficiently.

‘I have to agree right away.’

There was no reason to hesitate.

I had to sign and get confirmation right away.

The moment Kim Hye-ryung was about to bring up the story.

“I refuse.”

An unexpected answer came from Ha-sung’s mouth.

* * *

The first meeting with Lee Yong-jin ended without any particular gain.

In the car on the way back, Kim Hye-ryung was pressing her temples with her fingers as if she had a headache.

“Do you have a headache?”

“Haa… Of course, I have a headache. You just rejected a 1 billion won contract every year.”

“I know.”

Ha-sung answered nonchalantly.

That attitude made me even more angry.

“Why did you refuse?”

“The contract states that it can be used not only in Korea but also as a global model.”

“That’s what most contracts include. It’s a clause without any major problems.”

“If it was a 1 billion won contract a year, I would have done it right away. But 10 years is too long to be tied up.”

“Rather, it’s a stable income.”

“You can think that way, but if I become a bigger player in 10 years, I’m signing a contract at a bargain price.”

Kim Hye-ryung couldn’t say anything at Ha-sung’s words.

If I argued here, it was the same as having negative thoughts about Ha-sung’s growth potential.

“I’m betting on my growth potential. There’s no reason to sign a long-term contract now.”

“Then, what is the maximum period you are thinking about?”

“2 years. I’m going to reject everything more than that.”

What if you get injured? The words hit my throat, but Kim Hye-ryung had no choice but to swallow them.

After all, it was a contract in which Ha-sung was in a more superior position.

“Trust me as always. Haven’t I kept everything I’ve said so far?”

“That’s…”

It was Ha-sung who made it impossible to say anything.

“Try to get a 2-year contract with Oseong Electronics. It wouldn’t be bad to receive more than 500 million won [approximately $375,000 USD] in model fees every year.”

“Haa… I understand.”

Kim Hye-ryung had no choice but to accept it.

‘Are you really 20 years old? How can you speak so well?’

Kim Hye-ryung had no choice but to shake her head at his demeanor, who spoke better than anyone she had ever met.

‘The schedule has just started. I’m already tired…’

Kim Hye-ryung was worried about the upcoming schedule.